The Treasure Hall
Zhang Wei took off his clothes in front of the bronze mirror, contemplating the secrets of the Illusionary Form technique.
His form and appearance slowly shifted, aging and then becoming young again, growing tall and then short, stout and then thin...
Wang Meng, the supervisor, Tang Zhihun, Wu Yong, Bruce...
Each face flickered back and forth.
Mo Du said from the side, "Congratulations, your Illusionary Form technique is finally complete. You have great talent. It took me at least three years to reach this level."
Time flowed differently in the Treasure Hall.
The main hall had a standard ten-fold time dilation. The left side hall had time frozen, and the right side hall was where Mo Du was imprisoned.
The time flow in the right side hall increased based on the quantity and quality of the collectibles, and it was now approaching forty times.
"It's because you taught me diligently. By the way, how long have you been here?"
Mo Du lowered her head, "About eight years."
The almost insane time dilation had caused Mo Du to endure eight years of imprisonment.
During these eight years, Mo Du's personality had changed drastically.
From the hot-tempered little vixen she once was, she had become a pitiful and delicate submissive.
Now, she no longer had the look in her eyes as if she wanted to devour Zhang Wei raw. On the contrary, she seemed very happy whenever Zhang Wei came to deliver meals.
The long imprisonment made her desperately crave conversation.
"Sigh..."
She held no real enmity towards Mo Du; she had imprisoned her here in order to learn skills.
Now, killing her or letting her go were not good choices...
...
With the perfected Illusionary Form technique, Zhang Wei could finally begin to execute his plans.
Labor Dormitory.
"Supervisor, you're here."
"I have an announcement to make. You don't have to work today."
"Huh? Something like this happens?"
"I managed to arrange it. Please don't leave the dormitory or spread the word; it wouldn't be good."
For the laborers, not having to work was a tremendous blessing. They repeatedly promised not to step out of their rooms.
This supervisor was, of course, Zhang Wei. While the laborers were confined to their dorms, he went to the warehouse to claim food supplies.
As for the real supervisor...
He was, naturally, unconscious in a corner.
Using this method, Zhang Wei knocked out over a dozen supervisors and claimed enough food supplies for a hundred people.
"Sigh, I'm so dedicated even to skipping work. I should be awarded 'Best Employee'."
He spread out the food list in his hand, all of which were transported from around the world.
Some were the spoils of Gastronomic Explorers' hunts, and others were traded with other platforms.
Ever since the last invasion by Haru, Xifeng had dispatched all the Gastronomic Explorers, while he himself had gone into seclusion to cultivate and improve his strength.
Of course, all of this was supported by money.
[Discovered storable ingredient: Yellow-scaled Toothed Trout]
[Capture Level: 6]
[Description: A massive carnivorous fish, very fierce. It has many bones and little flesh, with a salty and fishy taste. However, its fins are springy and light, making them extremely superior.]
[Discovered storable ingredient: Overlord Sea Cucumber]
[Capture Level: 7]
[Description: The adult form is delicious and juicy, weighing over 20 catties. It sprays acid to protect itself.]
[Discovered storable ingredient: Salt Marsh Abalone]
...
The ingredients Zhang Wei chose were mostly seafood, along with fish lips, collagen, black chicken, hua gu mushrooms, and squid, among others.
These ingredients, numbering over ten, would allow him to thoroughly experiment and find a superior recipe for the Nine Golden Broth of the Copper Cauldron.
Taking abalone as an example, there were only a dozen or so types of edible high-quality abalone on Blue Star: wrinkled-disc abalone, mottled abalone, sheep abalone, net abalone, Japanese dried abalone...
In the world of gastronomy, there were nearly a thousand known types of abalone. Although half of them were extinct, there were still over four hundred extant species.
Zhang Wei had only collected five or six types.
To achieve his ideal of collecting ingredients from all over the world, Zhang Wei still had much effort to put in.
"It's a pity I can only store over a dozen ingredients per day, and to increase the replication time to one day is an immense undertaking."
"Based on today's harvest, the recipe for the Nine Golden Broth of the Copper Cauldron has ten more combination options..."
"Unfortunately, both in terms of variety and the speed of replication, there's still a huge gap."
He flipped open the abalone encyclopedia, which only contained about a hundred common types.
Zhang Wei's mouth watered just looking at the encyclopedia. What a magnificent sight it would be to gather these hundred-plus types of abalone.
With his talent, it wouldn't be surprising if he created legendary dishes.
"Just these hundred-plus types offer endless variations."
"If I could be fortunate enough to collect all five hundred-plus extant species..."
His bookshelves were filled with ingredient encyclopedias, all borrowed by Zhang Wei from the library.
The ingredients were categorized, filling hundreds of volumes.
And these did not even encompass one-tenth of the varieties in the Gastronomy Era!
Zhang Wei flipped open another encyclopedia.
The ingredients in this book had no photographs, only lead drawings and colored illustrations, accompanied by extensive textual descriptions.
"The Extinction Path of Legendary Ingredients"
This was a compilation specifically detailing extinct ingredients and their stories.
Brewing Bee: An anomaly among bees, they do not collect pollen but instead gather grains, fruits, etc., and ferment them into alcoholic beverages within their hives. The alcohol content ranged from 8-22%, surpassing even human master brewers.
Garden Sprite: A mysterious life form that often resides in the greenery of manors. They steal human possessions and then bestow elven cakes. A renowned chef once analyzed a sample and stated it was impossible to replicate.
Cloud Cotton Candy: In ancient times, clouds once descended upon the land...
...
Each ingredient in the book possessed a legendary aura. Setting aside the stories of their interactions with humans, the intrinsic qualities of the ingredients alone were enough to captivate Zhang Wei.
"Good stuff... such good stuff..."
With every page he turned, Zhang Wei would utter such exclamations, accompanied by pangs of heartache.
"So many good things, and they're just extinct?"
"Why didn't you wait for me!!!"
The last page of the book had no pictures, only a warning to readers to cherish nature and protect the foundations of ingredients, lest the regrets of the past be repeated.
It also listed a large number of ingredients that were on the verge of extinction, including the Rainbow Fruit.
"Extinct?"
"No way, I won't allow it!"
"Hold on, you guys, until I've collected you!"
...
Lower City of Progress, Alchemy Workshop.
Unlike the neatness and elegance of the Upper City, the Lower City was filled with violence, crime, and... debauchery.
The manufacturing and sale of contraband were among the most lucrative businesses.
The General Manager of the Heavenly Thieves Alliance entered the alchemy workshop, the pungent smell of solutions assaulting his nostrils.
In the laboratory, a bald, one-eyed, scrawny怪人 was conducting human experiments.
Disregarding the screams of the test subjects, various injections were administered, causing bizarre characteristics to appear on their bodies.
"Pupil dilation, this test subject didn't make it again."
"Sigh, can't you get something of higher quality? If they awakened their Gastronomic Cells, they shouldn't die so easily."
The scrawny怪人 was displeased and said to the General Manager behind him, "I've looked at the Pigeon Blood Pills you sent. They're easy to replicate. However, the medicinal effects are a bit weak. If you were to use my version... hehe."