"Is he really that strong?" Erza asked curiously.
She had heard Mirajane praise Zed quite a lot during this time.
It could be said that Mirajane had practically sung his praises to the heavens.
"Of course! You wouldn't believe it until you've seen it for yourself. But the Guild Master knows very well!" Mirajane replied with a cheerful smile.
"Yes. Zed is very powerful. His strength is at least on par with the Four Gods of Ishgar," Makarov nodded in agreement.
While the others were chatting, Zed found Mirajane and quietly informed her of the major things he had accomplished recently.
"Opening a stable portal to the Edolas continent?"
Mirajane was visibly shocked upon hearing this.
Even Makarov and Erza were taken aback.
The members of Fairy Tail had some knowledge of the Edolas continent—after all, Lisanna had returned, and such a significant matter could not be hidden.
However, Makarov had deliberately withheld the truth about Edolas' stolen magic supply to prevent sparking a war between the two worlds.
"Yes. I worked on that while researching the teleportation array, and everything went smoothly. With the right materials, a permanent channel can be maintained. Of course, it consumes magic power—shut down the magic, and the portal will collapse until reactivated."
This fixed portal was part of Zed's long-term preparations. Not only was it useful for safe interworld travel without relying on the system, but it also allowed him to test if he could enter and exit the Soul World on his own—known as the Inner World in some realms.
He already possessed Soul Power, and now, with his mastery of Space Magic, he had both prerequisites to make it possible.
After Zed's explanation, everyone understood the function and design of the portal.
"If it's possible... can you take us back to the Fairy Tail of the Edolas continent?" Makarov asked, hopeful.
He was well aware of the hardships the other Fairy Tail had endured. Now that Anima had been destroyed and the Edolas Royal Army defeated by Zed, the situation had drastically improved.
As for how the remaining Demon Team was dealt with, Zed didn't interfere, leaving that to Edolas Fairy Tail. Given the deep-seated grudge between them, it was likely those enemies had been defeated. After all, countless members had fallen at their hands.
Zed had previously promised to send supplies, and everything was now ready. These resources would be enough to support Edolas' development for a long time.
The portal was reactivated. Once again, the two worlds became connected.
"You're finally here. This is such a relief!"
Lucy and the others from Edolas were visibly emotional as they welcomed Zed and the others.
Although the Edolas Royal Army no longer pursued them, Edolas was still suffering from magic depletion. The information Zed promised to bring was urgently needed.
Makarov had a long conversation with them, and upon learning that a fixed portal could now be installed directly in the guild, the Edolas members were overjoyed.
Even without direct threats, their lives continued to be difficult. With aid from the Earthland Fairy Tail, things could only improve.
The happiest among them were Edolas Mirajane and Elfman. Their Lisanna was long gone, but now that the portal existed, they could meet Lisanna from the Earthland world frequently.
After the discussion, a portal was installed in both guilds, and Zed ran a test—everything functioned smoothly. The stability of the portal matched that of the magic teleportation array.
With the two Fairy Tail guilds linked, members started to visit and exchange between worlds freely.
As for Zed, he left the Fairy Tail world—his preparations complete, life-saving measures secured. The next step was clear:
It was time to enter the Gourmet World.
"Zed, which entrance will we be using to enter the Gourmet World?"
Everyone was excited but also apprehensive.
In the past, entering the Gourmet World was dangerous due to their insufficient strength. But now, with Zed's supreme mastery over Space Magic, they had full confidence.
As long as Zed was present, retreating at any moment would be possible.
"We'll go through the Yutou Island's 'Harbour of Evil Spirits'," Zed said without hesitation.
"Wait—wasn't that the most dangerous of the three entrances?" Rukia asked with a frown.
Among the three known entry points, the safest was the Zabel Island's "Waterfall Basin of Life", followed by Wak Continent's "Sanzu (Three-Way) Road", with Yutou Island's "Harbour of Evil Spirits" being the riskiest.
Everyone was puzzled by Zed's choice.
"Because I know that place well. Although it's dangerous, it's also the area I'm most familiar with. More importantly, the Hex Food World is there—closely connected to the Human World. It'll be an ideal base for us."
In the original timeline, nothing was elaborated about what lay beyond the other two entrances. The Human World had very limited information on the Gourmet Realm. Even Yosaku, with all his experience, avoided delving deep into it.
Only top-tier veterans like Master Jiro could navigate the Gourmet World freely.
Although Zed now had his own survival measures, even he could be instantly killed by top-level beasts if caught off guard.
That's why choosing a familiar route was the safest. The Eighth Continent, home to the Hex Food World, was rich in ingredient information and a solid starting point.
Zed wasn't rushing to get "AIR" like Toriko did in the original series. The legendary ingredient wasn't ripe yet, and the sacred knife probably hadn't been forged either.
Instead, Zed aimed to explore other Eighth Continent regions to strengthen himself.
As long as he avoided getting one-shotted by the Eight Kings, he would practically be invincible in most parts of the Gourmet World.
"In that case, let's go through the Yutou Island!" Erina and Hisako nodded firmly.
By now, Human World ingredients had little effect on them.
There was still one useful thing left in the Human World—the book inside the Food Pyramid—but Zed didn't consider it necessary to retrieve it. Komatsu would bring it back in the future anyway.
And with strong Food Luck, top chefs would eventually be able to "hear" the cooking methods directly from the ingredients themselves.
That said, the book was still valuable. Authored by Chef Jiji, one of the three Flavor Sages, it recorded countless techniques born of centuries of trial and error.
Even the painstaking method for cooking "Another" was developed by them.
The Nitro family, being immortal, had ample time to perfect their research, and while not always optimal, their methods worked.
Their culinary legacy would be useful to Erina and Hisako—eventually.
But the current priority was to gain more strength in the Gourmet World.
Before entering, Zed needed to inform someone important.
"What? You're heading into the Gourmet World? You do realize how dangerous that place is, right?" Yosaku, his master, was the first to receive the news.
"It's decided. The ingredients from the Former 1st Biotope greatly boosted my strength—both the Corona Sunflower and Wolf Fire Dragon were top-tier."
Zed explained that he had consumed the Wolf Fire Dragon during his vacation.
That meat had significantly boosted his Gourmet Cells.
By now, his Cell Level had surpassed 200. That may still be considered low in the Gourmet World, but thanks to his progress with the Unified Cell Method, his strength was exceptional.
Though he hadn't undergone the same near-death breakthrough as Toriko, Zed's Soul Power allowed him to observe cellular behavior in finer detail.
This accelerated his progress considerably.
With this, he could now take on creatures under the 1,000 level mark without issue.
"Those two ingredients are amazing, sure. But with your cell level at only 200 or so, it's still risky to go into the Gourmet World." Yosaku warned again, clearly concerned.
"Don't worry, Master. You know me—I value my life. I wouldn't go unless I had full confidence in my survival." Zed chuckled.
"...Alright. Since you're certain, I won't stop you. Which entrance are you using?"
"Yutou Island."
"...Going straight through the most dangerous entrance? Well, it shouldn't be a problem for you. Let me contact the Hex Food World first. They have a station nearby."
Yosaku ended the call. Shortly after, Zed's phone rang again.
"IGO has coordinated with the Hex Food World. They'll send someone to Yuto Island to meet you. You'll see them once you arrive."
"Thank you, Master!"
Zed hadn't expected to receive the same special treatment as Toriko and his companions.
"Just promise me one thing—come back alive." Yosaku hung up after saying that.
At Yosaku's revival institute, Teppei and the still-recovering Toriko were present.
"He's really going into the Gourmet World?" Toriko asked.
"Yeah. But don't worry. You know Zed—he's not the reckless type." Yosaku smiled, though he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The Gourmet World was no joke.
"I want to go too, once I recover!" Toriko said eagerly.
"You're asking to die! President Ichiryu should have told you how dangerous it is! Don't be cocky or you'll end up dead!" Yosaku snapped, clearly frustrated.
Zed had made exhaustive preparations, yet even he wasn't guaranteed safety. Toriko wasn't even at Cell Level 100, nor had he awakened Food Honor.
To Yosaku, going in now would be suicidal.
If Zed were here, he'd agree. In the original timeline, Toriko barely survived his first ventures into the Gourmet World—often due to dumb luck or last-minute rescues from Master Jiro.
"Toriko, the Gourmet World is not a place we can just wander into. Not now." Teppei warned seriously as well.
Yosaku, somewhat aware of Zed's strength, believed the Zed would be fine.
As long as Zed was there—survival was all but certain.