Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

The Sanzu Road. This was a path connecting the Human World and the Gourmet World, from which beasts from the Gourmet World would occasionally run across. There were three relatively easy routes to the Gourmet World, and the Life Waterfall Pot on Zebel Island was slightly easier and safer than the Sanzu Road on the Wac Continent.

The person guarding this place was a staff member of Biotope 0, Uemen. Any beast that crossed over from the Gourmet World would be cut down by him here. With him standing guard, it was a case of one man holding the pass against ten thousand.

"And you are?" Uemen asked, blinking his clear eyes, seemingly not recognizing Atashino.

"Sigh..." Atashino sighed helplessly. She knew Uemen's situation. He had been spacing out here alone for too long and had forgotten many things.

"I'm Atashino. President Ichiryu asked me to come and inform you that there will be a meeting at Biotope 0 soon."

President Ichiryu was aware of Uemen's condition and knew he needed to be notified personally. Whichever staff member was free would go and remind him. Since Atashino and Kenji were now partners, they didn't have to attend the meetings, as Ichiryu himself had told them.

"Oh, I see," Uemen said, snapping out of his daze, only to immediately start spacing out again.

Although he seemed to be letting his mind wander, if a beast were to truly arrive, he would act on pure instinct, cleanly and decisively slaying it.

"Let's go, Kenji. We'll enter the Gourmet World's Area 8 from the Port of Spirits."

"What an interesting person," Kenji remarked. Uemen was a true powerhouse. After Sunny learned the concept of "Intuition" from Uemen, the power of his techniques had increased dramatically. Joie had "cooked" several members of Biotope 0 but hadn't bothered with the solitary Uemen because there was no point. Since Uemen was permanently stationed here, he couldn't provide any valuable intelligence.

"I haven't met Uemen many times," Atashino said. "He guards this place and has stopped invasions from Gourmet World beasts more times than I can count."

Kenji thought of the Four-Beast. With Uemen's strength, he could have easily handled the Four-Beast and its main body, but he had already been summoned to the Gourmet World by Senior Uncle Ichiryu at that time. The Four-Beast had been a test left for the Four Heavenly Kings; otherwise, someone like Mansam would have stepped in.

The salad, AIR, slumbered in the Eighth Continent. Of the three routes into the Gourmet World, the Port of Spirits was considered the most dangerous, with countless shipwrecks in the area.

Kenji led Atashino not by boat, but by flying.

"The fog is getting thicker..." Kenji squinted. Visibility was decreasing at a rate visible to the naked eye. With this thick fog, it was no wonder so many ships had sunk here.

Swish, swish, swish.

"They're Torpedo Sausages," Atashino's brow twitched. This was a shark-like beast from the Gourmet World. Its sharp, serrated teeth could easily tear the flesh of any creature to shreds.

"Shing, shing, shing—"

Atashino swung her Battle Wolf Fang knife. Several sharp blades of light flew out, instantly preparing the Torpedo Sausages. The fins and tail had to be removed in a single moment. If not prepared correctly, the meat would cause a torpedo-like explosion upon entering the stomach. An internal attack was exceptionally painful.

"I give thanks for this food. Time to eat."

"It's a sausage that tastes like fish, but without any fishy smell. It's actually pretty good." Kenji chewed on the springy fish meat. The taste was better than he had imagined. The Torpedo Sausage had a Capture Level of 195, which was basically at the bottom of the food chain in the Gourmet World. The difference between ingredients from the Human World and the Gourmet World was their level and the energy they contained. In terms of taste, some ingredients from the Gourmet World were actually inferior to those from the Human World.

"—Gravity!"

Kenji looked around and grinned. With him at the center, an astonishing gravitational force erupted. The dense fog began to surge toward him, and one by one, large, disk-like faces appeared in their vision.

The Soy Milk Road, a Phantom Beast, Capture Level 487.

"Fresh humans! It's been so many years since anyone came here. What a delectable meal," a muffled voice sounded.

Being stared at by so many ugly faces, both Kenji and Atashino's mouths twitched.

"ORA—ORA—ORA—!"

Kenji went in bare-fisted. The force of each punch was like a falling meteor. One after another, the Soy Milk Roads plummeted from the sky. Soy milk flowed from their eyes, and the smoke around them was a type of tofu skin.

Phew—

It was a bit of an appetite killer. He collected them all. He'd have Atashino process them later and sell the rest to Tom. Many ingredients in the Gourmet World looked unappetizing. If you didn't see them beforehand, it was fine, but after seeing them, it was really hard to muster an appetite. It was a bit better after they were cooked, but eating them raw was definitely out of the question.

Croak, croak, croak—

The sound of a frog's croaking was heard, and a frog driving a small frog-car appeared.

Kenji recognized this frog. It was the Traveling Frog from the Yōshoku Realm, its Capture Level unknown. The car it drove was called a CAR Frog, which had a Capture Level of 455.

In the Gourmet World arc, the Capture Levels really started to get ridiculous. Creatures with levels in the hundreds were rare, while those in the hundreds and thousands were common. He felt like the author probably just made up the numbers as he went; the leaps were just too exaggerated.

He really wanted to ask, Are you related to the mobile game Travel Frog?

Moreover, this Traveling Frog's name...

"Howdy, folks! I'm a Traveling Frog from the Yōshoku Realm. My name's Mappy."

Is he trying to curse at us? Kenji wondered. The name "Mappy" sounded suspiciously like a common Chinese curse. Was this name intentional by the author, or is it a translation issue?

"Hello. We've come from the Human World. We're planning to go to the Hill of Late Rain to check on the status of AIR," Atashino said politely.

To bring AIR's deliciousness to its peak, it needed to be cooked as it matured and fell. Kenji had brought the Dragon-Slaying Knife forged by Melk the First, which could cut the air itself, to try and accelerate AIR's maturation. Additionally, more nutrients could also help it mature faster. According to the manga's plot, Toriko and the others captured AIR several years from now, but the fact that the knife had been forged at this time meant that Ichiryu and the others were already confident of capturing it. The two-to-three-year delay in the manga was likely to let Toriko's group develop and level up first.

"AIR? Croak! That's in the territory of one of the Eight Kings, the Horse King!" Mappy said in surprise. He knew all too well how terrifying the Eight Kings were. A single sneeze from one of them could probably wipe out the entire Yōshoku Realm.

"The Horse King Heracles... we'll see when we see him," Kenji said, rubbing his chin. The Horse King's breath could literally destroy stars. When Toriko first encountered it, half his body was blown away. If his Gourmet Demon hadn't taken over, he would have been killed off right there.

If he went all out, with ZA WARUDO plus Knocking, he should be able to stop the Horse King for a short time. Although he didn't know where the Horse King's pressure points were, he wasn't worried. He could just use a Million-Point Knocking attack. In any case, as long as they cooked AIR, the Horse King would also get the abundant air it needed for reproduction. A win-win for everyone.

"Alright then! Follow me! Get in the car!"

The CAR Frog had two rows of seats. The back row could fit two people.

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