Chapter 282: The Three Major Factions of Alchemy, Spiritual Chef

Chapter 282: Chapter 282: The Three Major Factions of Alchemy, Spiritual Chef

Lance looked at the mountain of food piled on the table, then at the large pot still steaming in the kitchen. "It’s alright, I understand," he began politely, "but... are you preparing emergency supplies?"

"After the news that the Underground City was sealed spread last night, my son and I started preparing."

The old Chef looked at the pile of rice balls.

"Once the supply lines are cut, the camp’s current food stores won’t last more than a few days. Hunger drives people mad."

"Everyone must be worried about their next meal right now."

"So my son and I talked it over."

"We still have a good amount of ordinary grain stockpiled in our warehouse, plus some Low Level Demon Flesh we’ve acquired recently."

"We figured that before things descend into total chaos, we’d use our professional abilities to process all of it."

The old Chef picked up a rice ball and patted it gently.

"This is a recipe my son developed."

"This specially compressed food is not only extremely easy to preserve, but it’s also incredibly filling."

"We want to make as much as we can, hoping to help everyone last a little longer and get through this crisis."

Hearing this, and comparing it to the situation with the shops outside, Lance felt a stir of emotion.

"Aren’t you afraid of attracting trouble?" Lance voiced his concern.

Hearing Lance’s words, the old Chef chuckled.

"We’re Chefs. A Chef has to do what a Chef has to do."

"Forget about trouble. We need you all to eat well and clear the Underground City so we can survive, don’t we?"

In that moment, Lance suddenly perceived the worldly wisdom of the old Chef before him.

Indeed, the shop owners outside were probably only thinking of their own gains and losses, failing to see where the opportunity for survival lay amidst this crisis.

’By hoarding their goods, they are actually more likely to end up with nothing.’

But the old Chef in front of him was bringing out all his food reserves.

First, it would prevent others from coveting his stock.

Second, it would help with the progress of clearing the Underground City.

And third, he would earn the gratitude of all the Adventurers who benefited from his kindness.

’If I were to guess further, the old Chef has probably already foreseen that the three major teams will likely consolidate all resources to focus on clearing the Underground City.’

’And with this action and the ability he’s demonstrated, he’ll very likely be hired by those three teams to manage resource allocation and food processing.’

’No matter how you look at it, he’s ensuring his survival until the very end.’

Bazzer had told him before that this old man was once a head chef at a top restaurant in White River City. ’Experience really does make all the difference.’

While they were talking, the young sous chef had already finished processing another batch.

He walked over to the cash register, picked up a rice ball wrapped in a banana leaf, peeled back the outer leaf, and offered it to Lance.

"Sir, since you’re our first customer this morning, how about you help us with a taste test?"

The young man’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"My dad and I already tried it last night, and it seemed pretty good. But as a Chef, food made with a new recipe isn’t a true success until it’s been approved by a customer."

"This is a special formula with proportions I spent a very long time conceiving."

Looking at the passionate fervor in the young man’s eyes, Lance found it impossible to refuse.

He reached out and took the slightly warm rice ball.

It was heavy in his hand, much denser than an ordinary rice ball.

Lance opened his mouth and took a small bite.

The texture was surprisingly good. Despite the intense compression, the grain hadn’t become dry and hard to swallow, and the minced meat mixed within gave off a unique, savory aroma.

The moment he swallowed that bite of the rice ball...

[Consumed High-Energy Compressed Spiritual Cuisine (Basic)]

[Status Update: You have gained an extreme sense of fullness. This food contains high-density biological Energy. The current amount ingested can sustain a standard adult’s basic needs for 24 hours. Furthermore, for the next 12 hours, your stamina recovery speed is increased by an additional 20%.]

Seeing this notification, Lance’s pupils dilated slightly, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.

He looked down at the fist-sized rice ball in his hand.

’This tiny ball can actually sustain a grown adult for an entire day?!’

’And it even comes with a minor buff that increases stamina recovery speed!’

It was only then that Lance realized he had been severely underestimating the Chef Profession, which was classified as a life-skill type in this world.

Before, he’d only thought a Chef’s role was to make food delicious, at most providing a weak status bonus, like the small amount of health recovery he got from eating grilled meat for the first time.

But now, when they shifted their focus from "delicious" to "functional"...

’The potential this Profession can unleash is simply terrifying!’

’If all the ordinary ingredients and edible Demon Flesh in the Underground City could be processed this way by these Chefs...’

’...then the efficiency of the entire camp’s food storage would take a quantum leap.’

’During this two-week lockdown, the tens of thousands of people here might actually be able to survive this crisis with these high-energy rations.’

’No wonder.’

’No wonder he had seen on the Adventurer’s Guild information board that almost every large Guild expedition would pay a hefty price to hire high-level Chefs for their logistics team when entering the deep parts of the Underground City for long-term exploration.’

’It was never about satisfying cravings; the Chef Profession can genuinely provide strategic logistical support!’

When the young man saw the shock and admiration that flashed in Lance’s eyes, he let out a long sigh of relief and smiled in satisfaction.

"Looks like the effect is just what I was hoping for."

The young man clenched his fist, his eyes full of hope for the future.

"My original plan was to save up enough for travel after this year’s Summer Crown, then set off for ’Veridia’ in the south."

"I’ve always dreamed of enrolling in the Alchemist Academy there to further my studies. But their entrance exam is incredibly strict, requiring applicants to submit a completely original recipe as their ticket in."

The young man looked at the rice balls on the table and smiled. "And now, it looks like this ultra-high compression portable rice ball recipe should be enough to get me in."

Hearing the young man’s grand declaration...

...a big question mark popped up in Lance’s mind.

"Wait..."

He couldn’t help but interrupt the young man.

"You want to go to Veridia to study? To join the Alchemist Academy?"

Lance’s tone was filled with confusion and disbelief.

"But... haven’t you already taken the Chef Profession?"

He could sense that the young man before him had indeed already started a Profession.

"Can you just switch to a different system halfway through an Ordinary Class progression path? I thought you could only change your Class when you cross a major Class threshold?"

These rapid-fire questions, which seemed like common sense to him, made the father and son across from him pause in surprise.

Hearing Lance’s questions, the old man smiled kindly.

"Sir, you must be a newly minted Professional who just started your Profession not too long ago, right?"

The old Chef patiently began to explain.

"Actually, it’s not your fault. Many ordinary people, and even some novice Adventurers from the Combat System, have the same misunderstanding about us."

The old man continued his patient explanation to Lance.

"The truth is, using ’Chef’ to describe the Profession System we’ve mastered is a bit inaccurate."

"The official name for the Profession Sequence we belong to is ’Spiritual Chef’."

The old Chef dropped a bombshell of an answer that stunned Lance.

"In terms of professional origins, Spiritual Chef isn’t an independent Profession at all. Since its inception, it has been a direct branch of ’Life Alchemy,’ one of the three major schools of Alchemy."

"Huh?"

The question escaped Lance’s lips in his confusion as he held the rice ball.