Chapter 484: Chapter 483: Departure
The next morning at daybreak, Xia Yu, wearing a mask and a duckbill cap, was secretly taken to the Sapporo JR Train Station by Dojima Yin.
“Here’s your ticket!”
Dojima Yin said, “Take the express train, and you’ll be in Asahikawa in about an hour and a half. Once there, soone will pick you up at the station. Firearms and the jeep are at the Lily rcenary Corps’ base, I’ve already contacted them!”
After watching Xia Yu board the train, Dojima Yin returned to the Ookura Mountain Villa.
Early in the morning, the front of the villa down the hill was jam-packed with vehicles and reporters carrying long and short guns. Upon returning through the main entrance, Dojima Yin stepped out of his car and was imdiately encircled by reporters. For a ti, his ears were filled with a cacophony, mostly inquiries about Xia Yu’s whereabouts. Several well-known dia outlets approached Dojima Yin with interview requests. He sighed inwardly and spoke up,
“Ladies and gentlen, Chef Xia is in seclusion, working on a new ‘killer’ recipe. He will not accept any interviews of any kind until the next competition!”
A new ‘killer’ recipe?
The reporters were imdiately distracted and began to ask for details.
“Cough!”
Dojima Yin, having prepared his bluff, started to speak nonsensically.
In any case, throwing out this smokescreen was just right, as the talk of researching a ‘killer’ recipe would certainly shut up the reporters. But Dojima Yin also believed that in the next competition, Xia Yu’s second ‘killer’ technique might just make its debut.
At the villa halfway up the mountain.
Tiqie Helinai stood in front of the second-floor window, watching the crowd at the front gate, biting her lip.
“Aren’t you going? He might take you with him.”
A voice suddenly startled her.
She glanced aside and noticed the ancient Lin Chef from an old country leaning against a nearby wall, the morning sun casting light on her, causing Eriina to squint her eyes slightly and shake her head, “I don’t want to go.”
“Ah, but it’s a rare opportunity for an outing, a hike. Who knows what interesting things could happen along the way?” Zhu Qing winked at the young girl.
Eriina bowed her head.
Seeing this, Zhu Qing didn’t continue to tease her and ca over with a sigh, “Do you suddenly feel that the world you know has beco unfamiliar?”
“Yes.”
The Divine Tongue nodded gently, her eyes reflecting bewildernt.
“The era of Jade, huh, I wonder if you’re lucky or unlucky. The big era is changing rapidly. Chefs who can’t adapt will be eliminated!”
Zhu Qing’s voice suddenly turned stern.
…Eliminated?
I represent the pinnacle of human taste with the ‘Divine Tongue’!
Eriina’s petite body shivered, she ntally affird, barely mustering confidence in her eyes.
“Indeed, the ‘Divine Tongue’ is your reliance.”
But Zhu Qing, having seen through the girl’s thoughts, smiled lightly, “Yet, that’s still not enough. The next generation has too many geniuses with similar talents… Uh well, not to ntion others, you might not know, but the person you admire also possesses a divine gift.”
Eriina was startled.
Her surprise even overpowered the sha and irritation brought on by her admiration for that soone. She stared intently at Zhu Qing’s profound and beautiful eyes; after a mont, her shoulders slumped as she murmured, “Is that so…”
She wasn’t stupid, actually quite intelligent, and imdiately thought of the reason why the figure in her heart had perford so stunningly in yesterday’s competition.
Zhu Qing smiled, then turned to leave.
“Wait!” Eriina called out to her. “Can I, can I possibly…”
“Yes?”
Zhu Qing leisurely gazed at Eriina, who had suddenly transford into a bashful young girl in her mannerisms.
“I want to train in Fighting Martial Arts!”
Eriina finally mustered the courage to say.
“For that, go to your grandfather, the Food Demon King of Japan.”
Eriina simply shook her head.
Recalling the girl’s growth experience, Zhu Qing suddenly understood. If the girl had been raised by Xiān Zuǒ Wèi Mén from a young age, she might have learned self-defense arts already. But the shadow of the indoctrination imposed by her Ghost Father, Tiqie Ji, lingered to this day. Every other aspect was ignored as she was confined to a dark room, solely focused on unlocking the potential of the “Divine Tongue.”
“You, co over here.”
Zhu Qing’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
“Take one more step forward, close up.”
Unaware of the implications, Eriina stood in front of Zhu Qing, only to blush profusely the next mont. Zhu Qing, with a serious expression, ran his hands over her body, touching here and pinching there, making tsk tsk noises, “Despite your young age, you’re quite…substantial…”
…
The perspective shifts to Hokkaido’s second-largest city, Asahikawa City.
In his forr life, Xia Yu had visited Asahikawa as a tourist. The city, a tourist destination, had a population of about 300,000. It wasn’t very large but had an airport and a train station, making transportation quite convenient.
Descending from the JR train, he was greeted by a completely different style from his previous life.
At the train station, fully-ard food rcenaries were everywhere—so exiting the trains, others dragging heavy luggage to board. Xia Yu was bumped by a burly man. The man gave him a stony glare; he was a black man, cursing under his breath. Xia Yu didn’t take offense and simply sized up the suddenly unfamiliar city.
A fierce martial spirit pervaded the place, completely out of sync with its tourism-focused identity.
“Chef Xia?”
A man in sunglasses approached holding a photo.
Xia Yu removed his mask and the man bowed, “Please follow —”
They got into a jeep and as Xia Yu surveyed the streets, he asked, “Are there a lot of food rcenaries in Asahikawa?”
“Mhm, Sapporo is hosting a competition, and many rcenary groups have made Asahikawa their logistical base. Many rcenary groups are mobile without a fixed location, they go wherever there’s work.”
The man drove Xia Yu to their destination.
Another olive-green jeep was parked at the entrance, with a mature woman standing beside it.
“Boss, I’ve brought him,” the man stepped out of the vehicle.
“Hello, I am Lily.”
The blonde beauty approached and shook Xia Yu’s hand, then pointed to the jeep beside her, “Per Mr. Dojima’s instructions, the vehicle is ready. Here are guns and bullets…”
Click.
She opened a briefcase revealing two handguns. One was a compact model that could easily be concealed in a coat or bag, and the other was an Italian Beretta 92F, its silver body gleaming with a strong tallic feel.
“There’s also this, just delivered by the IGO organization, a personalized special make!” said the female rcenary leader. “It’s a watch with location and signal transmission features. With this on, in case of danger, your priority is to save your life; we’ll co imdiately.”
Xia Yu took the tal watch and put it on.
As he started the jeep, a system mission arose:
“[First Hunt for Fantasy Ingredients].”
“Hint: Ti to hunt for your test reward.”
“Requirent: Kill the corresponding fantasy species (0/1).”
“Reward: Unlock the corresponding ingredient.”
With a push on the accelerator, the jeep roared away.
“Boss, are we letting him go alone?”
Hearing this, Lily appeared helpless, “This is Mr. Dojima’s order. We haven’t received any instructions to accompany him for protection.”
“But…”
The male rcenary scratched his head, “The beasts of Hokkaido are becoming more and more nurous. If he’s unlucky and runs into one…”
“Isn’t there a signal watch?”
The male rcenary still felt sothing was amiss.
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