Chapter 148: The Tongue says otherwise
It was time for the judges to make their comments on the meal. No one had anything to say.
The meal had left them speechless. They simply sat there staring at it. Two of the judges had taken another bite, and then another. They couldn’t stop eating.
"So? Anything?" the boar tribe leader requested for their critique. He had already told them ahead of time that no matter how good the meal was, they should just say it was bad so Sunnie’s team would fail.
But now their tongues were tied. They couldn’t even say it.
"Well... it’s actually not bad," one found himself saying. It wasn’t even his mind speaking—it was just his tongue that had fallen in love with the meal.
Another nodded as he said, "This actually has to be one of the best meals I’ve tasted in a long time."
Others joined in, nodding and agreeing while also expressing how transformational the meal was to them.
They praised the aroma, the taste, and everything about it—the strange ingredients that had blended so well with familiar ones to bring forth a whole new experience.
They had a lot to praise. Sunnie simply stood there, proud as she listened to all they had to say. She had actually expected it; after all, she had poured her all into this meal.
While they were done speaking, the boar tribe leader stood and stared in shock. He couldn’t believe what they were saying. They were supposed to collectively hate the meal, but here they were praising it.
He stepped closer and said, "I don’t understand how it could be that good. I mean, how could it be better than..." He leaned close and took a bite.
Immediately, the boar tribe leader paused. He could feel it too—a strange taste creeping into him. His eyes lit up in excitement at the flavor he had never tasted before. He saw himself in another dimension, surrounded by countless pies, dancing and swimming in all of them.
It sent fireworks flying through his mind. He had no words for it at all. But he was hundred percent sure that he loved this. Anyone would.
But he knew he couldn’t be too obvious, even though most people could already see from his expression that he loved the meal.
He cleared his throat as he turned and stared down at Sunnie. "Everyone should disperse. We shall go and have our private meetings to discuss. Then we shall come and present the outcome to you."
He said as he turned and left with the other judges.
With them gone, Sunnie folded her arms and turned to meet the others.
"How did it go? Do you think we’ll win?" Azure asked, approaching with the already sleeping Maren in his arms.
Sunnie shrugged. "We’ll have to see. But I have a strong feeling about it. If they’re being fair, then we might actually win this time around."
They nodded hopefully. Eris sighed as he asked, "But would they even allow us to win at all?"
Karl added, "Even if you were the best, it doesn’t make sense that they’ll allow you to win this round. They don’t like you, remember? Why would they hand over everything they have to you?"
Sunnie sighed. She was aware of what they were saying and knew for a fact that they were right.
"Then we’ll have to have a plan B in case it fails," Sunnie said with a smile.
"Plan B? And what does that mean?" Luka stared, curious.
But Sunnie smiled at them. "You’ll just have to see if everything fails," she expressed with a smile.
At that moment, the contestants were already dispersing in different directions to wait for the news. As the bear tribe beastmen left, they stared murderously at Sunnie.
The bear tribe leader and Sunnie’s eyes met. While he glared furiously at her, Sunnie simply smiled, watching as they all left.
With the contestants gone, the natives of the tribe remained—the boar beastmen who had gathered to watch the cooking competition suddenly didn’t want to leave.
They stood there staring at the meal Sunnie had prepared. It was obvious that they were curious to know what she had made.
They were certainly curious for a taste, but they couldn’t even bring themselves to ask for some, especially after talking down on Sunnie and laughing at her.
But Sunnie turned and noticed. With a smile, she walked up to where the remaining meat pie she had made was. Then she said, "Hmm, I wonder who I’m going to give these remaining ones to now that the judges have gone."
Immediately, the boar beastmen’s eyes lit up and their ears stood tall. They stared curiously with full attention, wondering if Sunnie would give it to them.
Little Black and Luka quickly rushed toward Sunnie. "I want some. I can have it all."
But Sunnie stared at them with a smile and said, "You’ll have some later. For now..." She turned to the people around who were staring. "Anyone care for a bite?"
The beastmen stared without doing anything. They were too shy and ashamed to step forward. But then, a young girl stepped forward.
"I want to try." She looked hungry and exhausted. Sunnie smiled and warmly handed her a portion.
Everyone stared curiously, watching as the young beast lady tasted it. Her eyes lit up as she instantly smiled. It was as though she had gone through a magical transformation.
"This... it tastes so good! How did you make it?" She was almost crying while enjoying her portion.
A few more people gained courage and stepped forward to request some. They were surprised that Sunnie didn’t discriminate at all.
They had been laughing at Sunnie and making jokes about her being the infamous jinxed rabbit with her monster husbands. They had all looked down on her from day one, yet she was kind enough to share her delicacy with them.
This left them all speechless at her kindness.