Leaving Progress City, Zhang Wei traveled along the west coast, visiting various cities.
Haru accompanied him, and along the long stretch of the west coast's land-sea interface, Haru's reputation proved quite useful.
First stop. Black Furnace Fortress, atop cliffs and volcanoes.
Legend has it that Black Furnace Fortress was formed by volcanic eruptions from the seabed, but geologists have determined it to be a mountain range that rose due to rapid crustal changes.
Here, turbulent seas meet rising flames, creating a natural "Mandarin Duck Hot Pot" in the ocean, a delicacy famous for miles.
Furthermore, the residents here, utilizing free flames and heat, have extensively developed heavy industries. With technology introduced from Progress City, their development has accelerated in recent years.
Brick production and metallurgy are particularly significant.
Haru volunteered, "Leave this to me. You should attend to your own business. Wait for my good news tomorrow."
Zhang Wei asked suspiciously, "Aren't you planning to be an intermediary and pocket the profits?"
"Some things are best left unsaid."
"I didn't expect you to have the potential of a shady building materials dealer."
It was normal for Haru to leverage his reputation to gain some benefits.
Zhang Wei didn't mind.
He decided to use the free time to consider the issues of stone and timber.
These two building materials were abundant in the northern lands, but still insufficient for Zhang Wei's needs.
He plunged into the sea…
"Such cold seawater, is it because we're near the north?"
"This seawater's taste… it's so light!"
"Only a hint of salt, like a subtly seasoned broth, with the flavors of fresh mushrooms and shrimp!"
According to the map, the seawater here should be a tributary flowing from the Culinary World, emerging here like a fountain through undersea currents, a masterpiece of nature.
Indeed, a blessed place where the seawater is directly drinkable.
[Discoverable Ingredient: Geoduck Clam]
[Capture Level: 12]
[Type: Marine Bivalve]
[Description: A type of seafood with very fleshy meat. Apart from its shell, 80% is edible.]
[Description 2: Possesses considerable combat power. Its shell is sturdy, and it can eject high-pressure water bullets from its siphon, far more powerful than a tank's main gun, with a wide-ranging shockwave effect!]
Zhang Wei exclaimed, "Holy crap, what a perverse-looking creature!"
"The shape of this siphon, no matter how you look at it, is… lewd!"
No need to say more, it's being collected!
Zhang Wei's seafood collection was indeed scarce.
[Discoverable Ingredient: Ghost Ship Fungus]
[Capture Level: 25]
[Type: Parasitic]
[Description 1: A type of marine mushroom that attaches to shipwrecks. It's delicious but slightly toxic, causing hallucinations upon consumption!]
[Description 2: Ships infested by it occasionally surface, luring unsuspecting humans to eat it, then sinking to the seabed to become nourishment for its spores.]
Not bad, not bad.
Another rather sinister ingredient.
Although it has some toxicity, it would be fine if handled properly.
[Discoverable Ingredient: Puffy Pufferfish]
[Capture Level: 27]
[Description: A non-toxic pufferfish. Like all pufferfish, its taste is top-tier among its peers.]
[Description 2: When encountering unavoidable danger, the Puffy Pufferfish will absorb vast amounts of seawater relentlessly until its internal organs bleed into the water, transforming it into a terrifying explosive, destroying itself and everything around it.]
As expected of a Puffy Pufferfish!
It truly explodes when there's trouble!
Among these, the Geoduck Clam was the easiest to deal with. Such a creature with strong offense and defense would find it difficult to resist higher-level organisms.
In Zhang Wei's eyes, its proud water jet was like a tickle, merely slowing his progress.
After closing the distance, a gentle punch from Zhang Wei, utilizing the principle of oscillation, could stun it. Within a few hours, he collected over a hundred, compressing the replication time to a mere day.
He only stopped when there were no more to be found on the nearby beaches.
Ghost Ship Fungus was rarer and more difficult to collect.
After all, the number of shipwrecks was limited, and not all of them would transform into Ghost Ship Fungus.
Zhang Wei busied himself for half a day and only found four ships, but he managed to compress the replication time to 25 days, which wasn't too long.
The keel, deck, cabins, and masts of the ships needed processing. After completely collecting them, he obtained over a ton of 'water mushrooms'!
"Ghost Ship Fungus is suitable for pan-frying and grilling. I can try it next time I prepare roasted meat."
"It's said to have a flavor superior to pork belly."
The last one was the Puffy Pufferfish, and this was Zhang Wei's first mishap.
As soon as he approached, the Puffy Pufferfish glanced at Zhang Wei and immediately began to inflate without a word!
In an instant, it swelled to the size of a truck…
Zhang Wei sighed, "Just a glance was enough to realize it couldn't resist? How vigilant!"
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave created a bubble cavity in the seawater, followed by surging water that ripped through stone, churning up a large amount of turbidity.
"Puffy Pufferfish are far more dangerous than whale sharks. A shockwave of this magnitude would gravely injure even the initial Haru. A level 27 creature is this exaggerated."
"However… it's impossible to stump me!"
…
Half an hour later.
A Puffy Pufferfish was leisurely foraging near the coastline. Its teeth were sharp, capable of crushing the shells of crabs and shrimp, and it occasionally ate slow-moving fish.
It also consumed algae, sea grasses, insect larvae, and other small creatures, having a varied diet.
However, most creatures were familiar with the temperament of the Puffy Pufferfish, and few predators dared to provoke it.
Just then, the water flow in the distance churned!
The Puffy Pufferfish tensed, almost starting to inflate again…
Upon closer inspection, it was a piece of fish!
!!
Heavens!
A moving piece of fish!
Strictly speaking, it was a fish tail, with a bloody severance and the distinct scent of eggs that it loved!
Upon closer examination, it was the tail of a Giant Clownfish, one of the Puffy Pufferfish's favorite foods, with a capture level of only three!
The Puffy Pufferfish's meager brain cells couldn't comprehend the situation.
But it knew that deliciousness had arrived!
Who in this sea dared to compete with the Puffy Pufferfish?
The Puffy Pufferfish immediately rushed over and began to devour it at lightning speed with its small mouth!
So fragrant!
Not just ordinary fish meat, it even had its favorite shrimp paste, crab roe, and eggs, which only land creatures could enjoy!
So delicious!
Just as it finished gnawing through the skin, a humanoid creature emerged from the fish meat, exclaiming, "Pleasantly surprised!"
A flash of lightning struck, and the Puffy Pufferfish was honorably knocked unconscious…
In its last moments of consciousness, the Puffy Pufferfish was still pondering how this parasite on the fish meat grew so bizarrely…