"So that's how you greet someone? I'm obviously alive and well. You're the ones who haven't changed a bit."
Ichiryu chuckled. With the strength of his Gourmet Cells, there was no way he'd die of old age so easily.
"Did you bring any new books this time? The books from the Human World are pretty interesting."
Asarudy spoke up. His culinary skills were incredibly powerful, but unlike the other members of the Five 10-Shell Cooks, he had always been searching for the reason behind his obsession with returning to this world.
The problem was, his memories held no answers.
That emptiness followed him like a shadow. In the end, he could only drown himself in cooking and reading.
When Ichiryu first came here, he had brought quite a few books from the Human World. The knowledge recorded in them was completely different from anything in Blue Grill. That difference fascinated Asarudy.
But with his reading speed, the books Ichiryu brought barely lasted. He finished them all in no time—and reread each one over a hundred times.
Now more than anything, he hoped Ichiryu had brought more books. That was what he truly wanted.
"Books? Of course I brought some—Kael."
Ichiryu turned to Kael. Although the Don Slime was the king here, they were still guests. When visiting someone's home, bringing a few local specialties was only proper etiquette.
Before leaving last time, Ichiryu had noticed how much Asarudy loved books. So this time, he had prepared a large collection. All of them had been stored in Kael's Storage Space.
The Camping Monster's internal space was limited, so everything they wanted to bring had been handed over to Kael.
Hearing his name, Kael immediately took out the gifts from his Storage Space.
Most of them were books.
There really weren't many "specialties" from the Human World that the Gourmet World needed. Books were the most practical gift.
And it wasn't just Asarudy—others here also enjoyed reading materials from the Human World. They just weren't as obsessed as he was.
"A special space just for storing items? What an incredible ability."
These ancient beings had only seen something similar in the Casket Crab. They'd never seen a person possess such an ability.
Still, Gourmet Demons came with all sorts of strange powers. Something like this wasn't impossible. They could only admire how powerful Kael's Gourmet Demon was.
With the gifts presented, the Five 10-Shell Cooks naturally didn't cause any trouble. After all, the Don Slime himself had declared them honored guests. This was nothing like when Komatsu and the others had arrived in the original story.
Under the Five 10-Shell Cooks's hospitality, Kael and the others enjoyed a lavish feast.
Their culinary talent might not match legends like Setsuno or Joie, but it was still exceptional.
More importantly, they had time—an endless amount of it.
With solid talent and centuries to refine their skills, they had polished their cooking to this level. But talent still set the ceiling.
It was like cultivation. Some people exhaust their lifespan stuck at the lowest stage, while true prodigies soar to unimaginable heights in a fraction of the time.
When talent hits a wall, time alone can't break through it.
After the meal, they began discussing their journey to the World of Souls.
"We've already arranged everything for your trip. Among the Five 10-Shell Cooks, Asarudy will accompany you inside and guide you to the kitchen where Another is prepared," Jiji said to Kael.
The World of Souls was vast. Only Food Spirits familiar with the terrain could easily locate the kitchen. A guide was essential.
"In addition, one of my clones will enter with you. My clone can suppress any unruly Food Spirits and prevent them from interfering while you cook."
As he finished speaking, a pitch-black figure appeared.
It was the Don Slime.
Unlike other Gourmet Demons, the Don Slime could manifest outside its host's body. Everyone in Blue Grill was technically its host—but it had acknowledged Ichiryu.
Not just because Ichiryu's body was the perfect vessel for resurrection, but because Ichiryu's ideals had resonated with it.
Once inside the World of Souls, the Don Slime would intimidate the surrounding Food Spirits.
Kael didn't comment.
In the original story, the Don Slime's clone had stayed near the kitchen as well. Its main consciousness had gone searching for Ichiryu, intending to revive him.
However, due to plot necessity, Ichiryu absolutely couldn't be revived, otherwise Acacia wouldn't have stood a chance.
Frustrated and left with no choice, the Don Slime eventually turned to Asarudy for revival instead.
With the plan finalized, they headed toward the place where the eight ingredients were kept.
These ingredients were extremely rare—each one replicated by the Don Slime.
Kael wasn't particularly interested in them.
They now stood before the gate leading to the World of Souls.
Following the instructions, Kael entered alongside Asarudy and the others.
In the next instant, his body and soul separated.
Before entering, however, Kael had taken precautions.
He left the Blue Demon inside his body and set up a defensive mechanism.
It was his body, after all.
Even with Jiji and the others watching over it, what if something went wrong?
Although maintaining this setup would consume a massive amount of calories, to the outside world it was merely an instant, making the consumption practically negligible.
With the Blue Demon remaining in his body—though it lacked its own consciousness, it would follow Kael's orders.
If any Food Spirit dared to try possessing him—
The Blue Demon would teach it what cruelty meant.
Food Spirits couldn't truly die again, but they could be sealed.
And if someone like Joie used certain methods to substitute a Food Spirit for death, that spirit would be completely erased.
Kael didn't know the exact method yet.
But he suspected Jiji did.
The difference was that Jiji, unlike the Blue Nitro, would never waste Food Spirits that way.
With his safeguard in place, Kael finally entered the World of Souls with peace of mind.