No one knew exactly what Rindou Kobayashi and Eishi Tsukasa talked about inside the cold storage.
But judging by the big bag on Tsukasa's back and the satisfied smile on his face when he left, their discussion must've gone pretty well.
After he left, Rindou shook herself off as she exited the freezing room.
She wasn't fond of the cold—if that place weren't the safest option, she never would've stayed there so long with Tsukasa.
But now that she'd successfully completed her mission for the day, she couldn't help but lick her tiger fangs with satisfaction.
With her part done, now it was time for her reward.
That evening, dinner at Bai Mo's house was a quiet affair with just Tohru and Sora Kasugano.
As for Bai Mo himself—he had gone to Totsuki to discuss a multi-billion-yen deal with Rindou.
After signing the supply agreement with Senzaemon Nakiri, Bai Mo's bank account received its first payment: 5 billion yen.
He only glanced at the notification and paid it no further attention.
Meanwhile, Senzaemon finally felt at ease. Until everything was formally sealed, he had remained somewhat anxious.
Now that the deal was done, he smiled in satisfaction and invited Bai Mo warmly:
"Bai Mo-kun, thank you so much for your help. With your ingredients, Totsuki will surely see a rapid rise in culinary skill!"
He had every reason to be delighted—after all, Bai Mo was practically training their students with his rare, exotic ingredients.
And in return, all Totsuki had to provide were some recipes and a comparatively small sum of money.
From their perspective, it was an absolute win.
But Bai Mo simply nodded, responding calmly:
"Hmm, let's hope Totsuki can produce some truly exceptional chefs.
Because aside from Totsuki, I've also asked my father and Nanxiang from the Eastern Empire to get in touch with schools like Qiangfang and Huannan Culinary Institute.
If Totsuki can't create impressive dishes with these ingredients, I'll have no choice but to divert a portion of the supply to other culinary academies."
Senzaemon's smile didn't waver, but internally he felt a jolt of tension.
This truly was a seller's market.
Still, being a seasoned old fox, he didn't show concern and confidently replied:
"Of course. I have full faith in the students of Totsuki Culinary Academy."
"Good. In that case, I'll take my leave."
"Wait, Bai Mo-kun—Erina recently created a new dish using your ingredients.
She's aiming to redeem herself and asked me to invite you for a tasting. Do you have time later?"
"Sorry, I already have another appointment. Maybe next time."
"Alright then, next time it is."
After saying goodbye, Bai Mo made his way to a villa just outside Totsuki.
Inside, still curled up in bed, was a peacefully sleeping Rindou Kobayashi.
Bai Mo smiled with warmth as he watched her.
She had done an excellent job yesterday, and as promised, he had thoroughly satisfied both of her "mouths."
The cost, however, was that it was already past 10 AM and she was still sleeping like a baby.
That was also the reason Bai Mo had declined Senzaemon's invitation—he wanted to come back.
Sensing his presence, Rindou lazily stretched in bed and blinked at him with groggy eyes:
"You're back already? How did it go?"
"Mm. The contract is signed. I'll leave the ingredient management to you."
"Leave it to me!" she replied cheerfully, but then added with a sigh,
"Still, it's going to be a bit hard if I'm handling everything alone. I am a chef too, you know.
Business isn't exactly my thing—I'd rather be in the kitchen."
"Fair enough. Why not recruit some assistants?"
"Too much hassle. I'd rather not."
"Then I'll form a company to handle the logistics. My father is already managing operations in the Eastern Empire, so it works out."
"That's actually perfect! I trust your uncle to handle it well.
Oh—and speaking of business minds, Eizan Etsuya from the Elite Ten is quite sharp. Maybe you can rope him in?"
Seeing how Rindou was now wholly invested in supporting him and offering plans for the future, Bai Mo opened his mouth to say something but then stopped himself.
"Not yet," he thought.
"I'll wait a little longer…"
And so, with everyone aligned and the system running smoothly, the new "ingredient contribution point system" was officially launched at Totsuki for the next ten weeks.
Though for Bai Mo, it no longer had much to do with him.
The last two days he had been working part-time with the Light Music Club, and after using the ojou-sama's haggling skills to get a great deal on a guitar, he was now setting out on a new world-crossing journey.
A Foreign Sky
As Bai Mo looked up at the sun in the sky, he couldn't help but raise two middle fingers.
The wind howled as he once again fell from the sky.
Below him stretched out hills, forests, and a rich island surrounded by vast oceans—with no trace of modern civilization.
"Looks like I've arrived in another fantasy world this time."
Bai Mo landed gracefully on the ground, but before he could begin exploring, several teleportation spells rippled around him.
He instinctively thought he'd been detected and surrounded—but instead, five people dressed in classic adventurer garb appeared.
A magician in robes with pointed ears—an elf.
A short, stout figure—probably a dwarf.
A petite, slender one—likely a halfling.
A tall blonde man in armor—and a samurai in traditional gear.
"Wait, samurai armor? What kind of world is this?"
While Bai Mo was still processing, the elf mage snapped to attention and began calling out names:
"Laois! Chilchuck! Senshi! Namari!"
Upon hearing those names and recalling his past memories, Bai Mo instantly realized where he was.
This must be the moment after Laois' party had just failed their attempt at defeating the red dragon in the dungeon—returning via Falin's teleportation magic.
Hiding in the shadows, Bai Mo watched the rest of the group gather.
Their conversation confirmed it—Laois and his party had barely escaped from the red dragon, but tragically, Falin was still trapped inside its stomach.
And just as Bai Mo guessed, their team was falling apart.
Senshi the dwarf and the samurai both decided to leave.
Without supplies, gold, or allies, Laois' group was on the brink of collapse.
And if they didn't act soon, they wouldn't be able to resurrect Falin.
That was when Bai Mo stepped forward.
"Need help? Sounds like your situation's urgent."
"Who are you?"
"Ah, I'm Bai Yujing. Just a martial artist curious about the dungeon.
You seem short on manpower—how about I tag along? I'm quite confident in my strength."
He lifted his right foot and gently stomped the ground—instantly creating a large crater beneath him.
Laois and the others swallowed hard.
This was clearly… a powerhouse.
----------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my Patreon:patreon.com/multiversalfeast [Images Included]
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!