Seized by the System

When he looked inside, Fang Ning saw a heart-shaped ring placed in the box. The ring was beautifully crafted, elegant, it was even glistening softly, making it pleasant to the eye; it was truly an exquisite treasure.

From this gift, it could be seen that the other party had clearly put a lot of thought into it.

“These guys sure know how to cater to someone’s fancies. But unfortunately, Mr. Rich Host, you won’t be able to use this in this lifetime, might as well put it away in the depository…” Sir System gloated over Fang Ning’s misfortune.

“Get out!” Fang Ning snapped angrily.

The few people present at the scene suddenly turned anxious as they saw the rage appear on Director Fang’s face.

Had they missed the mark with their attempt at flattery?

They were certain that they had done their research, which showed that Director Fang had a fiancee and would soon be married. This gift should have come at the perfect time.

Somehow it seemed that they had made a mistake.

Just as they were having second thoughts, Fang Ning’s expression changed again.

He smiled faintly as he spoke, “Your thoughtfulness is appreciated. Alright, I will impart to you the real techniques.”

“Hoho, would you?” mocked Sir System.

“Nonsense, I used to practice culinary skills back when I was in your Alchemy Lab!” Fang Ning replied confidently.

“Hehe, be careful that you don’t embarrass yourself. The people in that organization only know how to cook, but they’re certainly no masters.”

“We’ll see!”

Fang Ning decided that he would let Sir System see for himself, whether he was capable of taking in apprentices under his wing or not.

As for the possible scenario of the master dying of starvation after having taught the student (TN: This is a Chinese idiom referring to a situation where the student, after mastering what the teacher has taught, leaves to work elsewhere or competes for business with the teacher, and the teacher ends up without a job and starves to death), that would never happen.

As Fang Ning’s own culinary skills were only at the beginner-level, when compared to that of the master-level mechanical puppet, the difference was poles apart.

Nonetheless, even with only beginner-level culinary skills, he was still qualified to become a teacher to these chefs.

Hearing those words, those three people were overjoyed.

In fact, they were already prepared for rejection as the other party had never accepted apprentices before.

This was understandable, of course, as such extraordinary techniques must be well-kept and treasured by oneself.

In the Era of Mythology, if one’s skill could reach that of a legendary, god-like level — the acme of perfection — it was highly possible for that person to enter the path of Gods.

At the very least, they could also become holy immortals or Buddhas, and live a long, prosperous life.

It was neither rare or exceptional to see or hear of such things in the Upper Realm.

After all, the life of a holy immortal is long and dull. In order to make their days seem less sparse and boring, they required god-level services to satisfy their finicky appetites.

Music, dance, and fine cuisine were all part of their daily pleasures.

In the following week, Fang Ning poured all his heart into his teaching.

Of course, he only taught for a week because any longer was inconceivable.

For reasons, firstly, it was because he was lazy, and secondly, if he were to continue teaching any longer, he would definitely blow his own cover…

That said, this week alone had already opened the eyes of the three as they truly began to understand just what the threshold was like to attain the god-level of culinary skills.

More so, they may need to spend a lifetime in order to comprehend it.

…

In the Greater Rat Underground City, Intelligence Department.

After acquiring the latest intel, Bai Shifu immediately went to see Bai Shixin.

“Oh, it seems like not even Vigilante A can get his hands on information in this realm. Otherwise, he’d definitely stop Fang Ning from imparting his culinary skills to others, so as to prevent making another competitor for himself.” Bai Shixin immediately came to such a conclusion.

“Big Brother is right, I think so too. That Fang Ning is a virtuous person, he didn’t make preposterous demands; he’s much kinder than that Vigilante A’s character. It only took a gift for him to impart his teachings. Although it may not be enough to overtake the Culinary God, it’s still enough to open up a realm.” Bai Shifu nodded in agreement.

“Heh, he’s still a mortal after all, his foresight cannot be compared with that of Vigilante A’s. Naturally, his asking price would also be limited,” After saying this, Bai Shixin took a turn with his words. “Seeing as they’ve passed the culinary test, we can begin with our plans.”

“Yes, Big Brother, I will make the necessary arrangements now,” Bai Shifu said, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

He had a feeling that he was rewriting history. However, this time, they must succeed as failure was not an option.

“Mm, go, but be mindful. Everything must be done in the pursuit of righteousness, do not use any underhanded tactics,” Bai Shixin reminded him.

“I understand, brother.” Bai Shifu knew very well what the other was trying to convey.

…

Half a month later, it was the fourth year and third month of Shenyuan.

Spring had returned to earth. The temperatures turned warm again and for the northern hemisphere, the most difficult time of winter had passed by yet again.

At this time, a message notification suddenly appeared in the minds of many chefs.

This way of communication was akin to that of the summonings by the Heavenly Axiom.

This was the so-called Heavenly Edict.

“The Bequeathal of the Culinary God’s Grotto-Heaven?”

A few of the people who did not have the slightest awareness of confidentiality brought up the crucial information during their online conversations.

After all, there were many chefs in the world, among which were a few slower ones who could not quite grasp the significance of the news.

When the news came out, it attracted the attention of various parties and forces from all around.

To the common eye, this news may only be related to foodies, but in the eyes of a discerning person, the news encompassed a much wider range. One might even argue that it was a key node in the wheel of history.

In the System Space, Sir System was currently whining to Fang Ning.

“I knew that those mice were up to no good when they came to us. They clearly must’ve gotten hold of the news in advance, hence it was why they were willing to spend the money to hone their skills!” Sir System grumbled under his breath.

“Alright, spare me the lecture already would you? I didn’t know alright?” Fang Ning said reluctantly, seeing as it was indeed his mistake.

“It’s a good thing you’re dumb and didn’t manage to learn the true essence from me but only picked up a few things here and there. The thing that they spied on was not the true path. After all, the bequeathal of the Culinary God belongs to me!” Sir System said in a tone of relief.

Fang Ning spoke with uncertainty, “We can’t be sure yet. Have you heard of a dish with shining radiance?”

“Never? What is that? It sounds like something that was made with too many heavy metals and could radiate light, is it?” Sir System said nonsensically.

“…” Speechless, Fang Ning forcibly explained, “It means that a person’s dish is filled with their emotions and feelings, and that’s how it makes others feel like it’s shining. You’ve never had feelings, so while the food you make is exquisite, it can never reach the depths of the hearts of the people.”

“I don’t understand, you’re not making any sense. Food is food, what feelings are there to speak of? Unless you’re talking about something your mother made for you…” Sir System muttered.

“Don’t change the subject now, the ability to emotionalize others is the core principle of all art and skill! This is definitely one of the Culinary God’s criteria!”

“You’re the one who’s spouting bullsh*t here. Ask Anderson, what sort of character is this guy anyway?” Sir System said unhappily.

As it turned out, Anderson really did possess information about this Culinary God. Although he was only a small god, there were many folklores about him.

This was mainly because mortals tend to receive favors from him, and rarely punishments.

As long as one did not deliberately offer him filth or garbage, he would not be easily angered and would not punish anyone.

That, and unless that person was crazy, nobody would be so senseless as to deliberately offer garbage to the god. He was still a god, after all.

If a chef was able to create an original dish, with flavors he had never tasted before, they would be rewarded.

Although there are only a few kinds of flavors that can be tasted by the palate, namely sweetness, sourness, spiciness, and saltiness, the possible combinations are endless, except, one must select make their selections carefully, so as to create a delicious dish.

So long as one was able to create a dish that suited the Culinary God’s palate, they may be rewarded by him.

Other rewards may not be worth mentioning, but the key thing was that there was a chance of acquiring a Longevity Pill. This was the information regarding the Culinary God of the Upper Realm, according to Anderson.