T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 564, Section 563: Cooking skills plus popularity equals being well-connected.
The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the layers of tree canopy, casting dappled light and shadow on the street.

With the extra money, the necessary kitchen equipment for the squid was readily available, and the processing was completed.

When the blacksmiths announced the harvest, they asked with great interest, "What will it be used for?"

"Make food."

I can't forget the confused and curious looks in the blacksmiths' eyes.

The squid found the Emerald Manor before nightfall.

This castle complex, which stands on the outer edge of the capital of Decay, is actually owned by the chief potion master of the Decay Kingdom.

At the scene where the notice was posted, Squid heard people talking that the competition was for the kingdom's chief potion master, who loved to study food the most, and was looking for fellow potion masters to come and exchange ideas.

Upon hearing this, Cuttlefish became quite interested in this chief potion master.

While studying potions, he also studies food. Is he perhaps playing the game of food and medicine sharing the same origin?

There were many fellow professionals present. The announcement included a note informing participants that they could use the open-air kitchen provided by Emerald Manor to cook their entries and verify their identities as chefs.

Most of them are forest spirits, and you can see a few human figures... There are even siren?
It was hard for the squid not to be surprised. Having been here for so long and living among a group of companions, this was the first time he had ever seen a shimmering sea monster.

This is a male siren with a very large, thick tail.

It seemed there was no corresponding potion; after coming ashore, it continued to wag its tail and slide on the ground in the form of a mermaid.

I couldn't help but think of Kishin; when we first met, she was already able to freely switch between forms.

It seems that the difference in talent and ability among the sirens is also quite obvious.

The butler guarding the manor gate, distributing temporary identity cards to each visitor, was an old-looking forest spirit.

He had been focused on his desk, taking notes of the information provided by the people, only glancing up when someone approached.

When it was the squid's turn, the old forest spirit raised his head little by little, and then a little more.

Finally, he had to get up from his chair, slowly stand up, and look up at the iron tower that was bathed in a golden glow in the afterglow.

"Blessed by the Forest Goddess, friend, which tribe are you from? I seem to have never heard of you before?"

The usually quick and efficient housekeeper couldn't help but feel the urge to strike up a conversation amidst the hustle and bustle of people.

It's really too exaggerated.

The squid already caused quite a stir in the queue.

Many forest spirits couldn't help but gape when they looked at him, their big eyes filled with shock.

Not to mention the forest elves, even the siren who had just signed up turned around when they were about to enter the manor after completing their registration.

His gaze fell on the squid, and he lost focus. His tail slapped against the statue in front of the door, curling up and causing the siren to tumble over.

Throughout the day, the cuttlefish deeply felt the attention this body received in the world.

Even if you want to keep a low profile, it's impossible; you're just too eye-catching.

"Are you a chef?"

The butler wouldn't ask such a silly question to anyone else, but...

The squid in front of me, offered equally to everyone, gave me the feeling of being able to kill them all with a single punch.

From any perspective, such a person should be considered a brute, fitting the stereotype.

The kitchen utensils that came into his hands could all become murder weapons.

With just one registration, Cuttlefish successfully made himself a celebrity.

Even as he entered the manor, his fellow travelers and servants all stopped and stared at him intently.

He received treatment that no other applicant had ever received; two waiters were specifically chosen by the butler to lead him to the open-air kitchen.

The magician who was supervising the chef's qualification verification here, who was sitting on the high platform with an air of composure, couldn't help but float down when he saw the squid. He curiously circled the open-air kitchen location he had chosen, adopting a domineering attitude of watching from the sidelines.

Cuttlefish fiddled with the kitchen utensils he had brought, placing them one by one on the ground.

The supervising magician couldn't help but use his magic to sense it.

"Do I look like I'm about to cheat?"

"Oh, it's just a routine check-up. Please don't misunderstand... Blessed by the Forest Goddess, you really don't look like a chef."

"You're not the first person to say that."

"If you don't mind, I'll sit next to you and watch... I plan to record your cooking process with a photo crystal."

The squid couldn't help but chuckle.

She hasn't done anything yet, but she's already garnered a huge amount of attention and influence just by using her body?

An open-air kitchen is essentially a fire pit preheated with fire elements, which chefs modify and arrange to create a comfortable cooking environment.

Compared to the cooking environment in his previous life, it was quite rudimentary, but he had expected it.

Even in the game, players need to create their own conditions to cook in the wild. Once they have accumulated enough experience, they can handle things at will.

Activate the fire element in the fire pit, and start with a fierce fire attack.

The fresh beef brisket was washed, chopped, and blanched in a specially made metal pot. The scum was skimmed off, and the whole process was completed in one go.

Another metal pot was placed on an iron wire rack. When it started to smoke slightly, I picked up a knife, put the peeled tomatoes into it, stir-fried them for a while to release their aroma, and then crushed them into a paste.

Cuttlefish really wanted to add some potatoes to make the tomato stewed beef brisket thicker during the stewing process, achieving the effect of thickening with waterless starch.

However, potatoes are very expensive in the capital city of Xiuye. He couldn't afford even half a potato, let alone a whole one.

The tribal merchant wanted to help, but the budget was exhausted.

The only one he managed to buy was from a tea merchant who returned his own share, freeing up his budget.

The widely accepted currency in the continent of Anna is the Lion King Silver Coin, which can buy a single potato.

If you were to convert purchasing power solely into potatoes, the prices in the Kingdom of Decaying Leaves would be hellish.

Unfortunately, potatoes are the only food sold here at such high prices.

Most of the leaf elves don't like to eat potatoes, supposedly because they dislike the persistent muddy smell.

Therefore, no potatoes are produced locally, and the few potatoes available are exported by merchants from the Ana Empire, just to satisfy the appetites of a small number of enthusiasts.

Strange, the elves can chew on leaves with relish, but why can't they eat potatoes that taste like mud?

After a flurry of activity, the fragrant braised beef brisket with tomatoes was ready.

After taking a bite and confirming that the saltiness was just right, Cuttlefish planned to have another big bite of beef brisket—he was starving after a period of bland and tasteless food.

Since these dishes are for verifying the chef's identity, the inspectors here will probably only take one bite and then throw them away.

Instead of wasting food, why not sneak a big feast!
"Is it not good? Why have you tried so many bites without stopping?"

The magician, who had been watching from the sidelines, was utterly puzzled.

Seeing the squid's skillful cooking firsthand was truly an eye-opener for him.

This muscular guy is no joke; he's got some skills.

The squid, still savoring the sauce, licked the last bit of tomato stewed beef from its mouth and handed it to the waiter.

According to the procedure, he now needs to wait patiently for the results. Once the dishes are confirmed to be up to standard, he will be eligible in 7 days.

A bird formed from condensed magic landed on the magician's shoulder beside the squid.

He picked up the bird and touched it lightly, his brows furrowing as his gaze quickly fell on the muscular forest spirit tidying up the kitchen utensils.

"You can't go."

"what?"

"Bring your tomato beef brisket, someone wants to see you." The somewhat forceful tone startled Squid.

What's wrong? Can eating tomato and beef brisket really cause problems? Or is this combination of ingredients considered a culinary disaster in the Kingdom of Decay?

It's like eating rice noodle rolls with chocolate sauce or shrimp dumplings with yogurt. In this desolate place, this is like being put on trial for heresy, a grave crime of blasphemy against food.
It doesn't make sense; he can recite all kinds of recipes from Anna and their historical origins by heart, yet he has absolutely no memory of them.

Somewhat nervously, I followed the magician through the manor's courtyard, past countless castles lined with Roman columns, until finally, after many twists and turns, I entered a magnificent, golden hall.

The bright crystal chandelier cast a warm, yellow light, illuminating everyone in the hall in a hazy, dreamlike way, like a faded old photograph.

"The participating chefs, please bring the squid."

At the head of the round table in the center of the hall, an elderly man with gray hair nodded slightly to the magician and waved his hand, signaling the maid to come forward and take the plate from the squid's hand.

Seeing that the squid was somewhat dazed, the magician whispered a reminder.

"This is Lord Hammons, the kingdom's chief potion master."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the squid, with neither arrogance nor servility, bowed slightly and touched its heart to the ground to complete the greeting, behaving in the manner befitting an elven nobleman.

Hammons, whose gaze was already fixed on the food, noticed his movement and let out a soft exclamation.

Which tribe do you come from?

"My tribe is not on this continent."

The guests who accompanied Hammons were all taken aback.

"People from another continent?"

Someone blurted it out, but there was no hostility in their tone; rather, it was more of a surprise and curiosity.

“Yes, I’m from Devilland.” The squid lowered its head slightly and smiled slyly.

Since the great upheaval that swept across the entire continent 100 years ago, the connection between many continents and Devilland has been nearly severed.

This century was a period of blankness in the understanding of Devland across the continents, allowing him to make up whatever he wanted.

Hammons stroked his white beard: "Is the Eternal Night Rebellion in Devland over?"

“The Clear Ones have not fallen, and the Eternal Night was not extreme enough. Now, an even more extreme sect has emerged, continuing its confrontation with the Clear Ones.”

Hammons nodded and exchanged glances with his companions.

"Are there high-ranking elves with status on this other continent? In that case... please sit down." Hammons smiled and gestured for the squid to come forward and take a seat.

Hammons's probing was not something that could be easily fooled by ordinary people.

Although all contact has been severed, the top echelons of each continent still have some ways to obtain information about Devland.

The waiter had already distributed the tomato stewed beef brisket to everyone present.

"Please don't be surprised, I just happened to catch a glimpse of you through the projection crystal when I was having a party with my friends."

“Your appearance… is too imposing; we are truly intrigued.”

"For this reason, someone bet me on a potion recipe, betting that I can't cook and am just a reckless guy who came to join the fun."

The squid said confidently, "Then today should be Lord Hammons' lucky day, because you have already won."

An old woman smiled and said, "Don't rush. Whether it's lucky or not, you'll only know after you've tasted it. If it's not good, I can just not admit it."

Hammons smiled warmly as he looked at the tomato and beef brisket in his bowl.

"Is the portion so small?"

The squid tilted its head back and glanced around; each person could only get a small half-bowl.

He quickly explained, "We came in a hurry and didn't prepare many ingredients."

"Then why did you try so many bites?"

The squid was stunned; it turned out it had seen everything.

Hammons saw through everything and was just waiting for his remedial statement.

The kingdom's chief potion master, like a child, was just waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

The rustling sounds of chewing and swallowing filled the hall. Squid's gaze swept across the faces of everyone eating, and he immediately understood the situation.

"Hiss... The sweet and sour flavors are just right, delicious."

"It's so hot, I wasn't planning on having any main dishes... Well, Hammons, I suppose you wouldn't mind if I had a few slices of bread?"

A plate of bread was brought to the table. Several people tore the bread apart, dipped it in the tomato and beef sauce in the bowl, and put it in their mouths, nodding as they chewed.

Others have a dark green bean as their staple food, a spoonful of beans and a spoonful of broth, and they are equally satisfied.

"The meat is tender, but the sinewy parts still have some chewiness. The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes, creating a very complex flavor."

"I misjudged it."

Even the old woman who made the bet with Hammons couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"Your muscles, weren't they forged for fighting? How did you develop such excellent cooking skills?"

The squid's mouth curled up.

It was exactly the same as what he remembered.

The tastes of the Leaf Elves have been assimilated by the culture of Anar over the centuries. As long as the food is cooked to the tastes of the Anar people, it is impossible to get a bad review.

Thinking of this, he humbly lowered his head: "I honed my cooking skills for my loved ones and friends, and I also developed this physique to protect them."

A perfect answer.

Hammons couldn't suppress the admiration in his eyes.

His friends sitting next to him also expressed their approval.

Hammons waved away the waiters, and only after there were no other people in the room did he ask with concern.

How did you get to Anna?

Cuttlefish repeated the story he had told the Red Tea Tribe before.

With the corroboration of the black tea tribe, his identity cannot be faked.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing that he had fallen into the Red Tea Tribe, everyone present wore strange smiles.

The young people even covered their mouths to keep themselves from losing control and laughed unrestrainedly.

Hammons couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

"I know why you stole the food... It's your luck that it fell into the Red Tea Village; they are easygoing and friendly."

"It's your misfortune that you have such excellent cooking skills, but you ended up in a place where cooking skills are scarce. Your mouth and stomach must have been suffering these days, right?"

"To be honest, don't you think the food eaten by the Red Tea Tribe is a bit strange?"

It turns out that the other Leaf Elves also found the Red Tea Tribe eerie, and even felt sympathy for them upon hearing about it.

Why is that fragrant fermented bean curd wine able to be sold in the capital and seems to be very popular?
The cuttlefish maintained its tact.

"There are local delicacies with black tea, but they don't suit my taste. That's my problem, not theirs."

Hammons laughed.

The others present couldn't help but clap their hands.

"You're very good at talking."

"Nobody teases you like we do, kid."

"Hamons, I like this guy."

(End of this chapter)