Finally, there is the estate of the Dimensional City.
Thousands of acres of fertile land.
Originally, Takumi thought that it would finally be time for Nakiri Alice to be quiet for once.
But he didn't expect that this time, her reaction would be the most intense of all.
"Wow! Such fresh tomatoes, the cabbage here is so tender, and this..."
After arriving at the farmland, Nakiri Alice was like a wild horse running free, darting around the fields and exclaiming from time to time.
Hearing the content of her exclamations, Takumi realized that she was shocked by the growth of these crops.
Indeed, for her, these might attract more attention than magic or Haruhime.
After all, she is a chef.
If one doesn't even pay attention to the ingredients, then they are undoubtedly unqualified as a chef.
"Now, Mr. Takumi, did you grow all of these yourself? How did you do it? Breed improvement?"
After some excitement, Nakiri Alice finally returned to Takumi's side, looked at him curiously, and asked.
Takumi nodded. "I planted them, but there was no selective breed improvement."
Then he explained the function of the Universal Tool and the differences between these crops and ordinary ones.
"Are you saying that after eating these ingredients, they can also strengthen the eater's physique?"
After hearing this, Nakiri Alice also expressed her surprise.
"What is the principle? This is unscientific."
"But it is very metaphysical."
Takumi shrugged and said that there is not only science in the Dimensional City, but also mysterious metaphysics.
"...Fair enough."
When Nakiri Alice heard this, she was immediately speechless. So what if it doesn't conform to science? It simply conforms to metaphysics. They were not following a scientific path anyway.
Then Nakiri Alice suddenly remembered something and spoke with a bit of embarrassment:
"Nine sixty-seven. Um, Takumi-kun, I want to ask, could you sell me some of the ingredients you have here?"
Then she was afraid that Takumi would misunderstand, so she quickly added:
"Well, I have a frail relative, and I heard you talk about the effects of these ingredients. I thought that if I gave her these, it might be able to help her."
The relative she was talking about was, of course, her aunt, Nakiri Mana.
That woman was unreliable and had created a lot of trouble for the family. In the end, she went berserk because of the God Tongue and destroyed her own health.
Alice didn't actually have very deep feelings for her.
But she did have deep feelings for her cousin, Nakiri Erina.
Nakiri Mana is very important to Nakiri Erina. Although Erina never admitted it out loud, what she was thinking in her heart remained a mystery.
In addition, they were all relatives, and the family also hoped that she could come back.
So Nakiri Alice was thinking about whether she could use these ingredients to heal Nakiri Mana's body.
And then she could use this as leverage to force Nakiri Mana to return.
As for the subsequent problems, they were not her responsibility. The old man and the father of the family would take care of it.
All she had to do was provide such an opportunity. That was all.
When Takumi heard this, he glanced at her in surprise, then nodded.
"Theoretically speaking, your idea is correct. If someone is just weak, then eating these crops can indeed improve their health."
"But as for selling them..."
Then, under the anxious gaze of Nakiri Alice, he finished his sentence: "It's not impossible."
But before Nakiri Alice could celebrate, he smiled playfully and said: "However..."
"Can you please finish the sentence in one go?"
Nakiri Alice couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Listening to Takumi's words made her feel like she was on a roller coaster. It was far too torturous.
Takumi stopped teasing her and said:
"But the question is, can you pay the corresponding price?"
"To be serious, these things are actually somewhat similar to a genetic medicine."
"Not only can they strengthen a person's physique, but they can even prolong life. It is a magic medicine that increases one's lifespan."
"Can you really afford the cost?"
"Don't tell me anything about money. The currency of a single world is the most worthless thing in the Dimensional City."
"If you really need to make money, we have a solution for that."
"Not to mention supplies. Currently, the Dimensional Gate is connected to a world where a zombie crisis just broke out. The supplies inside are basically mine for the taking."
"So, is there anything else you can use to pay for it?"
"..."
After hearing this, Nakiri Alice fell silent.
Only then did she realize that the capital of the Nakiri family in her own world was nothing in front of Takumi.
Spending money to pave a road was completely useless here.
In fact, she couldn't even produce anything that could be used to pay the price.
"I... can I work to pay off my debt?"
Nakiri Alice thought about it seriously, but finally realized that there seemed to be only one simple way left.
"I am a chef, and the food I cook is delicious."
Now that this method had been proposed, Nakiri Alice began to promote herself vigorously.
He was just waiting for you to say those words.
Takumi's heart was slightly moved, but on the surface, he said calmly:
"Do you think, given the conditions of the Dimensional City, that we could not find any kind of chef we wanted?"
"Ah, that..."
Nakiri Alice was silent again.
Indeed, given the conditions of the Dimensional City, it was likely possible to find any chef.
Not only these ingredients, but with ingredients from other worlds, he might also have the opportunity to recruit chefs from across the dimensions.
Most chefs would be tempted by such unique conditions.
"Is there no other way? Could you be more accommodating?"
Nakiri Alice asked, still a little unwilling to give up.
"It's not like there is no way to accommodate you." Seeing that the preparations were almost done, Takumi relaxed his tone.
Nakiri Alice's eyes suddenly lit up and she quickly asked: "What can we do?"
Takumi looked at her steadily and said:
"As long as you become a citizen of the Dimensional City, you can eat these ingredients for three meals a day. If someone keeps some for themselves, I will not pursue it."
"However, once you join the Dimensional City, it is permanent. You cannot withdraw or betray us."
The big bad wolf finally showed its fangs.
Having said all that, Takumi actually wanted to trick Nakiri Alice, the little cook, into the Dimensional City.
This girl is quirky and has quite a personality. At the same time, she also has a beauty that is particularly attractive to him.
This made Takumi like her even more.
Originally, he was worried about how to convince her, but she had taken the initiative to bring the opportunity to his door.
How could Takumi let it go?
Hence the series of leading words he just spoke.
If there were knowledgeable people here, they would be able to see it for what it was.
Wasn't this a form of manipulation!
A kind of neglect or belittling of the other party to make them take the initiative to make the choice the user desired.
Nakiri Alice had not yet reacted to Takumi's hidden intentions.
Instead, she was seriously thinking about whether it was worth it.
After all, according to Takumi, this was basically equivalent to selling herself.
Selling herself to help Nakiri Mana; Nakiri Alice's feelings for her aunt had not yet reached that level.
At this time, seeing her struggling, Takumi added more fuel to the fire.
"Is it really a loss for you to join the Dimensional City?"
That one sentence made Nakiri Alice react.
Yes!
Would she lose anything by joining the Dimensional City?
Obviously not!
Not only was it not a loss, it was simply a massive gain!
Not to mention anything else, just having these enhanced ingredients for three meals a day would make countless people desperate to join the city.
Aside from the possibility of her freedom being restricted, there was really no disadvantage at all.
It's just that...
Nakiri Alice was a little doubtful whether these ingredients truly had that effect.
Before, she just wanted to take some back, so she didn't have to worry too much about the authenticity.
But now it had reached the point where she was about to sign herself away. It was impossible for her not to be cautious. After all, the consequences of being cheated now would involve her entire future!
"Want to try it?"
Takumi also saw her concerns and suspicions, so he picked a tomato and handed it to Nakiri Alice.
"Let me try."
Nakiri Alice nodded, took the tomato, wiped it, and took a bite.
"Hmm! Delicious! Is this really a tomato?!"
After taking that bite, Nakiri Alice was immediately shocked again.
This was definitely the most delicious tomato she had ever eaten. The high-end organic cultivation she had tasted before could not compare with this! The two were completely different things. They were on different dimensions!
With how delicious it was, even if these ingredients had no strengthening effect, she still wanted them.
Using these ingredients to cook, even Nakiri Mana's rampant God Tongue should be satisfied, right? But...
"Why don't I feel anything?"
After Nakiri Alice finished eating, she shook her hands, but found that she didn't feel anything at all.
"It's just one. How obvious can the change be?"
Takumi shrugged calmly.
"You should stay for a meal and test it again later. You should be able to see the effect then."
"Good."
When Nakiri Alice saw this, she didn't refuse.
Anyway, she didn't have anything to do today, and she didn't have to go to class. She had plenty of time, so she just thought of it as going out for fun. The Dimensional City was indeed quite interesting.
And... she hadn't touched Haruhime's tail yet!
This made her reluctant to go back prematurely.
Then, Takumi joined the project.
As for Alice?
Takumi let her go aside to play and told her not to leave everyone's sight, especially not to go into the forest.
After learning that there were many powerful monsters outside, Nakiri Alice also chose to be obedient.
After all, she only had one life, and no matter how naughty she was, she would not joke with her own life.
So, while watching Takumi and the others working from time to time, she took the dog toys she asked for from Takumi and started playing with the four little pups of Kuro-taro.
Time passed unconsciously. After Takumi and Haruhime worked together to build two more resettlement houses, it was almost noon.
He stopped what he was doing and started preparing lunch.
At this time, Nakiri Alice also came up and said, "Let me come and give you a taste of my craftsmanship."
Takumi did not refuse and took her to select the ingredients before leaving the kitchen to her.
In the meantime, Nakiri Alice also got her wish and touched Haruhime's tail.
When she touched it, Marikawa Shizuka and Minami Rika also came forward curiously.
They were quite curious to begin with, but they just never had the chance to bring it up.
Now that Alice had set a precedent, they couldn't help themselves.
In the end, Haruhime had to let each of them touch it once.
And when she took refuge behind Takumi, Takumi also reached out.
He had to say that it felt truly wonderful, and Takumi understood why Alice and the others couldn't put it down.
But this caused Haruhime to instantly transform into a red-faced steam princess; her face turned bright red and she backed away, almost fainting.
"..."
Seeing this, Takumi couldn't help but shake his head helplessly.
It seemed it would take a long time for her to adapt.
Afterwards, Nakiri Alice went to cook.
Takumi went over curiously to see how she did it.
After all, there were no molecular gastronomy machines for her here.
But what Takumi didn't expect was that Nakiri Alice was just cooking normally and was quite skilled at it.
But he felt relieved immediately. Nakiri Alice had been learning cooking since she was a child. It was impossible for her to start molecular cuisine directly from the beginning. She still knew the basic skills.
Very quickly, in just one hour, Nakiri Alice had finished a full table of food, including six dishes and one soup.
A professional's speed was much faster than Takumi and the others.
This also made Takumi feel more and more that he had to keep this little cook.
After eating, Takumi became even more determined in his decision.
Just for the speed and deliciousness of her cooking, even if Nakiri Alice didn't do anything else, she was still a talent that the Dimensional City needed very much.
"Wow! So delicious! How can it be so delicious!"
"How do you do this? I haven't seen any special methods on your part, Alice."
"Hmm!"
When Marikawa Shizuka and the others tasted it, they were all conquered by the delicious food and kept praising Nakiri Alice.
Haruhime even had a reaction like she had been drugged.
"Well, it's really good," Takumi also affirmed.
In response to everyone's praise, Nakiri Alice also expressed happily:
"This is not my full strength. If I had a food processor, I could make it even more delicious."
"Really? Could it be more delicious? What kind of food must that be?"
When Marikawa Shizuka heard this, she was immediately shocked and couldn't help but imagine it.
"I will definitely cook it for you if I get a chance later," Nakiri Alice promised with a smile.
Everyone had a very happy meal.
After the meal, Takumi also took Nakiri Alice out for a test.
Just a simple weightlifting and sprinting session, and Nakiri Alice discovered that her physique had really become much stronger.
Not to mention anything else, she actually ran a sprint in under ten seconds!
Could you believe it!
Although she had a good physique to begin with, she was studying cooking after all. Even if she got some exercise, her physique shouldn't have been that great.
But it was definitely not this powerful!
"So, have you thought about it now?" Takumi also asked at the right time.
"Well, I'll join." Nakiri Alice nodded and replied seriously.
"Okay, let's sign the contract first."
Takumi liked having people sign contracts more and more now.
After all, after signing, it meant that this person could be trusted with confidence.
He was even thinking about finding an opportunity to make up for a contract with Kochou Kanae and the others. There was no other way; he had to treat everyone equally.