Gourmet Hunter (HxH Fanfic)

Pearl weaving wasn't about pearls but rather the art of threading.

By using blue, white, and red threads to intricately bind pearls into knots, the craft became a skill every woman in Marvando was expected to master.

Compared to weaving fishing nets, pearl weaving was both more challenging and more meticulous.

The old lady didn't explain the deeper connection between gifting pearls and pearl weaving. She simply began teaching the clueless Sanbica how to thread pearls.

Like Sambica, Law also hadn't grasped the hidden meaning behind gifting the pearl. When he dug up the black pearl, he immediately thought of Sanbica's eyes.

Until now, Law has not seen Sanbica's appearance under the mask. He is not sure whether Sanbica is beautiful or ugly, but her black eyes are very beautiful, just like that black pearl.

Seeing Law walking back to the well, Buhara resumed cracking open the clams, while Law continued to dig for pearls.

Law lowered his head and continued to dig out the pearl in the clam's meat. As he searched, he said in a voice so low that only Buhara could hear it: "That black pearl may be worth tens of millions of Jenny."

"Oh."

Buhara replied absentmindedly. He was completely focused on opening the clams. He was very hungry and just wanted to eat the clam's meat as soon as possible.

"It's tens of millions of Jenny." Law reiterated as he looked at Buhara with a meaningful glance.

"Sounds expensive." Buhara replied nonchalantly, and then didn't say anything else. He ran to open another drift clam.

Law rolled his eyes when he saw this. He finally realized that there was a reason why Buhara was so fat.

'He probably only had food in his eyes. But he took his promises very seriously.'

Earlier, they had agreed verbally that any pearls found in the drifting shells would belong to Law. However, this was just a verbal agreement and not very binding. And when ordinary people see the valuable black pearl, their first reaction is usually to take them for themselves.

That kind of reaction is actually very normal.

However, from the time when Law gave the black pearl to Sanbica, to now when Law deliberately pointed out the potential value of the black pearl, Buhara hadn't shown the slightest interest or greed. It was as if the pearl had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Although they hadn't known each other long, from this, Law can see that Buhara is someone worth befriending.

Law's lips curled slightly, and he suddenly said, "Buhara, do you want to try other ways to eat drift clams?"

Hearing this, Buhara's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is it better than chilled clam meat?"

Law chuckled and said, "Probably..."

The chilled clam meat was the simplest preparation. Thin slices of clam meat were layered over crushed ice and paired with a specially prepared dipping sauce.

After taking the pearls, Law can use God Hand to cut all the clam's meats into thin slices in a very short time, so it is not difficult to deal with dozens of drift clams.

However, Buhara's eating habits were much more crude. He didn't savor each slice one at a time, but simply grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his mouth, as if he was eating potato chips.

While Law felt that it was unnecessary to cut the clam meat into thin slices with Buhara's way of eating, Buhara just liked to eat it this way. According to him, the thin slices offered the perfect texture, which he absolutely loved.

"I want to try it!" Buhara nodded enthusiastically, practically drooling at the thought.

'This guy was a natural-born foodie. With him accompanying me on this Hunter Exam, it shouldn't be boring.'

Law shook his head in amusement before continuing to look for pearls.

Perhaps fortune was on his side today. When he dug up the last drift clam, he finally dug out a purple pearl the size of a quail egg, which was shiny and very beautiful.

"Finally."

Law was delighted and put away the purple pearl.

Then, Law began to process the drift clams, using God Hand to swiftly cut them into slices. He adjusted the thickness according to the cooking method: chilled, marinated, stir-fried, steamed, or made into sushi.

For an ordinary chef, preparing such a large quantity of clam meat with such precision would be a very troublesome and laborious task. However, this is just a small matter for Law.

"That's amazing."

Buhara saw Law slicing the clam's meat with just a flick of his palm. No matter how many times he had seen it, he would always offer words of praise, with admiration written all over his fat face.

After Law had cut all the clam's meats, he asked Buhara to help carry it into the kitchen and began preparing the dishes.

Buhara, who wanted to become a Gourmet Hunter, was thrilled to get Law's permission to assist him in the kitchen. This allowed Buhara to observe up close how Law cooked the large quantities of clam's meats.

But what he saw left him completely dumbfounded.

With his novice cooking skills, Buhara was utterly amazed by Law's cooking skills. The way Law handled the wok with expert precision and added seasoning with swift, practiced movements struck him as godlike.

It wasn't surprising that Buhara reacted this way.

On one hand, Law is younger than him, and on the other hand, Buhara's cooking skills were mediocre at best. His dream of becoming a Gourmet Hunter stemmed purely from his love of delicious food.

If cutting the clam's meats made Buhara admire Law, then after seeing Law's cooking skills, Buhara's admiration has turned into worship.

Soon, Law prepared a large table full of clam meat dishes. He used a variety of cooking methods, including stir-frying, marinated, steamed, soups, and even sushi.

Law told Buhara to restrain himself from eating secretly and ran out to call the old lady and Sanbica in to eat. When they saw the full clam meat feast on the table, they were stunned.

"You're a pretty good boy." The old lady was dumbfounded as she smelled the fragrance.

Sanbica stared at the table full of delicious dishes with surprise in her eyes. The food was beautifully presented and smelled incredible, so there was no doubt it would taste just as good.

This was the first time Sanbica witnessed Law's cooking skills, and she suddenly realized that Law was not joking when he said he would participate in the Gourmet Competition.

"You see, I will never starve to death with my cooking skills, so don't force me to learn how to weave net." Law looked at the old lady and teased.

The old lady shot him a glare before sitting down at the table.

"Can we eat now?" Buhara could barely contain himself.

"Let's eat." Law said after everyone sat down.

Buhara seemed to have broken free from a seal, and he dives into the dishes like a whirlwind.

"Delicious, so delicious!"

Buhara had devoured nearly one fifth of the dishes in a blink of an eye, which made Law and the other three chuckle bitterly.

In order to thank Buhara for the pearls, Law prepared this table of dishes with great care, so the taste was naturally good and everyone enjoyed it very much.

After a full meal, Law asked Buhara to wash the dishes, and the latter readily agreed.

Having tasted Law's cooking, Buhara had decided to stay with Law in order to be able to eat such delicious meals all the time in the future.

Law didn't know what was going on in Buhara's mind, but he was quite satisfied to see him washing the dishes so obediently. After all, what he hated most was cleaning up the mess after cooking.

After dinner, Sanbica was dragged by the old lady to learn the pearl weaving.

Law went over to take a look, and when he saw the prototype of the knots that Sanbica had weaved with the threads, he thought they looked quite beautiful. He asked curiously and found out that the knots were used to hold pearls, which is part of pearl weaving craft.

"Sanbica, make one for me when you've mastered it." Law said and took out the beautiful purple pearl he had found earlier.

"Okay." Sanbica agreed with a nod.

Pearl weaving was a meticulous and complex skill that required a lot of practice.

Though Sanbica had initially resisted, feeling it was a waste of time, the old lady's patient guidance eventually convinced her to continue learning, albeit reluctantly.

"Boy, who are you going to give that purple pearl to?" the old lady suddenly asked.

"A friend." Law replied calmly.

"A female friend, right?" The old lady pressed.

Law answered without hesitation, "Of course."

If it were a man, how could he give pearl as a gift?

When the old lady heard this, a strange look suddenly appeared in her eyes.

In their traditions, a man gifting a pearl and a woman weaving it into a piece was a token of their love. However, if the woven pearl was intended for someone else, it carried a different meaning altogether.

The old lady decided it was best not to explain this custom to either Law or Sanbica.

…

A few days later, the day to board the ship finally arrived.

Law and Buhara arrived at the port at ten o'clock, and the old lady and Sanbica came to see them off.

The Hunter Exam would last anywhere from two weeks to a month, so Sanbica would temporarily stay at the old lady's house, waiting for Law to return.

The boarding time was set for eleven o'clock, but at this time, the port is already crowded with people, all of whom are candidates coming to take the Hunter Exam.

Law took a quick glance around and saw that there were definitely no less than a thousand people. However, there were only three hundred places available at the ship, and no one knew what the qualifications were to board them.

"Law, Buhara, first come, first served."

At this time, the old lady suddenly reminded.