Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 235 - 234: Jade Ruyi (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 235: Chapter 234: Jade Ruyi (Please Subscribe)

It was half-past ten in the night.

In the courtyard of the shrine, shadows of trees swayed, and one lantern after another lit up, illuminating the front and back of the house brightly; nobody would have guessed that there had been a marvelous gathering here earlier.

When Xia Yu, Takai Masashi, and Hase Ichiro returned to Chiyoda Shrine, each had received a gift box personally given by the Chiyoda Witch.

"You all passed."

The Chiyoda Witch said so, casting a meaningful glance at the youngest among them, Xia Yu, before turning around and leaving.

"Passed!"

Xia Yu, exhausted, collapsed onto a stone bench, his whole body nearly going limp.

Dojima Yin had already sent Tanaka Hikari and Sen Tian Makoto back to the hotel, and he would be returning them to the campus in Tokyo early the next morning. Today’s celebration at Chiyoda Shrine had also made several young chefs with extraordinary talents realize that beyond Far Moon, there lay a broader food world.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations to you too!"

Takai Masashi and Hase Ichiro congratulated each other, and then, almost simultaneously, they approached Xia Yu and extended their hands in friendship.

Xia Yu was taken aback but shook hands with each of them.

It was a gesture of equals, the significance of which was clear without words.

"If Chef Xia is free, you are welcome to visit my ’Hasegawa Workshop’," laughed Hase Ichiro, his demeanor as serene as that of a monk.

But Takai Masashi was different, a formidable businessman with great influence, controlling a vast food conglomerate, he looked at Xia Yu with undisguised admiration and eagerness in his eyes, and said, "Chef Xia, would you be interested in joining us at Takai Group? I can offer you the position of deputy chef, with a salary as you demand, and you will also receive a certain amount of shares in Takai Group..."

In the Neon Food World, ’Takai Group’ was no small entity; now that Takai Masashi had passed the Chiyoda evaluation, he could return to Tokyo and formally apply for a special examination with the IGO organization.

Once Takai Masashi became a special-grade chef, ’Takai Group’ would genuinely be qualified to challenge the ’Four Noble Families’.

Currently, under ’Four Noble Families’, ’Takai Group’ was the most robust.

But Xia Yu just shook his head.

"Mr. Takai, thank you for your esteemed offer," Xia Yu politely declined, "I’m still a high school student and it’s not convenient for me to take such a senior position in your company. Besides, I have my small shop to look after."

"You can contact me anytime!"

"My IGO Online ID is..."

Takai Masashi and Xia Yu exchanged their IGO online friend information.

"Add me too!"

Hase Ichiro joined in.

Consequently, Xia Yu’s IGO friends list gained two certified chef friends.

Under their names and profile pictures were nine shining stars.

And for Xia Yu himself, there was only two stars.

"Two-star chef?" exclaimed Takai Masashi in surprise, refreshing his phone several times, but Xia Yu’s profile remained the same, leaving him to cast a puzzled look at the silent Liangzi Lina standing nearby.

"This... this..."

He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

"Two-star chef?" Hase Ichiro also could not hide his astonishment.

Seeing their reactions, Xia Yu hurried off, otherwise, he would have had to give a lengthy explanation. Anyway, since he had passed the Chiyoda Shrine evaluation, other people’s opinions didn’t matter; he was now truly a ’prospective’ special-grade chef!

He returned to the house up in the mountains.

As soon as he pushed the door open, he spotted Hua Mao lying by the window, its big eyes staring fixedly at him.

This little creature had come with him and had been surprisingly well-behaved over the past few days, not running around or causing trouble; while Xia Yu practiced his cooking, it quietly lay beside him, watching.

Bang!

He placed the gift box on the table, with his chin supported by his hands.

Liangzi Lina followed him inside. Xia Yu looked up at her and asked, "The box should contain a clue to a ’Fantasy Ingredient’, right?"

"See for yourself," Liangzi Lina said softly.

Upon hearing this, he didn’t hesitate, unlocked the clasp, and lifted the lid of the quaint box.

A hand-drawn map.

A jade Ruyi shaped like a dragon.

With his forehead crinkled in confusion, he thought, What is all this?

Xia Yu first unfolded the hand-drawn map, which was painted with a brush, the ink on the paper barely dry.

Islands and hills, that was what the map intended to depict.

"Hokkaido?"

With astonishment in his heart, Xia Yu pointed to a spot on the map marked in red ink, likely in the northeastern area of Hokkaido.

"Asahikawa City, Chuyun Shrine..."

He muttered the marked Chinese characters under his breath.

Vaguely, it felt familiar. Could it be that very shrine?

Liangzi Lina glanced over and said, "This Chuyun is not that Chuyun."

"Are we really going to find Fantasy Ingredients with just this simple map?" Xia Yu felt it was utterly unreliable.

"If precise locations were available, what would we need ’Gourmet Hunters’ for?" Liangzi Lina said calmly, "The map is just a guide. Think of the Fantasy Ingredients as treasure—this map is a treasure map, and ’Gourmet Hunters’ are in some ways also like Bounty Hunters."

"Is that so..."

Xia Yu found it quite problematic.

Following the map could mean a quest that, even with good fortune, would take at least a month. Being a student and having to look after a small shop, he couldn’t just pack a few clothes in a backpack and set off on a long journey.

"You could also delegate." Liangzi Lina suggested, "I can help you contact reliable mercenaries."

"Let’s see."

Xia Yu folded the map and then picked up the Jade Ruyi from the box.

The Jade Ruyi, about a foot long, was quite heavy. Xia Yu grasped it with one hand while his other hand felt its surface, as smooth and fine as silk brocade, and moreover, a cool sensation flowed through his fingertips, as if spreading from his arm throughout his body.

At the top of the jade handle was a flying dragon, lifelike in its detail.

Liangzi Lina took the initiative to explain, "This is a blessing given to chefs by the shrine..."

"So, it’s like an amulet of sorts?"

Xia Yu wondered, "Then why is it a Jade Ruyi? Miss Liangzi, what does your amulet look like?"

At this, Liangzi Lina hesitated slightly, then unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, revealing a large expanse of pale skin, and slowly pulled out a crescent-shaped pendant secured by a thin red cord.

Also made of jade.

But the Jade Ruyi in Xia Yu’s hand was frightfully heavy.

"Keep it safe!"

Liangzi Lina advised gravely, "It’s also a ’quasi’ proof of a two-star chef’s identity, an identity token. If you ever come across a real Dark World chef, you’ll understand the significance of this talisman."

Xia Yu nodded.

There were things better left unsaid.

He knew this world harbored some foul entities, though some chefs might never encounter such beings their entire lives. However, as a chef’s level increased, he might well have to interact often with those beings in the future.

As Xia Yu examined the Jade Ruyi, he didn’t notice that Hua Mao had already escaped to a corner of the room, its fur bristling, the small body arched high, its amber eyes warily watching the Jade Ruyi.

The night passed without event.

The next day.

Xia Yu sat in Liangzi Lina’s sports car, the shrine’s gift box laid flat on his lap, and Hua Mao crouched by the car door, refusing to come near him.

"System, establish an analytical task for the ’Jade Ruyi’..." he thought to himself.

"Task creation successful, estimated analysis duration 365 days 22 hours..."

The system responded mechanically.