Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 215 Shutdown on the shore, connection failure, the production team replaced them with a cunning old fox (First update)
"Southern Thailand, Komifu region, Lanta Island"

On the sea, five small long-tailed boats sailed toward the shore.

Xia Ming stood at the bow of the boat, which was adorned with colorful ribbons, looking at the lush green island in front of him, and gently tossed his hair.

After the last "Philippine Trip", the production team miraculously gave all the contestants a three-day break.

They claimed it was to "thank you for your hard work" and let you rest and recover.

However, according to the information collected by Qiao Ruoning...
The production team most likely changed the destination and updated the competition format at the last minute.

"Xia Ming, the production team did not communicate with our agents about the specific competition rules in advance, and we didn't even know the basic cuisines."

Xia Ming understood what Qiao Ruoning meant.

Unlike New Zealand and Fiji, Thailand is a country with a very large territory.

Just like China, its interior has developed different cuisines based on the local customs and traditions.

Simply categorized by region
[Taibei: The spiciness is mild and slightly sour, and they like to use turmeric, tamarind, etc. The staple food is usually glutinous rice.]

[Northeastern Taiwan: Characterized by a complex flavor profile of sour, spicy, and pungent tastes, often infused with herbal spices. The staple food is typically glutinous rice.]

[Taiwanese cuisine: a fusion of international flavors, with a balanced taste, skillful use of various spices, and a preference for fish sauce and coconut milk... the staple food is usually fragrant rice.]

[Tainan: Bold use of spices, staple foods include coconut milk and seafood, intense layers of spiciness, fruits used to balance the flavors, less sourness, and a variety of staple foods.]

Since they didn't know their initial destination, Qiao Ruoning led Xia Ming to learn about all the features mentioned above.

At this moment, Lanta Island, which he is about to visit, clearly belongs to the "Tainan cuisine".

Just as he was wondering what kind of food he would be eating today, Maka, standing behind Xia Ming, looked at him with a complicated expression.

In two consecutive rounds, the man from China in front of me became famous among the contestants for his superb wilderness skills and exquisite culinary arts.

As a result, Li Yuan, who had competed against him, was also repeatedly questioned and talked about by other chefs.

Even though Li Yuan kept explaining that he did not directly compete against Xia Ming in a 1v1 match in the "New Chef Competition", his ranking was still quite good, so others just took it as his modesty.

Only Miao Zeyang and another chef from the East Third District, Jia Qingyu, knew that Li Yuan was indeed telling the truth on this point.

Just as she was pondering this, the boat suddenly came to a slow stop around the beach.

Seeing this, Xia Ming jumped off the boat without much hesitation.

Five other boats' athletes did the same thing as him.

Due to a combination of factors, 17 contestants were eliminated in the last round of the competition, so a total of 33 contestants are participating in this competition.

The sea breeze was blowing along the shore, and the host had clearly been waiting for a long time.

"Congratulations to the 33 contestants who have successfully overcome the previous challenges and arrived at Blue Tower Island."

"I believe that those of you who haven't had breakfast yet are already very interested in the local cuisine and eager to learn about its flavors."

"Unfortunately, our program's shuttle bus suddenly stopped halfway, so it seems there's no way to get everyone to the originally planned destination."

Xia Ming was clearly taken aback when he heard the host's words.

He instantly understood what the host meant.
If you don't have a car, you'll have to go to the tribe yourself!
The crowd stirred slightly at this explanation, but quickly returned to calm, since everyone starts from here, and no one has any special privileges.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, the host continued.

"Although we didn't deliver them to their destination, and because we were in a hurry, we didn't prepare a map for everyone."

"But the hospitable 'Uyi people' will light a bonfire at a fixed time to guide everyone on their way."

As he spoke, the host pointed behind him.

Xia Ming squinted as he watched the wisps of smoke rising from the mountainside, memorizing its location.

Seeing that everyone had a general idea of ​​the location, the host continued.

"The Ui people, who live by the sea, are warm and hospitable. Hearing that everyone was coming to explore their tribal culture, they started preparing early in the morning."

"The 28 seats have been set up in the tribe, and we're just waiting for everyone!"

"Alright, enough said, let's set off immediately!"

After hearing the host's description, everyone was stunned.

If they heard correctly, the tribe had only prepared seats for 28 people.

Miao Zeyang, being straightforward, asked the host directly.

"28 seats, 33 people, what about the remaining 5 people? Are they just supposed to watch the others eat?"

Upon hearing Miao Zeyang's words, the host smiled slightly.

"Of course not. There's no reason not to prepare seats for guests once they've entered."

"However, the tribe has only prepared this many portions of food today. If you are ranked lower and arrive late, the five people who do not have a seat may face elimination."

As the host spoke with a smile, the contestants' expressions all changed.

They never expected that after the grueling battle at the seaside restaurant, the production team still wouldn't give up.

This time, even the tasting slots are being limited.
Looking at the campfire on the other side of the mountain, some contestants couldn't contain their excitement and were ready to head in that direction.

Xia Ming wasn't in such a hurry. He glanced at the host and then asked a few more questions.

Do we have a time limit?

Is there only one "Uyi" tribe here?

"Besides being present, are there any other conditions required to obtain a seat?"

After listening to Xia Ming's words, the host responded with a smile.

"There is no time limit, and only one Uy tribe can light a bonfire."

“Aside from your presence, there are theoretically no other restrictions. However, the ‘Wuyi’ people are very particular about etiquette, so they would be very happy if you could bring some local ingredients with you.” After listening to this, Xia Ming pondered for a moment, and then headed towards the mountain without hesitation.

Behind him, the other contestants wore conflicted expressions.

"No, is the host implying that we should bring ingredients?"

"I have a bad sense of direction, how am I supposed to find my way without a map!"

"The wind direction is constantly changing, and it's too difficult to rely on a wisp of smoke to indicate the way."

"Ask again to see if there are any other hidden rules!"

"What else do you want to ask? The host's already gone!"

While the contestants were pondering the information revealed in the question, the viewers in the live stream were also somewhat confused.

[IP Hua: What happened? Did the production team undergo a gender reassignment surgery after arriving in Thailand? Are they planning to kick out 5 people right from the start?]

["IP Kangaroo": Are they short of funds? It would be utterly hopeless to be kicked out after everyone's already arrived.]

[IP Eagle: Without a map, it's hard to find a wisp of smoke!]

[IP Bear: ??? Isn't this supposed to be the wilderness? Why are the players starting to act as scouts?]

[IP Hua: Something's not right. I feel like there's something off about what the host is saying, but I can't quite put my finger on any strange loopholes!]

[IP Hua: The shuttle bus is having problems?! Is this just for the sake of the show?!]

[IP Hua: That old geezer is really wicked. Do you believe the production team or do you believe I'm the First Emperor? I didn't do it on purpose, I ate it live!]

Unlike the mild start in the previous two locations, the contestants were noticeably more nervous this time because of the elimination requirement.

Upon realizing that there was no additional information from the host, everyone started moving towards the direction from which the smoke had initially risen.

Xia Ming had already walked quite a distance, and it looked like he was about to enter the mountain path.

Suddenly, several "Thai guys" appeared from the bushes nearby.

"Brothers, are we heading to a village in the mountains? Let's go, motorcycles are really fast!"

"Let's take a motorcycle! How long would it take to walk!"

Looking at their motorcycles, Xia Ming raised an eyebrow and asked a question.

"What's the price? Do you offer delivery?"

The young men nodded.

"It's very cheap; you only need 200 points per person to ride the transportation!"

"Yeah, just 200 points can save you from the hassle of walking, what a bargain!"

Xia Ming smiled when he heard that 200 points were required.

They spoke of it casually, as if 200 points were no big deal.

But he knew that most contestants would clear their scores from the previous round before coming over to buy tools.

Even if there is a reserve, it won't be too much.

For most players, 200 points is already a very expensive expense. Spending that money just to save time on a mountain road trip might not be so worthwhile.

After all, putting walking speed aside, most athletes only need to make sure they are ahead of the last few.

Moreover, Xia Ming also keenly noticed that the tires of these motorcycles were a bit off.

He smiled and waved, then continued walking into the mountains.

As he walked, he thought to himself.

"Judging from this, the production team must have changed directors. Otherwise, the style wouldn't have changed so much?"

"I just don't know what the director really wants."

Just then, he heard the roar of a motorcycle.

Then, turning my head, I saw that McGrady had already gotten on the motorcycle and was waving at the camera.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I must take my leave now!"

After greeting everyone, he also waved to the contestants in front and behind him.

Then, Xia Ming felt a gust of wind blow by, and Maddie, riding a motorcycle, quickly passed by him and entered the mountain road.

Seeing that McGrady's efficiency suddenly increased after he got on the motorcycle, the other riders also developed a desire to ride a motorcycle.

Seeing this, the guys next to him quickly started promoting their own cars.

"Don't miss out! We only have a few cars here, first come, first served!"

"It'll be gone soon. The mountain path is so rugged, how long will it take to walk?"

Under this recruitment process and the elimination mechanism stipulated by the program, two more contestants chose to ride motorcycles.

Watching them walk away, Xia Ming silently shook his head.

"If even the production crew's shuttle bus can have an accident, how dare you ride on this motorcycle!"

After saying that, he looked up again to confirm the direction, but suddenly found that, in addition to the smoke from the previous wisp of smoke, another wisp of smoke was rising from the distant mountain peak.

Although the two were far apart, Xia Ming still frowned.

"Only one Uyi tribe lights a bonfire. But it's not only the Uyi people who know how to light bonfires, right?"

"Good heavens, they even managed to exploit this loophole in wordplay! The production team must have brought in a new, cunning old fox!"

(End of this chapter)