Wei Bai walked along somewhat gloomily.
That noble from earlier had made off with his five gold coins along with several silver coins.
This meant that for this competition, he could only use the materials provided by the officials.
The Arni Master Chef Contest was merely a regional event for the Earl of Arni’s domain, but it still attracted many chefs from the surrounding areas who came to participate out of admiration.
They did not care much for the competition’s prize money.
Or rather, the prize money accounted for such a small portion of their motivation that they wouldn’t have even come here to compete if it were the only reward.
Their true purpose for coming here was because the champion of the Arni Master Chef Contest regional trial could obtain the qualification to enter the National Grand Contest.
However, Wei Bai didn’t know this, nor was he interested.
He was different from those other chefs; he came purely for the prize money.
Although the competition provided ingredients and kitchenware, most of the participants were willing to spend their own money to buy their own supplies rather than use the free materials provided by the officials.
As for why, Wei Bai’s heart sank halfway when he saw the wilted vegetables on a long table, the fly-ridden meat, and the rusty pots and pans hanging from a rack.
In a short while, he would have to use those things to compete.
Looking at the competition area again, he saw that it mostly consisted of a head chef and an assistant working together in pairs.
A chef’s competition did not just focus on the flavor of the food and the beauty of the plating; it also required high efficiency and speed.
Therefore, the participants had basically all brought an assistant.
Seeing so many people, Wei Bai felt a bit of trepidation in his heart.
Right now, he felt like the money he had spent was like water poured out—worthless.
“Wei Bai, are you okay? Are you nervous?” Mida asked concernedly from the side, acting like a thoughtful little companion.
“I’m fine. Why would I be nervous?”
Wei Bai replied.
He wouldn’t get nervous.
Thinking back, he had once endured the gaze of tens of thousands of elves while being dragged around the Elf Imperial City in a parade by that bastard queen.
Not to mention, the gazes of those elves were incomparable to the looks from the audience now.
If Wei Bai had to describe it, the elven gazes back then were like knives stabbing into his body, whereas among these spectators, while there were some sharp looks, most were like flowing water—painless and itching for nothing.
These people now weren’t even worth his notice.
His current state was actually due to having no confidence in the competition.
Seeing the opponents’ equipment and then looking at his own, it felt very much like a hoodlum squaring off against city guards.
In other words, after seeing the props provided by the organizers, he had lost his nerve.
His culinary skills might be sufficient, but his equipment was too poor.
Suddenly, he lost confidence in himself.
“Wei Bai, Wei Bai, don’t lose heart! We haven’t even started yet.”
Mida said as she approached Wei Bai while putting on an apron, appearing as if she weren’t nervous at all.
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
Hearing this, Wei Bai stopped overthinking.
After all, the money had already been spent; he had to give it a try no matter what.
Picking up the apron on the table, he skillfully put it on.
After checking the serial number, Wei Bai and Mida walked together to their workstation.
“Oh oh oh? Does such a young chef also want to challenge this?”
“Truly a rising youth. To have such grand ambitions at such a young age, his future is limitless.”
“Tsk, stop flattering him. I bet this kid doesn’t have much real skill. He’s likely just here to go through the motions and make an impression.”
The audience below the stage discussed fervently upon seeing Wei Bai and Mida.
Amidst the conflicting opinions, most people did not think highly of Wei Bai.
“I think this young man has great ambitions, but he’s too reckless. Spending so much money just to go through the motions on stage.”
“Sigh, what a pity. If he had honed his skills for another two years before coming, he might have had a chance.”
***
“Will all contestants please take their positions.
The 17th Arni Master Chef Contest of the Earl of Arni’s domain is about to begin!”
On a high platform, a host was giving a passionate speech.
Wei Bai noticed that there were many elegantly dressed and refined nobles on the high platform.
Among the nobles, Wei Bai abruptly spotted the middle-aged man who had given him the entry pass earlier; he was currently conversing with a noblewoman.
Just as Wei Bai was observing the high platform, the host announced the start of the competition.
There were fifty chefs participating this time, each of whom brought out their best skills.
“Wei Bai, the competition has started. What are we going to do?”
Mida glanced at the busy contestants on stage and quietly pulled on Wei Bai’s sleeve.
“Hmm?”
Wei Bai’s attention shifted from the high platform as Mida pulled him, only then realizing the competition had begun.
“Come on, let’s go take a gamble.”
“Huh?”
Wei Bai led a confused Mida to the table where the ingredients were placed and began picking carefully.
Many of the nobles on the stage saw this scene, looks of disdain surfacing on their faces before they ignored him.
“Hmm, this one won’t do, it’s rotten. This one is okay, Mida, hold this…”
Wei Bai picked and chose through a pile of ingredients that looked truly tragic, eventually selecting some that he deemed edible.
However, it was a mess—onions, garlic, pecans, beef, crab legs, and chicken wing tips.
It was such a jumble that it almost seemed impossible to make a single dish out of them.
“Wei Bai, can these things really be eaten?”
Mida swallowed hard as she looked at the ingredients Wei Bai had given her.
“They can. Why wouldn’t they be? Back then, I didn’t even have these things to eat even if I wanted to.”
Wei Bai didn’t care.
What he said was the truth; when he was a fugitive, he had even chewed on grass roots with plain water.
Though for an elf, plain water and grass roots weren’t that bad.
Wei Bai lined up the ingredients one by one.
Looking at them, he pondered how to turn them into a dish that could be swallowed.
“Look at that, that young man didn’t even prepare ingredients; he’s just using the official ones.”
“Sigh, if you ask me, he probably doesn’t even know how to handle those ingredients right now.”
“Forget it. Even if he dares to cook it, I wouldn’t dare eat it. Who knows if the organizers’ ingredients are clean.”
Seeing Wei Bai staring at the ingredients without moving, the whispering in the audience gradually became brazen.
Perhaps having heard the words from the stands, Wei Bai looked up in confusion.
For a moment, the faces of these spectators overlapped with the cold faces of those elves.
A thought suddenly occurred to Wei Bai.
That’s right.
He could just make the dishes he used to eat every day.
Since the ingredients in front of him gave him no place to start, it was the perfect time to try and replicate the “Royal Dining” of the past.
“Mida, wash all these vegetables. Leave the meat there; I’ll handle it in a bit.”
Wei Bai instructed Mida while chopping green onions.
“Okay!”
By the time Mida had finished washing the vegetables, Wei Bai was already processing the meat.
He didn’t use all of it; instead, he was skinning a pile of chicken heads.
“Wei Bai, Wei Bai, I’m done.”
“Hmm, go over there and boil a pot of water.”
Wei Bai didn’t pay too much attention to Mida; he was already fully immersed in his work.
Looking at the serious Wei Bai, Mida suddenly felt an impulse to go over and play a prank on him, accompanied by a trace of a throb that she couldn’t understand.
Unknowingly, Mida’s small face turned a bit red.
She shook her head and ran to the side to fill a pot with water.
Still, the serious Wei Bai is actually quite handsome.
Mida thought this, her cheeks already becoming flushed.
After finishing Wei Bai’s instructions, Mida stood by his side once more, watching his movements closely.
“Mida, why is your face so red?” Wei Bai finished processing the chicken heads and turned around only to see a red apple.
“Because… because the boiling water is too hot.”
Mida prevaricated, not daring to look into Wei Bai’s eyes.
“Oh. Then go rest to the side for a bit. I can handle the rest.”
“Eh? That won’t do. As your assistant, I have to lend a hand.”
Mida protested somewhat. She knew that Wei Bai had paid money just so she could participate in the competition.
“It’s fine. You don’t know how to do the following parts; I have to do them myself.”
Wei Bai wasn’t lying.
He wasn’t saying this just to soothe Mida, but because Mida truly didn’t know how to prepare this dish.
Mida wanted to say something more, but then she saw Wei Bai throw the chicken heads into the boiling pot.
The next second, a foul, fishy smell reached Mida’s nose.
Her dainty nose wrinkled slightly, and Mida chose to sit to the side, watching Wei Bai’s movements.
Unknowingly, the competition was drawing to a close.
Various contestants had already finished their signature dishes and stood confidently behind their workstations, waiting for the judges to taste them and give their evaluations and scores.
However, at this time, a small number of contestants were still busy.
They were drenched in sweat, seemingly because some accidents had caused their planned timing to deviate from their original schedule.
Wei Bai was also busy, but unlike the other contestants, he didn’t appear that nervous.
Instead, there was a trace of joy.
Mida sat to the side watching him, occasionally standing up to help him finish some tasks.
At this moment, almost everyone’s attention was on Wei Bai.
They also noticed the expression on his face and were curious about what kind of thing he could actually produce.