Jack Young had the best seat in the house, right up front. He looked around—honestly, this place felt less like a restaurant and more like a TV studio. There was a whole crowd waving flags and yelling in the back, and up front sat the four judges: Fiona Fang, Blind Elder, Xavier Stone, and himself, dead center. In front of them was a big open space, basically a stage.
Why did this feel exactly like one of those talent shows where judges spin around or smash the button for you? Out of nowhere, Jack felt like he was back in the mentor’s chair.
Night had fallen, and the fire wasn’t doing much for the lighting, but you could still see a huge, long cutting board. It was covered in silk, with the cloth rising and falling like little hills—obviously hiding a bunch of stuff underneath.
Suddenly, the crowd in back got hyped, shouting things like “Awesome!” as if they were welcoming a superstar. Jack squinted—he saw a not-so-tall guy striding onto the stage, radiating major master vibes.
This dude had shoulder-length green hair, long bangs covering one eye, and wore a red-and-white robe. His arms looked strong under the wide sleeves, and he had a red silk scarf near his left shoulder, hiding some mark of honor. As he walked, the whole crowd parted like Moses splitting the sea, everyone watching him like he was a living legend.
He stopped in front of the cutting board, spun around, his robe swirling—and miraculously, the cheers vanished. Everyone held their breath, staring at the man with his head bowed.
“Folks, today’s a special day—a day worth celebrating! The Smoke Pot Mercenary Corps, who’ve been terrorizing South Wasteland and kidnapping people for years, have finally been kicked out! From now on, no more slave hunters, no more human trafficking—the people of South Wasteland are finally free!”
The guy had serious presence, his one visible eye gleaming. He grabbed the silk on the board and shouted, “So to celebrate this historic day, I’m going all out! I’ll show you everything I’ve got and serve up a world-class dish!”
Whoosh! He swept the huge silk cloth aside—thirty meters of bright red fabric billowed like glowing clouds. Underneath, the cutting board was packed with ingredients, but the real eye-catcher was a big wooden chest in the center. Carved with dragons and phoenixes, perfectly sealed, radiating authority—definitely not your average box.
If the box was this fancy, you could only imagine what wonders were inside!