Chapter 1

Hidden Dragon Continent, imperial city of the Light Wind Empire

Within the bustling city, the streets were filled with people and the noise made by them could be heard everywhere . On both sides of the streets were towering buildings and there were plenty of restaurants and inns among them . The fragrant smell of the food cooked by the chefs was wafting through the air and lingered for a long period of time .

Among the restaurants, the number one restaurant in the imperial city, the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant, was even more crowded, and its business was booming .

Within the imperial city, the buildings were built in a neat and orderly fashion and alleyways were everywhere . If you were to follow the main road and walk past the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant, you would find a deep alley after walking for a few dozens of meters . Walking straight into the alleyway and turning left you would see a small and simple restaurant .

There was a big black dog lying in front of the restaurant with its tongue hanging out . Inside the restaurant, there was not even a single customer .

Suddenly, a young man walked out of the restaurant . He had a slim figure and fair skin . His long black hair, along with his fringe, was pulled back and tied into a ponytail with a thin and long wool rope . He gave off a feeling of neat and tidiness .

"Blacky, it's time to eat . " The young man, Bu Fang, was holding a porcelain bowl as he walked out of the restaurant . He placed the bowl in front of the big black dog . The dog, who was formerly behaving lethargically, suddenly became energetic and started to devour the food in the bowl .

After rubbing the silky and clean fur of the dog, Bu Fang smiled and walked back into the restaurant .

Bu Fang, a twenty-year-old male, was an ordinary but ambitious chef from Earth . He suddenly woke up one day and found himself in another world, with the [Gourmet System] mysteriously appearing in his brain . The small restaurant was created by Bu Fang on the second day he arrived, with the help of the system .

Even though a month had passed since he created the restaurant, not a single customer showed up, and Bu Fang had grown used to it . All he had to do everyday was follow the instructions of the [Gourmet System], which was to practice his cooking skills and to make sure to feed the big black dog .

He had no idea where the big black dog came from, he only remembered that it appeared after a week the restaurant was built . The system reminded Bu Fang to periodically feed the dog with his practice ingredients . And so, every time the store opened, the dog would be waiting outside for Bu Fang to feed it .

Strictly speaking, the big black dog was the first customer of Bu Fang, even though it was a freeloader .

Once Bu Fang was back in the restaurant, he took a look at the empty place and sighed . Even though the restaurant was simple, it was neat and tidy . With an area of ten square meters and a few sets of tables and chairs, it was indeed a small restaurant .

As he looked at the three dishes on the menu, Bu Fang could only helplessly give another long sigh .

The menu was a piece of wood hung on a wall in the restaurant with only three dishes on it .

It was hard to imagine what kind of a restaurant would only have three dishes on its menu, and the prices listed . . . could only be described as ridiculous .

A portion of Stir-Fried Vegetables and Dry-Mixed Noodles were each priced at a hundred gold coins, while a bowl of Egg-Fried Rice was even more outrageous . . . it was actually priced at one crystal .

Crystals were something that only cultivators had . A single crystal could be bought for around a thousand gold coins, but it was the kind of stuff where there was no availability .

For a small restaurant, it was an unexpectedly ridiculous price .

Bu Fang did not believe at all that anyone would be foolish enough to order a dish that expensive . Even though he would agree that the dishes were indeed delicacies when he tried them, when he looked at the prices . . . Bu Fang thought it was impossible .

"As the God of Cooking who desires to stand at the top of the fantasy world, how could you not have your first customer? If you get your first customer within a month, you shall obtain a system reward . "

That was a mission that the system gave him a few days after he created the restaurant, and there were only three days left until the deadline . Bu Fang looked at the empty alleyway expressionlessly .

"It looks like my dream of becoming the God of Cooking will be destroyed before I can even take the first step . " Bu Fang checked the time and sighed inwardly . He stood up, covered up the entrance with the door boards[1] and closed up the store .

The dishes could not be brought out without permission, and there was a strict regulation on the opening hours . Even though the restaurant was small, there were lots of rules and regulations . However, as the regulations were set by the system, Bu Fang had to obey them .

The restaurant was closed for the day . After locking up the restaurant, Bu Fang returned to the kitchen to practice his cooking . Actually, the so-called practice did not involve many technical aspects, it was just continuous cooking . Since the system would automatically refill the ingredients, Bu Fang only needed to cook .

In a corner of the kitchen, there was a humanoid robot . This robot was created by the system to reclaim any food that Bu Fang made during practice . Other than the food that Bu Fang and the big black dog ate, the rest of the practice food had to be placed into the robot's stomach area .

After Bu Fang started the fire, he began his daily cooking practice .

Even though Bu Fang was in a fantasy world, the kitchen created by the system was identical to modern kitchens from Earth .

All kinds of equipment were available: smokeless cooking pots, stainless steel knives, cutting boards, exhaust hood, microwave ovens, refrigerators . . . In fact, they were even more advanced than the ones on Earth . Bu Fang did not face any difficulties when using them, he even preferred cooking with them .

As the night descended, the two moons in the sky were in harmony and the moonlight was like a veil in the sky .

In front of the restaurant, the big black dog was lazing about in blissfulness after it finished its meal, accompanied by the chirping sound of insects as it guarded the store .

The next morning, Bu Fang drowsily woke up . After he washed up, the restaurant was opened for business .

The place was still deserted, and not a single soul could be seen . The big black dog was lying on the floor as usual .

Bu Fang was suddenly envious of the booming business of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant that was outside of the alleyway . Their business was simply too extraordinary, there were so many customers that it seemed that the entrance would be demolished .

Bu Fang began to daydream about the day when his business was as successful as the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant .

"My host, as the gourmet who desires to stand at the very top of the food chain in the fantasy world, you should not be envious of other restaurants . Work hard for the sake of your bright future!"

The mechanical and serious voice of the system resounded in Bu Fang's head as a reminder . He was already used to it . During the past month, whenever he was envious of the Immortal Phoenix Restaurant, the system would automatically start encouraging him .

Judging from its response, it seemed that the system was quite anthropomorphic .

Bu Fang was sitting on a chair placed outside of the restaurant while enjoying the warm sunlight . He could not help but to slide downwards, so that he was curled up and lying on the chair in an extremely comfortable position .

There was still not a single person appearing in the alleyway .

"Another day without a single customer," Bu Fang thought out loud as he tilted his head and yawned .

The big black dog was lying on the floor, it glanced at Bu Fang before it went back to whatever it was doing .

Just when Bu Fang was about to fall asleep, a series of footsteps woke him up . He lazily opened his eyes and saw a handsome young man passing by . He was dressed in a tight outfit used for martial arts practice .

"Huh? There's actually someone stupid enough to set up a restaurant in an alleyway where almost no one would pass through?"

The young man was actually good looking, he had an oval shaped face, expressive large eyes and red lips . If it was not for his flat chest and protruding adam's apple, Bu Fang would have mistaken him for a girl in disguise .

It seemed to be a trope for girls in fantasy worlds to disguise themselves as males .

The beautiful young man seemed to have taken an interest in the restaurant that was opened in an alleyway where no one passed by . He actually started to walk towards the restaurant .

However, Bu Fang did not get up, he still remained seated . Even though the other party had entered the restaurant, he was still not a customer as long as he had not made an order . Bu Fang knew that in order for someone to become a customer, they would first need to accept the ridiculous prices of the dishes .

As expected, when the beautiful young man saw the prices on the menu, his originally large eyes became even larger, a piercing scream echoed throughout the silent alleyway .

"Oh my god! A dish of Stir-Fried Vegetables costs a hundred gold coins? And a dish of Egg-Fried Rice actually costs one crystal? Have you gone insane from your greed?"

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[1] door boards (門板) – In ancient China, stores had wide entrances and they used wooden boards as doors instead of having a door . Every morning, the boards would be removed and placed aside . At the end of the day, they would be placed back onto the frames .