Lord of Mysterious Wizard

East Federation, Apalis City, this is a very small city with a population of only tens of thousands. Town-sized cities like this can be found everywhere in the Federation, filled with rural charm, leading tranquil lives without experiencing any dramatic upheavals.

But Apalis is different. For twenty long years, it has consistently ranked in the top ten of the "Federation's Top Ten Cities Worth Traveling To."

It is neither an industrial and automotive capital like Secret Phoenix City nor a bustling metropolis like Holy Eagle Nest, and it lacks the unique charm of beautiful cities such as Sweet Water City, Saint Niya City, or Seven-leaf Tree City.

Its allure lies in just one thing, and that is... food.

Apalis is recognized by the Federation as the "City of Gastronomy", where anyone with a passion for gourmet desires is willing to live for a lifetime.

"Wow, just take in this incredibly wonderful aroma."

A colorful bus decorated with complex patterns is currently passing through the main street of Apalis.

The one exclaiming in admiration is a friendly-looking black elderly man with a clump of white beard on his chin. Next to him is his bulging luggage, of which the most eye-catching item is a large pot.

The old man is smiling extremely happily, revealing a mouthful of big white teeth as he enjoys sniffing the scents wafting from various parts of the street.

Most people on the bus also have smiles on their faces; although not as extravagant as the old man's, they clearly enjoy the atmosphere of the city they are in at the moment.

Dressed in a new outfit, Tang Qi is seated by the window.

He too has a faint smile on his lips, watching the captivating sights on both sides of the street outside the window.

They happened to be passing through what seemed to be "Grill Zone". One after another, flamboyantly modified trailers and food trucks, as well as some open-air restaurants, were bombarding everyone's taste buds in the area in various ways.

A casual glance revealed methods ranging from rough grilling to refined high-class restaurant techniques, including special baking methods from native residents, and even methods from another vast nation across the endless ocean. The sizzling sounds, the clash of various meats' fats with fire, and the blending of spices... The rich aroma they formed was surging like a tide.

As Tang Qi watched with relish, a young man beside him wearing a straw hat and dressed in a typical Sweet Water City style, was also watching and whispering the names of the dishes:

"Wow, the most traditional Mohawk Tribe roasted Black Mountain wild boar meat... Tsk tsk, that's New Gang State's best-known blow-roasted alligator tail... Ah, my eyes can't keep up, there are deep-fried ham bombs, cheese-stuffed meatballs, grilled silver bass, braised whole-juice turkey, secret Big Mac cheeseburger, smoked nine-eyed deer meat, Devil's Death God spicy wings..."

"Gurgle! Gurgle!"

The sound of swallowing saliva rose in the bus.

But it wasn't Tang Qi, it came from a pocket beside him.

At this moment, Tang Qi looked like a wandering "Wilderness Chef;" different from the white-bearded old man, he wasn't carrying a pot but had a greyish-yellow tile jar hanging at his waist. The jar was crudely engraved with a scene of primitive ancestors guarding a bonfire and sharing a meaty broth.

The "Kitchen Tools Bag" which had been serving as a "backpack" for Gluttony, this time transformed into an extremely exquisite kitchen utensil bag full of smoke and fire marks, and strangely, it contained only one brand-new kitchen knife.

However, the focus of everyone on the bus at this moment was the bright red tongue that stretched out from the kitchen tools bag, quickly reaching out of the window and rolling back a large pile of rib racks that had just passed by a barbecue stand, already cooked.

With a flash of ghost light, the rib racks were cleanly devoured by Gluttony.

Thus, with a "whoosh," Tang Qi, in his role as the Wilderness Chef, became the center of attention.

Tang Qi gave an embarrassed smile and then threw out a thousand-dollar bill of paper money, newly issued by the Federation, towards the still dumbfounded barbecue stall owner outside the window. It should be enough to purchase those rib racks, with some to spare.

The embarrassment naturally stemmed from his pet eating the food of common people without paying, but as for revealing extraordinariness, it was unnecessary on this bus.

Tang Qi quickly swept his gaze over those who were sizing him up.

At this moment, seated in various spots on this oddly-painted bus were mostly... not humans.

Firstly, the driver who was operating the steering wheel with four arms. Apart from not wearing a mask on the face, the other features were similar to those of Savoy.

After that, Tang Qi saw a Demon with fiery red skin and half-pig features, a voluptuous Snake Woman with three heads, a Sando Demon with a single eye and sharp teeth, a rounded body, alongside a Bru Demon covered in blue fur and wearing a top hat among the passengers...

Apart from these Extraordinary Abnormalities, the rest, including Tang Qi and the white-bearded old man, were all Humans.

And judging by their attire, all the abnormalities on the bus seemed to have a "Chef" profession.

Although some "Abnormal Chefs" expressed disdain for the ordinary delicacies surrounding them, the burst of Information Fragments in Tang Qi's mind showed that all the Demons belonged to the Order Camp.

"Hmm, that's normal. Although there are Chaotic Evil members among the Extraordinary Chefs, they are quite rare, and it's unlikely they would deliberately disguise themselves to take part in a competition hosted by the Order Camp."

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Tang Qi immediately remembered the purpose of his trip: to relax, enjoy delicious food, and incidentally capture a very special "Weak God".

"The East Federation's Apalis City is hosting the 'Divine Eagle Federation's Third Extraordinary Chef Championship', inviting slightly famous Extraordinary Chefs from all over the Federation, both Humans and Demons."

"The organizer is the Federation Extraordinary Chef Association, which offers an incredibly rich prize pool, including some rare Curios related to chefs. Additionally, those who rank will receive a recommendation letter from the association and can work for some powerful Extraordinary Organizations."

"This competition, filled with the zest of life, seems very different from the eerie, horror-stricken Extraordinary World. But in reality, not everything in the Extraordinary World is about fighting and killing. Transcendents are also beings with their own lives."

"However, where there's Order and Good, there's Chaotic and Evil. Some very weak or special 'Evil Gods' may sneak in due to their traits attracting them."

With these thoughts, a highly detailed dossier was recalled by Tang Qi.

"The Evil Tongue God Mesolia, an Evil Deity with an extreme fondness for 'delicious food,' was born during the Middle Stage of the Dark Era and is the arch-enemy of Tata, the deity of food, hunting, and harvest. Mesolia considers all beings as Her food."

"She despises those Evil Gods who like to eat raw and loathes Exotic Realm Monsters like the 'Dark Dominator' who devour brutally. She believes that savoring the flavors of each food meticulously is the greatest respect for them."

"For a long period spanning hundreds of years during the Middle Stage of the Dark Era, Mesolia silently amassed a huge following of Believers and followers, hidden among Humans or other Species... Most of the time, they were normal, with a preference for professions such as Doctor or Merchant, rarely choosing their supposed inherent Profession of Chef."

"Each follower of Mesolia possesses inconceivable cooking skills, able to bring out the utmost deliciousness in whatever they cook, and they remain determined never to give up cooking anything into food, regardless of the Biological."

"Thanks to this vast following, Mesolia almost reached the ranks of Powerful Gods, but She soon fell down because She accidentally developed a desire to cook 'God of Torture and War' Vesta and, in a sneak attack, cut off a small piece of His flesh."

"Afterward, She successfully cooked that piece of flesh into a Divine-Level dish, choosing to enjoy it alone."

"But the moment She swallowed that extraordinary food, Her realm was invaded by a war waged by Vesta, while her arch-enemy Tata took the opportunity to join the attack, killing off all Her followers in a short time, greatly diminishing Mesolia's strength. She put up no resistance and was almost killed by Vesta."

"It is worth mentioning that even on the brink of destruction, Mesolia didn't spit out that piece of Vesta's flesh."

"There are records that after that battle, Mesolia's realm collapsed completely, She almost fell to the level of All Spirits, and ended up in a deep slumber until the Spiritual Tide Return, when suspected followers of Mesolia and related Mysterious Events began appearing in major cities of the Federation."

"Polymath Consultants from various organizations believe that Mesolia must be in an extreme State, in dire need of developing new followers and re-establishing Her realm after losing Her kingdom and all followers... Barring any unforeseen circumstances, She is most likely the weakest deity."

"Recent Mysterious Events in Apalis suggest that Mesolia is hiding in this city of gastronomy... The third championship held by the Extraordinary Chef Association is very likely to lure Her out, and She may choose qualified followers from the large number of 'contestants.'"

"Preparation is sufficient to capture Her, but it's recommended that organizations of the caliber of the World Tree or Ancient Mystical Vault be involved, and one should also be ready with Curios of the same Level to restrain Her Divine Power."

...

"Sneak attacking the War God just to cut a piece of His flesh to cook?"

Tang Qi had a strange expression, feeling unable to comprehend the thought process of this Evil God called "Mesolia."

"The most tragic part is, because of that small piece of meat, She who was about to leap into the ranks of Powerful Gods was directly knocked down, nearly collapsed, slept for an eon, and after a lucky Awakening, had to hungrily blend into the Human World looking for food?"

"Such a pitiful, frail god is really suitable to be my test subject, especially since She likes Extraordinary Food, and I happen to excel at Extraordinary Cooking Skills."

A look of anticipation flashed across Tang Qi's face as he thought to himself.

ps: First update; by the way, I would like to mention to everyone that Fat Fish is participating in a QQ Speed event, playing together with other authors and Douyu streamers. Official rules are posted in the book review section, with benefits for readers (leaving a message supports the chance to get Qidian Coin, and it's apparently not gift money). I showed up briefly on the event page, so you can come see me play for a bit, and if Fat Fish is running the wrong way, send a danmaku to cover me... Finally, I will update again after tonight's competition.