The next day, the medical staff arrived at the laboratory premises.
Inside a small dining hall, the little girl Alice stared wide-eyed at the table in front of her, which was filled with strange and colorful dishes, all emitting a mouthwatering aroma.
She quietly swallowed.
A smiling man named Vitto who introduced himself as a chef dietitian offered her the appetizer.
“I have heard that you’ve only eaten gruel-based food for months, and only now are switching to normal food.
I made sure to prepare some sumptuous dishes that would be perfect for the lovely young lady to start with.”
A small bowl was placed in front of Alice.
Her large blue eyes were immediately fixed on it.
She could smell a tantalizing, slightly acidic scent.
She swallowed again.
“This is roasted heirloom tomato bisque.
High-quality ripe tomatoes are roasted until their juices fully incorporate with the softened flesh, then combined with cream and balsamic glaze before being blended into a smooth and velvety soup—perfect for whetting your appetite.”
Alice took a few spoonfuls while enjoying Vitto’s vivid description, then quickly finished the bowl.
It tasted so good that she wanted more, but the bowl’s contents had been far too small.
She sighed regretfully, but quickly recovered when another, shallower bowl replaced the empty one.
It looked somewhat similar to the thick porridge she usually ate, but it was clearly different.
The scent was much more aromatic.
“For the vegetable side dish, you’ll have buttered parsnips and white truffle purée,” Vitto introduced.
“Parsnips, wild mushrooms, and roasted garlic, all blended with butter and white truffle.
It may look unassuming, but it has a delightful savory depth and a smooth finish.”
Alice tasted the purée, and her eyes lit up.
It was smooth and airy, slightly nutty and savory, with hints of garlic.
She couldn’t quite capture all the flavors, but altogether, it was very delicious.
Again, she really hoped there would be more.
How could she compare this masterpiece to that tasteless gruel?
It was a great insult to this… whatever its name was!
Yes, Alice had finally realized her wrongs and admitted that her imagination had indeed been limited by poverty.
To think she had thought that the gruel from before was delicious!
No wonder Dr.
Smith looked down on her.
Seeing the child look at him expectantly, Vitto chuckled and finally offered the main course.
“Considering your health, I prepared this especially for you.”
He removed the dome-shaped cover from the plate.
Oh, it’s just one slice of meat.
That was Alice’s initial disappointed thought, but then a fragrant, tantalizing aroma rushed towards her.
“This specially prepared steak,” Vitto said proudly as he personally cut it into small pieces, “is not just an ordinary steak.
Don’t let its appearance fool you.
This is beef bourguignon mousse, made from prime Wagyu beef slow-braised for twelve hours with a splash of red wine and aromatic spices.
To achieve the perfect consistency and flavor, I gradually added carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes before blending everything into a purée.
Then, I had the purée molded into the shape of a slice of steak, grilled over high heat and an open flame for a short period, and finally coated it with a glaze.”
So this isn’t actually a slice of meat.
It’s mashed? Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Alice couldn’t help but think that the people of this peaceful era were truly too bored to come up with such complicated ways of eating meat.
But considering the fragrance that had been making her salivate ever since she first smelled it, she quietly approved this beef-something-mousse in her heart.
Alice picked up her fork, stabbed a small piece of the steak, and put it into her mouth.
The steak instantly melted on his tongue.
“…”
“…”
How could something be so delicious!
Her eyes widening in shock, Alice was overwhelmed by the delightful taste of tender beef and the explosion of spices in her mouth.
She could also faintly taste a smoky flavor.
Did he add some smoked bacon too?
It was perfect.
The complex profile of spices and wine felt unfamiliar, yet everything blended together harmoniously.
Very savory.
Very, very good!
So food can be this delicious!
Due to her lacking vocabulary, those were the only words Alice could use to describe it in her mind.
This encounter with such complex delicacies deepened Alice’s understanding of this unfamiliar world.
Alice had always known that this world possessed a vast number of resources and countless treasures.
Yet knowing that in theory was different from truly comprehending how people lived here.
A single meal had made that difference clear.
These dishes required all kinds of ingredients and spices, many of which had likely undergone different methods of processing.
Their preparation involved various cooking techniques, each requiring time, knowledge, and experience to master.
Such things could not simply appear in his previous barren and struggling world!
Behind every dish in front of Alice was a chain of cultivation, production, transportation, processing, and countless people who had devoted their skills to refining their own crafts.
If even food could be developed to such an extent, then the world outside this laboratory must be truly thriving.
There had to be countless industries, countless fields of knowledge, and undoubtedly even more delicacies waiting to be discovered.
A peaceful world capable of nurturing all kinds of creativity and talent…
What did it look like?
Alice had always been an easily satisfied person.
As long as she could survive, she was content.
After discovering that she was just a test subject and that she had been too unguarded after waking up in this world, Alice’s only thought was still simply to ensure her survival.
Now, for the first time, Alice felt a faint but genuine desire to leave this place and see the world outside for herself.
Alice lowered her eyes thoughtfully.
But this desire was not that strong yet, and knowing that she had no way of leaving the laboratory right now, Alice put her wandering thoughts to the back of her mind, and continued to slowly enjoy her meal, hoping to prolong the happiness of the moment.
Good things often came to an end.
Her small stomach could not take any more, and Alice could only wave farewell to the chef dietitian Vitto who looked quite pleased with himself as he pushed the trolley away.
The ignored Dr.
Smith finally found a chance to speak.
“Don’t worry.
Starting today, Vitto will be in charge of your meals.
You’ll have plenty more delicacies to eat, as long as you obediently follow your schedule down to the last stroke. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Do we have an agreement?”
Dr.
Smith had been sitting at the same table the entire time, eating the same dishes as Alice—except he had received larger portions and an extra plate of medium-rare pan-fried steak.
Yet, he felt as though he had become invisible, not even as significant as that bowl of tomato bisque in the kid’s eyes.
Alice finally remembered that this person was still here.
Hearing the man’s words, the little girl’s eyes lit up, and she nodded firmly.
If she could eat this delicious food every day, then not to mention rehabilitation—she might actually willingly volunteer for experiments, as long as they were not too dangerous.
Dr.
Smith couldn’t help patting the little girl’s head.
Unlike a several months ago, the little girl was no bald anymore.
Her hair had grown very fluffy and smooth, softly reaching past her ears.
At this rate, in another month, her hair might start looking like a short bob.
Do children’s hair grow this fast?
Dr.
Smith inadvertently touched his own precious long hair, which had taken him a great deal of effort and care to grow so lush and healthy, and felt a little jealous.
Tsk.
Youth.
How enviable.
Still, he wasn’t as bad as some of his other colleagues, who were already showing signs of baldness and receding hairlines.
Dr.
Smith quickly regained his confidence.
….
….
Sitting in a wheelchair, Alice was pushed through a long hallway and into an elevator.
Soon, they arrived at another area within the laboratory: the underground gym.
The circular room occupied an enormous space, almost taking up an entire floor.
The walls were smooth and bare, while acoustic panels hung at regular intervals from the ceiling to absorb echoes, creating a surprisingly quiet environment despite the large amount of equipment.
The vast gym floor was divided into several training zones.
But before Alice could take a closer look, she was pushed towards the lounge area, where the medical staff was waiting to introduce themselves.
The team that had been assembled specialized in rehabilitation.
Aside from Vitto, the chef and dietitian, there were various therapists and physicians, including a psychologist and a recreational therapist.
They assured Alice that they would make the rehabilitation process as pleasant and exhilarating as possible.
The little girl merely looked at them blankly, her wet blue eyes wide, clearly unable to understand their complicated titles and positions.
This did nothing to dampen the medical staff’s enthusiasm.
Their highly specialized team had not been mobilized in full force merely to conduct the kind of basic rehabilitation normally provided to recuperating test subjects.
They came with another agenda in mind.
This was a patient who had achieved the highest level of success in the integrated body optimization project—and she had a neural interface to boot!
This was exactly the patient they needed!
They could finally conduct a pilot test for an AR project that had been shelved for some time due to delays in the development of the neural interface and nano-assistive technologies.
The Neural-Link Project’s immersive augmented reality!