Chapter 12

For the time being, Su Jing ignored the other messy trash and focused on studying the giant shell.

The shell was covered in moss, looking as if it had been in the water for who knows how long. What was even more puzzling was the source of the heat inside, and the fact that the heat had no fishy smell but instead had a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Su Jing carried the shell into the kitchen and washed it thoroughly inside and out. Only then did he notice that the outside of the shell was a fiery red, somewhat like red-hot iron. Regardless of its size, shape, or color, everything told Su Jing that this was not an ordinary Earth shell.

When he finished washing, Su Jing accidentally pressed the top of the shell, and it sank in like a button. In the next moment, a steady stream of heat gushed out from the shell's opening, the amount of stored heat far exceeding Su Jing's expectations.

"Could this be... a Sky Island Shell?"

Su Jing's eyes lit up as he suddenly thought of a corresponding item from a different dimension, the world of One Piece.

The world of One Piece is full of wonders, including the Sky Islands floating in the sky, where people have wings and use clouds for beds and sofas. Life there is closely tied to various shells, such as the Wind Shell that stores and releases wind, the Light Shell that glows, the Flame Shell that stores fire, and the Recording Shell that can record sounds—collectively known as Sky Island Shells.

The one in front of Su Jing, if he guessed correctly, should be a Heat Shell, which can store and release heat, commonly used for cooking and heating food. While it might not be considered a treasure, it is a very useful household item and would not be discarded. It probably fell from a Sky Island to the Blue Sea by accident.

"This Heat Shell is quite interesting. Why not give it a try?"

On a whim, Su Jing decided to use the Heat Shell to make breakfast, since he was already awake and hungry. He first placed the Heat Shell in a pot, heated it over a fire to absorb enough heat, then took a piece of monster meat, cut it, seasoned it, and placed it inside the Heat Shell to steam.

Su Jing now ate monster meat for all three meals of the day, not only because it was delicious but also because it was clearly very beneficial to his health. A healthy body is the capital of revolution, and keeping it in top condition was the best use of it.

After a while, Su Jing opened the Heat Shell and took out the dish of monster meat, immediately smelling a fragrant aroma. He had cooked monster meat before, and although it was very delicious, it was still somewhat ruined by his cooking skills. This time, the meat's aroma was brought out to its fullest.

Su Jing used chopsticks to pick up a piece and put it in his mouth, feeling the aroma, tenderness, and smoothness, which almost made his taste buds explode. He quickly took a few bites and swallowed it subconsciously, almost unable to resist swallowing his tongue as well.

"Meow" "Meow"

The two little calico cats, drawn by the smell, ran over and looked up at Su Jing, meowing.

Su Jing picked up two pieces and threw them on the ground. The two cats pounced and finished them in an instant, then looked at Su Jing with hungry eyes.

"You two little rascals."

Su Jing ignored the two cute little creatures and continued eating.

After a short while, a yellow-green parrot flew in through the window. It was still young and flew unsteadily. It landed on the table and greedily stared at the dish of monster meat but seemed afraid of Su Jing and did not dare to fly over and snatch it. A little later, a huge black shadow swooped down and landed at the window like a king, a young golden eagle.

Staring at the cats, parrot, and golden eagle sitting in a row and waiting for food, Su Jing was speechless. He was glad that this was indoors, unsuitable for the golden eagle to fly, otherwise, even as a juvenile, it might have flown over and injured him.

"Can I at least have a peaceful breakfast?"

Su Jing complained, quickly stuffing the remaining monster meat into his mouth and swallowing it in a hurry.

Then, he took out another piece of monster meat, cut it, and divided it among the calico cats, parrot, and golden eagle. He wanted to keep them, thinking that the parrot could be sold and the golden eagle, which he loved, could fulfill his childhood dream of being a divine eagle companion. This pet would be far more impressive than any cat, dog, or parrot.

His plan worked easily. After eating the monster meat, the parrot and golden eagle had no intention of leaving and were no longer wary of Su Jing, showing no hostility. The parrot even let Su Jing pet it.

"Why does my appetite seem to have increased? I'll cook some more."

Su Jing felt that since eating monster meat, he had become more energetic and stronger, and his appetite seemed to be growing. A large dish of monster meat that would have satisfied him yesterday was not enough today.

He did not cook more monster meat, as he could not rely solely on it, and being picky was not good. He took a small piece of monster meat, put it in a bamboo basket, and went to the seaside in the backyard. Standing on a rock, he placed the basket in the sea. After the incident with the tuna, he did not dare to take the monster meat into the sea, but at the rocky shore, he did not have to worry about sharks or orcas, which could not swim in.

Soon, more and more fish gathered. After so many experiments, Su Jing was almost certain that the smell of the monster meat was what attracted other creatures. He could smell the stronger fishy and meaty odor, but it did not make him uncomfortable.

From the gathered fish and shrimp, Su Jing picked a one-pound yellow croaker and a three- to four-ounce lobster and took them back.

He then cut and seasoned them and steamed them with the Heat Shell. When the steamed fish and lobster were ready, and he took a few bites, Su Jing could not help but smile. Not to boast, but the steamed fish and lobster he made were even better than what his uncle made.

"This Heat Shell is truly amazing!"

Su Jing was self-aware, knowing that his cooking skills were not great, and all the credit went to the Heat Shell.

In fact, many purely natural dishes, cooked using natural ingredients, cannot be replicated by high-tech kitchen tools. A simple example is bamboo rice, which has the fragrance of bamboo and rice, something a pressure cooker cannot produce.

The Heat Shell works on the same principle, and its effects are far more magical than bamboo.

"Ai Jing, Ai Jing." A voice suddenly called from the door.

"I'm here." Su Jing walked out and saw his sister-in-law Zhao Mengxiang and Su Liang at the door.

"Sister-in-law, Liang, what brings you here so early?" Su Jing asked curiously.

"Ha, Ai Jing, you didn't know, but the photo of you landing the tuna was posted online, and you've become famous. Many tourists on the beach want to buy fresh seafood and see you catch a tuna live. Let's try it again," Su Liang laughed.

"Your uncle originally wanted to use the large lobster left from yesterday as a signature dish, but it was sold for six hundred yuan in just a few minutes. Now people are even willing to pay eight hundred yuan, but we don't have such a large lobster anymore. It's a rare good business opportunity, so why don't you go catch some more?" Zhao Mengxiang said, not waiting for Su Jing's answer, and stuffed six hundred yuan into his pocket. They had only eaten one lobster for dinner yesterday, and Su Zhenhong had steamed the other to sell as a signature dish for the new restaurant, without thinking of keeping the money.

"You go ahead, I'll be there in a bit." Hearing Su Liang and Zhao Mengxiang's words, Su Jing suddenly had a new idea.