Chapter 1

In the land of the Hidden Dragon Continent, in the capital of the Qingfeng Empire.

In the bustling capital, the voices of people were deafening, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively. The wide streets on both sides were lined with towering buildings, among which inns and taverns were abundant. The aroma of dishes cooked by chefs permeated the air, lingering for a long time.

Among them, the Fengxian Tower, the largest tavern in the capital, was teeming with people, and its business was incredibly prosperous.

The houses in the capital were densely packed, and narrow alleys crisscrossed. Walking straight along the main road of the capital, crossing the Fengxian Tower, and walking a few miles inward, one would come across a deep and secluded alley. Entering the alley and turning left, one would see a simple and modest small restaurant.

In front of the restaurant, a large black dog lay listlessly, its tongue lolling out. Inside the restaurant, it was desolate, with no customers at all.

Suddenly, a young figure emerged from the restaurant. This figure was slender and fair, with long black hair tied up with a thin, soft rope. His forehead was bright and smooth, without a fringe, making him look very neat and clean.

"Xiaohei, it's time to eat." Bu Fang, with his slender fingers, held a porcelain bowl and walked out of the restaurant, placing the bowl in front of the large black dog. The dog, which had been lying listlessly on the ground, suddenly lit up with bright eyes, full of energy, and started eating from the bowl with large bites.

After petting the large black dog's smooth and dust-free fur, Bu Fang smiled gently and walked back into the shop.

Bu Fang, male, twenty years old, was originally an ordinary chef on Earth with ideals and aspirations. After waking up, he found himself in this fantastical world, with a mysterious "Gourmet System" inexplicably appearing in his mind. This small restaurant was created by the system on the second day after he arrived.

It had been a month since the restaurant was created, and not a single customer had come. Bu Fang had become numb. Every day, he had to practice his culinary skills according to the requirements of the "Gourmet System" and feed the large black dog at the door on time.

Bu Fang didn't know the origin of the large black dog. He only remembered that it appeared a week after the restaurant was established. Seeing its thin and weak appearance at the time, Bu Fang kindly gave it a taste of his practice dishes. Unexpectedly, the dog had stayed at the restaurant ever since, lying nearby every day when the door opened.

Strictly speaking, the large black dog was Bu Fang's first customer, although it was a freeloader.

Returning to the restaurant, Bu Fang glanced at the desolate place and sighed. Although the small restaurant was simple, it was very clean and tidy. The ten-square-meter restaurant had four tables, truly a small shop.

Looking at the three dishes on the menu, Bu Fang sighed deeply, feeling helpless.

The menu was a wooden board hanging in the center of the small restaurant, listing only three dishes.

It was hard to imagine a restaurant that only served three dishes, and the prices of these dishes were truly shocking.

A plate of stir-fried vegetables was priced at one hundred gold coins, a bowl of dry noodles was also priced at one hundred gold coins, and the last dish, fried rice, was even more outrageous, priced at one yuan crystal.

Yuan crystals were possessed only by cultivators, and one yuan crystal could be exchanged for about a thousand gold coins, but it was a rare commodity.

The prices of the dishes in this small restaurant were so outrageous that they could be called exorbitant.

Bu Fang didn't believe that anyone would foolishly order such dishes, even though he admitted that the dishes were indeed delicious. But looking at the prices, Bu Fang still felt a bit frustrated.

"As a gourmet who aims to stand at the top of the food chain in this fantastical world, how can you not have your first customer? If you can get your first customer within a month, you will receive a system reward."

This was the task given by the system a few days after the restaurant was established. Now, with only less than three days left until the end of the month, Bu Fang looked at the deserted alley with a blank expression.

"It seems that my dream of becoming a gourmet will be stifled in its cradle before it even begins." Bu Fang checked the time, sighed inwardly, and stood up to close the door of the small restaurant.

The operating hours were three hours each day, no takeout was allowed, and each dish could only be ordered once...

The small restaurant was not big, but it had many rules. However, since these rules were set by the system, they became Bu Fang's rules.

The operating hours for the day were over. Closing the door of the restaurant, Bu Fang returned to the kitchen to start his daily culinary practice. This so-called practice didn't involve much technical skill; it was just continuous cooking. The system provided and updated the ingredients daily, and Bu Fang only needed to practice.

In a corner of the kitchen, there was a humanoid iron robot. This robot, created by the system, was specifically used to recycle the food Bu Fang practiced with. Except for Bu Fang's daily meals and the food for the large black dog at the door, all other practice food had to be fed into the robot's stomach for recycling.

Turning on the stove and lighting the fire, Bu Fang began his daily culinary training.

Although he was in a fantastical world, the kitchen of the restaurant built by the system was equipped with modern facilities from Earth.

Smokeless pans, stainless steel knives, clean wooden cutting boards, exhaust fans, microwaves, refrigerators... everything was available, and it was even more modern than on Earth. Bu Fang felt no discomfort using them; he even enjoyed the feeling of cooking.

As night fell, two bright moons in the sky of the otherworldly realm cast a light like a gossamer veil.

At the door of the small restaurant, the large black dog, after finishing its meal, lay comfortably and contentedly on the ground, guarding the shop with the chirping of insects in the quiet alley.

The next morning, Bu Fang woke up groggily, washed up, and opened the door of the small shop.

The door was as desolate as usual, with no one in sight, but a large black dog was lying on the ground.

Bu Fang suddenly envied the bustling Fengxian Tower outside the alley. Its business was incredibly prosperous, with the constant flow of customers almost wearing out the threshold of the Fengxian Tower.

When would his small shop's business be as prosperous as the Fengxian Tower, so that Bu Fang could lie in the toilet and laugh to himself?

"Host, as a gourmet who aims to stand at the top of the food chain in this fantastical world, you shouldn't envy the business of other restaurants. For a bright future, start striving!"

The mechanical and serious voice of the system sounded in Bu Fang's mind, reminding him.

Bu Fang was already used to it. In the past month, whenever he had thoughts of envying the Fengxian Tower, the system would promptly deliver motivational words to encourage him.

In this sense, the system was actually quite humane.

Moving a chair to sit at the door, the warm sunlight shone down, and Bu Fang's bottom slid down the chair, making him lie lazily and comfortably.

The alley was still deserted.

"Another day without customers," Bu Fang tilted his head, yawned, and thought to himself.

The large black dog, lying on the ground, glanced at him indifferently and continued to loll its tongue.

Just as Bu Fang was about to doze off, a sound of footsteps startled him. Opening his eyes lazily, he saw a handsome young man in training clothes passing by the alley.

"Huh? There's actually a fool who opened a restaurant in this almost deserted alley?"

The young man was truly handsome, with a delicate face, large and lively eyes, red lips, and fair skin. If it weren't for his flat chest and prominent Adam's apple, Bu Fang might have mistaken him for a mischievous girl in disguise.

Didn't girls in the fantastical world like to play such tricks?

The handsome young man seemed to be interested in the small restaurant in the deserted alley and walked into it.

However, Bu Fang didn't get up, still sitting in the chair. Although the young man had entered the restaurant, he wasn't considered a customer until he ordered a dish. Bu Fang knew that to become a customer, one had to be able to afford the exorbitant prices of the dishes.

Sure enough, when the young man saw the prices of the dishes on the menu, his already large eyes grew even larger, and his scream echoed in the quiet alley.

"My goodness! A plate of stir-fried vegetables for one hundred gold coins? A plate of fried rice for one yuan crystal? Are you out of your mind?!"