Neo Faustland Project

Cooking Show Finale, White Death, and Elysium's End

The next day, I woke up and saw Kashin standing next to me, fully dressed and ready for the day. She said: "Good morning, Konrad. I've already prepared breakfast for you. You can come try what I have prepared." I got up, dressed myself, and went to eat my breakfast.

The breakfast that she prepared for me was...interesting. It was assorted seafood with some sauce and rice as a garnish. I ate the breakfast. It tasted surprisingly good. I wasn't a big fan of seafood, but, I enjoyed the food nevertheless. After I finished eating, Kashin asked me: "So, how was it? I put my heart and soul into preparing this, just for you." I told her that it was delicious. She giggled and said: "That's very good to hear. I can stay with you and be your housekeeper free of charge, if you want." I thanked her, but said that I didn't need her to be my housekeeper. She replied: "Oh, alright. Do you need me to stay, or can I leave?" I said that she can leave if she wants to. She said: "Goodbye, Konrad. We shall see each other again soon." and vanished, just like before.

I went downstairs and checked my mail. My team had passed on to the fifth and final round of Duel of Duets. It was pretty late already, so, I went outside, got in my car, and drove to the filming studio not to arrive late.

When I got there, Makar was waiting for me. The host began speaking:

"Welcome one, welcome all, to the fifth and final round of our spectacular cooking show, Duel of Duets! There is one more team left on each side. On Side A, we have a team composed of Konrad Konstantinovich Ahmadeev, a former airplane pilot and facility designer, and Makar Anatolievich Ivanov, a former priest and also a facility designer! On Side B, we have a team composed of Nikita Kartoshka, a professional chef, and Vladimir Kartoshka, his younger brother and apprentice! The theme for the final round is: fried chicken! It doesn't have to be chicken, it can be any other bird. But, it has to be bird meat that had been fried, grilled, or baked! You can also make a garnish, side dish, and drink to go along with it. All of these will get you extra points! Now that you understand the theme, start cooking your delicious masterpieces! Good luck!"

We began preparing our dish. The dish I prepared was inspired by the dish that Kashin prepared for me today. I cut various types of bird meat into small pieces, slathered them with a sauce, and fried them. I made rice as a garnish, cucumber and tomato salad as a side dish, and tea as a drink.

After we finished cooking, we saw Side B's dishes. They were: chicken nuggets covered in spices that looked like a pile of dry crap, mashed potatoes with lots of spices, a plate of jalapeño potato salad with a bit too much chili pepper dressing, and a glass of vodka. Yikes.

Alexander tried the dishes. His face turned red, his eyes filled up with tears, and he looked like he was about to throw up. He said: "Sorry, but...this is a bit too spicy for my tastes." He then tasted our dishes and went back to normal. He said: "Excellent work, Konrad and Makar! Your dishes are delicious! The flavor is nice, but not too strong, and all of the dishes complement each other. The drink also fits very well! Side A wins in the final round of Duel of Duets!"

The host announced our victory and gave us a trophy, the prize money, and some kind of ticket. I looked at it and found out that it was a free membership for Elysium. I thanked Alexander and the host for everything. I and Makar said goodbye to Alexander, left the filming studio, and parted ways.

I drove back to my apartment building. I put the trophy in a cabinet, stashed away the prize money, and went back outside. I wanted to go to one of the special facilities to join Elysium, although, I didn't know the addresses of any of them. As I was thinking about how to find the facility, Kashin appeared. She said: "Greetings, Konrad. We meet again. I see that you want to find the Elysium facility. The nearest Elysium facility is in the very center of the capital of Faustland. That is pretty far away, but, the other facilities are even further away. Drive to the center, and you will find it. Good luck. We shall reunite in Elysium." She vanished. I got into my car and drove to the center of the capital.