Toriko: Gourmet Chat Group

Chapter 29: The 1st Biotope

Jewel Meat—a special and precious cut of meat found within the body of a Regal Mammoth, an ancient beast known as a "Living Edible Treasure."

It is a cut that combines the deliciousness of top-grade shoulder, tenderloin, offal, and loin all in one. It is said that at night, it emits a brilliant light, just like a jewel.

The Regal Mammoth in the 1st Biotope is a clone with a Capture Level of around 48. The natural Regal Mammoths that roam the Gourmet World have a much higher Capture Level and are even larger in size.

Kenji and the others were flying toward the 1st Biotope in a private IGO helicopter.

"Komatsu, have you ever been to the 1st Biotope before?" Toriko asked as he constructed a special hamburger.

"No, I haven't. The reservation process is very troublesome," Komatsu sighed, closing his eyes. By the time his reservation came up, he probably wouldn't have the time to go.

"Komatsu, as the head chef of an IGO-affiliated five-star hotel, you can actually enter some of the open tourist areas without a reservation," Johannes explained.

The 1st Biotope was located on an isolated island, covering an area of 500,000 square kilometers. Its primary purpose was the research of Gourmet Beasts. The areas accessible to tourists were limited; many sections were off-limits to outsiders. Most visitors went to the Gourmet Colosseum to watch beasts fight.

"It's done! Let's call it the Toriko Burger," Toriko announced.

In front of him was a stacked hamburger with over thirty layers, a true "culinary monstrosity." of colossal proportions.

"Toriko, yours is still a little lacking compared to mine."

In front of Kenji was a forty-layer hamburger, towering even higher than Toriko's.

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration, Mr. Toriko, Mr. Kenji?" Komatsu's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. Where did this sudden, pointless competition come from?

"Haha! I didn't know you liked to eat like this too! It's so satisfying. But yours seems to have other kinds of meat besides the Devil Serpent. It looks delicious," Toriko laughed. He was pleased to find that Kenji was a kindred spirit. A small burger was no challenge at all.

"It's a small cave mammoth I captured back at the Cave Beach. I have more if you want some."

Kenji materialized a chopstick from his energy and stabbed it through the hamburger from top to bottom, like a skewer, and began to eat it in large bites. The soft, chewy texture and fragrant aroma of the grilled meat, the sweet and sour taste of the tomato, and the crispness of the vegetables created a rich and complex flavor. Most importantly, it was incredibly satisfying.

Toriko didn't hold back. He added a few more layers to his own burger, making it about the same height as Kenji's. But his eating method was different. He cleanly dislocated his jaw, pressed the hamburger down slightly, and demonstrated what it meant to swallow it in one bite.

Komatsu was dumbfounded. What an exaggerated way to eat. Who dislocates their own jaw just to eat something?

Kenji's mouth twitched. He could do it too, but he didn't see the need. It inexplicably reminded him of Tom Cat.

The private helicopter landed in front of Gate Six.

"Welcome, Sir Toriko," two soldiers said, saluting him with stern expressions.

Toriko shook his head in resignation. He had told them countless times not to greet him like that, but they never listened.

"The research institute is huge. Don't get lost," Toriko called out.

The tourist entrance was elsewhere. Although the biotope was open to the public, only a very small part of it was accessible. Only internal personnel could enter the 1st Biotope through this passage.

As they stepped onto the escalator, a spectacular view of the research institute came into sight. All sorts of ingredients moved along conveyor belts, like a massive food production factory. You could find anything available on the market here, and even things you couldn't. It had everything.

"One-third of the ingredients circulating in the world are produced here. We also frequently conduct species improvement, which is research that cannot be made public," Johannes explained.

Hearing this, Toriko said with some dissatisfaction, "Are you still doing that? Rich people have strange hobbies."

Johannes just nodded, saying nothing. None of the Four Heavenly Kings were easy to deal with, but given their status, they were all problem children. Except for Zebra, who was an extreme case, having eaten so many species to extinction, the other three were manageable. They caused trouble, but not on a massive scale.

"Toriko, President Ichiryu isn't doing this to make money," Kenji said, shaking his head. "That old man is genuinely trying to reduce the number of hungry people in the world. It's normal that some of his methods are hard to accept."

Ichiryu was incredibly powerful and could eat any delicacy he wanted, yet he chose to eat the simplest of foods. Even his Full Course Menu was designed to combat human famine. It was different from Jiro's menu, which was filled with high-level ingredients. It might not be as delicious, but its significance was on another level entirely.

The relative stability of the great Gourmet Age was largely due to the influence of the IGO, which Ichiryu had established. Otherwise, there would be wars breaking out everywhere over food. Ichiryu had experienced such things firsthand, which was why he was so dedicated to changing the world. He was a truly admirable old man, powerful yet kind and approachable.

As a Gourmet Hunter, Toriko's main focus was finding delicious food, so he hadn't had much contact with the political side of things.

"Is that so? It seems I don't understand the old man at all," Toriko said, his expression a little embarrassed. It seemed he had thought of the IGO in too dark a light. He believed that modifying ingredients was a form of disrespect, among other things.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since he had last seen President Ichiryu. After the four of them left the garden to make their own way in the world, they had little contact with the IGO. They rarely accepted commissions from them unless there was an ingredient they were very interested in. Otherwise, they would just refuse.

"Kenji, do you know the President well?" Toriko asked curiously.

"Fairly well. I've heard my master talk about him a few times. Though he never said it outright, I could feel that my master deeply respects him," Kenji replied. Of course, he had also learned a lot from the manga. After Midora used the Meteor Spice to devastate the Human World, famine struck. The Full Course Menu that Toriko and the others collected, Ichiryu's menu, saved many lives.

Toriko nodded. That Knocking Master Jiro was very close to the President. It seemed he really hadn't understood the IGO well before. He needed to find some time to go see Ichiryu. It had been several years since they had last met. The wine he was making from the Rainbow Fruit would be ready soon; he could bring it as a gift.