"Ron and Alice aren't back yet?"
After finishing her dish, Menchi walked over to Misty and the others.
"Not yet," Misty shook her head. "Senior Menchi, did you see big brother and Alice anywhere in the secret realm?"
"I didn't," Menchi paused, then said, "But don't worry—Ron and Alice will be fine. The two of them are extremely strong. As long as they didn't run into that creature in Secret Realm No. 4, they wouldn't be in danger. And that one tends to stay in a very hidden place."
Misty instinctively asked, "That creature?"
"A dangerous ingredient beast known as the Barkslong. Its capture level reaches twelve, which is comparable to the upper ranks of A-class Nen users," Menchi explained. "Apart from the Barkslong, the other ingredient creatures in Secret Realm No. 4 max out at level ten at most, so none of them would pose a real threat to Ron."
Misty asked, "Senior Menchi, what were the capture levels of the ingredient beasts you and Buhara caught?"
Menchi glanced back. "We caught two types—one at level six, the other at level eight. Both are excellent ingredients. There's still some left; once this competition ends, I can cook them up for you to try."
Misty's interest was piqued immediately. "Thank you, Senior Menchi!"
"You're welcome, it's no problem" Menchi waved it off.
"Senior Menchi, does a higher capture level always mean the ingredient tastes better?" Misty asked again.
"Not entirely," Menchi replied, "but in most cases, yes—the deliciousness of an ingredient tends to scale with its capture level. The higher the level, the more flavorful it usually is. That said, there are exceptions—some low-level creatures are incredibly tasty, and some high-level ones don't taste like much at all. But in the case of Secret Realm No. 4, the Barkslong is without a doubt the most delicious."
A trace of nostalgia crossed Menchi's face. "A long time ago, I had the chance to taste it once. Even now, I still can't forget that flavor. The Barkslong's body is saturated with intense alcohol—no need to marinate it, you can cook it directly. It's exceptionally savory. Even eaten raw, the taste easily surpasses salmon or tuna. You can make all sorts of dishes with it. But with the strength Buhara and I have right now, we're nowhere near capable of taking it down. That's why we chose two other ingredients instead."
Hearing Menchi's description, Misty's eyes gleamed with longing.
Sally, meanwhile, recalled her experience during the Hunter Exam. Menchi hadn't appeared during that particular test, but there had been other Gourmet Hunters. Many candidates had shown obvious bias against them, believing that Gourmet Hunters weren't "real" Hunters and that true Hunters were all fighters. Sally hadn't held such extreme views, but her attitude back then was somewhat similar.
It wasn't until this trip to Gourmet Paradise that Sally realized places like this actually existed in the world. So many visitors came here. Every restaurant was busy. Many even required reservations made months—or years—in advance. Yet despite that, there was so little information about Gourmet Paradise in the outside world. That, to her, was puzzling.
Logically, Gourmet Paradise should be as famous as Heaven's Arena.
"Senior Menchi, may I ask a question?" Sally stepped beside Menchi and Misty, interjecting softly.
"What is it?"
Sally voiced her doubt.
Menchi fell silent for a moment, then said, "Gourmet Paradise has always been like this. We don't want too much discussion about it in the outside world. Public awareness doesn't benefit us. As you've seen, most of the tourist traffic actually centers around the restaurants in the World Zone. That's why we've restricted the flow of information. Anyone who visits has already agreed to this. If someone deliberately leaks information about Gourmet Paradise, they'll be permanently barred from returning."
"Only those who receive an invitation can enter Gourmet Paradise. Without one, there's no way to board the ship. What we truly pursue are ingredients and culinary skill. So we issue invitations to people who show potential or interest in these two things. We also have staff who monitor the civilian networks. If any content about Gourmet Paradise appears, we scrub it."
"Too many people knowing about this place wouldn't be a good thing for us. That said, due to considerations of resources and connections, we do allocate a limited number of invitations to certain royal families and let them handle distribution."
As they continued their chatter the teams returning to Gourmet Paradise grew in number. Few returned empty-handed. Either they had bad luck, or they went after ingredient creatures they couldn't handle and were forced to withdraw from the competition. Remaining any longer served no purpose—they had no shot at becoming councilors.
Most teams had gained something—one or two ingredients, with three dishes prepared and presented to Linne for tasting. Menchi and Buhara's team had held the top score for a long time, but after one pair of older-looking middle-aged contestants returned, their ranking dropped from first to second. Compared to Menchi and Buhara, that duo was clearly on a higher level.
"Only Alice and Ron haven't returned yet."
"An hour remains."
"What's going on?"
"With the metal rod in play, it shouldn't be possible for them to run into danger. Besides, Secret Realm No. 4 was personally chosen by Senior Linne."
"Could it be that Senior Linne didn't fully clear out certain individuals?"
"Did those people sneak into the gourmet secret realm to take revenge on Ron and Alice?"
Some whispered speculation began to stir, tinged with concern.
Just then, a beam of light flashed across the space. A massive figure suddenly appeared. Everyone instinctively turned to look, and when they saw it clearly, their eyes widened involuntarily.
"What is that?!"
Menchi's expression turned grim.
"That's the Barkslong!"