CHAPTER 680: CHAPTER 679: ASSAULT

Another early departure and late return on this workday.

The deadline for ’School Festival’ booth applications was only the beginning of the Execution Committee’s work, and being busy was the main theme.

In the time since returning from Sapporo, while Xia’s Restaurant was still closed, Xia Yu spent her free time drawing comics, guiding students, and doing things apart from culinary research. She didn’t feel empty, making every day worthwhile.

In comparison, the path to becoming a Lin Chef for Xia Yu seemed much simpler; she only needed to accrue Talent Points.

Other chefs on their way to the Lin rank, like Jiang Liangzi Lina, who half a year ago was rumored to be on the verge of a breakthrough, have inexplicably retreated and gone silent over these past six months.

Xia Yu hadn’t seen Jiang Liangzi Lina for a while. Reportedly, she had gone to Shi Lin Temple for a retreat in hopes of breaking through, something Xia Yu really missed.

"Is this your little shop?"

Today, upon her return from Far Moon, Xia Yu was accompanied by an uncle.

As Jintan Shun entered the shop, he looked around, touched the tables and chairs, knocked on the doors and windows, and said with a tsk, "Not a bad little shop, filled with hidden depths, very much in line with the life philosophy of Chinese chefs."

Xia Yu had asked him to come because there were matters to discuss.

Since the return from Sapporo, the impact of the competition and the ensuing popularity were gradually decreasing.

Theorically, the "Jade Dragon Pot" should have attracted countless coveters showing their claws and teeth, but these days it had been unusually quiet, even Lin Giant Lei Zhe, who was the most active, just collaborated with manga artist Kubo Ryunosuke and then vanished.

Strangely enough, according to Zhu Qing, the mysterious leader of the Dark World, Yan Qi, seemed to have not returned to his country either, staying abroad with no specific whereabouts.

"Please sit—"

Handing a cup of tea to Jintan Shun, Xia Yu sat down too, "About the security plan for the ’School Festival’ period, we need to discuss it in detail."

When it came to serious matters, Jintan Shun’s expression grew somber, "We do need to talk about that. During the ’School Festival’, Far Moon Academy will be open to the general public, and conservatively speaking, we’re looking at traffic of several hundred thousand over five days, not to mention a sizable number of foreign visitors. With such a mixed crowd, if there are any coveters looking to make a move, the ’School Festival’ would be their best opportunity."

Xia Yu nodded.

These were precisely her worries.

Not to mention the "Jade Dragon Pot," the forbidden crops on the farm also needed tight protection. She was aware that the Rainbow Tree was about to bear another batch of fruits, and there was also the recently planted "Fertile Seed"...

Just as the two were about to delve into this topic, to their surprise, an unexpected visitor arrived without a sound.

Knock knock!

A gentle knocking at the door.

Xia Yu and Jintan Shun simultaneously turned their heads, their faces a mix of shock and horror when they saw who it was, only then they became aware of the person’s presence.

Jintan Shun even reflexively reached for the bulging leather pouch at his waist out of a sense of crisis.

"No need to be nervous!"

With a low chuckle, the visitor lifted his black hat and casually took off a black overcoat, hanging it over his arm.

"Mr. Yan, the senior!"

"Leader of the Dark World!"

Two exclamations.

"What’s the matter, not happy to see me?" Yan Qi had a gaunt face, and his physique was like that of scholars, quite frail, but his presence was as imposing as a pine or bamboo standing tall.

He didn’t resemble the boss of the Dark World so much as an old schoolmaster from a private school.

"Welcome—"

Xia Yu immediately stood up, showing respect to the Dragon Giant.

However, Jintan Shun remained tense throughout.

But Yan Qi’s eyes were only on the young Xia Yu, completely ignoring the Qilin Hunter as if he were thin air as he sat down near the bar, "Regarding the matter of the ’Jade Dragon Pot’, we need to have a good talk."

"Also, there’s another matter that’s more private..."

As he spoke, Yan Qi slightly narrowed his eyes, and finally gave Jintan Shun, who stood there, a meaningful glance.

"I’ll, I’ll go to the back yard and leave you to talk!"

Suddenly, Jintan Shun stood up, his face taut, and he strode quickly through the shop to the courtyard, stopping on the corridor. Coming back to his senses, he realized that his back was drenched in sweat.

Utter terror!

Swallowing hard, Jintan Shun thought to himself, "Just now, if he had any malice, I’m afraid I’d be dead for sure!"

He made a comparison.

At the Sapporo event, Yan Qi, attending as a guest, was simply a senior figure, but in private, the unmasked authority of the ruler of the Chinese Dark World was not something a Lin rank chef could easily withstand.

"If it were a culinary battle, in front of him, I’m afraid it would be hard to cook normally!"

He thought.

"Meow—"

There was a wary cry from beside him.

Looking down, he saw a plump, brightly-furred domestic cat poking its head out from behind a wooden pillar, baring its teeth at him fiercely.

"Ha, even you dare to be fierce with me?" Jintan Shun was a bit annoyed and embarrassed; he squatted down and reached out his hand as if to roughly pet and discipline the cat.

Swoosh!

His vision blurred, and unexpectedly, as a Qilin level Hunter, he was caught off guard. There was a slight coolness on his face. Jintan Shun was stunned for a moment, touched the cool spot with his finger, and looking down, he saw specks of blood on his fingertip.

Scratched by a cat?

Now the Hunter was truly enraged. He looked up, intending to capture the cat, but it flicked its tail at him and, with ease, leaped onto the eaves with the arranged clutter and disappeared.

Zhu Qing’s laughter came from behind him, and Jintan Shun was utterly embarrassed, covering his face.

...

Xia Yu and Yan Qi’s conversation lasted about half an hour.

He saw off the Dark World leader.

Soon after, Zhu Qing and Jintan Shun entered the shop.

"What did Mr. Yan talk to you about?" Zhu Qing asked curiously, with the honorific revealing her respect for this Dark World leader.

"Nothing much but the matter of cooking tools."

Xia Yu didn’t go into detail, withdrew his gaze from the door, but a hint of indistinct astonishment lingered in his eyes.

Zhu Qing noticed it and grew even more curious.

"However, at least one thing has been resolved—" Xia Yu revealed a genuinely refreshing smile, "I don’t have to worry about the shop all the time during the ’Academy Festival.’"

He winked at Zhu Qing, who lifted her chin in understanding.

"With Mr. Yan’s help, there shouldn’t be any problems!"

The security arrangements for the ’Academy Festival’ were very necessary for Xia Yu.

With Zhu Qing staying behind and Yan Qi covertly coordinating, they could ensure that ’Jade Dragon Pot’ would be secure without fail.

Then there was the farm; Jintan Shun wasn’t slacking off, as he had managed to integrate a group of retired Food Mercenaries.

Lastly, there was the Tiqie Mansion within the Far Moon Campus.

Xia Yu made a phone call and talked with the elder Tiqie Xianzuowen, leaving the mansion’s affairs for the Tiqie lineage to worry about.

In any case, this ’Academy Festival,’ closely following the Sapporo event, was bound to be anything but calm.

"If only the system could store legendary cooking tools," Xia Yu silently lamented.

The backpack, or the item slot space, could only hold system items. If real items could be placed inside, that would be incredible; he wouldn’t have to worry about this and that all the time, how leisurely it would be.

"System, do you have any high-tech space-folding items?"

"Ding, unable to find relevant content."

The cold response.

Xia Yu could only shrug; he had asked this more than once, "See!"

...

In a small, standalone building in Tokyo.

Lin Giant Lei Zhe, from the ’Food Dominator,’ flipped through the manga manuscript mailed over from Kubo Ryunosuke’s studio and nodded in satisfaction, "The setting is nearly identical to what we discussed. The ’Food Dominator’ route’s main character should be able to make a significant impact on the stagnant Japanese Food Industry, right?"

With his professional guidance and the manga artist’s own influence, the so-called waves could become more extensive and more majestic.

Don’t underestimate the impact of ’Food Dominator’ on traditional concepts.

Why had food-themed manga become dominant in this world? It was because it was well-received by the public and had a broad audience.

As long as it could spark conversation and debate, that was enough!

"This is just a vanguard’s clarion call." Lei Zhe’s mouth curled into a cold smile. The leader had been watching this closed and stubborn island for too long and finally decided to start a war.

Thud thud!

There was a knock on the door, and a woman entered the room, who moved like a female ninja in the darkness, and reported to Lei Zhe, "Your arrangements have been conveyed. The focus of our operation is the Far Moon School District, and several places for investigation will undergo surprise attacks!"

Lei Zhe clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it on the table with a bang.

"Remember, tracking down the ’Jade Dragon Pot’ is the focal point of this mission!"