"What new whim is this!"
"Mr. Zhang Wei, this is..."
"Charcoal pillar!"
Zhang Wei chuckled, "I found a magical pea vine in the Sky Vegetable Garden of the South Continent. Not only is it incredibly tough, but it's also exceptionally light when dried, and its burning value is hundreds of times that of ordinary wood."
"After I burned it into charcoal, its volume significantly reduced, but its heat output greatly increased."
"I used cement to create an outer shell, filled the interior with honeycomb carbon, and extended it from afar through ventilation ducts. This way, it can provide a continuous supply of heat. One such charcoal pillar can provide heat for this pond for three years."
"And we can adjust the temperature by controlling the airflow through the external vents."
As he spoke, Zhang Wei snapped his fingers.
Where bubbles and steam had been previously, flames now erupted.
When it comes to heating water, you might not know that using fire is very inefficient. For a massive pond, it might take three to four days to boil with fire, whereas steam can achieve it in just over ten minutes.
The high temperature of the charcoal pillar, coupled with the attached Yuan Water boiler and its complex components, forms the core of the hot spring!
"Speaking of which, this hot spring is entirely a byproduct. The water here is actually a byproduct generated by the iron pot!"
Everyone turned their gaze to the massive metal contraption above the charcoal pillar. That was the spring's source.
Countless small holes were continuously spewing out water...
Zhang Wei approached and patted the huge iron pot, "Everyone, welcome to Haidilao Hot Pot!"
Once the charcoal pillar reached the water level, the water flow became even more spectacular.
"This is... a combination of hot springs and hot pot?"
"What the heck, it feels like I'm being stewed along with everything else..."
"Utilizing the residual heat from the hot pot to heat the hot spring pool, that's a brilliant idea!"
"So this continuous flow of water is Weak Water decomposed from Yuan Water? Is it for cooling, or for temperature regulation?"
The crowd gathered around.
It was strange; despite the steaming hot pot and charcoal pillar, and the boiling water, they didn't feel excessively hot.
How could this be?
"We're in the same space as the pot, yet we don't feel any burning sensation?"
"Is it because of this Weak Water?"
Everyone was filled with questions about this novel culinary creation.
In their eyes, Zhang Wei dipped his hand into the still-boiling water flowing down from the charcoal pillar.
His expression remained unchanged.
This is...
The crowd was even more bewildered. Was he showing off his powerful abilities by being unafraid of the heat?
But what was the significance of such an action?
"You all try it too."
"Huh?"
At Zhang Wei's request, everyone hesitated.
Then, Zhang Wei looked at Acacia and pointed to the little girl beside him, "Your level should be quite low. Are you an apprentice from the Culinary Academy?"
Zephyr said, "This is Froze. She's only 12 years old this year and is a very talented chef at the Gourmet Collection Academy. She was invited here as a reward for saving many people during the Akin turmoil."
"Froze... Alright, come here."
Zhang Wei hadn't expected that this timid young girl was actually Toriko's mother, Froze.
The two most important figures from the main storyline were now gathered.
Perhaps it was fate's arrangement.
Froze shyly approached Zhang Wei. She held great respect, and even a touch of fear, for the Academy Director.
"Go and touch that iron pot."
"Ah... Yes!"
After a moment of surprise, Froze nodded resolutely.
But Acacia immediately stepped forward and loudly protested, "Director, Froze is still very weak. Boiling water will scald her!"
"It's fine."
"What do you mean 'it's fine'? This won't do!"
Just as he was about to step forward and intervene, Acacia's shoulder was firmly grasped.
Behind him, Toriyuu said expressionlessly, "Young man, this is not a place for someone of your standing to speak so freely."
Acacia struggled, but Froze said, "Don't move, I'm doing this willingly!"
Zhang Wei sighed.
It felt like a farewell scene...
Froze passed her hand through the boiling water cascading down and touched the iron pot. She then froze in astonishment.
Acacia quickly said, "Don't just stand there blankly. Just touch it and that's it. If you leave it any longer, you'll be cooked!"
Froze stood still for a moment, then said, "This water... why is it boiling? It feels warm, but it's only warm... not hot at all."
"Of course it's not hot. The density of this Weak Water is too low. Its boiling point is only around forty degrees Celsius. Otherwise, wouldn't all my fish in this pond be scalded to death?"
The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief.
So that's how it was.
Only forty-something degrees Celsius...
Then how could the food in the pot be cooked?
Even boiling an egg requires 60 degrees Celsius.
Zhang Wei slowly began, "Long ago, I collected Overlord Ham Trees from the Great Glacier and defeated the Icefield Dragon, the guardian of the region, nearby."
Hengxing recalled the event with a sigh; it was then that they had met for the first time.
He had even been made to give up his Thunder Control technique by Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei continued, "That Icefield Dragon had a unique characteristic. Although it could breathe cold dragon's breath, its internal blood was as scorching as magma. Its flesh could withstand 1500 degrees Celsius without charring. I really couldn't figure out how to cook it."
Mr. Luo tentatively asked, "High pressure?"
"Oh? Tell me about it?"
Mr. Luo said, "The boiling point of water is related to atmospheric pressure. At standard atmospheric pressure, it's 100 degrees Celsius. But at an altitude of three thousand meters on a plateau, the boiling point is only 97 degrees Celsius."
Haru nodded, "My hometown is on the roof of the world, where the altitude is extremely high. Not only is it difficult to start a fire, but food is often not cooked thoroughly. As a result, we mostly use grilling to prepare our food."
As pressure decreases, the boiling point of water also decreases.
If you leave the Earth's surface, water can even boil at room temperature. This is also why, if a spacesuit has a puncture, the person inside will die from their blood vessels bursting.
The water in blood, muscles, bones, and brain boiling due to the loss of pressure would cause internal expansion that no one could withstand.
"But humans invented a very useful cooking utensil—the pressure cooker!"
"It can trap steam inside, increasing the pressure and forcibly raising the water temperature. A typical household pressure cooker can reach 115 degrees Celsius, and some high-end restaurants may have larger pressure cookers reaching over 120 degrees Celsius."
"Using a pressure cooker, the cooking time for difficult-to-tenderize dishes like pig trotters and old meat is reduced by 60%, and they become more flavorful."
Mr. Luo asked, "But what kind of pressure would be needed to reach temperatures above 1500 degrees Celsius?"
At ten atmospheres of pressure, the boiling point of water is around 179 degrees Celsius. At twenty, it increases to 211 degrees, and at thirty, it's 233 degrees.
From this, it can be seen that the higher the boiling point of water, the more pressure is required.
And artificial materials would absolutely not be able to withstand the 1500 degrees Celsius that Zhang Wei mentioned.
Moreover, this 1500 degrees Celsius was merely the temperature of the Icefield Dragon's blood. How much higher would it need to be to cook its meat? And what would that translate to in terms of pressure?
"This is a figure beyond human comprehension at present."
"Zhang Wei, what secret do you possess?"
Zhang Wei patted the massive metal contraption, "This is indeed a pressure cooker, a high-pressure hot pot!"
"However, the water inside is not ordinary water, but is used for stewing with Yuan Water!"
"Normal first-level Yuan Water has a boiling point of 145 degrees Celsius, second-level Yuan Water 210 degrees, third-level Yuan Water 320 degrees..."
"And in normal grilling, a temperature of 260 degrees Celsius can char meat. This is also the boiling point of regular soybean oil."
So that's how it was.
Yuan Water combined with a pressure cooker, used to process special ingredients!
Zhang Wei pointed to the continuously flowing Weak Water, "This Weak Water is actually the steam from the hot pot!"
Weak Water is steam from Yuan Water?
It's actually like this!
This continuously flowing Weak Water spring is actually steam from a hot pot?
Using the byproducts of cooking to create a hot spring resort! You can bathe while comfortably enjoying hot pot... Even if you're sweating profusely, sinking into the water would wash away the sticky sweat.
And the water temperature is so pleasant...
Everyone was merely bathing in the steam from the cooking; this hot spring resort was itself part of the dish.
How daring was Zhang Wei to integrate cooking and architecture?
Froze stood aside, equally stunned by this wildly imaginative way of thinking.
She murmured, "Director, I want to become a great chef like you when I grow up."
Zhang Wei chuckled, "You can. I believe young Froze has the talent, and you will surely become a formidable chef when you grow up."
Then, Zhang Wei addressed the crowd, "Now for the main event!"
He approached the iron pot and looked at the pressure gauge. It seemed to have reached the safety threshold.
Immediately, Zhang Wei struck the valve with his fist. The massive metal lid was blown off, and the Weak Water formed a thick jet that shot straight up into the sky.
"Holy cow!"
"What an astonishing amount of water!"
"So refreshing!"
The Yuan Water Zhang Wei chose was of extremely high quality.
Third-level represented a thousand-fold increase in volume, while fourth-level was ten thousand-fold. The special pot on the charcoal pillar ejected an ocean far exceeding its own volume.
What kind of fantastical dish was this!
Zhang Wei stood on the water column and proudly announced, "This is the fourth dish on my life's menu, following Formless, Sweet Lover, and First Taste. A dish presented in the form of hot pot—Haidilao!"
After Zhang Wei spoke, the water flow showed no signs of stopping, and the special pot began to vibrate strangely...
It sounded as if it was about to explode!
The people around exclaimed in shock, "Mr. Zhang Wei, what exactly is this thing?"
"Is it going to explode?"
"What's the next spectacular effect?"
Zhang Wei gave a mysterious smile and proudly declared, "Of course, there will be an explosive effect!"
Is it really going to explode?
What was there to smile about so proudly regarding such an event?
No one knew the magnitude of the explosion's power. Everyone in the hot spring scrambled to escape!
No one wanted to test Zhang Wei's bizarre ideas with their own bodies, especially since... even Zhang Wei was running away!
Zhang Wei hid behind a rockery. The coal baron beside him, wiping water from his face, also hid behind it and asked, "Boss Zhang, is this thing really not going to cause any problems?"
Zhang Wei shrugged, "This is my first time doing this, how would I know?"
Coal Baron...
BOOM!!!
The specially made metal pot exploded, spewing out seven-colored streams of light, resembling a romantic meteor shower.
Countless dazzling fireballs slowly ascended into the sky, then burst like fireworks. To outsiders, it looked like a fireworks festival was being held inside the Gourmet City.
Zhang Wei sighed, "Fortunately, the external thermal insulation dome of the Gourmet City is high enough, otherwise, it would easily break the anti-freeze glass."
As expected.
You get what you pay for.
Except for Zhang Wei, no one was concerned about the dome's safety. Everyone was captivated by the brilliant spectacle, accompanied by an incredibly enticing and ultimate fragrance!
So fragrant!
It was a complex, banquet-style aroma, like being in the back kitchen of a restaurant, watching countless ingredients being stir-fried, with oil splattering and vegetables shimmering in the flames.
It was also like being at a night market, with food stalls bringing happiness to customers under the lamplight...
At a royal banquet, countless delicacies wafted their temptations simultaneously...
On a lakeside at night, enjoying the beautiful scenery with a lover, watching a meticulously prepared fireworks display as they confessed their feelings.
"This is... a fireworks display!"
"Can such a magnificent scene truly be caused by cooking?"
"In my entire life, I've never seen cooking produce such dazzling brilliance... It's like... is this really not a lighting effect?"
"A fragrance never smelled before, the air filled with the aroma of exquisite food, richer than the most aged roasted meat!"
"I understand the logic, but why is the aroma so wildly rampant..."
As the crowd discussed, the entire hot spring suddenly boiled. Thick white mist rose, as if the Mist Hidden Toad was about to activate its teleportation skill!
But this white mist was mixed with the unparalleled taste of food, making all the onlookers' gourmet cells come alive!
It seemed that within the mist lay a supreme delicacy that gourmet cells intensely craved!
"What... what happened in this instant!"
Even Kurama, one of the participants, looked utterly shocked. Could it really achieve such an effect?
What kind of brain did Zhang Wei have?
The mouths of other chefs, including Jun Qing and Mr. Luo, twitched uncontrollably, almost revealing their breakfast...
"Is the gap between chefs really this vast..."
"To be able to make cooking so magnificent... I, a campfire-style chef, never imagined that cooking could have such a direction!"
"Inconceivable!"
"Unbelievable!"
Within the mist, Jun Qing crawled towards Zhang Wei and eagerly asked, "Mr. Zhang Wei, how did you incorporate the 'Rain of Fire and Falling Stars' into your dish!"
"Heh heh, I'll reveal the secret later!"
Reaching the control panel beside him, Zhang Wei turned on the fans. The fresh air greatly improved visibility within the hot spring resort.
Zhang Wei said to the crowd, "Don't just stand there, hurry up and get in the water! The explosion is over, there are no more special effects."
The crowd approached the hot spring but hesitated to enter.
Some suspected that the entire pond had become the soup base for the dish.
Toriyuu leaned over the edge of the pool and said to those around him, "Look quickly, there are many round balls at the bottom of the pool... they seem to be mud balls!"
"Haidilao... Haidilao... Could those newly added mud balls be edible food?"
"Using the entire pond as the soup base... are these mud balls the ingredients for the hot pot..."
"Amazing!"
"Incredible creativity!"
"However, this dish still has many unresolved mysteries... so many difficult-to-understand aspects!"