A cook, vice-captain of the Rocks Pirates?

One sentence was like pouring a ladle of cold water into boiling oil; the entire restaurant instantly erupted in chaos.

"What did you say?!"

Chef Baccarat's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, his arrogant expression cracking like shattered porcelain.

He stared intently at Lox, his eyes blazing with a murderous rage.

On this glorious island, he was the emperor of the culinary world and a favorite of the Celestial Dragons. He had never suffered such a humiliating disgrace!

To be publicly told that your cooking is worse than pig feed?

"Insolence! Who are you people? How dare you insult Lord Bakara!"

"You ignorant country bumpkin! Kneel down and apologize to Lord Bakara!"

The surrounding noble diners also began to clamor, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to demonstrate their loyalty to the head chef.

The restaurant's guards drew their swords and surrounded Lockes and his group, creating a tense atmosphere.

Gatz grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and clenched his huge fist so hard it cracked.

Dorum and Silver also stood up silently, their eyes turning cold.

A chaotic battle seems imminent.

"and many more."

A clear, youthful voice broke the noise.

Raine stood up from his seat, walked to the table, looked at the few fancy dishes, then looked up and calmly stared at the furious Baccarat.

"He's right."

Ryan's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Using gold leaf to cover up the aging of snail meat, using the glitter of diamonds to distract people from the fishy smell of caviar, and using pigments and lighting to create a fake soup color..."

"You're not cooking, you're deceiving diners' palates, and it's a desecration of the ingredients themselves."

Every word Ryan uttered was like a precise scalpel, dissecting Baccarat's glamorous facade and revealing the sordid truth behind his culinary skills.

Bakara's body trembled violently, half from anger and half from shock.

He couldn't believe that this child, who looked only seven or eight years old, could see through all his proud skills and secrets at a glance.

"You...you are talking nonsense!"

Bakara roared, his bravado masking his fear: "You little brat who hasn't even grown a beard yet, what do you know about fine cuisine!"

"Fine cuisine is about letting the ingredients shine on their own, rather than gilding them with gold and diamonds."

Ryan's tone remained calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"Since you're not satisfied, then we'll settle this like a chef."

He held up his little finger and pointed at Baccarat.

"I challenge you to a food battle."

Food Wars!

The moment the word was uttered, the entire restaurant fell into a deathly silence once again.

Everyone was looking at Renn as if he were crazy.

An unknown child dares to challenge the Celestial Dragons' personal chef, the Golden Chef Baccarat?

This is the biggest joke in the world!

Bakara was taken aback for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter: "Hahahaha! A food battle? You? Fine! Fine! I accept your challenge! You asked for it!"

Just when I was wondering how to find a reason to thoroughly humiliate these arrogant fools, they actually offered themselves up to me.

Bakara is going to crush this brat's dignity in front of all the nobles on the island!

"Since it's a food battle, there must be a wager."

Lox spoke up leisurely from the side, a smile of anticipation on his face.

“If we win, my head chef will be the chef for tomorrow’s feast.”

"What if you lose?"

Bakara asked menacingly.

"we lose……"

Lox's smile turned dangerous: "You can have all our heads at your disposal."

Chapter 22 Theme: Light

This bet is no small one.

"Okay! It's a deal!"

Fearing the other party might change their mind, Bakara immediately agreed.

"The time is tomorrow at noon! The location is the square of Saint Carlos's villa! I want the whole island to witness how you lose like a dog!"

With that, Baccarat turned and left. He was going to arrange this public execution immediately, and he wanted to make this food battle another peak in his reputation.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Isle of Glory.

The gimmick of the Celestial Dragons' personal chef facing off against a mysterious junior chef instantly ignited the gossip-loving spirit of all the upper class.

In their view, this was not a duel at all, but an entertaining performance, a drama about arrogance and destruction.

The next day at noon, the courtyard square of St. Carlos, located on the hilltop, was already packed with people.

Two extremely luxurious cooking stations were set up in the center of the square, one made of pure gold and the other of silver.

Saint Garuma, the Celestial Dragon, wearing his signature bubble hood, sat on a high, jewel-encrusted throne, looking down with a bored expression.

Beside him stood rows of indifferent-looking bodyguards in black, as well as the king and ministers of the Kingdom of Glory.

Baccarat, dressed in his most magnificent chef's uniform, ascended the golden cooking station amidst cheers, like an emperor about to ascend the throne, enjoying the spotlight.

As for Raine, he was simply wearing a clean and plain short jacket and silently walked up to the relatively unassuming silver kitchen counter.

Behind him stood four men: Lox, Gatz, Silver, and Dorum, who seemed out of place in their surroundings, like a group of barbarians who had broken into a palace.

"Hahaha! What a spectacle! Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a public execution!"

Gatz, carrying the anchor, laughed nonchalantly.

"Quiet down, don't disturb the head chef."

Silver reminded him in a low voice.

The theme of the Food Wars was soon announced, arbitrarily chosen by Saint Carlos – Light.

This is an extremely abstract and tricky topic.

Upon hearing the topic, Bakara's face lit up with a confident smile.

This is precisely his area of ​​expertise!

Bakara clapped his hands, and his assistants immediately carried in a huge crystal tank containing a strange deep-sea fish that glowed with fluorescence—the iridescent eel.

Next came glowing mushrooms, spices that could create star trails in the dark, and a whole box of gold leaf and diamond powder.

What he wanted to create was a dish that was dazzling in both its ingredients and its presentation.

On the other hand, on Renn's side, there were only a few very ordinary things on his kitchen counter.

A bag of flour, a few eggs, some milk, and a basket of the most common red berries that can be found anywhere on the island.

Upon seeing this, the audience burst into laughter.

"He wants to use these things to create light? Is he trying to make a leavened pancake?"

"It seems he has given up. How pathetic."

Baccarat gave a disdainful snort, not even bothering to look at Renn again, and began his flamboyant performance.

The jewel-encrusted knife was used to process the luminous eel, each cut eliciting a gasp of surprise.

Injecting the luminescent mushroom juice into the fish makes the whole fish even more dazzling.

Baccarat's movements are highly performative, flamboyant, and vain.

Ryan simply mixed the flour, eggs, and milk together quietly, kneading the dough.

The movements were not fast, but each one was full of rhythm, as if it were not kneading dough, but communicating with life in one's hands.

Renn divided the kneaded dough into several portions and let them ferment.

Then, Ryan began to process the red berries, crushing them and filtering the pure red juice through fine gauze.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Baccarat's dish was the first to be completed.

That was a dish called Deep Sea Stars.

The glowing eel was grilled to perfection and placed on a black plate. Its body emitted a faint blue glow, and it was adorned with luminous mushroom sauce and diamond powder, like a galaxy in the deep night sky, beautiful and breathtaking.

When the dishes were served, the entire room erupted in thunderous applause.

Saint Carlos also showed a rare expression of interest.

At that moment, Ryan had just put his fermented dough into the frying pan.

Shila-

The bland sound contrasted sharply with the dazzling sound and light effects on the other end of the Baccarat.

Soon, Ryan's meal was ready.

It was just a few ordinary pancakes baked to a golden brown, served with a small dish of red berry sauce on the side.

It is simple, plain, and even a little shabby.

Compared to the deep-sea stars of Bakala, it's like comparing a firefly to the moon.

The laughter grew louder.

"It's over, no doubt about it."

"This is what happens when you're arrogant."

Bakara's smile was one of extreme smugness.

However, the moment Ryan poured the dish of red berry sauce over the steaming muffins...

A change occurred.

The warm muffin seemed to possess a certain magic; the moment it came into contact with the seemingly ordinary berry sauce, an indescribable, warm, and gentle aroma burst forth!

It wasn't the aroma of food; it was a scent... like the first rays of dawn breaking through the clouds and falling on the earth. Warm, pure, and full of hope.

The fragrance was like an invisible hand, instantly soothing the restlessness, arrogance, and vanity in everyone present.

The boisterous laughter abruptly ceased, and everyone froze, greedily inhaling the soul-purifying scent in the air.

Saint Carlos's body jolted violently as he stared intently through his bubble hood at the unremarkable plate of muffins.

"This...this is..."

Raine picked up his dish and calmly said, "My dish is called Dawn."

Instead of presenting the dish to the judges, he walked to a little girl begging at the edge of the square and handed her the plate.

"Eat."

The little girl timidly took the plate, picked up a warm pancake, and took a small bite.

The moment the pancake touched her tongue, a light suddenly shone in the little girl's cloudy eyes.

That wasn't an illusion; it was real light!

Two streams of hot tears slid down her cheeks. She seemed to see her long-dead mother smiling at her in the wheat field under the sunlight.

That exquisite taste and warmth awakened the most longed-for and brightest memories deep within her heart.

"Mother……"