1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 311: An Epic Upgrade!
As the happiness level at the bottom of the light blue screen changed from 5201 to 201, Ronan clearly felt two changes.

The first thing is that he has gained more knowledge in his head.

Two months ago, also in this dense forest in Frassie, Ronan upgraded his [Gathering] skill to level 4, and the system also imparted new knowledge to him. That time, he waited in place for more than an hour to digest everything.

Ronan only took about fifteen minutes to roughly 'browse' the new knowledge brought by [cooking], and then a huge smile appeared on his lips.

Although the amount of new knowledge provided is not large, its importance is no less than the discovery of new ways to find truffles.

At this moment, Ronan's mind suddenly contained something like a telephone 'Yellow Pages', filled with recipes for the dishes, desserts, drinks, and so on that he desperately needed!

Not only were there Chinese recipes, but also recipes from other countries and regions. Even more terrifying, he also saw some strange dishes that could only be seen in historical stories and fairy tales.

Time was limited, and Ronan had only quickly 'browsed' the name list. However, there were quite a few names that sounded 'criminal' just from their names, so he needed to spend time carefully filtering through this information.

The good news is that in the Chinese dessert section, which he is most interested in, there are hundreds of varieties to choose from. Even if half of them cannot be made, it is enough to make up for the last shortcoming of the restaurant!

As a Chinese restaurant, Ronan felt that serving only Western desserts was somewhat lacking.

And now the problem is solved.

The next step is to select some styles suitable for sale in Provence and teach Lia how to make them.

The first ability granted by Level 5 [Cooking] is already quite powerful, but the second ability makes Ronan even more well-rounded and strong.

The second enhanced ability is Ronan's 'tongue', which allows him to discern the preparation and ingredient ratios of any food with just one bite.

To verify this, Ronan took out his lunch and ate a bite of one of the dishes.

He then closed his eyes and slowly began to chew.

Soon, the image of Luo Tianhai cooking this dish appeared in Ronan's mind, and he could almost see clearly how much salt, soy sauce, and sugar he added.

"These two skills combined are too powerful." Ronan opened his eyes.

The recipes provided by the system cannot possibly cover all dishes, because skilled chefs never stop inventing new dishes.

But if he doesn't know how to cook a dish, Ronan can learn by tasting it.

It's safe to say that there's no dish in the world that Ronan can't cook.

In addition, the restaurant's strength has been enhanced to an epic degree by its ultimate control over the flavor of ingredients, superb knife skills, and artful plating ability!

“Artur must be so envious of me.” Ronan shook his head with a smile.

If Arthur possessed Ronan's abilities, the restaurants of Provence would be in danger. He could perfectly 'replicate' any dish and easily claim it as his own, perhaps even making it taste better than the original.

Suddenly, Ronan tilted his head to the side.

Artur hasn't come to him to 'study' for a long time.

With the travel season starting in two months, Artur, this 'mobile billboard,' needs to get moving.

Ronan decided that once Lucas found a new sales channel for truffles and had more free time, he would contact Artur and show him his skills to inspire his enthusiasm for 'learning'.

After confirming the two new abilities, Ronan turned his attention back to the system.

[Level 3 Construction: 0/2000]

[Level 4 Planting: 0/5000]

[Level 4 Gathering: 0/5000]

[Level 5 Cooking: 0/10000]

[Level 3 Weaving: 0/2000]

[Level 3 Hunting: 0/2000]

[Level 3 Pottery Making: 0/2000]

[Level 1 Fishing: 0/100]

[Tier 1 Brewing: 0/100]

[Grade 1 glass firing: 0/100]

[Usable Experience: 201] It actually costs 10000 experience points to level up [Cooking] to the next level.
Even after the Spring Festival, when Ronan's "happiness" gains speed increases, it will still take at least six months.

Ronan thought to himself that he wouldn't be upgrading [Cooking] anytime soon.

The primary motivation for upgrading [Cooking] is to participate in various culinary events in Provence over the next few months and build the restaurant's reputation.

With Ronan's current abilities, he is qualified enough to participate in those activities, so there is no need for him to improve himself in the short term.

Ronan ate a few more bites of his boxed lunch, his thoughts drifting away.

Perhaps the next upgrade to [Cooking] will be when the restaurant has become well-known enough and its revenue has reached its 'ceiling' at this scale, and it will be time to challenge for a Michelin star.

"The first Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Provence?" he muttered incoherently.

Of course, everyone should have dreams.

Otherwise, what's the difference between them and salted fish?
If I remember correctly, there were only four Michelin-starred Chinese restaurants in all of France before Ronan's journey.

Three of them are in Paris, and one is in Lyon.

In 1987, Chinese cuisine in France was still in the "pre-Michelin era".

"Perhaps... it could also be the first one in France?"

That evening, Ronan returned to the restaurant to check with his mother about the restaurant's January earnings.

He hardly manages the restaurant's operations anymore, but he will reconcile the previous month's accounts with his mother at the beginning of each month.

However, as soon as he returned to the restaurant, he was stopped by two people and had no chance to go to the cashier.

Ronan asked Cotillard and Batty in confusion:

"What are you doing blocking the entrance, acting as door gods?"

Batistuta, being a gentleman, said to Cotillard:

"You go first, ladies first."

Codia's mouth moved like a machine gun, speaking at lightning speed:
“Mr. Normand’s assistant called me and said that the Gold Centre Sculpture Exhibition would like to see your work. Haven’t you started preparing yet? Ronan, get your act together! The Centre Sculpture Exhibition is the most important exhibition in this series of art events. It’s an event that’s a direct ‘dialogue’ with Andy Goldsworth. Not a single artist from Lourmarin has participated. Even Marini’s work was rejected. You are now Lourmarin’s only hope!”

Ronan's demeanor was the complete opposite of Cotillard's; he asked calmly:
When should I send the artwork over?

He already had Chinese dessert recipes, so he wasn't worried at all.

I'm even looking forward to this opportunity to really show my skills!
Cotillard clapped his hands anxiously:

"I'm just waiting for you to give me time! When can you finish?"

Ronan stroked his chin and said:
"I'm not sure yet, maybe a week? Ten days?"

Codia was so angry that he was about to raise his hand to hit him:
"The 10-day exhibition has already started!"

Ronan skillfully created distance between them:

"Then one week. Can you help me communicate with them? Just say that I suddenly had a burst of inspiration and want to create a new piece. It will take some time, but I will make the most of it, don't worry."

Then he looked into the restaurant:
"By the way, is Lucas back?"

Ronan's schedule follows Lucas's; I wonder if he's found a new channel to sell truffles?
"Not yet." Barty blocked Ronan's view. "Ronan, I also have something to tell you."

Ronan's face darkened:
"Is there a problem with the knitting order?"

Ronan could only think of one reason why Batty approached him with such a formal tone.

Could it be that Pirès kidnapped our 'female soldiers'?

Unexpectedly, Batistuta suddenly broke into a wide smile:

"It's not about weaving orders, it's about the Gold Art Exhibition!"

"Huh?" Ronan looked surprised. "It's also the Gold Art Exhibition?"

(End of this chapter)