Watching Tohru devour half a grass-fed dragon, Bai Mo didn't complain about being the one doing all the cooking.
Instead, he found himself wondering—how exactly did that dragon tamer Kobayashi manage to raise two, even three dragons?
Was a programmer's salary really that high?
Tohru, sensing Bai Mo's skeptical gaze, looked a bit embarrassed and set down her dragon rib. She cleared her throat.
"Ahem... I just lost a lot of energy in the last battle, plus the holy sword's suppression took a toll. I need to recover!"
"I don't usually eat this much—normally, one cow is enough!"
One cow?!
"Wait, do you mean one cow per day... or per meal?"
"Hmph! Us dragons have incredible digestion. If I really let loose, one cow per meal is doable. But normally, one can last me two or three days. If I go into dragon slumber, even longer!"
"Good to know. That means I might be able to afford feeding you..."
"Hah! With the great Tohru-sama's power, why would I ever need you to support me? Just focus on being my personal chef. I'll handle all the hunting!"
"So you're saying... you're willing to partner up with me?"
"Only for now! I'm just killing time. Once I find my goal, I'll be gone!"
"In that case... how about becoming my maid first?"
"Hah?! Do you think I don't know what those filthy nobles use maids for? You humans really are full of dirty intentions!"
Tsk, I failed again... Was it because I'm a guy?
In the original story, when Kobayashi asked her to be a maid, she agreed instantly. But now, with me, it's a no?
Is it because I'm not a beauty? Not a dragon tamer?
"Ahem, I meant... when we're in human society, how about you disguise yourself as my maid?"
"No way! Why can't we say I'm your master instead?"
Bai Mo sighed, looking at the defiant Tohru crossing her arms.
"In that case, let's settle this with a bet!"
"Fine. What are we betting on?"
"But no cheating—no magic or other tricks, okay? Otherwise, it's pointless."
"Hmph! Don't worry. I, Tohru, am not that kind of dragon!"
Despite her bold declaration, Bai Mo glanced at his character panel, silently praying to his Gourmet Gold Law skill:
C'mon, buddy… don't let me down!
"Let's bet on what animal we'll encounter first after we go down the mountain—bird or beast!"
"Hmph! I choose bird! Flying creatures are easier to spot!"
"Then I guess I'm stuck with beasts..."
After polishing off the grilled dragon meat and curry rice, Bai Mo and the human-shaped Tohru began their descent.
Tohru looked around constantly, eager to spot a bird.
But it was nighttime—aside from a few nocturnal cats, where would you find birds flying around?
This wasn't some magical world—just a regular Earth.
Heh... this one's in the bag.
Bai Mo picked up a stray cat from the roadside and smirked at Tohru.
"Beasts count, right?"
"No! Impossible! I activated my dragon aura—how could any creature dare come near?"
Wow, she even went that far, huh?
Tohru averted her gaze awkwardly as Bai Mo gave her a side-eye.
Didn't she just promise no magic? And now she admitted to using dragon aura...
"Hah! Looks like newborn calves aren't the only ones unafraid of tigers. Even injured kittens aren't scared of dragons!"
Looking at the little cat in his arms, Bai Mo shook his head.
"This little guy's leg seems hurt. Maybe it can't run away."
"Or maybe... your aura scared its siblings off, and it was left behind."
Tohru's eyes softened at that. She looked at the kitten with newfound sympathy.
"I—I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'll go find your mom!"
But Bai Mo waved her off.
"Don't bother. Wild cats don't survive long out here. Since we've met, I'll take her in. Let's name her Nyanko-San-San."
She was a classic Japanese short-haired calico, and the name suited her.
If the famous Natsume's Book of Friends could have a Nyanko-sensei, why not me?
"Nyanko... San-San?" Tohru repeated the name in Mandarin. "San-San… I like it."
She then used magic to heal the kitten's injured leg.
"That means I win this bet. Surely the great dragon Tohru-sama isn't going to go back on her word, right?"
"Hmph, just a maid outfit? Fine! I'll be the best maid you've ever seen!"
"Great! Then let's go to the city and buy you one!"
"No need. Clothes? I can just shape-shift them from my dragon scales!"
"...I'm just curious though. If your clothes are made from your scales, doesn't that technically mean... you're still naked? Isn't that basically part of your body?"
Tohru was silent for a moment.
"When you see a monkey wearing clothes, do you think it's attractive?"
"...Okay, I guess that's a species difference thing. But I gotta admit, you do look pretty nice in human form."
"Hmph~ Naturally!"
So the two of them, carrying a cat and chatting along the way, eventually reached the roadside.
It was late at night. The roads were quiet, and all trains had stopped running.
Bai Mo couldn't help but wonder—was this the day Tohru originally met Kobayashi?
Probably not. They hadn't run into any drunk office ladies so far…
"So, where are we going now? You familiar with this world?"
Tohru knew Bai Mo wasn't originally from this world—his sudden arrival had made that clear.
Bai Mo didn't hide it either.
"This world is similar to mine. Wanna check out the city and enjoy the lights... or just wander around aimlessly?"
"I'm fine with anything," Tohru replied. "It's not like I have anywhere I need to be."
"Then let's gather some ingredients! Tohru, would you mind giving me a lift?"
"Just point the way!"
Tohru transformed back into her massive green dragon form, and under Bai Mo's direction, they soared across the ocean.
Bai Mo's Gourmet World already had plenty of creatures—mostly from Teyvat.
But he hadn't collected much from this modern Earth.
In his main world, hunting and capturing was risky, but here, he didn't have to hold back.
First stop: the familiar land of Donghuang.
He snuck around gathering biological samples, especially those tied to famous Northeastern Chinese dishes.
He made sure to collect breeding pairs, hoping to cultivate them and practice authentic regional recipes.
After Donghuang, they headed to places like India, Russia, the Amazon rainforest, and Africa.
In total, Bai Mo and Tohru gathered tens of thousands of species into his world.
Once a family of polar bears had been safely relocated, the two could proudly say:
Mission complete—global gourmet expedition: success.
Honestly, while there were hints of magic in this world, Bai Mo wasn't interested in that.
He already got what he came for.
With Tohru at his side, he felt a bit more secure.
As for deepening their relationship—well, that would take time.
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T/N:
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