After pulling the holy sword from the dragon's body, Bai Mo didn't give it a chance to absorb the weapon back into itself. He promptly kicked the sword into his own private dimension. As the ruler of that world, suppressing a masterless holy sword using the full might of an entire world was hardly a challenge.
Having handled that, Bai Mo slid down from the dragon's back. Seeing the creature slowly regain its spirit, he greeted it warmly:
"Hello, I'm Bai Mo. You could say I'm a martial artist, a gourmet hunter, and a chef. And you?"
"Tohru. As you can see, I'm a dragon."
As soon as she introduced herself, the remnants of divine power from the holy sword that had pinned her down began to rapidly dissipate from her body.
"Heh... human. Thanks to you pulling out that sword, I'll grant you a painless death in return."
She snorted lightly, internally musing:
'A human from some unknown world... is he one of those gods' pursuers? Or maybe just another opportunistic wanderer? His power isn't too great, and there's no trace of magic on him. Either way, he did save my life. I suppose I'll just scare him a little, wipe his memory with magic, and throw in some treasure as compensation.'
Bai Mo, of course, had no idea what Tohru was really thinking.
Watching the dragon puff smoke from her jaws, clearly trying to intimidate him, Bai Mo casually asked:
"Mind if I eat before I die? I am a chef, after all."
"There's nothing to eat here."
"No worries. I brought my own."
As he spoke, Bai Mo pulled out a large slab of mudfish dragon meat and set up his portable grill.
"How about some simple roasted meat?"
Tohru snorted but didn't object.
Seeing that she wasn't attacking him, Bai Mo went ahead and lit the fire. The aroma of roasting mudfish dragon meat soon filled the air. In another pot, he began preparing his signature venomous wyvern curry.
As the savory smell spread, Tohru—pretending to nap—subtly twitched her dragon snout several times.
"It's done!"
"Perfectly grilled! And the curry's ready, too!"
Tohru snorted again, her eyes finally opening.
"When you're done stuffing yourself, I'll send you on your way!"
"Want some? You were impaled for who knows how long. Bet you're starving."
"Hmph. As if I'd eat human food. Who knows if you've poisoned it!"
"Oh, please. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have pulled the sword out to begin with."
Bai Mo scooped a generous portion of curry onto a bowl of rice, topping it with roasted meat slices.
"And finally… a splash of soul sauce."
After taking a bite, Bai Mo was nearly overwhelmed.
So good it's deadly!
And most importantly, this dragon—capable of touching the holy sword and kicking it away without hesitation—definitely wasn't some god's disciple.
Maybe... he had misunderstood her?
A girl with dragon horns suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Mmm, delicious!"
"Elma? A friend of yours?"
"She's not my friend!" Tohru paused, then added, "Or maybe... she was, once."
"Sounds like there's a story there."
Bai Mo handed her a bottle of wine. "I don't mind listening if you want to share while eating. Want a drink?"
"Hmph. Of course."
"To be forced into battle... in the end, it's always the heavens that decide."
"Hmph! We're dragons—noble beings. And humans? If they would just kneel before us, everything would be fine!"
He did have a point. If Bai Mo had wanted her dead, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to help. Perhaps she wasn't a threat after all.
He handed over another portion of curry and rice.
Tohru looked between the dish and Bai Mo. After a brief struggle, she was enveloped in a flash of light and transformed into a cloaked human figure. She cautiously examined the curry with magic three separate times before taking a tentative bite.
"It's good. Have more, there's plenty."
"Hmph, don't think you can buy me off with food. I'm not like Elma!"
Still, she snatched the wine from Bai Mo's hand and took a deep swig.
"Hmph… that Elma, going so far as to become a priestess for humans… helping them."
"Sounds like two friends going their separate ways over ideals."
"Hmph. Humans are greedy. They covet our treasures, our blood, our very existence!"
Bai Mo could understand her frustration.
After all, countless stories from the West praised dragon-slaying heroes. Kill a dragon, get their treasure, forge weapons from their remains, and sometimes even marry a princess.
But from the dragon's perspective—it was theft, murder, and complete desecration of their bodies.
Still… Bai Mo couldn't help but wonder—how would dragon meat taste?
"Ahem. Anyway, I didn't expect to run into a dragon here. Say, when your wounds heal, are you going home? I've always imagined dragons live in caves."
"Home?" Tohru looked stunned for a moment, then took another swig of wine.
"I no longer have a place to return to."
"In that case, why not come with me?"
Bai Mo smiled. "Like I said—I'm not just a chef and martial artist. I'm also a gourmet hunter. I travel the worlds seeking the most delicious ingredients. What kind of food do dragons like?"
She looked at her curry.
"Your cooking's not bad. We dragons enjoy meat, fish, that sort of thing. Some dragons eat humans too... but I'm not into that."
"Good to hear. I'd hate to end up as dragon poop."
Finishing his curry, Bai Mo brought out a massive dragon leg from a herbivorous dragon he had previously hunted. It had been marinated in spice fruits and sacred herbs overnight and preserved with the Eye of God.
Perfect for roasting.
But the fire wasn't hot enough.
After gathering more firewood, Bai Mo turned to Tohru.
"Hey... you can breathe fire, right? Mind helping me out a little?"
"Hmm? Chili peppers?"
"Spicy… but good!"
"Hmph! You think I'm just your personal barbecue lighter?!"
"I'll give you more meat."
"Hmph... fine. Since you pulled the holy sword for me, I'll help."
With a blast of dragon fire, the woodpile erupted into roaring flames.
Perfect. Now to start roasting.
Using a rotating spit, Bai Mo carefully roasted the dragon leg.
"Want it mild, medium, hot... or insane?"
Tohru tilted her head, not quite sure what he meant by "insane," but still puffed her chest.
"Hmph. You underestimate me? Make it insane spicy!"
Raising a brow, Bai Mo split the leg in half. One side he seasoned with cumin and a generous helping of chili powder. The other—he absolutely drenched in bright red super-spicy blend.
Tohru gulped audibly at the sight but tried to act cool. She tore off a large chunk with her teeth.
"Hot! So hot... but delicious!"
Despite crying spicy tears, she kept eating.
Bai Mo also tasted the dragon leg.
It was his first time trying food infused with gourmet cells.
The taste? On another level entirely. He could even feel the incredible energy contained within.
As expected, the best way to keep gourmet cells active was by constantly consuming high-level, gourmet-cell-infused ingredients.
Watching Tohru devour the meat, Bai Mo smiled.
"Hey, Tohru. Like I said—want to become a gourmet hunter with me? If you've got nowhere to go, let's team up. I can't promise much, but as long as I have food, you'll never go hungry."
"Hmph. Don't think food can buy me!"
Tohru wiped the chili from her lips.
"But... since I've got nothing better to do, I'll tag along for now."
"Oh, and that wasn't enough food. Got more? Or want me to help with the hunting?"
Looks like that went well.
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T/N:
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