Fu Chen was humming while searing spirit cattle bones in a large pot. There were still some bits of meat on the bones that were browning. A buttery, meaty aroma spread through the kitchen. He tossed in some carrots, onions, and garlic in. After several minutes, the vegetable started to brown and Fu Chen turned the heat off. The bones and vegetables were removed revealing a pan full of brown bits called fond and juices that came from the bones and vegetables. He turned the heat back on and added tomato paste. While stirring, some water was added and the mixture was brought to a simmer.

The bones and vegetables were added back into the pot along with water and energy liquid. Bay leaves and black peppercorns were also tossed in. Fu Chen controlled the heat and slowly brought the pot to a boil. He skimmed any foamy scum that appeared at the top of the pot. The heat was reduced and Fu Chen let the beef stock gently simmer for several hours while stirring from time to time. Fu Chen removed the pot from the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Then, he strained the contents of the pot and was left with a stock in several large glass jars that gave off a pleasant, meaty aroma. A pleasant smile could be seen on his face.

A cabinet door was opened and a large amount of spices appeared. Cloves, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cumin seeds, and nutmeg. They were placed in a spice grinder and ground into a curry powder. Fu Chen opened another cabinet and took out garlic and onions. He opened a fridge which had ginger roots and many small chilies that were a ghastly shade of dark red. Fu Chen diced the onions, crushed the garlic, and grated the ginger. They were added into a pan and dry roasted over medium heat for several minutes until their color darkened. He took the aromatics out of the pan and put them into a blender with the horrific looking chilies. Fu Chen added enough water to form a red paste and stopped the blender. He took out a bowl and mixed the curry paste and powder together.

Setting that aside, a refrigerator was opened with large pieces of chuck roast on several fixed shelves. A lot of connective tissue could be seen in the meat. Chuck roast is a cut of beef from the shoulder area of the spirit cattle which gets a lot of exercise and that leads to increased amounts of connective tissue. The large amounts of connective tissue make the beef tougher. This was ideal for slow cooked dishes like the spicy beef curry that Fu Chen was making. He cut the chuck roast into chunks ideal for eating with a spoon.

Fu Chen placed a heavy-bottom metal pot on the stove and heated it over medium-high heat. As the pot slowly absorbed and distributed the heat evenly, Fu Chen took out some butter and onions. The butter was cut into cubes and the onions were diced. He put the cubed butter into the pot where it started to melt. While the butter melted, Fu Chen seasoned the chuck roast chunks with ground salt and pepper.

"Hiss..."

The chunks of beef were being seared in the pot of butter. They started to brown and released a savory and buttery beef aroma. The browned beef was transferred to a plate with more butter and several diced onions added. After the onions caramelized, Fu Chen scraped up the fond and added some tomato paste in along with all of his curry paste. He took out several jars of his beef stock and poured it into the pot. The chunks of browned chuck roast were also added back in. Fu Chen covered the pot and let it slowly simmer for four hours. Twenty-five minutes before the curry was finished, Fu Chen put in cubes of peeled potatoes in and put the lid back on.

Four hours later, the lid was taken off the pot to reveal a thick reddish brown liquid with chunks of potato and braised beef. The large amounts of collagen in the chuck roast which is a type of connective tissue had broken down into gelatin. The connective tissues breaking down allowed the chuck roast fibers to separate and give the "fall-apart" texture.

Fu Chen ladled some of the curry into a small bowl that had freshly cooked rice in it. Tears started going down his face, but he continued to eat the curry and rice. The horrific dark red chilies that went in the curry paste had made the curry very spicy, but the spiciness didn't overpower the rich beefy flavor of the dish. The cubes of potato and rice gave a nice contrasting texture to curry and tender beef. He licked the bowl clean, used a finger to clean his cheeks that had some curry on them, and licked it.

"Slurp"

'I taste great.' (( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

All of the unused parts of ingredients disappeared along with the dirty dishes. The spicy beef curry and rice were kept in pots that were slightly heated to keep the food warm and ready to be served for dinner. Fu Chen unlocked the entrance of the restaurant and went back into his kitchen. He closed his eyes and started to hum a tune.

The masked host and waiter materialized out of the walls and took their respective places. They stood still and didn't show any movements just like mannequins.

Fifteen minutes passed.

The masked host trembled and started to move.

The entrance doors opened. A clean-shaven man and two women of vastly different heights could be seen in front of the entrance

"Welcome dear guests, to the Abyss Bar & Restaurant. I will be your host today. Let me show you to your table."

He bowed and gestured toward the dining room. Then, he started walking towards a table near the kitchen entrance. The masked waiter quivered and started moving.