Reborn in Japan as a Chef God-Chapter 1074 - 1073: Night on the Aegean Sea (Part 1)

Chapter 1074: Chapter 1073: Night on the Aegean Sea (Part 1)

Three days later.

A luxury cruise ship set sail from Athens, the capital of Greece, slowly navigating into the azure Aegean Sea, drifting aimlessly among the scattered islands.

The oil tanker, named ’Queen Crown,’ weighs over 100,000 tons, is 19 stories high, and can easily carry over three thousand passengers at full capacity. However, at this moment, the ’Queen Crown’ is not traveling a fixed global route; it is filled with passengers, all of whom are culinary world celebrities, making it a veritable ship of industry professionals.

"Please make way—"

Ye Feizhou, Sen Tian Makoto, and Tiqie Helinai, among others, lined up on a gangway, climbing to the highest point.

Crew members and service personnel along the way respectfully stepped aside.

It’s important to know that the rooms on a cruise ship are hierarchically distinguished, with the cheapest being ’inside cabins’ that have no windows and are often located inside the belly of the ship. In contrast, ’ocean view rooms’ and ’ocean view balcony rooms’ are different, as they are situated on the upper decks, where opening the curtains reveals a magical azure ocean.

Knock knock!

The knocking sound made Xia Yu, who was standing on the balcony of an ocean view room, turn his head. "Come in."

Ye Feizhou led everyone in one by one, and the 20-square-meter room was quickly filled with people. Xia Yu saw his Polar Star Dormitory friends, including Xingping Chuangzhen. He paused and waved his hand, "Yo, Xingping, your trip’s over too?"

Xingping Chuangzhen’s lips moved, "...It’s over."

Kobayakawa Ryodan laughed cheerfully, "Hey, Instructor Xia, don’t forget about me. Kishikubo Momo and I have also completed our global food-tasting trip! Mission accomplished!"

"Oh, right, right."

"This cruise ship is huge. It has three main restaurants, one buffet restaurant, seven specialty dining places like barbecue and desserts, and eleven bars... Have you guys visited the nightclub on the seventh floor yet? Haha, it’s open 24 hours. Instructor Xia, shall we hit it up?"

Kobayakawa Ryodan whistled. Her hair was long, and her mature beauty far surpassed that of a teenage high school girl. If she were holding a baseball bat, she’d definitely give off the aura of a delinquent big sister.

Nightclub? Xia Yu’s eyebrow twitched, and Kobayakawa Ryodan added with a mischievous grin, "There are lots of call girls, all of them tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes... I feel, Instructor Xia, that holding your tension all the time isn’t good. Why not go to the nightclub and find a girl to relax with?"

"Stop!"

Xia Yu raised his hand, pointing to the door. "Someone, escort her out for me!"

Yoshino Yuuki and Hozoi Midori immediately volunteered, taking Kobayakawa Ryodan by the arm on either side.

"Ah, no, Instructor, you really should consider my suggestion!"

"..."

You should be aware of the release that comes with it!

Xia Yu thought if he actually ’considered’ it, he’d likely face off on stage with a weary and drained face that evening.

Putting aside the teasing, the room quieted down. Xia Yu looked at Ye Feizhou, "Is the battle arranged?"

Ye Feizhou’s face was tense. "It’s scheduled for tonight."

"The location?"

"This cruise ship has an entire floor renovated into a battle zone. Although it’s not as spacious as a land-based food tournament venue, it can still accommodate all three thousand onboard spectators."

...

As evening approached, the azure Aegean Sea was touched by a splash of blood-red brilliance under the sunset.

Unlike the past two days, on the cruise ship, the main restaurant, specialty restaurants, bars, nightclubs, theaters, shopping centers, fitness and water sports centers, all facilities were emptied, not a soul in sight, even crew members and service staff hurriedly rushed towards one place.

At 7 PM, the giant ship was already enshrouded in the darkness of night over the sea.

In the ship’s battle venue, a side hall, designed with interesting functions, merged changing, resting, and cooking areas within a ten-square-meter space without feeling cramped.

In the makeshift kitchen separated by glass walls, Xia Yu grabbed his chin, contemplating the blueprint of his recipe and seeing if there was anything to tweak.

Of course, the recipe had been revised and refined endlessly during his six-month journey, leaving no room for further changes.

Just the final creation to validate!

Create an excellent final product and defeat the opponent, only then would the system recognize his ’finishing move’!

In summary, everything was ready, just missing a significant touchstone.

Knock knock!

Someone knocked again, and Xia Yu looked up. "Come in."

Dragon Head Zhu Ji entered, glancing at the timer on the table. "You have to submit your ingredient list by a quarter past seven. As for the jury, you don’t have to worry. I, Lance, and the three Sages from IGO form a five-member jury, plus nearly three thousand pairs of professional eyes are watching, so Gaius can’t pull any underhanded tricks."

Underhanded tricks? Even Gaius has a bit of integrity. Xia Yu had long secretly praised Gaius for his composure due to his indifference to media ridicule. If the often-irritable Gaius over the past six months knew the teenager evaluated him like this, would he be moved to tears?

"I’ve long written the list."

He pulled a folded note from his pocket and handed it over. At that moment, his other pocket sounded with a message notification. Xia Yu took it out and read it with a peculiar expression.

Doris, one of his social friends, sent a new message:

"My father’s ingredient list is ready."

She even attached a candid photo, where Gaius was facing away from the camera, surprisingly also in a makeshift kitchen, handing the list to a trusted aide. The side profile exuded a strong aura of confidence.

While Xia Yu was hesitating about how to respond, a second message came:

"I know the details of the list, and I took a picture of it... Although I don’t know the exact recipe, knowing the opponent’s ingredient preparations beforehand should give you a clue about my father’s dish... This way, you can take control of the situation. I think you need this advantage to boost your confidence."

"..."

Well, damn, this woman, selling out her father so thoroughly! A great betrayal; probably Gaius never expected his daughter, raised by him, to be this formidable.

Amused, Xia Yu typed a reply, "Are you so keen on me defeating your great father? Why did you choose me?"

"Because you are the unique one."

"Ahem, Miss Doris, you have a very adorable daughter. This statement won’t lead to any charming misunderstandings on my part."

Finishing the thought, without regarding any upcoming reply, Xia Yu glanced at Zhu Ji, who had unfolded the note, looking noticeably shaken by its content.

"Is this all?" Zhu Ji’s voice was never this dry.

"Yes!"

"In terms of ingredients and kitchen tools, you have no advantage!"

Zhu Ji sighed, shaking his head. "I can’t conceive your points of leverage for victory."

"But I have a finishing move recipe in my hands."

Seeing the young man’s eager face with no signs of fear, Zhu Ji opened his mouth.

"Then just... prepare well."

Are you preparing to return triumphant,

or preparing to pull yourself together after a defeat?