Zhang Wei felt helpless. In reality, Mo Du had only been inside for twenty-something days, but the side hall had a time flow difference of over thirty times, making Mo Du feel like two years had passed.
Zhang Wei was actually tired of delivering food every day, but Mo Du recognized Zhang Wei because he had previously practiced the Illusory Form Technique.
Moreover, the differing time flows between the two realms would inevitably expose the secret of the Treasure Hall.
Just as Zhang Wei was scratching his head, Mo Du suddenly said, "Find something for me to do."
"Something?"
"Anything, I beg you."
Zhang Wei stroked his chin and said, "Speaking of things to do, I actually need your help with something."
"What?"
"How about being a test subject for medicines? Don't worry, with my modulation, there's no life-threatening danger."
Mo Du exclaimed in surprise, "Thank you! You're truly a good person!"
Zhang Wei: ?
What kind of Stockholm Syndrome is this?
Is the willpower of the martial artists in this world too weak? Has two years of loneliness driven him mad?
But Zhang Wei didn't know that the side hall was highly isolated, without time, day and night, or sound… it was a hundred times more lonely than a regular prison.
Leaving the side hall, Zhang Wei changed into his formal chef attire.
Since Zhang Wei arrived in this world, he had collected over a hundred types of ingredients, but only four new dishes.
[Clay Pot Stewed Whole Ox, Replication Time: 1 day]
[Garong Tiger Feast, Replication Time: 1.3 days]
[Falling Rain Fruit Platter, Replication Time: 1.8 days]
[Meat Mountain Barbecue, Replication Time: 2 days]
During this period, Zhang Wei had replicated these four dishes hundreds of times, significantly compressing the replication time.
However, although the four dishes were nutritious, Zhang Wei was already sick of them, and even the food cells within his body were starting to react with rejection.
"It's time to make some new dishes!"
"The Art of Gourmet Food, perhaps that legendary dish has a chance to appear in this world!"
Legend has it that during the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a God of Cookery. In his handwritten notes, he recorded a soup called 'Wuxiang' (Formless).
It required collecting eighty-one ingredients of various colors, and then simmering nine types of broth from these ingredients over three days.
Then, it took another three days to condense the nine broths into three.
Finally, in the last three days, the three were unified to create a bowl of clear water, resembling mountain spring water.
This was the pinnacle of Northern Song cuisine, 'Wuxiang,' which achieved formlessness through form!
In his previous life, when Zhang Wei obtained this recipe, he spent months trying to recreate it but ultimately achieved nothing.
Many people believed that the so-called 'Wuxiang' was merely a fabrication by predecessors to embellish their own reputations.
Zhang Wei kept this recipe in his heart, searching for that elusive opportunity and inspiration.
Looking around the Treasure Hall, he now had over a hundred and fifty ingredients. By carefully selecting and substituting, he should be able to complete this Wuxiang soup!
Zhang Wei took a deep breath and began with the first one – Golden Broth!
Golden Broth was the most frequently appearing soup in prestigious dishes. Guangdong's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was a variation of Golden Broth.
Rich and savory, with a golden hue, it was the most luxurious and opulent.
It used pumpkin as a base, with added shrimp, crab, sea cucumber, abalone, chicken bones, shark fin, pigeon eggs, fish maw…
Any one of these was among the most expensive ingredients.
The second dish – Milky Broth!
Pan-fried freshwater white fish was added, along with pork stomach, lamb, fried eggs, and tofu, to simmer a soup as white as marble!
The third dish – Clear Broth!
It was the pinnacle of Earthly Star broths, even surpassing Golden Broth. The 'Boiled Water Cabbage' and 'Peony Tofu' served in state banquets belonged to the Clear Broth category, truly the noble of soups.
The fourth dish – Refined Broth!
The fifth dish – Vegetarian Broth!
The sixth dish – Basic Broth!
The seventh dish – Medicinal Broth!
The eighth dish – Dragon Phoenix Broth!
The ninth dish – Second Broth!
Nine large cauldrons were arranged in the Treasure Hall, with fierce flames burning beneath them, evenly conducting heat through the thick iron walls.
Since Zhang Wei's strength improved, the Treasure Hall had unlocked new cooking utensils.
These bronze cauldrons were among them.
Each cauldron weighed eighteen tons and had a capacity of about 1800 liters. They were inscribed with various ancient inscriptions and carvings of birds and fish.
In ancient times, bronze cauldrons were indeed eating utensils.
In the eyes of the ancients, the larger the cauldron, the higher the status.
But such large pots made it impossible for the chef to operate, and the food produced was naturally not as refined as that from smaller pots.
Due to their cumbersome size, they became items for banquets, and eventually, they completely transformed into ritual vessels, losing their practical value.
But Zhang Wei was different. His food cells had granted him sufficient strength to use such divine artifacts.
With a capacity of 1800 liters, each cauldron contained a ton of pathogen snow water!
This forced Zhang Wei to work through the night to harvest ice and snow.
The time flow in the side hall would increase with the addition of exhibits, but the time flow in the main hall was always ten times.
After seven hours passed in the outside world, Zhang Wei returned to the Treasure Hall.
As these bronze cauldrons had lids and were of immense size, not much moisture was lost, so they didn't require constant attention.
This was one of the advantages of simmering soup in bronze cauldrons.
Lifting the ton-heavy lid of the Golden Broth, golden steam surged upwards, enveloping the entire main hall in a golden mist!
"This aroma!"
"This freshness!"
Zhang Wei's eyes widened. The inherent deliciousness of the ingredients had not only been fully brought out but had even transcended their original qualities by about thirty percent.
But this was impossible. Regardless of how fresh the ingredients were, their quality always diminished.
Even with Zhang Wei's culinary skills, he could only preserve 97%. Ordinary chefs could preserve 75%, which was already considered astonishing.
But this pot of soup had transcended the essence of the ingredients!
"Around 105%."
"But how is this possible?"
It was like lighting a cigarette, and after extinguishing it, it somehow grew longer.
Although it was only a small increase, it was fundamentally impossible!
"It's as if the ingredients were growing in the pot, coming back to life, and getting bigger!"
Zhang Wei pondered for a long time and then focused his gaze on the inscriptions carved on the bronze cauldrons.
"Could it be… that the problem lies with these bronze cauldrons…"
"As far as I can see, this is the only explanation."
Do not underestimate this mere 8%; this was the difference between loss and gain.
Especially for a chef like Zhang Wei, whose skills were precise to the decimal point, every 0.1% increase was a monumental leap.
Let alone a full eight percent!
In this bronze cauldron, the ingredients even seemed to coexist and harmonize!
Compared to this Golden Broth, the Lingxi Five-Bird Soup, which was renowned across the Ice Hell Plains, was not even worthy of carrying its shoes!
[New Dish Collected]
[Bronze Cauldron Nine Golden Broth]
[Replication Time: 280 days]
A look of shock flashed across Zhang Wei's face.
"I never expected that the base broth, used as an ingredient, could be collected, and its replication time would be so high!"
"Even if judged solely on taste, the previous four dishes pale in comparison to this Bronze Cauldron Nine Golden Broth!"