An exotic caravan, almost as large as a small house, travelled through the unkempt dirt road through the forests and further down South of the Queens region.
The carriage itself was drawn by this extremely large monkey-like animal whose arms and legs had hooves like that of a horse.
This horse-monkey hybrid skillfully pulled the caravan through the forest, going over mounds, in between trees, and even through a ravine without much trouble. After all, this animal was bred specifically for this type of travel, where there wasn't much of a road to travel on.
Inside the carriage were four people, each one wearing expensive silk suits and robes that indicated their hierarchy in their society. They were very well-off, to say the least.
They were none other than the four representative chefs that had come to the South to expand their company's restaurants.
The three of them sat on the seats to the side, while the last one was seated at the very back, where it was spacious enough to sleep comfortably in.
They had been travelling for months now, trying to reach the Southern Tip of the Queens region to find the optimal spot for their expansion.
As they travelled through the forest, they were suddenly stopped by a few rugged individuals wielding knives on their belts.
One look and the chefs could tell that they were bandits.
"We're being ambushed."
"They must be the infamous Bastard Bandits."
"Shall we pay the fee to them, Chef Gusteau?"
Although they were all amazing chefs in their own right, they all regarded one person even more respectfully than their own names.
He was Chef Gustaeu, a man with dark skin, tightly braided hair, and sharp blue eyes. He laid on his side, with one hand supporting his head and one hand holding a grape branch to his mouth.
He was part of the esteemed Pyramidic Cuisine company, renowned for their amazing dishes and foods that were sought-after even around the world! Because of that, their company was ranked number 200 in the Golden 500 list.
If he wanted to, he could show his insignia to the Bastard Bandits and force them to retreat. Nobody in their right minds would want to mess with a top 200 company.
"We mean no harm," said one of the bandits. "We are simply here to deliver a message from Blazelle Oscrope."
Gusteau and the other chefs' eyes widened as they heard that. It was only now that they learned that Flarecorp was able to take the Bastard Bandits under their wing.
One of the bandits delivered a stamped letter to the window before they all disappeared into the woods, gone without a trace.
The chefs delivered the letter to Gusteau, who read it immediately.
"Hmmm…" Chef Gustaeu muttered as his eyes darted across the paper. "Farecorp is offering us the territory of the Bastard Bandits in exchange for our help."
The other chefs were pleasantly surprised to hear this.
"That's great! With the large territory of the forest, we can start creating a lot of restaurants for our expansion!"
"We'll be able to carve a large chunk of land for ourselves before those inheritors set their sights on this place."
"Shall we accept their deal, Chef Gustaeu?"
As usual, they all turned to the dark-skinned chef. Despite their excitement and enthusiasm, the decision was ultimately his to make.
"I am not so sure yet," he replied to them.
"Why not chef? Didn't you want to start a restaurant that is made for travellers? This is the perfect place to do it," said one of the chefs.
"The reason that I left our homeland in the first place was because I want to experience something new. My tongue is itching for the exotic. It is the only bottleneck that is preventing me from advancing my culinary skills.
Creating a new restaurant from scratch here in the forest will serve as a worthy challenge for me to sharpen my knife. But my heart is telling me that it is not enough," Chef Gusteau professed.
The other chefs went silent. For them, this forest would be the perfect place for them to expand their business.
"But chef, it is your company's aim to expand the business as much as possible. They would want to accept this deal," one of the chefs argued.
Finally, Chef Gustaeu relented. "Very well. If there is nothing else that interests me, then we shall take Flarecorp's offer and establish our restaurants in the forest."
The other chefs rejoiced.
"Before that though, let us visit Angora City to replenish our rations. Then, we'll meet with Blazelle and the Bastard Bandits to discuss this deal further."
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…
After being in a cramped space for too long, the chefs finally saw a glimpse of civilization in the distance: Angora City, the place once known for its connection to a lot of places. But now, it was just a shadow of what it once was, becoming isolated from the rest of the Queens region.
However, when they looked out the window and peered through the glass, they saw a strange sight.
Angora City was now connected to three roads: one to the West, one to the East, and one to the South leading towards the Kings region!
They all looked at each other, wondering how this had happened. After all, from what they knew, Angora City had lost its power and influence from years of degradation of the original Golden Road.
But now, they could see the City bustling with all sorts of businesses. There were these metal carriages going in and out of the gates by the hundreds! They had never even seen this type of carriage before, much less one that had no visible animal pulling on it.
If they had known about this road, they could have saved themselves some trouble and simply followed it towards Angora City. Instead, they went the long way and travelled through the wilderness that took them months to cross.
"What has happened with Angora City?"
"Has a sub company from a conglomerate already got to it first?"
"It's possible. Only a company with that much money could pull off something as grand as this. Don't you think so, Chef Gusteau?"
The dark-skinned chef threw an empty grape branch to the side and took another one in the basket.
"I heard that Flarecorp has been eyeing Angora City for a long time," Chef Gustaeu muttered, plucking a grape from the branch. "This is not their work. You must have all remembered how Batchrock Town looked a few days ago. Angora City looks far too…happy…for it to be under Flarecorp."
The three other chefs nodded in understanding. Only he could make a comment on those inheritors, those sub companies under the top ten conglomerates in the world. Chef Gustaeu was the only one among them that mingled in their world.
"Chef Gustaeu, how do you think Angora City is able to afford this road expansion?"
"I don't know. We'll see when we get there," the dark skinned chef said casually, chewing on the grape.
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…
Soon, the caravan moved closer and closer to Angora City, eventually letting them see the wonders of the automobiles and the new Golden Road.