Until the very end, only scattered asteroid streamers were left unattended, and the venue grudgingly dispatched a small, thin man to receive everyone.
"Fine, you're all reasonable, treating me like this?! Good!!"
Oscar's entire face turned red. Filled with rage, he picked up his luggage and squeezed through the surrounding crowd towards the hotel, leaving the thin man standing there with the remaining streamers, looking somewhat at a loss.
Xu Jiajia walked over with a wry smile to comfort and explain the situation, doing her best to prevent Xing Fu Star from leaving an even worse impression on the main planet.
On the other side.
"You all go rest with Brother Cheng Shiqin. Sister will be back after the exam."
Lu Mingming gave the little ones warm farewell hugs. The cubs nuzzled their furry faces against her affectionately, one by one.
Including Cheng Shiqin, the rest of the streamers had already obtained their junior caregiver qualification certificates in previous years, so only Lu Mingming needed to take the exam.
"Go, I believe you can do it."
Before leaving, Cheng Shiqin patted Lu Mingming's shoulder for encouragement.
Accepting the blessing, Lu Mingming took her admission ticket and entered the junior caregiver qualification exam hall.
The global-level examination was extremely strict, requiring layers of checks by the staff at the entrance to ensure no foreign objects or cheat sheets were carried before the new streamers were allowed into the room.
The entire examination hall was very spacious, divided into classrooms of grade A, B, C, and D, with two supervisors in each classroom.
Lu Mingming was assigned to the C-grade classroom – the planets in the same examination room were almost at a similar level to Xing Fu Star. Some new streamers, visibly lacking in fighting spirit and appearing unwell, seemed to just want to get through the exam quickly.
They knew they wouldn't even come close to the top 64.
Another streamer, before entering the exam hall, brought advanced technology and was caught by the supervisors on the spot. The act attracted the sideways glances of streamers in the A and B grade exam rooms, their eyes filled with a trace of disgust and contempt.
In stark contrast, the A and B grade exam rooms did not require checks and allowed immediate entry.
As each candidate entered those two exam rooms, they were even extended warm invitations by the two supervisors, the differential treatment being quite obvious.
"Verification passed. We wish you a smooth examination."
The staff member impassively gestured for the next streamer to be checked.
Lu Mingming withdrew her gaze and said thank you before entering the examination room.
She first found her assigned seat and began to survey the surroundings.
The so-called seating was an open, isolated room, about 30 square meters.
Three-meter-high special metal plates firmly blocked the line of sight, perfectly separating the examination processes of other contestants, but fully opening to the teachers. Standing on the podium, one could clearly see the actions of all contestants.
On the metal plate "walls," everyday items were hung, while the kitchen wall behind was neatly arranged with the required materials.
The two supervising teachers had stern expressions and patrolled around.
One was short, reaching about Lu Mingming's knees, with a large hump on his back, as if it forced him to walk hunched over.
The other was only slightly shorter than the metal plate, with a well-proportioned build and long, curly hair cascading over her shoulders, her hooked nose drawing attention.
The examination hall was quiet and solemn, with no candidate daring to speak casually.
After all, they were all new contestants from low-level planets, and they were afraid of offending local personnel and receiving a bad review by accident.
"Ding—"
The long, crisp examination reminder echoed in everyone's ears, refreshing their minds.
As the bell rang, Lu Mingming couldn't help but tremble, as if returning to the fear of being dominated by exams.
The two supervising personnel on stage exchanged glances. Confirming that no other streamers were entering the exam hall, the tall, three-meter woman stepped forward and said, "The examination content for the fifty-third Junior Caregiver exam is: to prepare favorite foods for the young ones using dried meat."
As soon as she finished speaking, a group of staff members outside the door entered the C-grade exam hall carrying wooden trays.
On the wooden tray was a raised object covered with bright red fabric.
No one dared to lift the covering cloth yet, but a unique, fishy, and foul odor eagerly invaded the nostrils of everyone present.
This smell was thicker than fishy, and more pungent than the smell of dead poultry.
Female streamers in other rooms, unable to tolerate it, let out sounds of retching on the spot.
As soon as the wooden tray was presented, Lu Mingming quickly held her breath, thinking: Is this the rotten flesh of some dead animal?
The three-meter woman cleared her throat and explained:
"This is snail ram meat, a local specialty contributed by Neptune. It's a new species discovered in recent months. Although snail ram meat smells incredibly foul, it is rich in various nutrients that aid in the growth of young ones."
So, they were using the streamers as free labor for research.
After a silent speculation, Lu Mingming listened to her continue:
"Today's exam is precisely to make fresh food using snail ram meat. The material cost is not to exceed 500 New Currency. You can ask the staff for help.
After the exam, special evaluators will score it. The time limit for this exam is within one hour. Please prepare yourselves – the exam begins now!"
The crystal hourglass on the wall started its countdown on time, with fluorescent blue sand grains falling bit by bit into the empty crystal cup.
From the adjacent rooms, sounds of pots and pans clashing could be heard successively, and occasionally staff members would pass by Lu Mingming, carrying similarly covered objects.
Lu Mingming thought it must be the 500 Star Currency worth of materials needed in other rooms.
"The interstellar world always likes to research new things."
Lu Mingming muttered and lifted the bright red cloth covering the surface of the meat for an initial look.
The snail ram meat was about the size of a fist, with extraordinary thickness. At first glance, it looked tender and plump, with alternating red and white colors. The unique meat grain lines were distinct, like beautiful marble, and very fresh.
If not for the strange, fishy, and foul smell, it would surely be a highly sought-after meat ingredient on the star net.
If she were to stir-fry a dish of meat on its own, to mask the meat's odor, she would probably need very strong spices or to pair it with meat or vegetables with even stronger flavors.
Adding heavy spices would burden the young ones' kidneys, but using other strong-smelling ingredients, like cilantro, wouldn't guarantee it wouldn't backfire.
It was truly difficult to make a decision.
During her training, Teacher Xing Fu Star had mentioned that the first round of the competition was mainly about preparing a material. She probably didn't expect that this exam would directly feature meat from a new species.
Lu Mingming finally understood why they said the main planet's exams were the most difficult among all planets.
After careful consideration, she had already planned how to handle this piece of meat.
The first step was, of course, to wash the so-called snail ram meat thoroughly with clean water, not missing any bloodstains accumulated in the corners.
However, even after washing, the inherent foul smell deep within the meat's bones could not be eliminated.
Lu Mingming looked around her room.
Finding no desired materials, she immediately called out to the staff member standing by the door and said softly:
"May I please have a spoonful of mung beans, a packet of lettuce, and 20 very thin bamboo skewers? Also, could you please prepare a grill, aluminum foil, and charcoal?"
The staff member, having worked there for years, had seen all sorts of peculiar requests.
He nodded and quickly gathered all the materials.
The staff member said, "The total cost this time is 382 New Currency, deducted from your 500 New Currency account. Do you need any other services?"
Lu Mingming shook her head and directly refused. The staff member retreated to the doorway to continue guarding.
With all the equipment ready, she was officially starting!
Lu Mingming decided to roast the ram meat this time. She specifically cut the snail ram meat into strips, making it convenient for grilling later.
As soon as the pot was heated, she placed the washed and cut snail ram meat into the bottom of the pot, poured in water, and added a little rice vinegar and mung beans.
Under the high heat, the boiling water continuously produced small bubbles from the bottom outwards. A layer of meat-colored foam accumulated on the surface of the pot, and the familiar aroma of meat gradually spread into the air.
Lu Mingming took a skimmer hanging on the wall, scooped up all the disgusting foam, and threw it into the trash bin.
She pushed back a strand of hair from her ear and sniffed carefully.
The effect of the rice vinegar and mung beans was evident; the overpowering foul smell had dissipated significantly, leaving only a very faint trace inherent in the meat itself.
As long as there was some effect, she wasn't afraid of having none!
Lu Mingming's confidence grew, and she immediately prepared for the next step.