The Saint Domain Chef [4th Update]

In the back kitchen of the restaurant.

The waiter approached the boss, a ruddy-faced old man with a thick beard.

"Someone wants to see me? And they told me to name my price? Such arrogance—this is the first time I've encountered such a person." The old man frowned.

Having been in the imperial capital for so many years, it had been a long time since anyone dared to stir up trouble at his restaurant.

In the past, some nobles had tried to recruit him as a private chef, offering exorbitant prices, while others had attempted to lure him with treasures and beauties, but all had failed. Some had even tried to use force, only to meet a miserable end.

As time passed, everyone came to know that the owner of this restaurant was not to be trifled with.

"A young master whose strength I can't even fathom, and two women who both possess sixth-rank strength. It's been a long time since I've met such interesting people. Very well, I shall see them."

The old man sensed Olivier and the sisters, Sophie and Jessica. The two women were both sixth-rank, and as for the man, even if he wasn't unfathomable, he must possess some treasure to conceal his true strength.

"Boy, I hear you want to buy my craft?"

The old man sat down opposite Olivier, observed the three of them for a moment, and spoke.

"Old man, I love beauties and fine food. Look, I already have two beauties by my side," Olivier said, glancing at Sophie and Jessica before continuing, "I am very interested in your culinary skills. How about it? Name your price; I'm buying."

"Heh, beauties and fine food are both good things. Beauties are hard to come by, yet they still exist—with enough money, one can have them. But my craft is unique; it cannot be bought with mere money, can it?" The old man chuckled. "How much are you prepared to offer?"

"A Saint-level magic core, any attribute you like! How about that?"

Olivier smiled and made his offer.

This time, it was the old man's turn to be shocked. A Saint-level magic core was equivalent to a Saint-level magical beast. To offer one of any attribute meant that Saint-level magic cores were as easy to obtain as reaching into one's pocket. Was the strength of the young man before him truly unfathomable?

"Truly, any attribute?"

The old man was astonished, wondering if he had misheard, and asked for confirmation.

Olivier nodded.

"Although a Saint-level magic core is a good thing, it is of no use to me."

The old man said after his surprise subsided.

He reasoned that no matter how strong this person was, he was at most a Saint-level expert. There were very few people in the Saint-level realm who could make him fearful, and the old man didn't care at all.

This old man, I don't know why, but he is a dignified Saint-level expert who doesn't cultivate, yet hides here to cook. It seems it won't be easy for Sophie and Jessica to learn his craft, Olivier thought.

"A divine artifact."

Olivier made another offer.

"What? A divine artifact?"

This time, the old man was truly shocked. Divine artifacts were extremely rare on the Yulan Continent; generally, even Saint-level experts did not possess them.

"You have a divine artifact?"

The old man asked.

Olivier nodded again and waved his hand. A sword appeared, one he had nurtured with divine power, though it could only be considered a semi-finished product.

"You... aren't you afraid I'll snatch it?"

The old man stammered.

"Haha, I am waiting for you to snatch it. That way, I can rightfully snatch your craft in return."

Olivier said with a wicked grin.

He toyed with the divine artifact in his hand.

The old man was dumbfounded, staring blankly at Olivier.

"Old man, you are a dignified Saint-level expert, yet you hide here as a cook. You are quite the eccentric."

Olivier added.

On the Yulan Continent, where the strong were respected, someone like Cesar was already a rare oddity, but he hadn't expected to encounter an even stranger Saint-level expert here.

There was no such concept on the Yulan Continent as "hiding in the wilderness" or "the greatest hermit living in the city." Saint-level experts either cultivated bitterly in hopes of breaking through to the God-level, or they established families and ruled over a territory.

"What is wrong with being a chef? I can enjoy the delicacies I make with my own hands. I simply like being a chef. Do you have an opinion on that?" The old man said. "Who exactly are you?"

The old man had to pay attention to Olivier's identity. He was, after all, a powerhouse among the Saint-level; apart from the peak Saint-level experts, who could do anything to him? The person before him clearly seemed to understand his status, yet still dared to act this way.

In truth, Olivier did not actually know the old man's identity, but the old man assumed Olivier did because he knew he was a Saint-level expert.

"Olivier."

Olivier stated his identity.

"Oh, it is you, the genius sword saint of the O'Brien Empire. I have heard of you."

Upon learning Olivier's identity, the old man actually felt relieved. Firstly, he did not believe Olivier's strength surpassed his own; secondly, even if Olivier were stronger, he could not act recklessly in the imperial capital.

"Are you truly going to trade a divine artifact for my craft?"

The old man was very tempted by the divine artifact, and after learning Olivier's identity, he began to covet it.

"Of course, I keep my word."

The deal was considered settled.

The sword Olivier produced was a divine artifact he had nurtured using an ordinary blade. Although the process had been brief and the weapon remained a semi-finished product, its power far exceeded that of standard armaments; one had to remember that his divine power was significantly more potent than that of an average low-level god.

Olivier tossed the sword to the old man with a casual flick of his wrist.

They were simply waiting for Sophie and Jessica to finish learning the old man's culinary skills.

"Teacher, Teacher!" Suddenly, a boy around ten years old ran into the restaurant, shouting.

The boy rushed over to the old man, grabbing him while panting for breath.

"What is it? Why all the fuss?" the old man asked.

The boy gasped for air, took a few deep breaths, and said, "Teacher, my sister has come back to life, she's come back to life!"

The boy was overjoyed.

"Really? How is that possible? When I saw her yesterday, she was already on her last breath."

Seeing the boy's happiness, the old man was deeply astonished. He knew how much the boy cared for his sister; ever since she had suddenly collapsed half a month ago, her soul had begun to weaken steadily. By the time he checked on her yesterday, the flame of her soul had been like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.

However, he knew the boy would not deceive him about such a matter, yet this situation exceeded his understanding.

Resurrection from the dead—a miracle.

"Teacher, it's true! I really felt my sister getting better. Please, come and take a look quickly."

The boy urged anxiously.

The boy's sister had improved, but she had not yet woken up. The boy hoped his teacher would hurry over to see her, and in his urgency, he began pulling the old man toward the door.

"Resurrection from the dead? What is going on?"

Olivier asked.

"Hank's sister, Victoria, suddenly collapsed half a month ago. Afterward, her soul began to weaken until, by yesterday, I could barely sense its existence. Now it seems there has been a turn for the better; it is truly strange."

The old man did not hide anything and told Olivier the situation regarding Victoria.

"Soul weakening, a turn for the better... could it be?"

Olivier thought of soul mutation.

Soul mutation generally begins when a soul suffers a blow and starts to weaken, reaching its lowest point before beginning to strengthen, thereby completing the entire process of soul mutation.

Victoria's situation was exactly like this.

Although Olivier himself was a soul mutant, the person undergoing the process of soul mutation usually has no sensation of it.

"Such a strange occurrence. Let us go and take a look as well."

Olivier and the others followed the boy, Hank, toward his home.