In her hazy state.
Mana keenly felt her weak and feeble body being slowly helped up.
Then, before she could even react, a vial of Nutrient Solution was swiftly and steadily injected into her body.
With the injection of the Nutrient Solution, Mana could clearly feel a warm current spreading through her, like the first warm ray of sunshine in spring, dispelling the fatigue and weakness that had long plagued her.
That power flowed through her veins, reaching every part of her body.
Everywhere it went, it was as if withered flowers had once again absorbed sweet rain, bursting forth with vigorous life.
...
"Hah..."
"I'm finally alive again!"
"As expected, the Nutrient Solution from France is the best. One shot and my whole body is filled with strength."
Having been "revived," Nakiri Mana couldn't help but let out a soft, turbid breath, her watery, bright eyes shimmering with the joy of surviving a disaster.
Afterward.
She stretched her limbs.
She could feel every cell in her body brimming with vitality.
"Lady Mana, how are you feeling? Are there any other problems with your body? Do you need another full-body check-up...?"
Anne, who had just returned from the banquet, asked with concern from the side.
"I'm fine. I just fainted from hunger," Mana said, her voice a little hoarse. "Thank you. If you hadn't come back in time, I'm afraid tomorrow's news would have reported that the sole Special Executive of the WGO had met the tragic end of starving to death!"
"Lady Mana."
"I... I don't want you to die."
Anne was an emotional person by nature, and having been Nakiri Mana's personal secretary for all these years, their bond had long surpassed that of master and servant.
"Don't worry."
"With you here, of course I won't die."
Looking up at Anne, Nakiri Mana's eyes grew moist.
Ever since she left the Nakiri family ten years ago and met Anne here in France, her daily life had been personally taken care of by her.
It was safe to say that without Anne, she wouldn't have survived to this day.
Perhaps.
For her, drifting alone in a foreign land.
There were always some things that were irreplaceable, no matter the time.
And the most important reason why intelligent beings were intelligent beings was that they all possessed rich emotions.
At the same time, remembering how she had felt nauseous after eating the caviar dish, Mana also had a sudden realization:
The time she had left.
It seemed, truly, that there wasn't much of it!
...
After a long moment.
The two women finally calmed down.
"How much do you know about the recent movements of the Midnight Chefs?" Nakiri Mana couldn't help but ask Anne.
"They've recently been holding a Dark Cuisine Competition. Among them is a talented young man named Saiba Asahi, who has defeated all his opponents to become the new leader of the Dark Cuisine World!" Anne reported truthfully.
"Oh? A new leader?"
Hearing this, Mana's interest was piqued.
Unlike the upright and honorable Surface Cuisine World, the Dark Cuisine World was filled with the culinary philosophy of "wealth is power."
Therefore.
The so-called Midnight Chefs.
They were nothing more than an organization of chefs who used illicit means to expand their influence!
Nearly all members of this organization possessed special abilities, or Special Abilities, such as Don Calma's "Cooperative Shaking" ability, which could create a colorful foam sauce with a special shaker, its effect enhanced through multi-person coordination.
Logically speaking, as the world's most authoritative WGO Gourmet Organization, it should not have any dealings or collusion for profit with such dark chefs.
However.
Because she had been unable to find a dish that could conquer her God Tongue.
The current Nakiri Mana had no choice but to resort to desperate measures, pinning her hopes on this organization of chefs lurking in the darkness!
...
"Lady Mana."
Finally, Anne, who had seen through Nakiri Mana's thoughts, prepared to tell her everything she had seen and heard at the Culinary Emperor International Gourmet Association headquarters. "I know you're planning to contact Saiba Asahi, but a supernova has also appeared in the Surface Cuisine World!"
"Sigh!"
"Even chefs as strong as those from three-star restaurants."
"Their cooking can no longer satisfy my God Tongue."
Unexpectedly, hearing this didn't excite Nakiri Mana, but rather made her despondent. "How could it be any different for other chefs?"
"He's different!" Anne said, her eyes firm.
She then vividly described Ye Chen's performance at the banquet, especially the cut of meat that looked like a jewel, to Nakiri Mana.
...
Finally.
After learning the whole story.
Nakiri Mana couldn't help but frown in deep thought. "You're saying this cut of meat is called Jewel Meat? An elephant meat that combines the meat from all parts of the body into one, and it can emit a jewel-like glow, and most importantly..."
"Its flavor is so fragrant it can make one's soul yearn for it?"
"Yes!"
Anne nodded.
Then she patted her chest and said confidently to Mana, "I guarantee that you absolutely won't find an ingredient of such perfect quality in any corner of the world."
"And I also believe that in the whole world, only he, Ye Chen, can cure Lady Mana's anorexia."
"Where is he?" Hearing this, Mana's eyes flashed, as if she had made up her mind.
"Huh?"
Anne was stunned for a moment.
"That chef named Ye Chen."
"The little restaurant he runs, isn't it in downtown Paris?"
Unable to wait any longer, Mana could no longer contain her excitement. "That's very close to our WGO headquarters. There's no time like the present. I want to go meet him personally right now, to witness the charm of the Jewel Meat for myself!"
"Yes!"
"I... I understand. I'll go make the arrangements right away."
With that, Anne, as her personal secretary, quickly excused herself.
...
Meanwhile.
Not far from downtown Paris, in a certain alley.
It was like an old man forgotten by prosperity, quietly curled up in a corner of the city, far from the hustle and bustle of the Champs-Élysées and the magnificence of the Arc de Triomphe, guarding a peace and quaintness all its own.
And right at the corner of this street was a small, unremarkable restaurant!
Its storefront was not large.
A wooden sign bore the words "Le Petit Coin," which means "The Little Corner" in French.
Pushing open the door, a wave of aromas mixed with the scent of food rushed out to greet them.
Upon closer inspection.
The space inside the restaurant was arranged very warmly.
A few small wooden tables and chairs were neatly arranged, while a chandelier hung from the ceiling, its dim yellow light spilling into every corner, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.
That's right, this was the little restaurant run by the gold medal winner of the Escoffier Junior Culinary Competition, Ye Chen