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Morning.
At eight o'clock sharp, Xia Yu got out of bed and, while washing up, checked the sales data from the previous night.
Unconsciously, nearly a week had passed. The shop's revenue each night had started to stabilize in the last couple of days, no longer showing explosive growth.
The reasons were simple. Xia's shop was too small, with poor capacity. It could hold at most 30 people dining at the same time between 6 p.m. and midnight.
If a table of guests ordered six dishes, the serving time would be roughly half an hour, factoring in eating and chatting time. It took about an hour to serve one table of guests. In other words, each table for four could serve five to six batches of customers a night.
In reality, though, this was a rudimentary calculation. Xia's shop had only five four-seat tables, with other seating being more scattered single seats, like in a ramen shop, around the counter or against the wall.
Calculating like this, with a full house, Xia's shop could entertain about 150 guests per night. Revenue stabilized above a million yen.
On the surface, Xia's shop appeared to be flourishing, with everything developing in a good direction. But as the operator, Xia Yu knew there was much room for improvement.
Firstly, the dining environment.
It was only March now, the transition between winter and spring; the weather was still cool. When summer came, and Tokyo turned into a furnace with the restaurant full, the indoor environment was something Xia Yu didn't dare to contemplate.
Air conditioning? Such a thing was out of the question. Xia Yu had forgotten whether the big ceiling fan in the shop was even functional because, in his memory, it had never been turned on.
Preparing for the rainy day was necessary. The shop was already narrow, so for space layout and such, Xia Yu planned to consult the God of Cooking System more.
As for service, Xia Yu had already given up.
Take it or leave it.
As the manager and head chef, he fought from six o'clock to midnight every day, preparing one dish, then immediately washing the pot to start the next dish.
Cleaning ingredients, handling them, and including various cooking tasks were all covered by him alone. Recently, it had been better with Sen Tian Makoto helping by handling some cutting and plating. Otherwise, Xia Yu might have been overwhelmed.
Xia Yu suspected that if he hadn't been lucky enough to obtain a Physique Enhancement Crystal recently, raising his physique strength from lv9 to lv20, his body might have collapsed after such strenuous work for a week.
Fortunately, every morning, that flagpole remained as firm as ever. Xia Yu felt reassured.
"Beep, the host has received a new task."
While brushing his teeth and washing his face, Xia Yu unexpectedly received a notification.
A new task?
He hung the towel on the hook and opened the task panel.
Task one:
"[Advance to Two-star Chef]."
"Hint: The host has mastered three glowing blue dishes (Stir-fried Qingjiang Vegetable, Furong Crab Meat Egg, Magic Mapo Tofu) and can attempt the IGO's two-star chef assessment."
"Reward: Advanced Knife Skill - 'Fierce Bull Green Dragon Slash.'"
Task two:
"[Advance to Two-star Restaurant]."
"Hint: Your restaurant has finally gained some renown in the culinary world. If it becomes IGO certified as a two-star restaurant, perhaps it can attract diners outside of the ACG circle."
"Reward: 10 Chef Talent Points."
Fierce Bull Green Dragon Slash?
Wow, that was the signature skill of the Dark Cuisine World's skills. With one slash, it could "split an ox," without a drop of blood or juice spilled.
This was basically the most terrifying knife skill Xia Yu knew of for handling meat ingredients, reaching a fantasy level.
Xia Yu was stunned, and the thought that he could potentially master such an awe-inspiring dark skill made him excited. The Fierce Bull Green Dragon Slash wasn't just about "splitting an ox"; when mastered, it could dismember live sheep and pigs with a single slash.
Similarly, the "Advance to Two-star Restaurant" task was equally tempting.
Ten Chef Talent Points were equivalent to raising ten levels.
Every point of culinary talent was incredibly precious.
Speaking of which, during this week, the speed at which Xia Yu's culinary level advanced had significantly slowed. Reasonably speaking, with the number of dishes he cooked daily, his level should have shot up, but in reality, after reaching lv10, the handling of common household recipes and regular green ingredients could no longer provide him with any experience.
The leap from lv10 to lv11 was thanks to his successfully cooking the glowing Stir-fried Qingjiang Vegetable and Furong Crab Meat Egg.
"'Heart of Cooking' (5)..."
The Heart of Cooking had gained five talent points, and this pit required a lot of talent points to fill. From beginner to God level was an endless journey stretching indefinitely. Xia Yu took a deep breath, looked at himself in the mirror, and felt invigorated once more!
The shop opened!
As expected, there were cleaning sounds on the first floor when he walked out of the washroom.
Xia Yu walked downstairs with his hands in his pockets, greeted An Ya and Mu Xiaoyue, and was about to enter the kitchen when he exclaimed.
At the foot of the stairs were two large, bulging suitcases, likely filled with items.
"Our flight is in the afternoon..."
Mu Xiaoyue, carrying a basin of water used to wipe down tables and chairs, walked towards the first-floor restroom, saying this as she passed Xia Yu.
It was sudden, yet also expected.
"Returning home already? That's good too." Xia Yu smiled and entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Knock knock.
He had just stepped into the kitchen when Sen Tian Makoto followed him in, sitting at the counter with a delighted expression, tapping on the table. Xia Yu thought it was a customer; hearing the sound, he came out and found her presenting a delicate food box like a treasure.
"Yu, I've made the Furong Crab Meat Egg. Want to try it?" Sen Tian Makoto's charming face naturally revealed a hint of nervousness.
"A week has passed; there should be some results."
Xia Yu simply didn't make breakfast, putting a pot of water on the stove to boil, sitting across from Sen Tian Makoto at the counter.
Opening the lid of the food box, inside was a square white plate.
A dish resembling a pizza was cut into pieces and placed on the plate, with a golden hue. When the lid was lifted, a rich aroma of crab meat wafted out.
Gurgle. Stomach acid secreted rapidly, and Xia Yu, feeling no reserve, picked up a large piece of the dish with chopsticks and placed it in his mouth.
His eyes widened immediately.
Upon entry, the fragrant crisp of the egg mingled with the freshness of the crab meat, flooding his taste buds, cleansing them thoroughly.
As he chewed, the freshness of the crab meat further overshadowed the egg's aroma. It felt like an egg was thrown into boiling seawater, yet the egg's flavor didn't vanish like a pebble sinking into the sea. Instead, it remained semi-concealed in the freshness, enticing Xia Yu to chase it, sparking his curiosity to the maximum extent.
Heated, he picked up a second piece and enjoyed it with closed eyes.
"How is it?" Sen Tian Makoto clasped her hands tightly together, watching him with anticipation.
"Very good!"
Xia Yu revealed an unrestrained smile, "This dish shows me your brilliance... So flavors can be manipulated like this. How did you do it?"
Sen Tian Makoto, delighted, said, "Actually, I tried many methods, finally deciding to make this dish in the shape of a pizza. Using the method of making pastries, with eggs as the main ingredient mixed with flour, I first made a pizza base, then sprinkled with crushed crab meat, added seasoning, and baked it a second time to complete this dish!"
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