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Chapter 7 - Chapter 3.5 - The Stage is Set

Three months had passed since the announcement was given in both Nihariana and Caviaria, and the first round of the Food Trials of the Gods was underway. In Caviaria, the Royal C. Stadium, named after the food god Charango and having a capacity of 10,000 people, was the decided location for the food battle. For Nihariana, it was Billu Bhai's Great Pakwaan, one of the greatest pakwaans ever built in Nihariana, which could house more than 5,000 people.

(C) -> Caviarian POV || (N) -> Niharian POV

(C) "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!"

(N) "ARE YOU READY!?!"

(C) "FOR THE GREATEST EVENT IN THE LAST 500 YEARS!"

(N) "WHERE HUMANITY AND DIVINITY SHAKE HANDS!"

(C) "A TABLE IS SET FILLED WITH TASTES FROM ALL ACROSS THE CONTINENT!"

(N) "WHERE THE GODS THEMSELVES HUMBLE ALLLL OF US WITH THEIR PRESENCE!"

(C) "THIS IS THE TRIAL…"

(N) "OF…"

(C) "THE…"

(N) "GODSSSS!!!" (C)"GODSSSS!!!"

(C) The crowd went wild and jumped up and down in their seats in absolute awe. What they were witnessing was not only rare, but a holy and divine sight. A trial, brutal unlike any other, where two individuals, thinking themselves capable of pleasing the Gods, came out to the center of the arena and fought until one was worthy of proceeding forward and climbing the steps to immortality—basically to Godhood. This was the pinnacle of talent, daring, and superiority of the Caviarians.

(N) It was like nothing seen ever before. The crowd was so jam-packed, there was little or no space to breathe. A man in all black—ragged pants and shirt with a worn-out coat—went around collecting bets from the audience. Even though betting was forbidden in any events of the Gods, the security was not by any means the best here in Nihariana.

(N) "I hope Joshi isn't in the first round," said Ammar to himself, blending into the crowd of ragtag Niharians.

(C) "Do you think Sebastian got enough practice?" asked Shakeela to Fakreath.

(C) "I think my Sebs has it in the bag. Besides, he got like three months. In my opinion, all he needed was three days…" Fakreath said rather cheekily.

(C) The lights went out, and a spotlight was aimed directly at the middle of the stage. There lay two cooking stations, equally well-equipped with the tools and cutlery required to make almost any dish. On both sides there was a state-of-the-art freezer stocked with meats of all kinds, from yellow frog meat (found only at the right time in spring, whereas it was autumn now) to the most exquisite albino crocodile meat (sourced only from the great depths of the Caviarian forest in summer). The Gods had truly blessed the competitors with the best of their blessings, and it was only a matter of time before everyone saw them put to use.

(N) It wasn't nearly as royal in Nihariana when the middle of the pakwaan was lit up by old stage lights that were usually used on the streets to illuminate football matches when the local team came to play. (Yes, Nihariana didn't even have a football ground, so the local team had to practice on the streets.) There, in the middle, lay two wooden tabletops—large enough to perform any sort of cooking task—accompanied by a few utensils and cooking tools of their own, with some shared ones like a freezer and meats. The variety of meats was not far-fetched by any means and only included lamb, buffalo, sheep, and chicken. Truly, for one to make a dish fitting for the Gods, they had to pull off something no one had ever witnessed before.

(C) "INTRODUCING THE COMPETITORS!!!"

(C) "FIRST, from the noblest of butchering families in Nihariana, comes our first competitor, who not only strikes the meat with his knives with the utmost precision in the region but also strikes fear into the hearts of the people with his stoic demeanour and ruthless aggression. His family is one of the greatest suppliers of meat not only for the region but for the entire continent—including meat that is sent to the Gods above in the holy land of Thronium… HE IS THE ONE AND ONLY, SOLE HEIR TO THE FAMILY BUSINESS… KARL 'THE GRIM REAPER' VONBOUGHT!!!"

(C) Wearing a bloody apron with knife marks all over it, he made his way from the competitor's entrance towards the middle of the arena. The crowd was dead silent. Not a hint of cheer was uttered by a single soul who filled those seats.

(C) "Who's this hotshot supposed to be, eh?" snarkily commented Ammar to Shakeela.

(C) "SHHHHHH! Ammar…" Shakeela instantly snapped back. But Ammar's voice, complimented by the silence of the area, reached the ear of Karl. He turned towards them in the audience, took out a knife from the holster strapped to his left arm, and drew it across his neck before pointing it at Ammar. This made Ammar drop-dead silent, sitting in his chair almost like a cute little scolded meerkat.

(C) "AND NEXT, from one of the 15 Royal Families in Caviaria, from the Lee family, responsible for the exquisite liquor business in the region—the 'Lee and Co.' company—it's… JOHN LEE!"

(C) The crowd burst open with cheers for the first time as they welcomed the second competitor. Braggingly, he thanked the crowd in an "I know you all love me" fashion, well-dressed in his royal cooking garbs and ready for a civilized battle.

(N) "AIK DAAM CHUUUPPPP!!!! (SILENCE AT ONCE!!!)"

(N) The crowd dropped silent, and the man who was collecting bets was nowhere to be seen anymore.

(N) "WE NOW WELCOME THE COMPETITORS FOR THIS FOOD BATTLE! First, introducing the sole individual responsible for the dairy delight we all know in Nihariana as 'Falooda' (a rich ice-cream and milk dessert paired with fruits and jelly), and the brother of the renowned Kashmir Falooda… HE IS… ISKANDAR FALOODA!!!!!!!!!"

(N) The audience leapt from their chairs, bursting in screams and cheers as they welcomed Iskandar, a man in his early 40s with white hair and a small amount of facial hair, wearing green pajamas and a shirt with a white apron tied in front. Iskandar thanked the crowd generously and stood in the middle by his station, now awaiting his opponent.

(N) "AND HIS OPPONENT… all the way from the depths of Nihariana, it's… Shakir… Sheikh?"

(N) The audience clapped half-heartedly as they welcomed a man barely known by any. Shakir came wearing used chef's garbs that were most obviously borrowed or rented. He happily made his way down to the centre of the pakwaan and took his station.

(N) The crowd's whispers were audible enough for him to make out what they were saying:

(N) "Who even is he?"

(N) "Does he know what the hell he's even doing here?"

(N) "Iskandar is probably going to crush him!"

(N)"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE 1ST ROUND OF THE FOOD TRIAL OF THE GODS BEGINS!"

(C) "THE THEME SET FOR THIS ROUND IS TACOS!"

(N) "AND THE THEME SET FOR THIS ROUND IS LENTILS!"

(C) "NO CHEATING OR LEVERAGE WILL BE TOLERATED!"

(N) "IN CASE OF ANY RULE BREAKING YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY BE DISQUALIFIED AND FORSAKEN BY THE GODS!"

(C) "GENTLEMEN, THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHOW WHAT AND WHO YOU ARE TO THE GODS!"

(N) "LET THE COOK-OFF…"

(C)"BEGIN!!" (N)"BEGIN!!"

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