Unconsciously, Takeru had downed the entire Rainbow Cocktail. The feeling of not being able to stop was quite intoxicating. Of course, due to its alcohol content, it also had a strong aftereffect.
But unlike ordinary alcohol, which causes dizziness, headaches, maybe even rapid heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, its aftereffect was simply making one flushed and wanting to sleep, with no other unpleasant symptoms.
Also, after completely finishing the cocktail, the immense energy within it was quickly absorbed by Takeru's Gourmet Cells, then strengthened and evolved...
Feeling the energy abundant within him, and the sweet, rich aftertaste of the Rainbow Cocktail on his taste buds, Takeru eagerly made a few more cups and downed them in one go...
"Takeru-sama!" Seeing Takeru continuously chugging the clearly unusual Rainbow Cocktail, Ram and Rem called out worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Seeing their worried expressions, Takeru waved his hand.
Although the Rainbow Cocktail was somewhat intoxicating and made one want more, Takeru knew moderation. Otherwise, it would be funny if he actually got himself drunk.
After slightly adjusting his state, Takeru began taking out other ingredients, quickly dissecting and cooking them.
Watching Takeru's high-speed preparation, Ram and Rem felt that if they tried to help, they might only hinder Takeru's speed...
From dissecting to cooking, Takeru did it all in one go. Combined with his own fire control ability, dish after dish quickly appeared before everyone.
Seeing the dishes Takeru brought out, Rem finally had a place to help.
She directly put the dishes Takeru made into large lunchboxes, arranged them neatly, and then stored them in her item bar for permanent preservation.
Time passed slowly. Takeru was like a high-speed operating machine. A large amount of ingredients were taken out. Whether fresh or just dead, under Takeru's handling, they directly turned into plates of dishes with perfect color, aroma, and taste.
Soon, after over two hours, Takeru stopped cooking on his own. The ingredients prepared in advance had all been processed by Takeru.
Two large 'lunchboxes' were filled with Takeru's dishes. Opening the boxes, dish after dish was neatly arranged inside.
After a quick sense, Takeru saw that in the past two hours, he had made over three hundred dishes, from simple to complex, in varying portions.
But one thing was certain: each dish was the finest of the fine. Although the speed was fast, Takeru had been very meticulous with the quality of each dish.
Roughly estimated, these dishes probably amounted to over two thousand servings. After all, many dishes had very generous portions. They included soups, appetizers, fish dishes, meat dishes, main courses, salads, soups, and beverages.
After Takeru finished cooking, Ram and Rem had been continuously marveling.
Rem, in particular, felt a deep frustration, knowing Takeru's cooking skills had surpassed hers by several levels.
She had been determined to become Takeru's perfect maid, yet her cooking had fallen so far behind him, perhaps even impossible to surpass in this lifetime.
"Alright, Rem, don't be disappointed. Your cooking has already reached the top of this world. But to reach a higher level requires other means."
"If you want to learn, I will train you in Food Honor next. Once you reach an advanced level of Food Honor, your cooking skills will be about on par with mine." Noticing Rem's disappointment, Takeru naturally understood the reason.
"Can my cooking really reach that level too?" Hearing Takeru's words, Rem showed a delighted expression. Her persistence to improve her cooking was simply to become Takeru's irreplaceable, perfect maid.
"Of course, you just need to learn advanced Food Honor. Besides that, Food Honor can also significantly improve your strength. When I was away before, I was training in Food Honor. That's why my cooking improved so much." Looking at the delighted Rem, Takeru explained with a light laugh.
"Takeru-sama, please teach me Food Honor!" Hearing Takeru say this, Rem quickly spoke.
"Takeru-sama, you can't play favorites. I want to learn it too!" Hearing that Food Honor could also improve strength, Ram spoke directly.
"Takeru-sama, me too!" Hearing that Ram and Rem were going to learn, Tohru also excitedly said.
"I see. But it's not that easy to learn." Looking at the three maids before him, Takeru nodded and spoke seriously.
"We will work hard!" Hearing Takeru's words, Rem nodded seriously.
But Takeru didn't think it was so simple.
Only after mastering this ability himself did he realize its subtleties. Ram and Rem might be fine, but a dragon like Tohru wanting to master the gratitude for all things that Food Honor requires... was quite doubtful.
"Takeru-sama, may I try some of these dishes?" Then, Tohru asked Takeru expectantly.
"Yes, but wait a moment. It should be about time. Let's have everyone come back to prepare for lunch." Checking the time, it was already 12:30 p.m., so Takeru spoke directly.
"Yes, Takeru-sama!" Hearing Takeru's words, Ram and Rem nodded and disappeared from the spot to notify everyone.
Hearing Takeru say this, although Tohru was very eager, she didn't disobey the command.
Seeing her eager expression, Takeru amusedly took out a serving of BB Popcorn and gave it to Tohru.
"Thank you, Takeru-sama!" Feeling the sweet aroma from the popcorn, Tohru eagerly gobbled it up. As the popcorn entered her mouth, the melt-in-your-mouth, non-sticky texture made her utterly captivated.
Especially the outstanding aroma and rich texture that followed made her quickly finish the BB Popcorn. The unparalleled appetite-enhancing effect of BB Popcorn made her want to consume everything she saw.
However, strong self-control brought Tohru back to her senses, abandoning that dangerous thought.
Then, recalling the taste of the popcorn, having lived for so many years, this was the first time she knew food could reach such a level. That taste, capable of making one abandon everything to enjoy, was deeply etched in her memory.
...
On the other side, due to the distance, Miki thoughtfully provided Filolials as mounts for Kazuho and the others.
"What are these? So cute!" Seeing the Filolials before them, Natsumi and the others showed delighted expressions. They were just too cute.
"Riding them won't break them, will they?" Komari showed a worried expression.
"Don't worry. Although Filolials look like this, carrying one or two tons is not too strenuous for them." Seeing their worried expressions, Miki shook her head with amusement.
"One or two tons?!" Hearing this, they showed shocked expressions.
Filolials were, after all, monsters. Plus, Takeru had leveled them up, and they were somewhat similar to horses in function. They were very strong in these regards.
Then, everyone sat on the Filolials, feeling their soft fur, delighted. Hikage didn't forget to take out her phone and take pictures with her Filolial. These would be capital for her to show off later.
Mounted on the Filolials, led by Miki and Karin, they quickly and safely took everyone to their destination. Feeling the Filolials' smooth ride, everyone was even more envious, wanting to take them home.
But they quickly remembered their purpose here and, following Miki, watched Renge and the others' physical training.
After watching Renge's physical training process once, everyone swallowed in surprise. The training was too harsh. Even an adult would have trouble handling it. This made Kazuho worried about Renge's physical condition.
Gaining strong power was good, but if it meant making Renge endure such painful training and overdraw her life, Kazuho would absolutely not allow it.
"Don't worry. The training intensity is customized by Takeru-sama based on each person's physical condition. Combined with high-energy foods, it's adjusted every few days. Most importantly, after each training session, everyone receives a thorough check-up and treatment, leaving no hidden injuries."
Seeing their worried expressions, Karin and Miki reassured them.