Chapter 1024: Chapter 1023: Deadlock (Part 1)
Denmark, airport.
The plane roared as it landed, slowly approaching the terminal along the runway. Soon, the passengers were walking along the passageway. Amidst the Western faces in the arrivals crowd, Xia Yu, Lei Aoxue, and Sen Tian Makoto stood out with their black hair, even Tiqie Helinai garnered a high number of glances. Her bright golden hair and angelic face attracted many amazed looks.
“Hey, hey!”
Xia Yu felt his mouth twitching and couldn’t move forward.
His arms on either side were enveloped in a soft sensation. After a private little competition last night, the relationship among Lei Aoxue, Sen Tian Makoto, and Tiqie Helinai had beco quite subtle.
Firmly holding onto his left and right arms were Sen Tian Makoto and Tiqie Helinai.
Lei Aoxue had an “I’m not familiar with you” deanor, dragging her suitcase a few steps ahead.
Sen Tian Makoto was clingy, which Xia Yu could understand, given the complicated relationship he had with the long-haired girl. It was too complex to explain briefly. Since the Far Moon entrance exam, after the two reconciled, the girl had beco increasingly bold.
But with Tiqie Helinai joining in, subtly competing with Sen Tian Makoto, Xia Yu was a bit puzzled.
Golden hair, have you thrown all your tsundere tendencies away?
Just then, Tiqie Helinai noticed his resentful gaze, turned back angrily, and her lips moved slightly. Although nothing was heard, Xia Yu was sure it was sothing like “you’re getting off easy” in a tsundere fashion.
Hmm?
The girl raised an eyebrow.
Xia Yu intended to break free, explaining earnestly, “Eriina, could you let go? It’s very hot, and I’m sweating.”
This was true. They had received so many stares along the passage that so travelers seed to recognize them, pointing fingers, and taking photos. Xia Yu imdiately quickened his pace. He definitely didn’t want gossip about him flying everywhere. If he were to beco famous, it wouldn’t be through scandalous hype. Xia Yu was worried about what misunderstandings his father, Xia Qing, might have about his character, and feared Zhu Qing would tear him apart when he returned.
Eriina hesitated to let go but noticed the strange look from Sen Tian Makoto on the other side and whispered while gritting her teeth, “Don’t move!”
Her tone was a bit stiff, but she added, “This is normal contact with my guardian.”
Covering up!
Xia Yu almost laughed out loud but restrained himself when he saw the always tsundere “Far Moon Queen.” Her ears were turning red while she spoke, so he followed her logic with a subtle expression and tone, saying, “Yes, yes, normal contact. Should we have more contact in the future?”
For the first ti, Eriina held his arm, perhaps having unlocked sothing unusual last night. Xia Yu rarely teased her.
“More contact?” The girl was montarily puzzled.
“Pfft.”
Beside them, Sen Tian Makoto, seeing Eriina a bit confused, covered her mouth and laughed.
“The pure cuteness of ‘Far Moon Queen’! Sen Tian Makoto was sure she hadn’t even noticed the teasing and mockery in Xia Yu’s words.
No man, past or present, had dared to banter or flirt in front of Eriina.
Sen Tian Makoto’s laughter slightly angered Eriina. She realized that she couldn’t get angry at the long-haired girl, so she vented her anger on the boy, gritting her teeth, “This is the limit to our contact!”
“Anything else, you can forget about it!”
Seeing her “serious” expression, Xia Yu found her unexpectedly adorable in her earnestness, like a cute contradiction.
“Ha—”
Shaking his head with a smile, he didn’t pursue the topic any further. Entering the terminal building, the sound of cara shutters filled their ears, almost like a tide, startling the travelers exiting the passage. Most of the crowd was confused, not knowing what was happening.
The focus of the caras was locked on a few youngsters in the crowd. Wearing masks, they were surrounded by a barrage of caras and felt both surprised and confused, exchanging glances.
“Chef Xia!”
“Hello, I’m a reporter from ‘Europa Gourt Report’…”
“Is this your first ti stepping on Europa soil, Chef Xia? Besides visiting the IGO headquarters in Denmark to request the ‘Greedy Wolf Pot,’ are you planning to leave a classic mark in the European culinary world?”
The excited voices filled the airshow hall.
Xia Yu, Lei Aoxue, Sen Tian Makoto, and Tiqie Helinai exchanged a look:
“Let’s make a run for it!”
The four of them, synergistically, quickly dashed off, their luggage seemingly floating behind them.
Whoosh, sitting in an IGO headquarters business car on the airport road, the four of them gasped as they caught their breath. People had already surrounded the building inside and out, surrounding the car. Outside, an IGO reception agent shouted at the “crazy” crowd, “Chef Xia refuses all forms of interviews for now!”
Soon the airport security isolated the crowd, physically opening a path for the business car to leave the airport.
They safely arrived at the IGO headquarters.
A giant castle-like structure stood majestic and old in the city. Not just the core castle, but all the fairy tale-like European buildings forming a small town around it were owned by IGO, housing various IGO departnts, as explained by the car agent during the ride.
The plaza in front of the castle was similarly crowded with people, sending a shiver down one’s spine.
Unable to hold back, Xia Yu asked the agent driving and in the passenger seat, “Did you guys disclose our flight details?”
He had only inford IGO upon boarding.
The man in the passenger seat, visibly frustrated, replied, “Headquarters ordered us to discreetly escort you. We don’t know where these dia and journalists got the info.”
“I see…”
Xia Yu clicked his tongue, recalling the overwhelming requests for the ‘Greedy Wolf Pot’ he heard at the airport and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Not only was the flight exposed, but the burden I carry has also been made public, now known to the whole world.”
Both IGO and Xia Yu would have preferred the matter of the legendary kitchenware to be resolved privately.
Publicizing it would require face preservation, for IGO, Xia Yu, and the Chinese Realm alike.
If rejected, the entire Chinese Realm would lose face with Xia Yu.
However, if IGO easily handed over the treasure, they would lose face and authority.
The ‘Miracle Garden’ of the castle, IGO’s three Sages were urgently eting.
Karl tapped his fingers on the table, increasingly rapid, “Why does the whole world know about this?”
Amor said angrily, “Could it be the Chinese Realm deliberately leaked it? Using public and global opinion to pressure us IGO!”
Bastian shook his head, “Solving it privately benefits both sides. I cannot think of a reason why the Chinese Realm would do this.”
At this mont, a staff mber on the other end of the garden announced loudly, “Chef Xia is at our headquarters front for an interview and will be here shortly. Any instructions from the three Sages?”
“Bring them here—”
“Understood!”
After sitting in silence for a mont, Karl was the first to stand, saying, “Let’s go, greet the guests at the Miracle Garden entrance.”
In the grand hall of the Aegean Sea villa, Gaius, with one hand in his pants pocket and the other holding a glass of red wine, had an inscrutable smile.
The television was playing an interview.
The young man calmly and firmly addressed the cara, saying, “…Yes, we ca for the ‘Greedy Wolf Pot.’ The eight legendary kitchenware items were forged by the ancient renowned Chef Xu Ling using celestial teorite; they’ve been passed down in the Chinese Cuisine World for thousands of years… Several decades ago, during a chaotic and embarrassing history in the Chinese Culinary Realm, so pieces were lost outside the Chinese Realm amidst the darkness… Of course, requesting isn’t forceful seizure…”
“Heh!”
Gaius grinned slightly, “I thought he would be evasive, but he openly spoke like this. Such boldness!”
Beep.
Turning off the TV, he headed towards the garden outside the hall with his back to the television, “Let this young Dragon Chef negotiate with IGO. I can be silent for quite so ti… Hahaha!”
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