Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 294 - 293: Draw a Circle!

Chapter 294: Chapter 293: Draw a Circle!

"This..."

Everyone was stunned.

Even the well-traveled Dojima Yin and Liangzi Lina had never seen a pastry chef who only used a rod to knead dough.

How do you knead the dough without using hands?

No one answered them, the kitchen was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Qiushan Hong and Tiqie Xianzuowen both furrowed their brows—not displaying the confusion typical of top chefs, seeming to faintly grasp something.

In fact, when it comes to pastry skills, one must mention the Chinese Continent, with its long heritage of craftsmanship.

The culinary art Xia Yu is practicing now, "White Luo Snake Refining," is actually the ultimate secret passed down through generations by the White Luo Family, a lineage of pastry chefs serving Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms Period.

About 1800 years have passed since the Three Kingdoms Period, and the Bai Luo Family’s secret techniques have been handed down from generation to generation. The last legendary pastry chef was the renowned Luo Gen of the Chinese Continent, famed a hundred years ago.

At that time, Luo Gen was over a hundred years old, yet on a decked vessel, he fought to a draw with the prime of his life Steel Rod Jie Qi, showcasing his fearsome pastry skills. The Luo Gen at the peak of his powers, full of vigor and vitality, would have been even more formidable—after all, as one ages, physical functions inevitably decline, and cooking is incredibly physically demanding. Back then, Luo Gen was able to present the Bai Luo Family’s ultimate secret, a legendary recipe passed down for over a thousand years—the "Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns"—worthy of astonishing and shocking acclaim.

When he acquired over 50,000 Fame Points this morning, Xia Yu had already set his sights on the ancient recipe "Four Gods Seafood Eight Treasure Buns," but the system made it clear that it was a recipe of glistening gold quality, not obtainable through purchase but rather through quests or other special means.

Xia Yu got it then!

Damn, no matter how many Fame Points you had, you couldn’t buy a glistening gold recipe. So, he simply emptied his cart and, without hesitation, bought the blue-quality Skill Book of "White Luo Snake Refining," starting with blue quality just like "Bursting Flame" and "Aromatic Spice Equations."

Of course, the thick, long black rod he now held in his hand was also a purchase he’d bitten the bullet for, and it wasn’t cheap.

For a pastry chef, the pastry rod is as crucial as the knife is for a Red Case Chef.

Xia Yu knew the importance of tools; thus, he was willing to invest a substantial sum.

"Soul Suppressing Stick (Purple): An essential tool for traditional pastry chefs, made of composite metal materials, its qualities comparable in brilliance to the iron cooking utensils of ’Steel Rod Jie Qi,’ significantly enhancing the pastry chef’s skill."

"Effect: When using this utensil to handle dough, kneading efficiency is increased by 50%."

This rod was worth 15,000 Fame Points.

Adding to that, using up the remaining 10 Talent Points he had on hand, he maxed out "White Luo Snake Refining" in one breath, and Xia Yu gained enough confidence to make pastries in the real world according to the Purple Recipe!

"Whew, whew, whew..."

The wind was growing stronger.

The airflow was disturbed, the excess flour on the kitchen counter stirred by the air actually formed a faint white tornado.

"Round!"

Tiqie Xianzuowen suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"He’s drawing a circle!" The General of Far Moon reflected a blur in his pupils, barely making out the fair wrist amidst the black afterimages.

"It should be called... circular motion!"

Qiushan Hong’s initial nonchalance and smile had disappeared; his face was blank as he stared fixatedly at Xia Yu’s hand wielding the rod, and it took a long moment before he deeply inhaled and said, "I once heard a pastry master colleague say at the IGO headquarters, in that mysterious land, countless pastry chefs through the ages have been in pursuit of the essence of the way of pastries..."

Speaking the word "essence," he paused, frowning as he earnestly reminisced and searched for the right words.

"Look—"

Seeing Dojima Yin, the General of Far Moon, along with Ichise Hui and Eriina, gazing in anticipation, Qiushan Hong pointed towards the youth in front of the counter and said, "Pay attention to his fingers, wrists, and arms!"

"Circular motion!"

"The absolute circle!"

Seeing the three interns looking utterly bewildered, even special chefs like Dojima Yin were confused, Qiushan Hong could only helplessly make things clear and said,

"In other words, the ultimate technique in making desserts lies in—drawing circles!" Qiushan Hong repeated the words of their colleague, the master pastry chef from headquarters, himself also skeptical, and slowly added,

"A pastry chef’s ability to draw circles, how big and deep, indicates the level of their skill."

As he finished speaking, something began to happen at the cooking counter.

Swoosh!

The stick spun even more furiously, and its afterimages formed a black wall, impenetrable to even water, while the fully mixed flour and water began to wrap around the afterimages of the spinning stick, layer by layer, turning and twisting.

This scene resembled a white snake as thick as the mouth of a bowl, coiling and climbing along the black stick!

It seemed as if the wind was the hissing of the white snake, a long, sibilant sound!

"The dough, the dough seems alive!"

Ichise Hui was stunned, Kobayakawa Ryodan clasped her hands over her mouth, tightly holding it shut to keep herself from exclaiming in shock. Her golden eyes were fixated on the calm young chef twirling the stick, controlling the white snake!

Eventually, the circles drawn by the black stick began to expand, and the white snake’s body grew longer and more imposing, even about to entangle Xia Yu within it!

The white snake and the boy!

It was so visually striking!

"So that’s how it is..."

"So that’s how it is!"

Two voices spoke almost simultaneously.

Qiushan Hong and Tiqie Xianzuowen had both seen the trick, exchanging glances.

"He’s using the rotational force to constantly stretch and elongate the dough!" Qiushan Hong said, astonished, "This way, making the dough smooth and endlessly twirling in circles, kneading on and on... It’s really remarkable!"

"The spiral that resides in all things!" exclaimed Tiqie Xianzuowen, "Drawing circles, spirals... Is this his kneading technique? Incredible, this is definitely an ancient method! I can feel its antiquity!"

As he spoke, Tiqie Xianzuowen’s expression shifted.

He suddenly remembered Xia Yu’s background and his old friend who had gone back to the Chinese Continent.

It looked like he would have to call his old friend tonight and consult with him about this matter. His friend was an expert in this area, knowing many ancient secrets.

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the kitchen.

The stick halted abruptly, and the rotating dough wound itself circle by circle on the counter, Xia Yu expressionlessly watched the dough that was just beginning to form on the counter and slowly raised his right arm.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each strike was powerful and forceful, under the blows of the stick, the dough finally took shape and even reflected a dazzling light!

"So smooth!"

Liangzi Lina couldn’t help but exclaim, her eyes shining with wonder.

The dough on the counter had a surface like the finest white silk brocade, delicate and glossy, and its smoothness was apparent from the reflection, so beautiful!

Xia Yu’s expression, however, did not ease even a bit, as he turned to fetch a sheet of plastic wrap, tightly enveloping the dough, isolating it from the air.

This was a necessary step called "dough resting," which would take about 10 minutes.