Chapter 76: Teppei
Fontaine, Palais Mermonia.
"Lady Furina, you seem to have changed."
Neuvillette, who was buried in paperwork, looked up at Furina. At a glance, he was stunned. A rare look of astonishment appeared on his face.
The previous Furina, in his eyes, was a bit strange, as if she had no power. But the current Furina gave him a sense of being far beyond his reach, as if she had been completely reborn. Neuvillette could no longer see through her.
An absurd feeling arose. He felt that the current Furina could make him cry with a single slap, causing a torrential downpour in Fontaine, and then comfort him by saying, "Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don't cry."
It must be my imagination.
"Neuvillette, do you have any water from the Primordial Sea?" Furina asked.
Although Kenji had said that the source of the disaster, the rapid rise of the Primordial Sea, was a giant whale, even if they dealt with the whale, the fact that the people of Fontaine would dissolve upon contact with the Primordial Sea was still a hidden danger. They still had to solve the problem of their own constitution.
So, to be on the safe side, it was better to let Ruan Mei study it first.
"Water from the Primordial Sea?"
Neuvillette was slightly taken aback. He looked deeply at Furina, surprised that she would ask for such a special thing. Of course he knew about it. He went to the Fortress of Meropide to check on it every so often.
"Lady Furina, may I ask why you want the water of the Primordial Sea?"
"For research, of course. The people of Fontaine dissolve when they touch the water of the Primordial Sea. I have a solution now," Furina said confidently. This was the confidence that came with power.
She was now—Furina, the one who can do anything, the Emanator of Preservation.
"Alright, come with me."
Neuvillette was also shocked by Furina's confidence. He gave her a meaningful look, then stood up and led her to get the water of the Primordial Sea.
Gourmet Department Store.
Kenji and Atashino didn't attract much attention, but Herta's peculiar appearance did draw some stares. After all, her joints were different from an ordinary person's.
"A golden toilet?"
Kenji saw the toilet displayed in a showcase, and his mouth couldn't help but twitch. Although he could afford it, sitting on it would feel strange.
"Hello, do you have a warming-up bodysuit in this size?"
Kenji came to a shop that sold warming-up bodysuits for cold protection. The overlapping materials would rub against each other to generate heat and keep the suit warm.
He and Atashino didn't need one, but for the little Herta doll, whether she had cold resistance or not, it was better to be prepared.
"Yes," the shopkeeper said, glancing at Herta. She immediately took out one that looked like a perfect fit. Kenji paid with his card.
Come to think of it, he still didn't have his own black card; he was still using his master's.
"Kenji, I knew it was you! Are you also going for the Century Soup?" Tina's surprised voice came from behind.
"You reporters really go everywhere, don't you?" Kenji couldn't help but laugh.
Even with a warming-up bodysuit, people could still freeze to death in the blizzards of Ice Hell. If the anime had been updated to the Gourmet World arc, he might have even seen this reporter there.
"Hehe, after all, the Century Soup only appears once a century. There's no footage of it," Tina giggled. She also had a spirit of exploration, of recording those strange ingredients.
"If you want to film the Century Soup, you'll only be able to record the aurora it emits. The color of the soup is almost the same as clear water," Kenji said with a smile.
It was different from the Aurora Crystal Jelly he had eaten before. The Century Soup really didn't look like a soup at all.
"That's fine. As long as I can record it."
"Can I tag along with you guys?"
"If you're not afraid of the cold, then feel free."
Soon, it was time to depart. Kenji and the others boarded the icebreaker. Toriko and the others were also on board.
"Teppei, nice to meet you. What should you call me... Uncle?"
Kenji saw a mysterious masked man in the corner. Having read the manga, he recognized him at a glance as Jiro's grandson, Teppei.
"Huh? You are?" Teppei scratched his wig. He hadn't seen this person before.
"Didn't Master Jiro tell you about me?" It was Kenji's turn to be surprised.
"Oh, so you're that Kenji! They did mention you, but I've never seen a picture. So we're family," Teppei said with a sudden laugh. No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity. He had been surprised to hear that his grandfather had taken a disciple, but now it seemed his own seniority had dropped a generation.
"My grandfather and grandmother speak very highly of you. But, how did you recognize me?" He was even wearing a mask. How could Kenji still recognize him? Was he that conspicuous?
"It's a secret."
Kenji smiled mysteriously. He couldn't just say he had read the manga. But he could also feel that on the entire ship, Teppei's energy level was far beyond that of the other Gourmet Hunters.
Having inherited Jiro's bloodline, Teppei had a very high starting point. Although his current strength was not yet at the level of the Eight Kings, he was still a very famous and powerful expert.
"Alright. It seems the one who will get the Century Soup in the end will probably be you," Teppei said with certainty.
His main purpose on this trip was the Gourmet Showcase. This was originally a commission from Setsuno to Yosaku, but Yosaku was busy, so he, the apprentice, had to run the errand. He hoped he wouldn't run into his grandmother. He didn't know how he would explain this to her.
"Are you Teppei?" Atashino asked, looking at the masked man. Her home was in the Healing Country, so she must have had contact with Teppei before, not to mention that his master, Yosaku, was her colleague.
"Miss Atashino, I didn't expect you to be here too," Teppei said in surprise.
Atashino's medical skills were among the best in the entire Healing Country. He had even learned a few things from her before.
"Kenji and I are partners now. We came to taste the once-in-a-century Century Soup," Atashino said with a smile.
"It seems this was President Ichiryu's idea," Teppei clapped his hands.
"And you? A Gourmet Reviver here... is there a problem with the Gourmet Showcase?"
"Yes, this will probably be the last time the Century Soup appears," Teppei's voice was a little heavy. The Gourmet Showcase, in the end, was not natural. It was a place where ancient Gourmet Hunters had frozen ingredients. The essence of the ingredients within it was probably almost all used up. He was a Reviver, but there was nothing he could do.
In addition, there were also creatures in Ice Hell that had been Knocked by Jiro. While Teppei was checking on them, he would also release the Knocking.
"By the way, with your strength, even in Ice Hell, a warming-up bodysuit like this is probably useless, right?" Kenji asked.
"Oh, you're right. It's not very useful. But I personally don't like the cold," Teppei said with a laugh. He didn't really need it. The low temperature of Ice Hell didn't affect him. It was just a matter of comfort.
"Alright, we've arrived. I won't be going with you guys. See you at the end," Teppei turned and left, but it didn't look like the direction to get off the ship. Kenji and Atashino exchanged a look, left the cabin, and began to disembark into Ice Hell.
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We cross the 1200 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 1350 power stone, good luck guys.
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