21st Century Necromancer

Chen Yu's invitation to Inomata Naoki carried a hint of jest, yet it wasn't a joke.

As a doctoral graduate from The University of Tokyo's medical school, Inomata Naoki had returned to Kumamoto to manage a ranch due to health and family reasons, but being able to attend The University of Tokyo and earn a doctoral degree certainly didn't make him a common man.

The reason was merely that Inomata Naoki had no interest in developing in that area anymore and now only wanted to peacefully manage his family's ranch. Otherwise, with his level and strength, he would be considered a top talent wherever he went.

However, faced with Chen Yu's invite, Inomata Naoki still chose to decline, "Forget it, I haven't done anything professional in years, now I'm only good at raising horses and cattle."

Hearing Inomata Naoki say this, Chen Yu didn't insist, just shook his head with a sigh, "That's a real waste of your talent, Naoki. But everyone has their own ambitions, and I won't force you. Just remember, if you ever change your mind, come find me in Tokyo. There will always be a place for you in my lab."

"Haha, if that day ever comes, I won't need you to tell me, Brother Yu. I'll come to Tokyo to find you," laughed Inomata Naoki. Though he felt that day would never come, it was, after all, a promise to a friend.

After discussing these matters, Inomata Naoki brought up the subject of Jounouchi Hiromi, asking with considerable concern, "Brother Yu, how is your wife's research going? I saw a report on the TV station saying that there's an expert team conducting various checks on that baby? There aren't any problems, are there?"

"I really don't know, since even babies born normally can suffer from various congenital diseases. The Artificial Womb's function is merely to substitute for the mother's womb in nurturing the fetus, not to ensure the fetus is free from all illnesses. Of course, being cultivated scientifically, the fetus is more likely to develop healthier and stronger due to receiving more nutrition than what a mother could naturally provide under normal circumstances. The expert team is merely checking by the standards of a normal baby to see if it is healthy," Chen Yu explained to Inomata Naoki, while at the same time, the meat on the table had been grilled just right and was ready to be eaten.

Stretching out his chopsticks to pick up a juicy slice of pork belly, Chen Yu dipped it in a little of the barbecue restaurant's secret sauce before putting it in his mouth.

"It's still that same taste, haven't eaten it in many years, brings back memories." As Chen Yu chewed the grilled meat in his mouth, his tone couldn't help but become nostalgic.

Though his current wealth meant he could eat whatever he wanted, even dragon meat from the Flying Dragons bred in the Necromantic Space, the flavor in this barbecue restaurant was a memory from the time when he was just an ordinary person with a few tricks at his disposal.

It was more about nostalgia and remembrance than how delicious it was.

It's like how many people reminisce about a good meal they had once during harder times, considering it one of the rarest delicacies in the world. In reality, it might only be a common dish, but with the addition of time and memories, it becomes an irreplaceable flavor in their hearts; not the taste of the food, but the taste of time.

"It's the sauce from the owner's family that's delicious! I asked the owner before, and he said the ingredients aren't really special. But their family's sauce has been simmered since the Meiji Era, more than a hundred years without missing a single day's worth of simmering, and that's why it has such a rich flavor," said Kohinata Kaori playfully upon hearing Chen Yu's sentiment.

She'd been curious why the restaurant's sauce tasted so good, so she had specifically asked the owner, who had openly shared the recipe with her but also made it clear that their sauce's deliciousness came from over a century of daily simmering, not just from following the recipe.

"This is the accumulation of time! Who else but them would spend a hundred years just simmering a pot of sauce?" Inomata Naoki couldn't help expressing his admiration, regretting that human life spanned only a few decades: "If I could live for two hundred years, maybe I too would spend a hundred years on a pot of sauce."

"If you could live for two hundred years, spending a hundred years on something wouldn't be impossible. If life were long enough, we'd need to find things to make those lengthy years feel fulfilling and meaningful." Regarding this topic, Chen Yu felt he was qualified to answer.

As a demigod who had already attained Immortal Divinity, he no longer had a lifespan limit; as long as he continued to receive worship, he wouldn't die.

Not only Chen Yu, but now also Jounouchi Hiromi had become a Legendary Dragon. Considering the lifespan of dragons, Legendary Dragons could even live for tens of thousands of years. If she didn't find things to pass the time, was she expected to just lie on gold and sleep every day, waiting for the occasional brave one to show up for a grilling session?

Maybe some dragons enjoyed doing that—occasionally waking up to cook the visiting braves was indeed a way to pass the time—but was that really all they would do with such a long life, just sleeping?

Even though he had transitioned from a Short-Lived Species to the Long-Lived Kind, Chen Yu had not yet become accustomed to the leisurely pace of life typical of the Long-Lived. Perhaps after living for a few centuries, his pace of life would slow down, but for now, he wanted to be more efficient so that he could acquire what he desired.

"I actually think both you and senior brother are thinking too far ahead. We haven't even lived half a century yet, and you're already contemplating one hundred or two hundred years. If you ask me, it's more realistic to focus on living well in the present," Kohinata Kaori said while eating her grilled meat, then suddenly turned to Inomata Naoki, "Weren't you saying, senior brother, that junior brother had introduced you to a girlfriend, and that's also why you came to Tokyo? Have you met her yet?"

Blushing at Kohinata Kaori's question, Inomata Naoki couldn't help his face turning red, but he quickly replied, "Not yet, but I called her this afternoon, and she said she's free tomorrow. She has invited me to dine with her tomorrow evening."

"Oh, tomorrow evening? Then have you made a reservation for a place, Naoki? I know Doctor Tokairin's character—although she's a great woman, she has a bit of vanity. I suggest you make a reservation at a slightly better place. I can help you if you haven't secured one," Chen Yu advised Inomata Naoki, also offering his help, "I know a decent Michelin two-star restaurant. It might be hard to get a reservation, but they should do me a favor."

"Is that so? Then I'll trouble you for it, Brother Yu," Inomata Naoki considered and then nodded in agreement.