amaotonovel Chapter 3704 The Age of Mercury (24)
Chapter 3704 The Age of Mercury (24)
Chapter 3704 The Age of Mercury (Twenty-Four)
When it was time to eat—actually not yet, but because the duck and goose Schiller had brought were so delicious, they moved the mealtime to 10 a.m.—everyone began to feast.
Without a doubt, Schiller's goose and duck were reduced to skeletons the moment they were cut open. If Wanda hadn't reacted quickly and grabbed Venom, preventing him from swallowing the whole goose, there probably wouldn't have been any bones left.
The roast duck and goose certainly lived up to everyone's expectations. This stuff is actually very suitable for American tastes: fragrant and rich, with a sweet and sour flavor when dipped in plum sauce and sugar. They're rich in fat, the meat is juicy and tender, and both ducks and geese are quite fatty with plenty of meat, so you usually don't even need to eat them. Anyone who likes fried chicken will like this. If the US didn't lack a tradition of raising ducks and geese, this would definitely be the most popular Asian snack in America.
Everyone was eating with their mouths full of oil, including Carter, who had been talking about managing his figure for a long time, Stark, who had recently eaten too many cheeseburgers and had to lose weight, and Venom, who had just shown off a 12-person lava chocolate cake the night before.
“I really want to eat the doctor’s head,” Venom roared, “so I can know the recipes for all these delicious dishes!”
“Don’t even think about it,” Eddie said. “Having a recipe isn’t enough. I heard Tony say he’s experimented at least 20 times, and each time the heat and texture were different. Do you expect me to roast a duck for you every day?”
"Why not? You should at least try it!" Venom persisted. "Come on, let's go ask him for the recipe. You have to try it at home, I want to eat this!!"
Eddie was at his wit's end and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ask for the recipe, but he was obviously not the first. Schiller was already telling Steve and Nick how to control the heat.
Nick was still gnawing on a duck leg. He looked a little disheveled, because he had snatched it from Stark. The other duck leg was clearly with Steve, the birthday boy. He ate it much more modestly, but still managed to eat it down to the bone in just a few bites.
“Perfect,” Steve commented. “Although I haven’t tasted all the dishes yet, I have to give this rating. I think this is the best dish of the day! Absolutely! Doctor! You never let anyone down in this regard!”
Schiller laughed and began explaining the recipes to them. He soon tasted the others' dishes as well, and had to admit the food critic was right. Wanda's Provençal stew looked beautiful, but it was rather bland, with little flavor beyond the taste of fresh vegetables stewed together. Perhaps Wanda simply preferred lighter fare.
Natasha's Olivier salad was very refreshing. She also really liked the roasted nut rye bread Schiller and even asked for the recipe. However, Natasha cautioned, "This bread must be heated before eating; it will become as hard as a rock when it cools down."
Schiller thought back carefully and realized that the large loaves of bread he ate as a child were always cold, while the Soviets would soak them in soup. Because Schiller had obsessive-compulsive disorder at the time, he ate his dishes one by one and absolutely did not allow any dishes to be mixed together, so of course he could only eat dry and hard large loaves of bread.
Coulson's cake tasted ordinary, just like a typical chiffon cream cake, but the fondant painting on it had been carefully cut out and preserved. Steve did indeed give him a set of shiny photocards, a very rare Western cowboy edition.
Schiller had already tried Stark's cheeseburger, but it seemed Steve really liked it. Steve already loved beef, and Stark's cheeseburger was even less salty, so he ate two in one go. Stark was smug again.
“Cyborgs are so nice,” Schiller whispered in Stark’s ear. “If you keep eating like this, you won’t be able to fit into the Jaeger again.”
Stark's expression immediately shifted from sunny to stormy, his gaze sweeping over the cyborgs present. He had just seen Natasha eat a cheeseburger, a whole goose leg, a plate of cream cake, a palm-sized piece of tiramisu, and more than half a glass of mulberry wine, and now her belly remained perfectly still.
Stark couldn't help but curse, "Damn cyborgs!"
Of the other dishes, the one that surprised Schiller the most was the roasted pork knuckle made by Charles and Eric. The pork knuckle was simply too fragrant, with tender skin and succulent meat, and a perfect balance of salty and sweet. If you held the bone and gently shook it, it would even have a jelly-like texture. Even the soup had a glistening sheen, and it was perfect for dipping large loaves of rye bread.
Although Charles said he and Eric made it together, Schiller thought it was probably Eric who did it. After all, Charles was English; what good food could he have eaten?
I never imagined Magneto had this kind of skill. But considering his years of traveling around when he was young, it's understandable.
The other desserts and cookies made by the others were also quite delicious; it was clear that everyone had put a lot of effort into them. The diners were very accommodating, and even those who weren't cyborgs were busy devouring the food. The large portions brought by so many people were almost completely eaten.
After dinner, everyone lay back on the sofa to digest, and then, of course, the men started discussing politics, from the October Revolution to the War of Independence, from the Pacific War to the situation in the Atlantic, but in reality, they had no real insights and were just boasting. The main debaters were Stark, who said "Congress is a pile of crap," and Steve, who said, "It's already pretty good; you don't know what it was like back then."
Most of the ladies went to see the baby. Carter's labor wasn't going well, and the baby was a bit weak after birth, so they hadn't wanted to disturb her. Now that she'd calmed down, they naturally wanted to see the adorable little one.
Although there was a prophecy that Tommy's powers would be unleashed today, Scarlet Witch was among those who went up. Even if the son of Eternity were here, it wouldn't make a difference, let alone if Steve's son were lying here.
After they had digested their food, they went to play in the pool in the backyard. The Ice Man breathed into the pool, and the water immediately became icy cold. The others dove in and began splashing water on each other.
Natasha didn't go down, claiming the water was too cold and bad for her health. However, judging from the way she stared intently at the soaking wet upper bodies of a bunch of muscular men, health probably wasn't her primary concern.
Bucky chose to stay on the shore with her, while Barton chose to go into the water. It's hard to say who won between the two; as far as Schiller knows, neither of them seemed to have beaten Natasha in their first encounter.
According to the report from the Presbyterian Hospital, Bucky lost to Natasha by three punches and two stabs, while Barton lost to Natasha by two arrows and one taser shot, and both of them showed signs of excessive indulgence.
Schiller didn't go into the water. He never swam and didn't understand why these Westerners would spend their parties in the pool. He just sat in the shade of a nearby tree, listening to the laughter and chatter from the pool.
Just as Schiller was getting sleepy, he suddenly saw everyone in the pool dart out onto the shore. He didn't understand what was happening; was the pool leaking electricity?
He went closer and saw that it was actually Jeff the shark dog swimming inside, with only a shark dorsal fin sticking out of the water.
“Wait a minute,” Steve said, scratching his head, “we should be swimming in a pool, not in the ocean, and there aren’t any sharks in the waters off New York!”
Stark turned to look, clearly bewildered. Everyone stared blankly, wondering how a shark could be in the pool; it was obviously not a toy, but a living creature.
Wanda dashed forward, plunged into the water, and scooped Jeff up in her arms. "Ah, my cute little shark! You're here too! Don't scare me like that! Let me teach you how to blow bubbles, okay?"
Watching Wanda carry Jeff ashore, the others were even more confused. Peter opened his mouth, then closed it again, and asked, "Did I see that right? A shark with four legs?!"
Stark had already pulled out his phone. He pressed the voice call button and said into the other end, "Reed Richards! Get down here right now!! Are you conducting some dangerous biological experiments again?!"
Soon, Reed came down looking nonchalant. Susan's face was a little red; it seemed the two of them had wanted to do something, but had been interrupted.
"A long-legged shark? Are you crazy, Tony Stark? You got this drunk after just two cocktails?! Do I need to tell you that sharks can't grow legs?!"
Then he turned around and saw Jeff learning to blow bubbles from Wanda.
"Dog shit! What is this thing?!"
Susan's eyes lit up. The other ladies also ran over there, each picking up Jeff and hugging and kissing him.
“Okay, I know this is definitely a scheme targeting the men,” Nick said, smirking. “This little guy will attract all the pretty ladies with his cute face, while the males at the party will be completely ignored…”
"Isn't this perfect? We can finally play some real water games." Stark grinned, then grabbed Reed and tumbled into the water. A fierce battle ensued.
As they were being pulled from the pool by their families like drowned rats, dusk was approaching. And, predictably, the clinking of glasses began. In the afterglow of the setting sun, glasses filled with different colored fruit wines clinked together, splashing water in the golden twilight.
"Gift time!" Steve patted his knee and said, "Come on! Let me see what you've prepared! This time I won't flatter you; I'll give you a fair assessment. You'd better not try to fool me!"
“Whatever, I’ve already passed the test,” Stark said, arms crossed. “I’m convinced that none of you could have given a cooler gift than me.”
“We’ve all prepared very carefully,” Nick said. “Although Steve won’t easily back out, I think he can definitely award a joint gold medal. What do you guys think?”
“I’m confident,” Peter said. “You absolutely won’t believe what Gwen and I have gotten up to.”
“Alright, let’s begin!” Steve clapped his hands and said, “Clockwise, Eddie goes first.”
My grades have dropped quite a bit lately, so I'm planning to write a full-subscription side story. It's a two-person dungeon for the hunter and the agent, mainly consisting of escape room puzzles and satisfying action. Alas!