Gan Lan walked over to the Dean and greeted him, along with the Principal, the Vice Principal, and the other teachers.
She continued modestly, "Actually, even I didn’t expect to succeed on the first try. I prepared an extra batch of cake batter just in case I failed halfway through and needed a quick replacement. In the end, I didn’t even need it."
The teachers didn’t interrupt her; their eyes simply urged her to go on.
"How should I describe it? First and foremost, controlling your strength is the most crucial aspect. Next is mental focus and concentration. I’m sure you teachers are well aware of this. You also need to visualize the structure in your mind, mapping it out step by step, just like painting a picture. Once you get into the zone, it becomes much easier.
"However, this requires a foundation in carving and sculpting..."
Gan Lan elaborated at length, sharing her knowledge on the basics and how she maintained her focus.
"I still have one batch of cake batter left. Sir, would you like to take it back and give it a try?" Gan Lan asked, looking at the Dean.
Before the Dean could reply, the Vice Dean looked at her with pleasant surprise and asked, "Student Gan Lan, are there any leftover scraps from the Phoenix? I want to eat them..."
The group of teachers was left completely speechless, thinking that enough was enough and that all he knew how to do was eat!
Gan Lan had now witnessed the Vice Dean’s true power; the moment he spoke, the entire room fell dead silent.
Some teachers even lowered their heads in embarrassment. Why couldn’t the Vice Principal be a bit more normal? He practically lost the ability to walk whenever he saw sweets. Even though he was currently talking to Gan Lan, his eyes were glued to the Phoenix Cake as he drooled. The other teachers were genuinely worried he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would just smash through the protective shield to devour the Phoenix.
Fortunately, he still had a modicum of self-control, sparing everyone from such a tragedy.
"Yes, there are. I’ll bring some over for you all to taste." Gan Lan stepped out of the small room to fetch the leftover scraps from making the Phoenix Cake. This time was different from the wolf; she had made the texture slightly firmer and chewier than the Wolf King cake.
Arriving at the kitchen, she was highly satisfied to see her two apprentices still hard at work. The aroma of the pork bone broth had already begun to permeate the air, and the scent of the river snail rice noodle spices was even richer.
She praised her two promising apprentices and called them over to help cut the cake and apply the frosting. As for making the rice noodles, they temporarily left it to the culinary robot, which was more than capable of handling the task.
Carrying a large tray, Gan Lan headed back to the small room, followed closely by her apprentices who were holding trays of their own.
Meanwhile, the trending topic about the Phoenix Cake from earlier in the day had skyrocketed into the top three searches on the Star Network.
As a result, the post Mu Huanhuan had made caused her to go viral as well.
Mu Huanhuan’s post consisted of nothing but a title, followed by images, a video, and a Teleportation Gate link. She didn’t add a single word of commentary. This was because she found it impossible to describe with words. Any language used on the Phoenix would pale in comparison to the real thing. She believed that as long as people saw it with their own eyes, they would feel the exact same way.
[I guarantee that you have never seen a cake like this!]
[Video] [Images] [Teleportation Gate]
Comment 1: [This has to be a scam, right? I refuse to believe this is actually a cake! Boohoo, my mom just asked me why I’m browsing the Star Network on my knees.]
Comment 2: [The only dessert master I can think of who could make this is Master Li Tian, but it seems it wasn’t her. It was actually made by a college freshman! What kind of culinary genius is this?!]
Comment 3: [What kind of creature is a Phoenix? Do we have this kind of Star Beast in the interstellar era? Regardless, this creature is so incredibly lifelike that you can’t tell it’s just a cake at all! Oh my god, this person is a true talent!]
Comment 4: [Hey upstairs, didn’t you watch the stream video through the Teleportation Gate? This freshman said that this is just a Divine Beast from ancient mythology. It’s an auspicious bird that can rise from the ashes and stuff like that. In short, it’s super magical!]
The internet was abuzz with discussions about Gan Lan’s masterpiece, wondering where this dark horse had suddenly sprung from. Consequently, her entire background was dug up online.
The original owner’s identity was indeed very easy to look up and completely clean, so there wasn’t any real dirt on her. If one had to point out any black marks on her record, it would only be the two times she was targeted by smear campaigns, and the few instances where she had publicly contradicted herself.
The first two incidents had already been cleared up, but there was no way to clarify her past hypocrisy. The internet was full of all kinds of people, which meant Gan Lan’s work inevitably sparked controversy as well.
Comment 900,000,000: [Does she even deserve to be compared to Master Li Tian? She just made something a little novel, is it really worth all this hype? Master Li Tian has been famous for years, but I guess you commoners never get the chance to interact with her, which is why you’re blowing such a mediocre piece of work out of proportion.]
Comment 900,000,001: [Yeah, we commoners are just ignorant and narrow-minded! We just happen to think this is a breathtaking masterpiece that words can’t even describe!]
Comment 900,000,002: [You said yourself that Master Li Tian has been famous for years, but this student is only a freshman! Do you realize what that means? If you give her more time, what kind of heights will she reach?]
Gan Lan finally saw the teachers out. Even though they hadn’t really bothered her, she still felt quite awkward having them around.
Finally able to enjoy a moment of peace, she brewed herself a cup of tea and let her busy apprentices take a break. Later on, she planned to send them straight to the South Gate Cafeteria to sell the river snail rice noodles.
She needed to research instant noodle recipes and make the measurements accurate down to the gram so the culinary robot wouldn’t make any mistakes. Running through the process of making instant noodles in her head, Gan Lan went to the Star Network Ingredient Store to purchase all the necessary ingredients and tools.
Then, she set to work. Instant noodles had a low cost, could be mass-produced by machines, and were perfectly suited for those who were completely hopeless in the kitchen. As long as one steeped them in hot water for a few minutes, they could enjoy a delicious meal. Instant noodles were also incredibly popular in her original world. Their aroma alone was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Gan Lan didn’t plan to livestream the entire process of making instant noodles today. She would still record herself making it, but she wouldn’t state the exact measurements of the ingredients and seasonings just yet. She intended to rely on this to earn Credit Points, so she would wait for the right opportunity to make the recipe public.
When she heard the teachers mention earlier that she was blowing up on the Star Network and trending, she hadn’t been surprised. Even the Wolf King had made it onto the trending searches, let alone a masterpiece that had taken her three whole days to create—one that even she herself marveled at.
She turned on the recording function, placed an electronic scale to the side to measure out the seasonings, and then had the robot log the data.
In her past life, the ingredient list for Kangkang instant noodle seasoning packets had been public knowledge, but the preparation methods and exact ratios of the raw materials were kept strictly confidential. Because of this, Gan Lan had no choice but to test them out one by one until she produced a flavor that was close enough.
She remembered the contents of the garnish packet, the seasoning powder packet, and the meat sauce packet by heart.
Meat Sauce Packet: Refined palm oil, beef, spices, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C.
Seasoning Powder Packet: Edible salt, MSG, white sugar, spices, and beef extract powder.
Vegetable Packet: Dehydrated vegetables and dehydrated beef.
Now she just needed to test the ratios of the raw ingredients. She planned to start with the braised beef flavor first. There was no helping it; she was pressed for time right now and couldn’t figure out the ratios for multiple recipes all at once. It would just be one flavor for now, but she was determined to introduce other instant noodle flavors in the future.
When that time came, she was absolutely going to rake in the dough. She didn’t just need to earn enough Credit Points to buy a planet; developing and constructing it after the purchase would require a massive, massive amount of Credit Points as well.