At Thieves' Den, Shang Xin Lei and Yan Qing ate lunch together as usual.
Today's meal was Dragon Sturgeon prepared three ways: the head stewed into soup, one half steamed with ginger slices and soy sauce, and the other half pan-fried and roasted. It didn't sound like much, but Dragon Sturgeon was a monster from the Third Turn Secret Realm, capable of strangling a Third Rank Herald to death in the river. That alone showed how huge and heavy Dragon Sturgeon were.
Such a vicious monster was an exceptionally delicious ingredient. The fish soup was fresh, the steamed meat sweet, and the roasted meat fragrant.
Aside from satisfying one's appetite, the energy provided by Third Turn ingredients was also far beyond that of ordinary food. No matter how full Yan Qing ate of normal food, he would soon grow hungry again. He had to eat six meals a day just to survive, but one feast of Dragon Sturgeon could keep him going for an entire day without food.
Although "Herald" also had a food system and lifestyle classes such as chefs, it didn't have the fullness mechanic found in survival games. Food only provided buffs; it wasn't a necessity for players. By default, players didn't need to eat or defecate.
But in reality, high vitality inevitably meant high energy consumption. Heralds could eat an astonishing amount, and ordinary food could barely satisfy their daily needs.
The high-grade food from secret realms could, however. Aside from monsters, even the ordinary animals that appeared in secret realms had levels, which changed dynamically according to the realm's level. For example, a First Turn Secret Realm might contain Level 5 cows, while a Third Turn Secret Realm might contain Level 15 cows with more vitality than a First Rank Herald.
The design was probably