Chapter 1744: 1744

To the nobles, the restaurant in Void City was a taboo, so they all kept a distance from it. Many even thought of destroying it. These people had unwavering faith in their Queen.

Bu Fang needed to think of a way to increase the restaurant’s popularity. To make the residents of Void City accept the restaurant, he would need a delicacy that could move them. As for what this delicacy was, he had no idea for the time being.

However, he was not in a hurry. At his level, time had lost its traditional meaning. He had plenty of time to think of a solution.

In the restaurant, Bu Fang pulled over a chair, reclined in it, and closed his eyes. Before long, he was breathing slowly and calmly.

The restaurant was very quiet. There was not a single customer, and this had been going on for days. In these few days, Bu Fang had come up with a lot of ideas. He had cooked many aromatic delicacies, hoping he could arouse the primal desire for food in these people.

However, none of the nobles in the city was attracted, even when the rich aroma had filled the entire District A. They did not waver. However, some of the nobles did have their appetite whetted. They kept smacking their mouths and wished they could taste the food, but as soon as they thought of the Queen’s taboo, they suppressed their inner cravings.

That surprised Bu Fang. He had tried all kinds of delicacies that emitted strong fragrance, including barbecue, Teppanyaki food, and Chinese scallion pancake. The nobles were at most tempted by the aroma, but they would not fall for it, much less get carried away by the food.

The Queen’s taboo had deeply affected these nobles.

However, ever since Marquis Lang Gu broke the taboo, he had given up everything and devoted himself to eating. He enjoyed delicacies every day, and his lips were always stained with grease. He even planned to make the restaurant his home. Of course, he was kicked out by Bu Fang.

He even gave up being a soul drummer and planned to settle down to be a qualified foodie. Since he tasted the monkey brain, he could not stop eating. He had tried all the other delicacies in Bu Fang’s restaurant, including Egg-Fried Rice, braised meat, and Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ribs.

The food made him so happy that he shivered every time he ate them. However, he alone was not enough to influence the other nobles. Many of them still watched warily.

“It won’t work… Owner Bu, you can’t make the nobles of District A accept food,” Xiao Ai said seriously. She was sitting at a table eating braised meat.

Sipping a cup of wine, Bu Fang reclined in his chair and glanced at her.

“The charm of food depends on the attraction to the palate and the control of the taste buds. However, all the experts here are strong, and their self-control is not weak. You can’t attract them with just the aroma of food.”

Xiao Ai was quite content lately. Although she had no idea where Nethery went, she was happy to be a waitress, for she could eat the dishes cooked by Bu Fang every day. The delicacies he cooked had not attracted any customers, so they could only be consumed internally.

She had tasted many dishes—including barbecue, hotpot, crispy pancake, and Teppanyaki—and all of them made her soul shiver. She could still remember her guilt the first time she ate Bu Fang’s noodles, but now… her guilt was nowhere to be found. The only thing left in her now was her faith in food, just like Marquis Lang Gu.

Waving her spoon, Xiao Ai said to Bu Fang, “Owner Bu, the first thing you need to consider now is how to get them to eat… They will never step into the restaurant unless they have experienced the primal shock brought by food.”

Her words left Bu Fang in silence. She got a point. To put it simply, he had to force them to eat his dishes. He nodded thoughtfully, then brought the cup to his lips and downed the wine in one gulp.

“But they will not try the normal dishes so easily…”

“You can always cook abnormal delicacies, Owner Bu. You are such an amazing chef, so surely you know how to cook those, right?” Xiao Ai said.

She scooped up a piece of braised meat that looked like jelly with the spoon, shoved it into her mouth, and chewed. The grease spilled, while a rich fragrance of meat filled her mouth. The tender texture made her shiver and turned her face red. She felt a little shy.

‘An abnormal delicacy? Maybe I can open up a new prospect with dark cuisine?’ Bu Fang froze. He filled his cup with wine again, but he did not drink it this time. Instead, he squinted at Xiao Ai, whose lips looked greasy.

Her words seemed to open his mind and widen the horizon in front of him. ‘Since normal delicacies couldn’t change their mind, then I will use dark cuisine…’

The corners of Bu Fang’s mouth lifted slightly as an idea came to him. Stinky Tofu would not work because many people had seen it. He had used it in the fighting pit. Therefore, he planned to use another dark cuisine this time. Stinky Tofu was not the only dark cuisine he knew.

Suddenly, Bu Fang jumped from the chair and stood in the restaurant. Foxy, lying under the Path-Understanding Tree, perked up. Her figure flickered and disappeared in a flash. The next moment, she was sitting on Bu Fang’s shoulder. Shrimpy came flying over as well, perching on his shoulder and spitting bubbles.

Bu Fang narrowed his eyes, lifted his hand, and rubbed the heads of the two little ones. “Come, let’s go and create some scene,” he said lightly.

Yes, Bu Fang was going to create a scene. Since food with a rich aroma could not arouse the nobles’ desire for delicacies, he had no choice but to resort to some extreme means. Only when one had experienced the extreme dark cuisine could one understand the value of delicious food.

Of course, dark cuisines did not always taste bad.

Xiao Ai shoved the last piece of red braised meat into her mouth, then widened her eyes and watched as Bu Fang walked out of the restaurant.

Marquis Lang Gu, on the other hand, was sitting comfortably in a chair and picking his teeth. He, too, was surprised to see Bu Fang leaving the restaurant. “What does this little chef want to cook? I can’t miss it…” He rolled his eyes and quickly followed. His trust in Bu Fang’s cooking now was at the level of faith.

Foxy narrowed her eyes and cheered excitedly. She was very happy. ‘We’re going to create a scene? Does that mean I will have something delicious to eat soon?’

The nobles who had been keeping an eye on the restaurant were stunned when they saw Bu Fang walk out of the restaurant.

Outside the restaurant, the street that had been reduced to ruins by the battle had been restored. In Void City, the restoration of damaged buildings was extremely efficient.

Bu Fang did not go far. He found an empty space in front of the restaurant. With a thought in his mind, he took out a divine tree. Then, he produced the Dragon Bone Kitchen Knife and hacked the tree in half. The cut side was smooth. He slashed rapidly, and soon a plaque appeared in his hand, on the surface of which a row of words was carved.

“Dark Cuisines Tasting Event! The Cooking God Little Kitchen welcomes people with the courage to take on the challenge! Anyone who passed the challenge will be given a wisp of Chaotic Energy!”

After writing those words, Bu Fang made the kitchen knife spin in his hand and stepped back. A satisfied but odd smile emerged on his face.

“Dark cuisines tasting event? Anyone who passed the challenge will be given a wisp of Chaotic Energy?” Xiao Ai’s eyes widened as she read the words Bu Fang had written on the plaque. She looked incredulous. “Owner Bu… Are you out of your mind?”

“Calm down…” Bu Fang glanced at Xiao Ai.

“Let’s not talk about what the dark cuisine is first… How are you going to give those people Chaotic Energy?” Xiao Ai said helplessly. She was beginning to wonder what kind of teammate Nethery found for herself.

Marquis Lang Gu chuckled as he picked his teeth with a toothpick. “Little chef… Are you jumping the gun? Giving out Chaotic Energy… Only Chaotic Saints could own Chaotic Energy. A peak Saint of the Great Path might possess one or two wisps…

“If a God Emperor completed the challenge, are you going to give them a wisp of Chaotic Energy as well? How are you going to give that?” He rolled his eyes and pointed a finger at Bu Fang.

“I have my own way… But first, they have to complete the challenge,” said Bu Fang.

While Bu Fang was talking to them, the news had spread like wildfire. Many people saw the plaque, and the contents on it were naturally exposed.

“He’s giving out Chaotic Energy? Why is this chef so arrogant? What makes him think he can promise such a generous reward?”

However, to many Saints of the Great Path, Bu Fang’s words were full of temptation. If they could really get the Chaotic Energy, that would save them years of hard work!

Of course, there were sensible people. More people were actually paying attention to Bu Fang’s… challenge. It was a thought-provoking challenge. If it was too hard, no one would take part, and if it was too easy, the chef might not be able to come out with Chaotic Energy. So, they thought the chef had put himself in a dilemma.

The news quickly spread, and all the nobles of District A turned their eyes over. The restaurant had already become a laughingstock of District A because no one visited it to eat anything. Its business was even poorer than the street vendors selling illegal pills beside the pill-making workshop. And now, it was trying to create a scene again.

In front of the restaurant, Bu Fang took out the White Tiger Heaven Stove and placed tables before it.

“Owner Bu, what is the dark cuisine you mentioned? Is it red braised meat?” Realizing that she could not stop Bu Fang, Xiao Ai asked curiously. Of course, she was still not convinced that the plan would work.

Across the street from the restaurant was a busy pill-making workshop. It was extremely huge, at least a hundred times larger than the restaurant. Its interior was almost like a square, with alchemists sitting cross-legged and refining pills here and there.

These alchemists came from a small universe that produced alchemists. Although it was only a small universe, its alchemists were very famous. They were all top experts in pill-making with incredible skills.

They were performing their pill-making techniques, stimulating the nobles of Void City with their pills so that these rich people would buy from them. Many alchemists scorned their competitor across the street—they thought the restaurant was just a joke.

However, driven by curiosity, many customers from the pill-making workshop had gathered in front of the restaurant. In fact, Bu Fang’s restaurant was not without visitors—it now had customers who dared to break the taboo and try his dishes.

Bu Fang lifted the corners of his mouth when he heard Xiao Ai’s question. “You know stinky tofu, right?” he said.

“Yes. It smells awful but tastes delicious!” Xiao Ai nodded and smacked her lips. Clearly, stinky tofu had left a deep impression on her.

“Well, in the world of dark cuisine, stinky tofu is just the basics. Sour herring, cursed chicken, fire ants cookies, nightmare larvae jelly drops… These are the stars of the show, and they are the first step in breaking the taboo,” Bu Fang said, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Xiao Ai froze. Just hearing the strange names that popped out of Bu Fang’s mouth alone already gave her creeps.

‘So, is Owner Bu going to… create a great scene now?’