As long as a steady stream of customers kept flocking to White Whale, he was contractually obligated to keep updating the menu.

Lin Chen, for his part, just needed to keep providing concepts and inspiration for new dishes. In return, thirty percent of White Whale’s net profit would be split, with Lin Chen getting twenty percent and the production team ten.

So, even though it looked like he was just explaining details every time he found a new ingredient or cooked something, he was actually working for a living. At the same time, talking to himself like this helped him maintain some semblance of social interaction and kept him from becoming too withdrawn.

A thirty-percent cut might seem high, but the original White Whale had virtually no foot traffic. They served fewer than five tables a day, with their main income coming from local regulars who came for drinks at night.

After partnering with the production team, the restaurant was almost always packed during mealtimes. Even outside of peak hours, they frequently received pre-orders for things like afternoon tea and snacks, which would be packaged for a designated courier to pick up.

In just one month, White Whale’s revenue had skyrocketed by twentyfold compared to the previous month. Evening hours were extended from ten to midnight, and liquor sales had also increased several times over.

So even after hiring a number of new employees and forking over a thirty-percent cut to the production team, White Whale’s actual take-home profit was still nearly ten times higher than before.

And this trend was set to continue as the new employees’ skills improved. The restaurant could even set up tables and chairs outside, allowing guests to dine while enjoying the sea breeze and ocean view—a unique experience in itself.

With the demonstration over, Lin Chen eagerly scooped up a large helping of the seafood with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

The firm, springy texture of the abalone, the soft tenderness of the razor clams, and the fresh sweetness of the crab meat, all paired with a coconut-infused crab roe sauce and a kick of spicy pepper. Every bite was an explosion of flavor on his taste buds.

As he continued to chew, the fresh aroma of the basil leaves slowly released, adding another layer of unique, exotic flavor.

As he ate, a new thought began to form in his mind.

’It would be even better if I could add some mushrooms.’

’The smooth, tender, yet crisp texture of porcini, the juiciness of button mushrooms, and the distinct mouthfeel of various other wild mushrooms could all bring new dimensions to this cold salad.’

However, he didn’t rush to share his thoughts. Gray, after all, was an experienced master chef with his own unique culinary philosophy and ideas.

They were partners, not master and apprentice. He just needed to provide the creative spark. It was unnecessary to go into such detail; it might be better to give Gray some room for his own creative interpretation.

Mushrooms are widely used in appetizers in Western cuisine, so he wasn’t worried about that.

’Today’s day five. If I’m not mistaken, Robert is supposed to show up.’

’The first medical check-up.’

’Based on my own guesses, most of the contestants are probably living in the forest area near the lake cluster. A few might make their way to the Dalian Mountain Range, but it’s extremely rare for someone like Andre to travel so far, crossing mountains and ridges to get here.’

’That means Andre and I are probably the contestants who are farthest out. Following the production team’s route, they’ll either visit us first, or they’ll save us for last.’

By the time he finished breakfast, it was already past eight.

Lin Chen had no interest in just waiting around, so he grabbed his bamboo knife and headed for the stream.

He spent half an hour giving the knife a second sharpening, honing the bamboo blade even further. He ran his finger along the edge; it felt distinctly sharp. Only then did he nod, satisfied.

’It’s now about as sharp as a regular household kitchen knife, but it’s still no match for a professional chef’s knife. Then again, getting it that sharp out here in the wild is impossible.’

First, he headed to the bamboo forest. With his newly upgraded bamboo knife, he easily chopped down four bamboo stalks. He tied them together, as usual, and let them slide down the natural curve of the slope to the clearing in front of his shelter.

Lin Chen, for his part, slung the bamboo basket over his back and headed for the neighboring valley where he had previously found the Bamboo Trees and tobacco leaves, hoping to find something new.

’The shelter hasn’t been touched in a couple of days. I need to find some time to deepen and widen it, or it’s going to be too cramped to move around inside.’

He crossed the stream, passed the landmark Bamboo Trees, and picked a thick handful of the larger leaves from the tobacco patch to line the bottom of his basket.

He continued deeper into the valley.

The tobacco patch was larger than he’d expected, stretching for about fifty meters.

As he reached the edge of the tobacco field, a dilapidated wooden cabin in a patch of weeds and shrubs not far off caught his eye.

The cabin’s roof had long since rotted and caved in, and the surrounding walls were askew, with only a few support beams still standing upright.

"An abandoned cabin!!"

Lin Chen cried out in surprise. He never would have expected to find something like this out here.

’No wonder those tobacco plants looked so orderly. Someone used to live here. These must have grown from seeds they left behind.’

Normally, tobacco is a very delicate plant; it’s hard for it to grow this well without cultivation.

But this cabin had clearly been abandoned for years. There was no way anyone was still living here.

This meant the valley received plenty of sunlight, and its temperature and humidity were relatively stable, allowing the tobacco to thrive in the wild.

’But that’s not the main point.’

’If even tobacco can grow wild in large patches, it means other plants could grow here with even less difficulty!’

’The former residents must have had a reason to settle here. There are probably far more resources in this area than I ever imagined.’

At the thought, his heart began to pound uncontrollably in his chest.

After searching the area for a moment, he pushed aside some dense weeds and quickly found what was clearly a path.

’Since people lived here, they must have had a regular path. The more a path is trodden, the more compact the soil becomes, making it difficult for plants to grow.’

’So in a situation like this, you just have to poke around in the weeds, and you’ll likely find a trail. Let’s follow it and see where it leads!’