Deep within the second zone, the Yuan water here was more abundant, but each pool was of a very small volume, making it difficult to collect.
However, this terrain easily gave rise to more luxuriant vegetation.
Compared to the barren landscape at the beginning, it was a completely different scene.
[Discovered storable ingredient: Paradise Rice]
[Capture Level: 100]
[Edible Level: 40]
[Habitat: Nutrient-rich areas]
[Description: A famous variety in the Human World, where one hectare of land can only yield one ear of this dream rice. Eating it is like ascending to paradise, a premium grain equivalent in value to gold.]
[Description: When cooked, its texture is even softer and more fragrant than glutinous rice, tasting superb with any ingredient.]
It was Paradise Rice!
Zhang Wei had actually stored this before. The merchant caravan had exchanged it for a tiny amount at double the price of gold, which was far from enough to compress the replication time to a single day.
In the original work, Toriko and Komatsu visited Setsuno's restaurant and discovered this top-tier rice of the Human World in its basement.
For it to be favored by Setsuno and used to entertain guests, one could imagine its taste and preciousness.
"Strange, wasn't it said to be in very nutrient-rich areas? And this place is mostly candy, how did rice appear..."
Paradise Rice had a very high density.
In the Human World, ordinary soil needed one hectare to grow a single ear, and even the most fertile soil yielded only a dozen or so ears.
Here, there were hundreds of ears in sight, and who knew how many more in the distance.
"Logically speaking, the main component of rice is starch, along with small amounts of fiber and water. Starch, in essence, is glucose, and like white sugar, maltose, and fructose, it's a carbohydrate."
"Starch is sugar!"
"And... the soil here is compacted, the energy density must have surged, coupled with the second zone's Yuan water and the Gourmet World's buffs... it's quite normal for so much Paradise Rice to appear in this small area."
He reached out and plucked an ear, which seemed much fuller than those from the Human World.
Furthermore, the grains on each ear had increased from sixty or seventy to over 120.
Zhang Wei cupped his hand and squeezed.
The rice ears were like they had entered a thresher; the husks fell away.
Crystal-clear long-grain rice appeared in Zhang Wei's palm.
[Storage complete: Paradise Rice]
[Replication Time: 65 days]
Hmm.
Unlike ordinary ingredients, the processing of Paradise Rice included threshing, which meant the husks had little value.
The exhibits in the Treasure Hall were also glistening, threshed rice.
"If rice grains were too large, would it affect cooking time, even heating, and other issues?"
"Never mind, with such a high-quality ingredient as Paradise Rice, how could I give it up!"
There were over a thousand stalks of Paradise Rice here. After storing them, to prevent extinction, Zhang Wei also rubbed open over ten ears, scattering their seeds evenly.
After over a thousand replications, the size of the rice grains had increased by nearly 90 times.
The Paradise Rice was now the size of two soybeans per grain, and nearly as long as some soldier ants.
Continuing deeper.
Zhang Wei soon discovered the third zone's Yuan water!
[Discovered capturable ingredient: Triple Yuan Water]
[Capture Level: 100]
[Edible Level: 40]
[Description: Formed by the aggregation of water a thousand times denser than normal, it possesses a thousand times the weight but only the same volume. Under specific circumstances, Triple Yuan Water can disperse into normal water, so caution is advised when consuming to avoid being blown apart by the dispersed water!]
[Note: Those with Gourmet Cells below level forty should consume with caution. Usually, only one or two milliliters are needed to replenish a normal person's daily water intake.]
Indeed!
Ten, a hundred, a thousand...
Then, quadruply Yuan Water would be ten thousand, and quintuply Yuan Water would be a hundred thousand!
When Zhang Wei first read the manga, he had wondered how Toriko's small body could contain food ten times its size. When he first captured the Kairu Giant Crocodile, the two-hundred-kilogram Toriko could eat over ten tons of it.
And later, the terrifying appetite at various restaurants.
Perhaps in the manga, it was an exaggerated depiction. When Zhang Wei time-traveled, he found a more reasonable explanation.
The composition of these foods was very similar to Yuan water!
Considering Toriko's strength at the time, he could at least compress food to a state between the first and second zone's Yuan water.
This meant that Toriko at the time could drink first zone Yuan water as if it were normal water, and second zone Yuan water was merely a bit more thirst-quenching.
Calculating the time.
He had been in the Gravity Well for over a day.
The first portion of the first zone Yuan water had already been replicated.
"Thirst-quenching... let me try!"
He took out a large barrel, about forty liters.
He tilted it back and drank it all!
Wiping his mouth, Zhang Wei savored the taste: "It's slightly sweet, tastes like mineral water, but in terms of thirst-quenching, it's far, far inferior to ozone grass."
"For me, the density of this water is too low."
Shortly after Zhang Wei time-traveled, he had the appetite of over a hundred people, and at that time, he could easily handle second zone Yuan water.
Now...
The value of first zone Yuan water was truly minimal.
[Discovered storable ingredient: Saccharin]
[Capture Level: 100]
[Edible Level: 40]
[Type: Seasoning]
[Description: Saccharin is also known as the essence of sugar, or rock sugar. It is a unique mineral formed by excess and undigestible sugar dissolving into the earth over a long period.]
[Description: Due to the special properties of sugar, saccharin is far more precious than salt essence. A piece of rock sugar placed in coffee can remove most of its bitterness and improve its taste in just 30 seconds. A piece of saccharin, however, can be steeped for three years.]
While exploring.
Before Zhang Wei could walk far, he heard a notification from the Treasure Hall.
"After salt essence, the essence of sugar has appeared too?"
"Following the hint, this rock sugar block should be a type of mineral, right? Then it should be underground!"
"If not for the Treasure Hall's prompt, I would have missed it!"
The edible value of rock sugar should be slightly lower than salt essence, after all, salt is an indispensable component for the human body.
However, with the Gourmet World's buffs, rock sugar blocks would definitely not be sold too cheaply!
Spiral Fist Force!
Zhang Wei struck the ground with a heavy punch, and the metal drill bit and the compacted soil let out a metallic groan!
This land was actually more solid than the city walls of Lingxiao City in the Cloud Country!
But Zhang Wei was not the same person he used to be.
The ten-meter-diameter spiral drill bit dug downwards with unwavering determination. This was Zhang Wei's most proficient skill, the Mining Fist technique!
Even if the land here was compacted like steel, it couldn't hinder Zhang Wei in the slightest!
[Discovered capturable ingredient: Radish Worm]
[Capture Level: 100]
[Edible Level: 25]
[Description: A peculiar creature, half plant and half insect, capable of photosynthesis in nutrient-rich areas. Once the local nutrients are depleted, it transforms into its insect form to migrate. It is a major consumer of nutrients and also contains abundant nutrition itself.]
An unexpected bonus?
These radish worms immediately came alive when startled, wriggling and twisting in the soil. It took some skill to be able to move in such an environment.
He grabbed one.
After trimming off the radish sprouts, he sliced them with his palm knife and put them into his mouth.
"It's lightly crisp, and besides the normal radish taste, there's a hint of sweetness."
"Not bad, not bad, even sweeter than a regular radish!"