[There are still ten minutes left] Eno reminds.
Maybe it was the function of the pot. The soup was cooked quickly, and the purple-red liquid in the pot was rolling, releasing a strong smell. Perry frowned and couldn't help but lower his head and sniff the soup in the pot. The smell is extremely unique, mixed with the cold freshness of ice deer grass and the spicy heat of flame fruit. However, these two completely different scents do not combine harmoniously. Instead, they bring about a strange sense of conflict, which makes people think of the bitterness of medicine and the strong scent of herbs.
"This smell..." Perry wrinkled his nose and raised his head away from the mouth of the pot, trying to suppress the discomfort in his stomach. He muttered softly, "It smells like a bowl of soup mixed with herbs and charcoal. It's really unappetizing."
Despite this, his eyes fell on the pot. The purple-red soup was still boiling, and the faint light gave off a mysterious atmosphere. Even though the smell was weird, he could feel the powerful energy contained in it, as if its function was more than just dispelling the cold. Perry took a deep breath and encouraged himself: "No matter if it tastes good or not, you have to try it. You can't waste so much time and materials."
He picked up the small bowl he had with him and poured some purple-red soup. There was a faint halo on the surface of the soup, which was particularly conspicuous in the dim light of the cave. However, that doesn't make it any more attractive. Perry stared at the liquid in the bowl hesitantly. The smell continued to rise with the heat and penetrated into his nose, making his brows frown even more.
[Three minutes left]
"To be honest, I would rather drink a bowl of ordinary hot water..." He complained softly, and then shook his head mockingly, "Unfortunately, I have no choice now."
He took a deep breath, brought the bowl to his mouth, and blew gently on the steaming soup. Although he was full of resistance in his heart, he still mustered up the courage, closed his eyes, and slowly put the first mouthful of soup into his mouth.
As soon as he took the soup into his mouth, a strong chill quickly spread in his mouth, as if a cold wind rushed from the tip of his tongue to his throat. This cold touch made him almost subconsciously want to spit out the soup, but then, a burst of heat quickly spread from his throat to his chest, like a small fire igniting his body. The stimulation of alternating hot and cold made him shiver, and he suddenly became more awake.
It didn't taste as bad as he imagined, but it was definitely not delicious. The soup has a hint of herbal bitterness, mixed with the unique spiciness of the flame fruit, making people feel like they are drinking a strong concoction. Despite this, he endured the discomfort and swallowed the first sip of soup.
Perry took a sip of the soup and relaxed his frown a little. "Well... it's better than expected." He commented in a low voice. Although the taste of the soup still contained the spiciness of the flame fruit and the bitterness of the ice deer grass, the stimulating sensation of ice and fire after entering the mouth was unexpectedly sobering. He wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve, looked at the purple-red soup left in the bowl, took a deep breath, and put the soup into his mouth again.
This time, he felt a wonderful change. When the soup slid down the throat and into the stomach, it seemed to spread a thin warm current through the body. At first, the warmth only stayed in his stomach, but soon it spread to all his limbs at an alarming speed. Perry could clearly feel that his hands and feet, which had been almost unconscious due to the cold air, began to regain warmth and vitality, as if there were countless tiny flames burning in his blood. His originally stiff shoulders and back gradually relaxed, and the chill buried deep in his bones seemed to be dispelled by a gentle heat wave and disappeared without a trace.
"This feeling..." Perry opened his eyes slightly and couldn't help but stretched out his hand to take a look. His fingers, which were originally stiff and white due to being exposed to the cold environment for a long time, have returned to normal blood color, and he can even feel the warmth flowing on the surface of his skin. He moved his wrists and was pleasantly surprised to find that the movements that had been slow due to the cold were now smooth and smooth, and even the fatigue on his body was much lighter.
He breathed a long sigh of relief and felt a long-lost sense of comfort welling up from deep within his heart. He looked up at the remaining soup in his hand and couldn't help but said: "Although it doesn't taste good, it does work." There was a hint of relief in his tone, but more of emotion.
Before he finished speaking, he couldn't wait to drink the remaining soup in the bowl. The warm feeling was like a hot spring, flowing from his stomach to his whole body, dispelling the last remaining chill. His cheeks gradually became rosy, and his originally cold body completely recovered its temperature, as if it was filled with renewed vitality from the inside out.
After putting down the bowl, Perry wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, closed his eyes and felt the changes in his body. The oppressive cold feeling completely disappeared, replaced by a sense of relaxation and fun. He opened his eyes, a satisfied smile on his face. "Although this bowl of soup tastes bad, the effect is definitely not bad." He said, with an added affirmation of himself and confidence in future challenges in his tone.
Just when Perry breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take a short rest, Eno's voice sounded again: [Mission accomplished! Congratulations to the host for successfully brewing the cold soup to dispel the cold. Reward: Cooking Record Book (Lv1). ]
Perry was stunned for a moment, and then felt his palms feel heavy. He looked down and found a thin notebook in his hand. The cover looks very ordinary, with no decorations on it and only exudes a faint warm glow. He opened the first page of the record book. The paper was as white as new, and there was a faint scent of fresh vegetation.
"Is this a reward?" Perry raised his eyebrows and looked at the notebook for a moment, with a hint of doubt in his tone. "It doesn't look like anything special...does it have a function? Is it just a notebook?"
Hearing his question, Eno replied calmly: [Cooking Record Book (Lv1): It can record the dishes the host has eaten and save the ingredients. Currently, it only supports recording food below D level, and has 100 grids of space to save food. The storage time of food is not affected by the external environment and can remain fresh for a long time. As the level of the record book increases, higher level foods can be recorded, while the storage space and functions are expanded. ]
"Record and save food?" Perry narrowed his eyes slightly and held his chin thoughtfully, "In other words, I can store the food in it at any time and take it out when I want to eat it? Aren't you afraid of rotting?" Thinking of this , his eyes couldn't help but light up, and his tone showed excitement: "This is really practical! You can always prepare some dry food during the adventure, and you no longer have to worry about bringing food to occupy space or storage time."
He flipped through the record book and found that the name of the [Chill Soup] he had just cooked appeared on the page, and there was a line of small words next to it that marked the recipe: Ice Deer Grass × 3, Flame Fruit × 5, Ice Crystal Water × 500ml (can be based on Adjust to taste). He understood immediately and couldn't help but sigh: "Wow, the recipe is recorded so clearly and the dosage is clearly marked!"
"That's right," Eno added in a timely manner, "As the level increases, the cooking record book will be able to unlock more advanced functions, including automatically generating efficient recipe suggestions, and even assisting the host in optimizing ingredient substitutions." ]
Perry couldn't help but let out a chuckle, and tapped his fingers lightly on the record book, with a hint of joking in his tone: "It seems that the reward this time has exceeded expectations. However... now we can only record those below D level." The cooking is still a bit limited. Although it is a reward, it feels like a 'beginner's equipment'."
[This is the limitation of Lv1,] Eno explained calmly, [With the host's current progress, this level is practical enough. The Level 1 record book can help the host save basic ingredients and simple dishes to meet current needs. However, as the adventure progresses, it is recommended to upgrade the level of the record book as soon as possible in order to more comprehensively assist the host in the adventure journey. ]
Perry raised his eyebrows and turned the notebook over in his hands, seemingly studying its appearance and material. He couldn't help but said: "It looks quite ordinary, but I didn't expect it to have an upgrade mechanism. So how do I upgrade it?"
Eno's voice is still calm: [The conditions for upgrading the cooking record book have been set. The host needs to meet the following goals: save three S-level ingredients and record 30 kinds of dishes. After completion, the record book will be automatically upgraded to Lv2, and its functions will also be improved accordingly. ]
After hearing this, Perry was stunned for a moment, then frowned slightly: "S-level ingredients? That is an extremely rare thing, but it should be easy to find. This kind of thing is so rare that it should be seen at the chamber of commerce auction. Yes, but the price will probably be expensive."
Eno replied, [If the host does not want to spend money, he can only explore special areas. S-level ingredients usually have extraordinary properties or effects, such as enhancing physical fitness, restoring magic power, and even confer special abilities. Therefore, they are also an important ingredient in making top-notch cuisine. ]
Perry clicked his tongue and sighed helplessly: "But it's too troublesome. As for recording 30 kinds of dishes... it's not difficult. Just throwing together some simple dishes should be enough. But, having said that, after the upgrade What new features will there be?"
[After upgrading to Lv2,] Eno explained patiently, [The storage space of the record book will be greatly increased, allowing the recording of ingredients and dishes below B level, while unlocking more special functions, such as quickly reproducing dishes and predicting the ingredients. Best match etc. ]
Perry showed a thoughtful expression after hearing this: "It sounds really good. If you can reproduce the cooking at any time, at least you won't be hungry in the wild. And predicting the combination of ingredients is very useful for people like me who are not good at cooking. It's like a savior."
He shook his head slightly, and a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "However, this task of collecting S-level ingredients is really difficult. Forget it, there are many difficulties on the way to adventure anyway, so just find a long-term goal for yourself. "
Having said this, he put the record book back into his bag again, raised his head and looked into the distance, a glimmer of confidence flashing in his eyes: "In short, the task of upgrading this record book, three S-level ingredients, and thirty kinds of dishes—— I want to see what this 'newbie equipment' can evolve into."
Eno's voice sounded faintly: [The host has such determination, and I believe that the cooking record book will soon be upgraded to help you complete future adventures more smoothly. ]