The ingredients available on the market are generally below B-grade, with B-grade ingredients rarely appearing.
Firstly, these ingredients are rare in themselves, and secondly, ordinary people find it difficult to accept ingredients of this grade.
Only Nen users can withstand them!
Therefore, those who can eat food of this grade are either Nen users or people of extremely high status with proper protection.
It wasn't until the two finished eating and looked around that they realized several Sand Animals had gathered around them at some point. They must have been attracted by the aroma of the delicious food...
The sand tapir has an overall black skin, with a yellow stripe in the middle of its belly, and a pair of slightly large ears. Its head looks a bit like a rabbit, while its body resembles that of a wild boar.
Due to its cute appearance and ease of care, the sand tapir is also considered a common pet kept by people in the desert.
Looking at several sand tapirs with round bellies and adorable faces, the two exchanged glances and shared a knowing smile. They casually tossed some unused scraps for them to eat.
"Huff, huff..." Although sand tapirs look very cute, their eating sounds are like pigs feeding, somewhat unpleasant to hear.
So Akira had Gardevoir teleport the sand tapirs along with the scraps to a distant location.
A flash of intense pink light passed. The sand tapirs, not yet realizing they were no longer in their original spot, continued to eat the scraps intently.
After the meal, Menchi withdrew all the materialized items.
As if of one mind, the two didn't immediately return to their respective tents like on previous nights. Lying on their own spread-out blankets, they gazed up at the starry sky as a post-dinner rest.
Although neither mentioned it, after successfully eating the white sand scorpion, both realized that the moment of parting was approaching.
Everyone has their own life, and separations are bound to happen.
They both understood this clearly. After all, they had only known each other for less than a week, so they wouldn't be too reluctant to part. But before leaving, they could chat a bit more and relax their minds.
That night, they talked about many things. Menchi spoke about her childhood experiences with food and how she fell in love with it. Menchi was born in a small village and grew up in the deep mountains. Due to the abundance of wild animals in the surrounding environment, most villagers made a living by hunting.
Menchi first learned hunting techniques from the people around her. Menchi seemed like a female version of Gon, equally curious about nature. However, Menchi focused solely on ingredients and creating delicious food. From hunting ordinary beasts as a child to now cooking rare ingredients, Menchi had only taken a little over ten years!
This shows her extremely strong talent in this field!
Akira talked about his hopes for the future - wanting to be a carefree traveler. To see more local customs and eat more delicious food! During his narration, Akira also mentioned the Dark Continent, clearly expressing his intention to explore it in the future.
In the firelight, Akira face was slightly visible in the darkness. His deep eyes seemed to reveal a desire to explore the unknown. The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart. Menchi remembered Akira casual remark...
That night, the two seemed to have endless topics to discuss, chatting until late into the night before finally going to sleep.
...
At the airport in the city.
"Well, I'll see you off here. I hope your culinary innovation is successful!" Akira bid farewell to Menchi, who was about to board the airship, waving his hand.
After a night of thorough conversation, the two headed to the nearest city.
Menchi was there to take an airship to her next ingredient destination. Akira didn't want to stay in the wilderness anymore and wanted to rest in a hotel
. Menchi had her own path in the culinary world. Akira still needed to stay in the Samok Desert waiting for his progress bar to fill, so they ultimately faced their parting.
Gazing at Akira who was waving goodbye, Menchi held her phone in her hand and said with a beaming smile.
"I'll come see you again next time. I did promise to take you to Gourmet Paradise, after all."
...
Menchi sat in the cabin of the airship, looking out the window to see only a vast expanse of blue sky dotted with white clouds. In the end, she still hadn't mentioned the food partner matter to Akira.
She felt it would have been too abrupt to bring it up.
Let's talk about it when we get to the Gourmet Paradise!
Menchi recalled the impressions Akira had left on her over the past few days, and after a long while, she smiled brightly.
"Since you want to go to the Dark Continent... Then I must work even harder!"