...

...

The quiet night had settled over the dock. People had already returned to their homes.

Outside the little houseboat, a bright oil lamp still hung, swaying.

Inside the boat—

Tap tap tap tap!

Chen Qi was slicing beef. He glanced back at the three people sitting in his tiny rundown boat.

An, Little Damarro, and the Mayor of Damarro—each one sitting at the dining table, holding spoons and forks, eyes full of anticipation.

They had helped Chen Qi clean up the boat and even rearranged the kitchen and fetched ingredients.

Why? Why did things turn out like this? Why was he suddenly cooking for three people?

Chen Qi shook his head, tossed the sliced beef into the pot, added scallions and ginger, and blanched the meat.

Then he brought out potatoes, celery, dried tofu, squid, and chicken—and started chopping in silence.

Chen Qi recalled what had happened earlier.

After dealing with Iron Hand, An had immediately looked into things and was shocked to find that he was a wanted criminal—

a known member of the Black Rabbit Gang from Moonstone City, with a bounty of 200,000 Bei coins!

An detached Iron Hand’s mechanical arm and turned it in to the bounty office.

According to her, the money would be transferred by tomorrow.

But she still had plenty of questions about why Iron Hand had come after Chen Qi.

In a sense, Chen Qi had also been screwed over by the Black Rabbit Gang.

So he made up a story:

“While working odd jobs, he got tempted by quick cash and ended up lured into the Black Rabbit Gang. By sheer luck, he got hold of the Collector gun, and after a mad night of fleeing, escaped from the gang’s hideout—a classic inspirational tale of breaking free from crime.”

Gang members were known to hold grudges.

And Iron Hand had come for revenge over the Collector.

The story was based on real events—he just swapped “Blackfin Crew” for “Black Rabbit Gang,” and “Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure” for “Collector.”

An, after hearing it, was full of sympathy.

A sick young man, forced to work in the big city, accidentally falls into a gang... too tragic.

Her imagination ran wild.

She could picture soft-skinned, tender Chen Qi trapped helplessly in the Black Rabbit Gang’s dungeon, abused and broken.

So An decided to give him psychological counseling—and to keep an eye out for potential unknown accomplices.

Naturally, she sat herself down at the dinner table.

The Mayor of Damarro showed up soon after.

When he heard Chen Qi had taken out a wanted criminal, he was shocked!

He’d suspected Chen Qi had done something big while away from town—

But he hadn’t expected him to take down a Blade Aspect gang member. Considering Chen Qi had a gun, though, it made sense.

200,000 Bei coins wasn’t pocket change!

And now Chen Qi was officially a Tier 1 Transcendent.

This kid was terrifying—sure to achieve greatness!

So, the mayor brought over four bottles of wine to celebrate.

Naturally, he also sat at the table.

Little Damarro, hearing Iron Hand was dead, had a sudden realization.

So Chen Qi was a gang-bred badass? Just like those gang wars reported in the papers.

He remembered his casual tone and disrespect earlier—and now trembled with fear.

Still scared, yes—but free food was free food. Chen Qi wouldn’t cook him, right?

So he claimed he was hungry and, very naturally, sat at the table.

This little rundown boat now bore a weight far beyond its size—three unexpected guests.

Chen Qi looked back at their expectant eyes once again.

Being a chef seemed more popular than he thought.

But even though he was one, this was his first time cooking in another world.

Talk about pressure… Chen Qi wiped the sweat from his brow.

He had no idea whether people in this world liked the kind of food he made.

Looking at the ingredients—they were still familiar. Despite being in a different world, it was all stuff from Earth.

Beef, potatoes, celery, tofu, a fish, chicken, and two squid.

“Not much seafood… hope I don’t mess this up…”

Chen Qi set the chopped ingredients aside and began cooking.

His chef profession boosted his cooking skill and learning speed.

He made the beef and potatoes into a simple, tasty beef stew.

He heated oil in a pan, tossed in scallions and ginger, and added the bean paste common in Damarro Town—sautéing it all until fragrant.

Then he added the beef to sear.

As he cooked, An sniffed the air and asked:

“By the way, did you notice something was off before entering the boat?”

She suddenly remembered that Chen Qi had looked back at her just before going in.

Thinking back… that look in his eyes—it wasn’t just inviting her to dinner.

There was something else in it!

“Yeah…”

Chen Qi nodded.

An shook her head, speaking seriously:

“That was too dangerous. You should’ve told me first. Dealing with a Tier 1 Transcendent is much easier for me—you wouldn’t have had to risk it.”

“...”

Chen Qi stirred the beef.

She wasn’t wrong—getting An to deal with Iron Hand was an option.

With her strength, a simple fireball could’ve ended him.

...Though it might’ve also blown up the entire boat.

But this world was dangerous. If he couldn’t even face a Tier 1 who knew his identity and location, the road ahead would only be harder.

Also—he wanted the bounty.

Plus, he’d thought An had already noticed the intruder.

An popped a peanut in her mouth, ready to keep lecturing.

Chen Qi cut her off with a question:

“Hey, do you like spicy food? I got a little Devil Chili from the Monster Kitchen.”

Chili! That was a rare spice!

An had lived in the royal capital and loved spicy food.

She swallowed and nodded eagerly:

“Love it.”

Once the stew hit the right stage, Chen Qi added seasonings and tossed in the potatoes.

Time to boil!

For the beef to taste good, it needed time.

Next, he stepped outside to prep the other ingredients.

The squid and chicken—he’d grill those!

At the dock, he set up a barbecue stand and planned to make grilled chicken and grilled squid.

After a busy stretch—

The potato beef stew, grilled squid, and grilled chicken were ready.

Celery tofu and pan-fried fish were still unfinished.

But the three dishes should be enough for four people.

Back on the boat, Chen Qi looked at the simmering beef stew with satisfaction. He hadn’t eaten all day either.

But before serving, he had one last thing to do.

Time to use his skill: Soul Seasoning!

Chen Qi looked into the pot, grabbed a handful of green onions, infused them with spirit energy, and sprinkled them in.

At the moment the Soul Seasoning and green onions hit the food, the fragrance of the stew was elevated even further—bursting into a mouthwatering aroma.

With Soul Seasoning, the rich, savory beef stew was complete.

A prompt popped up in his vision:

[Successfully cooked ‘Potato Beef Stew’. Gained 80 Spirit Points!]

Chen Qi grinned proudly:

“Not bad, me!”

80 spirit points!

That was a high value.

Just as he thought—Soul Seasoning greatly boosted flavor.

Without it, making an 80-point dish with basic ingredients would take a five-star chef’s skill.

Next, he grabbed a pinch of cumin and sprinkled it over the grilled squid and chicken.

The cumin aroma mixed with the grilled meat smell and instantly spread over the dock.

An and the Mayor of Damarro both swallowed hard.

They had been working all day—absolutely starving.

But they forgot one thing—

Chen Qi’s cooking took longer than they expected!

They’d been smelling the food for over an hour.

Now it was deep into the night!

“So hungry…”

An muttered, slumped at the table like a tired kitten.

Chen Qi brought over the potato beef stew, grilled squid, and grilled chicken.

“Thanks for waiting.”

Finally! If it took any longer, I’d starve! An perked up the moment she smelled the beef.

Then Chen Qi quickly cooked the celery tofu and pan-fried fish and served those too.

He looked at everyone and clapped his hands:

“Alright, dig in. I just became a chef, so not sure how it’ll taste.”

He glanced at the dishes—lacking many seasonings, he wasn’t confident about the flavor.

Not sure if it matched their tastes.

“Okay! I’m going first.”

An couldn’t wait. She carefully scooped up a bit of beef and potato, bringing it to her mouth.

“Well?”

Chen Qi asked curiously.

An savored it slowly.

The tender beef and soft potatoes melted on her tongue, soaked in rich broth with a hint of spice—creating a delicious harmony.

Why is this so good?! Her face flushed as she smiled with joy:

“So tasty! What seasoning did you use?”

Soul. I added soul!

Chen Qi smugly touched his nose.

When skill and spice fall short, supernatural power fills the gap.

The spiciness came from a bit of Devil Chili.

“I’ll try too.”

The Mayor of Damarro, a wealthy man who had eaten many fine dishes, tasted a piece of beef.

Warmth spread through his body as the flavor bloomed on his tongue.

“Delicious! I’ve heard food made by Transcendent chefs is good enough to make your clothes explode—guess it’s true!”

Clothes-exploding… Chen Qi thought for a moment.

In this world, that really could happen.

Some Transcendent ingredients could boost muscle growth instantly—if the diner wore tight clothes, they might actually burst out of them. The visuals were wild.

Of course, he didn’t have those ingredients—his food wouldn’t do that.

Everyone dug in. Chen Qi popped a piece of beef into his own mouth.

The flavor of beef and broth unfolded on his tongue.

Delicious!

So delicious!

To think this other world could have food this good.

He’d been eating dry bread for days.

Now, just a bite of beef felt like luxury.

If even normal ingredients could taste this good, he couldn’t imagine how incredible food made from Transcendent ingredients would be!

He took a piece of slightly crispy grilled chicken and put it in his mouth.

And so, everyone began to dig in.

...

...

Bang!

The Mayor of Damarro cracked open a mildly sweet bottle of wine, and everyone started drinking.

After eating her fill, An took a sip and said:

“So full!

By the way, Qi—

Have you considered opening a tavern in Damarro Town? I think your food tastes way better than my dad’s.

You could totally run his place out of business.”

Due to class quests, most chefs eventually opened a restaurant.

Take out the town’s only dockside tavern?

With his Transcendent chef status—maybe he really could.

Chen Qi thought for a moment, took a sip of wine, and replied:

“No, I don’t plan to open a tavern in town. Hmm… I might go for a floating restaurant boat.”