One is enough." As she spoke, she moved. There were no fancy movements, no skillful knife work. She simply picked up a strip of meat, quickly tossed it into the air, and chanted something in a peculiar tone. A blue flame shot up, engulfing the meat strip, and a white flash of light streaked through the air. When the meat strip landed on the plate, it was already... The dish had transformed into thirteen segments, shimmering with golden light. Only then did I realize she was a mage, and a powerful fire mage at that. Even so, I still thought I had won; after all, she only had one dish, while I had six. Judging from appearance and aroma, she was far inferior. However, I quickly realized my mistake.
When I tasted the golden meat strips, an unprecedented sensation filled my senses. The meat strips hadn't been processed beforehand, nor had any seasonings been added during preparation, yet… The aroma of the thirteen meat strips was fully released. Although they lacked the familiar flavors of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, each strip was divided into thirteen parts, each with a distinct intensity of flavor. The aroma created by the blend of these thirteen flavors was far more delicious than any dish with added seasonings. The moment I took a bite, I knew I had lost, and lost badly. While my six dishes were certainly no less delicious than her meat strips, my culinary skills paled in comparison. This wasn't just due to speed, but more importantly, to innovation.
"No," Ronnie suddenly said, "Grandpa, you're wrong. She was just using a trick. She must have pushed her magical control to the limit to make those meat strips. It was just her understanding of the meat itself, combined with different levels of fire magic burning, that naturally created that unique flavor. If you also knew magic, you could make something far better than her." His father had told him many times that while the amount of magical power was important, the control over it was equally crucial. Good magical control could produce a much stronger effect from the same amount of magical power.
Chambers sighed and said, "Yes, others have told me that later. But in that situation, as a man, a loss is a loss. She asked me if the bet still stood. I said, of course it does. So, I publicly announced that the title of 'Ghost Chef' was for her, and at the same time, I used my own cleaver to sever my own tendons, signifying my complete retirement from the culinary world. After that, I came here, and I've lived here for ten years. Now you understand why I was so excited when I saw you use magic. If I had magic back then, my culinary skills would definitely have reached a new level. If I had magic, she would probably be my wife by now. What I remember most vividly is the expression on her face when I severed my own tendons..." Her expression was complex! I saw regret in her beautiful eyes, but what good was it? For my own dignity, I had to do it; no one could change my mind. The Ghost Chef Chambers disappeared from the culinary scene from that day on, and only new Ghost Chefs were born. Just as I was about to leave, she suddenly found me and told me that she only knew how to cook that one dish. The reason she challenged me was because I had once beaten her father in a culinary competition. Her father, on his deathbed, still remembered that competition and hoped that one day she could defeat me through cooking. Her father's dying wish drove her to strive in that direction, but she was a magician; before that, she couldn't cook at all. She knew very well that surpassing me in cooking was almost impossible. "It was impossible, so she chose to use magic in cooking. So, I lost. I lost everything. At the time, she told me she only wanted to win honor for my father, she didn't mean to hurt me. I laughed, I told her it didn't matter anymore. The only relationship of my life ended in this tragic way. Leaving those words behind, I left that place, and after a period of confusion, finally chose to settle down in this quiet, deserted place."
Ronnie was deeply captivated by the story. "Grandpa, do you regret it?"
Chambers shook his head. "No, I don't regret it. Although I lost everything, I saw a new direction for the development of cooking. That is using magic in cooking..." "With magical processing, culinary skills can be elevated to another level. Unfortunately, although I know this, I can't do it myself, and few would attempt it. After all, as a noble mage, who would willingly become a lowly cook?"
Ronnie nodded and said, "I understand. You want me to learn cooking from you, to merge my magic with culinary skills, and become a magical chef, is that right?"
Chambers suppressed her sadness, smiled kindly, and said, "Then are you willing?"
Ronnie lowered his head. At this moment, his eyes flickered with various complex emotions. As a ten-year-old child, he was indeed thinking too much; however, Chambers couldn't see his expression. Ronnie quickly made his decision. He looked up at Chambers. "Grandpa, I'm sorry, I can't."
Chambers' eyes lit up slightly, but the light quickly faded. "Well, Grandpa won't force you. Now that you've heard my story, can you let me hear yours too? Why did you drift along and come here?"
Ronnie hesitated for a moment, then said, "Grandpa, you saved my life, and I really shouldn't hide anything from you anymore. My parents are both mages, and we used to have a happy family. But not long ago, when we passed through a place called Taru Mountain in the Ice Moon Empire, we encountered many bandits. They wanted to rob us, and when my parents refused, they fought back. As you know, although mages have their own abilities, the time it takes to chant spells is their biggest drawback. Although my parents destroyed some enemies, in the end, in the end..." At this point, Ronnie broke down in tears.