"Good morning
Senior Menchi.
Senior Buhara."
Menchi handed over four cards and said, "Ron, these are for you—the Gourmet Paradise access passes!"
"Without special passes, you can only move around in the World Zone."
"With these, you're free to move between the World Zone, the Academy Zone, and the Graduate Zone—no one will stop you."
"Buhara and I have just encountered some unexpected matters."
"Really sorry about that." Menchi showed an apologetic smile.
Ron accepted the passes. "Senior Menchi, that's too kind. Honestly, you've already done more than enough for us. This residence is quite nice, and last night's dinner was excellent. We're fine just wandering around on our own."
To be frank, their relationship wasn't particularly close. Ron had only met Menchi and Buhara during the Hunter Exam and exchanged contact information at that time. They hadn't had any further interaction since.
Given that, Menchi and Buhara providing them this accommodation, and taking the trouble to arrange the access passes, and even personally cooking on the first night with their signature dishes—this was already outstanding hospitality.
Ron wouldn't just be staying in Gourmet Paradise for a day or two. He intended to remain until the Observer's Intent had fully assimilated the essence of the Gourmet paradise's culinary characteristics—perhaps even beyond that. This place wasn't just the peak of culinary skill on the human continent; it also gathered the world's finest ingredients.
Not just rich in resources—this was the very center where the world's top-tier ingredients were gathered. Countless gourmet hunters and freelance hunters scoured the globe for rare ingredients, which were then brought here. Only Gourmet Paradise had the chefs capable of truly bringing out the full potential of those ingredients, with skill worthy of the materials themselves.
And that was precisely what Ron needed.
"All right. If you run into any issues or need anything, feel free to contact me."
"Understood."
Ron and his group walked out of the residence. Outside was the public area of the Graduate Zone. The number of people wasn't large. The streets were neatly laid out, with restaurants lined up in order. Most of them were temporarily closed, while a few remained open. But even the ones that were open weren't places you could just walk into—most required prior reservations to access their services.
In the World Zone, it was the tourists who chose restaurants. But in the Graduate Zone, it was the restaurants that chose the guests.
"Let's head to the World Zone."
The entire Gourmet Paradise could be visualized as a massive concentric circle. You could describe it as a series of rings. The World Zone was the outer ring. The Academy Zone and the Graduate Zone formed the inner ring. The Mysterious Zone sat at the core.
Of course, it wasn't that literally vast, but the number of people gathered here was considerable.
As Ron and his group stepped into the World Zone, the crowd around them suddenly thickened. Some were entering restaurants, some were browsing, and some who had finished their meals were leisurely strolling.
"Big brother, which restaurant are we going to?" Misty looked around with wide eyes while asking Ron.
"We'll try them all."
Ron said, "We're not just here for a short visit. The point of coming to a place like this is to taste as many different kinds of cuisine as possible—so let's sample everything."
With that, Ron casually picked a place. "Let's start with this one."
The four of them entered.
"Welcome!" The greeter at the door offered a formulaic smile.
The four took their seats, and a server brought over menus.
"Everyone, it's breakfast time right now, so we're only offering items from the breakfast menu. The dishes with stars next to them are our house specials."
Ron skimmed through the menu. The portions didn't seem large, but the variety was extensive. All kinds of breakfast options were listed.
"This one, this one, this one..."
Ron picked up a pen and circled everything that looked promising, then waved to the server.
"All of these?" The server was a bit stunned seeing how much Ron had marked.
"Our portions aren't large, but this amount still exceeds what most guests order."
"It's fine. Just bring them all."
Seeing that he had fulfilled his duty to warn the customer, the server said nothing more and took the menu to the kitchen.
Not long after, the breakfast was served. Before they even began eating, the aroma had already filled their noses.
"Looks great."
"Let's hope the taste matches."
As he ate, Ron quietly observed the effects of the breakfast dishes on his "Gourmet Cell" ability. The flavor was indeed excellent. Sally and Shizuku didn't eat much. Misty alone ate almost as much as both of them combined—perhaps because her body was in a rapid growth phase.
Ron ate the most. The existence of the Gourmet Cells had pushed his digestion and absorption capabilities to an inhuman level.
…
After the group finished and left, the server came over and glanced at the table, pupils contracting slightly.
"They actually finished everything..."
"Are these people... also Gourmet hunters?"
Gourmet Paradise mainly housed three kinds of people: chefs, diners, and Gourmet hunters. While the number of Gourmet hunters was small, their physical strength was often incredible—and so was their appetite. Few people could match it.
After exiting one restaurant, Ron soon entered a second. Sally, Shizuku, and Misty were completely full. But for Ron, it was no issue.
"Big brother." Misty leaned in close.
"Is it because you're strong that you can eat so much, or is it because you can eat so much that you're this strong?"
In terms of talent and ability, Misty was already outstanding among her peers. At her age, she was a B-rank Nen user, and even among B-rank users, her strength was above average. Very few could match her.
But she was also well aware that Ron's strength and talent far surpassed her own. During the Rosgell incident, Misty had felt she hadn't performed well enough and had since been particularly concerned about her abilities.
"Different people have different cases. Generally speaking, there's no absolute correlation between the two," Ron said. "But, some do say—'the more you eat, the stronger you get.' If you're interested, you can give it a try."