Chef Union, Gourmet Competition

"Mr. Ku Li Pa, I am the editor of the Bede Weekly. May I ask you a question?"

"Chewing and Ghrū, okay, go ahead and ask."

The Gourmet Area of Zane Dungeon.

In the Gourmet Area, which was filled with a sweet aroma that resembled a fairyland, a tall, sprightly old man, no more than 1.6 meters tall, was enjoying a hearty meal of roasted meat with bones in his hands.

If you find the food a bit greasy, break off a clove of garlic from the blooming garlic flowers next to you to cleanse your palate, or grab a Soy Sauce Locust to go with it.

A rather contented expression appeared on his slightly wrinkled face; in short, he had thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

A beautifully dressed female editor, while preparing banknotes, stared intently at him and asked:

"Excuse me, haven't the Elf Race always been the embodiment of nature and a vegetarian? Why do you..." She looked at the half-eaten bone-in roasted meat in Ku Li Pa's hand, and everything was self-evident.

"This? This is a plant," Ku Li Pa said seriously.

"Plants?" The editor was taken aback.

"This grows from a tree, so how can it not be considered a plant?" He said with a serious expression, as if he were arguing for a universal truth.

The editor tried to argue further. "But it looks like meat, smells like meat, and tastes like meat."

"Then must it be meat?"

Ku Li Pa patted the editor on the shoulder with a serious expression and admonished him, "Don't be fooled by appearances. See through the essence. What grows on a tree is a plant! How could it be meat!"

He exuded an aura of authority. The editor swallowed hard, nodded, and said, "I've learned something new. So, bone-in roast meat is made from plants."

"That's right, that's right, this is a plant. We elves like to eat vegetarian food, so roasted meat with bones is vegetarian, that's perfectly fine."

As he spoke, Ku Li Pa took out a packet of coffee powder and brewed it using the juice from the hot milk fruit that grew on the tree.

"Ah, is that coffee made from cocoa beans that grow on the back of a cocoa koala?" The editor recognized the origin of the packet of coffee powder and decided to turn the tables.

She smiled and said, "Mr. Ku Li Pa, since you say that roasted meat that grows on trees is a plant, then wouldn't the cocoa pods that grow on cocoa koalas be considered meat?"

Ku Li Pa stared at her with deadpan eyes until cold sweat began to break out on her back before he spoke:

"If it looks like coffee, smells like coffee, and tastes like coffee, then it is coffee, vegan."

"But you just said you wanted to look at the essence of things."

"Are you the chef or am I? You're so good at talking, why don't I just give you my one-star chef's certificate and my shareholder status in Bede Weekly?"

No, no, that's not what I meant.

The editor waved his hands repeatedly, thinking that he must have been bored to argue with the elf about this issue. After some soothing, he finally calmed down the old man's emotions.

That's strange. Why did she suddenly develop this unwarranted competitive spirit?

Only then did she remember her initial purpose for the interview, quickly adjusted her mindset, and asked:

"What are your thoughts on the showdown with Mr. Ba Xi, a two-star chef from the Chef Union, in three days?"

The editor recalled what had happened two days prior.

That day, Lu Lu Wo from the Skyrim Strategy Team wandered around Bede City and lured away most of the city's elite adventurers.

No sooner had they left than a group of uninvited guests arrived.

The Chef Union has arrived.

The Chef Union is said to be the most authoritative culinary organization on the entire continent.

Unlike the Magic Association, which controls the qualifications for people to become magicians, the Chef Union cannot prevent people who do not join the association from becoming chefs. However, if one can obtain a chef's certificate from the association, then the chef's value will skyrocket to the pinnacle of life.

Chefs are classified into nine levels, each requiring rigorous testing. Many people spend their entire lives only managing to stay at the lower levels.

Above level nine is the ultimate realm that cannot be reached through hard work and sweat; only those with extraordinary talent can reach it – the Star Chef!

One star is the starting point, and five stars is the highest, making them the absolute overlords of the culinary world, reigning supreme at the pinnacle of chefs!

People don't understand how a chef's certification exam could be so exciting, but this just-right, inexplicably cool, and slightly childish vibe is quite popular!

Meanwhile, Ba Xi, a two-star chef from the Chef Union known for his "exquisite" cooking, recently visited Bede City, sampling ingredients from various Gourmet Area, and then made some outrageous remarks—

"The existence of food that can be eaten without cooking is an insult to chefs!"

The Gourmet Area is filled with Roasted Whole Pig, Trumpet Lion, bone-in Bone Meat Tree, and Ox Tongue Flower, all ingredients that can be picked and eaten at will, offering a great taste experience without cooking.

Ba Xi's motivation was simple: if all ingredients in the world were like this, then the purpose of chefs would be greatly diminished.

Someone told him he could further process these ingredients and showcase his culinary skills, but...

"Food without starting with fresh ingredients has no soul!"

Ba Xi's second outrageous statement!

He believes that processing ingredients that are already edible feels like sleeping with someone else's bride—it's unpleasant and any ethical chef would refuse.

He hated the place from the bottom of his heart, believing that it ruined the refinement and ritual that food should have, so he declared a boycott of the Gourmet Area.

However, the residents and merchants of Bede City had long since tasted the sweetness of gourmet food—whether it was eating or selling, even the most esteemed two-star chefs could not shake the established mindset in Bede City.

Ba Xi wasn't stupid either; after his investigation, he also discovered the "bond" between the residents of Bede City and the Gourmet Area.

However, he would not give up easily. In the end, he decided to hold a culinary exchange event here, where his apprentices would use normal ingredients that never came from the Gourmet Area to make exquisite dishes in a public place, determined to defeat the Gourmet Area in terms of taste!

To outsiders, it might seem a bit inexplicable. Even if you can beat the Gourmet Area, what does that prove besides your culinary skills? People will still go to the Gourmet Area. Not everyone has the money and time to eat your food.

But for Ba Xi and his apprentices, being able to beat the recently glamorous Gourmet Area in terms of taste is enough!

This is proof, and they can even use it to promote themselves and increase their fame in the future.

More importantly, it satisfies Ba Xi's own competitive spirit and vanity.

They moved swiftly, and with the help of the magicians, they quickly set up a platform in the center of town, with dozens of stoves operating simultaneously, all in an effort to continuously produce dishes that could surpass those of the Gourmet Area.

They even offer free samples of the dishes they prepare. How is that any different from doing charity?

The combination of keywords like "free," "masterpiece," and "free" brought in a surge of visitors.

The only condition for wanting a gourmet meal is to praise their food as tasting better than that of the Gourmet Area.

As it turns out, many people still do this; they just casually say something, but the opportunity to eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant is a rare one.

Moreover, this wasn't entirely untrue, because Ba Xi and his apprentices were truly skilled, and their culinary skills were exceptionally high, surpassing any chef in Bede City. This was why they were able to attract so many customers.

Mr. Ma Lei Da, the owner of a magical item shop who wished to remain anonymous, enjoyed the meal immensely and showered each chef with auspicious words from a certain blue planet.

The people from another world had never seen anything like this before, and they were so light they felt like they were about to fly away.

Then, after finishing his meal, Mr. Ma Lei Da secretly instigated his supporters in the Gourmet Area to carry out a little wicked plan, which eventually turned into...

A brawl broke out between supporters of the Gourmet Area and Ba Xi and his apprentices, and it wasn't until the guards of Bede City arrived that the two sides were separated.

Neither side had any particularly strong individuals, and the guards were able to separate them. This was the first time the guards felt they were still somewhat useful; in the past, when adventurers fought, they only dared to offer verbal advice.

As for the supporters of the Gourmet Area, their leader is this Ku Li Pa.

Once the fight subsided, the two sides, still red-eyed from the argument, decided to hold a cooking competition!

One side uses ingredients from the Gourmet Area, while the other side uses traditional, conventional ingredients. The judges will be several authoritative three-star chefs who will be arriving soon.

And so, this bizarre culinary competition is about to begin. It seems that neither the loser nor the winner will suffer any material loss; the only thing they can lose is something as intangible as "reputation."

Even if they lose to a two-star chef, it doesn't seem like much for ingredients in the Gourmet Area, because the other party is a man at the pinnacle of chefs. It's not shameful for unprocessed ingredients to lose to a chef's meticulous cooking.

For Ba Xi, winning would only satisfy his vanity; his fame no longer needed to be built by stepping on an underground city.

This story is entirely started by a strange chef who wins the game of make-believe if no one else plays along.

However, he encountered another meticulous person— Ku Li Pa.

"What else can I say? I will use the ingredients here to make Ba Xi lose face and show him what real gourmet food is."

Ku Li Pa wiped his mouth, stood up, and gazed at the breathtakingly beautiful area before speaking:

"When I first came here and saw the big trees covered with barbecue, I knew that this was my paradise."

He clenched his fists.

"I've fallen in love with this place! I won't allow anyone to insult it!"

"Haha," the editor could only laugh awkwardly, unable to understand why the other person would fall in love with a certain area of the dungeon.

Perhaps it's because people who become star chefs all have some quirks?

"However, Ba Xi's culinary skills are indeed very strong, and he can get his hands on many rare ingredients. The taste of those things may not be inferior to those in the Gourmet Area."

The editor became interested and asked, "How would you like to handle this?"

Ku Li Pa said, "So I need to go deeper into the Gourmet Area. As far as I know, the frontline combat forces of Bede City have neglected to explore this area in depth. Only the Exploration Team organized by the guild can occasionally get close to that huge plant on the horizon."

"So you're going to find the Rainbow Fruit?" The editor had clearly heard some information and knew the name of the giant plant deep in the Gourmet Area.

But they've definitely never eaten it. Currently, only the guild's Exploration Team put in the effort to get it, and there's no guarantee that they'll get Rainbow Fruit every time they go deep into the territory; more often than not, they end up suffering a crushing defeat.

Even if they manage to get something, they might just sneak over and cut off a few small pieces when the beasts guarding the fruit are off guard, not daring to cut them too big, for fear of affecting their escape speed.

So, is the Rainbow Fruit the decisive ingredient that Ku Li Pa wants to obtain?

"No, I don't need Rainbow Fruit. To be honest, I'm not good at making sweets."

He shook his head and gave the editor a mysterious smile.

"What I was looking for was something that was not yet known to most people, and I only found a little bit of it by chance."

"Can't you reveal even a tiny bit of information?" The editor was completely intrigued.

"No."

After declining the editor's request, Ku Li Pa collected some more ingredients in the Gourmet Area and reluctantly left with his bag.

After breaking away from the main force of the Elf Race, he spent all his time here; to him, this place was a dreamlike paradise.

When he came out, it was still daytime. He had left so early to visit a very mysterious master in his eyes.

The Eternal Spirit Blade in his hand was a valuable item he obtained after much effort, based on clues he received from that person.

Bede City, another block Food Street.

This neighborhood is full of shops selling all kinds of magical items and materials, and they all have a common name: Magical Item Shops.

The shop that Ku Li Pa was looking for was even named after its owner— Ma Lei Da Magic Item Shop.

"Jingle."

The crisp sound of the wind chimes echoed in the air as the shop door was pushed open, letting in a rush of fresh air.

"Oh, here we go again."

The shop owner Ma Lei Da —or rather, Gong Qiying— raised his head, lazily stretched, and looked like he hadn't woken up yet.

Ku Li Pa's face showed respect.

Respect? If the editor from earlier had seen this, he would be surprised, since Ku Li Pa had been looking down on everyone just now.

"I couldn't find the seasoning by following the clues you gave me last time, but I found this instead."

He gently placed the Eternal Spirit Blade, which was wrapped in layers of cloth, on the counter and said, "This kitchen utensil possesses incredible power. I think it might even be stronger than the [Secret Seasoning]."

"But you can't eat kitchen utensils, can you? To win, you need better ingredients."

Gong Qiying took out two small bottles, one containing an unknown powder and the other containing a colorless liquid.

Upon seeing the powder and liquid, Ku Li Pa immediately showed a look of intense longing and exclaimed, "You, you found it again!?"

"This is my stock; there's a little left after you tried it last time."

Gong Qiying smiled, as if he had the elf before him completely under his control, and said:

"If you win the match, I'll give you another dose of the [Century Soup]."

I've been writing all day and I'm completely exhausted, so I'll take a day off.