Reborn in Japan as a Chef God

77: Chapter 77: The Luxurious Panel of Examiners 77: Chapter 77: The Luxurious Panel of Examiners The examination venue was right next to the colossal stadium beside the IGO Tokyo headquarters building, where a female staff member led Xia Yu and Hozoi Midori via elevator to the basement level, through an underground passage, and finally to the examination hall.

The vast stadium was divided into three large sections by removable wall panels.

The first section was for the One-star Chef assessment, where the most people were gathered, forming long queues with men and women of all ages.

Successful candidates emerged with faces full of excitement, while those who failed left dejectedly, and there were even some younger female chefs sobbing quietly in the corner.

The number of people in the Two-star Chef examination area dropped dramatically.

Xia Yu and Midori walked into the area and after scanning the room, they saw that including the two of them, there were precisely ten people.

“Miss Hozoi, the spectator seats are over there.”

The female staff member took Hozoi Midori away, and so, Xia Yu was left alone in the examination hall.

He was quite at ease, harboring not a penny’s worth of nervousness, hands in his pockets as he strolled around the hall to familiarize himself with the setting.

Meanwhile…

In the top-floor office of the IGO Tokyo headquarters building.

The person of the highest status in this building, the head of the IGO Neon Department, Shinohara Shigetaro, was discussing matters with a middle-aged man in a suit with a burly physique.

“Mr.

Dojima, regarding the audit documents for the restaurants under Far Moon Resort, they’re all in these document bags here.

Take them and have a good look.

If you have any questions, you can call me anytime.”

Shinohara Shigetaro pointed at the table.

“Thank you.” The middle-aged man took the document bags.

At that moment, the office door was pushed open, and a female secretary from outside said, “Minister, the young chef you instructed me to take special care of has just arrived at our Tokyo headquarters not long ago, and has applied for the Two-star Chef assessment.

According to the monitors, he is currently in the examination hall.”

“Oh?”

Shinohara Shigetaro raised his eyebrows.

He certainly knew who that young chef was.

After all, Mr.

Xia Qing’s grandson wasn’t someone he could ignore.

Xia Yu even received his One-star Chef certificate without an assessment, as he personally delivered it, following IGO’s regulations that allow such privileges only for those super talented individuals.

Of course, this was a small favor and private interest on Shinohara Shigetaro’s part.

In his heart, he regarded Xia Yu much like Jiang Liangzi Lina, fully possessing the standard of a Three-star Chef.

Especially recalling those luminous dishes, Shinohara Shigetaro’s spirit trembled at the thought.

Shinohara Shigetaro stepped around his desk and walked out, casually addressing the Executive Chef of Far Moon Resort, “Mr.

Dojima, would you like to take a look at our IGO headquarters’ examination venue?

You might discover some talented chefs…”

The middle-aged man paused, then showed a smile and said, “In that case, I’ll have to take a good look.”

The Executive Chef of Far Moon Resort was none other than Dojima Yin.

The lead seat of the ‘Ten Masters of Far Moon’ of the 69th generation.

And the alumnus with the highest historical score from Yuan Yue Academy.

Revered by juniors like Shigong Xiaoci Lang, Mizuhara Fuyumi, and Qian Rixiangzi.

Referred to by students and faculty within Far Moon as ‘the living legend’.

This person was Dojima Yin!

…

Xia Yu didn’t know that Dojima Yin, a figure whose every step could shake Far Moon, was on his way.

He wandered around for a few laps, and as he couldn’t wait for the chief examiner, he simply took a seat and started observing the other chefs.

Of the other eight chefs, there were two women and six men.

One female chef was of the old lady’s generation, so Xia Yu didn’t pay much attention.

However, he was rather curious about another female chef, a big sister type who was already standing at a kitchen counter, muttering something under her breath while looking at the vegetables on the cutting board.

Observing her profile, her temperament seemed gentle, that of a refined lady, though, of course, the fullness at her chest was equally astonishing.

The male chef, huh?

Xia Yu glanced around and shook his head.

Almost all of them were uncles over thirty, not a single cute one among them.

Huh.

Xia Yu thought it was an examiner coming when the door to the isolation area for the examination was pushed open; he raised an eyebrow and looked over, only to see a young master about his age, with slicked-back hair, strutting in, flanked by two beautiful maids.

Xia Yu withdrew his gaze, utterly uninterested.

On the path of a chef, the further you go, the less your background matters.

So what if you have a head start?

Not to mention the geniuses, even those with slightly less talent can quickly catch up with hard work and determination.

“Respected chefs, the assessment for the second area of this venue will begin shortly.

The list of chief examiners for this assessment is as follows: IGO Neon Department’s highest official, Shinohara Shigetaro, IGO Neon Department Defense Bureau chief, Jiang Liangzi Lina…”

The venue’s announcement suddenly rang out with a sweet female voice.

The previously noisy first assessment area became silent as a grave upon hearing the broadcast.

Many chefs who had come for the one-star assessment gaped in disbelief.

“My God, Mr.

Shinohara is personally overseeing a two-star assessment?!” A female chef covered her mouth.

Shinohara Shigetaro hardly ever appeared in assessments below three stars, so the staff present were also shocked.

Key thing was, Shinohara Shigetaro had also brought along that ice-cold chief of Defense Bureau, Jiang Liangzi Lina.

Many looked at the two-star assessment area with either pity or schadenfreude.

Shinohara Shigetaro was one thing, with his eccentric way of doing things.

But the Defense Bureau chief Jiang Liangzi Lina was different; she had presided over countless assessments, and just a few days ago, there were rumors that she’d shown her might in a one-star assessment area, casually eliminating a large batch of chefs with a flick of her hand, with only a few gaining her approval in the end.

People were astounded, yet the broadcast wasn’t over:

“The third examiner, will be the head chef of Far Moon Resort, Mr.

Dojima Yin!”

Boom.

After the silence, the venue erupted in an uproar.

Dojima Yin’s name was too resounding in Neon Food World, after all, he was a dominant figure who had emerged from Yuan Yue Academy.

“Dojima Yin?”

Xia Yu was shocked, but immediately a smile appeared on his face.

What a coincidence.

He had not expected that Shinohara Shigetaro, bringing his family along, would also bring Dojima Yin.

As for Shinohara Shigetaro and Jiang Liangzi Lina personally overseeing this two-star assessment, Xia Yu had no illusions about them.

He had a general sense of their characters from their interactions, and trying to leverage personal relationships to get favors was basically impossible.

In fact, Xia Yu had a sneaking suspicion that Shinohara Shigetaro might even set extra high standards for him.

Compared to Xia Yu, the other chefs waiting to be assessed were clearly more anxious.

The face of the young master who had just arrived turned sour.

“Damn it!” Xia Yu could hear his muttered curse, “If it weren’t for being late yesterday and having the assessment postponed, I wouldn’t have had such bad luck to encounter such a luxurious panel of judges today…”

Xia Yu shrugged.

My fault, huh?

He observed another female chef, a big sister type.

She pressed her palms together, constantly whispering to the vegetables laid out on the countertop, obviously a bit nervous from the intimidating lineup of judges.

Before long.

Shinohara Shigetaro, along with Jiang Liangzi Lina, and of course, Dojima Yin, took their seats at the judges’ table.

A female staff member took a scroll, her hand trembling, and the white scroll unfurled downward, revealing the black ink characters of the assessment question to all the chefs.

“Codfish!”