Ren Isana's words took Ichiryu and the others by surprise. Gourmet Cells were a restriction? It was the first time they had ever heard such a thing. Meanwhile, Jibril also snapped out of her daze and looked toward Ren.
"Gourmet Cells must be paired with the ingredients of your world. When you fight, you consume the energy within those cells, and once that energy is depleted, the only way to replenish it is by eating. That's exactly why Gourmet Hunters exist in this world. But what if other worlds don't have these kinds of ingredients?" After saying this, Ren quietly looked at the group.
Those words immediately plunged Ichiryu and the others into silence. If they looked at it from the perspective of the infinite multiverse, Gourmet Cells truly did seem like a restriction. It was essentially a single-use energy source, and they knew all too well how difficult it was to recover that energy on their own.
Since Ren and his companions weren't from this world, they naturally didn't have the local ingredients to sustain themselves. Losing interest in Gourmet Cells seemed perfectly logical under those circumstances.
If Ren and the others actually acquired Gourmet Cells, they would essentially be binding themselves to this world. If anything ever happened to this world's food supply in the future, it would genuinely affect them for the rest of their lives.
"It seems we'll need to study the power systems of other worlds as well. Since our side has already connected with yours, further contact is inevitable. We can take this opportunity to learn about things from other worlds." Ichiryu narrowed his eyes slightly. Wasn't this also a crisis for them?
He had been preparing emergency food reserves precisely because he worried something like this might happen one day. Now, it seemed a much better alternative had presented itself. Ichiryu shifted his gaze to Ren. "If possible, I hope your side can send representatives over to negotiate soon."
Ichiryu was already growing impatient. He wanted to establish cooperation with the other side as soon as possible to acquire methods of replenishing energy that didn't rely on eating. Only then could they resolve these hidden dangers.
"Of course, no problem. I'll head back and make the arrangements. If you give me your contact information, Mr. Ichiryu, I'll have someone reach out to you when they come over." Ren nodded in agreement.
He had eaten what he came to eat today, gained an understanding of what this world's Gourmet Cells were, and even learned [Knocking]. All in all, it had been a very rewarding day.
Although this world's Gourmet Cells had their drawbacks, they were still an excellent option for people looking to increase their strength. Moreover, the ingredients of this world were absolutely worth researching in depth.
Hearing Ren's response, Ichiryu nodded. "I need to step out for a moment. Wait here!"
He didn't hand Ren a business card or anything of the sort. Instead, he walked right out of Setsuno's restaurant. When he returned, he was holding several cell phones. Handing them over to Ren, he explained, "These phones can be used to contact me. When your people arrive, just have them use these to get in touch."
He had specifically gone out to buy them, worried that Ren's group wouldn't have a way to communicate in this world. Looking at the items Ichiryu provided, Ren mentally gave the man a thumbs-up. *How thoughtful.*
"Understood. I'll have them contact you when the time comes. If you're interested, Mr. Ichiryu, you're also welcome to visit our side for a bit of fun. On behalf of our world, I welcome you all." With that said, Ren stood up, preparing to take his leave.
Seeing this, Jibril and Erina hastily stood up as well. If Ren was leaving, they certainly weren't going to stick around—especially Jibril, who felt that the people in front of her were incredibly dangerous.
She had noticed it earlier: the moment these men walked in, they had stared straight at her wings. They were clearly treating her like an ingredient! It left Jibril feeling incredibly frustrated. If these guys had been even a little bit weaker, she would have already beaten them to a pulp.
Ichiryu smiled and nodded. He would visit when he had the time, but not recently. The Gourmet Corp had been causing quite a bit of trouble lately, so he couldn't leave just yet.
After bidding the group farewell, Ren cast his magic, taking Jibril and Erina away. When Erina saw the Magic Circle appear beneath her feet, her heart turned ice-cold.
*Am I going to throw up everything I just ate?* Just as the thought crossed her mind, her vision blurred. She felt a sudden jolt, as if she had been lightly tapped, and the scenery before her eyes instantly shifted.
*There's no dizziness this time?* Once she got a clear look at her surroundings, her eyes widened. They were already back on the sports field of Totsuki Academy.
"Alright, Miss Erina, you can head back now. I still have things to take care of, so I'll be taking my leave." Ren glanced at the bewildered Erina, tossed out those parting words, and vanished from the spot alone.
Meanwhile, Jibril returned to the ranks of the Flügel. In the blink of an eye, Erina was the only one left. She stared in silence at the empty space where the two had just bolted.
After a moment of thought, Erina headed in the direction of her grandfather. The area had long since been cordoned off, and the massive ingredients the Flügel had brought back earlier were nowhere to be seen.
The entire campus was currently under martial law, but since Erina's home was right here, she didn't face any obstruction as she moved around.
Ren, on the other hand, had no time to worry about Erina. He had already returned to his own world and tracked down Natsuki Minamiya and the others. The group was currently gathered on the island where the spatial channel had been discovered, deep in discussion.
His arrival immediately drew everyone's attention. Ren cast his senses over the surroundings and noticed that several buildings had already been erected. He could even sense construction crews working just off the island's coast. *They sure move fast.*
Seeing Ren return, Natsuki Minamiya quickly ushered him to a seat. "How is the situation over there? Did you get a read on things?"
She was paying extremely close attention to the state of affairs on the other side. Erina's world was merely a bonus; the real focal point was that overwhelmingly powerful world.
"Yeah, I've got a good grasp of it. I've already made contact with the higher-ups of that world. These are cell phones from their side, pre-loaded with the contact info for the head of the IGO. Natsuki-chan, you guys just need to send someone over to negotiate the terms of our cooperation." Ren pulled out the phones Ichiryu had given him and handed them to Natsuki.
Hearing Ren say this, Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief. She accepted the phones directly. She had expected dealing with that world to be somewhat troublesome, but to her surprise, it was actually this simple.
After all, since this guy had brought the Flügel over, she assumed a full-blown battle would be necessary. Who would have thought it wouldn't be needed at all?
"Tell everyone about the situation over there!" After pocketing the phones, Natsuki asked Ren to brief them on the state of that world. With everyone present, it was the perfect time to brainstorm and formulate a strategy for dealing with the other side.
Ren nodded. After organizing his thoughts, he began, "It's a world entirely made up of ingredients. The humans over there are also incredibly strong, and all of their power is directly tied to those ingredients."
He slowly detailed the power systems of that world, including concepts like Gourmet Cells, and explained how depleted energy had to be replenished through eating.
Everyone frowned after listening to Ren's explanation. One middle-aged man couldn't help but speak up. "This system is far too dependent. Without those ingredients, it amounts to nothing. If we can't establish a reliable supply chain, we could end up being held by the throat!"
Since that world controlled the ingredients, they essentially controlled the lifeblood of anyone who possessed Gourmet Cells. That was a highly unfavorable position to be in. There was no way they would hand over their lifelines for someone else to control.
Although Pandora might eventually become the World Will of that side as well, she generally didn't interfere in such matters. Ultimately, these issues had to be discussed and decided by them.
"I agree. Furthermore, I don't think there's any need for us to mess around with Gourmet Cells. We can just go to the Dungeon, find a few cooperative deities to grant everyone Falna, and treat that world as a training ground from now on!" another person chimed in.
They have Gourmet Hunters, don't they? Then let the people who want to get stronger use their Falna to go over there and level up. They could even make money doing it. Isn't that way better than some Gourmet Cells?
Everyone began voicing their own opinions. As Natsuki listened to their suggestions, her gaze eventually landed on Ren. "Tell us, what are your thoughts?"
She knew exactly how absurd this kid's learning talent was. There was no way he went over there and didn't study those things. She wanted to see his perspective on the matter.
Following Natsuki's prompt, everyone's eyes naturally shifted to Ren. Although he was still a student, none of the people present were strangers to their newest colleague.
"My recommendation is that if people want them, let them get them. Once this world is made public and the ingredients from that world enter ours, these things will naturally become unavoidable." Ren looked up at Natsuki and shared his thoughts.
His idea was a compromise. If people wanted them, let them have them—as long as they weren't afraid of the restrictions. After all, the prospect of getting stronger just by eating was far too tempting for many people.
Not everyone cared about the future, and some people didn't even have a future to begin with. Wasn't the appearance of Gourmet Cells an opportunity for them? It couldn't be stopped, so the best approach was to lay everything out in the open and explain the risks clearly.
Natsuki nodded thoughtfully, then spoke with absolute seriousness. "Let's leave it at that, then. I'll compile everyone's suggestions and report them up the chain. Ultimately, the higher-ups will be the ones to make the final call."
The group nodded in agreement; it seemed that was the only way forward. Moreover, the majority of them agreed with Ren's assessment. This kind of thing couldn't be stopped—unless they completely sealed off that world and kept it entirely hidden from the public.
But was keeping it a secret even possible? Those ingredients and resources were far too alluring. It was a safe bet that countless people would want to get their hands on them.
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