CHAPTER 777: CHAPTER 776: GRAND BANQUET

Xia Yu’s imminent return to his home country had sprouted wings and, before nightfall, reached the ears of elite figures like Senzawaeimon and Shinohara Shigetaro.

Even the ’Surgeon’ Karl Wise Man, who had recently been on a friendly visit to the Japan Realm, had heard whispers of it.

"Are you sure?"

IGO’s Neon Department, Minister Shinohara stood by the office’s floor-to-ceiling windows, his whole figure ignited by the bright setting sun, as he listened to Aoki Motota’s report with mixed emotions.

"One hundred percent sure. Do you want me to go back now and hand you the checklist of his culinary tools for your review, or should I stay here temporarily?"

After a moment of contemplation, Shinohara chuckled, "You just stay there for now; no hurry to come back!"

The other end of the line breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good!"

"Minister, I have a matter to discuss..."

"Shh! I understand!"

Shinohara revealed a knowing smile, "You go tell him I’ll invite a bunch of good friends over for a farewell dinner."

"Heh heh heh, getting to charge him for one last meal isn’t too bad!"

Hearing Aoki’s triumphant, demonic laughter, Shinohara just shook his head. After hanging up, he turned to call on the intercom, summoning the female head of the department, Reiko Liangzi, to the office without her knowing the reason.

"Come, let’s pay a visit to Karl Wise Man." Shinohara took a black hat from the coat rack, draped on a black wool coat, once again donning the classic detective garb he wore when he first met Xia Yu and ate ramen together.

The ’Surgeon,’ one of the three IGO bigwigs, Karl, was staying in the living quarters of the Neon Department.

His room, located on the top floor of the living quarters, was usually off-limits to outsiders, with only maintenance and cleaning staff allowed entry.

Knock knock!

Just as he knocked, a middle-aged man with the demeanor of a chief physician opened the door.

However, Shinohara had no intention of entering, standing at the doorway, smiling, "Karl Wise Man, I wonder if you’ve had your dinner yet?"

This was a clear dinner invitation, and Karl smiled too: "Minister Shinohara, do you have any good places to recommend?"

"Of course!"

Shinohara winked, "Speaking of which, since the Sapporo competition, you’ve only had Chef Xia’s classic dishes once, and there hasn’t been a second chance, has there? Tomorrow you’ll be taking a private jet to attend the Talent Hunt in Zhonghua Shanghai..."

Before he could finish, the renowned Sage turned to grab a coat from inside the room and came out, "Let’s go, let’s go!"

Urged Karl.

"I almost forgot; after stopping a few days in the Japan Realm and celebrating Christmas, I nearly missed another chance to taste Chef Xia’s classic dishes!"

The three were in the elevator.

The female head threw a questioning look at Shinohara, who only held a barely discernible smile on his lips.

After all, the sole scion of the Xia family was also returning home, a consummate artist.

The care and trust Mr. Xia had once placed in him, and having witnessed almost up close the Xia heir’s meteoric rise like a comet, Shinohara felt a surge of excitement within him.

Would it be a tiger descending the mountain, or a dragon emerging from the abyss?

Hmm.

It seemed to be the same thing. Shinohara also believed that the Xia scion staying in the stagnant Japan Realm would not be able to uncover the essence of the Dragon in the coming years.

Only by going to the vast and powerful Chinese Realm, confronting heroes head-on, and sparking all latent potential, could the Xia heir possibly maintain an incredible rate of ascension and open once more the doors of culinary art guarded by the Divine Dragon!

Shinohara was excited for precisely this reason.

He wanted to see how this tiger’s roar would shock the Chinese Realm.

Moreover, another keen anticipation was hidden deep in his heart, and Shinohara found himself murmuring, "...Can he catch up to the footsteps of those great figures of the past? Another Young Dragon Chef after a hundred years..."

The thought alone was enough to send one’s blood boiling.

Just as Shinohara set out, at the Tiqie Mansion.

"I don’t want to go!"

Listening to Senzawaeimon, declaring to visit Xia’s Shop for dinner, a still-angry Alice raised her voice.

Tiqie Zongwei and Leonora exchanged helpless looks.

Senzawaeimon stood by the car door, cool as ever without turning back, "You better think this through, if you don’t go this time, you might not see Instructor Xia for the next few months, or even a year!"

Upon hearing this, Alice’s face showed a mix of shock and change.

But being straightforward by nature, if it had been Eriina, she would’ve certainly stormed back to her room to sulk. Alice, still angry, quickly climbed into the backseat of the car.

Polar Star Dormitory.

"Ding-ding, ding-ding..."

The dormitory’s phone started ringing, and Tanaka Hikari, wrapped in a bath towel, had just emerged from the public bath and picked up the phone on her way by.

"Ah!"

Upon hearing the invitation on the other end, Tanaka Hikari stuttered in response, "Kn-know, got it, I will tell them!"

Soon, the Polar Star dorm mates gathered.

It was good that the winter break was quite brief, and everyone was still in the dormitory, all accounted for. Ichise Hui, the dorm leader, smiled at everyone and said, "I’ve called the campus shuttle bus, just wait a moment."

Xingping Chuangzhen unexpectedly spoke out, "Senior Ichise, can you tell us why the instructor is suddenly hosting a banquet?"

Ichise Hui shrugged, "When you get there, you’ll know."

Meanwhile, at the Ten Master Mechanism on campus.

Apart from Ichise Hui and Tiqie Helinai, the remaining eight members were all present.

"Hey, Rui Shan, we’re all here!" Koga Shoji, with a devil-may-care attitude, hands in his pockets, called out to Rui Shan Zhi Jin Ye, "That instructor, really, should have given us a heads-up if he wanted to host a banquet. I just came out of the culinary lab, didn’t even get to shower, I’m all covered in the smell of cooking oil!"

At the Xijian Run Research Institute.

The youthful-looking and well-endowed spice authority and female professor just happened to pass by the kitchen.

She saw Yashan Liang put down his phone, standing there in a daze, and couldn’t help but stop to ask, "Liang, what’s the matter?"

"It’s an invitation to a banquet from the instructor."

"The instructor, which instructor..." Before Xijian Run could finish her question, she suddenly stopped herself. The complex expression on Yashan Liang’s face could only pertain to that one person.

Immediately, Xijian Run said with surprise and delight, "Then go, that instructor rarely hosts banquets, and it’s a blessing others couldn’t even beg for to be invited!"

"Yeah, let’s go!"

Yashan Liang nodded emphatically, "Definitely going!"

He clenched his fist, thinking silently, "Even if I can’t catch up with you, I still want to watch you, to keep my eyes on you!"

At the same time, Yashan Liang seemed to hear a hopeful voice within himself say—

After a long time, it’s rumored that on Christmas, that instructor created the ’Xia’s Spicy Red Wine,’ which caused quite a stir. Moreover, someone on the Far Moon School’s internal forum posted a Christmas gift from that instructor yesterday, which has since turned into a skyscraper of a thread. The identity of the original poster has been confirmed to be Polar Star Dormitory’s Yoshino Yuuki.

All signs indicate that the instructor’s spice craftsmanship has undoubtedly achieved a major breakthrough again. In fact, Yashan Liang very much wanted to experience the high-end views he had never seen before through this instructor’s spice cuisine.

Go!

Must go!

Yashan Liang yearned to stand on the shoulders of giants.

...

At the same time.

As dusk settled, a plane arriving from Zhonghua City landed gently at Tokyo Airport.

A female chef disembarked; she looked to be in her forties with her hair tied back in a ponytail, very plain in appearance. She wore a set of loose and thin cotton and linen clothes, a mint green cotton and linen top, and plain white cotton linen trousers.

Such cool attire, at Tokyo Airport, during the end of December, nearing New Year’s, naturally garnered a lot of attention, and the turn-back rate was considerably high.

She got into a taxi.

"Take me here." She couldn’t speak Japanese and spoke in English, showing the driver the shop’s location on her phone.

"Xia’s Shopping Street?"

The cab driver smiled, giving a thumbs up, "Nice place!"

"Did you come from China?"

The female chef nodded, her face was pretty, but like a female official in charge of punishment in a royal court—dignified, not prone to smile, and that gave off a thick chill.

"Then you’ve really come to the right place, the owner of Xia’s Shopping Street, Chef Xia, is also quite a celebrity in the Chinese Realm, right?"

The driver rarely spoke English, and although the accent was noticeable, the words flowed smoothly.

Upon hearing this.

A flicker of an unusual color passed through her eyes, and the female chef spoke in a cold tone, almost as if talking to herself, "Yes, a celebrity indeed. So famous that on the eve of the talent hunt, I had to personally make a trip to Japan."

"Hmph, not that old, but quite troublesome!"