[133] - The Century Soup is Born, Yuuki's Findings (BONUS)
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For a being like Knocking Master Jiro, whether he took a Camping Monster or not made little difference. With his speed, if he truly wished it, he could circle the entire globe in an incredibly short amount of time.
So, Jiro left the Limousine Jellyfish for Yuuki and simply ran back himself.
Yuuki knew the extent of Jiro's power, so he didn't bother with false modesty. After Jiro's departure, he began to study the Gourmet Show Window, continuously analyzing the fusion process of the ingredients.
As for the Century Soup, he could just as easily drink it after he returned. For now, the Ice Hell was a perfectly safe place to be.
....
After leaving, Jiro returned to Setsuno Dining Hall at astonishing speed. Though he didn't have the Camping Monster, it didn't take him long at all.
"That's... an aurora. It looks like you succeeded this time! But why didn't Yuuki come back with you??"
Setsuno's face lit up with delight when she saw Jiro and the box in his hands. The aurora meant that the Century Soup was complete.
And having even one finished portion meant she could now create a near-endless supply. But she was surprised—two people had left, and only one had returned.
She didn't believe for a second that anyone could threaten Jiro to the point where he would abandon Yuuki and flee. There had to be a special reason.
"That kid stayed behind in the Ice Hell. According to him..."
Jiro relayed what Yuuki had told him.
"I see. Using the Gourmet Show Window as his teacher... If he can see those things, then it will indeed be of great use to him. In that case, we'll leave him be."
Setsuno nodded. She then took the Century Soup Jiro had brought and returned to her underground kitchen, approaching the largest of her pots.
Just as before, Setsuno, Jiro, and Nono leaped onto the platform. Setsuno poured the finished Century Soup from the box directly into the massive cauldron.
The next second, though the soup itself showed no change, a brilliant aurora shot up from above the pot, piercing through the ground and erupting into the sky.
The scale of the aurora depended on the scale of the Century Soup. The amount Setsuno had here was thousands, even tens of thousands of times greater than what the Ice Hell produced in a century.
With a soup of this magnitude, the resulting aurora was, of course, terrifyingly immense.
"Looks like everyone in Gourmet Town is about to find out you've completed the Century Soup, Setsu!" Jiro said with a laugh, watching the spectacle.
"Let them know. I'm not afraid of a little trouble."
Setsuno wasn't concerned. Her status was clear. No one could pry the recipe for the Century Soup from her hands, and she had no intention of ever making it public.
....
Meanwhile, outside, a colossal aurora had enveloped the entirety of Gourmet Town.
"THAT'S... THE AURORA OF THE CENTURY SOUP! Why is it appearing now?? It's not time for it to mature yet! And why is it so massive?? That direction... is that Ms. Setsuno??"
At the top of the Gourmet Tower, Yuda stared in shock. Many Chefs had witnessed the aurora phenomenon of the Century Soup before.
Every Chef who had ever tasted it had tried to replicate it, but all had failed, including Yuda himself.
Even the legendary Granny Setsuno had been unable to recreate it, so no one else held out much hope.
But now, the aurora was erupting from the vicinity of Setsuno Dining Hall. It had to be her—she had finally completed the Century Soup.
Yuda's shock quickly turned to calculation as he began to wonder what gift he should bring on his visit tomorrow. He, too, longed to taste the Century Soup once more.
In the original story, the only ones who went searching for the Century Soup were insignificant characters. This was because anyone with a bit of status knew it was on the verge of extinction.
It simply wasn't worth the trip. Otherwise, given the soup's effects, it would have been impossible for only a few small-fry and Toriko's group to be the ones going after it.
The Gourmet Corp's response was the more logical one—sending a Sous Chef, a Branch Chief, and even a powerhouse like Alfaro who could enter the Gourmet World.
Although Setsuno also went, she was there to save people, not to claim the soup. She knew she could no longer complete her own version and could only place her hopes in Komatsu.
The reason these other high-level figures didn't go was because of Yosaku's words. After all, Yosaku was an incredibly powerful figure among the Revivers.
The only reason Mōyan Shaishai, and not him, became a Gourmet National Treasure was because of his crude behavior.
A title like Gourmet National Treasure required a certain public image, and Yosaku couldn't care less about such things, so the title ultimately went to Mōyan Shaishai.
In hindsight, it was a good thing for Yosaku that he didn't get the title. Mōyan Shaishai had been controlled by Joie precisely because of that fame.
As for why Joie didn't control others, it wasn't for lack of trying. It was either because the other National Treasures were useless to control, or because they were too powerful and difficult to subdue.
....
The news of Setsuno completing the Century Soup spread rapidly across the globe.
"She actually made the Century Soup?? In that case, we can cancel the plan to go to the Ice Hell!"
Upon seeing the news, the wealthy man who had hired countless people to find the soup in the original story immediately abandoned his plans. With his financial power, he could simply buy it.
And knowing Setsuno's character, she would certainly sell the Century Soup. He just needed to purchase some then.
It wasn't just him; many Gourmet Hunters who had planned to go to the Ice Hell also gave up.
They were mainly seeking the soup to sell for profit, not to eat it themselves. Now that Setsuno had made it, the price would naturally plummet.
Once the price dropped, they had no reason to go to the Ice Hell. While the soup still had some value, a trip to the Ice Hell was a dance with death.
Every time a large group went, only a few would return alive, and even fewer would succeed in capturing the soup.
They weren't about to risk their lives for such a paltry sum.
....
"Hahahaha, truly amazing! That's our Setsu, she really managed to make the Century Soup!"
At IGO headquarters, Ichiryu was overjoyed upon hearing the news and immediately called Setsuno.
"Ichiryu, is that you? It seems you've heard about the soup. Yes, I've completed it. It'll be a while before it goes on sale, though. I have a young man to thank for being able to finish it this time." Setsuno said with a smile.
"A young man? Is it your apprentice, Nono??"
Ichiryu was a bit surprised, his first thought going to Nono.
"No, it's a very interesting and promising young man. He's still in the Ice Hell at the moment; it'll probably be a few days before he's back. When he returns, you should come to my diner too, Ichiryu. Come taste the Century Soup."
Setsuno offered. Ichiryu was even more surprised. For Setsuno to say that, she clearly intended to introduce this Yuuki to him.
He was incredibly curious. What kind of young man could make Setsuno hold him in such high regard, to the point of wanting to introduce him personally??
"I understand. I'll be waiting for your call then!"
After a few more words, Ichiryu hung up. He was now full of anticipation. Who was this mysterious person that Setsuno thought so highly of??
Of course, no matter who it was, it was a good thing for them. The stronger their side became, the more at ease he felt.
....
At the same time, the news reached the ears of the Gourmet Corp.
"That old hag actually made the Century Soup. She's really something."
At the Gourmet Corp, a group of Head Chefs, Sous Chefs, and Branch Chiefs were gathered for a meeting.
The topic of the meeting was, naturally, the Century Soup.
"The Boss said to call off the trip to the Ice Hell. We'll just have someone buy the soup."
Alfaro had just emerged from delivering a batch of dishes to Midora and relayed his orders to the group. No one was surprised.
Although members of the Gourmet Corp couldn't directly purchase goods sold by Setsuno's company, they could always use proxies.
So, the people of the Gourmet Corp weren't worried about being unable to buy her food.
The news of Setsuno's completed Century Soup spread like wildfire through the Human World, and many waited with bated breath for it to go on sale.
....
A week later, Yuuki finally returned to Setsuno Dining Hall aboard the Limousine Jellyfish.
"You're finally back. You spent a week in the Ice Hell; looks like you gained quite a lot!" Setsuno said, looking at Yuuki.
"The harvest was indeed great. Right, I also organized the things I researched from the Gourmet Show Window."
With that, Yuuki handed a tablet to Setsuno. It contained all his findings from the past week.
Although he had established a connection with Setsuno and the others through the final step of the soup and by restoring her youth, relationships like these needed to be maintained. Mutual exchange was key.
"I can't believe you summarized so much in just seven days. These findings are useful even for me, and they'll be a huge help to Nono. Thank you so much."
Setsuno knew the value of this information with a single glance. Without a doubt, Yuuki had given her another great gift. Now that he had given it to her, how she used it was up to her.
This knowledge was enough to help her train a number of powerful Chefs. After all, the number of Chefs under her command was immense.
....
In the original story, she had gathered a million, but that was far from her limit.
The mobilization at that time was urgent, and people from all over the Human World had fled to the central cities for refuge. Gathering a million people in such a short time was already an exaggeration.
It meant the number of Chefs under Setsuno's banner was several times that of a million.
Among these Chefs, there were naturally some she thought highly of and trained personally. The knowledge Yuuki had summarized was incredibly important.
From the key to fusing one ingredient to the fusion of over a hundred thousand, it was a step-by-step guide, with all the critical points explained with perfect clarity.
It could be said that as long as one wasn't a complete idiot, this data could allow a Chef's skills to advance at an astonishing rate.
"It's very useful for me??"
Hearing this, Nono was quite surprised. Setsuno handed the tablet to her. As Nono began to read what was recorded on it, she became completely engrossed.
"Nono, you can look at that later when you're alone. Now is not the time."
Seeing her apprentice so absorbed, Setsuno reminded her. Nono snapped back to reality and immediately thanked Yuuki. Although he had given the data to Setsuno, she was the ultimate beneficiary, so she had to express her gratitude.
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