644 System, You Bastard!

\"Huh? 10 gold coins for one bottle of black pepper powder? Are you trying to rob me?\" Mag raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. He suddenly developed a feeling that the system had an ulterior motive for releasing that mission.

\"Nonsense! Am I that kind of system?\"

The system had clearly been enraged by Mag's accusations as it retorted, \"This black pepper is produced on Cicilan Island in the Demon Islands. This island only has an area of 1,000 square meters, and less than half of that area is suitable for planting black pepper. The system had to selectively breed Cambodian Kampot pepper to create the more exceptional Kampot number two.

\"The special climate on Cicilan Island and its mineral-rich soil gives the black pepper a unique flavor, which can significantly improve the taste of a dish. Furthermore, this black pepper is known as black gold, and in this world, pepper is worth far more than gold. 10 gold coins per bottle is already a bargain!\"

Mag was slightly more able to accept this price after hearing the system's description. It was only normal for exceptional ingredients to be extremely expensive. In any case, he would just have to pass on these costs to his customers. However, he was still a little curious as he asked, \"There's even black pepper in this world?\"

\"Black pepper is a luxury food item in this world. It can only thrive in extremely limited conditions, and is very inconvenient to transport; therefore, wild black pepper is extremely expensive on the market. Even some high-grade restaurants may not be able to get much black pepper per year,\" the system replied.

\"System, how about we just sell black pepper? This is an extremely profitable business endeavor!\" Mag's eyes lit up. The rarer an item was, the more expensive it became. Most importantly, there seemed to be quite a large market for this item.

\"You have to constantly remember who you are! As a candidate to become the God of Cookery, don't you feel ashamed to be thinking about selling ingredients for a living?\" the system wailed.

\"Oh yeah? Well, you're supposed to be a food system; are you proud of selling me all of that other random crap?\" Mag rolled his eyes before glancing at Beate, who was flying through his cooking process, and he realized that he didn't have any more time to waste on bickering with the system. As such, he urged, \"Alright, that's enough, I'll get a bottle of black pepper. Make sure to deliver it directly into my pocket so no one sees it.\"

\"Ding! 10 gold coins have been deducted! A bottle of black pepper powder has been delivered.\"

Mag looked down at the bulge that had suddenly appeared in his crotch with a thunderous expression, and roared internally, \"System, you bastard! I said in my pocket, not down my pants!\"

\"Sorry, the delivery was a little off,\" the system apologized.

Mag felt his crotch go cold, following which his pocket bulged instead; only then did his expression ease slightly. Thankfully, no one had noticed that. Otherwise, he would've definitely been labeled as a freak.

He pulled out the small bottle of black pepper powder from his pocket and placed it on the bench. After that, he made sure that he had all of the ingredients he required before taking off his black suit and handing it over to one of the waiters nearby. He then unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up before grabbing a flat knife from the rack.

\"What is that guy doing? Head Chef Beate is almost done, and he hasn't even started yet.\"

\"It feels like he's not even a chef. Can he really make any good food?\"

The guests began to discuss quietly among themselves, and most of them weren't optimistic about Mag's chances.

\"Heh, he must be petrified.\" Cyril looked at Mag with a cold sneer on his face. The way that the contest was progressing was outside his expectations, but he was naturally quite happy to see Mag struggling.

\"Alright, time to display some true skills.\"

A deriding sneer appeared on Mag's face as he listened to criticism aimed at him. He made his way over to the cow carcass and sliced his knife through the beef on the cow's back. In the blink of an eye, six portions of rib-eye beef identical in thickness had appeared on the chopping board, set up in exactly two rows. Upon closer inspection, everyone noticed that even the shape of the portions of beef was completely identical.

\"Wow! What amazing cutting skills!\"

\"I didn't even see what he did! That's rib-eye beef, right? The size and shape are all completely the same!\"

The guests' eyes lit up in unison. Mag's extraordinary cutting skills had completely altered their first impression of him.

\"Not bad; looks like he has a good foundation.\" Beate also nodded to himself with approval as he looked at Mag.

Mag was still quite young, and his restaurant was also only in its infancy. He had a few dishes that were rather renowned, but in Beate's eyes, the customers were surely exaggerating in their praise of his food.

In order to become an outstanding chef, an accumulation of practice was imperative. Talent was very important, but hard work and dedication as well as sufficient practical experience were also crucial.

Perhaps Mag satisfied the criteria of talent and hard work, but Beate thought that he would be unable to perfectly gauge his customers' flavor preferences without sufficient practical experience. Beate was cooking a new dish he had just invented, and he was confident that he would be able to win this cooking contest with it.

This was only a new dish, yet it had been taste-tested on a small scale, and the feedback had been excellent. It was his most prized creation second only to his roast pig.

Mag put down his knife, and wasn't in a hurry to continue cooking. Instead, he made his way over to the judging panel and stopped in front of Scheer with a smile as he asked, \"Would I be able to get a glass of red wine brewed by the Buffett Family's winery?\"

\"Are you planning to have a drink before you begin cooking?\" Scheer asked with a dainty smile.

\"Beate is using top-grade bamboo wine to cook his beef, and after thinking about it, only Young Mistress Scheer's wine can outstrip the wine he's using. As such, I'm requesting a glass of wine for cooking purposes,\" Mag replied with a smile.

\"I've never tasted beef cooked with red wine before. As expected, you really are an interesting chef, Mr. Mag.\" Scheer's smile widened at the indirect compliment Mag had delivered regarding her family's winery. She gestured to a waiter who was holding a bottle of red wine, and asked him to pour a glass for Mag.

\"Thank you.\" Mag accepted the glass of wine before returning to his cooking bench. He pulled off the knife from the rack again, and began to tenderize the beef with the flat of the blade. After that, he placed the beef onto dishes and used the red wine to marinate it.

The high-grade Ironhide Bull rib-eye beef was vibrant and succulent, and after the superb red wine was applied, the rich aroma of wine wafted through the air, making the hue of the beef even more appealing at the same time.

\"Wine with beef, in conjunction with the faint metallic tang of blood; it smells so good!\" Camilla took a whiff of the aroma wafting toward her, and her eyes abruptly lit up.

\"Crack!\"

A crisp crack sounded from Beate's end as the lid of his spherical pot was removed, sending a rich aroma spilling forth in all directions!