The great glacier was unrecognizable.
Countless black 'ants' crawled over it, using water and accumulated snow for construction.
The shape was that of a... five-fingered mountain?
And it was pointedly giving Zhang Wei the middle finger from afar!
Zhang Wei felt a deep sense of mockery.
He imagined the merchants who had traveled thousands of miles, only to meet the long-awaited land of ingredients, and then have someone give them a defiant middle finger...
"Damn it, this is making my blood pressure surge!"
As lightning flashed across the sky, Zhang Wei appeared, and a roar of cheers erupted from below!
The welcoming party immediately rushed out.
To his surprise, there were many familiar faces.
Nearly half of the 400 disciples were present, along with the original inhabitants of the glacier: Xifeng, Tang Zhihun, and Wuyong.
From the Northern Ten Heroes, there were the Magician, the Painted Face Tiger, and the Tailor.
He didn't see anyone from the Black List; perhaps it was related to the urgent recruitment mentioned by the Human Skin Doll.
Additionally, there were old friends from the Chef Competition, such as Jun Qing, Wolfgang, and Wuzi.
As Zhang Wei landed, Xifeng immediately came forward, "See? What do you think!"
Zhang Wei's face was a mask of black lines.
After a moment of awkward silence, he finally said, "I did say to spruce up the Great Glacier, but what kind of etiquette is a middle finger?"
"Middle finger?"
Xifeng scratched his head, "What middle finger? This is clearly a bunch of bananas, an upside-down bunch of bananas..."
More than half a month ago, Xifeng had received the instruction for renovation.
The Gourmet Bank...
Everyone brainstormed, eventually deciding to shape the glacier into the form of some ingredient. After much debate, the decision was made by drawing lots.
Numerous excellent proposals were rejected, and the final product was this bunch of bananas giving a middle finger.
...
It was truly, goddamn democratic!
"Get lost!"
Zhang Wei could no longer hold back his temper!
He spat in Xifeng's face.
"Cough cough~~ Chef Sir has been a bit hot-tempered lately."
Yes.
Very hot-tempered!
Zhang Wei's Heart Flame boiled, as fervent and surging as his emotions!
Among the crowd, the Painted Face Tiger, the Magician, and the Tailor from the Gang of Ten Heroes, all people of great insight, immediately exclaimed upon seeing the flame!
"Heart Fire!"
"Chef Zhang, a man of reason, has actually mastered the power of the mind!"
"Inconceivable!"
Zhang Wei didn't know much about Heart Fire and immediately asked for advice.
They each described the abilities of Heart Fire in their own words.
Firstly, it was a flame born from the heart, capable of strengthening the user based on their emotions, and inflicting a great deal of non-physical damage.
It could also be converted into conventional flames for use, with equally potent effects against enemies.
If one possessed sufficient skill, the flames could be imbued onto weapons and equipment, bestowing magical and mental power upon mundane objects.
In a sense, it was somewhat like Ghost Rider.
If this temperature-infused magic were used, it would be much more convenient for melting water and casting ice on the Great Glacier!
"Melting water and casting ice... for construction?"
Seeing the busy crowd, Zhang Wei decided to do something.
For engineering work, they would likely need beasts of burden to travel far and collect ice and snow.
With a flip of his hand, Zhang Wei summoned sixty Perfect-grade Ice Plain Yaks.
On the ice plains, nothing was more useful than these native creatures.
Xifeng's eyes widened, "Zhang Wei, what... what are these things!"
"Ice Plain Yaks, Capture Level 3, large transport vehicles known as the 'Ships of the Ice Plains'."
Looking at the Ice Plain Yaks, which weighed over ten tons and were as large as elephants,
Xifeng exclaimed, "These are Ice Plain Yaks?!"
This batch of Ice Plain Yaks stood 3.8 meters tall, weighed twelve tons, and were all robust and imposing, with horns that looked like works of art!
Their fur was glossy and radiated warmth, surpassing even that of ice foxes!
Most importantly, while strong male Ice Plain Yaks were notoriously ill-tempered, these were incredibly docile, like cows, and even quite affectionate towards humans...
"Such developed muscles, and immense strength!"
"To capture one of these, a level seven would be impossible!"
"Although they look similar, these are definitely not Ice Plain Yaks, but an entirely new species!"
The people around them immediately took out their notebooks and began recording the creatures' forms.
They also added the discoverer, Zhang Wei!
In the Great Gourmet Era, discovering new ingredient species was a cause for great celebration, and discoverers would be featured in journals.
The Four Heavenly Kings in the original manga earned their titles precisely because they discovered an abundance of new ingredients, not because of their strength.
Zhang Wei mused, "Are they still a bit too exaggerated... The repeated storage has made their appearance practically perfect. If I continue to expand my storage, they will indeed be considered a new species."
However, there was no reproductive isolation between Zhang Wei's Ice Plain Yaks and ordinary Ice Plain Yaks, and all of these were bulls...
Selling breeding bulls would be far more profitable than selling beef bulls!
No camel caravan could refuse such excellent specimens!
Jun Qing said, "Could we butcher one and sample its flavor?"
After all, in this era, taste was everything.
"No problem."
The most important attribute of the Treasured Hall's selection was also taste!
Jun Qing, also a highly skilled chef, took out several knives. In just a few dozen seconds, he had butchered an Ice Plain Yak and completed the entire process of bleeding, skinning, and dismembering.
Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow.
Jun Qing's skills had improved considerably!
From the yak's chest, Jun Qing cut a thin slice of meat...
He immediately exclaimed, "The meat's marbling is distinct, like falling frost and snow, bursting with juice, tender and Q-bouncy... Visually, it's simply superb! Even looking at it is appetizing!"
Saying so, Jun Qing placed the raw beef into his mouth and chewed carefully.
Mmm~
Delicious!
The fat instantly melted in his mouth, and the aroma of the beef rushed to his nose, yet there was no hint of gaminess.
So delicious even without any preparation!
"It's simply perfect for sashimi!"
"With a touch of soy sauce to enhance the flavor, the ingredients alone would make a remarkable dish!"
"Judging by this taste, it's no less than a Capture Level 15 Frostfall Ox!"
Frostfall Oxen were small in stature, making their meat exceptionally tender, and they were renowned for their Frostfall beef.
However, a single Frostfall Ox could only yield 50 kilograms of high-quality beef...
Whereas this Perfect-grade Ice Plain Yak had a meat yield of at least 30%!
This meant it could produce 3600 kilograms of high-quality beef!
This was not a cow, it was a veritable goldmine!
Zhang Wei contemplated, "I've slaughtered over a thousand of two tribes of Ice Plain Yaks. Their combined advantages must produce a truly astonishing effect!"
"It seems I've underestimated the boost my culinary skills receive from Perfect-grade ingredients."
The bones of a Level 3 Gallant Tiger were sold for 30 Beli, which was already the limit for Level 3 ingredients. Furthermore, the yield of tiger bones was low, thus the price was somewhat higher.
Ordinary Ice Plain Yak beef, on the other hand, sold for only 12-15 Beli. A single yak could produce 400 kilograms of good meat, and the entire Ice Plain Yak was priced around 7000 Beli, equivalent to 350,000 yuan in his previous life!
And this one...