Grilling fish actually requires a lot of seasonings: ginger, garlic, green onions, pepper, cooking wine, green and red peppers, onions, and so on.
Since he didn't bring many seasonings, Tang Xian couldn't create an authentic grilled fish. Moreover, grilling fish requires a particular type of oil that needs to be soaked in for two days, but Tang Xian, who couldn't afford to waste that time, had to simplify the process.
At the hilltop in his sight, Tang Xian spread out redline grass. Although he didn't find a cave, he did find a natural overhang that could shelter them from wind and rain.
Right now, as Dong Ran watched the fish turning constantly on the grill, she swallowed her saliva and couldn't help urging him, "Tang, is it done yet? The fish looks cooked."
"What's the rush, still twenty seconds to perfect the heat."
Tang Xian looked at the fish with a bit of regret; tonight's meal could only be referred to as a barbeque, not a true grilled fish, which relies on side dishes for flavor.
This method of grilling fish on a rack and simply sprinkling on seasonings might be tasty, but at the end of the day, it was nothing more than a common barbeque.
Giving the small phosphor fish to Dong Ran and keeping the bigger fish for himself, Dong Ran felt somewhat unsatisfied and said:
"I... my appetite isn't small either."
"Next time you see me catch fish, remember to help out willingly. More effort, more gains."
"Okay, okay, we'll catch fish tomorrow too."
"Are you a pig? Even pigs are happy eating the same thing every day. By noon tomorrow, we will have reached the Forest Sea, which should take four to six hours to navigate, and we'll be able to catch a three-tailed fox. Then we can enjoy silver fox stew. People should try to eat something different every day; since we are humans, we should have the right to eat meat and choose what meat to eat, even if we don't have that option for the moment, we should have that mindset."
Dong Ran pouted, feeling a bit unhappy after being scolded again.
Tang Xian simply ignored it.
"We'll spend the night here. The abundance of red scaled fish in this area suggests there aren't many other large land carnivores around. You don't have to be as vigilant as you were last night."
"I wasn't..." Dong Ran started, surprised; she indeed hadn't slept well the previous night.
But Tang Xian had gone to bed so early; how did he know she hadn't slept well?
Upon further thought, how did Tang Xian know those people were from Fortress 51?
To go to another fortress, one must ride a dedicated flying vehicle.
Most known fortresses switch applications, which are mostly for some prison inmates; it's rare for ordinary people to want to switch fortresses because the cost of switching fortresses is...
Demotion by two levels. And the person must be at least on the third level.
Had Tang Xian been to another fortress?
The Empty Fort Strategy is just that, but how could he be sure the Empty Fort Strategy would work?
"Tang, when you bluffed those people today, was everything you said true?"
"Of course, it was true."
"Ah... you've actually been to other fortresses?"
"That's false, you're indeed as idiotic as those people."
"Why are you insulting me again..."
Tang Xian decided to correct Dong Ran.
"Regarding descriptions of your intelligence, that's not insults, that's stating facts. You'll have to get used to it; hoping for me to change my habits is impossible, and hoping for you to increase your intelligence is also a tough task. As for your question, I don't need to go to another fortress, but I can get to know people from other fortresses."
"Why? Isn't changing fortresses only possible if someone from the third level is willing to be demoted two levels?"
"Yes, but there is another way, which is to demonstrate special skills and pass the exams for certain national positions. Then, whichever fortress needs someone in that position, that person can legitimately transfer to that fortress."
Dong Ran was shocked.
Such talents were hard to come by even in an entire school district. They generally served in the military. How outstanding must this talent be?
She had originally thought Tang Xian was bluffing, as long as he could intimidate the other person, that was enough. She never expected Tang Xian to actually know other fortress's weapon designers.
"This..."
"Are you asking why I haven't done well for myself if I have such connections?"
"Um..."
Dong Ran was still very cautious, feeling she might touch on Tang Xian's sore spot.
This was naturally not a sore spot for Tang Xian, who was quite calm.
"Ke is indeed talented, with a strong sense of spatial dimension, and often shows me some very interesting designs. I occasionally help him improve them. Most of the time, he doesn't need my guidance."
"To join the military, you need both 'Digitalization Scores' and 'Mineral Reaction Studies' to be at least one hundred and ten or higher. Actually, having inspiration is the most important. Designing weapons is ultimately about the design. The Pyramid can use high-precision tools to make equipment, so Digitalization Scores are relatively less important. The military system is still somewhat inflexible."
Tang Xian felt the fish had gotten cold and frowned—once the meat cools, the taste can decline a lot.
"During the final year of the mock exam for the chosen ones, Ke's Digitalization score was seventy-seven, the best he had ever achieved. He was determined to be an equipment designer, but his score was a barrier. He wasn't confident about improving by over thirty points in the last two months, so he asked me for help. I taught him for two weeks."
Tang Xian passed the fish to Dong Ran, who immediately took it, not minding Tang Xian's saliva on it, and enjoyed the meal greatly before asking,
"What happened then? Did he pass? How many points did he score?"
"Since he became an equipment designer, of course, he passed. He scored one hundred and thirty-nine, which was the second highest Digitalization score that year."
"Who was the first?"
Tang Xian didn't speak, giving Dong Ran a look to let her figure it out for herself.
After thinking for a while, Dong Ran exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be you, Tang?"
Tang Xian nodded. Although it wasn't something to boast about, it wasn't something to be modest about either.
"It was me."
"Then why are you... still living at the bottom? Anyone who can score over one hundred and ten in any subject would surely be a talent desperately sought after by every fortress, right?"
"Do you believe that someone could have a perfect score in all fields?"
"A perfect score in all fields?"
Dong Ran was somewhat unable to catch up. Generally, most people chose to specialize in one area, while a minority would specialize in several, like the Ke that Tang Xian mentioned.
That is to say, specialize in both Digitalization and Mineral Reaction Studies at the same time.
Such people would have high total scores, but their scores in individual subjects would definitely not be as high as those specializing in one subject.
Even among those specializing in one subject, perfect scores are rare, aren't they? After some thought, she realized that she had rarely even heard of near-perfect geniuses.
The concept of a perfect score in all fields... is almost the limit of humanity, something that is thought to exist in theory but, at this stage, is something no one could achieve.
"Don't quite believe it," Dong Ran said truthfully.
Tang Xian nodded. This time, he didn't find Dong Ran to be foolish.
"So I was accused of cheating. That's about the size of it."