Open your eyes!
The people in the shrine were still standing straight, observing the burning incense. It seemed only a dozen seconds had passed.
Elder Mo descended from the sky.
"Zhang Wei, this place of yours is truly a treasure land!"
"Treasure land..."
Elder Mo recounted what had just happened, stating that these two individuals definitely possessed the ability to change the world in the future.
Change the world...
Two...
It must be Froze and Acacia, only they would have this qualification.
At this moment, the offerings in the shrine had vanished, completely consumed by the Spiritual World Sacred Artifacts.
Zhang Wei glanced at Elder Mo. It seemed the old man before him was no longer as mysterious as before; the veil of inscrutability had lifted.
"Elder Mo..."
"Yes?"
"Let's spar."
As he spoke, Zhang Wei casually threw a punch, using only about thirty percent of his strength.
But the normally calm Elder Mo's face contorted in shock. He rapidly wrote the characters 'Jian' (firm), 'Shou' (guard), 'Jia' (armor), and 'Dun' (shield) on his chest with his brush.
Yet, this seemingly ordinary punch tore through the four characters one after another, sending Elder Mo flying!
With undiminished force, half the shrine was obliterated, along with a small hill in the distance...
This power... could no longer be measured by conventional means.
In the ripped mountain ravine, Zhang Wei dug Elder Mo out.
"Are you alright? I just finished my training and can't control my strength properly yet."
Elder Mo gazed at his broken brush and spat out a mouthful of ink.
"You... how did you suddenly become so strong?"
The events of today left Elder Mo utterly bewildered.
He had never seen such potential for world-altering food luck, nor had he witnessed Zhang Wei's sudden hundredfold increase in power...
But...
Elder Mo looked at Zhang Wei, astonishment in his eyes. "What's going on? I saw such immense food luck attached to you, yet why is your own food luck approaching zero?"
Food luck?
It had already turned into food.
"I'm not too sure."
"Compensate me for my brush."
"Sure."
"Compensate me for my nutritional expenses, lost work fees, recuperation fees, medical expenses..."
"Sure!!!"
A mere trifle!
...
During the month and a half Zhang Wei spent building his Gourmet Shrine, the situation in the Human World grew increasingly tense. Countless factions clashed violently. If Zhang Wei hadn't been holding down the Northern Territory, it too would have been engulfed in flames.
The Black List's business was unbelievably good, with the dispatch hall operating 24 hours a day.
Such intense conflict also affected Zhang Wei's acquisition of ingredients.
"The war has already spread to the core continent, with millions of civilians displaced daily."
"What does the Human World's Supreme Gourmet Association say?"
"Reduce the intensity of the conflict. All Gourmet Hunters level 65 and above are forbidden from participating in the Human World's conflicts."
Xifeng said to Zhang Wei, "Recent transaction volumes have increased crazily, more than double the usual!"
High-end ingredients served as both medicine and weaponry, the source of all power.
War fueled the trade of ingredients.
Similarly, the ecological protection laws of the past were now like waste paper.
Hungry and terrified people showed no mercy to fish.
"Sheng Tarou is going to be very busy lately..."
The same situation was unfolding in the North.
As a large amount of delicious food was concentrated among higher-ranking individuals, the food pyramid shifted upwards, leaving the poorest at the bottom in starvation.
And facing this situation, the powerless poor were unable to resist.
In the original story, during the Gourmet Wars, widespread famine occurred among the common people. Toriko, the other three Gourmet Dynasties, as well as Ichiryu, Jirou, and Sandei, were all orphans adopted during the inter-world gourmet wars.
"The world's food production hasn't changed, it's just no longer distributed to the common people..."
"No, it has changed. The war has displaced people, and agriculture and animal husbandry industries are bound to suffer severe blows."
Zhang Wei sighed, "Long sighs to cover tears, lamenting the hardship of the people."
"Hmm!"
Everyone was startled. Da Feng Fiction Network
This seemed like a famous quote, but one they had never heard before.
However, it was quite fitting.
Xifeng said solemnly, "So, what do you mean?"
"When one prospers, they should help the world."
Not to mention gourmet ingredients, Zhang Wei had stockpiled 500,000 tons of Rock Rice and 37,000 tons of brown sugar.
These were Grade-1 foods, not of high value, but they were quite nutritious compared to ordinary grains, at least ten times that of common cereals.
A pound of grain could easily sustain a person.
One ton was two thousand people, ten tons twenty million, and 500,000 tons could aid 1 billion people!
Of course, this was only enough to maintain the minimum consumption.
However, with the brown sugar and other collected items, it should be sufficient for sustenance.
"Let's use work-relief, we can't just give this food away for free..."
Zhang Wei understood the principle of "a bowl of rice brings immediate relief, a bucket of rice brings future enmity."
With Zhang Wei's replication ability, protecting the Northern Territory was feasible.
Moreover...
Zhang Wei happened to need some laborers.
"If all else fails, I'll just take another trip to the Desert Garden..."
...
...
In this chaotic world, while the common people were in dire straits, it did not prevent humanity's elite from enjoying life.
The decennial Cooking Festival!
Was about to begin!
Across thousands of miles, Kurama once again rushed to the Great Glacier.