BXBX NOVEL Chapter 213 - 213 Setting Sail
“Woo— ”
A long sound of the steam whistle rang out, and Qin Lang, sitting in his own room on the cruise ship, felt a slight tremble beneath his feet, and his gaze involuntarily turned to the moving scenery outside the window.
The ship was setting sail.
“Let’s get our things together.” He smiled as he opened his suitcase, took out neatly stored clothes, and other items to tidy up, “This journey is going to take several days.”
With their hearts full of novelty, Dan Bao and Spicy excitedly began to help Qin Lang settle in.
After sorting out their luggage, Qin Lang, accompanied by his two spirit companions, strolled onto the deck of the ship.
Already, many passengers were grouping together in threes and twos, chatting casually and peering at the rippling surface of the Xiayun River that surrounded them.
Accepting the complimentary snacks and drinks from a ship attendant, Qin Lang stood by himself at the side railing of the deck, lost in thought as he gazed at the view before him.
The Xiayun River, known as the Mother River of Tianhua State, was undeniably magnificent.
Looking down from the deck, Qin Lang could clearly see the occasional fish and foaming waves beneath the surface of Xiayun River.
He had never seen such clear river water in his previous life.
Both Dan Bao and Spicy, who had never been so close to the Xiayun River, leaned their heads together, whispering and murmuring to each other, puzzling over something.
Suddenly, a flash of silver under the water caught Qin Lang’s attention.
When he clearly got a look at what the silver was, his eyes widened in surprise.
It was a carp, at least twice as big as the usual ones!
Moreover, the scales of this carp were silver-white, and not the usual ink-colored back scales of common carps.
“Look over there!”
He quickly directed Dan Bao and Spicy’s attention towards it.
Seemingly startled by the noise from the deck, the silver carp that was curiously approaching the ship swiftly vanished from Qin Lang’s sight with a single flick of its tail.
Dan Bao and Spicy, who had turned their heads towards the disturbance, caught a glimpse of the carp’s disappearing act.
“Gurgle!”
I’ll catch it!
Dan Bao openly volunteered.
“Forget it.” Qin Lang shook his head, “It’s already gone far, and these kinds of carp are pretty rare, I think it’s a bit of luck to see one at all.”
“That’s right, seeing a silver-white carp on the Xiayun River is a symbol of good luck.” A voice came from beside them.
“Mr. Li Hong.” Qin Lang blinked.
“Long time no see.” Li Hong adjusted his glasses and looked at the river, “Luo Hui told me about your accomplishments yesterday.”
“When I first tasted your Steamed Bass, I thought you had some talent in cooking, but that was all.” He felt a bit nostalgic as he turned his gaze to Qin Lang, “I never thought your cooking skills would be so advanced.”
“I still have a lot to learn.” Qin Lang modestly replied.
“It’s good not to be blinded by the honor you’ve already attained.” Li Hong showed an admiring expression, “If we go by the rules of previous Leaping Fish Banquets, there’s a chance we could compete on the same stage.”
“But this year’s banquet prepared a showcase specifically for young people, so there wouldn’t be such an opportunity.”
“If I really have to compete with all the Spirit Chefs in Mingjing Province who excel in cooking fish dishes, 1 don’t have much chance of winning.” Qin Lang shrugged.
“Not necessarily.” Li Hong was clearly very confident in Qin Lang’s cooking skills. He changed the topic, “I just heard about a cooking exchange among young Spirit Chefs that you might be interested in.”
“What kind of cooking exchange?” Qin Lang’s eyes lit up.
“As you know, the final destination of the cruise ship, the Colorful, is Jumping Fish Lake, and the Leaping Fish Banquet will start in more than ten days.”
Li Hong paused slightly, “Apart from this, Mingjing Province is a culinary dreamland for any Spirit Chef who specializes in aquatic dishes.”
Qin Lang nodded slightly.
Among the ingredients he could exchange with his cooking competition points, many seafood and freshwater varieties were produced in Mingjing Province.
Once he entered Mingjing Province, the exchange list would dynamically adjust.
Ingredients native to Mingjing Province would cost fewer points to exchange, and some wouldn’t require points at all, and could be directly purchased.
However, the value of some ingredients from Tianhua State would increase correspondingly.
After all, the transport cost of bringing in out-of-state ingredients in their best condition was not low.
So, for a Spirit Chef proficient in cooking seafood, Mingjing Province was an excellent choice.
“For this reason, many Spirit Chefs among the passengers on the Colorful specializes in cooking aquatic ingredients.” Li Hong paused, “Some of them have also received invitations to the Leaping Fish Banquet, and some are going just to watch.”
“And these Spirit Chefs are about to hold a small cooking exchange on the ship.” Li Hong smiled, “As 1 got an invitation to the Leaping Fish Banquet, the organizer approached me, and AAr. Zhou Qing as well, but he didn’t participate.”
“When I heard about this cooking exchange activity, 1 thought of you.”
“Mr. Li Hong, thank you.” Qin Lang responded gratefully, “But can 1 participate even though I haven’t been invited?”
“The organizers said it’s an exchange open to all cooks interested in cooking with aquatic ingredients.” Li Hong shrugged, “So, I suppose it’s open even for those who didn’t get an invitation.”
“I see.” Qin Lang smiled, “I’d like to go and have a look if 1 could join. 1 don’t have much to do on the ship anyway.”
Seeing that Qin Lang had accepted the invitation, Li Hong nodded slightly.
With about an hour left before the start of the cooking exchange, the two men chatted on the deck before walking together to the top of the ship’s cabin.
A large open space had been set up there, currently serving as the venue for the cooking exchange activity.
Surrounded by finely decorated embellishments, a banner hanging at the site read “Aquatic Ingredients Cooking Exchange Conference”.
Although it was just an event organized by the Spirit Chefs themselves, it looked quite formal.
Qin Lang nodded slightly, his gaze filled with curiosity, as he surveyed the other Spirit Chefs who had already arrived.
Some of them had boarded the ship from the pier at Dongxia City, but many more had boarded from upstream piers before the Colorful reached Dongxia City, coming from other cities.
As a result, all faces were new.
While Qin Lang surveyed the people in the venue, the other Spirit Chefs who had already arrived were also observing him and Li Hong.
The gaze of one of the female chefs landed on Qin Lang, with a look of surprise in her eyes. After confirming his identity, her surprise turned into excitement.
She walked up quickly, speaking assuredly with a voice full of doubt.
“You’re the famous Traveler, aren’t you?”
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