Inside the large tent.
Countless ingredients were laid out.
These included spoils of war from the Cloud Kingdom and top-tier ingredients unique to the Northern Lands. By category alone, they far exceeded the storage capacity of the Treasure Hall.
A group of people gathered around, looking at Zhang Wei expectantly.
Zhang Wei picked up an ingredient, sniffed it, took a bite, and then shook his head in disappointment.
He then took the next ingredient and repeated the process.
From day to night, he tasted no less than three thousand ingredients...
Expectant gazes fell upon Zhang Wei, but each time, they were met with his shake of the head.
Expectation gradually turned into disappointment, and then despair.
Zhang Wei chuckled, "What are those expressions?"
"Head Chef, this shouldn't be your battle..."
"What are you talking about? I did participate, and according to the battle protocol, I am entitled to a share of the spoils. Are you going back on your word?"
The crowd fell silent.
For a chef, what use were spoils if one lost their sense of taste and smell?
However, the Northern Allied Forces had plundered dozens of cities in the Cloud Kingdom, and based on merit, Zhang Wei was entitled to a 7% share of the loot.
Do not underestimate this 7%; it was equivalent to the wealth of two cities!
These were not ordinary villages and towns, but true cities on par with Mo City, containing astronomical wealth.
Furthermore, considering the high demand for Cloud Kingdom goods in the human realm, this value would double.
Zhang Wei held up a bottle of cola and said, "Alright, everyone disperse. We'll try the remaining ingredients tomorrow."
Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, savory, numbing, salty...
He even tasted dozens of condiments like mustard, but none could elicit a reaction from Zhang Wei.
It seemed his sense of taste and smell were truly gone.
Although Zhang Wei appeared relaxed, the bulging veins in his hands betrayed his mood.
Flames ignited...
Zhang Wei skillfully added oil and chopped vegetables... Dishes worthy of a King of Chefs appeared before everyone.
"There are many seriously injured in the camp, so I'll do my small part. You all try the taste."
"Given my current condition, I can't guarantee the taste."
Mo Du picked up his chopsticks.
He placed the dish in his mouth...
This taste!
No change whatsoever!
Mo Du exclaimed in shock, "Brother, your dishes are still so delicious! No change at all!"
If one had to mention a difference in taste, it was perhaps a slight lack of soul.
Zhang Wei shrugged, "Of course, I'm a modular chef."
No change...
That's right, Zhang Wei knew it himself.
And there would be no change in the future.
Including improvement or decline.
And innovation!
For someone as exceptionally talented as Zhang Wei, the inability to innovate or taste new flavors was the most despairing thing.
Now, Zhang Wei had only one thing to rely on...
Wuxiang!
The taste of Wuxiang, imbued with soul, brings new life!
Unfortunately, Wuxiang required a full four hundred days to complete its first replication.
And Zhang Wei's current state... he was no longer capable of personally preparing Wuxiang.
Combining hundreds of ingredients... Zhang Wei had to exert his full strength just to achieve it.
"Sigh... four hundred days of flavorlessness is like hell."
"Perhaps there's a method I haven't considered..."
Sitting alone in the ingredient room, Zhang Wei paused in thought.
"Head Chef, you'd better come over."
"What's the situation?"
"Some guests have arrived, and they might require your reception."
For me to receive them?
Zhang Wei was puzzled. With his current status, there was no one within the allied forces that he needed to personally meet.
Unless it was Mo Du, the Speaker of the Northern United Government... but what was there to receive from Mo Du?
He arrived at the reception hall.
There were four people in total. One of them was kneeling on the ground; it was Sonic, one of the commanders of the Cloud Kingdom!
The other three were, without a doubt:
The number one on the Black List: Tian Zui
Tian Zui's partner: Mr. Luo
The man with the bamboo basket on his back: Atlas
"The leader of the Black List... Tian Zui?"
Zhang Wei observed the blonde man before him. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in extremely simple, even tattered, clothing. Ignoring his attire, Tian Zui's aura was incredibly restrained, like a divine weapon hidden within its scabbard!
The other two were similar.
This feeling was something Zhang Wei had never experienced from anyone else! It was as if they belonged to an entirely different level of existence!
These three... were strong!
Unprecedentedly strong...
As soon as Tian Zui saw Zhang Wei, he exclaimed in surprise, "Such condensed food cells, a vital life force that seems tangible. How can someone like you be here?"
Zhang Wei was stunned, "Why can't I be here?"
Tian Zui apologized, "No, no, no. What I mean is, vibrant food cells like yours consume an astronomical amount of nutrients daily. It would be difficult to sustain your body's consumption solely with ingredients from the Green Light Zone."
Green Light Zone?
"What Green Light Zone? I'm not familiar with such a concept."
Tian Zui began to explain.
This planet could be roughly divided into three zones: the safe zone of the human realm, inhabited by a large population, where ingredient levels ranged only from 1-45. Ingredients above level 45 were extremely rare.
One must understand that a level one creature could contend with ten hunters armed with shotguns, and a level five creature could defeat a tank, although such a weapon had not yet been developed.
But one could imagine the destruction that a high-level creature entering a town could cause.
The so-called Green Light Zone was the safe zone.
Creatures above level 45 were scarce, making it suitable for human habitation.
However, for powerful gourmet hunters or individuals with particularly high metabolic rates, residing in the Green Light Zone long-term made it difficult to acquire enough nutrients to sustain their bodies.
The more food one needed to thrive and grow, the more food was required.
The Yellow Light Zone was a cautionary zone, with ingredient levels generally between 45-90, which could fully satisfy the needs of certain individuals.
The Red Light Zone was a danger zone, with ingredient levels above 90. It encompassed areas that served as buffers with the Gourmet World or were deeply influenced by it.
Within the true Gourmet World, ingredient levels generally exceeded 150, representing a truly hellish difficulty.
Zhang Wei nodded, gaining some understanding of a setting not present in the original manga.
In the original work, the protagonist's team's growth was rather fantastical, and the pacing in the later stages was somewhat distorted, leading to many details of the Gourmet World not being thoroughly explained.
As the two were conversing,
King Knight entered and immediately knelt before Tian Zui, saying, "Ninth on the Black List, King Knight pays his respects to the leader!"
He then stood up and bowed to Zhang Wei, "Greetings, Chef Zhang Wei."
Tian Zui was taken aback, "So you are Zhang Wei?"
Zhang Wei: ...
You didn't recognize me, yet you chatted with me for so long?