Investing In My Crippled Wife Every Return Makes Me Stronger Chapter 259

[ … words ]

Soren smiled back and thanked her before turning his attention back to the judges. Three of them were still whispering to each other, while the last was almost finished with the meal.

A few moments later, they finally looked at him, and the silver-haired woman spoke. “Candidate N128, you-”

“PASS!”

The plump judge cut in loudly, licking his lips as he set down his fork. The silver-haired woman and the other two looked at him in surprise, then exchanged glances and gave understanding nods. After all, they knew the man well.

The silver-haired woman sighed and turned back to Soren. “That’s right. You pass. You are more than qualified, in fact.”

Soren let out a breath and bowed his head. “Thank you.”

He then walked back to Ethea’s side and stood beside her as the last contestant’s dish was evaluated and failed.

Those who were unable to pass were asked to leave the room. Once they had filed out, the examiners called up the first successful candidate. They took down his information, asked a few questions about his experience, and dismissed him.

Then they turned to Soren.

“Your name?”

“Soren Everly.”

“Affiliation?”

“None. I’m independent.”

“Previous experience?”

“I’ve been cooking for about five years. Mostly self-taught. I worked at a restaurant for a short time, but most of what I know came from practice.”

“Any certification? Formal training?”

“No.”

“…”

“…”

The questions went on for another minute. Soren answered each one without much thought, the answers coming naturally.

When they finished, the plump judge, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Soren. I’m Doran, the head of the Bagdad Magic Chefs Association.” He smiled and gestured toward the empty plate. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I can tell when someone has real talent. Your dish had a few rough edges, but the integration of mana was excellent, and the flavor was spot on. It was so delicious that I couldn’t stop myself from finishing it. Honestly, it’s rare to see a self-taught chef pull off something like this.”

“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Doran.”

He waved a hand. “No need to thank me. I’m just stating the truth.” Then he leaned forward slightly, his expression turning a bit more serious. “Which brings me to my point. Mr. Soren… I’d like you to join the Association. Of course, you’ll still have to pass the official certification exam, but with your current level, that shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, you will probably end up exceeding my expectations. That’s why I promise to guide you through the entire process personally.”

“This…” Soren went silent, and in his head, he quickly considered the offer. Joining the Association would give him access to resources, connections, and a recognized certification that could open doors in the future. It wasn’t something he had planned for, but turning it down would be foolish — especially such a generous offer from a branch head himself.

“I would be honored to accept, Mr. Doran. Thank you for this opportunity.”

“Good,” Doran’s face broke into a wide grin. “Then please come to the Association building tomorrow morning. I’ll have everything ready by then.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow then.” Soren bowed politely and left the room with Ethea.

───────

“Huh, that went a lot better than I expected.” Soren chuckled as they came out of the building.

“That just means you were really amazing,” Ethea replied with a smile. “Your talent got recognized by someone with real experience. And now you’re going to be a certified Magic Chef.”

“True.” Soren nodded as they slowly joined the crowd. ’I wonder what benefits the association offers.’

’Hmm… It’s probably like the Awakened Bureau.’ Ethea explained. ’You will get work related to cooking and get paid accordingly. You will also get discounts on ingredients or other things based on your rank.’

’You’re right. Also, I will get to meet other magic chefs and make connections.’ Soren smiled at the thought. ’It really might be more useful than I thought.’

’Mmm, that’s why you should try your best tomorrow and get a high rank.’

’Alright, I’ll listen to you.’ Soren agreed and glanced around. ’Should we continue the ’hunt’ or wait till I get a certificate?’

’…Let’s continue.’ Ethea replied after giving it a thought. ’Some ingredients might end up sold out by then, and we still have a few things on your list to find.’

’Ok, let’s continue then…’

With the decision made, they spent the rest of the day moving from pavilion to pavilion, picking up the remaining ingredients on Soren’s list along with a few extras that caught his eye. By the time evening arrived and the pavilions began to close, his storage ring was considerably fuller than when they had started.

They had dinner at a small restaurant near the main market, then returned to the hotel. After going through their daily routine, Soren lifted Ethea onto the bed and settled in beside her.

’Goodnight, dear.’

’Goodnight.’

Ethea closed her eyes and sank into her soul space. Soren watched her for a moment, then closed his own eyes and did the same.

───────

Next morning.

Bagdad Magic Chefs Association.

“Good morning. I’m Soren Everly. I was told to come here by Branch Head Doran.”

The receptionist looked up, and her eyes widened a fraction. “Ah, yes. Mr. Doran mentioned you would be coming.”

She quickly picked up the phone and made a short call. After a few moments, she hung up and turned back to him with a polite smile.

“He’s waiting for you. Please follow the hallway to your left, then take the elevator to the seventh floor. His office is the last door on the right.”

Soren thanked her and wheeled Ethea toward the elevator, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

’Right, something like this happened in the bureau back then…’

A short ride later, they stepped out onto the seventh floor and made their way down the hallway until they reached the door at the end. Soren knocked twice.

“Come in!” Doran’s voice called from inside.

Soren pushed the door open and wheeled Ethea into a spacious office lined with shelves of culinary awards and cookbooks. Doran sat behind a large mahogany desk, a stack of papers in front of him. He looked up as they entered and broke into a broad smile.

“Ah, Mr. Soren! Right on time.” He gestured to the chairs across from him. “Please, take a seat.”