#1238 A Lonesome Dragon’s Ramen Discovery 

Changing the subject. 
It’s me. 

The ultimate! The strongest! The terrifying existence before whom all in this world must bow, Grinzel Dragon Veil! 
No one can ignore me!!! 

Well, except I’d prefer to be ignored today. 
I’m here disguised in human form, after all. 

Today, I’ve come to the royal capital.  
I dropped off Master and their entourage. Honestly, I could’ve just headed home, because what business would I have in a human settlement like this? 

…But then I remembered there’s a tiny little errand I could take care of.  
It’s nothing major, just the kind of trivial thing you do “while you’re at it.” 

 
Lately, it seems ramen is trending even in human cities. 

Hah! The true origin and pinnacle of ramen is me, of course! 

Master taught me the basics, I added my own twist, perfected it, and thus created my masterpiece, gonkotsu ramen. 

I’ve served that ramen far and wide, and apparently some people who tasted it were so moved that they tried making their own imitation ramen. 

Somehow, that movement snowballed into a social phenomenon, with so many ramen knockoffs popping up that they’ve even opened their own shops. 
Is this what they call the “Ramen New Wave”?! 

Now, it’s gone so far that entire streets are lined with ramen shops, battling it out to see who can sell more. 

How dare they vie for the top spot without the original creator, me?! 
That’s why today, I’ll personally judge the worth of these ramen pretenders. 

So, after parting ways with Master, I head to a district I researched ahead of time… 
The place they call The Ramen Battleground. 

Here, at some point, ramen specialty shops started gathering. One opened, then another followed, until the whole area turned into a ramen-themed park of sorts. 

And now, I’ve arrived! 

“It feels just like a theme park… I’m getting excited.” 

Ramen shop to the left! 
Ramen shop to the right! 
Ramen shops as far as the eye can see! I can’t help but feel a little shy thinking so many imitators of mine have popped up. 

Still, an imitation is only an imitation. None can surpass the Ultimate One, the true original. 

 
Today, I’ll prove it by tasting their monkey-see-monkey-do ramen! 

…Though with so many shops, where do I start? 
In times like this, I empty my mind and body… Mm? I can feel a line stretching from that shop over there. 

I guess that’s where I’ll start. 

Ramen: Heart of the Sea. 

…Why the sea? 
What does ramen have to do with the sea? 
I have no idea, but maybe I’ll understand once I step inside. Could it be… the interior is actually a sea?! 

“Welcome.” 

Nope. Just a normal shop.  
Counter, stools—the usual. 

Well, that was anticlimactic. 
Was the name just a scare tactic? 

“What will you have?” 
“Ramen.” 

Ordering it plain with no extra’s is the shop’s true standard.  
Their philosophy, their skill, all laid bare. No toppings to hide behind. 

All right, bring it on. Show me your raw way of life!  
I, Veil the Dragon, will taste it in one mighty slurp! 

“Here’s your ramen!” 

Whaaaaaaat?! 

This ramen...! 

It’s clear! 

The broth is clear?! 

What is going on?! Ramen broth is supposed to be rich and cloudy, packed with hundreds of deep, complex flavors that make the customer’s tongue sing! 

But this... 
This is so clear it’s basically soup stock. No way it has much flavor… 

Wait. Don’t tell me that “sea” in the name is just referring to this clear broth?! 

If so, that’s a cheap gimmick.  
I’ll expose it with one sip! 

…Okay, here goes. 
Slurp. 

…?! 
Huh? 

Fish?! It’s fish! 
The clear broth is packed with the flavors of the sea! 
Fish, crab, shrimp, shellfish! And not just one fish either, multiple kinds, all simmered from their bones, blended in perfect balance. 

So that’s why it’s called Heart of the Sea!  
The broth truly is the heart of the sea, finished with salt that captures the ocean itself! 

A masterpiece, utterly different from my gonkotsu ramen, born from an entirely separate approach. 
Magnificent!!! 

“Thanks for the meal!” 
“Thank you!” 

Hmm… I wasn’t expecting the very first one to land a clean hit. 
A knockoff that retains the spirit of ramen’s origin while turning it into something almost entirely new…  

These humans aren’t half bad. 

All right, on to the next shop.  
A single bowl of ramen won’t even dent my stomach. I am a dragon, after all. 

And with so many ramen shops here, why would I stop at just one? 
I’ll eat my way through the whole district!!! 

This shall be my second stop. 

Ramen Eight Princes. 

It’s even more cryptic than the last name, but I’m done overthinking before I even step inside. 
I already learned at the previous shop that ramen itself will reveal all the answers. 

Trying to fuss and overanalyze in the presence of good ramen is pointless. Empty your mind, be honest with yourself, and simply accept the divine revelation the ramen bestows upon you. 

And now… the ramen descends before me. 

Oh… soy sauce-based.  
The broth is brown but clear, with tiny globes of oil floating on the surface. 

The toppings are few and simple. 
I like that.  
Too many toppings can be a distraction, a way to hide a weak core. 
 

Save the “everything on it” approach for a special self-reward. 

…Still, because it’s so simple, one thing stands out: this white mound that looks like grated daikon radish. 

What the heck is this? 
It looks like some kind of finely chopped vegetable… chopped so fine it’s not much different from grated daikon radish… 

…Wait, I’ve got it! Onion! 
 They’ve finely chopped onion and put it in! 
Onion in ramen? Who even thinks of that?! 

And the onion’s natural sweetness seeps into the broth, clinging to the noodles… Delicious! 
This is a completely different kind of delicious! 

I never knew ramen could have its flavor drawn out like this! 
Kuh… to think I, the ramen pioneer of this other world, would be the one learning something new…?! 

This Eight Princes Ramen is worth every bit of admiration. 
Yes… food is culture, and culture evolves at ridiculous speed when passed between many hands. 

If I sit back, basking in my status as the “founder,” I’ll be left in the dust. 
Not that I’m actually the founder, technically speaking. 

Hmph… Eating human ramen really brings me back to basics. 

Now, shop number three. 
Whoaaaaa! This one’s got a mountain of meat and vegetables piled high on the noodles?! 

Can humans even eat that much?!  
Looks like they’re trading years off their life for it! 

And the customers are chanting some kind of spell…?! 
I see! You have to cast a spell to get ramen here?! 

If that’s the case, leave it to me!  
I’ve experienced all sorts of things in all sorts of places! 
I’ve trained in the art of ordering with magic words! 

Watch closely, this will be flawless! 

“What toppings would you like?” 

Here it comes! 

“Tall iced Americano, light ice, caramel syrup!” 
“Extra vegetables, then?” 
“Yes!!!”