Chapter 594: Chapter 593: Doorstep Visit

“Hey, what did you just plant?”

While speaking, the girl with smoky makeup turned her head to look at the shelves inside the glass wall, where several flowerpots were placed, the sunlight casting down, making the freshly watered black soil shimmer oddly.

Alerted by the girl’s question, everyone else also remembered the seeds Xia Yu had sown.

“Black seeds?”

The people present were either chefs or research elites, recalling the outline of the black seeds in their minds, they too became curious.

Besides.

The fact that they were planted in the same core area as the fantastical Rainbow Trees also suggested the extraordinariness of the black seeds from another perspective.

“Are you talking about this?”

Xia Yu opened his hand and there, in the palm of his hand, was a black seed presented in everyone’s view.

Cecilia’s pupils shrank.

“This is…”

She vaguely recognized the seed and was about to lean in for a closer look when Xia Yu closed his hand and casually pocketed the seed, smiling slightly, “This is another core product from Xia’s Farm, which I cannot disclose at the moment. Please look forward to it!”

“Let me see it!”

The girl commanded in an unquestionable tone.

“Cecilia!”

Professor Luther scolded, “Chef Xia is a star chef that even your brother should treat with courtesy! Mind your language and behavior!”

Upon hearing this, the girl’s meticulously groomed eyebrows knotted together, and she retreated unwillingly.

It seemed that bringing up her brother had a significant deterrent effect on the girl.

Ichise Hui was assigned to entertain the Chiben sisters and Takai Masashi, while Xia Yu met Professor Luther and Shinohara Shigetaro in another office.

The rest of the researchers were allowed to tour freely, as the farm was equipped with comprehensive surveillance cameras, and with the observation of security and guards, there was no need to worry about any spies.

Besides, Xia’s Farm didn’t have any research materials worth stealing.

…

Pouring tea for the distinguished guests, Xia Yu placed the cups, from which a wispy tea aroma wafted, on the table.

“Please enjoy—”

Xia Yu smiled, “I heard IGO has quite a few fantastical tea tree seeds. In a while, once the farm expands, I plan to create a special tea plantation area to grow tea trees, and then I’ll be able to offer high-quality tea to our guests.”

Professor Luther and Shinohara looked at each other.

“Chef Xia, it seems you have a grand blueprint for the farm in your heart,” Professor Luther inhaled deeply.

Shinohara Shigetaro also couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration upon watching the spirited young man.

Previously, he had doubts about the development of Xia’s Farm, but now, seeing the reactions of the crowd from the IGO headquarters research institute, Shinohara Shigetaro realized that the golden signboard of ‘Xia’s Farm’ was probably already starting to hang.

“Chef Xia, would you be interested in exchanging research fields with our IGO research institute?”

Professor Luther asked.

“You’re probably after the cultivation data for the Rainbow Trees, aren’t you, Professor Luther?” Xia Yu teased, not shy about uncovering Luther’s little thoughts, “Actually, the chief researcher of our Xia organization is someone else who is currently working on a new project. I will convey Professor Luther’s intentions about an exchange—”

Professor Luther nodded silently.

To say that Xia Yu was the researcher cultivating ‘Rainbow Trees,’ he couldn’t believe it at all.

After all, Xia Yu was too young; he leaned towards the idea that the Xia organization had formed a close collaboration with a genius researcher.

“Could you reveal a little bit about his identity?” Professor Luther knew it was inappropriate but couldn’t contain his curiosity, “I’m familiar with the vast majority of advanced researchers worldwide. They are either registered with IGO or work for the ‘Gourmet Club.’ There are elites in the wild, but they are too rare…”

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu simply kept sipping his tea slowly, as if he hadn’t heard.

Stymied, Professor Luther had no choice but to sigh in regret.

The three of them continued to chat idly about the farm.

Apart from the Rainbow Tree, Luther raised doubts about many of the crops on the farm. When Xia Yu had first developed the farm, he had bought books to cram in a lot of knowledge, especially after the Indra Moon Orange made a name for itself, he specifically filled the gaps in his research field.

Xia Yu responded meticulously to the questions he knew the answers to, and simply smiled away the ones he did not.

An hour later, at noon, Xia Yu and Shinohara saw the inspection team off.

At the farm’s entrance.

As the researchers boarded the bus one after another, Shinohara whispered, “The IGO headquarters research institute isn’t completely clean either. There could be spies placed by other organizations inside, so the news of Xia’s Farm successfully cultivating the Rainbow Tree might soon spread. I suggest you hire more guards.”

“Additionally, you should communicate with Dojima Yin and Chief Tiqie about this. After all, this area is part of the Far Moon District, and it will be easier to carry out security and defense work with their assistance.”

Xia Yu nodded.

Retired Food Mercenaries were elite, but he still felt they were not completely reliable.

If he could recruit a few more powerful Hunters who had awakened their gourmet cells, the security and defense of Xia’s Farm could be said to be preliminarily solidified without him having to worry too much.

As for how to recruit Gourmet Hunters…

Ingredients, far more useful than money!

After sending Shinohara and the inspection team away, he handed all the excess farm work to Ichise Hui.

Nowadays, Ichise Hui was indeed a proper and capable general under his command. Of course, besides offering a generous salary to attract such a capable Totsuki alumnus, there was also another private agreement with Xia Yu.

Coming out of the farm’s asphalt road.

Xia Yu stood at the roadside and looked ahead; the undulating buildings of the Tiqie Mansion were faintly visible on the other side of the mountain.

Looking back, there were the Far Moon teaching area, the dormitories, and the activity buildings of the various associations.

He planned to pay a visit to Old Man Tiqie.

It was time for him to personally express his gratitude. After all, the establishment of his and Tiqie Ji’s shokugeki could not have been accomplished without Old Man Tiqie’s strong support behind the scenes, and throwing that 5% stake as a gambling chip showed the old man’s boldness.

Moreover, this was also a visit by a new director of the Far Moon Kingdom to the leadership.

A quarter hour later.

“Hahaha…”

The maid reported that Tiqie Xianzuowen came out with his butler to personally welcome him at the entrance.

Old Man Tiqie, dressed in a kimono, looked sprightly and had a rosy complexion.

He had ample reason to thank Xia Yu.

Xia Yu won, Tiqie Ji lost; it seemed like just a shokugeki with staggering stakes on the surface, but behind it, it was tied to the turmoil within the Far Moon Board of Directors as well as the granddaughter whom the old man cared about most.

With one victory, Xia Yu took over 10% of the stock from Tiqie Ji’s hands, which meant that two giants from the Tiqie Ji faction of the board would step off the historical stage.

And Eriina, the Divine Tongue, had been redeemed.

“Haha, come—”

Without further ado, Xianzuowen grabbed Xia Yu’s arm, showing great warmth.

Along the way, it wasn’t just the old butler who treated him well; the servants they encountered looked at him with a kindness as if he were their own young master, making Xia Yu feel somewhat uncomfortable with a sense of being trapped.

This time, they hosted him in the main hall, not the tea house. This was where the Tiqie Family usually resided, and the attentiveness of the hosting details reflected the host’s attitude.

Xianzuowen personally poured tea for him.

Even more so, he waved his hand to let the butler and servants withdraw, and Old Man Tiqie seriously knelt and bowed to Xia Yu.

“Eriina, you’ve taken a lot of trouble.”

That honorific made Xia Yu choke on his tea, feeling very uncomfortable inside.

“Could the General please not do this?”

Waving his hand.

Patting his chest to catch his breath, Xia Yu smiled and said, “Eriina is a seedling I have great hopes for!”

He put forth his instructor status in his words again.

Xianzuowen just chuckled, “A good seedling also needs care and irrigation.”