Dragon's Origin

Chapter 273: Not Giving It Away, Selling It to Him (Part 2)

Wang Sheng was telling the truth. His cultivation wasn't high enough to complete the Suanni Transformation, so his sense of smell wasn't as good as his sense of taste. Once he completed the Suanni Transformation, Wang Sheng could rely solely on his sense of smell to determine the taste of a dish and the freshness of the ingredients without having to taste it.

But the group of grandmasters was already stunned. They originally thought Wang Sheng was joking when he said he was a grandmaster in cooking, but after seeing his knife skills and control over the heat, they realized that Wang Sheng was indeed that skilled. They couldn't say anything.

A group of grandmasters! Facing a craft that was also a skill, they couldn't comment. It was true that they hadn't paid much attention to this aspect before, but this was too embarrassing.

Also, what Wang Sheng just said about color, aroma, taste, intent, and shape. Heavens, before, when they ate, they only knew how to judge whether it was delicious or not, maybe adding whether it was salty or bland, whether the dish was fresh, or whether the meat was old or tender. In the end, it was just about the taste. Now they knew that there were so many things to consider when evaluating food.

What else was there to say? Eat! Everyone was already hungry, picking up their chopsticks and eating.

As soon as the dishes entered their mouths, everyone was stunned again.

No wonder when Wang Sheng ate with everyone last time, he made a series of comments about how this dish had flaws and that dish was overcooked. After taking a bite of these dishes, everyone realized that Wang Sheng was absolutely right. Any one of these dishes could make them want to keep eating non-stop. In fact, that's exactly what they were doing.

"I bought some wine along the way. The taste is so-so, but it'll do," Wang Sheng said, taking out the good wine he bought from the wine shop and filling everyone's cups.

At this time, who cared about that? A group of old men and women completely ignored Wang Sheng, burying their heads and eating like a group of old gluttons who hadn't eaten in decades.

If it was just like this, it would have been fine, but even Mei'er, who often ate exquisite meals in the Marquis's mansion, was actually fighting for food with a group of old men and women. She was so impolite and had no respect for the elderly.

Watching the dishes that were enough to feed twenty strong men being swept away by a group of old men and women in a short period of time, Wang Sheng couldn't help but be stunned. Even if these artisans had a large appetite, it shouldn't be this exaggerated! They all looked like they couldn't stand up straight. Was it really okay to eat like this?

"Every trade produces a master, every trade produces a master!" Old Tie, supporting himself on the table, began to make a concluding speech while burping: "Your cooking skills deserve the title of grandmaster."

After saying this, everyone nodded repeatedly, as if this was Wang Sheng's grandmaster promotion assessment, making Wang Sheng speechless.

"If you can cook like this, your eating skills must be good too," Grandmaster Lu continued, "In terms of eating, we'll reluctantly count you as a grandmaster. We won't ask you to comment on the food. Last time we treated you to a meal, Old Lady Wei didn't cook for many days because of your comments. Unless you're at your own home, don't casually comment on other people's cooking!"

Wang Sheng nodded quickly. Last time, everyone asked him to say it, it wasn't his intention, right? But Grandmaster Lu said this for Wang Sheng's own good, and Wang Sheng wasn't someone who didn't know what was good for him.

"Little Wu, finish the scabbard as soon as possible and give it to the little assassin to present to the Emperor," Grandmaster Lu said to Grandmaster Wu after finishing with Wang Sheng, "This way, your reputation will spread, and your starting point will be much higher, making the road ahead easier."

Grandmaster Wu nodded repeatedly. Before he could say anything, Wang Sheng interrupted, "What do you mean present it to the Emperor? Such exquisite craftsmanship, such a time-consuming work of art, why give it to him for free?"

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Wang Sheng said calmly, without changing his expression, "Don't give it away, sell it to him!"

Sell it to the Emperor? The group of grandmasters was dumbfounded, looking at Wang Sheng as if he was some kind of monster. They were used to making tributes in the Artisan Workshop and never thought of selling good things to the Emperor.

"From now on, all of your works will be given to me, and I'll take care of them all," Wang Sheng said to the group of grandmasters, taking advantage of the fact that everyone had just finished eating and were feeling obliged, "The work of a grandmaster! Why sell it cheaply?"

"Grandmaster Wu, this sword, from the materials to the labor, how much do you think it's worth in gold coins?" Wang Sheng asked Grandmaster Wu, turning to him while everyone was still digesting his words.

Grandmaster Wu was stunned, then calculated in his mind for a moment: "If you include Wu's craftsmanship, 100,000 gold coins would be about right?" Grandmaster Wu gave this estimate, and when he said this number, the other grandmasters nodded repeatedly, indicating that everyone's psychological price was about the same. 100,000 gold coins for a sword was a sky-high price, even in Worry-Free City.

Wang Sheng directly frowned, looking like he was disappointed that iron couldn't be turned into steel, and turned to Mei'er: "Mei'er, tell everyone, if this sword were placed in Qianshengyuan, how much could it be sold for?"

"At least 200,000, starting price," Mei'er said without hesitation, immediately holding up two fingers, and echoed Wang Sheng's words, "The work of a grandmaster must not be sold cheaply!"

Just as everyone was pondering Wang Sheng's words about the work of a grandmaster, feeling extremely agreeable, Wang Sheng had already begun to reprimand Mei'er: "Are you deliberately trying to undermine me?"

Everyone was stunned, and even Mei'er didn't understand why Wang Sheng said this. Wang Sheng had already said angrily, as if disappointed that she couldn't live up to his expectations: "200,000 isn't selling it cheaply? Is 200,000 worth the work of a grandmaster? This material, this craftsmanship, plus today's good story and legend, and you send it to the Emperor for 200,000? 200,000 gold coins only lets him look at it and touch it!"

"Two million!" Wang Sheng said decisively: "If he wants to take it back to pass it down through generations, he has to bring two million gold coins, not a single coin less! This is the only unique and top-quality item in the world, a grandmaster customized version. If those great princes want it in the future, they have to send the gold coins according to this price first!"

Everyone was completely stunned, staring blankly at Wang Sheng. The item that was worth 100,000 gold coins in their eyes was doubled and then had a zero added by Wang Sheng. Was this possible?

"Believe me, the skills of a grandmaster are severely underestimated," Wang Sheng explained to everyone, "If everyone trusts me, let me handle it, and I will definitely give everyone a satisfactory result."

"Let's talk about whether it's satisfactory later," Grandmaster Lu suddenly interrupted Wang Sheng, not letting him continue to talk endlessly, giving everyone time to think. As for the reason, Grandmaster Lu had a ready-made one: "I said when you came that after Little Wu finishes, you have to show off your skills too, to see if your craftsmanship has declined these days. Now that we're all full, shouldn't you also show us your carving skills?"