Chapter 790: The World's Number One Gourmet Tournament
Clack, clack, clack.
The sound of a skateboard moving on the concrete road seemed somewhat harsh in the quiet environment.
"Tsk, do we really have to specifically wait for those idiots from the government to arrive before we take action?"
Inside a scenic cafe, several people were holding coffee cups. The speaker had long hair and wore a white jacket, with a braid tied in the middle of his hair.
Looking at the beautiful, sunny scenery outside the window, [Mo Jiaxin], who had obtained the title [Ceasefire], felt restless.
Their group of several people from [Number 404] had completed registration at Paradise and decided to launch an operation in the picturesque Cang City.
[Broken Nuwa Sealing Stone]
[Quality: Special]
[Description: A sealing stone personally left by Nuwa in a certain world. An unknown magical beast is sealed within.]
[Usage Requirements: Special Bloodline Activation; Blood Sacrifice]
[Effect: Upon activation, releases the sealed magical beast.]
Number 404 obtained this special item through a series of missions in a Xianxia-themed derivative world, and spent a considerable price to identify and unseal it.
In their estimation, this thing was highly likely a Water Demon Beast or some similar ancient demon beast.
Although the setting sounded very terrifying, since it was only produced in a derivative world, the power level would likely not be that exaggerated, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to obtain it through missions.
Number 404 wanted to release this thing into the beautiful lake of Cang City. They hoped to imitate the Lunar Sect Master's method and activate it with a blood sacrifice.
According to the original setting, a blood sacrifice could lead to the activator fusing with the Water Demon Beast. Such a thing was a disaster for plot characters, but for Reincarnators, it was another way to gain power.
To this end, they had also prepared other items to forcefully control the mind.
And even if they couldn't obtain the Water Demon Beast's power, releasing this thing would still constitute an alteration to the real world. Under the rules of [Paradise], as long as they altered the world—whether destructively or constructively, as long as new power was introduced—they could earn honor points.
Number 404's overall strength wasn't considered very strong. Only the Guild Master [Mu] and Mo Jiaxin had entered the Third Step and obtained titles, and only Mu was a unique title holder.
Therefore, after some consideration, Mu surprisingly chose to cooperate with the official organization.
Mu sat by the window, watching the woman continuously gliding on her skateboard by the Erhai Lake. She had exquisite makeup, beautiful features, and wore a fuzzy hat, looking like a college student on a trip.
But Mu keenly noticed that this woman constantly lingered near the cafe, and her gaze vaguely sized up his group.
Mu's pupils shifted, and a pair of magnificent Gem Mystic Eyes appeared. Everything in the surroundings immediately presented itself in his mind like a spatial model.
Although the level of these Gem Mystic Eyes didn't reach the Rainbow class, their performance in terms of insight was even more outstanding than most Rainbow-class Mystic Eyes.
The next moment, he frowned. There were no Reincarnators hiding in the surroundings, and the official team hadn't appeared either.
He originally thought this woman was a Reincarnator from some faction.
Suddenly, the woman kicked up her skateboard, changed direction, and glided towards the cafe.
The people inside the shop immediately went on alert.
Through Mu's Gem Mystic Eyes, he clearly perceived the focal point of the woman's gaze: his right hand.
To be precise, it was the mark of the Infinite Dimensional Space on the back of his right hand!
"Brother, your tattoo is so unique. Could you tell me where you got it done?"
The woman greeted them quite familiarly, but it made the members of Number 404 pause.
This woman could directly see the mark of the Infinite Dimensional Space, which meant...
"She is a Chosen One!"
The so-called [Chosen Ones] were individuals born with the ability to see the Space, identify various marks and traces of power belonging to the Space, and almost every Chosen One possessed special abilities and talents linked to the Space's Authorities.
Furthermore, finding a Chosen One and bringing them into the Space rewarded Reincarnators with Singularity Points.
Mu realized his group had hit the jackpot. He lowered his hand from the table and met the woman's exceptionally bright eyes through the window.
"What is your name?"
The woman noticed the change in their eyes. As a beauty, she had always been quite sensitive to others' gazes, and immediately backed away with a chuckle.
She was about to casually give a fake name and leave, but heard the poker-faced man at the window of the popular cafe say, "Hmm, Liu Ruxue, right? I wonder if you would be willing to go somewhere with me?"
After Mu finished speaking, he felt there was no need to be so polite to an ordinary person, so he added, "Miss Liu Ruxue, I am sorry, but I must take you somewhere."
Mu reached out his hand, the glow of magic shining in his palm. But the next moment, Mu felt his hand empty; the formed magic vanished instantly. Not only that, he saw that in the seat opposite him, the originally impatient Mo Jiaxin was nowhere to be found.
Replacing him was a gorgeous blonde woman wearing a white sweater.
Mu felt an extremely bizarre sensation, as if the timeline had been scrambled. He clearly remembered that Number 404 gathered here today to wait for the official Reincarnators and unseal that sealed object together, releasing the Water Demon Beast.
This would give them a chance to strengthen their power by obtaining an ancient magical beast bloodline, while also steadily earning honor points from Paradise.
But that memory rapidly faded, replaced by him coming to this cafe alone to drink coffee and accidentally bumping into a Chosen One.
No, this is a destiny-type ability!
The next moment, intense magical light shone brightly. A massive amount of calculations passively executed in Mu's brain, and his body, including his brain, rapidly began to reconstruct.
This was special magic from The Irregular at Magic High School. In the Infinite Dimensional Space, the types of magic were inherently incredibly diverse.
And many of these magics were more akin to code. Mu had set up quite a few passively triggered conditions for himself.
For example, when a destiny-type or consciousness-altering ability was triggered, it would automatically format his brain and memories.
"Oh? Not a bad ability structure. Mu, you are a Reincarnator who can survive in the new era."
The woman's voice was magnetic and enchanting. On the other side, Liu Ruxue on her skateboard knew she was in danger and kicked rapidly.
As an expert who walked over twenty kilometers a day, she didn't panic; instead, she remained incredibly calm and glided towards the most crowded tourist spots.
Behind her, in that cafe, various lights flashed. She was certain it wasn't some light show.
Ability Users... This name popped into her mind. She wasn't as afraid as she thought she would be; rather, a faint sense of anticipation arose.
She looked at the numerous tourists and photographers around the corner ahead. Moving a bit further forward meant safety, but she hesitated.
Clap, clap, clap. Light applause sounded. Liu Ruxue turned her head and saw the gorgeous blonde woman less than two meters behind her. She was gently clapping her hands, seemingly praising Liu Ruxue's decision.
Behind the woman, the man she had just seen with the ornate tattoo on the back of his hand stood numbly.
The woman scrutinized Liu Ruxue, clicking her tongue in wonder.
"To think it's a talent that interferes with Authorities and Privileges. As a variable, it truly is not bad."
"In this case, even if she's a cycle late, there's a chance she can be useful."
She then reached out her hand, and streams of data condensed in her palm, continuously changing shapes.
"Liu Ruxue, choose your destiny. Will you continue living a mediocre life, or... become someone blessed by destiny?"
In Yingtian City, in the central region of Eastland, the traces of monster rampages were now relatively light. Aside from the most severely damaged districts, which remained cordoned off, other areas had returned to normal.
Li Dongjin carried a large bag of supplies from the relief center, thinking about what dish he should cook for his younger sister. She had been terrified last time.
As he walked and thought, he bumped into several people wearing ancient, simple long robes. These people wore ancient Eastland-style swords on their backs or at their waists and exuded a peculiar aura.
More importantly, Li Dongjin saw that familiar mark on the back of each of their hands.
These people... are those kinds of guys!
Li Dongjin once again recalled the blonde woman he met that day. She said he had a special destiny. Li Dongjin had actually noticed his own uniqueness.
He could see things his sister and others couldn't, like those special outfits, those special weapons, and... those complex, profound marks.
He also always encountered special events, getting involved in various dangerous situations yet turning peril into safety every time.
Whenever a moment of crisis arrived, someone always stepped forward, as if by the will of heaven or destiny, saying his life couldn't be lost here just yet.
Li Dongjin shook his head, throwing all those thoughts to the back of his mind. He was the type who didn't regret the choices he made.
Li Dongjin ducked into the subway station, disappearing into the crowd.
An Zhiyuan stood in the air, overlooking this scene. He continuously manipulated his divination hexagrams, his brows tightly furrowed.
The destiny line he saw was so blurry. Clearly, the brightest one was right here, yet it wavered uncertainly.
As he had hoped, Sousuke ultimately altered the timeline, trading his own death for Kaito Shirogane's survival.
If choosing purely from his heart, An Zhiyuan was ten thousand times unwilling. How he wished it could have been Kaito Shirogane dying to save Sousuke.
But the Destined Death of the two wasn't on the same level, and Kaito Shirogane wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for any grand cause.
Ultimately, the timeline had changed. The King of Miracles, who had stabilized the world's balance in Eastland, died in battle, replaced by the cruel and tyrannical new King, Kaito Shirogane, returning from Little Garden.
Meanwhile, the two Kings wandering outside the world were still plotting arrangements no one else knew about.
At a time like this, he had to find more Reincarnators with potential to add pieces to the grand board of the future.
An Zhiyuan knew that the King of Destiny must also be doing the same.
[Invitation to the World's Number One Gourmet Tournament]
[Quality: Special, World's Rarity]
[Description: A special tournament invitation circulated in a certain world.]
[Effect 1: Holding this allows participation in the Mission: World's Number One Gourmet Tournament in the specified world.]
[Effect 2: In the real world or the Space, by spending 1 A-Rank Singularity Point and 15,000 Dimensional Points, one can forcefully open Secondary World 0993.]
"Are you saying you want to use this as a bargaining chip, hoping I will allow you to continue drifting between Paradise and Avalon?"
Li Qingzi, Lili, Tenkyou, and others stood behind Kaito Shirogane, scrutinizing the woman who had finally arrived at Paradise.
The rumored most mysterious strategist of the East District, Amatsu.
It was unknown whether Amatsu had changed her avatar or if the form of her power had altered. Her long golden hair had taken on an emerald hue, and her eyes, owing to the existence of the Golden Order, had turned into golden pupils.
Mushou and Mushin stood behind her, looking at Mercenary Tao with tense gazes.
Amatsu nodded. She specifically collected this item to negotiate with Mercenary Tao at this moment.
Although in an ordinary person's logic, she only wanted to avoid joining Paradise and maintain her independence, and shouldn't need to hand over such a precious item...
Amatsu knew very well that Mercenary Tao was no ordinary person. While the West District's [Yoko] could accept her logic and allow the [Lands Between] she led to become a buffer zone to delay the cruel infighting between Reincarnators of the East and West Districts, Mercenary Tao was highly unlikely to accept that reason.
To Mercenary Tao, fighting, slaughtering, and the deaths of Reincarnators were all very normal things. He was accelerating the turnover of Reincarnators in the most cruel manner.
Although the name "World's Number One Gourmet Tournament" sounded abstract, the corresponding event and world were exaggerated. It was a special world combining One Piece, Dragon Ball, and Toriko.
There was ample opportunity to encounter super-high-tier power there.
Moreover, compared to going directly to certain late-stage timelines of the Dragon Ball world, this world was relatively much safer, and the intensity wouldn't be as terrifying.
Kaito Shirogane tapped the air. Ripples carrying the power of Magnetic Field Rotation made Amatsu and Mushou feel a bit dizzy.
Transforming that ice plain into the [Lands Between] on Earth, and even drawing the will of Outer Gods to descend—to others, this was terrifying, but to Kaito Shirogane, it was an interesting idea.
He appreciated someone like Amatsu; she was a competent Reincarnator in his eyes.
However, she also seemed to be intentionally delaying his conflict with that woman.
"In the future you see, if I fight that woman right now, what is the result?"
He raised his right hand, accepting Amatsu's trade.
[You have obtained the Item: Invitation to the World's Number One Gourmet Tournament (Special, World's Rarity)]
Mushin breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling Mr. Mercenary Tao gave him was becoming increasingly terrifying. No, to be precise, he couldn't sense any trace of Mr. Mercenary Tao's power at all.
Even his sense of existence had almost vanished.
But precisely because of this, he felt it was even more terrifying.
In his perception, Mr. Mercenary Tao and that woman from the West District were completely different types of powerhouses.
That woman felt like a perfect Reincarnator. Her power had no flaws, every aspect was perfectly enhanced to the limit, and every move she made carried an aura that made resistance impossible.
But Mercenary Tao was like an abyss. Just looking at him induced fear, and one felt completely unwilling to make an enemy of him.
"If you fight now, it will end in mutually assured destruction, Your Lordship."
"Probably... mutually assured death."
Kaito Shirogane was noncommittal about Amatsu's words. After all, to him, destiny-type abilities had long been proven not entirely trustworthy.
"Your Lordship, Dan no Yama has also arrived at Paradise. He wishes to see you, saying he has intelligence to provide regarding the Kaiju Dimension."
Before long, Kaito Shirogane met the once overwhelmingly arrogant Sun of the End, who now didn't even have a unique title.
"Your Lordship, why don't we take the initiative to widen the entrance to the Kaiju Dimension a bit?"