Universe Infinite Canteen

"The call of the wild...?"

The hardware store owner reached out and grabbed a strip of meat that was still dripping with blood, "Indeed, this method of eating dates back to before the Qin Dynasty. After the Wu State's army conquered the Capital Ying of Chu State, King Helu of Wu hosted a raw fish feast to comfort Wu Zixu.

"Nowadays, there are similar practices in Japanese, Korean, and Italian cuisine. It's not just fish, but beef too. However... without exception, they all bleed the meat during slaughter to prevent the blood from ruining the taste, unlike how you've served it without any processing."

"Actually, we did treat it," Ma Lu snapped his fingers, "but more talk is useless. You will know after you've tried."

"Then I'll trust you guys one more time."

Yan Wu placed the blood-soaked strip of meat into his mouth. As soon as his tongue touched it, his face changed and he instinctively wanted to spit it out.

Fortunately, he held back and began to chew. The more he ate, the more remarkable his expression became.

After finishing one strip of meat, he didn't say a word. Instead, he grabbed the second one and shoved it into his mouth, followed by the third...

By the seventh, Yan Wu suddenly threw back his head, opened his mouth, and let out a high-pitched wolf howl.

This caused a row of electric scooters by the roadside to start beeping their alarms in response, and many passersby turned their heads, searching for the source of the noise.

Ma Lu was also surprised, "That strong, huh?"

Yan Wu howled for nearly half a minute before stopping to catch his breath, which showed he had quite a good lung capacity.

And the first thing he said after his howl was, "Damn, it's so spicy! So that layer on the outside isn't plasma, it's your special chili sauce!!!"

"Exactly," Ma Lu said, "Sashimi needs a dip, but this time we poured the dipping sauce right over it, which is not only more convenient but also visually wilder, fitting the theme better."

Yan Wu opened his thermos and gulped down two big mouthfuls of water before continuing.

"Using chili as a dip is quite bold of you. Moreover, you haven't added any other spices that could mask the gamey taste."

"Because our dish is called 'The Call of the Wild,' so of course we want to retain the meat's original flavor to the fullest extent. Not only that, but I specifically chose the roughest Wind-walking Prairie Wolf Meat for the sashimi."

"Hmph, I thought you put that wolf's head up just to provoke me?"

"That was part of the consideration," Ma Lu's words made the werewolf's teeth itch anew.

However, when he heard the following sentence, "Anger is also one of the seasonings for this dish," he looked thoughtful.

Honestly, for ordinary people, this dish definitely wouldn't be considered tasty.

Its Deliciousness Index was only ★, not even up to par with the Universe Infinite Canteen's first Fried Jackal Meat Cake.

However, Yan Wu indeed tasted something different in this dish.

As a werewolf who had lived for over two thousand years and had traveled through countless planes, tasting innumerable delicacies, ordinary flavors could hardly move him.

The Flameheart Earth Dragon Orange Brew was tasty but didn't touch him deeply enough.

But today's 'The Call of the Wild' actually provoked his wolf howl.

Whether it was the texture of the crude, substantial raw meat sashimi, Old Wang's secret super spicy sauce, or the raging fire in his chest, all left a lasting impression on him.

Of course, the most important thing was that he truly chewed his way into a sense of wildness he hadn't felt in ages.

Once, he'd piloted airships, wandered everywhere, and swore to taste all the delicacies of the Multiverse, see all the beautiful sights, and "beep" all the pretty ladies with fluffy tails.

However, his airship later malfunctioned, and he found himself stranded in this godforsaken, obscure dimension.

In his efforts to repair the airship, he grew haggard and worn, and, by some twist of fate, wound up on the path of metalworking.

It's not to say that metalworking is bad; in fact, Yan Wu was quite happy with his current life. He had fully integrated into this universe's dimension, adapted to the society of humans, and even acted more human than the humans themselves.

And it was precisely because of this that he was on the verge of forgetting the dreams of his youth.

Those rough, wild, filled with restlessness and anger, rebellious desires, just like the dish before him.

Yan Wu closed his eyes again, savoring the lingering musky taste and feeling of heat between his lips, and eventually let out a sigh.

"Youth is indeed wonderful!"

"You're not exactly old now, uh... probably."

Ma Lu caught himself halfway through his sentence, remembering that the fellow in front of him was over two thousand years old.

Yan Wu shook his head, "Youth isn't about age; it's more of a mental state. I truly don't have that many impulsive thoughts anymore, but still, thank you all for reminding me of those carefree, joyous days piloting my airship."

Ma Lu felt a stir in his heart, "Hmm, by saying that, do you mean..."

"Yes," Yan Wu nodded, "you have indeed created a dish that moved me, fulfilling my request and passing my assessment."

After finishing his words, the hardware store owner flipped the wrench on the topmost shelf, and the world flipped along with it in the next second.

The three of them returned to the small room filled with odd high-dimensional artifacts.

Yan Wu pointed towards a corner, "Your Phase Shifter, the Beaver, and the desktop farm are all over there... eh, why aren't they there?"

No sooner had the hardware store owner finished speaking than a wooden figure came over from the other corner, carrying a large box and heaving sighs as it walked.

"Ah, over here." Yan Wu took the box from the wooden figure's hands as it passed and stuffed it into Ma Lu's arms.

Seeing this, the wooden figure let out another long sigh and drooped its head, moving off to find and carry other items.

"I'm giving you these three items, but as per our agreement, you will still have to repay the money—280,000 Star Currency in total. As for the time... let's set it at two years. You'll have two years to pay me back, alright?"

Ma Lu opened the wooden box to confirm the high-dimensional artifacts were all there, then nodded, "Okay."

"Then I wish you a speedy opening of your business," Yan Wu said.

With the key items in hand, Ma Lu felt a wave of relief. This meant the biggest obstacle to opening his store was gone. After the renovations were completed and all the permits acquired, Universe Infinite Canteen would officially be in business.

And he would officially claim the title of Boss Ma.

Right now, Ma Lu couldn't wait to find a place to test out those three high-dimensional artifacts. But for the moment, he still had to return to the West Gate of Aerospace University with Old Wang to set up their stall.

He had quite a few expenses coming up, so until the shop opened, he couldn't afford to ignore the income from the stall.