OPENING THE DOOR

Right now, I was happily walking through the city humming. How could I not? I just got myself an Imperial as a teacher. In the game, it was some boy from a village who got the chance to be the Bow Empress's disciple.

As for whether I have talent with the bow, I am not scared because of what the Bow Empress once said in the game:

"It's a pity I didn't find you earlier. Your talent for the bow even surpasses mine."

So, I have no worry about not having talent with the bow. Plus, there was a deeper reason why I chose the bow. Leaving all that aside, now I am walking through the less popular area of the city. The city itself was very huge in size, and now I was in a crowded area with lots of people moving around.

"Young master, if you are hungry we can go to a well-reputed shop nearby."

Mia was anxiously trying to dissuade me from going to eat at a local place, but I was adamant to follow my decision.

"Don't worry, Mia, I just want to have a taste of the commoners' food."

Saying so, I followed the path to a certain shop. Arriving at the location, I gave the shop an inspecting look.

'Um, it's just as in the game.'

The shop I am standing in front of was just a small restaurant with one level and a board hanging on the top: Richard's Restaurant.

Opening the door, I entered inside. The first thing I saw was the gathering of many men inside, eating their food like their life depended on it.

All of them had one thing in common: the look of pure ecstasy while eating the food. Walking inside, I looked for a seat while staring into the kitchen. Right now, there was an old man moving frantically in the kitchen, wearing the chef's uniform. While he looked old with white hair and wrinkles, the way his body moved with energy while handling the ingredients said otherwise. I used the read function:

[Name: Richard Gale

Sex: Male

Age: 105

Species: Human

Talent: 7/10

Power: Origin Level 10

Title: Berserker of the Battlefield, The Food Critic, The Food Traveller, Chef of Taste....etc.

Love: 0%

Description: Travelling the world spreading the taste of his food

> Loves to eat different exotic food]

'So that's him in real life, huh?'

Richard Gale, a powerhouse focusing on close combat, more than that, a vivid lover of food and cooking. He goes around the world spreading his cooking and tasting new foods.

He is 105 years old and looks like an old man, while Eleanor, being 145, still looks like she is in her 20s. That tells you the difference between the Origin Level and an Imperial.

The reason I came here was to make him teach me cooking. To be a good cook?

Hell no!

There is a hidden quest to be completed when you meet Richard. Once you learn cooking from him, and if he is satisfied, he might give you something which might "coincidentally" turn out to be a treasure for you.

I was simply using the information part of the shop to look into the current locations of the capture targets and coincidentally found that currently, his shop was in my dukedom.

After giving out our order, we waited for the food to be delivered. Mia and the guards were visibly nervous; after all, we were currently in a normal shop without any proof of food hygiene.

After 10 minutes, our food was served. It was simple food, with rice, bread, and soups. Taking the soup, I scooped a bit and put it in my mouth.

Boom! My eyes widened as a large amount of flavor exploded in my mouth, and I had to be careful not to swallow my tongue.

'Delicious, just delicious! Maybe I should learn his cooking more seriously!'

Seeing their young master eating the food with pure happiness, the rest gathered their courage and gave it a taste.

"Amazing!"

"What's this? How can it be so tasty!"

"This is better than the chefs at our mansion!"

The maid and the guards were soon conquered by the food. After the scrumptious lunch, I stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

"Grandpa, were you the one who made this food?"

I stood in front of Richard and beamed with admiring eyes, my action catching the attention of a few of the people.

Richard turned towards me, his questioning eyes looking down at me.

"Yes, I was the one. Why do you want to know, kid?"

His answer "excited" me, and I "exclaimed,"

"Then can you teach me how to cook?"

"Young master, what are you doing? You can't go around asking strangers to teach you."

Mia arrived beside me and whispered.

"Don't worry, Mia, I just want him to teach me cooking. His food is better than the ones the chef makes back home."

While Mia and I were discussing, Richard spoke.

"Boy, why do you want to learn to cook?"

"Because I want to make good food for my mother!"

"For your mother?" Richard raised an eyebrow.

Nodding, I continued,

"Mother is now always working hard and she is tired too, so I wanted to make tasty food for her."

I "innocently" explained my ambition.

"Young master, you..." Mia, teary-eyed, looked at me, as if I couldn't get any cuter.

My answer brought Richard to a daze for a moment.

"Kid, don't you think that cooking and being a chef is not great?"

I shook my head.

"No, anything that can make my family happy and give them a smile is a great thing to me."

My answer stumped him for a bit, but after that, he laughed out loud.

"Ha..ha....haaahaaa!"

"Good, good, I like your answer, kid. So sure, I will teach you some cooking."

I happily smiled at that answer.

"You better be here at 8 AM every morning if you want to learn."

I nodded to his answer and happily started going home without any worries, not knowing that the wheels of fate had started to change.