The beginning is only when you become a chef

Chapter 214 The Beginning (4K)

The day when the food battle begins.

The area around the "Between Moon and Sky" venue has already been cleared.

The Nakiri family spared no expense in hiring several professional security companies and dispatched at least two thousand security personnel to maintain order at the scene.

In the morning, ten o'clock sharp!

As people from all walks of life entered the venue one after another, the auditorium of "Between Moon and Sky" gradually became full.

In the backstage lounge, the director of the Totsuki Shokugeki Bureau, Hisahiro Keiura, knocked on the door and announced:

“Chef Xia’an, there are still 30 minutes until opening. You can check the inventory again to see if there is anything missing.”

Xia An did not slack off at all. He picked up the food battle file on the glass coffee table and looked at it carefully.

After a moment, he nodded:
“I don’t have any special requirements for kitchenware.”

"As for the ingredients... didn't I already give them to you guys for review last night?"

Jingura Hisahiro said with a serious expression:
"Your ingredients will be delivered to the venue by our Food Wars Bureau later. During the inspection and storage period, all processes will be monitored by video surveillance to completely prevent any outside interference!"

After saying that, the middle-aged man in a suit and tie handed over a tablet computer with both hands.

"The food betting stakes have also been reviewed and are being kept by our Food Betting Bureau. You can view the video recording of each food betting stake."

Xia An didn't plan to sit there and do nothing, so he took the tablet and started looking at it.

Video one:

Two pieces of [Tanlang Pot] fragments of irregular shape and similar size.

Video two:
A quaint ancient stone tablet but only the back is shown;

A handwritten copy of the "Contract Cookbook".

Obviously, the video has blurred the details and content, and a deep male voice sounded:
"After such bets are handed over, they will be identified by the winning party, and no one in the Food Wars Bureau may watch."

Video 3:
A bionic robot with a humanoid shape and an animal head, with the identification process by scientific and technical personnel;
As for the ruby ​​crab shell frying pan, Xia An took the time to grind and forge it himself yesterday, and it still had the residual heat from making it.

"coming!"

The following is what Xia An is particularly interested in.

The deep male voice sounded again:
"【Insect Swarm】Sequence 4 Activated Cell Injection... has been identified by the Nakiri International Research Institute as containing some of the cellular power of the 'Parasitic Emperor'. However, the injection must be carried out in accordance with the guidebook provided by the betting provider. We, the Food Wars Bureau, are not responsible for any side effects or other phenomena that may occur later!"

"[Devour] Sequence 4 Cellular Biotechnology... the core technology product of Neo Food Utopia, containing some of the cellular power of the 'Original Jellyfish'..."

The [Insect Swarm] cell injection provided by the Gourmet Club is pitch black in color.

The [Phagocytic] cell biotechnology from Utopia is a pure transparent pill the size of a finger.

Xia An has not tested and used these two technologies, so he naturally does not dare to judge their advantages and disadvantages easily.

At last…

Xia An's eyes fell on the 50 grams of divine ingredients.

This 50 grams of meat is about the size of a matchbox. If it is cut into thin strips, it can fill an ordinary household bowl.

The "refrigerator" that stores this divine ingredient is quite high-tech. It is the size of a palm, has a completely transparent structure, and a wisp of white mist floats inside from time to time.

"The ingredients... are glowing?"

Xia An stared at the matchbox-sized piece of meat in surprise. There was no light in the refrigerator, and the faint light came from the texture of the meat.

It’s a pity that the thing is not in his hand. If observed in a dark environment, the faint light would be more obvious.

Xia An returned the tablet to Jingura Hisahisa and looked at the time. There were about 15 minutes left, so it was time to go to the locker room to change clothes.

He changed into a new chef's uniform and stood in front of a full-length mirror to adjust his attire.

"panel!"

Xia An suddenly raised his eyebrows and summoned the God of Cooking panel.

……

[Ingredients: "Ten-yolked eggs without any smell or dirt" (98.8%)]

[Grade: Diamond (48 Capture Level)]

[Processing score: 98.8]

[Ingredients produced in the 'Dark Continent', but after being skillfully processed by the chef, the pollution of the natural environment in the place of origin has been almost completely eliminated]

……

98.8 points, just a slight improvement away from what people consider to be the perfect ingredient.

Of course, in Xia An's opinion, a 99% processing degree is only a sub-perfect product.

"But... a sub-perfect product is good enough to compete for face and glow!"

Xia An took a deep breath, closed his eyes and rested for the remaining 15 minutes, trying his best to adjust himself to the best condition.

Since there is no problem with the ingredients, he must not let down his on-the-spot performance!

Soon, a broadcast sounded in the room:

"Chef Xia An, please take your seats in the aisle."

Da da da…

Xia An picked up the kitchen utensil box, opened the door and walked in.

When he arrived at the entrance of the passage, his food battle rival Amber Murphy had already arrived.

This female chef, who came from a food club and whose father was a dragon giant, was also wearing a brand new white chef uniform. All her accessories, including rings, were put away, and her long golden hair was tied into a single ponytail with a simple hair tie for easy movement.

Amber Murphy looked at him with a hint of inquiry:
"What soup recipes have you prepared in the past seven days?"

Xia An smiled and said, "It is derived from ancient classics, but it is not an ancient classic."

Amber frowned: "A modified version of the ancient Shenzhou recipe?"

"never mind."

She didn't hesitate any longer, and raised a confident smile at the corner of her lips, "I can tell you my recipe in advance. Do you know "Century Soup"? "

"interesting…"

"You use a modified version of an ancient recipe from Shenzhou, but I use my own interpretation of an immortal chapter in the food world!"

"Then let's see... whose immortal and classic recipes are better!"

As soon as the voice fell, the director who was standing at the entrance of the passage waiting for battle received the order from the head of the food battle department, who was also the general director of the stage, Keiura Hisahiro, and immediately turned around and said:

"Chef Amber Murphy, you go on stage first—"

The female chef didn't say anything harsh, but turned around and walked out of the passage with light steps.

When she appeared outside the aisle, thunderous applause resounded throughout the venue, even rumbling in the aisle.

In the center of the stage of "Between Moon and Sky", Amber Murphy smiled calmly and nodded to the audience seats around her.

Gin Dojima, dressed in a suit, served as the host and emcee.

He held up an inscription card and read out Amber Murphy's amazing titles and international honors.

In the audience, the initial applause and cheers gradually died down and became completely silent.

The live broadcast camera swept across the stands of Totsuki teachers and students, and many students were stunned.

“So many titles…”

“So many first place honors in international competitions?”

Everyone in Polaris Dormitory looked at each other, their hearts filled with awe.

"under--"

"Please welcome another Shokugeki contestant—"

Dojima Gin's voice brought countless viewers back to their senses.

The spotlights shone onto the stage aisle, and the cameras and broadcast images also focused on it.

A man dressed in white and carrying a dark box walked slowly towards the center of the stage.

Two or three seconds later, applause and cheers...

Various sounds intertwined together, creating a sound wave that was no less than the scene when Amber Murphy took the stage.

Dojima Gin smiled widely, and waited until the noise died down before reading out Xia An's title and honors.

Compared to Amber Murphy, Xia An's introduction is much shorter:
"Chrysanthemum Tower Contest Champion for three rounds, the final winner of the Higashino Manor International Arena, and the winner of the third Cat Island Festival..."

“The one who reproduces ancient dishes, inherits ancient skills, and reproduces the brilliance of the present age…”

The crowd responded with warm applause again.

Amber Murphy, who had originally looked calm, changed his expression slightly, frowned, and looked towards the VIP seats in the backstage near the stage.

Sitting here are spectator groups from various official associations, large organizations and forces, most of whom are industry insiders and chefs with high culinary skills.

When they heard the titles and honors, they nodded frequently with approval on their faces.

but…

When they heard the words “the reproducer of ancient dishes, the inheritor of ancient skills, the one who shines today”, the VIP guests in the spectator group seemed to be touched, and they all applauded loudly with respect on their faces.

The mood changes before and after this...

why?
Amber Murphy couldn't help but ask in her heart.

Are all her international titles not as useful as this string of so-called nicknames and names that are neither titles nor honors?
Somewhere in the upper stands.

A middle-aged man who looked like the uncle next door, although his seat was far away from the main stage, he could clearly see the confusion and doubt on his daughter Amber Murphy's face without looking at the broadcast screen.

His sigh was drowned out by the applause and cheers from the audience around him, and he whispered to himself:

“…Amber has lived in the world of food since he was a child. He is considered a new human, so he does not understand the meaning behind these titles and cannot resonate with them.”

Immediately, his gaze swept towards his youngest son Rowan Murphy, who was sitting alone in the VIP seat. His eyes were deep, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

Of course, as the initiator of the food war.

Nakamura Ji, along with the members of the Gourmet Club and Dr. K who came specially to watch the game, were arranged in a private audience room by the Nakiri family.

At this time, Dr. K, the director of the Food Club, was sitting carefree on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the central stage.

He didn't even look at Amber Murphy. It seemed that the only person in his eyes was Xia An, the enemy who was destroying his promotion KPI.

"Minister, this food battle that has attracted the attention of the entire world will be the beginning of the fall of this sun."

Nakamura Ji knew what Dr. K wanted to hear, so he deliberately flattered her: "Watching the sun fall with your own eyes...you will also be able to relieve your hatred."

Dr. K's tone was a little crazy:

"This is just the beginning. When he loses this food battle, he must fulfill his contract and join the Gourmet Club... Hehehe, won't he be at my mercy then?"

Nakamura Ji lowered his head respectfully.

On the center stage, Dojima Gin announced:
"Please, Totsuki Shokugeki Bureau, please state the stakes of both sides in the Shokugeki competition—"

On both sides of the stage, a team of people in black came on stage and arranged the gambling items or documents locked in transparent display cabinets into two opposing straight lines.

The broadcast camera closes up each time, and the audience reacts differently. Those who recognize the value of some of the bets are dumbfounded, and some industry insiders and high-level chefs are so shocked that they stand up:

"what?!"

"There's actually something as incredible as 50 grams of divine ingredients in the bet?"

Uproar, commotion...

There may have been rumors about this before, but seeing it with your own eyes is another matter.

"What a shocking gamble."

Chi Xiaobai and two Pseudo-Lin from the Shenzhou spectator group were discussing in amazement.

"Oops... The other side dares to put forward such a bet and terms, which means they are sure of winning."

"If Boss Xia loses this battle, won't he have to join the Gourmet Club?"

"Hey, we can't afford this loss!"

Although Meng Yulu did not participate in the discussion and seemed to be sitting quietly, she was already anxious in her heart.

In such an atmosphere, Dojima Gin still calmly controlled the scene. He cleared his throat and said, "The food battle betting is over."

"Next-"

"Please ask the Totsuki Shokugeki Bureau to deliver the main ingredients that the contestants have handed over to the official for review and safekeeping to the venue—"

Rumble…

One cart after another was pushed in an orderly manner towards the two kitchens that were completely exposed to the camera.

at this time!

Xia An and Amber Murphy were already standing in the kitchen, waiting for the ingredients to arrive.

From the perspective of Kitchen No. 2, Amber Murphy opened the food boxes one by one with a smile on her face, revealing a pile of white bones!
Dojima Gin came up and said, "Chef Amber Murphy, please introduce the ingredients prepared for this food battle."

Since this is an open-air food battle of the highest standards, the procedure requires a segment where the ingredients are introduced. Otherwise, ordinary audiences and the vast majority of Totsuki teachers and students will not be able to recognize the ingredients and can only watch the fun.

Amber Murphy introduced:
"This ingredient is 'Andre's swordfish bones'."

"And the 'Andre's swordfish' is a deep-sea fish caught at level 31. An adult can be up to 10 meters long and weigh 1 ton..."

"Of course I can't bring the live 'Andre's Swordfish' to the stage and kill it. After all, it is huge and it is very troublesome to kill it. And I only need its bones to make soup!"

As she spoke, she opened the second food box.

"Another skeleton?" Dojima Gin looked surprised.

An Bo smiled and said, "This is the 'Silk Bird Skeleton', which is a very important ingredient for the soup base in my soup recipe. It requires a complex process to bring out the flavor."

Next, she opened the third food box.

Unlike the previous two, this box actually contained a living bird or beast.

Amber grabbed it out with a normal look:
"…It's called 'Soup Pelican', Capture Level 3, a large water bird belonging to the Pelican family. It has an organ called 'Food Concentrate' in its body. 20% of the food it eats will be mixed in this organ to produce super high-level essence."

"And this essence... is also known as 'Golden Broth'!"

Gin Dojima pointed at the "Dashi Pelican" in surprise and said:

"I know this ingredient, but Chef Amber Murphy, the one you prepared seems to be the leader of the tribe?"

An Bo nodded and said calmly: "The leader-level soup stock pelican can provide a large amount of high-quality 'golden soup'."

After that, she opened the fourth food box, took out a seemingly ordinary cabbage and placed it on the kitchen counter.

"Cartilaginous cabbage?" Dojima Gin pointed at the ingredient, his tone somewhat uncertain.

Amber Murphy confirmed: "Yes, it is to capture cartilaginous cabbages below level 1."

Dojima Gin questioned, "This is a food battle of pseudo-Lin standard. Are you sure you want to use ingredients below level 1?"

Amber Murphy did not directly answer his question, but just smiled faintly and opened the last food box:

"The soul ingredients of my interpretation of "Century Soup" are actually here——"

The camera was focused on her hand. The female chef was holding a green vine and said confidently:
"This is a level 46 bean tree vine."

“Grinding it up as a soup base brings out the flavors of all sorts of fantasy ingredients.”

Dojima Gin said in a deep voice:

"The above are the ingredients that Chef Amber Murphy has prepared for this food battle."

"Next, we'll unveil his ingredients with Chef Xiaan..."

With the camera and all the audience's eyes on him, he strode towards Kitchen No. 2.

At this time, Xia An was sharpening a knife in the kitchen, and the sound of sharpening the knife could be clearly heard.

Hiss, hiss, hiss——

(End of this chapter)