The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 525 The Sea Blockade

"Guanling City Royal Chef Association..."

Looking at the large, elegant characters on the towering building in the distance, Qin Lang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, "Finally, we've arrived."

“Most city-level Spirit Chef Associations are located in the city center, but I didn’t expect the Spirit Chef Association in Guanling City to be so unique.” Zhao Qian couldn’t help but turn her head, behind them was the boundless Qili Bay.

The Royal Chef Association of Guanling City is located on the southernmost part of the Dongyun area, bordering Qili Bay.

“But I can understand it.” Cao Dongdong, who was standing next to him, crossed his arms and yawned. “Although Guanling City has a large area, the more developed areas are all coastal areas because of the vigorous development of shipping and maritime transport.”

"More than 80% of the residents of Guanling City live by the sea. If you don't look at the geographical location, this can indeed be considered the city center."

“Okay, I just feel like it’s taking much longer than expected to get here…” Zhao Qian paused slightly, “Let’s go.”

"We should go to the association to register our trip."

Qin Lang and Cao Dongdong nodded and walked quickly toward the association building.

The travel registration process went smoothly. This is one of the most frequently handled services by association staff in each city, so it was completed in just a few minutes.

However, after the registration was completed, the staff called Qin Lang and the other two to a stop.

"Three Imperial Chefs."

The staff member smiled and said, "In a while, Guanling City will be holding its annual grand food festival. I wonder if you are interested in this food festival? If you are, the registration window is also here."

"I want to sign up," Qin Lang said quickly, then looked at Cao Dongdong and Zhao Qian beside him, "What do you two say?"

"Give it a try, participation is what matters," Cao Dongdong laughed.

Zhao Qian nodded, intending to join in the fun.

"Okay." Qin Lang turned to the staff member, "Could you please register the three of us for the Guanling City Food Festival?"

"Okay." The staff member took the Spirit Chef badges from the three people, quickly entered them into the computer, and started the registration process.

After registration closed, he took out three booklets and handed them to Qin Lang and the other two.

"This is a detailed introduction to the Guanling City Food Festival. If the three of you don't know much about the food festival, most of your questions should be answered in this brochure. If not, you can also call the food festival's hotline."

"Okay." Qin Lang quickly took it and put it away.

Although he had heard about the Guanling City Food Festival before and had made an appointment with Dai Lan and Du Ziyan to have another discussion at the festival, he didn't really know much about the specifics of the event. This brochure was a great help.

"Finally, there's one more thing to remind you of," the staff member continued. "If any of the three of you have plans to travel from Guanling City by ship to Qili Bay or other areas in the near future, you may need to make adjustments."

"Because the Guanling City pier is currently under a one-way blockade, allowing ships to enter but not to leave."

"A one-way blockade?" Qin Lang was taken aback for a moment, then seemed to realize something and couldn't help but ask, "Is it because of the previous cruise ship disappearance?"

"Yes." The staff member nodded. Seeing that Qin Lang had probably heard something about it, he didn't hide anything. "A while ago, there were several cruise ship disappearances in Qili Bay. Several cruise ships lost contact one after another and their whereabouts are still unknown."

"To prevent such a situation from happening again, the Guanling City Royal Chef Association has issued a blockade order for all docks within Guanling City."

"Any cruise ships docked in Guanling City shall not leave port for the time being."

"As expected, it's because of that." Qin Lang revealed a knowing look. The cruise ship that Manager Qu Dong was on disappeared in the waters near Guanling City. According to this staff member, there was more than one missing cruise ship.

With such a major incident, it's no wonder the association has temporarily closed the port.

"Then may I ask, when will the lockdown be lifted?" Cao Dongdong couldn't help but ask.

“Well…” The staff member shrugged, giving Cao Dongdong a helpless look. “I don’t know either about that.”

"Okay." Cao Dongdong sighed with some disappointment.

With nothing else to do, the three of them left the registration office.

After walking a little further away, Cao Dongdong couldn't help but complain in a low voice, "I didn't expect that the Royal Chef Association of Guanling City would actually blockade the sea area."

"How are we supposed to find Zuo Ge now?"

Previously, Cao Dongdong had tried to contact Zuo Ge many times but failed. On his way to Guanling City, he refused to give up and, clinging to a last sliver of hope, continued to try to contact Zuo Ge.

Unfortunately, a day or two passed and he still couldn't get in touch with the other party.

In this situation, it's almost certain that something happened to Zuo Ge.

“The association is doing this for our own good,” Zhao Qian said softly. “The ship lost contact not long ago, and the association is worried that similar incidents will continue to happen.”

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it." Qin Lang patted Cao Dongdong on the shoulder. "Although Zuo Ge is temporarily out of contact, didn't he say something when he contacted us before?"

"Those who have gone missing due to the influence of the Qili Bay Monster are not in mortal danger."

As he spoke, Qin Lang couldn't help but think of Little Chili's experience.

If nothing unexpected happens, the creature Little Chili will encounter after her birth is the Qili Bay Monster. After discovering Little Chili's disappearance, the monster not only brings her back but also bestows upon her some special abilities, enabling her to better protect herself.

This shows that the Qili Bay Monster is not evil in nature.

After all, it is most likely some unknown legendary creature.

Hearing Qin Lang's words, Cao Dongdong, who was somewhat anxious, gradually calmed down.

“You’re right.” He took a deep breath. “The Guanling City Food Festival is coming up soon. Let’s attend the festival first, and then figure out how to find Zuo Ge.”

"This guy isn't even a master chef, yet he's been able to enter the ruins of legendary creatures multiple times without getting hurt. He's not someone who's easy to get into trouble with."

"It's good that you understand that." Qin Lang smiled, picked up the booklet in his hand, and quickly changed the subject, "Let's take a look at the food festival..."

"Qin Lang?"

A voice from not far away interrupted Qin Lang's words.

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Qin Lang looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw a familiar figure, and couldn't help but smile.

"Dailan, it's been a long time."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to another figure following behind Dai Lan, and his face showed more respect. "Ms. Sang Ran, it's been a long time."

(End of this chapter)