"Daddy... daddy..."

Shen Mai Ge heard a clear, childish voice calling out, seemingly calling to him. He moved his fingers, suddenly grasping something soft. A surge of survival instinct erupted, and he abruptly sat up, opening his eyes, only to be stunned.

Where was he?

Had he been rescued, or had he transmigrated?

Shen Mai Ge still remembered that he had just been fishing for king crabs on his yacht. He had even specially brought the head chef of the Emperor's Pavilion onto the boat. Unexpectedly, he didn't catch any crabs, but a wave hit, knocking him, who was sitting at the stern, directly into the sea. In his daze, he heard a woman's cry and the sound of someone jumping into the water, and then everything went quiet.

When he woke up again, he was in a room with a distinctly European style, and in his hand was the hand of a silver-haired little girl of about four or five years old.

However, before Shen Mai Ge could speak, countless pieces of information suddenly flooded into his mind, instantly shutting off his perception of the outside world. This feeling was somewhat similar to the moment of suffocation he experienced before.

In his previous life, Shen Mai Ge was a somewhat well-known second-generation rich kid, but he usually preferred to call himself a gourmet. He had no interest in inheriting the family business, and instead preferred to sample famous foods from around the world, then update his reviews of various restaurants on Wei Bo. Because of his sharp and sarcastic review style, and his extravagant behavior of almost sweeping through all the Michelin-starred restaurants, he accumulated tens of millions of followers in two or three years.

He felt that he was just writing honest reviews, although he generally emphasized the shortcomings and used slightly exaggerated language. However, he still received thousands of messages every day cursing him to fall into the sea and drown, or to be a chef for the rest of his life in his next life, which inexplicably annoyed him.

Now that he thought about it, did his falling into the sea this time mean that these people's dreams had come true? Was God being too unfair?

Before he could think further, his consciousness was already drawn to that information. He saw another turbulent and bloody life, and he was certain that he had transmigrated, transmigrating into the body of a disgraced knight who could no longer wield a heavy sword.

A part of that information and emotion began to slowly merge with him, and he couldn't resist it.

This was a fantasy continent with dragons, demons, orcs, elves, dwarves, humans... and many other races.

A hundred years ago, the races of the Nolan Continent signed a truce agreement, bringing an end to the millennium-long racial wars. The various races settled down and recuperated within their respective territories.

However, after a thousand years of conflict, the hatred between the races could not be extinguished by a mere agreement. Local conflicts between them continued, but generally, they tacitly maintained the peace along their respective borders, preventing large scale racial wars.

The man that Shen Mai Ge transmigrated into was named Mai Ge • Alex. The Alex family was a family that had been glorious on the continent for hundreds of years, guarding the borders of the human empire for centuries, preventing the orcs from crossing the border.

However, three hundred years ago, the Iron Fortress was breached by an orc army allied with demons, and the family was almost wiped out. The once glorious Alex family was thus destroyed, with only a few small branches surviving. By the time of Mai Ge • Alex, he was the last remaining descendant.

However, Mai Ge • Alex began to show extraordinary talent from the moment he enlisted. His powerful martial arts and military abilities quickly earned him the appreciation of his commanders, and he received countless accolades. In just a few years, he became the youngest Griffin Knight, the most sought-after young man in the empire, and was considered the successor to the imperial commander, the one who could restore the glory of the Alex family.

Had it not been for that dark night three years ago, Mai Ge • Alex was destined to become a man standing at the pinnacle of the continent.

That night, elves, demons, and human mages attacked him simultaneously, crippling his sword-wielding hands, severing his achilles tendons, and then abandoning a child barely a week old to him.

This was his child, the child born to him by the elven princess. The irreconcilable conflict between races, the betrayal by his most trusted companions, brought him crashing down into the dust.

His broken limbs were forcibly healed by an old friend, but he could no longer wield a sword. He changed his appearance and took his child to the Chaos City, where he started anew, father and daughter relying on each other.

Their lives were impoverished and miserable. A simple cold brought this fallen knight to his death, giving Shen Mai Ge the opportunity to transmigrate into his body.

The tragic end of a hero made Shen Mai Ge somewhat emotional, but he didn't feel the knight's obsession with revenge; he was more concerned about how his daughter would survive.

"Go in peace. Forget about revenge. But I will raise the child well." Shen Mai Ge promised in his heart. All the information receded like a tide, and the last trace of obsession disappeared.

He was still Shen Mai Ge, but he now possessed all of Mai Ge • Alex's memories and a part of his emotions.

"From now on, I'll be called Mai Ge." Shen Mai Ge murmured to himself.

When he opened his eyes again, Mai Ge's eyes were clear, and a feeling of weakness surged through his body.

"Daddy... what's wrong?" The little girl's hand was still clasped in his hand, her small face filled with anxiety.

Mai Ge's gaze softened. The little girl kneeling by the bed had long silver hair cascading over her shoulders, and a pair of bright, captivating blue eyes. Her small, pointed ears, half-hidden, and her delicate pink skin were inherited from the elven princess. She was wearing a slightly worn, grey cotton and linen garment, but her exquisite features were still playful and adorable, making one want to kiss her.

This is Mai Ge • Alex's daughter—Amy, now his daughter.

In his previous life, Mai Ge wasn't married and didn't have children, so he had no idea how to interact with them. But after integrating the memories of his previous body, looking at Amy's worried face, he felt as if he was looking at his own child. The urge to get closer to her made him a little flustered, but the lack of parental affection he experienced in his previous life due to his parents being busy with business made him even more eager to experience what it felt like to be a father.

"I... I'm fine, Little Amy, you don't have to worry." Little Amy was the name Mai Ge usually called her. He awkwardly reached out and gently stroked Amy's hair, his voice a little hoarse.

The soft strands of hair felt so nice to the touch, making his heart flutter. This was his daughter! There was a feeling of blood connection, which was very strange.

"Okay, as long as dad is alright." Amy rubbed her hair against Mai Ge's hand, slightly narrowing her eyes like a cute little cat, and pouted, saying coquettishly, "But daddy, I'm hungry. Can you make something delicious for Little Amy?"

Mai Ge felt his heart melting with affection; he wanted to pluck the stars from the sky for her. However, the thought of cooking immediately gave him a headache.

In his previous life, he had eaten plenty of delicious food, but when it came to cooking, he hadn't even touched a kitchen knife. Recalling the memories of his previous body, he only knew how to make a few crude dishes that he wouldn't even bother to cook himself. He was just thinking about going out to eat instead.

However, at that moment, a neutral voice suddenly sounded in his head: "Chef God Training System activated!"

Mai Ge was startled. What the heck? A Chef God Training System? How did this thing get into his head? Was it related to this transmigration?

The neutral voice continued: "Because the host wantonly destroyed the reputation of restaurants that had accumulated over years, even centuries, in your previous life, accumulating too much resentment from chefs, the God of Heaven has launched the Chef God Training System to supervise the host in learning culinary skills in this world and becoming a generation's Chef God. Given the host's low culinary talent, the system will periodically issue tasks to urge the host to improve. Completing tasks will earn system rewards, and failing tasks will result in system punishment."

Listening to the voice in his head, Mai Ge was stunned for a while before he reacted. What the hell! What is this? He transmigrated to this world simply because his reviews of those restaurants in his previous life were too harsh? So they sent him to this world to start over, and even specially created a Chef God Training System to make him learn how to cook?

He remembered the most frequent comment he received in his previous life: "May you be a chef in your next life!"

A thought suddenly flashed through Mai Ge's mind: Look up at the sky, the heavens spare no one...

"Big brother, I just casually commented a few things. Although my words were a bit sharp and harsh, and I did cause dozens of restaurants to close down... but do you really have to create a whole system just to force me to become a chef?!!!"

Thinking about being supervised by a system to learn how to cook, Mai Ge felt a little broken down. If it was just cooking everyday meals, that would be fine, but the system said he had to become a chef god!

A chef god? Are you kidding me?! Mai Ge wanted to curse.

"Daddy, are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Amy reached out and touched Mai Ge's face, asking worriedly. She felt that her father seemed a little different today, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what was different.

Feeling the warm touch on his face, Mai Ge snapped back to reality, tried to calm himself down, and forced a smile. He recalled something, took out the last two copper coins from his pocket, and placed them in Amy's hand. "Little Amy, go buy two crispy sweet biscuits. We won't be cooking tonight."

"Really?! Little Amy loves sweet crispy biscuits the most!" Amy's face instantly lit up with a surprised smile. Clutching two copper coins in her little hands, she climbed off the bed, hugged Mai Ge's face and gave him a kiss, then hopped off the bed on her short legs and put on her shoes, and scurried towards the door.

Mai Ge watched Amy disappear through the doorway, feeling a pang of sadness. Sweet crispy biscuits were a type of coarse grain biscuit, costing one copper coin each. However, for the past two years, he and his daughter had barely managed to survive on the meager income Mai Ge • Alex earned from odd jobs at the guild. He only bought Amy a sweet crispy biscuit on special occasions.

Amy was also very well-behaved and sensible; although she wanted to eat them, she never asked for them.

But where did that system go after saying that random thing?

Mai Ge propped himself up on the bed and stood up, dragging his worn straw sandals to a broken copper mirror on the wall, and examined his reflection.

Because of malnutrition and prolonged sun exposure, his skin was a little yellowish. His appearance was about seventy to eighty percent similar to his previous life, but his long, curly brown hair was draped behind his head, and he had a full beard, making him look a little disheveled.

"This is a complete waste of a good foundation." Mai Ge couldn't help but complain. "You'd scare little kids if you went out looking like this! You have such a cute little girl at home, and you don't even bother to clean yourself up a bit."

After that incident, his previous body had almost given up completely. If it wasn't for Amy's existence, he might have chosen to end his life of glory that night three years ago.

"This little one has suffered a lot because of you. Let me make it up to her now!" Mai Ge clenched his fists, but felt a sense of powerlessness.

His broken limbs were weak; Mai Ge felt like a cripple, even clenching his fist was difficult.

And now, the situation at home could only be described as utterly destitute. There was only one bed in the room, and the only small blanket on it was what Amy used to cover herself when she slept.

Forget about being a chef god; after spending the last two copper coins, even eating tomorrow would be a problem. It seemed the key to solving the problem still lay with the system.

"The system has issued the first task: Own a restaurant of your own. The host only needs to provide the land for the restaurant, and the system will handle the overall renovation of the restaurant according to the style chosen by the host. The task is time-limited to three days. There will be a reward upon completion, and a penalty for failure." At this moment, the system's neutral voice sounded again.

Own a restaurant? Mai Ge was stunned for a moment, but hearing the rest of the system's message, his face lit up with joy. He suddenly felt that this system wasn't so unreliable after all.

Although his previous body had a rather miserable life, the most sensible thing he did was buying this two-story building after arriving in Chaos City. Although it was an old two-story building, located in the furthest corner of Aden Square, the entire building belonged to him.

And although the location was a bit remote, the first floor was still suitable as a storefront. Someone had even inquired about renting it before, but his previous body, that stubborn fool, had refused. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in a situation where even a copper coin's worth of sweet crispy biscuits was a luxury.

Mai Ge slowly went downstairs, leaning against the wall. The wooden floor creaked due to its age, and several steps were even broken; it was practically a dilapidated building.

Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Mai Ge gasped for breath. His physical condition was simply too poor. He used to be able to tear apart orcs with his bare hands, but now he had to stop and rest after walking just a few steps. Mai Ge suddenly understood why his previous body had chosen to give up on life. If it was him, he probably wouldn't have the courage to live either.

"System, will there be a reward to improve my physical condition after completing the task?" Mai Ge asked inwardly, unconsciously clenching his fists.

"Not at the moment." the system's cold voice replied.

If it's not available now, does that mean it might be available in the future? Mai Ge's eyes lit up. If he had to continue living in this body, he wasn't sure how long he could last, but if the system could restore his body, even if it couldn't reach the level of a First Knight, being able to live a normal life would be enough.

In his previous life, money, women, power... he had it all. He was born at a height that others couldn't reach even after a lifetime of effort. So for a long time after he turned thirty, he began to ponder life, trying to figure out what he truly wanted, but he couldn't find a goal.

At that time, reviewing food and restaurants was the thing he enjoyed most, even to the point of being overly critical and addicted to his sharp tongue. But it was just a momentary indulgence; looking back at those reviews afterward only made him feel more empty.

But now it's different. He has a lovely daughter, and he lives at the bottom of society. Whether it's restoring his body or giving his daughter a better life, learning to cook and opening a restaurant are all things that require long-term effort.

His dreams and goals suddenly became clear, making Mai Ge feel like his heart had suddenly started beating again.

Nobles stomping their feet in long queues, elves disregarding their manners while eating skewers, dragons holding slotted spoons gathered around a hot pot, demons eating cute little dumplings... Mai Ge imagined this scene and suddenly found it even more interesting.

The space on the first floor was quite large. Removing the half wall in the middle, there was nearly eighty square meters of space. The floor was piled with miscellaneous items like wooden planks, and there was a dark, rudimentary kitchen at the back.

"Such a large space is left vacant and he won't even rent it out? They can't blame God for being poor..." Mai Ge shook his head. However, as the saying goes, "one plants the tree, another enjoys the shade." at least the conditions for the first task were met. He said inwardly, "Provide a restaurant space."

"The system has detected that the property rights of this building belong to the host, and the geographical location meets the conditions for opening a restaurant. Task completed. Please select a restaurant decoration style."

The system's voice sounded, and at the same time, a row of 3D images suddenly appeared in Mai Ge's mind: Chinese classical style, pastoral style, western restaurant style... Basically, any style available on the market could be found there, making Mai Ge a little dizzy.

"Since it was the resentment of those chefs that brought me here, I'll definitely be learning their dishes. It will definitely be mainly Chinese cuisine, but I've also been to many western restaurants and various trendy restaurants. I just don't know how many more will appear in the future." Mai Ge didn't rush to choose.

After careful analysis, Mai Ge felt that he shouldn't commit to a specific style. Otherwise, a quaint Chinese restaurant serving a steak with a knife and fork would definitely be something he would criticize mercilessly in previous life.

Simple and comfortable, and able to accommodate more customers, would be best. He was already looking forward to the scene of the entire restaurant being full of customers.

This is it!

Mai Ge looked at a restaurant with a somewhat classic European style and his eyes lit up. The overall color scheme of the restaurant was predominantly brown, decorated with some exquisite patterns, and hung with European-style lamps. The tables were simple brown wooden rectangular tables for four people, with matching wooden chairs without armrests. There was also a long single table along the counter, easily accommodating sixteen chairs, clearly able to seat many people.

Behind the long counter was a semi-open kitchen. Transparent glass allowed visibility from the kitchen to the outside, but the height of the glass was just right to block views of the stovetops.

The overall style was simple yet grand, suitable for any cuisine; even sitting there eating skewers and chatting wouldn't feel out of place.

"Perfect!" Mai Ge nodded with satisfaction, and just as he was about to finalize the decision, he hesitated again and asked, "System, does the restaurant renovation include the second floor?"

The system's voice sounded: "This system only provides restaurant renovation, excluding areas outside the restaurant."

Mai Ge habitually stroked his chin with his right hand, looking at the dilapidated staircase and the pitch-black second floor. Thinking of the bed covered with a little straw he had just seen, he knew they couldn't stay there tonight. He couldn't let his precious daughter suffer anymore; he had to improve their living conditions tonight.

Moreover, he didn't feel much hostility from the system. The so-called punishment was more likely meant to supervise him in diligently learning to cook and completing the Chef God mission as soon as possible.

Since that's the case... Mai Ge's eyes darted around, and he said inwardly in an indifferent tone, "System, I think your statement is wrong. I'm providing this entire small building as restaurant space, so you should renovate the whole thing. I can't accept a restaurant with such inconsistent styles. Besides, if the second floor isn't renovated and reinforced, and a brick falls and kills a customer, that would be a huge problem. If it doesn't kill them, that would be even more troublesome. I might even be beaten to death by someone who can't be killed by a falling brick! Then what's the point of learning to cook and becoming a Chef God? You figure it out."

The system fell silent, seemingly thinking. After a while, the system's voice sounded again: "Given the extremely high danger level of the building, the system has analyzed and decided to rebuild the small building and carry out renovations. Please confirm the renovation style, host."

Mai Ge was secretly delighted. It seemed the system could indeed be negotiated with. It wouldn't be fun if he was completely controlled by it. However, he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface.

The restaurant's decor style had already been decided, and the second floor's decor was chosen to be similar to his home in his previous life – understated, luxurious, and comfortable, with nothing lacking. The second floor had three rooms, a toilet, and a bathroom. Amy's room was decorated in a light pink style, which he confirmed with the system.

The system's voice sounded: "Reconstruction and renovation will take thirty seconds. Please leave the room, count down begins in one minute..."

Thirty seconds was enough! Mai Ge was startled for a moment, but hearing the sixty seconds count down, he quickly moved towards the door, somewhat awkwardly stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind him. The sky outside was already dark.

"Dad, are you here to pick up Amy?" Amy's sweet voice sounded from behind him.

Mai Ge turned around. Amy was holding two large yellowish-brown sweet crispy biscuits, looking up at him with her long eyelashes fluttering. Her little face was full of joy and excitement. Her father had never come out to pick her up before, but today he seemed to have specially come downstairs to the door to pick her up.

"Yes, I came to pick up Little Amy, and I'm also going to perform a magic trick for Little Amy." Mai Ge said with a smile, squatting down and gently hugging Amy.

"Performing magic tricks?" Amy looked up at Mai Ge with a puzzled expression, then her eyes lit up. "Is it magic? Can Daddy make lots and lots of delicious food?"

"Yes, that's right. Daddy is going to make a beautiful big house for Little Amy, and a beautiful restaurant too. From now on, I'll make you lots and lots of delicious food everyday." Mai Ge said softly. She really was a little foodie.

"Really?" Amy's mouth was slightly agape, seemingly unable to believe it.

"Close your eyes and count down from thirty times." Mai Ge smiled and nodded.

"Thirty, twenty nine..." Amy obediently closed her eyes and began counting.

Mai Ge looked at Amy tenderly, listening to her soft voice counting down. The ground was shaking slightly, and there were occasional sounds of things falling behind him, but he didn't look back.

Thirty seconds of counting down passed in the blink of an eye.

Amy opened her eyes, her little face full of anticipation.

"Now, let's take a look at our new home." Mai Ge took the two sweet biscuits from Amy's hand, held her little hand, and stood up, turning towards the small building with a look of anticipation.

A beam of warm light shone from the doorway, falling perfectly on the two figures, one large and one small, standing at the entrance.

"Wow~~" Amy's mouth dropped open wide. She stared at the house, which had suddenly transformed, looking like a magnificent palace under the lamplight. After a moment of stunned silence, she turned to Mai Ge and happily exclaimed, "Daddy, did you really create this? It's such a beautiful house, like a crystal palace! And there are glowing stones! Daddy, you're amazing!"

"Yes, this will be our home from now on, and it will also be a restaurant." Mai Ge said with a smile, feeling incredibly pleased by his little girl's admiration.

It was still a two-story building, but now it had transformed from a dilapidated two-story wooden house into a European-style two-story villa. The side facing the square had floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing a view of the restaurant inside, illuminated by a European-style crystal chandelier – comfortable and stylish.

However, because the previous shaking seemed to have caused a small commotion, Mai Ge pulled Amy's hand and pushed the door open, saying, "Let's go home first. Daddy will tell you about those things later."

"Okay, Daddy is the best!" Amy rubbed her head against Mai Ge's hand and happily skipped through the door.

Mai Ge casually turned off the light outside the door. Just as the two entered, a short, bearded dwarf stumbled out of the house next door, looking around drunkenly and muttering, "Which idiot troll came here to dance again! Damn guys, can't a man get any sleep..." After saying that, he went back inside and slammed the door shut.

"Daddy..is this really our house?" Amy stopped at the doorway, looking at the magnificent dining room, and then looked up at Mai Ge, still somewhat disbelieving.

She had never seen such a beautiful house before: the smooth, polished floor, the sparkling crystal chandelier, the neatly arranged new tables and chairs, and a delicate cutlery box on the table. Further inside was a long counter taller than her, and behind the counter was another room, but she couldn't see what was inside.

"Of course." Mai Ge smiled and nodded, waving his hand, "This is our new home. We can open a restaurant on the first floor, and the second floor is where we live..."

"That's great!" Before Mai Ge could finish speaking, Amy had already run out, spreading her arms and running a circle around the restaurant, then sitting down at the innermost table and waving to Mai Ge, saying, "Daddy, let's sit here and eat sweet crispy biscuits! Little Amy is hungry."

"Okay." Mai Ge smiled casually. Eating was indeed the most important thing.

"The task of owning a restaurant is complete. Because the host requested additional modifications to areas outside the restaurant, this task reward is canceled. The system is issuing a new task: Learn the first dish – Yang Zhou Fried Rice. The task time is three days. After the host is ready, you can click to enter the Chef God Trial Ground for the trial. The reward for this task is +0.5 to physical fitness, and the penalty for failure is -0.5 to physical fitness." The system's voice sounded again.

Mai Ge stopped in his tracks. A door suddenly appeared in his mind, with four glittering golden characters on it: Yang Zhou Fried Rice. This must be the so-called Chef God Trial Ground.

Of course, what Mai Ge cared about more was the reward for success mentioned by the system. What he urgently needed to improve now was his physical condition. In his current state, he couldn't even hold a kitchen knife properly, let alone cook. He didn't expect the system to arrange a task reward to enhance his physical fitness so quickly, and he suddenly felt a little excited.

Although he didn't know what level this +0.5 to physical fitness would reach, the system shouldn't be trying to trick him. It's just Yang Zhou Fried Rice, how difficult could a bowl of fried rice be?

Back in Yang Zhou, he had tried several authentic Yang Zhou Fried Rice dishes, but he seemed to have given them all rather harsh reviews. To be honest, the fried rice tasted quite good, but back then he had a habit of finding fault with everything. It's said that one old restaurant even closed down for a while after he reviewed it, but things like that happened so often that he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Daddy?" Amy looked at Mai Ge, who was stunned there, with a puzzled expression.

"Coming!" Mai Ge quickly suppressed the urge to push open that door, sat down opposite Amy, handed her a biscuit, and said with a smile, "Here, try the sweet crispy biscuit that our Little Amy loves so much."

Mai Ge carefully examined the sweet crispy biscuit. It was about the size of an adult's palm, one centimeter thick, and seemed to be made of flour coated with corn, green beans, potatoes... a bunch of miscellaneous coarse grains baked in a charcoal oven. It felt like a rough piece of tile in his hand.

"Mmm-hmm." Amy held the biscuit in both hands, brought it to her mouth, and took a bite, making a crisp crunching sound. Then she happily chewed it, like a little hamster, eating it with great relish, looking very cute.

"Is it that delicious?" Mai Ge was a little skeptical, but watching Amy eat was truly appetizing. He couldn't help but pick up a biscuit and take a big bite, chewing it a few times, and then he froze.

"Is this supposed to be a baked tile? Did I break my tooth or the biscuit? After biting it, it cut my mouth, and when I tried to swallow it, it got stuck in my throat. This thing could be used to poison someone! And they actually sell hundreds of these a day! The culinary culture of this world is probably a bit of a wasteland! No, it's stuck in my throat!" Mai Ge glared, threw the sweet crisp biscuit onto the table, and ran to the kitchen sink, clutching his throat.