No one else bid against Zhang Wei at that price, so the transaction was completed smoothly with the delivery of the electric banana and the thunderclap bun.
Before leaving, Lord Claude cautioned, "Mr. Zhang at the hamburger shop has a lot of influence and is also quite petty. He might hold a grudge against you for stealing the shells with your octopus tentacles this time."
"Thank you for the reminder, my lord," Zhang Wei replied.
"Hahaha, I'm used to your meat ingredients, and I don't want to stop our cooperation," Lord Claude chuckled. "By the way, what level is that octopus?"
Lord Claude's expression turned serious. "Six-star!"
Six-star… That was a formidable strength. Wolfgang, Uzi Clugius of Dili He Xian, and Yun Shang Zhen Jun were all around that level. Qian Xue, Gang Ze Xiao Quan, and Hei Cheng Ze were even stronger, likely around seven-star. Tang Zhi Hun had initially been four-star, but after Zhang Wei's guidance, he now possessed five-star culinary skills, a remarkably rapid improvement.
***
After bidding farewell to Lord Claude, Zhang Wei returned to Kench's Home Meat Ingredients. He nodded with satisfaction as he surveyed the newly added ingredients in the treasure hall.
"I've basically gathered everything. I can start experimenting with the recipes."
"With the goal of enhancing physical fitness, this dish should be classified as medicinal cuisine."
"Calculating the time, the immortal gourd should be ready for harvest soon..."
"However, given the value of the immortal gourd, any attempt to seize it would undoubtedly cause a massive stir, and Tam's current identity might not be able to withstand it."
"Perhaps I can wait until Gang Tu returns before making a move."
As time drew near, Zhang Wei casually prepared some food and pushed his food cart towards the Mortal Ascension Palace. To maintain a comparable level of skill, Zhang Wei deliberately suppressed his own culinary prowess, omitting several steps. For Zhang Wei, this was an agonizing act, robbing him of even a shred of joy in cooking.
He pushed the food into the core area. "Mr. Tam, welcome, welcome."
Zhang Wei made small talk. "Why the double portion today? Do you have guests?"
"Oh, let me introduce you."
Inside, indeed, there was an exceptionally distinguished stranger. Zhang Wei turned and his eyes widened. A two-headed ogre? Seated on a chair was an extremely corpulent, burly man with two heads perched on his shoulders, one large and one small. The smaller head was sharp-featured and monkey-like, with silver ram horns. The larger head was green-faced and fanged, with golden bull horns. He was bare-chested, covered in thick hair. His trousers were tied with thick Japanese ropes and a waist sash, and his geta sandals revealed his enormous toes. While mutated beings often had peculiar appearances, there were usually some limits, weren't there?
Lord Claude explained, "Don't be surprised. Mr. Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao have been conjoined since birth, and strictly speaking, they are the highest-ranking officials of the Mortal Ascension Palace." The Mortal Ascension Palace was state property, staffed by noble officials.
The silver-horned head let out a sinister, high-pitched chuckle. "Heh heh heh~ Catfish Fatty, you seem quite afraid of us brothers!"
Zhang Wei was stunned! The characteristic villainous laughter had appeared! After so long traversing this world, he had finally encountered a true villain! Just as Zhang Wei was pondering how to defeat him and fulfill his mission, the gold-horned head grumbled, "Tam, is it? Thank you for taking care of everyone's appetites these past few days. I'll increase your wages by ten percent."
"Thank you."
Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao stood up. Four gourds of entirely different colors and styles were tied to their waists, emitting a dull sound as they swayed. "Since you're here, let's have a drink together."
With that, Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao produced the first gourd. It was pure white, slender in shape, with the character "酒" (wine) written in black ink on its front.
There were fifteen lords, plus Zhang Wei, making a total of eighteen cups. The small gourd produced an endless stream of liquid, filling every single cup. "A spatial artifact, then. The immortal gourd's value to me is diminished."
Zhang Wei raised his cup in a toast and took a small sip. "The alcohol content is around 19 degrees, with a rich aroma and a complex flavor profile!" Beer, fruit wine, sorghum wine, sugarcane wine, rice wine… Each was familiar yet entirely distinct.
Zhang Wei marveled, "What a magical taste! What is this wine called?"
Yin Jiao sneered, narrowing his small eyes. "How is it? Are you feeling dizzy? You should cherish this wine. This single sip is a one-of-a-kind treasure."
"Oh~ Home-brewed?" Home-brewed referred to random, unscaled brewing methods that relied on chance. Due to the lack of a fixed recipe, the flavors were bizarre, and production was limited. Even when an exceptionally good wine was made, it was difficult to replicate.
Lord Claude chuckled and explained, "It's a wine gourd! This item has brought us quite a few surprises."
"Wine gourd..."
"This is a gourd grown on the immortal vine. After it matures, it is processed using secret methods to produce various effects."
"So, this one is for storing wine?"
"No, it's for brewing!" Lord Claude explained. "As long as you put the brewing ingredients and water into the wine gourd, it will ferment naturally inside, eventually forming the liquid. The taste will vary depending on the ingredients."
"Impressive. So this wine gourd also has spatial properties? How much can it hold?"
"You'll have to ask Mr. Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao about that. But at the last gathering, we drank eighteen jars of wine, and the gourd wasn't emptied."
Eighteen jars or more... Including the starter cultures and ingredients, the volume inside this wine gourd would be at least five cubic meters. Not that large, then.
Lord Claude continued, "Furthermore, this wine gourd brews incredibly fast. Put in rice and wheat on the first day, and you can drink it on the third day. It's more than ten times faster than natural fermentation!"
"Amazing, truly a good thing."
Jin Jiao cleared his throat and reprimanded, "Claude, you talk too much!" Although he feigned sternness, Jin Jiao couldn't conceal his pride! Clearly, Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao didn't care about revealing information about the immortal gourd, or perhaps it was common knowledge.
Zhang Wei feigned curiosity. "Mr. Jin Jiao, tell me more about this gourd. I promise not to spread it!"
"This..."
"I've received a lot of excellent ingredients recently. Tomorrow, I'll make something special for you all!"
Lord Claude immediately chimed in, "I can vouch for that. I've seen Mr. Tam frequently at the food plaza recently, and he has indeed acquired many good things. I've preliminarily calculated, he's spent at least several million Bailey."
Jin Jiao expressed surprise. "Several million? That's not a small sum."
"More than that! The two rainbow fruits he brought back today are Tam's prized possessions!"
Yin Jiao, still sharp-tongued, directly questioned, "You're a level four chef. Working yourself to the bone all year, you only make about two million Bailey. How could you possibly have such treasures? Heh heh, are you smuggling?"
The atmosphere instantly became tense.