Chapter 2

Brother, I just casually made a few remarks. Although the language was sharp and the words were venomous, it resulted in the closure of several dozen restaurants... But did you really have to go to the trouble of bringing a system to force me to become a chef?!

Thinking that in the future, he would be supervised by a system to learn cooking, Maige felt somewhat overwhelmed. If it was just about making everyday edible dishes, it would be fine, but they were talking about growing into a generation's Cooking God!

Cooking God? Are you fucking kidding me? Maige felt like cursing.

"Father, is there anything else that's bothering you?" Amy reached out and touched Maige's face, a bit worried. She felt that her father today seemed a bit different from before, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly was different.

Feeling the warm touch on his face, Maige regained his senses and tried to calm his emotions. He mustered a smile and thought for a moment. He took out the last two copper coins from his pocket and placed them in Amy's hand. "Xiao Mi, go buy two crispy sweet cakes. We won't cook tonight."

"Really? Xiao Mi loves eating crispy sweet cakes the most!" Amy's face immediately lit up with a delighted smile. Holding the two copper coins in her hand, she climbed out of the bed, kissed Maige's face, and with her little short legs, jumped off the bed and ran toward the door, putting on her shoes.

Maige watched Amy disappear at the doorway, feeling a strange sense of heartache. Crispy sweet cakes were a type of coarse grain cake that cost one copper coin each. However, in the past two years, they had barely scraped by relying on the odd jobs Maige Alexandros took in the guild. Crispy sweet cakes were a treat that Maige would only buy for Amy on special occasions.

Amy was also very well-behaved and understanding. Although she wanted to eat them, she never asked for them.

But where did this system come from, blurting out something and then disappearing?

Maige stood up from the bed, supporting himself with his hands, and walked to the worn-out copper mirror against the wall to take a look at his appearance.

Due to malnutrition and long-term sun exposure, the skin had a slight yellowish tint. Maige's appearance was somewhat similar to his previous life, with about seventy to eighty percent resemblance. However, his brownish long hair was curled and draped over the back of his head, and he had a scruffy beard, giving him a somewhat messy look.

"What a waste of good looks," Maige couldn't help but comment. He would probably scare children when he went out. With such an adorable little girl at home, he didn't even bother to tidy himself up a bit.

After experiencing that incident, his previous self almost fell into despair. If it weren't for Amy's presence, three years ago on that night, he might have chosen to end his glorious life.

"You've suffered a lot following me, little one. Let me make it up to you from now on!" Maige clenched his fist but felt a sense of powerlessness.

His broken limbs were weak, and Maige felt like a useless person, unable to even clench his fist properly.

The current situation at home could only be described as destitute. There was only a bed in the room, with a single small blanket that Amy used when she slept.

Forget about being a Cooking God, they had exhausted the last two copper coins, and even having a meal tomorrow became a problem. It seemed that the solution to their problems relied on the system.

"The system releases the first task: Own a restaurant of your own. The host only needs to provide the location, and the system will perform a complete renovation based on the style chosen by the host. The task has a time limit of three days. Upon completion, there will be rewards, and failure will be punished." At that moment, the system's neutral voice rang out again.

Own a restaurant? Maige was stunned for a moment. Upon hearing the rest of the system's words, he felt a surge of happiness. Suddenly, he felt that this system might not be as unreliable as he had initially thought.

Although his previous self had a miserable life, one reliable thing was that upon arriving in the chaotic city, the first thing he did was buy this two-story building. Although it was an old building, located in the corner of Aden Square, the entire building belonged to him.

Moreover, despite its slightly remote location, the ground floor was suitable for a storefront. There were people interested in renting it before, but they were all rejected by his stubborn previous self. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up in a situation where even a copper coin for a crispy sweet cake became a luxury.

Maige supported himself against the wall and slowly descended the stairs. The wooden floor creaked due to its old age, and a few steps were even damaged. It was a dilapidated building.

Finally downstairs, Maige gasped for breath. His physical condition was really poor. He used to be able to tear apart Orcs with his bare hands, but now he needed to stop and rest after walking a few steps. Maige suddenly understood why he chose to give up on life. If he were in the same situation, he probably wouldn't have the courage to continue living.

"System, will there be rewards to improve my physical condition after completing the task?" Maige asked in his mind, instinctively clenching his fist.

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

If not now, does that mean there might be rewards in the future? Maige's eyes lit up. If he had to continue living with this body, he wasn't sure how long he could endure. But if the system could restore his body, even if he couldn't reach the level of the First Knight, being able to live a normal life would be sufficient.

In his previous life, he had everything—money, women, power. He had achieved heights that others could only dream of after a lifetime of effort. But he was born into that position, so for a long time after turning thirty, he began to contemplate life, trying to figure out what he truly wanted but couldn't find a goal.

At that time, critiquing food and restaurants was the most interesting thing for him. He even became addicted to being critical and sarcastic. However, it was only a momentary satisfaction, and when he looked back at those critiques afterward, he felt even more empty.

But now things were different. He had a lovely daughter and lived at the bottom of society. Whether it was to restore his body or provide a better life for his daughter, learning how to cook and opening a restaurant were long-term endeavors that required persistent effort.

Suddenly, his dreams and goals became clear, and Maige felt his heart start to beat with excitement.

Nobles standing in line, elves skewering food without any grace, dragons holding ladles and gathering around a hot pot, demons eating adorable dumplings... Maige imagined this scene and found it even more intriguing.

The space on the ground floor was not small. Removing the half wall in the middle, there was an area of nearly eighty square meters. There were some piles of wooden boards and other miscellaneous items on the floor, and there was a crude and dark kitchen at the back.

Such a space remained vacant and unwilling to be rented. It was a wasted opportunity. Maige shook his head. However, the tree was planted by the predecessors, and the descendants enjoyed the shade. At least the condition for the first task was fulfilled. He directly said in his mind, "Provide a location for the restaurant."

The system has detected that the property rights of this house belong to the host, and its geographical location meets the conditions for opening a restaurant. Task completed. Host, please choose the restaurant's decoration style.

The voice of the system sounded, and at the same time, a row of 3D images appeared in Maige's mind—Chinese classical style, pastoral style, Western restaurant style... Basically, any style available on the market could be found there, making Maige a bit overwhelmed.

"Since it was the grievances of those chefs that brought me here, I'm sure I'll be learning their cuisine. Among them, Chinese restaurants will definitely be the main focus. But I've also been to many Western restaurants and various trendy places. I just don't know how things will develop in the future," Maige didn't rush to choose.

After careful analysis, Maige felt that he shouldn't stick to a specific style. Otherwise, if he served a plate of steak with knives and forks in a classical Chinese restaurant, he would definitely criticize it mercilessly in the past.

Simple and comfortable, and being able to accommodate more customers would be the best. Maige was already looking forward to seeing the entire restaurant filled with customers.

That's the one!

Maige's eyes lit up as he looked at a restaurant with a hint of classical European style. The overall color tone of the restaurant leaned towards brown, adorned with exquisite patterns and European-style lights. The tables were simple rectangular brown wooden four-person tables without armrests, and there was a single long table attached to the counter where sixteen tables could easily be placed. It was clear that many people could be seated.

Behind the long counter was a semi-open kitchen, with transparent glass allowing a view from the kitchen to the outside, but the height of the glass prevented anyone from peering into the cooking area.

The overall style was simple, atmospheric, and versatile enough to accommodate any cuisine. Even if people were sitting there skewering food and boasting, it wouldn't feel out of place.

"Perfect!" Maige nodded in satisfaction, about to make a decision, but hesitated again. "System, does the restaurant renovation include the second floor?"