With a stable working environment, Zhang Wei began to dismantle the Lover's Coral.
"Processing ingredients..."
"This is the highest-level and most difficult ingredient I've ever processed!"
Previously, the ingredients Zhang Wei had encountered were at most level 40-50. The 52-level Icefield Giant Dragon Wings were currently among Zhang Wei's highest-level dishes.
The difficulty of this level 85 Lover's Coral could be imagined.
"National Chef."
"Seven Blades, Sixth: Gentle Blade!"
Each cut was extremely light and precise.
A gentle flow of water would carry away the fine particles scraped from the coral.
This uniquely shaped coral was gigantic, making it incredibly difficult to find 'Lover's Meat' within it.
In the National Chef state, Zhang Wei endured immense strain every second!
*Pop~*
With a soft sound, the Gentle Blade pierced the hard calcium carbonate shell of the coral, dislodging a few fragments.
A stream of pale pink, mushy meat flowed out from the coral...
[Warning: Storage Failed!]
[Incomplete Ingredient Information Acquired!]
Damn it!
He had been so careful!
Yet, at the final step, he had pierced that thin white outer layer!
The coral shell, harder than steel, was pressed tightly against a membrane as thin as paper. This was far more difficult than peeling a raw egg in 'A World Without Thieves'!
The pinkish mush dispersed in the water.
A wonderfully dreamy, slightly sweet aroma filled his nostrils and mouth. In an instant, Zhang Wei's mind flashed through his past and present lives.
Several girlfriends from Blue Star...
That sexy female chef from the Dark Culinary World in 'Chūka Ichiban'...
The tsundere young lady from 'Shokugeki no Soma'...
And the present, with its melodious, light laughter.
Zhang Wei felt a point within him being touched. Those feelings he had once bid farewell to returned, along with many small splendors beyond his culinary skills.
This sweet taste...
"It's been so long since I've enjoyed this!"
"The level 85 Lover's Coral truly lives up to its name. Even the diluted essence in the lake water after the ingredient was damaged possesses such a fantastical flavor..."
"Among all the ingredients I've encountered... you are undoubtedly the first!"
The Silver Apple had a bland taste, not a quality ingredient.
The Bronze Apple tasted quite good, but it was leagues behind the Lover's Coral.
Even the Jellyfish Deer, the Fantasy Vegetables of the Cloud Country, and the Rainbow Fruit from the Great Glacier, all acquired recently, couldn't compare! Even a slight trace of it could completely permeate one's heart.
The barrier set up by the Human Skin Doll occupied a space of dozens of cubic meters. A single piece of Lover's Meat was only two to three hundred grams.
This meant it had been diluted at least a hundred thousand times!
These tens of cubic meters of lake water had turned pink.
"Mmm~~~~"
A strange sound emanated from the Human Skin Doll's mouth.
Zhang Wei immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is maintaining this form difficult?"
"It's nothing..."
Facing a top-tier ingredient, Zhang Wei didn't have time to think too much.
Continue working!
He tapped the coral, using the echoes to pinpoint the location of the second piece of 'Lover's Meat'.
"Seven Blades, Gentle Blade."
Although the seventh blade, the Dexterous Blade, was more refined, it was entirely unsuitable for processing such an extremely hard shell.
[Warning: Storage Failed!]
[Incomplete Ingredient Information Acquired!]
Failure again!
The pinkish hue in the water intensified.
He summoned some oxygen, shared it with the Human Skin Doll, and Zhang Wei focused his mind to continue working!
[Warning: Storage Failed!]
[Incomplete Ingredient Information Acquired!]
...
[Warning: Storage Failed!]
[Incomplete Ingredient Information Acquired!]
...
The consecutive failures did not discourage Zhang Wei; instead, they provided him with immense experience, making his movements faster!
As for the high consumption of the National Chef state...
Zhang Wei waved his hand, summoning an ordinary Bronze Apple, and within moments, he peeled and consumed it!
"Delicious..."
"The Bronze Apple seems to be an excellent pairing with the Lover's Meat. The crisp apple, tinged with a unique sweetness... completely brings out the characteristics of the Lover's Meat!"
He already had three perfect-grade Bronze Apples. He had about 170 ordinary ones. With Zhang Wei's current strength, ordinary Bronze Apples were more than sufficient; perfect-grade ones would be too wasteful.
Continue!
The Gentle Blade, imbued with golden light, rapidly circled the coral...
[Storage Complete: Lover's Meat]
[Capture Level: 85]
[Replication Time: 170 days]
Success!
A soft, pink, sausage-like object floated in the water. Through the delicate membrane, one could see the tender, translucent flesh within.
Wonderful!
For a moment, Zhang Wei dared not put it into the Treasure Hall, fearing that it might be damaged the moment it left the water.
"By the way... can this be eaten raw?"
"Human Skin Doll, would you like some?"
The latter took a while to respond, then said in a strange voice, "No... I'm not really in a convenient situation right now."
"That's odd..."
Continue!
[Warning: Storage Failed!]
[Incomplete Ingredient Information Acquired!]
...
[Storage Complete: Lover's Meat!]
...
[Storage Failed]
...
[Storage Complete]
...
Zhang Wei's success rate was gradually increasing. After two more failures, Zhang Wei had completely mastered all the details!
He replicated it over a dozen times in succession!
[Storage Complete: Lover's Meat]
[Replication Time: 85 days]
Zhang Wei sighed, "Still too little!"
He took out a container from the Treasure Hall, pushed the dozen or so floating sausages into it, and placed it along with the water and container into the right side chamber.
However, Zhang Wei kept three of them to eat raw.
Zhang Wei's sense of taste had recovered considerably, allowing him to perceive the deliciousness of food. Furthermore, for a chef, analyzing the taste of ingredients and finding their 'partners' or 'companions' was the most important task.
The prerequisite for all this was a thorough understanding of the ingredient.
The Forget-Me-Not Water he had captured earlier was a type of seasoning, and Zhang Wei had drunk a whole cup of it!
He brought a soft sausage to his lips.
He pressed his soft lips firmly against it and then inhaled...
All the tender, mushy meat inside the pink sausage entered his mouth. In the end, he didn't even leave the outer membrane!
Delicious!
A deliciousness that permeated his body and soul!
An emotion, originating from the depths of his heart, primal and sincere, surged once more, forming a wonderful pairing with the exquisite taste of the Lover's Meat.
Even Zhang Wei, a rational person, felt a joy akin to being willing to wage war for the sake of beauty.
After a while...
"Damn it, I was completely immersed in the taste and didn't do any analysis at all."
"No, I need another one."
"Doll, would you like one?"
The latter's condition seemed worse. After stammering for a long time, she neither agreed nor refused.
"Never mind, then I'll eat it first." Anyway, there were still over a dozen left in the right side chamber of the Treasure Hall. If she wanted to eat one later, it would be the same to take it out then.
Saying that, Zhang Wei slurped.
He ate the second one.
The third...
"This feeling... it's a bit intoxicating..."