Anime Collector: Starting With the Malevolent Shrine-Chapter 193 ⟴ The Thoughts of the Elite Ten

The news of the Earth Dragon and the Divine Hand suddenly appearing in Tokyo was impossible to conceal, with damages amounting to billions.

Previously, disappearances and casualties could be covered up as explosions from aging gas pipelines — no one would scrutinize the details anyway. However, an entire mountain range appearing above Tokyo, thousands of people being teleported in seconds, and an enormous dragon establishing itself at the center of everything...

Even the Prime Minister didn't bother with excessive excuses, instead announcing it as "an unknown incident under investigation".

In reality, he was secretly preparing ceremonies to worship the deity while discussing with his think tank about using Mount Fuji's eruption to build momentum for Daiki.

Though the head of the Fujiwara family repeatedly tried to intervene, the Prime Minister was no longer backed by him and his advisors. Instead, the entire Jujutsu Community stood behind him, eager to use this opportunity to restore the Jujutsu Era to its peak.

The Fujiwara family's tactics crumbled instantly, exciting the Prime Minister and strengthening his resolve to be a "survivor". Even before taking office, he had gained strong support from the Jujutsu world, and Makima, who had previously been inactive, mobilized the entire Public Safety Devil Hunter Division.

Since becoming Prime Minister, he had never experienced such smooth sailing — perhaps this was the benefit of being a "survivor"?

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While in high spirits, he deliberately released some information about the Earth Dragon, as it couldn't be contained anyway. This made Japan's already restless forces even more agitated, with the news spreading to every corner.

Senzaemon Nakiri already knew about it and didn't hesitate to agree to Alice's request.

What surprised him was that the current Elite Ten of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy had also learned of the situation through their connections. This led to this generation's Elite Ten unusually sitting down together to calmly discuss how to leverage this information for their benefit.

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After all, most of the Elite Ten represented not just themselves but came from culinary dynasties, with family interests to consider.

"According to what the Prime Minister has revealed, the entire Japanese leadership will hold a ceremony to worship that Dragon King! Following the tradition of emperors from the ancient Heian period, they'll deify the invincible Dragon King and pray for favorable weather and good harvests. In this event, shrine maidens and cuisine are ranked as the most important. I assume everyone has already received notifications from their families?"

The speaker was a girl wearing glasses, with green hair in braids and red eyes that gleamed behind her lenses, her expression cold and proud.

Nene Kinokuni came from a top-tier establishment that had preserved and developed the "Edo Soba" style. Highly respected in the culinary world as the "Eastern Kinokuni", she was undeniably from a distinguished culinary lineage and had also received notification from her family.

"Even so, getting an order from the Prime Minister seems far-fetched — the competition is too fierce."

Neither Fuyumi Mizuhara nor Satoshi Isshiki had much confidence. Their skills might be exceptional at Tōtsuki, but in the broader culinary world, they weren't quite qualified. Even their Elite Ten predecessors would barely meet the threshold requirements.

Erina Nakiri remained silent. She had seen Jujutsu Sorcerers before, but never one with such power. When she first saw the photos and information at the Elite Ten meeting, she almost thought it was a joke, but the evidence was right there.

Rumors suggested that the culinary rights for this ceremony would determine whether the Nakiri family could maintain its dominant position, and even her grandfather was frantic with worry.

Erina naturally wanted to help, but while her God's Tongue represented her limitless potential, her actual skills still needed time to develop. Even with ideas, she had no opportunity to showcase her talents!

A girl with blood-red hair, bangs covering her left eye, golden pupils, and unusually sharp canines smiled.

"This is quite interesting, but my skills..." Rindō Kobayashi also didn't believe she qualified to participate, as it would be a gathering of chefs from around the world, including past Elite Ten members.

However, as a chef who craved victory, missing this unprecedented and possibly never-to-be-repeated feast felt worse than death.

'If I could become this Dragon King's personal chef, would it mean that whenever I want, I could gather ingredients from all over the world?' Her golden pupils flashed dangerously.

To collect rare ingredients, she had climbed mountains and ventured into remote places. Despite her efforts, collecting rare ingredients by herself was inefficient. Having Jujutsu sorcerers help would be different — a simple word could bring rare ingredients from around the world, far more efficient than exploring alone.

A small girl with purple hair, shy and quiet, hugged a doll and tugged at it.

"Isn't this something beyond our involvement?" Etsuya Eizan adjusted his reflective glasses. Though not from a prestigious family, he controlled several specialized shops through his own abilities.

Nene, with a calm expression, quietly said, "No! This precisely involves us, which is why we received notification."

Everyone, including Erina, looked up.

Nene continued, "According to information from the Jujutsu World, this Dragon King's culinary skills may... exceed 99% of today's chefs. Unless those chefs at the very pinnacle take action, their cooking might be no better than garbage, but... top chefs are rare. The Prime Minister's idea is to have top chefs handle the main dishes and select dishes from some outstanding individuals to serve as condiments."

With these words, everyone present breathed heavily.

This was the perfect opportunity to build a bridge of communication with the Dragon King! Missing this chance meant possibly never having another in their lifetime.

Nene quietly said, "The selection will likely be in the next couple of days. Regardless of other chefs, we represent Tōtsuki!"

If they weren't selected, Tōtsuki's reputation would plummet. This was something these Elite Ten members couldn't accept.

While Etsuya and others were eager to participate, they had no idea that the selection wasn't intended for male chefs at all.

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