Entering the Hall of Treasures.
A giant, round, golden, shining ball of potato appeared on the display stand.
From its appearance, it was clearly not a potato grown in nature, but rather resembled a golden pearl magnified countless times.
"This appearance alone could dominate ingredients of level twenty!"
"But why on earth does it still shine?"
Zhang Wei removed the ball potato he had duplicated today. As soon as his hand touched it, the potato skin was unexpectedly peeled off!
The potato skin... was so thin!
And it could be peeled off solely by the friction of fingerprints!
"It must be that after too many repetitions of storage, the advantages of certain mutants within the species were preserved."
"While the defects of the mutants were concealed by the advantages of other ball potatoes, leading to such perfection!"
Without its skin, the potato lost its ostentatious golden hue.
The potato flesh within became like yellow jade, shimmering under the firelight.
The entire potato weighed about 200 kilograms, about the size of a coffee table. If it were displayed, no one would believe it was just an ordinary ball potato!
Scooping out a small portion, about 150 grams, Zhang Wei placed it directly into his mouth...
This was a method of appraising ingredients. Many vegetables needed to be eaten raw before cooking to ascertain their flavor.
*Snap~*
*Snap~*
The texture was crisp, with no bitterness whatsoever.
Within the slightly sticky, viscous liquid, there was a hint of sweetness...
This was no longer a vegetable. With this quality, it could even be eaten as fruit!
"So this is what happens when a common ingredient is repeatedly stored, reaching such heights!"
"Let's see how it fares in cooking."
...
Within the Allied Forces.
Ever since Zhang Wei's arrival, mealtimes had felt like festivals.
Unlike ordinary chefs, Zhang Wei possessed no arrogance or haughtiness, nor did he hoard his skills. Following in his footsteps brought unexpected surprises every day.
"Chairman Mo Du, new reinforcements have arrived."
"Again?"
"Yes."
"How many?"
"Approximately five thousand. They are coming from the western front, voluntarily, hoping to rest within Yu City."
"Thoroughly screen them. If there are no issues, let them in."
"Understood!"
Mo Du sighed heavily.
Spreading out various documents, countless pieces of intelligence indicated that a confrontation of the century was imminent!
The pressure of this conflict, which concerned the life and death of countless beings, made Mo Du feel breathless.
Opening a classified red file, which contained the most accurate information on rear deployments, strategy, and operations.
'The New Expeditionary Army of eighty thousand will arrive in three batches shortly.'
'The second round of material dispatch from the Northern Territories, approximately 2.5 million tons of grain, is stored atop Sun Peak.'
'The Ten Heroes of the North...'
'Current intelligence on the Cloud Kingdom, troop deployment schematic...'
...
Looking at these, Mo Du lamented, "So troublesome!"
"The Chairman is truly exhausted. I miss the days when I was an executive."
The Kitchen.
Zhang Wei was directing a group of chefs at work.
An assistant chef said, "Head Chef, a new batch of reinforcements has entered Yu City, about five thousand people."
"Just five thousand sets of cutlery."
"And also, many of these people are captured chefs and spectators from the competition. I've brought them over to help."
"Alright, we're short-handed right now."
At this point, Zhang Wei was no longer maintaining his illusionary transformation.
After Haru's arrival, everything was revealed. With Chu Xiang's death, Mo Du no longer had to feign politeness with his enemy day in and day out.
The new representative of the Black List was the ninth-ranked Knight King, someone Zhang Wei had never met before.
Zhang Wei raised his voice slightly, "First dish!"
"Crispy fried potato strips, served with a sweet sauce made from juicy tomatoes!"
"I've already peeled and cut the potato skins. Everyone just needs to julienne them. Make sure to strictly control the oil temperature and heat as I've instructed!"
Zhang Wei directed the many chefs.
Then, a group of people silently appeared beside Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei turned around, startled, then broke into a smile, "It's been a long time, everyone."
"Zhang Wei."
"I know you all have a lot to say. Let's have a drink together."
...
In a small room next to the kitchen.
Zhang Wei had meticulously prepared several dishes filled with memories.
Full Garou Tiger Feast, Falling Rain Fruit Platter, Crock-simmered Whole Beef, Mountain of Meat Barbecue...
And some clear spring wine, a specialty available only in the Great Glacier.
After pouring the wine, Zhang Wei gestured for everyone to be seated.
"Everyone, I trust you are well."
Before Zhang Wei were the members of the Century Treasures Association.
Security Department: Wu Yong.
President: Xi Feng.
Head Chef: Tang Zhi Hun.
Human Resources Department: Luo De.
Luo De, in particular, was responsible for managing laborers and was Zhang Wei's former superior.
Wu Yong said, "I never dared to imagine that the King of Northern Chefs was really you. That day, when you made Warrior's Blood, you specifically asked me to taste it, didn't you?"
"Of course, why let good fortune slip away to outsiders."
Zhang Wei's illusionary transformation, along with Chu Xiang's death, had spread.
It was now common knowledge.
Wu Yong said, "It was you who defeated Bruce and took the Rainbow Fruit back then?"
"It was me."
Xi Feng said, "The mysterious disappearance of Yi Ze from the Secret Realm Explorers Association, that was your doing too, wasn't it?"
"It was me."
Tang Zhi Hun said, "That mysterious chef hidden in the Great Glacier, who guided me to complete the Spirit Resonance Five Animal Soup, was also you?"
"It was me."
Everything.
It all made sense.
Zhang Wei pointed at the food, "Are we just going to talk? Aren't you going to eat something? I've wanted to have you taste these dishes for a long time."
The food on the table was extremely abundant.
It was important to remember that each of Zhang Wei's main courses was equivalent to an entire culinary set.
Tang Zhi Hun picked up a clay pot, inhaling the mingled aroma of beef brisket, tomatoes, tendons, and offal.
"Is this the crock-simmered soup that Bruce drank?"
"I was so close to tasting it back then..."
Tang Zhi Hun then took a portion of the barbecued tiger meat and the specially paired tiger blood wine.
Using exquisite grilling techniques and appropriate seasonings to remove the gamey, sour taste of the tiger meat, then using the tiger blood wine to create a secondary flavor pairing that awakened dormant culinary cells.
"These dishes... feel like yesterday."
Zhang Wei merely sighed, "Time passes so quickly."
In a blink of an eye, it had been over half a year since his transmigration.
He vaguely recalled his caution and the novelty of exploring a new world when he first arrived.
Tang Zhi Hun took out a piece of beast hide scroll from his embrace, this was the culinary art Zhang Wei had taught him.
"All I want to know now is why you chose to stay in the Great Glacier, and why you taught me these things. What... do you truly want?"
What do I want?
I transmigrated to the Great Glacier, where else could I go!
Zhang Wei said, "You want to ask if my purpose in going to the Great Glacier was to plot for that Gastronomy Display Window."
"Am I correct?"