Chen Qi curiously asked,
"Captain, are there any passengers aboard this ship?"
With a sigh, Captain Gold Teeth replied,
"Sir, to be honest, this ship carries all the prominent figures, among them even a Third-tier Doctor.
You should know that in our Witch Sea, many transactions are conducted aboard ships.
Soon, they will also hold a transaction banquet on board, but unfortunately, these guests are exceedingly picky. They want not only bunny girls but also male cowherd companions, and gourmet dishes prepared by top chefs."
Cowherds? Bunny girls?
Chen Qi frowned. What on earth was this cruise up to?
Suddenly, he noticed Captain Gold Teeth looking at him with an expectant gaze.
Captain Gold Teeth, he realized, if this chef dressed up a bit, he really had a certain charm!
To be a cowherd, that was no problem at all!
The only pity was the lack of characteristic features.
Under the influence of the Golden Flower Bird Kingdom, the cowherd profession was intensely competitive.
You needed not only looks and eloquence but also unique features, such as cat ears, dog tails, demon horns, slime hands, and so on.
If not, some startling special talent was necessary.
"I am a respectable person,"
Chen Qi emphasized.
As an heir to a Deep Sea Hunter, he would never sell his body! Never in his life would it happen!
Captain Gold Teeth sighed,
"What a pity..."
And just then, Captain Gold Teeth suddenly slapped Chen Qi's balding head.
This chef before him was the famous chef of Moonstone City.
His culinary skill, just perfect for this banquet.
Captain Gold Teeth squeezed out a smile and immediately stuffed the hundred thousand Shell Coins he had just taken back into Chen Qi's hands:
"No, I didn't mean that, Chef sir. You're the owner of the Water Elf restaurant, right?
Our restaurant is in dire need of a famous chef right now, and we're willing to pay you five hundred thousand Shell Coins to help us complete the banquet. How about it?"
Chen Qi pondered for a moment.
To earn five hundred thousand Shell Coins just by cooking for one night!
That's even more profitable than selling oneself!
You must know that the cash he currently held was just over four million Shell Coins, and five hundred thousand Shell Coins was by no means a small sum.
Moreover, if this were a transaction banquet, it also meant that Skill Cards would be sold there.
He could also use his identity as a chef to join their banquet and engage in transactions.
After thinking, Chen Qi answered,
"No problem."
Captain Gold Eyes then said to Chen Qi,
"Guest, if you wish to proceed to the banquet hall, please make sure to dress properly. These guests are very particular, and they certainly don't want to see someone looking like a drowned rat.
My guests are not to be trifled with, and they all have strange tempers."
After speaking, Captain Gold Teeth stood disheveled in the rain, looking pitiful and helpless.
Clearly, the passengers inside the ship were not something a mere Second-tier captain could handle.
Because of the storm and the Ghost Ship, their banquet had also not been prepared properly.
Fortunately, they happened to run into a chef on the road.
"I understand..."
Chen Qi agreed to their request.
For safety, he left Deep Sea Water Elves number four and five behind to guard his small houseboat.
If anyone dared to intrude into his small houseboat, the Deep Sea Water Elves could inform him immediately.
"Please follow me."
Guided by Captain Gold Teeth and a bunny girl, Chen Qi walked into the cabin and wiped his wet body with a towel.
Contrary to the stormy weather outside, the whole cabin was brightly lit, exuding an aura of opulence.
As he headed to the kitchen, Chen Qi just happened to pass by the banquet hall.
At the entrance of the banquet hall, two golden wall lamps emitted a soft glow, greeting the guests like two elegant ushers into this enchanting world.
On the long table in the hall, various utensils and pastries were arranged.
Classy, grand, and high-end!
Chen Qi couldn't help but be slightly moved. As a chef, this was the first time he saw such a lavish banquet hall.
However, the atmosphere inside the banquet hall was very subdued.
In the center of the banquet hall, a man and a woman, both dressed in fancy clothes, were chatting idly.
The woman screeched in her grating voice,
"Damn Ghost Ship, daring to snatch my skirt, one day, my Hunter Group of wild dogs will kill them all!"
"Stop dreaming. With your Hunter Group, you want to capture the Ghost Ship?"
"Just count your money. I heard a distinguished guest from that place has come on board, bringing a lot of rare items!"
"I'm calling dibs on Floral Appearance and anything that makes one more beautiful—that's all mine~"
"Can't the banquet start sooner? Why haven't they started serving the food!"
Due to the encounter with the Ghost Ship, the passengers on board were very displeased.
Chen Qi activated his Dove Perception and unconsciously focused his gaze on a corner of the banquet.
At the edge of the banquet hall, a girl with long black hair sat alone, flipping through an anatomy book, seemingly isolated from the surrounding clamor.
A flamboyant blonde with big waves spread her arms, embracing and flirting with two blonde sailors.
Besides them, there was someone in a white cloak sitting cross-legged at the entrance of the banquet hall, continuously muttering strange chants.
...
...
Many Transcendents directly revealed the weapons at their waists.
Why does she look familiar? Chen Qi stared at the girl in the corner and took a closer look, then said to the gold-toothed captain beside him,
"Captain, you didn't check their identities before entertaining them on board, did you?"
A real merchant's banquet wouldn't allow weapons to be shown so blatantly.
This type of armed dealing resembled more a black-market transaction or one amongst gangs or pirates.
Among this group of guests, although some were wealthy, there were definitely pirates mixed in!
The gold-toothed captain gave a helpless smile, not bothering to hide the truth,
"Sir, there's nothing we can do about it; we're just an ordinary cruise ship, and it's difficult for us to vet the passengers who come aboard.
And besides, this is a noble's banquet.
Even if there are pirates on board with bounties over ten million, we are powerless to do anything about it."
Is that so... Chen Qi muttered to himself, staying vigilant.
I need to be careful; there are Third-tier Transcendents in the banquet hall.
The crowd here is a mixed bag, but the trade meeting they're holding might be a bit more interesting than a regular one.
Following that, Chen Qi walked into the kitchen and looked towards his colleagues.
There weren't many chefs in the kitchen, only five in total, two elderly Third Rank chefs with the Cup Phase—one blond and one bald—and the other three were assistants to these chefs.
The spatula danced in the pot and flames leapt on the stove; together with the rocking ship, the kitchen was in chaos.
Seeing the water elf lying weakly on Chen Qi's head, the two professional chefs immediately recognized his identity!
A chef from the Water Elf Restaurant!
As colleagues, the two chefs had long heard about Chen Qi's street-side stall.
The banquet guests were particularly anxious, and Chen Qi didn't waste words; he skillfully put on an apron and picked up the spatula,
"Everyone, I'm here to help with the cooking. If there's anything you need help with, please let me know."
A chef who hadn't obtained a culinary license, a wild chef who had risen to fame through cooking competitions, had even made it onto the front page of the Dove Newspaper.
Many chefs had long wanted to challenge Chen Qi!
But in the current urgent situation, the two colleagues suppressed their desire to spar.
The bald head chef of the banquet said,
"You're a lifesaver! Over there are the Bubba Lobster, the sauce-drenched abalone, the tender triple fish dish, and the inspiration squid balls."
All seafood, and they even have Transcendent ingredients... Chen Qi smiled. Though he disliked seafood, his Soul Seasoning was specifically designed to enhance the original flavors of food.
A perfect match!
Chen Qi skillfully moved to the lobster's side,
"No problem."
Chen Qi picked up a small knife and drew beautiful curves in the air, trimming off the lobster's excess parts.
The elderly chef watched Chen Qi's unhurried technique with his ever-critical eye.
Not professional enough, the knife skills are mediocre!
To him, with thirty years of experience, this knife work seemed less like preparing a lobster and more like the method of an assassin!
Could this chef's ability really match his reputation, or was it just a restaurant that had gained popularity due to a water elf and cheap prices?
"No good..."
The head chef shook his head and explained,
"Sir, when handling Bubba Lobster, you must be quick and cut simultaneously. You have to finish it off before the lobster can react.
If it's done too slowly, the lobster's pain will spread throughout its body, affecting the texture of the meat and causing a mild bitter taste!!"
Pain affects the quality of the meat? What a strange theory.
Chen Qi listened intently but puzzled,
It sounded somehow reasonable, though.
"I understand."
Chen Qi responded. Perhaps in terms of seafood knife skills, he was indeed not on par with those seasoned chefs.
The head chef said earnestly, with gritted teeth,
"Sir, I may be nitpicking, but the guests on this ship are of very high status and have extraordinary backgrounds.
If we cannot make dishes that satisfy them, we might be killed by them alive before we get robbed by ghosts."
Saying so, he trembled slightly and let out a long sigh,
"Originally, there were three chefs on board this ship."
"Is it that serious..."
Chen Qi's hand gripping the knife instinctively tightened.
Then, the bald head chef glanced at the doorway to ensure no one was eavesdropping and lowered his voice as much as he could,
"Sigh... Sir, there might be pirates on this ship, as well as creatures from the deep sea..."
"Oh."