On Longteng Continent, under the Da Zhou Dynasty, the imperial capital stretched wide with buildings packed tight, the air thick with the smell of cooking.
Down a quiet back alley sat a small restaurant, still as stone. The place looked refined, yet only a few passersby ever wandered near. Compared to the lively tavern next door, it felt almost deserted.
Inside, a string of system prompts echoed in Ryan Austin’s mind.
“System: Gourmet System.”
“Shop Name: Supreme Gourmet House.”
“Host: Ryan Austin.”
“Gender: Male.”
“Age: Eighteen.”
“Cooking Talent: One Star.”
“Realm: Heaven-Human Realm, First Grade
0/100
.”
“Skills: None.”
“Cookware: Beginner’s set.”
“Cooking Rating: One Star.”
“Mastery: Fried Egg
First-Tier Dish
.”
“Current Mission: Within one month, attract your first customer.”
“Mission Rewards
Recipes
: Egg Fried Rice Method, Pearl Milk Tea Method
takeout available
, Redgold Dragon Gate Carp
Second-Tier, Low Grade
.”
“Mission Rewards
Carving
: Spirit Beast Compendium
Rank 66 Carving: Goldfire Qilin
.”
“Mission Rewards
Cookware
: Xuancrystal Chef’s Knife, Blade of Ten Thousand Forms
1/10
.”Half a month passed before Ryan Austin finally swallowed the truth: he had crossed into another world.
And with that came a so‑called Gourmet System.
“Fried Eggs, one Lingjing.”
Staring at the menu board on the wall, Ryan cursed the system from top to bottom.
“One Lingjing? Who’s insane enough to pay that? Even cutthroat shops aren’t this vicious!”
On the Longteng Continent, a Lingjing was precious, a treasure that helped warriors train.
And one Lingjing traded for a thousand gold coins.
Even in the most luxurious hotel in Didu, the First Tower, their priciest dish was only five hundred gold coins.
Five hundred coins could feed a poor family for ten years.
Anyone who stepped into his shop took one look at that price and bolted.
Unless someone had been kicked in the head, who’d eat here?
Rubbing his temples, Ryan looked around the finely decorated yet completely empty Supreme Gourmet House and sighed.
“Looks like another day without customers.”
“Dougie Baker, we’ve been eating at the First Tower forever. Want to try somewhere new?”
“Yeah. I’m sick of their dishes anyway. Huh? When did this place open? Should we check it out?”
“Supreme Gourmet House? Bold name.”Just as Ryan Austin was about to close up and get some sleep, five figures swaggered down the alley toward his door.
All of them were dressed in flashy robes, every step oozing the kind of arrogance only rich young lords carried.
Ryan lifted his eyelids lazily, giving them a half‑hearted glance.
Perfect.
Fools, delivered right to the door.
“Boss,” one of them barked, “what’s good here? Bring everything out for us.”
“You can look for yourselves.”
Ryan pointed at the wooden menu board, his tone light and cold.
With this kind of customer, the only way to deal with them was to act even more aloof, even more arrogant. That was how he sold a fried egg for a spirit crystal.
“What the— A single fried egg costs one spirit crystal? Are you robbing people?”
Dougie Baker practically jumped.
“Brother, did you embed gold in the egg?”
Clint Hickley twitched at the corner of his mouth.
“This place isn’t big, but your appetite sure is. At this price? Who would eat here?”
Another young man snorted. “Are you stupid or what?”
“We’ve got five people here. Boss, give us a discount. Treat it as us doing a good deed, alright?”
A third youth’s expression turned strange as he added with a trace of disdain in his eyes.
Ryan didn’t even bother to lift his head.
“No need for your charity. My dishes are worth the price. If you want to eat, sit down. If not, door’s to the left. Don’t let me keep you.”Ryan Austin shot the group a brief glance and kept wiping the table, not even bothering to lift his head. His voice came out cold.
“You, boss, got no shame at all? One plate of fried eggs for one spirit crystal—are you treating us like idiots?”
Clint Hickley almost swung a fist, but Dougie Baker grabbed his arm.
Ryan snorted. “Yeah, I really am trying to fool a pack of fools like you.”
The thought drifted through his mind, and he added, “My dishes are priced fair. If I say it’s worth one spirit crystal, then it’s worth one spirit crystal.”
Dougie Baker’s face darkened; he nearly exploded.
“Hah! I say you’re running a crooked joint, downright—”
Ryan’s brow twitched. Suddenly he felt a hollow ache in his stomach. Without another word, he turned and strode toward the kitchen.
“What’s that brat up to now?”
“Could he be… cooking for us?” someone whispered.
“Cook? Hah! Even if I, Dougie Baker, starve to death—even if I jump off the imperial palace walls—I’d never eat a single bite of his food!” Dougie barked, eyes blazing.
One fried egg for one spirit crystal. Might as well rob people in broad daylight.
No wonder no customers came.
This place was a damn scam!
“We’re leaving.”
“Wait—what’s that smell?”
As Dougie Baker and Clint Hickley took their first step toward the door, a rich, soul‑stirring aroma wafted out from the back kitchen.
The scent hit them like a hammer.
All five froze where they stood, stunned.The scent of egg filled the whole room, so rich it made the five young men feel as if some breathtaking fairy were dancing right in front of them. Their throats worked hard as they swallowed.
Ryan Austin carried over a plate. The golden eggs lay there quietly, yet their aroma hit like a wave.
“Looks like the kid’s scared. Hmph, at least he knows what’s good for him.”
“This rundown place? Even if he begged me to eat, I wouldn’t touch it.”
Seeing Ryan heading their way, Dougie Baker smirked at the others.
In his heart, though, he muttered fiercely: No matter what this guy says next, I'm not taking a single bite.
A warrior’s pride isn’t something a plate of fried eggs can bend.
But…
Even while thinking that, his nose kept twitching toward the fragrance.
His stomach growled loudly, betraying him.
Ryan walked toward them… one step, then another.
The group watched him come closer, already preparing to refuse him with righteous indignation.
But then—
Ryan sat right down beside them, grabbed the chopsticks, and calmly started eating.
“You—!”
Dougie Baker and Clint Hickley shot to their feet, faces flushed with fury.
He was doing this on purpose!
Sure, their families didn’t value them much, but that didn’t mean they could be humiliated like this.
This was going too far.
“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked, not even lifting his head.Ryan Austin lifted a piece of the golden‑fried egg and slipped it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, eyes half‑squinted, as if tasting some priceless treasure.
“Not bad,” he murmured.
Clint Hickley and Dougie Baker exchanged a look, their faces darkening. They were seething.
Then Dougie’s gaze flicked sharply, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
“How about we make a wager?”
“If this dish can satisfy me, I’ll pay for all five servings. Every single one.”
“But if it’s trash, I’ll tear your shop down.”
“Sorry,” Ryan replied, voice light, almost bored. “Only two plates a day. Five of you will have to share. If you want more, come back tomorrow.”
The ingredients all came from the system, and every day they were limited. When he learned what kind of egg he was cooking, his heart nearly bled.
Eggs of a third‑rank beast, the Chiyan Chicken.
He wasn’t fooling them—he was fooling himself.
Dougie and his friends were about to lose their minds over this strange shopkeeper.
What kind of twisted rule was this? One dish. Limited portions. Who did he think he was?
Not even First Tower had the guts to act this arrogant.
“We’ve lived this long,” Dougie snapped, “and never once shared a single plate. See that First Tower?”
“I eat there every day. Now I’m offering you money and you’re turning it down. Are you stupid or what?”“First Inn is First Inn. I’ve no intention of comparing my dishes to theirs.”
Ryan Austin shook his head as he spoke.
“Oh, so you finally see the gap between you and them? Makes sense. Their dishes—color, aroma, flavor—are the best in the whole Da Zhou Capital. At least you—”
“Save it. I’m not talking about one or two of their dishes. I mean every single thing they serve is trash, unworthy of being compared to mine. Honestly, none of it is even on the level of this plate of scrambled eggs.”
Dougie Baker hadn’t even finished when Ryan cut him off with a wave, voice calm to the point of arrogance.
The five young lords froze.
Awkward silence hung thick in the air.
Five pairs of eyes locked onto Ryan, each one itching to smack the hell out of him.
He was just a cook—where did he get the guts to be this defiant?
Damn, the man was wild.
