Genshin Impact: A Mortal's Ascension to Godhood

A few more days passed, and finally, the day of the elimination round of the Chef King Competition arrived.

Nine teams representing various regions of Liyue—not just Liyue, but also the wildcard regions—quickly gathered together.

Due to the large number of participants and the enthusiastic audience, the Seven Stars deliberately set the venue near the port so that all the people of Liyue could come and watch the event. At the same time, the Seven Stars also specially made an arc-shaped stand so that people could go on stage to watch the game.

Before the competition started, the atmosphere of the entire venue was warm and tense, full of anticipation and excitement. The venue was elegantly and exquisitely decorated, with antique decorations and a variety of cooking equipment in the kitchen complementing each other, creating an atmosphere of "Ah, it's really a cooking competition." The audience seats were full, holding various banners and cheering slogans, with excitement and curiosity on their faces, and they couldn't wait to look forward to the upcoming culinary feast.

"Wow, there are so many people here." After a few days of recuperation, Li Tao, whose wounds had basically healed, also came to the scene and chatted with Master Mao. "I have to thank Master Mao for letting us watch the game directly on site, otherwise I would have to squeeze in nearby to watch."

Master Mao waved his hand and said, "Why bother to thank me? We were able to participate in the competition this time thanks to you guys helping Xiangling find ingredients. Moreover, your adventure this time was really fruitful. You even found the legendary manta rays and magic mushrooms."

"Well...not all of them are good memories." Li Tao evaded the question vaguely, not wanting to recall some bad things.

“Hey, Brother Li!” Xingqiu waved at Li Tao, “Xiangling is about to enter, quickly get Master Mao over here!”

Li Tao nodded to Xingqiu and looked at Master Mao: "Then Master Mao, will you please?"

Master Mao grinned and said, "Don't worry, I won't let your efforts go to waste! Xiangling and I will definitely win this elimination match!"

Li Tao also responded with a smile: "Then I look forward to the Wanmintang signboard to stand out. I'm going to the special audience seats, Master Mao."

//////

The organizer of the Chef King Contest, the Liyue government, specially prepared a special audience seat for the friends and family of each contestant, which is located at the back of the venue. Although the view is not very good and you can only see the backs of the chefs, it is indeed a special seat closest to the venue.

As soon as Li Tao returned to his seat, he saw Xingqiu and Chongyun pointing and talking at the list of contestants. He approached them curiously and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Brother Li, look at this." Xingqiu pointed out the name of a team they noticed and the region they came from to Li Tao. "They are from the Kingdom of Winter, the Northland Restaurant, which is supported by the investment of the Northland Bank and is participating in this Chef King Competition."

"That is to say, those Fatui who attacked us before and wanted to take away the [Magic Mushrooms] might be related to this team. After all, only cooks and alchemists would use [Magic Mushrooms], and it is possible that the North Country Hotel wanted to win through unorthodox means, so it specially sent people to find [Magic Mushrooms]." Chongyun made a series of reasonings with such confidence that he even believed it himself.

Li Tao smiled and said, "Although it is indeed very possible, we have no evidence. Some of the Fatui died, some surrendered, and some even committed suicide. We can't use this to accuse the representatives of the Winter Kingdom."

Chongyun sneered: "Suicide? I think they were killed by the spells engraved on their bodies in advance. In order not to reveal the secret or something..."

“Hmph…” Xingqiu said disdainfully, “You are rude and overbearing, and you disregard life. You look like a rat with decency, but you are a human with no manners!”

Li Tao quickly comforted his two companions: "Forget it, there's no need to worry about these things. Just watch the game."

......

Soon, the nine teams were ready, and the host of the knockout round, Yuhengxing Keqing, had also arrived.

As one of the leaders of Liyue, Keqing might be a little too serious in her dealings with others, but when facing such a big scene, she would never let down her guard. With a light lotus step, Keqing walked to the center of the elimination match, strengthened her voice with elemental power, and said to the audience and contestants: "Good afternoon, audience and contestants! I am the host and judge of this Chef King Competition, Yuhengxing Keqing!"

"The weather is clear and the breeze is gentle. It is the time for the biennial Chef Championship. This competition has always been a holy place for culinary elites to show their talents and exchange skills. Tonight, top chefs from all over the world will use their skillful hands to transform ordinary ingredients into intoxicating delicacies.

"Before the competition begins, I would like to express my special thanks to the merchants in Liyue. It is their support that makes tonight's Chef Contest even more exciting. First of all, I would like to thank "Liyue Food Collection" for providing us with a rich variety of ingredients so that the chefs can fully display their talents; at the same time, I would also like to thank "Liyue Heyu Teahouse" for their fragrant tea that will bring a different kind of freshness and tranquility to the audience tonight.

"Next, I will explain the rules of the elimination round. There is only one topic, which is the [mountain and sea delicacies] announced to all contestants in advance. At the same time, this competition requires that in addition to the basic ingredients, the main ingredients must be [obtained by the chef himself] to show the meaning of cherishing ingredients and respecting nature. The contestants need to prepare dishes with the specified topic within two hours and submit them to the judges for tasting. The judges will score and use the results to determine the [two] teams that will advance to the finals."

At this point, Keqing didn't know what to say. She learned from the General Affairs Department why the Food Festival Committee issued this strange rule - it was to target the illegal behavior of some teams. However, now all teams have to follow this strange rule to go up the mountain and down the water by themselves, which has also boosted the development of the entire Liyue transportation and employment industries.

I really don't know what to say, but this can be considered as serving Liyue. Keqing thought so and continued to recite the script she had mastered:

"...Cooking is an art and also a heritage. Behind every dish lies the chef's hard work and creativity. As a judge, I will strictly follow the principles of fairness and justice, and make a comprehensive and detailed assessment of each chef's work from the five aspects of color, aroma, taste, shape and meaning."

“Today, we will witness the charm and innovation of culinary arts. I look forward to every chef showing his or her best and bringing us an unforgettable feast for the taste buds. At the same time, I also hope that the audience can enjoy this competition and feel the pleasure and satisfaction brought by delicious food.”

“The Chef King Contest is not only a competition, but also an exchange and inheritance of food culture. Let us look forward to who will stand out in this fierce competition and become the real Chef King!”

“Now, let’s start this food journey together!”

After Keqing announced the start of the game, the whole audience burst into applause. At the same time, the member in charge of timing also turned a specially made huge hourglass upside down. The golden sand made of rock elements began to slowly slide down from the top of the hourglass.

The chef competition, elimination round, begins.