Chapter 1

In the evening, the streetlights on both sides of the road lit up, and a luxurious, elongated black car was driving on the highway.

The driver was sitting in the front, fully focused on driving the vehicle. In the back seat were two people: one was an old man with a full head of white hair and a white beard, dressed in a kimono and wearing wooden clogs. He had a scar near his right eye. Despite his age, he exuded a wild and authoritative presence, giving off an aura of dignity and power.

The other was a young girl with long golden hair, dressed in a school uniform. She crossed her arms, raised her pale neck proudly, and had an air of disdain, like a young peacock spreading its feathers.

The old man looked at the golden-haired girl with a hint of a headache.

"Eri, I'm sorry, it's Grandpa's fault. I didn't expect that the three-Michelin-starred French chef would be so far from his reputation."

However, the golden-haired girl didn't give the old man any face and turned her head away with a "hmm."

The old man couldn't help but shake his head. As the leader of the culinary world in Japan and the headmaster of the Tōtsuki Academy, known as the "Demonic King of Cuisine," everyone who met him was always respectful and cautious. But he was helpless when it came to his granddaughter, Eri Saiba. Today, he had specially taken her to a newly opened three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Tokyo Bay to taste the cuisine, but the French dish there was so bad that it made Eri Saiba vomit.

Eri Saiba possessed an extraordinary sense of taste called the "God Tongue," which allowed her to visualize the flavors she tasted in her mind. Even as a child, she had served as a supervisor in famous restaurants, and her comments could influence the future of a restaurant.

Although Eri Saiba had a taste that surpassed that of ordinary people and could distinguish even the slightest flavors, she also experienced the taste of bad dishes more intensely than others. Therefore, when she tasted something she considered bad, her mood would become low and terrible.

Just as Saiba Senzaemon was thinking of ways to cheer up his granddaughter, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes and stopped the car.

"What's going on?"

Saiba Senzaemon's driver had been with him for many years, and he trusted the driver's skills. There was no way such a mistake could happen, so it must be a special situation.

"Headmaster, a car suddenly appeared in front of us and blocked our way."

The driver's tone was heavy.

As soon as he finished speaking, two people got out of the car. They wore conical hats and pale masks, and a black cloak enveloped their entire bodies. They stood silently in front of the car, motionless, like ghosts in the darkness.

"Grandpa..."

After all, she was just a 16-year-old girl, and seeing this eerie scene, Eri Saiba grabbed her grandfather's arm in fear.

Saiba Senzaemon didn't say anything but gently patted Eri Saiba's arm to comfort her.

At this moment, one of the conical-hat people walked to Saiba Senzaemon's car door and lightly knocked on the window.

"Headmaster."

The driver called out, worried.

Saiba Senzaemon thought for a moment and signaled the driver to lower the window. The window slowly rolled down, and a pair of gloved hands presented an envelope to Saiba Senzaemon.

Saiba Senzaemon took the envelope and saw a black qilin (Chinese mythical creature) with its head lowered, holding an ancient Chinese cleaver. The black qilin on the envelope was vivid and exuded a sense of coldness and ferocity.

Saiba Senzaemon's expression became serious as he opened the envelope. Inside was an invitation to serve as a judge in a culinary competition, and the signature read "Dark Culinary World."

"A culinary battle? Dark Culinary World."

Saiba Senzaemon searched his memory but found no information about the Dark Culinary World. The late-night chefs he knew were completely different from these people.

Looking out the car window, he saw the conical-hat person extend his right hand in an inviting gesture. Saiba Senzaemon looked at them coldly.

Eri Saiba also looked at the envelope and said angrily:

"You actually stopped our car just for a culinary battle. Do you know who the man in front of you is? Do you know that what you're doing is illegal?"

No matter how Eri Saiba raged, the conical-hat person remained motionless.

"It seems I have no choice but to go."

Saiba Senzaemon said coldly.

The conical-hat person still didn't speak and continued to invite Saiba Senzaemon. After a while, Saiba Senzaemon opened the car door and got out.

"Take the young lady home. I'll come back later. If I'm not back by 9 a.m. tomorrow, call the police."

"Grandpa..."

Eri Saiba quickly got out of the car as well.

"Listen, Eri, go back first. Grandpa will come back later."

Saiba Senzaemon affectionately patted Eri Saiba's head.

"No, I'm going too, Grandpa."

Eri Saiba firmly held onto Saiba Senzaemon's hand.

Sigh, the situation was unclear, and he didn't know if it was dangerous. Saiba Senzaemon didn't want to take his granddaughter with him, especially since he hadn't brought any guards.

But it was too late to argue. Saiba Senzaemon knew his granddaughter's stubbornness; once she made up her mind, she wouldn't change it and wouldn't allow anyone to go against her will.

Seeing Eri Saiba's determined eyes, Saiba Senzaemon also summoned the aura of the "Demonic King of Cuisine" and laughed heartily:

"True to my granddaughter, Eri Saiba. Alright, we'll go together to meet the Dark Culinary World."

He then turned to the conical-hat person and asked:

"Can I bring my granddaughter with me?"

The two conical-hat people looked at each other and nodded.

After instructing the driver to leave, Saiba Senzaemon and Eri Saiba got into the conical-hat people's car. The car started and drove quietly. The conical-hat people in the front remained silent. After a while, when Eri Saiba was almost falling asleep, the car stopped.

The conical-hat person opened the car door, and Eri Saiba got out to find herself at an unknown, dilapidated small port. It was already dark, and the surroundings were pitch black. The only sound was the sea waves hitting the rocks.

"Are you holding a culinary battle in such a desolate place?"

Eri Saiba felt that she and her grandfather had been tricked.

"Wait, Eri, look at the sea."

Eri Saiba looked at the sea and saw a light slowly approaching. After a while, she realized it was a small wooden boat rowing towards them, with a lantern hanging on it.

An old, thin man with white hair and a beard was rowing the boat. He had only a few teeth left and spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Please follow me."

Eri Saiba looked at the simple wooden boat and said disdainfully:

"I won't ride in such a shabby, common thing."

The old man seemed to ignore her and quietly looked at her. In the end, he and Saiba Senzaemon got on the boat together.

After they both got on, the old man took out two white cloths and said:

"Could you please blindfold yourselves?"

"Blindfold ourselves? This is too disrespectful."

Eri Saiba couldn't hold back her anger, and even Saiba Senzaemon frowned.

But the old man kept his hand extended with the white cloths. To start the boat, they had to wear the blindfolds, so Saiba Senzaemon and Eri Saiba had no choice but to cover their eyes.

The boat started moving, and they listened to the sound of the oars gently stirring the water. After a while, they heard the old man's hoarse voice:

"You can take off the blindfolds now."

Eri Saiba quickly removed the blindfold, but it was still pitch black around her, with only the water flowing continuously. She called out in frustration:

"There's nothing here, I can't see anything. Are you tricking us?"

Before she could finish, Saiba Senzaemon patted her and pointed forward:

"Look ahead!"

Eri Saiba followed her grandfather's finger and saw a large black shadow. Just as she was about to ask the old man what it was, the shadow suddenly emitted a blinding light. Eri Saiba had to squint her eyes. When her eyes adjusted, she opened them and couldn't help but exclaim:

"What is this!"

She saw a modern ship over a hundred meters long, with a huge castle standing on it. The windows of the castle, large and small, were illuminated and shone like golden glass, magnificent and splendid. A huge flag hung on the front of the castle, bearing the symbol of the Dark Culinary World—the black qilin.

Saiba Senzaemon took out the envelope and saw the same pattern on the flag, his expression becoming even more serious.

Seeing the shock on the faces of the grandfather and granddaughter, the old man who rowed the boat smiled sinisterly:

"Welcome to the Dark Culinary World's floating palace—the 'Lóulín' ship!"