[134] - President Ichiryu, A Taste of the Century Soup

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With that, Setsuno went to make the calls, leaving Nono to wait with Yuuki.

Not long after she finished, there was a knock on the door of the diner. When Nono opened it, she saw a man with golden hair standing at the entrance.

It was President Ichiryu. He was the oldest of the legendary powerhouses, and his current appearance was that of a middle-aged man verging on elderly.

"President Ichiryu, please come in!"

Nono immediately welcomed him inside. She had heard all about Ichiryu's exploits from her master and deeply admired him.

Ichiryu was a man much like Kuma from One Piece—practically a saint. They were the epitome of selflessness, though not in a naive way, but in a purely laudable one.

Both were men who would genuinely sacrifice their lives for others. Ichiryu, in particular, had devoted his entire life to the Human World.

He didn't found the IGO for power, but to reduce war and conflict.

Any nation that joined the IGO saw an end to its wars. While there were still many war-torn regions, there wasn't much Ichiryu could do.

He didn't establish the IGO to be a tyrannical organization, so he wouldn't excessively interfere with any country's will.

The IGO's massive scale was also due to the support of these member nations, which provided research funds and other resources.

These member nations weren't just throwing money away for nothing; they paid their dues and, in return, enjoyed the IGO's various services.

But the IGO couldn't use that money for other things, like aiding civilians in war-torn regions.

Helpless, the IGO had to rely on profits from the underground fighting arena to fund aid for these regions during special holidays. It was the only thing they could do.

Ichiryu was a man without personal desires; he just wanted everyone to live well. This was one of the reasons he had to be "banned" from the story.

Ichiryu was incredibly strong. If he had used the power of Don Slime, the two of them combined would have been an opponent Acacia could never hope to defeat.

Furthermore, Acacia's plan was extremely risky. If a living Ichiryu had known the full details, he would have never let Acacia proceed.

Over five hundred years ago, Acacia had approached him, telling him he was about to do something very dangerous. If it succeeded, fine. If it failed, the consequences would be catastrophic.

At that time, Acacia hadn't revealed the full plan, and Ichiryu hadn't yet founded the IGO, so he couldn't bring himself to stop him.

But the Ichiryu of today was different. He had spent centuries developing the Human World to its current state. While not completely peaceful, the vast majority of regions were.

This peace was precious to him. He wouldn't allow anyone to destroy it, especially since if Acacia's plan failed, every living thing on Earth would be finished.

So, Ichiryu had to be removed from the equation. Otherwise, Acacia truly stood no chance. The same went for Midora. He had eaten six of Acacia's Full Course Menu, but he absolutely could not eat the last two. Otherwise, Acacia wouldn't have been a match for him.

Nono idolized Ichiryu for dedicating his life to the Human World. Yuuki also deeply respected him, because Ichiryu was a man truly without desire.

Yuuki himself was very selfish; he kept the good things for himself. If he were Ichiryu, he might have founded an organization, but it certainly wouldn't have been like the IGO.

It wouldn't have been like the Gourmet Corp either. The organization he would found would be more like Setsuno's company—helping others while also bringing himself sufficient benefits and convenience.

....

"It's been a while, Nono. You've grown a little. By the way, are you interested in finding a partner??"

Ichiryu suddenly asked. The Four Heavenly Kings still didn't have partners, and the partnership between a Chef and a Gourmet Hunter was crucial.

Although Ichiryu himself didn't have a partner, he had followed Froese back in the day, and even after her passing, he maintained contact with Setsuno.

He also had the three great Chefs of the Red Nitro, and Chichi had been his partner for a time. So, he didn't lack people to cook for him and thus never sought a permanent partner. Besides, he had no personal desires.

As for Midora, he had plenty of partners—the entire Gourmet Corp served as his partners, though they were all temporary. No one could become his permanent partner unless Froese was resurrected.

Ichiryu treated the Four Heavenly Kings like his own sons. Nono's culinary skills were undoubtedly strong, so he casually asked.

"I still have a lot to learn from Master. I'm not thinking about finding a partner for now!"

Nono said with a sweet smile. She wasn't just making an excuse; she truly did have much to learn.

In the original story, Nono hadn't been impressed by anyone before meeting Komatsu. Even when she first saw Komatsu, she was surprised. In her eyes, he wasn't particularly outstanding, yet her master held him in such high regard.

It wasn't until the Four-Beast incident, when she was by his side, that she saw Komatsu's true strength.

Komatsu could easily hear the voices of ingredients. Other Chefs would rack their brains and still fail, but he could accomplish it with ease—a true cheat in the culinary world.

"And this young man is a new face!"

Seeing Yuuki, President Ichiryu was also a bit surprised. He guessed this must be the person Setsuno wanted to introduce to him.

He was very curious as to why Setsuno valued him so highly.

In the past week, if Ichiryu had wanted to investigate Yuuki, he could have found out everything. But he didn't.

He knew that anyone Setsuno valued would be of good character, so there was no need to waste time and energy investigating him.

"Hello, President Ichiryu. My name is Yuuki. I'm currently studying under Ms. Setsuno and Master Jiro."

Yuuki greeted him. He was basically unguarded around Ichiryu. After all, he knew Ichiryu's character inside and out. As long as you didn't harm nature or humanity, you were fine.

"Studying under both Setsu and Jiro?? You're learning two Disciplines at once??"

Ichiryu was surprised. A person's energy was limited; learning one discipline made it difficult to focus on another. It was quite unexpected that Yuuki was studying under both of them.

"He's the one I wanted to introduce you to. A very impressive young man..."

Setsuno told Ichiryu about Yuuki's talents. Ichiryu was astonished; he had rarely seen Setsuno praise someone so highly.

Just as they were talking, Jiro returned.

"It's been a long time, Ichiryu."

Jiro was happy to see him. He cared deeply for his family, and without a doubt, Ichiryu was one of them.

They were usually busy with their own affairs and didn't see each other often, but they would share any important information.

"Since everyone's here, let's have a taste of the Century Soup. We have Yuuki to thank for its completion!"

Setsuno prepared a bowl of Century Soup for everyone and spoke.

"I didn't do much, just provided an idea. This soup is the culmination of your century of work."

Yuuki didn't get arrogant just because he had participated in the final step. This was Setsuno's creation; he had only given her a nudge in the right direction.

Actually, with his current culinary skills, completing the Century Soup wouldn't be that difficult. But there was no need to do so now that Setsuno had already done it.

People only remember the first, not the second. Thanks to Setsuno, Yuuki wasn't short on money, so why bother??

Of course, making it for himself or his friends was another matter entirely.

"The last time I had this soup was a century ago."

Since Yuuki had played a part in completing the soup, Setsuno had insisted on waiting for his return before anyone could taste it. That's why Jiro and the others hadn't had any for the past week.

The soup hadn't been released for sale yet either. Setsuno had already made plans; after everyone had tasted it, she would naturally put it on the market.

This news had also been spread through her company, so not many people dared to camp outside her door trying to interview her.

"It's just like it was a hundred years ago. You can hardly see the soup in the bowl with the naked eye!"

As the head of the IGO, President Ichiryu had naturally had the Century Soup before. The IGO would never pass up such a dish, and with their capabilities, they had managed to capture a portion of it.

So, Ichiryu had tasted it. The rest had been given to the members of 0th Biotope. After all, there were only few people who could enter the Gourmet World. The stronger they were, the better.

The Century Soup was effective even on the Gourmet Cells of the Three Great Powers (Ichiryu, Jiro, Midora), let alone others. After drinking it, the others' strength had also increased significantly.

This was why the IGO currently had no Century Soup. And the powerhouses who could enter the Gourmet World now were either not yet born a hundred years ago or had only just qualified to enter.

Ichiryu had given all the Century Soup he had to them, without any thought of saving some for himself. After all, who could have predicted he would raise talents like the Four Heavenly Kings??

The IGO had existed for so many years, and the ones he cared about most were the Four Heavenly Kings.

"That deliciousness... I still can't forget it to this day. And this Century Soup has an intoxicating effect, which is quite nice."

For a drinker like Jiro, the Century Soup could also be enjoyed like wine. After all, it did have an alcoholic effect. Once immersed in its deliciousness, one's behavior would become like that of a drunkard.

And most critically, that incredibly pervy smiling face. To be honest, Yuuki would never let his expression become like that...

As long as one was mentally prepared, they wouldn't smile like that. The house-building guy from the original story was a perfect example. Even the Century Soup could only make his lips curl up slightly into a tiny smile.

After they spoke, everyone began to savor the Century Soup. Its deliciousness quickly immersed them.

Yuuki was no exception. He had tasted the semi-finished soup before, and it was already incredibly delicious.

But now, all the ingredients had been perfectly fused, creating a dish with a completely seamless flavor.

As he drank the Century Soup, Yuuki's body began to expand.

His Gourmet Cells had activated. It wasn't just him; Nono was the same. However, compared to men, a woman's Cell Activation made her body more toned and defined, not muscular.

This was why there were almost no "muscle women" in the original story; the Gourmet Cells had different effects depending on gender.

A man's muscles would swell explosively. Even Yuuki was no exception.

But he could compress these expanded muscles. Although his actual weight wouldn't change, at least he wouldn't look like a muscle monster.

"Cell Activation!"

The others noticed the changes in Yuuki and Nono.

They had experienced Cell Activation many times, so they recognized the state at a glance. They didn't disturb them, simply watching as they powered up.

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