Chapter 16: All Factions Compete for Chen Yun

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Player: Chen Yun.
Level: 2
Experience: 0/150
Attack Power: 0-2
Defense Power: 0-2
Health Points: 80/80 (Health recovers by 1 point every 10 minutes; before level 10, each level up adds 30 points to max health, after that the increment doubles at level 10, quadruples at level 20, and so forth.)
Mana Points: 70/70 (Recovers 1 point per minute; before level 10, each level up adds 20 points to max mana, after that the increment doubles at level 10, quadruples at level 20, and so on.)
Strength: 2 (Each level up adds +1 to each attribute, same applies below.)
Constitution: 2
Agility: 2
Intelligence: 4+5+3
Spirit: 3+5+1
Charisma: 2+1
Free Attribute Points: 1
...

This time, the attribute increases were quite clear; the system had explained everything in detail. Chen Yun paid little attention to the rest, only pondering as he stared at his Intelligence, which had reached 12.

When he first obtained the system, his Intelligence was only at three points, but now it had already risen to twelve. Yet, he felt no difference at all. Logically, increased intelligence should have made him smarter, or at least his mind should have felt clearer. However, he felt no distinct change compared to when he first arrived. Could it be that the intelligence shown by the system was merely a number, not what he had imagined?

Clenching his fist, he noticed a clear increase in strength, which made him even more confused. How exactly did the system set the relationship between these attribute numbers and reality?

"Whoever designed this game system, you'd better hope I never find out who you are, or I swear I'll beat you to death," Chen Yun muttered, his head aching from overthinking.

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"Chen, who are you threatening? Who's offended you?" Hu Daniu said as he pushed the door open.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a dream where I got beaten up," Chen Yun replied, noticing that his ability to lie was improving.

"Looks like the incident with the bandits has left a shadow on your heart. Poor child," Hu Daniu shook his head. "Don't worry, those bandits won't end well. Once they cross the wrong person, they're finished. Anyway, it's still early. Go back to sleep for a bit. You won't be as busy as yesterday—today, the boss has already set the prices and quantities for the dishes. You only need to prepare fifty portions today; that's not too much for you, is it?"

"Fifty portions? That's all?" Chen Yun asked in surprise. "Last night I made over a hundred dishes. Why only fifty today? Master, don't worry about me, I can handle it."

Cooking granted experience points, and Chen Yun was determined to reach level 100 as soon as possible. As long as he didn't cook himself to death, he was ready to work himself into the ground. Now his master was telling him to make so few dishes—Chen Yun was not pleased.

"Chen, even though yesterday was your first day cooking, I must tell you seriously: your skills have already reached the level of a master chef."

"There are only a little over a hundred master chefs in the entire Tianlong Empire. The dishes they make are the signature treasures of their establishments. Now your status is equal to theirs—how can you be made to do the work of ordinary chefs?"

"The other chefs will handle the rest of the dishes. You only need to make fifty. The price of one of your dishes is worth several hundred made by the other chefs."

Chen Yun was stunned. Had he really reached the level of a master chef? How could that be? The system clearly showed his cooking skill as only 'Beginner.'

Could it be that what the system called 'Beginner' was equivalent to 'Master' in reality? That was far too outrageous.

Seeing the disbelief on his apprentice's face, Hu Daniu smiled. "Get some more rest. The boss and I are going to buy ingredients. There will be a lot of customers today, so we need to buy more."

"Master, why don't I go with you?" Chen Yun offered.

"No need. Just rest and recover your energy," Hu Daniu replied, closing the door behind him.

Sitting on the bed, Chen Yun frowned, considering the possibility—since even a beginner chef in the system was on par with a real-life master chef, what about the beginner singing skill he had learned last night? Could it also match the abilities of a master singer in reality? If that were true...

His eyes lit up at the thought. If people gained him fame by tasting his dishes, what if he sang?

If his hypothesis was correct, even if he couldn't win the top three places in the Tianlong Empire's Youth Singer Competition, making it into the top ten would be no problem at all. The top ten in a contest that the entire empire followed—how much fame would that bring? Just thinking about it made Chen Yun excited.

He had once dreamed of being a celebrity, but lacked the natural talent. Now, with the system's help and his mind filled with countless classic songs from Earth, Chen Yun realized in delight that what had once been a dream was now within reach.

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The Youth Singer Competition, was it? Just wait and see how I’ll storm the stage and rake in fame points.

Drowsiness overtook him, and Chen Yun drifted off to sleep again.

Wild Turkey Grand Hotel.

"Are the gifts ready?" The general manager of the Wild Turkey Grand Hotel, a middle-aged man with a piercing gaze, asked his subordinate.

"Director Yun, everything is prepared. We can leave at any time."

"Excellent. This time, I’ll go with you myself. No matter what, we must persuade that master chef to take up post at our hotel."

"With you leading the way, Director Yun, we’re sure to succeed."

"As long as that master isn’t a fool, he’ll realize that what the Wild Turkey Grand Hotel can offer far surpasses that shabby little place."

"Absolutely. The Wild Turkey Grand Hotel is the only three-star hotel in Wild Turkey County. The master will surely choose us. With his addition, upgrading to a four-star or even a five-star hotel is only a matter of time."

"Haha, you’re right. For so many years, our lack of a master chef has stalled our promotion. Now that fate has sent us one, how could we possibly let this opportunity slip by? Let’s go!"

Firecloud Grand Hotel.

"Young master, this master chef seems to have appeared out of nowhere—we can’t find any information on his background. But his culinary skill is confirmed; he is indeed a master chef."

"Good. As long as his skills are at the master level, nothing else matters. The fact that he's willing to cook for commoners shows he's in need of money. In this world, any problem that can be solved with money isn’t really a problem. Prepare the gifts; I’ll go invite him personally."

Ye Hua Chain Hotel, Wild Turkey County Branch.

"Chairman, what brings you here in person?"

"Xiao Liu, you’ve done a great job this time. The stir-fried cucumber you had airlifted to me last night helped the old patriarch break through a bottleneck. I must reward you—your share of the branch's profit will be doubled."

"Thank you, Chairman! But was that dish really so incredible? As I recall, the old patriarch hadn't made a breakthrough in years."

"Incredible is an understatement. The old patriarch said that dish was only a step away from what a grandmaster chef could make. Isn’t that astonishing?"