A comic book journey to see the Eye of Antiquity

"Just imagine, as the essence of iron is continuously refined and tempered, how terrifying would the result be?"

After the explanation from the physical clone, Yang Lei's eyes lit up.

Yes, he was only thinking about being on guard before, but he didn't realize how much benefit the golden gourmet cells would bring him.

Despite Yang Lei's current strength, his body hasn't actually reached a terrifying level; it's still just a human body.

How should I put it? He only made himself stronger through cultivation, but in essence, he was no different from other humans.

However, if one continuously improves one's essence, that is, the level of one's body, through food cells, when one's body reaches the level of a god, the effect of further cultivation will certainly be even more extraordinary.

Let's use the analogy of blacksmithing to illustrate this point.

Yang Lei is just an ordinary piece of iron now, but he has been tempered and refined, making him much stronger than other ordinary iron.

But in essence, he is still just ordinary iron. Even though his strength has become extraordinary, he is still just ordinary iron.

However, once his essence is improved, not only will his strength be enhanced by 0.5, but he will also receive great benefits from the foundation.

Even though they are all forged through countless hammerings, there are still certain differences between ordinary iron, mithril, and gold essence, not to mention that there are many more levels above these.

"I want to become stronger."

Yang Lei clenched his fist tightly, his heart filled with excitement.

He originally thought that the greatest benefit he could get in this world was that he could eat lots and lots of delicious food.

But now things are different. He has seen another path of growth that can elevate his fundamentals. This is a path that absolutely cannot be ignored, and it is a golden opportunity for him.

"Moreover, I want to eat all the delicious food in the world."

(PS: Actually, it's like the difference between Saiyans and humans. With the same training methods, Saiyans gain much more than humans, especially as the gap widens in the later stages.)

0473 Igo, here I come!

After figuring out that the golden gourmet cells were entirely beneficial to him, Yang Lei finally felt relieved and kept them.

Because there is no parasitic food demon, the food cell awakens on its own because it eats high-grade ingredients. It belongs only to itself and will help it evolve its body as it eats even higher-grade ingredients.

In fact, he has already benefited from it.

With the awakening of the golden gourmet cells, Yang Lei discovered that all his attributes had increased by one hundred points.

Although for him now, a mere hundred points in all attributes is no longer enough.

But what about for ordinary people? Getting 100 points in all attributes is no easy feat.

Back then, after six years of arduous training, Yang Lei's average attribute points were only a few hundred, less than a thousand.

He's only just awakened, and yet all his attributes have already increased by a hundred points. That's too easy, isn't it?

It's conceivable that although the next few evolutions probably won't bring much of a stat boost, once the Golden Gourmet Cell 16 has fully grown, the benefits of each subsequent evolution will definitely be considerable, and he's quite certain of that.

"Let's go back first."

After retracting his physical clone, Yang Lei stood up, turned around, and returned to the open space where A-Lu and Xiao Song were, following the direction he had come from.

He naturally knew that Komatsu was an IGO agent, and although Aru was now a free agent, many of his jobs were still related to IGO.

In other words, Yang Lei has already made up his mind about which camp to join.

"It's not that I always choose the protagonist's side."

Before falling asleep, Yang Lei muttered to himself, "I really have no choice in the matter."

"The Infinite System won't let me destroy the Earth, but neither the Three Tigers of the Gourmet Club nor Akasia of NEO have any good intentions."

"So, I have no choice but to choose IGO."

"But then again, what exactly is this so-called ultimate victory? Is it getting GOD?"

"Forget it, I'll stop thinking about it. My top priority right now is to join IGO and focus all my energy on developing my Golden Gourmet Cells."

"Only one's own strength is the key to success."

. . . . . .

Chapter 552

Nothing was said that night. The next morning, the three greeted each other, washed up in a freshwater stream in the forest, and then Ah-lu led the group toward the island.

On the way, Yang Lei expressed his desire to join IGO to Xiao Song and asked him to help introduce him.

Komatsu said he couldn't help, as he was just the head chef of a luxury hotel directly under IGO, and Yang Lei's abilities were more like those of a gourmet hunter than a chef, so he really had nothing to say.

Of course, Yang Lei is also a good cook. As mentioned before, he reads a wide variety of books and has a photographic memory, so he has memorized all the knowledge he has read.

In other words, theoretically speaking, he could be considered a super chef.

Why is he called a super chef? Because he can handle Western food, Chinese food, Japanese food, Korean kimchi, and so on with ease.

At least he felt that he could easily master it; all that was missing was the actual execution.

However, his purpose in joining IGO was not just to become a chef, but to complete the mission. In addition, IGO had a lot of information on high-end ingredients, and he also had several high-end ingredient cultivation bases.

"You want to join IGO?"

At this moment, A-lu, who was walking at the front of the group, turned around and asked a question after hearing the conversation between the two.

"Yes."

Yang Lei nodded, looking at A'lu with some curiosity.

A-Lu did not say that he was a disciple of IGO President Yi Long, or that he grew up in IGO. When he was chatting with Yang Lei, he only said that he was A-Lu, a free food hunter.

Therefore, Yang Lei was acting, and at that moment he felt that he was fully capable of winning the Oscar.

A-Lu had no idea what Yang Lei was thinking, nor did he know that Yang Lei already knew his identity. Seeing Yang Lei nod, he said, "I know some people in IGO. If you really want to join, I can put in a good word for you."

Although A'lu didn't know the full extent of Yang Lei's strength, he knew the other was truly powerful; at least, he couldn't fathom the depths of Yang Lei's abilities.

Introducing Yang Lei to IGO would be a great outcome for him, as he feels a strong sense of belonging to IGO and hopes to make this unknown powerhouse a valuable asset to the organization.

"That's really nice."

Yang Lei laughed heartily and said, "Whether this matter succeeds or not, I owe you a favor, Ah Lu. I heard that the pufferfish and whale season is coming soon? I'll treat you to a pufferfish and whale feast then."

"Really?"

A-Lu's eyes widened. Before, he was only concerned for IGO's sake, but now it was all about the pufferfish feast. His mouth watered as he asked, "Is the pufferfish tide really coming? When? I really want to eat that delicacy soon. By the way, Yang Lei, can you process the pufferfish venom sac? That's...."

Well, Ah Lu, who was previously very aloof, suddenly became a chatterbox after hearing about the pufferfish whale.

Yang Lei raised his hand to his forehead speechlessly, while Xiao Song shook his head with a wry smile. The contrast between A'lu's behavior before and after was just too great.

And so, amidst Ah Lu's endless, silly chatter, the three emerged from the depths of the Baron Islands.

Unlike when they arrived, when they were given a ride, they were only allowed to row their own small boat when they reached the outer island of the Balung Islands (530).

When they rushed back, the guy named Shi Meng who had given them the ride earlier didn't show up. After all, he didn't know when they would be back either, so Yang Lei and the others had to row the small boat themselves the whole way.

Fortunately, neither Alu nor Yang Lei were ordinary people. Yang Lei, in particular, rowed at a speed that was no slower than a speedboat, and soon they crossed the vast ocean and returned to the port of a seaside city.

"Finally back."

Komatsu couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes.

Although he ate swamp snakes and Galapagos in the Baron Islands, he was truly terrified. At that moment, he even felt like he had been reborn.

However, Komatsu is Komatsu, and he was not frightened by this experience. Instead, he made a promise with A-Liao on the way that he would travel with him again if there was a chance in the future.

In Komatsu's words, he used to only see these ingredients in the kitchen and market, but that was incomplete. In order to improve his cooking skills, he needed to understand the characteristics of these ingredients better.

In short, he is a guy with a lot of ambition.

"Let's go to IGO."

The three weren't in a hurry to separate. A-Lu still wanted to help Yang Lei join IGO. His purpose was no longer just for IGO, but also for the benefits Yang Lei had promised.

"IGO, I'm here."

0474 Exchange 'points' for money

A bustling metropolis, but I don't know which country or city it's from, because this world is a different world. Although it's also Earth, it's a different existence from other Earths, so I won't mention the place name.

In the heart of the city, in front of a tall building, Yang Lei arrived, led by A Lu.

Komatsu has already left the team. As mentioned before, he is currently only the head chef of a hotel directly under IGO, so he has no say in this matter unless Yang Lei becomes the chef.

Ah Lu brought Yang Lei to another department of IGO, not the hotel. They were not on the same side, so they had already split into two teams.

This building is another department of the IGO, mainly in charge of the intelligence section and the personnel department.

Of course, this is only the surface; the core personnel and institutions are not here.

Yang Lei didn't care about that. He just needed to join IGO and complete the missions. He didn't necessarily need to join a core department.

Once inside the building, Ah Lu, being a celebrity, didn't have to wait long; someone quickly came to greet him, and it was the person in charge of the place.

Upon hearing that A-Chou's purpose in coming here was to recommend Yang Lei to join IGO, the man dared not delay and personally led the two to the personnel department to complete the joining process for Yang Lei as quickly as possible.

In other words, from now on, Yang Lei is considered an IGO member. However, there's no specific department he belongs to or what job he does. People are mainly giving Ah Lu face; they don't actually think highly of Yang Lei or care who he is.

The attitude they're putting forward is, 'You want to join? Then join!'

However, the IGO won't proactively assign you any work. If you want to do something yourself, you can apply for it yourself. As for whether it will be successful or not, we'll see.

Yang Lei genuinely didn't care. Seeing that he had already completed his first main quest, he nodded in satisfaction, called A Lu, and the two of them left.

Chapter 553

After leaving the building, the two said goodbye at the gate. A-Lu told Yang Lei her address and said that she looked forward to Yang Lei's hospitality when the pufferfish and whale tide came.

Yang Lei readily agreed. Even if he didn't entertain Alu, he needed pufferfish himself. Whether it was his golden gourmet cells or his own stomach, pufferfish was a delicacy he would never miss.

Having said goodbye to A-Lu, Yang Lei was alone again. He didn't mind the loneliness and coldness. How did he endure the years of hardship he had endured alone? He had gotten used to being alone.

"We need to find a place to stay first."

Yang Lei figured he needed to find a place to stay first, otherwise he wouldn't have anywhere to stay, which would be really bad.

Another one.

"Then I need to buy some books and stuff, I need to understand this world, and also some cookbooks about this world."

"I don't want to team up with anyone. I can cook the ingredients myself. I don't believe that all those cooking books I read before were for nothing."

As Yang Lei muttered to himself, he walked away, and the first place he visited was the Food Bank.

Whether it's buying a house or books, these things cost money, and he doesn't have any money from this world, so he has to come to the Food Bank.

After arriving at the food bank, Yang Lei joined IGO, so he had a small card that could prove his identity. It was an IGO employee's work ID, which allowed him to apply for a credit card at the bank.

Because it's a newly opened credit card, the credit card level is still very low, and there are certain limits on overdrafts and daily spending.

Yang Lei took the ordinary-looking card, glanced at it briefly to remember the card number, then looked up at the staff behind the counter and asked, "By the way, can you cash out gold here?"

For Yang Lei, he will never lack money, because he has the ability to create gold himself.

"Of course it can be redeemed."

The staff inside gave Yang Lei a strange look.

No matter the era or the world, gold is a precious commodity, even in this culinary world. Gold is also a high-grade metal and even the reserve currency of various countries. In the event of war, only gold can continue to circulate.

So Yang Lei's question was simply nonsense. For a food bank, gold is also a necessary reserve.

"That's good."

Having received a clear answer, Yang Lei nodded and casually pulled out a huge gold brick, about the size of a human head, from his personal space and slammed it onto the counter in front of him.

"Give me this cash and let me see how much money I can get."

Yang Lei pointed to the piece of gold in front of him and said to the person inside.

The staff inside were stunned. They had never seen such a large piece of gold before. A human head is not small, but it is not small either. The value of such a piece of gold is already considerable.

"Please don't take it out like that."

The staff became worried for Yang Lei. Even though this was a bank, who could guarantee it was safe? Otherwise, how could there be bank robberies?

What if someone is tempted by such a large piece of gold that suddenly appears?

So the staff started to worry about Yang Lei.

Yang Lei remained calm and composed. How could he possibly be afraid of being robbed? That's ridiculous.

"Give me an estimate."