Chapter 75: The Wolf King's Fang
It's here, it's here.
The Century Soup prepared by Setsuno... The moment Kenji entered the diner, he had smelled a very complex aroma. What Setsuno was preparing was still a semi-finished product, not yet complete. There were no aurora effects, and it didn't make people make strange faces.
"The Century Soup... that's the special dish from Ice Hell, isn't it?" Atashino said in surprise.
The natural Century Soup wasn't made by man. In the ancient times before refrigeration, Gourmet Hunters would freeze countless ingredients in Ice Hell. Over the centuries, a delicious soup would form under the power of nature. It could only be harvested once every hundred years, hence the name.
Atashino was not yet a hundred years old, so she naturally had not tasted the previous Century Soup. She had only heard stories.
"I've tasted the Century Soup that Jiro-kun brought back. I'm recreating it from memory," Setsuno said directly.
When the lid was opened, the aroma was overwhelming. It was a mixture of the fragrances of hundreds of ingredients. Toriko's mouth was already watering uncontrollably.
The soup was incredibly clear, looking like ordinary water. But after taking a sip, the flavor was incredibly rich, smooth, and delicious.
Kenji looked at the others' expressions. They didn't have the strange looks on their faces, so the Century Soup was still a semi-finished product.
"It seems... something is missing?" Atashino and Komatsu said at the same time. They didn't deny the deliciousness of the soup, but they felt that it wasn't in its perfect state.
"Ho ho ho, not bad. Come with me," Setsuno said with a gratified smile. To be able to tell that something was missing after just one sip was a testament to their culinary foundation and sharp sense of taste.
Opening the entrance to the underground kitchen, the group followed Setsuno inside.
The space inside was unbelievably large. All sorts of ingredients were being cooked, and the mixed aroma filled the air.
"Master Setsuno, did you collect all these ingredients yourself, or did Master Jiro?" Kenji asked, looking around.
"Some were sent by the IGO, some I captured myself, and some Jiro-kun caught when he was bored."
Besides being a chef, Setsuno's own strength was also at the top tier of the planet. When Jiro unleashed his full power with his seals removed, she alone had protected the entire Human World.
"Are there any ingredients from the Gourmet World?" Toriko asked curiously.
"Ho ho ho, there's no need. Just preparing the ingredients from the Human World is enough," Setsuno said with a smile, shaking her head. The world's top restaurants rarely used ingredients from the Gourmet World.
"What a huge pot..." Komatsu's eyes widened. The pot in front of them was several stories high.
Kenji thought it was normal. After all, many of the beasts were incredibly large. If the cooking utensils weren't big enough, it would be difficult to bring out their full flavor. This pot... would be perfect for Aha to carry.
"I'll go up first. You guys take your time."
Setsuno crouched down and, like a compressed spring, shot up into the air.
Atashino followed closely behind her. Jumping to such a height was no problem for her.
Kenji leisurely flew up, while Toriko and Komatsu climbed the stairs step by step.
"Amazing! Are all these ingredients used to make the Century Soup?" Komatsu was exhausted, but seeing this huge pot of ingredients, he was invigorated.
With so many ingredients, to be able to make the soup so clear... her mastery of the characteristics of the ingredients was truly worthy of the name Setsuno.
"It's just a semi-finished product. Hey, hey, Toriko, you're drinking too much."
Just as Setsuno was speaking, she saw Toriko inhaling the soup. Was this gluttonous little devil trying to eat his money's worth?
"You've all heard, haven't you? The Century Soup is about to appear. If you want to drink the real thing, then go and get it."
An expectant look appeared on Toriko's face. Komatsu was a little nervous. The two of them exchanged a glance and headed toward the bar where the Gourmet Hunters were gathered.
"Master Setsuno, this is a gift for you. The Air Fruit and the dessert from my menu, the Heat Planet."
After Toriko and the others left, Kenji gave the two ingredients to Setsuno.
"You didn't have to bring a gift next time," Setsuno said with a smile.
"I've eaten the Air Fruit before, but I've never had a Heat Planet. It must have been you who heard the voice of the ingredient, right, Atashino?"
Setsuno put them away. She would wait for Jiro-kun to come back and eat them together.
"It was magical. I actually heard the voice of the Heat Planet. Before, it was always hit-or-miss. It might be a miracle brought about by becoming Kenji's partner," Atashino nodded.
Setsuno smiled and nodded. This was the meaning of having a partner.
"By the way, the gift Jiro-kun gave you is with me. I might as well give it to you this time."
Setsuno's figure disappeared. Neither of them saw how she had vanished. Kenji and Atashino looked at each other. These older-generation powerhouses were truly terrifying. A few seconds later, Setsuno reappeared in front of them.
In her hand, she held a white, cylindrical object about the length of a forearm. An astonishing pressure emanated from it.
Kenji and Atashino were instantly horrified. Cold sweat dripped down their foreheads, and they got goosebumps.
The object looked like a horn or a tooth. They could feel a kingly pressure from it.
Could it be...
"Ho ho ho, it seems you've guessed. This is the tooth of the Wolf King Guinness, one of the Eight Kings. Jiro-kun obtained this section of the wolf's tooth when he fought with him back in the day. This was the part that was left over after he had forged his weapon," Setsuno explained with a smile.
"Master is truly generous," Kenji observed the section of wolf's tooth in his hand. It was usually in a dormant state, but if it were to erupt, the pressure from one of the Eight Kings would be earth-shattering. And, a tooth that had been separated from the body would definitely be less intimidating than the real thing.
"Weapons don't really give Jiro-kun much of a boost," Setsuno said. She knew how strong Jiro was at full power. Every punch was a critical hit. The Blue Nitro was as weak as a lizard in front of him.
Kenji nodded. A fully unleashed Jiro was terrifyingly strong.
This section of wolf's tooth would be used to make a kitchen knife for Atashino. As for him, he had his eyes on the dragon-slaying greatsword forged by Melk. The salad AIR... if he were to cook it first, then that knife would be useless. With a little modification, it could become a dragon-slaying blade.
"Master Setsuno, I have a question about those with a highly developed sense of taste. It can be controlled, right?" Kenji remembered Erina's problem. If Setsuno had no solution, he could ask Ruan Mei to perform surgery on Erina.
"Yes, it can. It's just a talent. If you need external help, there's an ingredient in the Gourmet World called 'Taste-Spirit Stew.' After drinking it, you can adjust your taste perception," Setsuno explained. Of course, its Capture Level couldn't compare to the fish dish ANOTHER, but it could solve the problem of a highly developed sense of taste.
"As for the specific location, I've never been there. I've just heard about it from others. It's in the Fifth Area of the Gourmet World... on the back of the Deer King, Sky Deer. The level isn't too high. It's probably in some nook and cranny on the Deer King's back."
Kenji nodded. He would see what Erina thought. The Deer King was too big. It wouldn't be easy to find it on its back. He would have to get a power-up first, or just have Ruan Mei perform the surgery.
"How is Master's Damage Seal being handled?" Kenji asked with concern.
"He's already eliminated half of the damage. In a little while, he'll be able to eliminate all the damage in his body," Setsuno said in a relaxed tone.
The amount of damage accumulated in Jiro's body was too great. It was impossible to eliminate it in a few tries. Each time he released the seal, the damage caused required the energy of thousands of levels of gourmet food to recover from. A Life Orb could substitute for one death, but one wouldn't be enough for Jiro. The amount of damage in his body would have killed anyone else many times over.
A subtle curve formed on Kenji's lips. If Acacia saw an unharmed Jiro, he would probably start to doubt his life.
"Hmm?"
In the Gourmet World, Acacia suddenly looked up, revealing his ferocious face. A strange feeling arose in his heart.
Besides Ichiryu, neither Jiro nor Midora should have known he was alive. And Acacia also knew both of their weaknesses.
"Ichiryu... is an idiot."
Ichiryu's talent was high, but Acacia didn't think much of him. After all, no matter how high his talent was, if he didn't eat high-energy, high-level ingredients, and he didn't use a Gourmet Demon, his strength would be limited.
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