Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 282 - 281: Mars’s Scheme

Chapter 282: Chapter 281: Mars’s Scheme

"You’re incredible!"

Mars made no attempt to hide his admiration.

Though it was somewhat inappropriate to lavish such praise on an enemy, this was indeed Mars’s most genuine feeling after tasting Xia Yu’s cooking. Incredible was simply incredible, admitting no falsehood.

A single recipe, turning out seven completely different dishes.

If one were compelled to describe it, it was like a plant sprouting seven distinct types of flowers.

Not only did they look different, but their inner meanings were entirely unique.

For instance, in the first spoonful of the seafood rice, Mars tasted the experiences and vicissitudes of a wandering minstrel, a sense of contentment borne from witnessing the customs and culture of various lands. This kind of application of ’culinary heart’ was akin to traveling.

The second spoonful transformed him into a pilgrim, an ascetic.

Striding alone through a desert, facing sandstorms with nothing but faith in his heart.

Was this the ’faith’ in culinary heart?

The third and fourth spoonfuls were of Flame Monks and devout followers, with an even stronger worship of flames. What Mars tasted was a potent mark of flame, each mark representing a world.

The fifth spoonful, the ruling Red Dragon, what Mars tasted was not the Red Dragon Tyrant’s malevolence and rage, but the ’freedom’ to roam the earth and skies at will!

The sixth spoonful was the naked power of the Pope!

In this world, perhaps nothing was more alluring than power. Mars was instantly captivated, chewing his food as if he were the Pope himself, seated high in the utmost palace, able to smite a kingdom with a mere gesture of his hand commanding the Flame Holy Temple Knights.

The seventh spoonful!

Revisiting that vast, boundless divine authority, Mars’s heart trembled as he also fell deeply in love with it. After swallowing the eight spoonful, he could no longer taste any anger in the culinary world.

Divine authority ended too soon, yet he felt as if he had witnessed the birth of a Flame Main God.

Greed, anger, peace...

In just a few short minutes, his emotions roller-coastered through highs and lows. Mars touched his own stomach, stupefied, and then looked down at the seven pouches of seafood rice on the table.

The rice was still hot, steaming gently, the entire house still steeped in its rich aroma.

But at this moment, Mars found he had lost all desire to eat!

The desire known as ’appetite’ seemed to be sealed away!

His non-human stomach had also fallen into hibernation!

"Terrifying..."

Realizing the abnormalities in both his spirit and body, Mars’s eyes were deeply etched with fright.

Then, he stared at Xia Yu and said in a low voice, "I understand now!"

"What do you understand?"

Xia Yu sat opposite him, smiling.

Mars didn’t immediately reply but offered a meaningful glance towards Liangzi Lina, who stood by Xia Yu like a female guard.

"Miss Liangzi, if I remember correctly, your IGO Neon Department should be quite keen on utterly eliminating this so-called ’Taboo Cuisine’, shouldn’t you?" Mars said teasingly.

Unexpectedly, Liangzi Lina just glanced at him lightly, with a faint smirk of derision on her lips.

"Mars, are you trying to sow discord, or maybe you’re attempting to drive a wedge here?"

Liangzi Lina’s calm reaction was beyond Mars’s expectation.

Turning his thoughts around, Mars looked back at Xia Yu and inquired, "Chef Xia, you should know what ’Taboo Cuisine’ is, right?"

"Of course!"

Xia Yu shrugged: "According to the ’Eight Culinary Laws,’ any cooking that includes Forbidden Ingredients not approved by IGO is considered Taboo Cuisine."

Mars waved his hand: "That’s just the IGO’s definition of Taboo Cuisine."

"Actually, there is another kind of forbidden and dark cuisine that once struck terror in the Neon Food World," Mars continued, heedless of Liangzi Lina’s presence as a local of Neon, as he ripped off the bandage, "You’re in high school, so you should be aware of the post-war period decades ago when Neon was in its reconstruction phase."

"Neon’s society was recovering, but back then, the Neon Food World was regressing, to call it fragmented and broken would be an understatement," Mars said with a faint sneer.

He glanced at Liangzi Lina.

Xia Yu also noticed that Liangzi Lina’s complexion seemed off.

"Just a Dark Chef, yes, just one—the chef who came from the East Crossing to Neon brought not an innovation of cuisine but a catastrophic disaster!"

"One month!" Mars held up a finger, "It only took one month for that chef to defeat all the renowned chefs native to Neon. If it had been just defeat, that would have been one thing, but those who lost, after tasting the Demon King’s cooking, never dared to pick up a kitchen knife again. The Neon Food World nearly lost its heritage because of that."

"Otherwise, by now, Neon should have had a Heavenly King-level figure in its food world."

As Mars spoke, he did so with a tone that relished in the misfortune of others.

"At present, within the world, there are four known Heavenly Kings of the gastronomic realm—the Chinese Continent has one, the United States has one, Europe has one, and Southeast Asia has one."

"It’s a pity that Neon is always just a breath away," continued Mars, "like the former head of the IGO Neon Department, the retired abbot of the Shi Lin Temple, and the current figurehead of Neon’s gourmet world, the ’Food Demon King’ Tiqie Xianzuowen..."

He took a deep breath.

"Principal Mars, why are you telling me this?" asked Xia Yu.

After a pause, Mars pointed to the woman beside him and said, "Hey, I just wanted to let you know how much Neon’s native chefs despise Dark Chefs, despise dark cuisine! After all, that revolutionary disaster nearly upended the fortunes of Neon’s culinary world. Otherwise, the global culinary scene would be quite different today!"

"But we of the ’Gourmet Council’ are different!"

Mars stared intently at him and said in a grave voice, "The principle of the Gourmet Council is ’freedom’! Shokugeki is freedom, cooking is freedom, there are no ludicrous taboos—all ingredients are at my disposal!"

"And furthermore..." Mars’s eyes revealed a hint of frenzy, "do you want to ’evolve’ within your cooking?"

"Evolve?"

"Yes!"

Xia Yu smirked inwardly, it seemed that Mars was convinced that his cooking was related to the so-called ’dark cuisine’.

It’s all about sowing discord, after all!

Machiavellian!

Seeing his silence, Mars fished out a card from his suit pocket.

"This is my business card."

Mars placed the card on the coffee table and slid it toward Xia Yu, saying, "Feel free to contact me anytime. The ’Gourmet Council’ needs fresh blood like yours!"

Xia Yu’s brows twitched slightly; such direct recruitment, was that really okay?

Regardless of Xia Yu’s response, Mars picked up the previously abandoned porcelain spoon, with a changed mood, and began to enjoy the seafood rice on the table.

Without any excess food fantasy, he could look for the details that are easily overlooked in dishes.

"So that’s it, 10 grams more artichoke, and the taste is completely different!"

"Hmm? What about this one!"

Mars mumbled to himself.

Seeing this, Xia Yu gestured to Liangzi Lina, and the two quietly left the private room.

Ichise Hui, Kobayakawa Ryodan, and Tiqie Helinai crowded around.

"How did it go?"

Tiqie Helinai’s voice trembled as she asked.

Kobayakawa Ryodan, the red-haired third-year student, seemed almost girlish, her hands clasped tightly, looking on with an anxious gaze.

"How did it go? Of course, I took care of it!" Xia Yu said with a chuckle.

"But, he only had seven bites, right?" Tiqie Helinai found it hard to believe.

This was the question on everyone’s minds.

Including Liangzi Lina, they were all a bit confused. Except for the chefs and guests, no one knew the real answer, so they needed an explanation.

Xia Yu pointed to the ’Divine Tongue’s’ head.

"Do you think ’appetite’ is more a matter of the spirit, or the body?"

Eriina froze.