Chapter 235: Chapter 40: Something Is Seriously Wrong
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A problem.
A big problem!
From the very beginning, they hadn’t fully grasped why Renz dared to launch a Shokugeki against all the restaurants on Gourmet Street, challenging the pinnacle of the entire Japanese culinary world.
Instead, they stubbornly viewed his actions as "courting death," believing his skills were insufficient to challenge Gourmet Street, without ever considering the issue of the God’s Tongue.
Although Erina’s expression initially showed "surprise," and that surprise genuinely fooled Gin Dojima, a closer look now revealed many suspicious details.
If Renz was truly "courting death," why wouldn’t Erina, as his wife, intervene? Social death is a terrifying thing in Japan.
Husbands and wives are the quintessential shared destiny.
Simply put, if Renz’s reputation tanked, Erina’s reputation would also be affected.
If the Gourmet Street challenge ended in disastrous failure, especially if he lost in the very first round, the Nakiri family’s culinary brand might be shattered. Given Erina’s personality, she would never sit idly by and watch the Nakiri family’s reputation be ruined.
She would undoubtedly try every means to persuade him, even to confuse him and let the matter pass. But what was Erina’s reaction?
She wanted this matter to become as big as possible, rather than trying to cool it down or suppress it.
Renz’s challenge was a spontaneous, unexpected event, and it would have been easy to nip it in the bud.
However, Erina not only supported Renz fighting today,
but she also wanted him to continue accepting challenges tomorrow.
And what about tomorrow?
It would definitely be a major news story that all major media outlets would scramble to report.
One man challenging the entire Gourmet Street, declaring war on the Japanese culinary world what a sensational headline!
What media outlet wouldn’t want to report such news?
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Erina didn’t stop Renz; she even supported him. And Erina possessed the God’s Tongue. In other words, it was quite simple: Erina believed Renz had the ability to challenge Gourmet Street.
When this realization dawned on the two of them.
Their hearts surged with tumultuous waves.
A previously unthinkable answer emerged in their minds.
If Renz defeated all the restaurants on Gourmet Street, then someone like Eishi Tsukasa, the world’s third-ranked chef, would be insignificant.
If the Gourmet Street proprietors truly dedicated themselves to competition, who wouldn’t be able to enter the world rankings? They were all esteemed master chefs; securing a spot in the world’s top fifty would be quite easy.
Moreover, Renz’s most crucial asset wasn’t just his skill, but his extensive knowledge. The sheer variety of dishes he mastered meant that the Gourmet Street restaurants couldn’t all specialize in the same type of cuisine.
Renz, challenging them one by one, couldn’t rely on a single dish to conquer all, especially since some restaurants had specific Shokugeki requirements.
Ono Sushi, for instance, mandated that the opponent compete with a sushi dish.
Ryugin Restaurant, on the other hand, demanded a molecular gastronomy showdown.
This was a test of overall ability. Eishi Tsukasa, if unlucky, might even suffer a bitter defeat after challenging just one or two restaurants.
As the two secretly pondered.
They unconsciously arrived at the entrance of Ryugin Restaurant. The opponent had evidently heard about Renz’s Shokugeki challenge and had prepared in advance.
Winning against Ono Sushi wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Ono Sushi, apart from the previous head of the family,
had always been in a fluctuating period, rising and falling. The throne of Japan’s best sushi had been unstable in recent years, with numerous challengers.
Ono Zhen had skill, but compared to his father, he was far behind, not just in technique, but also in his attitude towards cooking.
"Hello, I am Ferran Adri." The person who came out to greet them from Ryugin Restaurant was a foreigner in a white suit. He had initially been quite vague about the concept of Shokugeki, but after many challenges and explanations using analogies like a "Wild West duel," he roughly understood what it was.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Renz, the challenger?" Adri’s Japanese was very stiff; he probably wasn’t someone who usually communicated in Japanese.
"Is Mr. Ferran Adri the head chef of Ryugin Restaurant on Gourmet Street?" Alice’s expression subtly changed upon hearing that name.
She had intentionally tried to dampen Renz’s spirits earlier, but now she genuinely felt like backing out.
"Is he very skilled?" Ono Zhen had never inquired about the head chef of Ryugin Restaurant. Firstly, traditional cuisine and molecular gastronomy didn’t mix well, and secondly, there was a lack of information exchange. The person looked quite old and was hard to recognize.
"Not just skilled, I even think your skill doesn’t qualify you to stand on the same street as him," Alice immediately delivered a critical blow to Ono Zhen.
Perhaps the Ono family’s performance in the previous Shokugeki was too "lame," causing Alice to have immense doubts about Ono Zhen’s skill.
Ferran Adri.
A Spaniard, arguably the foremost figure in molecular gastronomy, referred to as the "Picasso," "Dal," or "the most creative chef in the history of human culinary arts" of Spanish cuisine.
The restaurant he originally managed had been highly sought after for over a decade, having been consistently ranked as a global-level restaurant by a prestigious British food magazine for four consecutive years.
He was also named one of the most influential chefs, his creative ideas even breaking the boundaries of gastronomy.
His international renown was very high.
Because he was a master in the field of molecular gastronomy, Alice recognized him at a glance.
"Why is Master Ferran here?" Alice couldn’t help but ask.
"Hmm, Senzaemon invited him over to mentor apprentices," Senzaemon Nakiri said with a slight smile,
"It’s a half-year teaching period, probably his first term.
He just arrived on Gourmet Street seven days ago."
No wonder.
Alice couldn’t possibly be unaware of such a famous figure in a restaurant her family invested in. It turned out he had just been invited to mentor apprentices, which made everything fall into place.
"However, everyone, rest assured, he will not be the main combatant in this Shokugeki," Senzaemon Nakiri said, narrowing his eyes. This statement was actually intentionally made to reassure Renz.
To tell him not to panic.
How could they let Renz go against a chef of that caliber? Adri was invited over to use his experience and knowledge to guide the molecular gastronomy apprentices on Gourmet Street, not to be a permanent head chef.
To have Ferran Adri enter the battle.
For a young person like Renz, he would be too difficult to deal with.
It’s important to note that molecular gastronomy is the least dependent on a chef’s physical technique; this type of cooking relies on experience, creativity, and proficiency. Even with age, it doesn’t cause a significant decline in the taste of the dishes.
If Adri were to enter the battle, Gin Dojima might have to step aside.
This person was the world’s number one chef from five generations ago, a dominant force in the 2000s era. Not only that, he held that ranking for three consecutive terms. It was only after he stopped participating in any cooking competitions that his points were frozen and he faded from the world rankings.
Senzaemon Nakiri hadn’t finished his sentence.
But Renz, with great interest, asked the somewhat elderly Adri in front of him, "Mr. Ferran, do you accept Shokugekis?"
In the future, Renz wouldn’t even have the chance to challenge him.
Because Ferran Adri would have already passed away by then. He had never imagined that Ferran Adri would actually be serving as the head chef at a restaurant on Gourmet Street at this time.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spar.
He had bumped into an ancient god.
Renz had originally thought that Gourmet Street was full of ordinary master chefs, and his presence was essentially "fishing with dynamite." He never expected to catch such a big one among these "fish."
He wondered if the world’s number one chef from ten
years later was more formidable.
Or if the world’s number one chef from twenty years ago
was more formidable.
Renz finally had a sense of "Shokugeki."
This kind of battle, where he couldn’t be sure of winning, was the most thrilling.
Ono Zhen and Gin Dojima were the first two to realize that something was a bit off.
But now.
Even Senzaemon Nakiri and Alice suddenly noticed some
unsettling developments.
Why...
Did he show no intention of avoiding the battle?
Was he going to rise to the challenge? Or did Renz simply not recognize the chef in front of him, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger?
No!
He could call out the name.
It was impossible for him not to know Ferran Adri.
And Renz, looking directly into the weathered face of Ferran Adri, extended a hand in a handshake gesture, and slowly spoke in the demeanor of a challenger.
"Mr. Ferran Adri, the former world’s number one chef."
"Could you let me witness your molecular gastronomy?"
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