Chapter 183 - Invitation and Rejection

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---The next day— 

IGO 18th Barrier, 

As the new day arises, Lev could be seen walking casually inside the facility unhindered. As he walked around, all the personnel working inside immediately bowed down to him as they gave way while shaking nervously which made him smirk thinking that it must be because of what happened yesterday that they were acting like that. 

"S-Sir Hendrix. The helicopter was ready." Elboh nervously said as he looked at Lev who was looking down at him. He was actually sleeping nervously last night knowing that the person who beat Chief Mansam to a pulp was sleeping in the same building as them. 

"Lead the way." Lev replied before following him as he also wanted to leave this place since he had come into this world to open up his restaurant and future business plans. He also wanted to leave this place since there was nothing beautiful to look at in the area seeing nothing but an open field. 

Following that, Lev then took off and left the place as they headed towards the headquarters where Ichiryu was waiting for him. They had already talked yesterday however, they still haven't discussed everything since Lev still didn't have any identity in the Human World. 

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---Three hours later--- 

IGO Headquarters, 

After three hours of traveling, Lev finally landed at the most confidential headquarters of IGO seeing him now sitting on a sofa with Ichiryu eating together. While eating, Lev still couldn't believe how carefree Ichiryu really was despite being known and considered the strongest and one of the most powerful individuals in this world. 

"How's your night? I bet those people could not properly sleep because of you. Hahahaha" Ichiryu asked while laughing as he ate the food that was served to them seeing batches of delicious dishes always coming to their table. 

"It's good…. Numm…. Numm…. Numm." Lev replied while eating. Despite facing Ichiryu, his attention was undeniably focused on eating since the ingredients being used were high-level, and with that, he could earn a large number of Gourmet Particles and True God Coins. 

Seeing Lev, Ichiryu then just smiled before he stopped talking thinking that they wouldn't have a proper conversation from the way he was eating as if he was being starved for how many days. He then just remains silent while talking from time to time as he also starts eating the way Lev ate the food. 

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---One hour later--- 

It was only after an hour did Lev and Ichiryu finished eating as they were now resting while having a friendly conversation. They were talking about the Gourmet World, especially to which Area Lev came from and what he was doing all this time living in that harsh world. 

"Say, Lev, how about you join IGO?" Ichiryu suddenly turned serious while looking at Lev. It was actually for this reason that he called him to the headquarters so he could talk to him about it. Despite his vague identity, he still felt like he needed to persuade him to go to his side not just because of his abilities but also because of a gut feeling. 

"You're inviting me to an organization I didn't even know about? I just wanted to open up my restaurant and live my life to the fullest. Also, I'm sorry but I can't work under someone, especially a person who would die in the very near future. I might not look like it, but I have the ability to see the future." Lev replied and rejected the offer and even extended it and said that he would die in the future. He was actually not saying that because he was out of his mind but because he didn't like how Ichiryu died in the story. 

"That's a shame then. Hahahaha." Ichiryu replied with a laugh as he was already kind of expecting it. He even didn't take seriously his words about his death and accepted it as a joke. He just felt disappointed that a powerful and capable person like Lev could not join his cause however, he was also not a villain enough not to respect it. 

"Though I can't join your organization, I am quite curious as to what kind of members your organization has. So, if you ask for help in the future, you can call me anytime. Of course, that would not be free." Lev followed. He really doesn't like working on someone's order however, it was not a bad thing to get close to the organization to pull some strings and connection. 

"And what would that be?" Ichiryu asked while looking at Lev seriously as his proposal was something to think about. Lev not joining them would be a shame but having a connection to a person like him was not a bad idea. 

"Help me with my restaurant and my identity." Lev smiled with satisfaction as this was the time he was waiting. Though he could do it all by himself, it would probably take him years to build a foundation. So, seeking some cooperation with the IGO president himself would solve this problem. 

"You really are serious about setting up a restaurant?" Ichiryu asked with confirmation as he really could not see Lev as a chef. He even couldn't believe that with his small body, he managed to beat Mansam if he didn't see it himself, as he could only describe Lev as a person suitable for public advertisement due to how handsome he was. 

"Of course." Lev replied with a smile. The creation of his restaurant was a very important thing to him since his True God Coins and capital for his next business plan relied on the success of this. 

"Hmmm. But I won't invest in a chef I still haven't tasted its cooking." Ichiryu said with a smile while looking at Lev. Whether Lev is a chef or not, helping him set up his restaurant wouldn't be that hard but if he really is one, then he wondered what kind of chef he was. 

"That would not be a problem. Guide me to the kitchen and I will cook you something." Lev said with confidence as he was now sure that this deal was already a success. He now only needs to cook him something and get things done. 

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---Night--- 

IGO Headquarters, 

After talking with Lev in the morning, Ichiryu could be seen once again at the edge of the place while looking at the sea. Unlike his usual facial expression, he was wearing a kind of longing face as if he was reminiscing about his memories that happened in the past. 

"Looks like a 10-star Restaurant will soon appear in the near future." Ichiryu said upon witnessing Lev's magical cooking during the day. He saw him preparing all the ingredients as if he knew what kind of dish he was cooking but that was not the important thing because despite how ordinary he cooked inside the kitchen, the final product that he made was very delicious. 

"Now that I think about it, didn't the presence that I felt forty years ago come from that direction? Is there a possibility Lev has something to do with it?." Ichiryu then recalled after he remembered Lev's words in the morning. It has been already forty years since then, but he still could not forget about it, and seeing Lev now makes him wonder if there is a connection between the two. 

Not getting any idea, Ichiryu just pulled up his phone and called someone. They talked for about half an hour before he put his phone down and headed back inside. He then muttered, "Sight. Let fate take its course." 

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---Ten months later--- 

In a place where everyone would seem to say that it's a natural garden filled with an uncountable number of unique vegetables, a large house could be seen being constructed and standing in a clear space of this garden. 

In this place, different kinds of vegetables and fruits like radishes, cucumber, cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. could be seen all around the area. These vegetables and fruits, however, weren't as normal as they originally looked like as they were unique ingredients that could only be found in the world of Toriko as seen that they vary in sizes and appearances. 

Meanwhile, Lev could be found meditating with his eyes closed in the midst of it. The place he was in was none other than the place in the Human World called the 'Vegetable Sky' where the legendary "Ozone Herb", nicknamed the "King of Vegetables", can be found. Right now, Lev was in a separate location from the rest of the vegetable sky seeing him being surrounded by the Legendary Ozone Herbs. 

Looking closely, Lev's appearance was different from the way he normally looks as he had transformed into Nine Tails Unleashed form after not forgetting to train himself. Meanwhile, the surrounding large plants having numerous leaves were blooming on their own as if they were not afraid of him. 

Following that, Lev then opened his eyes as he looked around the beautiful place filled with Ozone Herbs. He then just smiled as he landed on one of the plants and ate them accordingly as Ozone Herbs was a Special Preparation Ingredient with the condition of biting the ingredient in two different places simultaneously. 

Lev actually regarded Ozone Herbs as a snack whenever he had time as he had already eaten quite a lot of them during these ten months. After eating one, he then canceled out his power as he flew back to the place he had stayed for almost a year together with his summons. 

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Lev's House,

 After entering the house, Lev was transferred to a large room inside Nakime's Blood Art 'Infinity Castle' and there he saw Nakime herself together with Sebas and his one hundred ninety butler Minions waiting for him. 

"How's the castle, Nakime?" Lev immediately asked since all the preparation for the opening of the restaurant had been already completed two months prior and was now only waiting for her cue. Everything went smoothly after that meeting with Ichiryu ten months ago as he really did what he promised. 

Recalling back, Lev didn't choose a particular land from Ichiryu to become his restaurant's location and only asked to build normal three-story Chinese-styled buildings all around the central part of the Human World as he doesn't really need an island for himself just to build his own restaurant since he had Nakime's Infinity Castle to do the work. 

With that, the rooms in the buildings that he asked for would serve as the portal for Nakime to transfer the people inside Infinity Castle which the Minions then would start their work as the waiters. During these ten months, Lev also visited the slums to look for people to work for him in exchange for food, which quite a large number of people accepted, and was now in the training regime under Sebas. 

On the other hand, Lev chose Vegetable Sky as his temporary base because of two particular reasons. One of them was due to the convenience of using such delicious vegetables growing in the area and the other one was due to the location of the place where only a handful of people could reach.

"The castle will be complete soon, Master." Nakime replied while holding onto her Biwa. There was actually quite a lot of work that she needed to do in the castle since there was a consideration of making a place so big that could accommodate a lot of people. The place for Lev's clones to cook, the rooms for which the ingredients would be stored, a place for training and sparring, and a place for which Ulmer, the three Night Lights, the Minions, and all Lev's other summons could rest, and lastly a special room for White Fang when she wakes up. 

All these necessary specifications are needed for the restaurant to work and Nakime needed time and most especially the power to complete them. Fortunately, by consuming Lev's blood and eating delicious foods every day, the strength and abilities that she had also improved drastically, so all of these tasks only required her time to accomplish. 

"Good. We will open the restaurant at the end of this year. You can ask Angel anything since she was built to perform such a role." Lev smiled with satisfaction upon hearing such good news from Nakime. He then just ordered her to transport him out to the closest building that they had so he could meet with Erza, Mirajane, and Sakie who were having fun together in the Central Human World.