I opened a restaurant in the Pokémon world.

However, none of this mattered to Hiss. Although Hiss was happy for a while after arriving in the Pokémon world, he later embarked on a miserable path of working odd jobs to pay off his debts. Now, Hiss had also lost the desire to play cards. After all, in his previous life, Hiss was not a card player, so he naturally didn't know anything about heavy trap decks, current ghost decks, forbidden cards, etc.

Of course, this is also related to the price of Pokémon trading cards. After all, playing Pokémon trading cards is quite expensive, and just collecting those cards is a difficult task.

“It’s a Pokémon card. I saw a black Flareon on it.” Zoroark thought for a moment and then gave a reply. Hiss’s lips twitched. Goodness, no wonder he has a hairstyle that looks like he’s good at playing cards. So he really is a card player.

I wonder what the card players in the Pokémon world are like?

Chapter 682 How much can a box of cards sell for?

"My turn! Doro!" Heath looked at the guest in front of him and couldn't help but think of some strange lines, which made Heath feel a little dumbfounded. He felt like he had really walked into the wrong movie set. After all, this guy's hairstyle was too much like a game. Heath even felt that the other person's face shape was somewhat similar to that of a game. Every time Heath looked up and saw this guest, he always had a subtle sense of being out of character.

However, Heath still prepared what the other person wanted to eat, which was a chicken and egg rice bowl. It has to be said that although the chicken and egg rice bowl sounds a bit strange, the method is actually very ordinary. It's just that the taste is hard to describe. Heath remembered that in his previous life, when he went to an internet cafe with his good friend, he once ordered a takeout. The takeout was called something like scrambled egg rice. But because the scrambled egg rice that Heath ordered had chicken in it, it was actually a different kind of chicken and egg rice bowl.

The texture was similar, with the thick egg yolks made into an omelet-like dish. Combined with chopped chicken pieces, the flavor became quite unique, leaving one speechless. However, Heath noticed that the customer seemed to enjoy the distinctive texture, and he could tell that the customer was very satisfied with the meal.

"As expected, entertaining guests always brings some surprises." Heath clicked his tongue. He really never expected to see such a unique guest in his food truck, with that strange hairstyle. No wonder he's a card player.

[You entertained Muto, and you received a box of unopened first-generation Pokémon Trading Cards.]

Heath was taken aback. Good heavens, this person's name really was Muto? Heath even considered going over to ask if this guest had a friend or family member named Yugi, and if that Yugi had a hidden brother, some kind of nameless pharaoh. But then Heath realized that his reward was also very strange: an unopened box of first-generation Pokémon cards? Why did he specifically emphasize that it was unopened?

Heath felt his pockets and, sure enough, there was nothing there. But thinking about it, it made sense. Although Heath hadn't played much with Pokémon cards, something called a "box" probably wasn't a small item. So, Heath found the unopened box of cards in his cabinet. Curious, he took it out and placed it on his counter. He had to admit that the box of cards looked very old. The box was slightly yellowed and had some faded marks, but it still had a good weight to it, and even the seal was intact.

"It's definitely unopened... but this thing... is the cheat code giving me this to hint that I should become a card player?" Heath stroked his chin. He was genuinely curious about what was inside this card set. Although Heath had played with Pokémon cards before, since Pokémon was his favorite game back then, all the Pokémon he had encountered were pirated, not genuine. Now, there was a genuine set in front of him, but he had only bought it to collect and had never actually played it. So, Heath wasn't really sure how to play the cards.

"Hmm? Excuse me... what is this... could it be the original Pokémon trading cards? Or is it still unopened?!" A surprised voice exclaimed. Heath could even see some unknown small fragments in front of him, which made Heath subconsciously take a step back. At the same time, Heath looked up and saw a starfish head. It was the card dealer named Muto.

"Ah...yes, is there something you need?" Heath picked up the card case on the counter and cautiously looked at the boy in front of him before asking. It wasn't that Heath was being overly cautious; after all, the boy named Muto's eyes were terrifying. Heath even felt that what the boy was holding wasn't a card case, but a bottle of water, and that the person standing in front of him wasn't Muto, but a desert traveler who was about to die of thirst.

As Heath confirmed it, Muto's breathing became much heavier. He gasped for breath and stared at the card case in Heath's hand with a very sinister look. This made Heath feel a lot of pressure, after all, the other man's gaze was really terrifying. Heath even wanted to put the card case away.

"Um...may I ask if this is part of your collection? Do you also play Pokémon cards? May I take a look?" Muto spoke rapidly, leaving Heath stunned. Goodness, he didn't even dare to touch it? This made Heath take another look at the box of cards in his arms. Could this thing be very valuable?

"Of course you can... but it's best not to break it or open it." Heath warned Muto, worried that Muto would eat the whole box of cards. If that happened, Heath would be in trouble. Heath also planned to check on his phone how much the box of cards was worth.

"Of course! You know, the last time these unopened first-generation Pokémon card boxes appeared in this world, they were auctioned off for a whopping three million League Coins!" Muto's voice changed. Heath glanced at Muto's table, where the oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl) was only half-eaten, but Muto was already eagerly pouncing on it. However, upon hearing Muto's words, Heath couldn't help but swallow hard. Good heavens, Heath exclaimed, good heavens, a box selling for a sky-high price of three million League Coins?

Although Hiss had never been in contact with Pokémon cards in this world, it was an information-based world, so he knew some things. He remembered that a new card box might only cost two or three thousand League Coins, but this old version of the card box had actually been auctioned off for such an amazing price.

Heath clicked his tongue. Three million! When Zoroark heard this number, he looked at the card box in Heath's hand with even more excitement. Heath felt that if he weren't still at work, Zoroark would have pounced on him and held the box in his hands.

"Should I sell it?" Heath hesitated for a moment. After all, he didn't play Pokémon cards and didn't want to be a card dealer. It would be better to sell it and buy more secret seasonings. That would be more cost-effective for Heath, the chef.

Chapter 683 Is this the world of the card dealers?

Heath looked at the card box in his hand, somewhat hesitant. Muto had just left reluctantly, and even took out his phone to take a picture after getting Heath's permission, which made Heath both amused and exasperated. However, Heath roughly understood how attractive this box of cards was to the card players in this world. But what troubled Heath was whether or not he should sell the box of cards in his hand.

Actually, when Heath saw the box of cards and Muto's crazy expression, he had some ideas. In Heath's opinion, keeping the box of cards wouldn't be very useful, but selling it would definitely add to Heath's savings and make him richer. Heath even thought of some promotional methods, such as allowing people to participate in a lottery by topping up a certain amount and accumulating a certain amount of spending at the restaurant, and if they won the lottery, they could exchange it for a pack of cards.

However, the problem is that Seath isn't a permanent resident of Vermilion City. He couldn't bring himself to do it this way, so he gave up on this potentially more lucrative method. In the end, Seath thought that auctioning might be a good option, but there were some issues with auctioning. Seath didn't know how much he could get for it. Although Muto had mentioned that the last time this card appeared, it sold for a whopping three million League Coins, that was actually done by a professional auction house, which is why it sold for so much. And how many Pokémon card collectors in Vermilion City have that kind of financial power?

Heath didn't know either, but he still thought auctioning was better. Although he might earn more if he broke the box apart and sold the card packs separately, the fact that the box was unopened increased its value.

"What a dilemma..." Heath put the card box back in the cabinet and closed the door. As soon as he straightened up, he saw Zoroark's eyes, which seemed to be glowing. Heath instinctively covered the cabinet door with his hand. He didn't even need to guess what Zoroark was thinking, staring at him so intently. After all, when Zoroark heard that this card box could sell for three million, his eyes were practically bulging with gold coins, thankfully not hearts.

"You... what are you trying to do if you don't entertain guests?" Heath asked, squinting at Zoroark. Zoroark smiled sheepishly and stared at him expectantly, blinking his big eyes. However, Heath was immune to this cute act. After all, although Zoroark's Betty was very realistic, Heath knew that underneath the suit was actually a dark fox with blue markings.

"There aren't many customers right now." Zoroark looked at Heath with a resentful expression. Three million! That's three million! If Zoroark had three million, she felt she could buy all the novels in the world and then stay home every day reading them.

"Who said that? That customer just took pictures. Although I haven't seen those customers yet, I can already foresee a bunch of card players about to enter the battlefield." Heath shrugged. What a joke. Look at Muto's appearance just now. Heath knew all too well that in this situation, Muto would definitely send messages in his card player group, posting things like "Seal Ball Space" or "Moments."

As we all know, card players are attracted to each other, and because of this, Muto's social circle must include many card players. It's hard to say what terrible things might happen. At the very least, Heath thinks that many card players won't let this opportunity pass and will definitely come to take a look. Perhaps some wealthy card players will even throw money at him to buy this precious box of cards.

This wasn't Heath dreaming; rather, it was something Heath considered very likely to happen after careful consideration.

"How could that be..." Zoroark still looked unconvinced, but then the wind chimes rang. Heath looked up and saw two guests rushing in excitedly. Their purpose was very clear: they were here for Heath. Heath's lips twitched. Goodness, these two men looked like they were very good at playing cards, especially one of them, who was wearing a shirt printed with "[20XX Kanto Region Pokémon Card Game Third Place]". If they weren't playing cards, Heath wouldn't believe it.

"Ahem... Gentlemen, what brings you here?" Hiss asked, feigning ignorance as she looked at the two guests before her. Zoroark, meanwhile, stared at Hiss in astonishment. She couldn't believe that her trainer was right—there really were card players here? This was terrifying! Was this the world of card players?

"Hello! Are you Mr. Heath, the collector who owns the first-generation unopened Pokémon Trading Card Box?" The man in the third-place uniform asked excitedly. Although the other man was a middle-aged man much older than Heath, Heath felt that the other man was looking at him as if he were looking at a beautiful young girl with an amazing figure and outstanding looks.

"Ah...yes." Heath's lips twitched, because in just a short while, three more card players had come in. Don't ask how Heath knew these people were card players, because the one in the lead was wearing the runner-up's uniform. This made Heath somewhat amused and exasperated. Good heavens, what's going on here? Is the champion about to take the stage?

"This is it! This place has the first generation Pokémon card case!" The noisy chatter interrupted the question from the customer in front of him, as another group of customers entered. Heath stroked his chin, pondering whether he should simply organize a "Heath Cup Pokémon Card Tournament." Collecting sponsorship fees and advertising revenue would seem perfectly normal, right?

"Are you selling your card case? I can buy it for the price of the last auction... no, a 10% premium!" the man asked excitedly. Heath was stunned. Good heavens, a 10% premium? 10% of three million? Three million three hundred thousand?

Heath couldn't help but gasp.

Chapter 684 The Epilogue of the Card Box

Heath had previously thought that although there were some wealthy people in the world, even if there were really rich people in Vermilion City, they probably wouldn't come over immediately. However, to Heath's surprise, on the very first day after he got the Pokémon card box, he encountered such a situation, and this customer even directly and simply said that he was willing to pay 3.3 million to buy Heath's card box, which shocked Heath.

"Three million three hundred thousand..." Zoroark swallowed hard, then licked its lips. It felt extremely regretful. If it had known that these game card boxes could sell for such a high price, Zoroark felt it should have given up on the foolish novel and turned to Pokémon cards that could make it rich. Who knows, it might have been lucky enough to draw some very rare cards and make a fortune?

Although these card boxes were worth 3.3 million, Zoroark felt that this was not the limit of Pokémon cards. After all, although Zoroark did not know much about Pokémon, she knew that even the same novel could be completely different depending on the publication time or the signature. For example, the book Zoroark bought, "My Gardevoir Has a Big Root," was more than a hundred times more expensive than a regular book because the author signed it.

“Um…” Heath looked at the customers in front of him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Before he could even speak, one customer had already raised the price to a full four million, leaving Heath speechless. Four million! Even in a place like Vermilion City where land is incredibly valuable, four million is no small sum. If this were Pallet Town, Heath could easily become the richest man there…

No, thinking you can be the richest person in Pallet Town with only four million is a bit too arrogant. After all, Professor Oak hasn't said anything yet. Although Professor Oak may seem like just a Pokémon professor who gives newcomers Pokédex entries, he actually holds a very high position in the Kanto region and has a considerable amount of wealth. His research lab alone is worth a lot of money.

However, four million is not a small amount. In fact, many people could never earn that much money in their entire lives. Heath knew that in the Kanto region, some professions only paid three or four thousand dollars a month. Even if they didn't eat or drink, they could only save thirty or forty thousand dollars a year. So for these people, four million was an astronomical figure. It would take them more than a hundred years to save that much money without eating or drinking.

Furthermore, Heath noticed that as news spread that he had a set of unopened starter Pokémon card boxes, his place became increasingly crowded. Even though Heath had expanded his restaurant twice, it was still getting crowded. Moreover, the price of Heath's Pokémon card boxes was skyrocketing. Even though Heath himself hadn't expressed any intention to sell them, various reasons led people to mistakenly believe that Heath was planning to auction off his card boxes.

"Please be quiet!" Heath was exasperated. He could only shout to quiet the restless card players. Then, Heath quickly explained his thoughts. For a chef like him, these Pokémon card boxes were indeed useless, and he didn't plan to get into Pokémon cards. So, Heath did intend to get rid of these cards. However, to avoid any trouble, Heath decided to entrust the card box to the auction house in Vermilion City.

Upon hearing Heath's words, everyone immediately quieted down. However, they then began lining up to admire Heath's card case, and Heath agreed. To avoid any loss of his property, Heath took precautions. Even so, by the time Heath's food cart finally quieted down, it was already past 2 p.m.

"...I feel like my business for today is already halfway done before it even starts." Heath held his phone and then lay wearily back in his chair. He had to admit that the reward he received this time was incredibly exciting. Although it was of no use to Heath, it still brought him a huge surprise.

Hiss admitted that he had underestimated the surprise his card box would bring. For those card collectors, this card box was simply the best treasure. Moreover, in a way, there were really a lot of rich people in Vermilion City. When Hiss called for silence, the price had already soared to five million League Coins, which was about the same price that a big spender in the Sinnoh region had offered him. After Hiss announced the auction, some card collectors were still unwilling to give up and came over to whisper to Hiss, trying to make an evil deal.

Heath admitted he almost gave in, because these people were offering so much money that he wondered if they had lost their minds. Although it might sound a bit extreme, Heath really couldn't understand why anyone would be willing to pay six million for such a card case.

"My Arceus... Is there something wrong with this world, or with me?" Zoroark looked utterly bewildered. Six million! Six million! If Zoroark had received that, it felt like it could never work again, but it never expected the trainer to refuse!

"It's not that you're the problem, Zoroark, it's just that you know nothing about the happiness of the rich." Heath looked at his phone. He had just checked and found that the dealer who bought that card box had opened a lot of rare cards, so he made some money. That's why these people were willing to pay more, right?

Moreover, the last time such a card box appeared was ten years ago. In the past ten years, no other extra card boxes have appeared, so its rarity makes it valuable.

Heath stretched. He had just contacted an auction house in Fallen Leaf City on his phone. All he had to do next was hand over the card case to them, and then he would be free to continue entertaining his guests. As for the money earned from the auction, the auction house would pay Heath the entire amount after taking a 1% commission.

Actually, the transaction fee wasn't originally that low, but because Hiss's card case is very special, it received a fee discount from the league, which is quite a good deal, and Hiss can save some money.

Chapter 685 This is what a real man is like!

After entrusting his card box to the staff of the League Auction House, Hiss's food truck returned to its usual tranquility. Although some latecomers still came by word of mouth, after Zoroark's friendly explanation, who was trembling with envy, they learned where the card box had gone. Some of them left immediately, but some stayed, intending to have a meal in this food truck with the unopened card box of the starter Pokémon.

Heath also learned that these poker players who arrived late were all from out of town who had come directly from other places by various means of transportation after seeing the news online. Heath even wondered if poker players from other regions might have come here. Thinking about it carefully, it didn't seem impossible, and if the league's publicity was effective, then this possibility was inevitable.

"Trainer, that customer wants a super, super spicy rice bowl. Do we have any?" Zoroark walked over, and at the same time, Hiss heard Zoroark's telepathic message to him. Hiss was stunned for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. Goodness, after so long, Hiss had encountered another customer who loved spicy food. However, to avoid the possibility of the customer trying to commit suicide in his food cart, Hiss glanced at the customer and then saw a girl.

Hmm, the other person also seemed to be a very skilled card player. Heath even noticed a unique badge pinned to her chest. Having previously researched card players, Heath now understood what that badge represented. It meant that this girl was the Pokémon Card Game Champion of the Kanto region. In other words, Heath was sitting in front of a champion-level figure. Although the other person was actually just a card game champion, she was still a champion. A champion is not just any title.

Favorite flavor: Spicy

Disliked taste: Sweet

[Food that causes allergies: Sea bream]

[Requirements for the food: It must be extremely spicy, the spicier the better!]

Heath nodded. It seemed that although the champion was a girl, she really wanted to eat something very spicy. Heath just needed to be careful not to serve this guest sea bream. Although Heath had sea bream, it wasn't necessary to use it for making rice bowls.

“Yes, but you’ll need to have that guest sign a waiver first.” Heath expertly pulled out a waiver and handed it to Zoroark. Zoroark took it curiously and glanced at it. This was the first time she’d ever heard of signing a waiver for a meal. What was going on? Surely a meal couldn’t be life-threatening, could it?

However, Zoroark was still stunned when she looked at the waiver in her hand. The waiver stated that "any problems caused by consuming the food of this restaurant shall be borne by the individual and shall not be related to the restaurant." It even included various legal provisions in great detail. This made Zoroark look at Heath with a strange expression. She now suspected that Heath was planning to serve the girl some dish laced with a mysterious drug.

"What are you thinking? I just don't want that customer to end up in the hospital because of what he ate, and then come looking for trouble with me." Heath couldn't help but roll her eyes. Zoroark, that guy, he could read all her thoughts.

Zoroark awkwardly stuck out his tongue, then took the form and went over. The girl, after seeing such a unique disclaimer, couldn't help but become interested and signed her name without hesitation. Heath even went up to the girl to confirm with her, and then Heath received the reply, "I want very, very spicy food."

"Okay, please wait a moment." Heath calmly returned to her kitchen. As a chef, since the customer was so certain, Heath naturally wouldn't do anything else to interfere with her choice. Heath's idea was to satisfy the customer's taste and bring her happiness!

A very, very spicy rice bowl. Speaking of this, Heath thought of the hot pot chili he had made before. After all, among natural chilies, the spiciness of the hot pot chili surpasses that of the ghost pepper in Heath's opinion. But this time, Heath does not plan to make the hot pot chili. He plans to make a manly rice bowl!

The "Manly Rice Bowl" gets its name from its unusual nature. Heath believed that only true men could finish it, hence the strange name. The preparation method is remarkably simple: mix various chili peppers together, chop them finely, stir-fry them, add chili oil and other chili peppers, and then pour it over a large bowl of rice. Nothing else is added—not even garlic. It's purely a spicy rice bowl, and even a single bite is an intense torment for the mouth and stomach. Heath created this unique rice bowl out of his twisted sense of humor, but he never actually served it.

But looking at the card-playing champion in front of him, Heath felt that this "Manly Rice Bowl" might be ready to be served.

Before that, Heath first opened his lid... no, he turned on his range hood. Naturally, Heath's food cart had a range hood, but since Heath's food cart was a creation of the system, Heath didn't usually use it. After all, even if Heath was cooking in the kitchen, the guests outside wouldn't smell any odors. Heath could even selectively let the odors he wanted to waft out, while other odors would be filtered out.

However, since Heath was making such an unusual dish as a "manly rice bowl," he turned on the range hood. Otherwise, the peculiar smell of chili peppers would soon fill his nostrils, and Heath would experience true despair. It would be a miracle if he didn't sneeze countless times from his choked nose.

"I have a really bad feeling about this." Zoroark glanced at the focused Heath. Although there was no strange smell in the kitchen, Zoroark knew from Farfetch'd's pained expression that his trainer was probably inventing something incredible.

"Oh! It smells like chili peppers!" The champion's nose was surprisingly sensitive, and Heath couldn't help but glance at him after hearing it.

Chapter 686 Super Spicy Food

"This nose is really too sensitive. I even wondered if there was something wrong with my cheat system?" Heath clicked his tongue and looked at the champion lady with some surprise. You know, Heath had turned on the range hood to avoid disturbing other guests, and Heath's kitchen had some ability to isolate smells, but the champion could still smell it?

However, if you can smell it, you can smell it. Although Heath was a little surprised, he didn't say much and continued to process the chili peppers in his hands. To make a Manly Rice Bowl, you need a lot of different kinds of chili peppers. Heath used bird's eye chilies, small red chilies, red chilies and other chili peppers with very strong flavors. At the same time, in order to increase the spiciness of the Manly Rice Bowl, Heath even took out a ghost pepper, chopped it in half and added it in.

Next, heat the oil over high heat. Once the oil is almost hot, turn the heat down to low to maintain the temperature, and then pour in all the chili peppers. Before pouring in the chili peppers, Heath quietly put on a mask. Although it didn't offer much protection, it was still somewhat useful. Even so, Heath still smelled a strong, pungent odor.

Although people generally categorize spiciness as a flavor, it is actually a sensation of pain rather than a taste. Therefore, if you touch your eyes after touching chili peppers with your hands, it is a very painful and dangerous thing.

"Phew... Next, it's time to pour in the chili oil..." Heath swallowed hard. He took out his tin can and poured in some chili oil. Chili oil is a special kind of chili from the Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan regions. It usually needs to be prepared in advance by the chef. You can guess what kind of chili it is from its name. It's oil with stir-fried chilies, but the chilies are usually just a red patch, and you can't see the shape of the chilies themselves. The taste is naturally amazing. Moreover, chili oil has another very powerful feature.

That is, chili oil has different characteristics depending on the chili peppers used by the chef. For example, some chili oil is very spicy, while other times it is very fragrant but not spicy. It can only be said that chili oil can produce some subtle changes based on the chef's personal experience and the selection of chili peppers. It is a very magical chili oil, and it is very popular. You can see chili oil in breakfast shops in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan. Sometimes, a shop will attract a lot of customers because its chili oil tastes so good.

After pouring in the chili oil, the aroma of the pot of chili in front of him became even stronger. Heath couldn't help but squint his eyes, otherwise his eyes wouldn't be able to withstand the smell of the chili. Then Heath turned off the heat and poured all the stir-fried chili over the steaming rice while it was still hot. He also took out a pickled pepper from his jar and placed it on top. In this way, a steaming bowl of manly rice that looked so delicious that it made people drool was ready.

Looking at his creation, Heath nodded in satisfaction. This "Manly Rice Bowl" was so good that anyone who could eat even one bite could be called a warrior. Heath would give a thumbs up to anyone who could finish it. Of course, if the customer was not particularly good at eating spicy food and insisted on having it spicy, Heath would not serve such a forbidden dish. After all, eating too much spicy food can have a very negative impact on the stomach and intestines.

Heath remembered a man in his past life who was incredibly good at eating spicy food and called himself the "King of Spicy Food in China." He had challenged many world records and was considered the pinnacle of spicy food consumption in China. However, even the King of Spicy Food eventually developed gastrointestinal problems due to eating too much chili and had to give up eating spicy food. This shows that even some gifted people cannot eat extremely spicy food all the time. No one knows when chili will become the last straw that breaks the camel's back, causing a person's digestive system to completely collapse.

Gastrointestinal diseases are chronic illnesses, and these diseases can be extremely painful.

"Zoroark, come and get the food." Heath wiped his hands and called out. He still needed to stay in the kitchen to wash his pots and pans. After all, he had cooked Man's Rice Bowl, and if he didn't wash the pots and pans, the food he made later would have a spicy taste, which would greatly affect the guests' appetite. This was a terrible thing, and in the culinary world, it was called "passing off flavor".

In fact, most chefs who pay attention to detail are very careful about the issue of flavor transfer. It's not just the wok that can transfer flavors; even the knife and cutting board can. So, chefs usually clean their utensils after cooking to minimize the possibility of flavor transfer. I've even heard that some very particular chefs, or perhaps to build their image and create hype, will replace all their utensils with new ones after cooking a dish.

This left Heath speechless for a moment. It was indeed wasteful, but it was also a matter of respect for the diners. The problem was that cleaning it would have made no difference.

"Oh my god... Is this really edible?" Zoroark stared into thought as he looked at the Manly Rice Bowl in front of him. Just walking over there, Zoroark's whole body was resisting this food that looked so cruel, let alone carrying it. But in order to entertain his guest, Zoroark suppressed the urge to sneeze, and then carried the Manly Rice Bowl to the girl as quickly as possible, putting the Manly Rice Bowl down.