Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

After putting away the meteorite ore, Haruto poured himself a cup of tea and leaned beside the window, sipping it slowly as he watched the bustling street below.

His thoughts, however, were already turning toward what he should do next.

The entire reason he had begun challenging famous restaurants in the first place was to qualify for the Super Chef Examination. Now that he had accomplished that goal, there was naturally no need to keep going from restaurant to restaurant.

The problem was that there was still another month before the examination officially began.

A month was not particularly long. If he left Guangzhou to travel elsewhere, the journey there and back alone could consume a large portion of that time. Missing the Super Chef Examination because of some unnecessary trip would be completely counterproductive.

At the same time, a month was hardly short enough to spend sitting around an inn doing nothing.

After thinking it over for quite a while, Haruto came up with an idea.

He would spend some time learning at Yangquan Restaurant.

Guangzhou had no shortage of famous establishments, but Yangquan was unquestionably among the very best.

More importantly, Mao was there.

Mao possessed frightening culinary talent and creativity, always managing to take the most ordinary ingredients and transform them into dishes that overturned everyone’s expectations.

Haruto was especially curious about one thing.

If he handed Mao some of the ingredients he had collected from other worlds, just what kind of dishes would that kid create with them?

Besides, spending the month before the examination exchanging ideas and sharpening his skills in one of Guangzhou’s finest restaurants could only benefit him. Whether for the upcoming Super Chef Examination or for his culinary path in the future, there was practically no downside.

With his decision made, Haruto arrived at Yangquan Restaurant the very next day.

The polished wooden sign above the entrance bore the four bold characters of the restaurant’s name.

From the kitchen came the steady rhythm of knives against cutting boards, the crisp clang of iron woks touching the edges of stoves, and the rush of pans being tossed over roaring flames. Ingredients hitting hot oil added bursts of sizzling sound, weaving together into the liveliest kind of morning music.

Haruto entered the dining hall, chose an empty table beside the window, and leisurely ordered an entire spread of Yangquan’s signature dishes.

Old-Well Roast Goose with crisp skin and tender meat.

Dry-Fried Beef Ho Fun filled with wok hei.

And several other specialties besides.

Once Haruto finished ordering, the server was just about to take the order to the kitchen when he happened to look up and finally got a clear look at Haruto’s face.

His eyes immediately widened.

He recognized him.

Over the past several weeks, there was hardly anyone in Guangzhou’s culinary world who had not heard Haruto’s name.

He had single-handedly challenged more than a dozen of the city’s most renowned old establishments without suffering a single defeat.

Then he had made another major impression at the Dumpling Contest.

The server himself had been helping at Yangquan’s stall that day, so there was no chance he would mistake Haruto for someone else.

Snapping back to his senses, the man spun around and hurried toward the kitchen so quickly that he nearly tripped over his own feet.

Inside, Zhou Yu stood beside a cutting board, supervising Mao as the boy practiced his knife work.

His right arm was still wrapped in bandages. The injury he had suffered when the Dumpling Brothers ambushed him had not yet completely healed.

Meili sat nearby on a small stool, carefully removing the old leaves from a basket of choy sum. Every so often, she glanced up at Mao and quietly encouraged him.

"Master Zhou Yu! Master Zhou Yu!"

The server rushed into the kitchen.

"There’s an important guest out front! It’s Haruto—the Traveling Chef who’s been challenging all those famous restaurants around Guangzhou!"

The rhythmic sound of Zhou Yu’s instruction stopped.

His expression remained composed, but after a brief moment of thought, he nodded.

"I’ll go meet him."

"Haruto-san?"

Mao’s kitchen knife stopped against the cutting board, and his eyes immediately brightened.

"Dad! I’m coming too!"

Meili sprang up from her stool, brushed the vegetable leaves from her hands, and hurried over to Zhou Yu.

The three of them left the kitchen together.

The moment they entered the dining hall, they spotted Haruto sitting beside the window and looking out at the street.

Hearing their footsteps, Haruto turned around.

When he saw them, he smiled and rose from his seat.

Before Zhou Yu could say anything, Meili stepped forward and blurted out the question already on her mind.

"Haruto-san, are you here to challenge my dad?"

There was an unmistakable trace of nervousness in her voice.

Haruto’s recent record was simply too impressive, and Zhou Yu was still injured.

Haruto waved a hand.

"No. I only challenged all those restaurants because I needed a recommendation for the Super Chef Examination."

"I’ve already secured my qualification, so there’s no reason to continue challenging people."

Of course, even if he had not qualified yet, Haruto would never have challenged Zhou Yu under these circumstances.

The man’s right arm was still seriously injured and needed rest.

Taking advantage of someone in that condition would make any victory meaningless and earn nothing but contempt from the entire culinary community.

Haruto had no interest in doing something that cheap.

"Haruto-san, you’re entering the Super Chef Examination too?!"

Mao stepped forward in surprise, his fingers tightening unconsciously.

The thought of competing on the same stage as someone like Haruto immediately placed a heavy pressure on him.

Yet almost as quickly, that pressure transformed into an even stronger desire to give the examination everything he had.

Seeing the light ignite in Mao’s eyes, Haruto smiled.

"Yeah. We’ll see each other there."

"Let’s both do our best."

"Right!"

Mao nodded firmly.

Most of his nervousness disappeared, replaced by pure fighting spirit.

"I’ll give it everything I’ve got! I definitely won’t lose to you, Haruto-san!"

Zhou Yu watched their exchange quietly.

His gaze settled on Haruto with a mixture of scrutiny and curiosity.

He knew perfectly well that Haruto would not visit Yangquan Restaurant for no reason simply to eat a meal.

Once the two younger chefs had finished talking, Zhou Yu finally asked,

"If you aren’t here to issue a challenge, then what brings you to Yangquan today?"

Haruto turned toward him and cupped his hands respectfully.

"To be honest, Master Zhou Yu, I came hoping to ask a favor."

"During the time before the Super Chef Examination begins, I’d like to stay at Yangquan Restaurant and exchange techniques with everyone here—especially Mao—while continuing to sharpen my own skills."

He paused before adding sincerely,

"Yangquan is one of Guangzhou’s finest restaurants. Having the chance to learn and exchange ideas here would be extremely valuable to me."

Of course, the biggest reason was still Mao himself.

Haruto was simply too curious.

He wanted to see what kind of creativity Mao would unleash once he encountered ingredients from Haruto’s other worlds, and what sort of astonishing dishes he might produce from them.

Zhou Yu studied Haruto carefully for a long moment.

The sincerity in his eyes was obvious.

There was no provocation and no sign that he was trying to exploit the restaurant for his own advantage.

That gave Zhou Yu pause.

Haruto’s culinary skill was already extraordinarily advanced.

If someone at his level was genuinely willing to stay at Yangquan and exchange ideas with the kitchen staff, it would not cause trouble for the restaurant at all.

Quite the opposite.

His presence could become an excellent source of motivation and learning for everyone in the kitchen—especially Mao.

Living and working alongside a rival of this caliber, exchanging techniques and testing ideas against one another, could teach more than half a year of isolated practice.

After considering it for a moment, Zhou Yu nodded.

"I understand."

"If you don’t think Yangquan Restaurant is too small for you, then naturally, you’re more than welcome to stay."

"That’s great!"

The moment Zhou Yu agreed, Meili jumped in excitement and grabbed Mao’s arm, shaking it repeatedly.

Mao was equally delighted, though for a different reason.

He was already thinking about all the cooking techniques he could ask Haruto about.

"Then I’ll be in everyone’s care for the next month."

Haruto once again cupped his hands respectfully toward Zhou Yu.

Since he had already decided to exchange ideas and learn from the restaurant, Haruto saw no reason to delay.

He would begin today.

Before that, however, he still intended to finish the entire table of food he had ordered.

After eating his fill, Haruto finally entered Yangquan’s kitchen.

The workspace was exceptionally well organized.

Raw and cooked ingredients, meat and vegetables, were all separated and arranged neatly in their designated areas. Cutting boards and iron woks had been scrubbed until they practically shone.

Zhou Yu had already informed the kitchen staff, so everyone was mentally prepared for Haruto’s arrival.

Yet rather than immediately reaching for a wok or taking over one of the stoves, Haruto walked toward the preparation area instead.

He picked up a basket of vegetables and smiled at the kitchen assistant responsible for sorting them.

"Count me in for today’s prep work."

Everyone in the kitchen paused.

Haruto, however, behaved as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

He knew almost nothing about how Yangquan’s kitchen operated.

Charging straight in and interfering with their workflow would only cause problems.

What he needed to do first was observe.

Haruto picked up a handful of choy sum from the basket.

His fingers moved quickly.

In only moments, every old leaf and tough stem had been removed cleanly, leaving behind nothing but the most tender hearts.

The nearby kitchen assistant stared at him in disbelief.

He had already heard that Haruto was an extraordinary chef.

What he had not expected was for even something as basic as sorting vegetables to be executed with such ridiculous precision.

Just how many years of picking vegetables did someone have to do to get that good?

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