It was impossible to imagine that within this amber, as large as a tire, a whale was preserved!
Then, the nature of this amber became obvious!
"This outer layer of amber is whale blubber! Whale oil!"
"No wonder the fishy smell is so intense! It's compressed..."
According to the description, ancient dried fish had a history of tens of thousands of years.
After such a long time, anything that could be preserved must have some unique structure!
It was unrealistic to maintain its original volume.
It was said that whales had a habit of choosing specific burial grounds. If they didn't want to be devoured after death, they would choose to hide in places with extremely high salinity, like the Dead Sea or salt ponds.
This way, the carcass would be sealed by salt!
Curing, perhaps...
"But why would a whale carcass appear at the very peak of the Hengduan Mountains?"
"The rate of geological change is too fast."
The Great Gourmet Era.
Nothing could be judged by conventional standards.
Precisely and perfectly rubbing off the outer layer of ambergris, then dismantling and slicing the small whale inside, a system prompt immediately sounded.
[Collection complete: Ancient Dried Fish]
[Replication time: 85 days]
Continue!
[Replication time: 72... 46... 28...]
"Tsk, tsk, a pity it's still too little."
"But it's fine. If I search this place clean, collecting fifty will be easy."
The entire mountaintop spanned 3,000 square kilometers.
And Zhang Wei had only explored less than ten square kilometers.
How many more precious ingredients were yet to be discovered!
Not long after, the skin doll hurried back...
She walked up to Zhang Wei and said, "Master Chef... I think you should come and see... I've found a very interesting place."
"Here, I'm not surprised..."
...
The two walked for about ten kilometers and arrived at the entrance of a cave.
[Discoverable Ingredient Found: Cave Guardian]
[Capture Level: 45]
[Type: Insectoid]
[Description: Inhabiting caves overgrown with poisonous plants, their bodies resemble scorpions and they dislike sunlight and wind.
They are protected by sturdy armor, and their venomous stingers are filled with venom that can rot flesh. If struck, a creature of the same level will almost certainly be killed.
Their bodies are too fragmented, with very poor meat quality. However, the meat from their six legs and claws is a delicacy, with a flavor entirely different from crab!]
As Zhang Wei approached the cave, he received a system notification.
Around the cave entrance, there were seven or eight scorpions, three meters long, their carapaces crushed by immense force, and their venomous stingers removed.
"Did you do this?"
The skin doll said, "I couldn't resist the temptation. Their venom is of a superior quality I've never seen before. I lost control for a moment..."
"It's alright, there will be many more here."
These couldn't be wasted either. Although they lacked venomous stingers and their appearance was somewhat compromised...
However, the fact that the skin doll could effortlessly defeat seven level 45 beasts showed that her strength had indeed improved greatly.
The skin doll continued, "When I was exploring here earlier, it was overcast and the sun was hidden. A dazzling golden light emanated from the cave! I felt there must be something good inside."
"However, there are also many ferocious beasts inside. I encountered more than ten Cave Guardians within the first hundred meters. In order to be cautious, I decided to retreat."
Zhang Wei nodded, "You did well."
This place could already be considered a yellow-light zone, with creatures above level 40 appearing everywhere. Based on the food chain ecosystem, there were likely numerous creatures exceeding level 60!
And the skin doll's cellular level was probably in the range of 60-65.
However, her combat skills were extremely formidable, and her combat experience was exceptionally rich and varied. Ordinary, dull, and weak wild beasts could not inflict effective damage on her.
The cave was enormous.
It would be normal for a Boeing passenger jet to fly into it.
Everything in the cave was also magnified. Guardian beasts tens of meters in size were common.
But this was not a problem for Zhang Wei. He could defeat them effortlessly without even using ten percent of his strength.
"Golden light shining... I didn't see it."
The skin doll said sternly, "Believe me, I would never be mistaken about such a detail!"
"When I passed by here, I truly saw an extremely dazzling golden light from within the cave! It was very striking!"
They progressed relentlessly.
Zhang Wei provided protection throughout.
The system did not provide any prompts for the poisonous herbs, which had no culinary value. However, the skin doll, with her professional knowledge, managed to find many top-tier toxic substances.
Poisonous herbs...
Poisonous minerals...
Poisonous meat...
The skin doll was like a busy little bee!
"Is that enough? Shall we continue?"
The skin doll bowed respectfully, "Master Chef Zhang, these toxic substances have greatly improved me! If it weren't for you, I don't think I would have obtained them so easily."
"It's a small matter."
After walking another two to three thousand meters, the sunlight became weaker.
Illuminating moss and mushrooms appeared on the walls on both sides.
As the two cautiously explored, a golden light suddenly flashed from ahead.
Zhang Wei quickly shielded his eyes, but the golden light disappeared in an instant...
"Intermittent flashing?"
"Strange... how can such a conspicuous ingredient survive?"
The cave became increasingly humid.
Stalactites dripped with thick white liquid...
The dripping water formed streams, which eventually converged into a crystal-clear pool at the farthest end, leading to the deepest part of the cave.
"Lightning!"
As lightning flashed, the distant scene became clear.
In the quiet pool, there was a solitary island, about 200 square meters in size.
At the center of the island stood a single, emerald green plant stem, bearing only one strawberry.
The strawberry was about the size of a coffee table, its base slightly white, and its tip a vibrant, alluring red. The entire strawberry was glistening and tender.
"This... its appearance!"
Zhang Wei wiped his mouth...
Just by looking at it, he knew this strawberry would taste absolutely top-tier!
The two exchanged glances and took a step back...
Just kidding, this was too obvious.
In such a perilous cave, with countless poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, why was this conspicuous strawberry able to grow so vibrantly?
Was it specifically waiting for Zhang Wei to pick it?
Zhang Wei waved his hand and summoned a chunk of fresh meat, not a high-level one, but a mass-produced item from the Treasury.
He tossed it from afar...
There was no reaction...
"Hmm? Strange."
"Is it too light, or does it require a vegetarian dish?"
Saying that, Zhang Wei took out a spherical potato. Zhang Wei had collected this item tens of thousands of times, and it had expanded from its original normal size to over a thousand times its size.
It was about the size of a small car, weighing around 1500 jin.
He tossed it from afar...
There was no reaction...
"Hmm?"
"Doll, what do you think the principle behind this is?"
The skin doll pondered, "Do you think this danger is very intelligent? If we stand here, it won't come out rashly?"
The two concluded that the final defense mechanism would appear when they tried to pick the strawberry!