25: 25: The First Biotope was the largest garden under the IGO’s control.
It was located on an enormous isolated island covering five hundred thousand square kilometers—far larger than Japan’s entire land area.
“Kid Saku Hayashi, you and Ms.
Tsurara arrived rather quickly.
Were you that eager to eat Jewel Meat?” Mansam, the bald director of the Gourmet Research Laboratory, asked with a smile.
“Not really.
I’ve already eaten Jewel Meat.
I heard that a Battle Wolf had been cloned from DNA, so Tsurara and I came to see the species belonging to one of the Gourmet World’s Eight Kings,” Saku Hayashi explained.
Battle Wolves didn’t inhabit the Human World.
Although Saku Hayashi had visited the Gourmet World before, he had never traveled to the continent where Battle Wolves lived.
Within the Human World, the only creature related to the Eight Kings he had seen was Coco’s partner, Kiss the Emperor Crow.
Now that he already had Tom, Saku Hayashi had no intention of adopting a Battle Wolf.
“Haha!
I thought you came for the Jewel Meat.
Still, considering your relationship with Master Jiro, it makes sense that you’d want to see a Battle Wolf,” Mansam said.
Saku Hayashi smiled and nodded.
Apart from seeing the Battle Wolf, he had another reason for coming—he wanted to watch Toriko get “trained” by his biological brother, Starjun.
“Uncle Mansam, this is wine brewed from Rainbow Fruit.
Take it and give it a try.” Saku Hayashi removed a half-meter-tall oak barrel from the chat group’s inventory.
For someone who rarely drank, a single bottle would be enough as a gift.
For an alcoholic, however, even a barrel this large wouldn’t last long.
There was no need for elegant packaging.
Quantity was far more practical.
Sure enough, Mansam’s eyes went wide the instant he saw the barrel.
If Saku Hayashi had brought some other ingredient, Mansam might not have cared.
Given his position, he had already tasted countless exceptional ingredients.
Alcohol, however, was the perfect gift for him.
“Hahaha!
I like this gift.
You haven’t forgotten about your uncle!” Mansam laughed and slapped Saku Hayashi’s shoulder.
If they hadn’t been standing in the middle of a passageway, he would already have opened the barrel and enjoyed a proper drink.
An hour later, Toriko and Komatsu arrived.
“You two work together quite often.
Why don’t you formally become a Combo—a Gourmet Hunter and chef partnership?” Saku Hayashi suggested teasingly.
The two of them would eventually become partners anyway.
Mentioning it now might cause their partnership to form sooner.
“Huh?” Komatsu froze.
Why had Saku Hayashi suddenly brought up something like this?
“A two-person Combo?
I think that sounds pretty good.” Toriko considered it.
He and Komatsu had worked well together during their recent journeys, and he also acknowledged Komatsu’s culinary abilities.
It was common in the industry for a Gourmet Hunter to partner with a chef.
After all, very few people possessed both overwhelming combat strength and excellent culinary skills.
“Komatsu, would you like to form a team and explore the world of gourmet food together?” Toriko extended his right hand, formally inviting Komatsu to become his partner.
“This is a little sudden, Mr.
Toriko.
Please give me some time to think about it.
Traveling with you and seeing ingredients in their natural habitats is incredibly moving, but I still have my job at the hotel,” Komatsu replied, scratching his head.
Honestly, he had nearly accepted Toriko’s invitation immediately.
However, he had managed to restrain his impulse.
“Then we can discuss it later.
You certainly can’t abandon your job without properly considering it,” Toriko agreed.
He didn’t pressure Komatsu.
The invitation itself had been rather sudden, so neither of them should make such an important decision on impulse.
“I also think the two of you would make an excellent Combo.
Saku and I are partners as well.
He captures the ingredients, and I prepare them,” Tsurara said with a smile.
“Even so, accompanying Mr.
Toriko on his adventures is far too exciting.
Those dangerous places are always terrifying,” Komatsu said, spreading his hands wearily.
He was only a chef without any real combat strength.
Even encountering a creature with a Capture Level in the single digits could send him running for his life.
“By the way, Tsurara, if the rumors are true, weren’t you once a Gourmet Hunter?” Toriko asked.
“I was.
Now I’m a chef.
With a reliable partner like Saku beside me, I have no reason to return to working as a Gourmet Hunter.” Tsurara looked gently at Saku Hayashi.
She quite liked the way they currently lived and worked together.
Toriko and Komatsu rubbed their stomachs.
For some reason, they suddenly felt rather full—and very much like unnecessary third wheels.
“Toriko, did you really come here empty-handed?” Mansam asked jokingly.
“Of course,” Toriko replied without the slightest embarrassment.
There had only been a handful of occasions when he returned with gifts.
“Did Saku Hayashi bring you something?” Toriko looked thoughtful.
Mansam had never asked him such a question before, which meant he must have received a gift before their arrival.
“He brought me my favorite kind of gift—wine brewed from Rainbow Fruit,” Mansam answered.
“Heh.
As long as it’s alcohol, is there any wine you don’t like, Director?” Toriko asked, rolling his eyes.
Every course on this bald director’s Full Course Menu contained alcohol.
The man’s obsession was utterly insane.
“Uncle Mansam, now that information about the Jewel Meat has spread, members of Gourmet Corp.
have probably already infiltrated this place,” Saku Hayashi warned.
“Gourmet Corp…” Mansam’s smile faded.
“If they’ve received the information, they’ll certainly send someone.” “Their GT Robots are troublesome equipment.” Toriko immediately asked, “Are those the robots with anteater faces?” “That’s right.
GT Robots are constructed from incredibly strong alloys and possess excellent camouflage abilities.
Once they blend into a crowd, detecting them becomes extremely difficult,” Mansam explained.
After dismantling so many GT Robots, the IGO had learned quite a lot about their construction and capabilities.
“Let’s head to the Gourmet Coliseum first.
Sunny hasn’t arrived yet, and that area is crowded.
Gourmet Corp.
probably has operatives hidden among the spectators.” Mansam calmly analyzed the situation.
Someone highly regarded by Ichiryu couldn’t possibly be nothing more than a muscle-headed drunk.
Mansam was capable of succeeding Ichiryu as president of the IGO.
The Gourmet Coliseum was built to test the combat strength and Capture Levels of wild beasts.
However, it was also the location tourists most wanted to visit.
Every seat was occupied.
High-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and even national leaders regularly attended its events.
The entire place reeked of money.
Everyone qualified to sit there was either wealthy or powerful.
Ordinary people couldn’t even enter.
“Toriko, I remember you fought in this arena before, didn’t you?” Saku Hayashi asked.
“That’s right.
It brings back memories.
It’s already been several years,” Toriko replied nostalgically, remembering the time he had trained there.
Since the facility already tested the Capture Levels of wild beasts, allowing Toriko and the others to fight them made little difference.
It also helped them accumulate valuable combat experience.
“Well, Toriko?
Do you want to enter the arena and have some fun?
There’s a Battle Wolf participating today,” Mansam asked with a smile.
If Toriko entered the arena, the crowd would undoubtedly erupt.
His reputation at the Gourmet Coliseum wouldn’t disappear merely because he had been away for several years.
“I’ll decide later.
I came here to eat Jewel Meat, not fight wild beasts in an arena,” Toriko replied, pursing his lips.
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