I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

The traditional ingredients for Mondstadt's Wind God Stew are carrots, potatoes, and onions. Linda apparently improved the recipe by adding sweetflowers and mint to these three ingredients. The refreshing mint combined with the subtle fragrance of sweetflowers makes the whole dish smell incredibly appetizing.

Nine points.

Finally, there's the taste.

Ivan picked up the spoon and took a small bite.

The moment it enters your mouth, the rich flavor of the Kazeshin Chowder fills your mouth, accompanied by the refreshing aroma of mint. Because of the use of sweetflower, the whole dish is also sweeter than the original Kazeshin Chowder.

Eight points.

Ivan put down his spoon, nodded in satisfaction, and then asked the host for a glass of water to rinse his mouth.

Seeing Ivan's reaction, the audience discussed, "Does Mr. Ivan think it's delicious? Does that mean Linda is going to win?"

"Not necessarily. I didn't think Mr. Ivan's reaction was very strong, and he even asked for a glass of water to rinse his mouth. I think Mr. Ivan probably doesn't like it, otherwise why would he rinse his mouth?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Rinsing your mouth is to prevent the taste of the previous dish from affecting your judgment of the next dish. Mr. Ivan, that's called professionalism."

While the audience was chattering amongst themselves, Ivan and the others began to taste the second dish.

"Next up is Ms. Brock's honey-glazed carrot and pork stir-fry."

Ivan and his two companions then took turns tasting the food in the same order as before.

After finishing his meal, the uncle nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up.

The girl frowned slightly after finishing her meal.

Finally, there's Ivan.

As usual, we'll start by scoring based on color, aroma, and taste.

In the end, Ivan gave the honey-glazed carrot and pork dish two scores of nine and one score of eight.

"Alright, the three lucky audience members have finished tasting the dishes from both contestants. Now, let's vote for the two contestants."

First up is the middle-aged man, who scratches his head somewhat embarrassedly: "Actually, I personally don't like sweet things. I prefer meat to sweets, so I'm casting my vote for Brock."

Next was the young woman: "I'm the opposite of the older man. I can't eat greasy food. On the contrary, I love sweets. Ms. Linda's Wind God Mixed Soup is very much to my liking. I vote for Linda."

The score is now tied at one to one, and the final decision rests with Ivan. All eyes are on Ivan once again, as his vote will determine who will be the champion tonight.

Ivan didn't rush to announce who got his vote, but instead began to comment on the dishes of the two contestants.

"Let me share my thoughts. First, regarding Linda's Kazeshin Chowder, Ms. Linda, you made bold improvements to the original Kazeshin Chowder by adding sweet flowers and mint, which made the whole dish sweet and refreshing. However, the sweetness also affected the flavor of the potatoes and onions, which is something to keep in mind."

"Next up is Brock's Honey Sauce Carrot and Pork Stir-fry, a signature dish at the Deer Hunter Restaurant. Compared to the Deer Hunter's version, Brock's Honey Sauce Carrot and Pork Stir-fry has a richer and more mellow flavor. I think it's because he used his own special seasoning and sauce. The downside is also obvious: so much sauce makes it too greasy."

Upon hearing Ivan's assessment, both contestants showed expressions of surprise.

Both contestants were well aware of the shortcomings of their own dishes, yet Ivan was able to pinpoint them so accurately, which is truly admirable.

"I have finally decided to cast my vote for Brock."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Ms. Brock suddenly let out a delighted scream.

"I won!"

Host Hanni, along with her opponent Ms. Linda and the audience, all gave a heartfelt round of applause to congratulate the winner of the first Qingquan Town Bonfire Festival Food Competition.

After the awards ceremony ended, Ivan was about to leave when the host stopped him.

"Mr. Ivan, from your comments just now, you must be a master chef as well. Could you show us a few of your skills here?"

Ivan blinked, thinking, "What does this mean? Are they really just going to fleece us like crazy?"

Ding Rong and the others below joined in the commotion: "Commander Yi, show us your skills, we want to see too!"

With Ding Rong and others encouraging them, the audience's calls for Ivan to show his hands grew louder and louder.

Ivan thought about it again and suddenly realized that this seemed to be a great opportunity to promote Earth's agricultural products in Mondstadt. If word got out about what happened tonight, it would become the best advertisement for promoting Earth's food and crops in Mondstadt in the future, so he agreed.

"Alright, I'll show you a few skills then."

Amid cheers from the crowd, Ivan borrowed a cooking station and had Xiang Feng run errands to fetch ingredients from Blue Star. Now it was time to show off his skills.

Over the next half hour, Ivan fully demonstrated his superb culinary skills, from his knife work and meticulous use of ingredients to his incredibly skillful tossing of the wok to ensure even heating, leaving everyone dazzled and speechless.

Half an hour later, Ivan brought out a dish of cucumber salad and a dish of fried rice with eggs.

Egg fried rice goes without saying; it's the dish that best tests a chef's basic skills, and it also provides an opportunity for the residents of Clear Spring Town to taste the differences between Blue Star rice and Teyvat rice.

The "蓑衣黄瓜" (蓑衣黄瓜, literally "straw raincoat cucumber") perfectly showcased Ivan's knife skills. The essence of "蓑衣黄瓜" is to cut the cucumber into interconnected spirals, making each slice as thin as possible while ensuring it doesn't break. If time allowed, Ivan would even have liked to perform a "文思豆腐" (Wensi Tofu) demonstration, cutting tofu into hair-thin strands.

Ivan brought out the two dishes and warmly invited everyone present to taste them.

After witnessing Ivan's culinary skills, the audience couldn't wait any longer and rushed forward to taste the food one by one. After just one bite, everyone showed an expression of shock. If there weren't so many people and so little food, many people would have wanted to just pick up the plate and stuff it into their mouths.

"My God, is this fried rice? It tastes so good!"

"The rice in this fried rice is so similar to the real thing, it's more fragrant than any rice I've ever eaten, and the grains are three or four times bigger than the rice we grow ourselves. Is this the same kind of rice grown in the experimental fields on the hill behind our house?"

"Yes, this is the kind of rice. It smells so good. I hope that this kind of Chinese rice can be mass-produced in Mondstadt in the future."

"And this dish. What kind of vegetable is this? I've never seen it before. It tastes really refreshing and delicious."

"I heard from that old gentleman from China that this is called cucumber, and it is also grown in our experimental field behind the hill."

"Mr. Ivan's knife skills are amazing no matter how many times I see them. I couldn't see them clearly from a distance just now, but now that I'm closer, I can see that the cucumber is only about the thickness of a Mora coin. It's incredible."

Judging from the results, this promotion should be considered a success.

The residents of Qingquan Town were praising it, while the people on the Huaxia side were somewhat incredulous.

Looking at Ivan, his expression was as if he were seeing him in a completely new light.

Ding Rong said, "Commander Yi, I didn't know you were such a good cook! You've been keeping it a secret."

Old Zhuo stroked his beard and laughed, "Commander Yi, I've never seen your skill so many times in my life. It's amazing."

Chen Yan teased, "Commander Yi, from now on, we'll be relying on you for every meal."

Ivan touched his nose and said helplessly, "You guys are giving me too much credit."

Just as everyone was chattering away, a voice that sounded both quirky and playful suddenly rang out behind Ivan.

"Is this Mr. Ivan?"

"Yes, I am."

Ivan agreed and turned around, but then froze.

This is a dark blue-haired girl wearing a tight-fitting top and shorts, cloud-patterned boots, and two braids coiled into two circles on her head.

This girl, Ivan, is probably all too familiar with.

This person is none other than Xiangling, the head chef of Liyue Manmin Restaurant and a vibrant young woman who loves to find new ingredients.

Ivan was quite surprised to see Xiangling.

"What do you need me for?"

Xiangling blinked her big, bright eyes, her expression excited.

"Mr. Ivan, Master Ivan, would you accept me as your apprentice?"

Chapter 34 Excited Xiangling

"Mr. Ivan, please, take me as your apprentice."

Seeing Xiangling's eyes sparkling, Ivan was momentarily at a loss and could only ask, "Why do you want to become my disciple?"

"Of course I want to learn cooking from you!" Xiangling said excitedly. "I saw you cooking at the counter just now, and it was amazing! Especially your knife skills, they were simply divine. I also tasted your cooking. Although it was just a simple fried rice, it was incredibly delicious. And that cucumber salad, the ingredients I've never seen before, but that vegetable called cucumber was so appetizing... Please teach me! Please take me as your apprentice!"

"this......"

Just as Ivan was still hesitating, Elder Zhuo spoke up and asked, "Young lady, judging from your attire, you're not from Mondstadt, are you?"

Xiangling nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Yes, I'm from Liyue. I'm the head chef of Liyue Wanmin Restaurant. I originally went out to find ingredients, but I never expected to have the honor of meeting a culinary master like Mr. Ivan here. I'm so lucky."

"I see... Young lady, how is the reputation of your Wanmintang in Liyue? Do you have many customers?"

Upon mentioning Wanmintang, Xiangling immediately puffed out her chest, her tone filled with pride: "Wanmintang has an excellent reputation in Liyue. It's the most popular restaurant in Liyue, and our prices are affordable, which is why everyone loves it. We have so many customers every day that we can't even count them all. I'm also the head chef."

Zhuo Jingming nodded, then pulled Ivan aside and said, "Commander Ivan, I think you can take this apprentice on."

Ivan raised an eyebrow: "What are your thoughts, Elder Zhuo?"

"Didn't you hear what this girl just said? Her family's Wanmintang is the most popular restaurant in Liyue, and she's the head chef there. She came to Mondstadt this time to find new ingredients. If you can take her on as an apprentice and teach her cooking skills, especially some of our Blue Star's specialty dishes, when the girl returns to Liyue and promotes these dishes at Wanmintang, that will be the best advertisement. Our Blue Star agricultural products can also quickly expand into the Liyue market."

After listening to Zhuo Jingming's opinion, Ivan couldn't help but give him a thumbs up: "Old Zhuo is amazing. I didn't expect you to have already thought of opening up the Liyue market."

"In that case, I will accept this disciple as my apprentice."

Ivan agreed with Zhuo Jingming's idea; having Xiangling promote Blue Star cuisine ingredients in Liyue was indeed a good choice.

Returning to Xiangling, Ivan said, "Alright, I promise you, I'll take you as my disciple."

Xiangling was stunned for a moment, then asked with delight, "Really? You really want to take me as your apprentice?"

"of course."

"Yay! That's great! Master, please accept my bow."

After speaking, Xiangling bowed to Ivan, and Ivan accepted the bow.

From then on, Ivan and Xiangling officially established a master-disciple relationship.

"What's your name?"

Although Ivan already knew Xiangling's name, he still had to ask her since this was their first meeting.

"My name is Xiangling."

"Master, Master, when do we start learning?"

Ivan smiled helplessly and looked at the extremely excited Xiangling, saying, "So eager?"

Xiangling nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, I get so excited when I see new ingredients! I just heard the host say that Master is from China, right? I've never been to China before. There must be a lot of ingredients there that I've never seen before. Master, could you show them to me?"

"Okay, come with me."

Ivan led Xiangling to the logistics warehouse set up by the Chinese delegation in Qingquan Town, and then took Xiangling to the food supply area, where he displayed all the ingredients he had brought from China in front of her.

Spinach, chives, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, wood ear mushrooms, water spinach, green beans, soybeans, enoki mushrooms... bananas, pears, cantaloupe, watermelon, coconuts, dragon fruit... rice, millet, buckwheat, corn, wheat... beef, pork, lamb... shrimp, crab, squid, sea fish, kelp strips...