Gardener of Eden

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Grand Pavilion Luncheon

Heavy double doors opened into the Swiss Confederation’s Grand Banquet Pavilion, revealing a soaring glass atrium overlooking the snow-capped Alps. Arrayed across the hall were dozens of polished obsidian carving stations and silver-lit buffet islands, brimming with an extraordinary culinary spread catered by the world’s most elite, multi-Michelin-starred chefs.

For the master chefs invited to the event, securing a station in this kitchen was a career-defining honor. Serving their creations to global sovereigns, high-tier guildmasters, and the world’s top botanical prodigies guaranteed immediate worldwide prestige and legendary status across the culinary realm.

A Global Culinary Showcase

The catered spread brought together master artisans from every major culinary tradition, presenting dishes designed to harmonize elemental mana and nourish physical cores:

French Pavilion: Executive artisans presented pan-seared duck breast drizzled with dark berry reductions and delicate black truffle glazes, drawing an appreciative nod from Gabriel Bernard.

Eastern Dynasty Section: Master chefs from the Ding Dynasty served shimmering ginseng consommé and hand-folded jade dumplings crafted to warm internal meridians.

Japanese Station: Master omakase chefs prepared paper-thin slices of seared A5 Miyazaki Wagyu wrapped around fresh sea urchin and brushed with aged spirit-soy.

Mediterranean & Tropical Counters: Handcrafted Italian pasta tossed in rich spirit-butter sat alongside vibrant Thai Tom Yum broths bursting with aromatic, mana-clearing herbs.

Whispers of admiration echoed across the pavilion as international prodigies and dynasty elders filled their plates. Gabriel sampled the French delicacies with smug satisfaction, while Tian Yu quietly evaluated the herbal broths for elemental balance.

Walking alongside Jeremy, Rowan sampled several dishes with genuine appreciation. The technical execution was flawless, but through Rowan’s refined mana perception, the limitations were clear: even three-star Michelin chefs could not mask the subtle mineral slag and mana contamination present in standard high-tier crops.

Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan enjoyed the banquet with quiet composure, well aware of the shockwave that would follow once his own uncorrupted produce hit the international stage.

***

”ROWAN!”

A booming, familiar voice called out over the clinking of crystal glasses and the low hum of aristocratic chatter in the grand atrium. Standing behind the polished black-granite station of L’Étoile D’Or, Executive Chef Julian wiped his brow and waved his hands frantically to catch the young harvester’s attention.

Rowan smiled, offering a warm nod as he walked over to the catering line, with Jeremy following curiously in tow.

”Ah, Rowan! I am so relieved to see you here, my young friend!” Chef Julian stepped out from behind the counter, giving Rowan a hearty, relieved pat on the shoulder.

Leaning in closer, Julian lowered his voice to an urgent, theatrical whisper. ”Tell me... by any chance, do you happen to have any extra crates of produce on hand in your spatial storage? Look at this mob!”

Julian gestured toward the sweeping corridor outside his station. While other Michelin counters enjoyed respectable crowds, the queue snaking around L’Étoile D’Or was five people deep and stretched almost across the entire banquet pavilion. International prodigies, sovereign delegates, and ancient dynasty elders were practically jostling one another just to secure a single plate of Julian’s creations.

”We are barely forty minutes into a three-hour global luncheon, and my kitchen is going to run completely out of ingredients in less than thirty minutes,” Julian sighed, a mix of sheer panic and professional exhilaration in his eyes. ”All these young prodigies are losing their minds over the food we serve! But of course, they don’t realize the real secret isn’t just my culinary technique—it’s the exceptional, uncorrupted purity of the produce your family supplied to us!”

Jeremy chuckled quietly beside Rowan, looking at the overwhelming line with deep satisfaction. ”Sounds like a high-class problem to have, Chef.”

”It’s a culinary tragedy if I have to shut down my station early on neutral ground!” Julian countered dramatically, looking back at Rowan with hopeful eyes. ”Tell me you brought a restock!”

Adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan gave a calm, reassuring smile and tapped his spatial storage. ”Consider your kitchen covered, Chef Julian. I never leave home unprepared.”

With a subtle flick of his wrist, Rowan accessed his spatial inventory. In the private prep alcove behind the service counter, four heavy mahogany crates materialized with a soft, resonant hum. The moment Rowan unlatched the wooden lids, a soothing, radiant glow spilled into the room, accompanied by an intoxicatingly fresh aroma of uncorrupted earth and morning dew.

Inside lay rows of glowing Starlight Sun-Tomatoes, plump Azure Dew Berries, sheaves of Aether-Thread Wheat, and several velvety Sun-Gilded Jade Avocados, each pulsating with dense, elemental vitality completely free of mana pollution.

Chef Julian pressed a hand over his heart, his eyes widening with profound relief and pure culinary passion. ”By the gods, Rowan... this yield is even purer than the batch from my private dinner! You’ve just saved this entire event!”

”Consider it an emergency restock for a friend,” Rowan replied with a tilt of his hat. ”Feed the world’s elite well, Julian. Let them taste what true botanical purity feels like before the official trials even begin.”

Jeremy stared at the glowing crates, shaking his head in absolute awe. ”Brother Rowan... you’re casually supplying a three-star chef with legendary ingredients right in the middle of Switzerland. Look at the foreign delegates!”

Across the grand hall, Gabriel Bernard watched in stunned silence as his prized truffle station emptied out, the global elite deserting his table to rush toward Julian’s line. Farther down the hall, Tian Yu froze mid-sip, his sharp eyes locking onto the radiant mana aura rising from Julian’s kitchen. Without setting foot in the competition arena, Rowan had already stolen the entire global stage.

***

”Chef,” Rowan called out, catching Julian just as the culinary maestro prepared to turn back toward the stoves. ”Could you prepare one serving of each dish for my senior, Jeremy here? I want him to sample what happens when world-class culinary technique meets completely uncorrupted crops.”

Julian’s eyes lit up with immediate enthusiasm. ”A splendid idea! Hold on for just a moment!”

The master chef darted back into the kitchen line and returned moments later, carefully carrying three small, exquisitely arranged tasting plates: a translucent chilled Consommé of Azure Dew Berries, a tender portion of Seared Filet with Glazed Earth-Core Roots, and a light, airy slice of Golden Spirit-Wheat Soufflé.

”Enjoy the tasting, young Jeremy!” Julian said with a proud smile, passing the silver-rimmed plates over the counter.

Without wasting another second, Julian turned on his heel and rushed back into the bustling heat of his kitchen. His voice echoed over the clatter of copper pans as he barked out precise commands to his team of sous-chefs, delegating tasks to carefully prep and cook the pristine, slag-free Eden ingredients Rowan had just supplied.

Jeremy took a single bite of the Earth-Core Roots. The moment the dish touched his palate, his eyes widened in sheer shock as a wave of pure, soothing vitality washed through his core, instantly soothing lingering battle fatigue in his meridians. There was no heavy mineral residue, no elemental taint, and no harsh atmospheric corruption—just raw, perfect life force.

”By the Ancestors...” Jeremy murmured, looking down at the small plates in utter disbelief. ”The mana... it flows like pure water. No elemental slag whatsoever!”

Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, Rowan offered a calm, knowing smirk. While the surrounding crowd of international prodigies remained oblivious to the origin of the miracle in their bowls, the true superiority of Eden International was already winning over the global stage, one plate at a time.