Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 451 - 450: A Wrong Move in Chess

Chapter 451: Chapter 450: A Wrong Move in Chess

"Wait, did you forget about me?"

Xia Yu spoke up.

Only then did the group of tycoons at the board meeting notice the young instructor who had been forgotten in the corner.

"Shut up!"

Mr. Kikuchi, without turning back, said caustically, "It’s time for the resolution, you are not a member of the board of directors, you only have the right to listen! Once the board’s decision is made, all you need to do is execute!"

The old man repeatedly provoked, and even Xia Yu, who was usually good-tempered, found his anger kindled.

After all, this was ultimately his own oversight.

It was only September now, and about a month and a half ago, Xia Yu had fortuitously found the most suitable land for cultivating the "Rainbow Tree" at Far Moon, considering the return of Ghost Father and the turbulence at Far Moon.

But according to the original plot line, Ghost Father’s return was not due until the end of November to early December.

There were plots like "Autumn Selection," "Field Study," and "Red Leaves Hunting" in between, so Xia Yu had planned to complete his arrangements before the return of Ghost Father.

Yet by mid-September, the conflicts within the Far Moon Board of Directors had erupted, which was too soon. This morning, he had rushed to the board meeting after being notified, feeling utterly unprepared.

Two hours of bickering was enough!

There would be no results if the squabbling continued.

Led by Mr. Kikuchi, the antagonistic tycoons stubbornly clung to the estate’s ownership.

They were targeting the Tiqie lineage as well as him, Xia Yu.

"Trying to find a breakthrough from me?"

Even a clay figure would get angry, let alone Xia Yu. He was enraged.

"Shut up yourself!"

Xia Yu coldly retorted and strode to the center of the large room, which was decorated in a Japanese style. The floor was covered with tatami mats that emitted a faint scent of straw. There were low wooden tables on both sides, and Tiqie Xianzuowen occupied the seat of honor with a screen behind him. The walls were adorned with calligraphy; a pair of scrolls bearing the characters "Calm" and "Endurance" hung like a couplet, truly ironic.

"You..."

Mr. Kikuchi was stunned, not expecting Xia Yu to counterattack so sharply, immediately talking back.

Furious!

He was a tycoon in his sixties who had seen countless apprentices and mentors and had never encountered a junior who dared to talk back in his presence.

Such disrespect was simply intolerable in Neon where the hierarchy was rigid.

"What do you mean ’you’!"

Xia Yu was no longer polite, since there was no holding back after breaking the facade. Controlling his anger, he chuckled and said, "Mr. Kikuchi, do you really want to kick me out of Far Moon? Unfortunately, the Far Moon Board of Directors is not yet under your control; only the commander can dispose of me."

Mr. Kikuchi, still a tycoon, controlled his rage.

He coldly said, "What we’re discussing now is that piece of estate land. Far Moon should reclaim the land."

"I say, what do you really want? The land, or what grows on it?"

Xia Yu asked with a mocking smile.

"Anything cultivated on Far Moon’s land, the board of directors has the right to dispose of!" Mr. Kikuchi declared boldly, his face losing all decorum as he spoke without a hint of embarrassment.

Applause erupted from Xia Yu...

"Please, continue your performance. I’m watching."

"How presumptuous!"

The second opposing tycoon slammed the table and exclaimed, "General, we should expel irrelevant people."

From the highest seat, Tiqie Xianzuowen, still half-closed eyes as if asleep, showed no response.

The heads of the Tiqie lineage likewise remained silent.

Dojima Yin quickly adjusted his emotions after the huge change from Kasuga Shigeru’s betrayal.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and patted Xia Yu on the shoulder, lowering his voice, "Don’t worry, the General and I will handle this properly. You should return to ’Moon Palace’ and preside over the eight-to-four selection match."

"How will you handle it?" Xia Yu was unappreciative.

Dojima Yin was taken aback.

"I want to take full ownership of that piece of land today."

Xia Yu sighed.

It was a dispute over land again.

There was really no helping it, the ’Rainbow Tree’ was thriving well in the estate’s greenhouse. With the addition of seeds, fertilizer, and various other Fantasy Ingredients, the previously overlooked corner plantation had suddenly become extremely valuable.

At the time, Xia Yu, aiming for convenience and thanks to a fortunate discovery that the land was perfect for planting the ’Rainbow Tree’, had made a move in his chess game that led to his current passive situation.

Originally, according to Xia Yu’s layout at Far Moon, he had almost gained the trust and support of all the Ten Master Mechanism.

Ghost Father’s return was an indispensable step, which was to take control of the Ten Master Mechanism.

But if the Ten Master Mechanism did not support him and instead supported Xia Yu, Ghost Father Tiqie Ji could not directly interfere with campus management.

Furthermore, by digging out Ghost Father’s faction in the Board of Directors, Far Moon would immediately become impregnable.

The Board of Directors and the Ten Master Mechanism.

These were the hurdles that must be overcome to conquer Far Moon.

Now, Xia Yu wanted to forcefully correct a wrong move he made and regain the initiative.

A cold laugh.

"Fool’s dreams!"

Kikuchi Musashi said, "The land of Far Moon will never fall into your hands!"

"General, expel him!"

"I second the motion!"

"Expel, expel!"

Behind the old man with slicked-back hair, three giants stood up.

At that moment, Kasuga Shigeru, who had been silent all along, slowly stood up and, slightly bowing to Tiqie Xianzuowen at the head of the table, said, "It’s indeed improper to hand over the land to an instructor. I checked—originally, it was exclusive land for the Gardening Association’s department. The Fourth Seat dissolved the Gardening Association through a shokugeki, and the land became the property of the Fourth Seat. The Board of Directors should reclaim the land and return it to the students..."

Xia Yu, observing this with a cold gaze, waved his hand to interrupt.

"There’s a common rule within Far Moon, applicable to both teachers and students, right?" He smiled, showing his teeth.

"Hmm?!"

The opposing heads, the Tiqie faction’s giants—Dojima Yin, Kasuga Shigeru, and Kikuchi Musashi—all looked at him with surprised eyes.

At the head of the table, Tiqie Xianzuowen finally opened his eyes.

Unnoticed by anyone, the Far Moon Commander’s eyes flickered with a hint of amusement.

"Shokugeki!"

Xia Yu uttered this word, sacred yet brutal in the culinary world.

"I want to obtain the land through a shokugeki!"

He added.

Silence.

The opposition’s giants were speechless all at once.

"A shokugeki? What gives you the right to challenge a shokugeki?" Kikuchi Musashi exclaimed sharply.

Xia Yu simply gave him a look as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Cough!"

Dojima Yin spoke up, "Instructor Xia is a top-tier Super Chef recognized by the IGO. Except for the General, everyone present is also a Super Chef; there is no disparity in rank significant enough to prohibit such a challenge. Our statuses are equal."

"Moreover..."

He looked intently at Xia Yu and said, "Since Instructor Xia has voluntarily requested a shokugeki, he must have conditions equivalent to the value of the land."

Inside Far Moon, countless incidents of students using shokugeki to plunder land and resources had occurred.

However, an instructor initiating a shokugeki was very rare.

"The conditions for the shokugeki are very simple," Xia Yu said nonchalantly. "If I lose, the land and everything planted there will belong to you, at your disposal."

The land.

Fantasy Ingredients.

Having said this, Xia Yu glanced at the speechless opposing giants, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

He had already made his move; whether the bet would succeed depended on these old folks’ guts.

Didn’t they want to expel him?

A shokugeki, whether for him or for the opposition, was the simplest and most direct solution, sparing all the intricate schemes.

This was also a net of invisibility that Xia Yu had laid out.

This was just the beginning.

The gambling addict blinded by loss will be repeatedly ensnared by his net, ultimately irredeemable.

Ghost Father Tiqie Ji?

A deep interest flashed through Xia Yu’s eyes. This was, in a way, an advanced form of fighting from a distance.