After searching a little longer through the snow-covered coniferous forest, Yu Zhou caught a few more rabbits and a couple of wild pheasants before heading back to the hot spring.
"Where did you go?"
Charija asked lazily, still soaking comfortably in the steaming pool.
But as soon as he spotted the rabbits and pheasants in Yu Zhou's hands, his eyes lit up instantly.
"Hurry, hurry! Let's roast them!"
Grabbing a towel to cover himself, Charija scrambled out of the water in excitement. He took the game from Yu Zhou's hands and placed it on the grill.
Luckily, Yu Zhou's space bracelet was well-prepared—he already had charcoal stored inside, so there was no need to gather firewood.
He spread the charcoal beneath the grill, lit it, and took out several bottles of seasoning, placing them neatly on the ground.
"Sprinkle some cumin, a little chili powder, brush on some oil…"
Charija worked skilfully, seasoning the rabbit and pheasant like a professional chef. Then, satisfied, he jumped back into the hot spring with a splash to continue soaking.
Yu Zhou couldn't help but be surprised. He hadn't expected Charija to have learned Earth-style cooking.
But thinking about it, it made sense—barbecue was delicious, and for a foodie like Charija, learning how to cook some of it wasn't strange at all.
Since Charija was already handling the roasting, Yu Zhou didn't bother doing anything else. He stripped down and jumped back into his own hot spring pool with a splash.
The two pools were separated by a long, narrow slab of rock.
On that slab sat their grill, sizzling with the aroma of roasting meat.
"Ahhh, that smell is amazing!"
As the charcoal burned hotter, the roasted rabbit and pheasant began releasing mouthwatering aromas.
The smell of cumin and chili blended perfectly with the sizzling oil dripping from the meat, filling the air with rich, irresistible fragrance.
Charija closed his eyes and took deep breaths, as if trying to inhale every bit of that delicious scent into his lungs.
"Can we eat it yet?" he asked impatiently, practically drooling.
"Not yet. Big pieces like these need to roast longer," Yu Zhou replied, swimming to the side of the grill.
He cut the roasted meat into smaller chunks and sprinkled on another layer of seasoning.
"This way, it'll cook faster."
"Fine…" Charija sighed and sank back into the water, waiting quietly.
"Life's short—only a few autumns to live," Yu Zhou said with a grin, leaning back with his hands behind his head, eyes half-closed. "You might as well enjoy it while it lasts."
He let the warm water soak into his skin, sighing in satisfaction.
Yu Zhou had travelled through countless worlds and lived through many years, even though his appearance still looked like someone in his early twenties.
Thinking back to how he'd originally been just a university student in his own world made him chuckle.
In truth, all that world-hopping had left him with plenty of downtime.
Sometimes he'd use it to relax or be lazy—but often, he'd study.
As the saying goes: knowledge is power.
And it was true. The more you learned, the more you could do.
He'd even finished studying all the university courses he was supposed to take—on his own—during his travels between worlds.
Although university courses were usually taught by professors, most of them depended on self-study anyway.
So, Yu Zhou downloaded lectures online, watched tutorial videos whenever he ran into topics he didn't understand, and learned bit by bit.
If he could've graduated early, he probably already would have.
Knowledge—checked.
Money—not a problem.
So, honestly, staying in college only had value for the "life experience," not the academics.
"But even if my appearance hasn't changed much, my lifespan is still being consumed," Yu Zhou murmured.
His journeys through different worlds weren't just soul transfers—his entire body was being sent through.
That meant his real lifespan was constantly being used up, bit by bit.
Of course, that applied only relative to his original world.
No matter how long he spent in these alternate worlds, only about an hour passed in his home world.
There were ways to extend his life—but Yu Zhou had refused them.
One of those methods was the "Gijera Essence" used by the super-ancient humans on the Earth-like planet.
Anyone who used it could greatly extend their lifespan.
But the price was steep—once you used it, you could never escape Gijera's influence, and even your mind would gradually fall under its control.
"I'll just have to wait," Yu Zhou sighed softly. "Maybe someday I'll get a chance to visit other worlds again."
He could only leave it to fate.
The red-dressed little girl had once told him that his world-hopping ability was currently restricted.
But that restriction would eventually be lifted, allowing him to travel freely to other film and TV universes.
For now, though, he was stuck bouncing back and forth among the Ultraman worlds.
"Maybe soon," Yu Zhou muttered. "That limit should be close to breaking."
He had a feeling—it was almost time.
After finishing this adventure in Dyna's world and returning home, he would face the "Great Catastrophe."
He didn't know what form that disaster would take, but judging from what the red-dressed girl had said, it would be no small threat.
If he survived it, the restriction on traveling between other worlds would finally be lifted.
If not… then he would perish along with his home world.
"And that girl… who is she, really? Why did she give me the Spark Prism in the first place?"
The thought made Yu Zhou frown. No matter how many times he pondered it, he couldn't find an answer.
He'd thought about it countless times already—but it remained a mystery.
"Done roasting!"
Charija's cheerful voice suddenly pulled Yu Zhou out of his thoughts.
The alien was holding a roasted rabbit leg in one hand and a roasted chicken leg in the other, biting alternately between them, grease dripping down his chin.
"I'll start too."
Yu Zhou chuckled. Charija truly was a glutton.
He reached out and grabbed a roasted chicken leg for himself, taking a hearty bite.
"Delicious."
The rich, smoky flavour spread across his tongue, sending a wave of excitement through his body.
Crispy on the outside, tender inside, juicy and savoury—it was perfection.
Sitting in the hot spring, eating barbecue—this was paradise itself.
Charija devoured his food happily, utterly content.
They had originally come here to find Golza, but at this point, with good food and a hot spring this comfortable, Charija felt that even if they stayed here for five hundred years, it would be worth it.
As the sky darkened, Yu Zhou and Charija finished the last of the grilled meat.
Not planning to soak any longer, Yu Zhou got out of the water and dried himself off.
Staying in too long, even someone with his physique might end up with wrinkled skin.
A cold wind swept over the mountain. Even Yu Zhou, strong as he was, felt a chill.
Without hesitation, he crawled into the tent he had set up earlier, turned on the small lamp inside, and zipped the flap shut.
Then, wrapping himself in the warm blanket, he closed his eyes in comfort.