Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 648 - 647: Materials with Built-in Holy Light

Chapter 648: Chapter 647: Materials with Built-in Holy Light

The screen zoomed in to feature a pitch-black clay pot in a close-up.

The competition venue fell suddenly silent.

At the site of Far Moon’s "Red Leaf Hunting Festival," a hush also descended all at once. The wind, beginning to change with the season, blew briskly, casting down many red leaves.

The atmosphere turned a bit cold, verging on an awkward silence.

"Da da da..."

Chiyoda Aichi hurried over to Cooking Station No. 1. As the female host and controller of the event, she naturally needed to manage the atmosphere on site. If things got awkward, it would be as if she had failed her duties. Without even running out of breath, she handed the microphone to Xia Yu, who was unloading cooking tools. Biting her lip, she asked, "Chef Xia, could you briefly introduce your tools?"

They were all well-acquainted by now, yet Chiyoda Aichi still appeared tense.

The atmosphere of the finals was so suffocating that her palms were sweating non-stop as she extended the microphone. That’s why she deeply admired Xia Yu who, despite being much younger, was calmly organizing his cooking tools and station without a hint of stress.

"Introduce the tools?"

Xia Yu paused for a moment, then smiled slightly and picked up the sheathed Breaking Army Saber, "This knife is probably familiar to everyone. I usually use it to process seafood ingredients."

"As for this..."

His hand reached for the side of the box to the murky black clay pot.

Then, the female host was a bit flustered as the clay pot was stuffed into her arms, hearing the young man tell her, "Take a sniff."

"Sniff?"

Carefully placing the seemingly fragile clay pot back on the cooking station, Chiyoda Aichi lifted the lid. In an instant, her entire facial expression froze, yet her shoulders desperately expanded as if sprouting wings about to take flight in a state of bliss.

It didn’t take long for the host to come to her senses, immediately blushing deeply.

The lid of the clay pot was closed again, and she reluctantly shifted her gaze away. Addressing the camera that zoomed in closer, she took in a breath and exclaimed, "Dough!"

"Dough?!"

The venue echoed with the word.

"Inside the jar... there seems to be some kind of dough. I smelled a strong fermentation scent," the host said with a slight knit in her brow.

At once, many professional chefs with expertise in baking had a flash of insight in their minds.

Cooking Station No. 2.

Li Han turned his head to look at Lan Chuhai, then asked in a low voice, "Chef Lan, could it be a starter dough?"

"Mhm, it’s very likely fermented dough, otherwise, why prepare the dough in advance? It wouldn’t make much sense," Lan Chuhai spoke placidly, her gaze sweeping from Xia Yu’s knife to the black clay pot.

A knife specialized for seafood paired with a pot for storing fermented dough...

Connecting with the recent, widely-discussed news about Nijo Fish Market, Lan Chuhai muttered to herself, "Seafood dough? Seafood dumplings?... Hmm, it could be shaomai, Chinese buns are also possible! There are too many types of dough-based dishes!"

"All set!"

At this moment, Kogawa Shinyiro, who was hosting the competition, took the stage. Standing next to a set of metal gongs, he grasped a mallet wrapped in red cloth and struck it, announcing, "In 15 minutes, the cooking segment will officially start. Now, please, logistics staff, bring up the contestants’ personal ingredients to the stage!"

Three porter teams came onto the stage, each with its peculiar points for discussion.

The first team used a cart to bring in a large ice chest, rumbling loudly as the cart crossed the venue.

"Can we take a look?"

Once the ice chest was unloaded and put in place, another female host, Dubian Yuuki, stepped forward to ask.

"No problem at all!"

Tang Yuqiong nodded her head cheerfully, stepping forward and, like opening a door, pulled open the ice chest’s door wide. Inside, a mass of ice emerged, plunging the venue once again into dead silence.

And before the audience could digest this, the sound of quacking ducks ensued.

The second work team carried in live ducks, each bound by their feet, still full of energy and quacking loudly.

"Soil-raised ducks?"

A large section of the audience was petrified.

"What’s in those bags?" Professionals were focusing not on the ducks but rather the large pushcart behind the duck-carriers, stacked with sizable bags of material.

Moreover, a second pushcart followed closely after, stopping at Li Han and Lan Chuhai’s Cooking Station No. 2, unloading five large jars of liquor.

These spirits were stored in ceramic jars glazed with vermilion, sealed with red rope, and each jar had a piece of red paper stuck to its front, stating in neat, square Hanzi:

Lu Zhou Old Vine.

Putting aside this glaring advertisement, the ingredient combination at Cooking Station No. 2 had left not just the ordinary viewers scratching their heads but also had a group of professionals in the guest area whispering and discussing among themselves.

"Mud duck and old cellar wine, what could this combination be? Drunken duck?"

The Sage Karl of IGO murmured to himself.

Tiqie Xianzuowen, however, tilted his head slightly and addressed Yan Qi at his right, "Tower Master Yan, you must have mastered the recipe for this trio of ingredients, haven’t you?"

Yan Qi was the owner of the Eight-Faced Tower; the title ’Tower Master Yan’ was a professional term within the industry. From the detail in how the Far Moon Commander addressed him, one could tell that Xianzuowen must have crossed paths with Yan Qi and possibly had sought experience in the inland regions during his youth.

"It’s hard to say!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Qi shook his head and said, "At Cooking Station No. 1, the main preparation is old dough. There has always been a notion of ’white work’ in the field of pastries since ancient times; it is complex and vast!"

"And at Cooking Station No. 2..."

He pointed with his hand.

"Did you notice the stacked bags on the second cart? Considering the quantity being prepared, these ingredients are definitely going to be heavily used. The key to solving the mystery might just lie there!" His tone was one of certainty.

Karl and Xianzuowen immediately turned their attention to the colorless, unlabeled bags, their curiosity piqued:

What could this be?

"They’re really well-prepared indeed!"

"As expected of the finals!"

At the mountain platform for the Far Moon’s Red Leaf Hunting Festival, a group of students was also buzzing with conversation.

"Makki, do you know what’s inside that wooden box next to Instructor Xia?" Xingping Chuangzhen, scratching his head in agitation, couldn’t help but ask the black-haired girl sitting in the first position. "I’m certain there’s an ingredient hidden in that box!"

"A wooden box!"

The chatter ceased, and all students’ eyes were glued to the screen, fixated on the wooden box with its relief carvings, equally curious.

"Dang!"

At that moment, a clear chime of a golden gong echoed from the television.

"The culinary duel themed ’Guidance and Ferrying’ has officially begun. The cooking will end after two hours. Please, chefs, make the most of your time and immerse yourself fully to present a classic culinary showdown!" declared Kogawa Shinyiro in a solemn kimono.

"Begin—"

Snap!

Zhu Qing gave an encouraging glance and lifted her fair palm. Xia Yu also raised his hand, and with a snap, they high-fived, and his eyes, serene, said, "Let’s stick to the division of labor we’ve practiced over the past few days!"

"I know!"

With a slight nod, Zhu Qing turned and lifted a mid-sized basket from the floor.

Carrots, chopped into chunks.

Spinach, snipped into bunches.

Zhu Qing’s culinary style, just like her personality, was straightforward and decisive. She brought over two juicers, added a little clear water, and processed the carrots and spinach into green and vermilion vegetable juices respectively.

Afterward, she cleaned the machines and with black sesame mixed with water, produced a relatively thick black sesame paste.

As for Xia Yu, he picked up a small bag of his own flour, poured it onto the meticulously cleaned countertop, and promptly turned on the stove, placing a small pot on top to heat some water. Once the water was slightly warm, he turned off the heat.

"Crack!"

Next, he lifted the lid and reached into the dark ceramic jar, and from it, Xia Yu grabbed a small handful of old dough that was soft yet firm.

The camera zoomed in to focus on what was in his hand.

Swish.

Tiqie Xianzuowen’s pupils suddenly widened as he inhaled sharply, "Just now, that was..."

He looked directly at Cooking Station No. 1, closer to him, rather than the broadcast screen above the arena.

It wasn’t an illusion—the old dough radiated a blinding brilliance as it was taken out of the jar.

But this glow was only the flash of youth; viewers watching the screen likely thought it was an effect of the arena’s lighting and didn’t pay much attention, whereas the expressions of the professionals in the guest area revealed their surprise and suspicion.