Mountain Delicacies Hotpot: Calming the Temporal Anomaly With Good Food
The snow beneath their feet collapsed inwards, and just as the ink on the black talisman began to spread, the golden turbulence surging from the crack in the stone platform was shattered by the black wind, and a faint, glowing, and radiant energy trajectory was revealed deep within the mountain.
Jinhsi suddenly snapped out of her daze and squeezed the bun tightly again. As it slipped from her hand, it quickly turned pale in the light of the black talisman, revealing the faint color that had just returned to her face.
"Everyone, step back!"
The sword's edge grazed the black talisman as Qiu Yuan drew his longsword from its bamboo sheath, sending a trail of black sparks flying. The flashing white light of the blade positioned itself between Dania and the rift, just as the bell on Chisa's side rang.
A spray of snow flew up, and Sigelica slammed her shield to the ground, her curses carried away by the wind.
"Damn it! How many of these junks did these bastards bury in the mountains?!"
It seeped into the ground in a permeating state. The black rune was not cut by the sword energy. The entire stone platform trembled in the next moment. Three fragments slid down the snow slope. The broken array beacon in the distance was shaken and rolled away, crashing into the crack and disappearing without a sound.
Chisaki frowned, and as the tablet emitted a series of red lights, she quickly swiped the screen a few times.
"Damn it... The mountain's ley lines have been forcibly awakened, and energy is gathering. The system has determined it to be Tacet Discord of the Whisperin Class! Calamity Class! This thing might be related to the Tacet Discord!"
A turbulent current of frequency surged from the depths of the crack. Before she could finish speaking, the thing rose and gradually solidified into a humanoid body resembling a female human. Black and gold broken patterns wrapped around its body, presenting an irregular swirling shape that devoured the surrounding energy. Golden time flow surged at its chest, and four characters flickered in the wind and snow, right there on the black talisman pasted on its forehead.
Still in the process of devouring and evolving, this thing has mixed with a large amount of frequency energy left over from the Norfall Barrens.
The remaining light and shadow of the Sentinel rose again behind her, Jinhsi took a step forward, with golden dragon tail patterns creeping up from her sleeves.
"I... I can hold on a little longer, you guys hurry! Go downstairs and turn on the sluice gate!"
He shoved the half-eaten hot bun into her arms and Zhou Yu aside to block her path.
"Stop fooling around, swallow the bun in your mouth first before talking about work."
The golden light almost veered off course, Jinhsi's fingertips trembled.
"But... if this thing gets out, the entire Jinzhou City will be doomed!"
"They can't escape,"
Zhou Yu glanced casually at the old-fashioned digital watch, tapping her fingernails on the side buttons.
"The area where this thing was going has just been temporarily locked down by the park's safety personnel."
The afterimage of the Dreamless Phantom raised its arm and fired a beam of high-frequency energy. The immense wind pressure forced Sigelica to retreat with her shield raised. Qiu Yuan and Chisa attacked from both sides, their weapons clashing with the beam, leaving only a few inconspicuous scratches.
"Damn it, I can't even cut through it!"
Qiu Yuan momentum to land back on the edge of the stone steps, his shoes leaving a long trail in the snow.
"The monster's core is buried within the mountain's veins."
The sound of the bell was suppressed by the wind. Chisa did not retreat too far, but merely pressed the tip of her knife against the ground.
"I'll hold it off! You guys buy some time for Ling Yin!"
"What's the point of trying? Don't waste your energy."
The digital watch screen flashed tiny blue characters. Zhou Yu squatted down next to the crack without any nervousness, casually tucked a ballpoint pen behind his ear, and pressed the buttons on the watch face several times.
"Efficiency is key when working. Don't you know how to use the terrain to trap monsters? If you fight head-on and end up needing your weapon repaired, who's going to reimburse you?"
Sigelica's temples throbbed violently as she heard the words "repair needed."
"Damn it! Can't you finish pressing your crappy meter before the monster climbs up here?!"
"What's the rush? This monster is so big, it takes forever to even turn around."
Zhou Yu casually gestured in the center of the stone platform, and the snow on the edge directly revealed a straight fracture surface, exposing the dark blue rock wall. As the old beep of the digital watch sounded, the Dreamless Phantom stepped towards the location where everyone was, or rather, stepped into the front of that short line.
A perfectly circular gap appeared silently on the entire stone platform, revealing a bottomless, black pit below. The Dreamless Phantom instantly lost its footing and fell down, its massive body struggling wildly in mid-air. The golden energy in its chest was torn to shreds, leaving only a few fingers gripping the edge of the pit, rubbing deep marks into the rock surface.
Snow waves erupted from the pit opening, accompanied by a tremendous roar.
A sharp sonic boom erupted from its mouth, and the monster was stuck in a bizarre position between the edge and the abyss, with only its head covered in flashing black runes and its left shoulder slammed against the stone wall showing. The vibrations from the frequency shock caused a large amount of snow on the mountaintop to slide off.
Zhou Yu put the digital watch back in his pocket and casually dusted off his hands.
"A 100-meter-deep gravity pit has been created for temporary construction in the scenic area; visitors without tickets are strictly prohibited from entering."
Seeing the glaring red light on the screen fade to yellow ripples, Chisaki paused for a few seconds in surprise before continuing to record the data.
"My God... its attack range is locked at the bottom of the pit! Its attack range has been reduced by 84%! All the energy has flowed back along the stone wall, and even the evolution process has been forcibly interrupted!"
Looking at the struggling monster at the bottom of the pit, Linnai cautiously peeked out from behind her guitar case.
"What... what are we watching now? A VIP-only monster live-action show on a mountaintop?"
Zhou Yu was too lazy to explain, so he simply pulled a folding barbecue grill out of the canvas bag, and also took out some chili oil and mushroom hot pot base with the morning market receipt.
"This is a war-damaged immersive restaurant. As the saying goes, since we're already here, why not have some hot pot in this cold weather? Otherwise, my high-altitude business trip allowance would be wasted!"
Sigelica was almost laughing out of anger. She was still holding her shield in a defensive stance when she watched as Zhou Yu set up a pot right next to the dangerous crack.
"Are you crazy?! You actually want to eat hot pot on top of the Dreamless?!"
"To be precise, it's cooked next to it,"
After setting up the divided hot pot, Zhou Yu pointed unabashedly at the bottom of the pit.
"This guy is occupying our scenic area's prime VIP viewing spot and hasn't paid me for it yet."
Everyone seemed to accept this absurd development. Aimis immediately pulled out tofu and green vegetables, and Linnai cooperated by distributing bowls and chopsticks. Chisaki even took a scanning device and wandered around the surrounding rock formations, locking onto several plants marked with green.
"Look, these wild mushrooms over there are edible. They're quite humid, perfect for mushroom soup. But that pile over there is hallucinogenic, so don't touch it."
Her eyes lit up completely. Upon hearing the words "hot pot," Dania released the man's sleeve and watched with a sacred and focused expression as water was poured into the pot.
"Xiao Yu... can we cook the tripe now?"
"Of course."
The food container filled with sliced meat was taken directly out of the insulated box.
"When General Jiyan let us into the city, I had the kitchen prepare. It's normal for working people to have some contingency plans when they go on business trips, and it's perfectly normal to have some hot pot ingredients on hand."
The pungent aroma of chili oil wafted through the air as the base sauce melted. Qiu Yuan stood at the edge of the abyss, sword still unsheathed, looking at the roaring afterimage at the bottom of the pit, then at the girl handing out dipping sauces. His fingers froze on the hilt of his sword.
"If Lord Changli knew we were here... doing this kind of thing..."
"She could only thank God that we saved her a huge sum of money on medical expenses to save her apprentice."
A handful of freshly picked wild mushrooms were casually tossed into the boiling soup.
"By the way, we're not taking the blame for the closure of the hot springs down the mountain; that was a natural disaster caused by those Fractsidus posting illegal flyers."
Holding the steamed bun tightly in her hand, Jinhsi watched the enormous creature twisting and howling at the bottom of the pit in the wind and snow. Despite the flickering light, the thing could not cross the invisible barrier. Red bubbles rolled in the pot, and the rich spiciness and mellow aroma of the soup completely dispelled the surrounding chill.
She loosened up a little, her face showing that tense tension, as if she were ready to sacrifice everything at any moment.
A tablet filled with data was handed to her.
"Look, the heat from the bottom of this hot pot is just drawing in the energy leaking out from below, creating a tiny buffer. We can stay here safely for at least twenty-seven minutes, and we can go to the sluice gate later."
Zhou Yu skillfully placed the large pieces of tripe into Dania's bowl and cooked them in the chili oil until they were just right.
"Did you hear that? Twenty-seven minutes is plenty of time for us to enjoy our first round of food. Lord Yin, don't just stand there, eat and enjoy the scenery at the same time. This is our Logistics Department's unique immersive dining experience."
Dania carefully blew on the tripe coated in sesame paste, her eyes crinkling with laughter as she held the bowl. A satisfied nasal sound escaped her throat with each chew, and her fingers, which had been gripping the hem of her clothes, completely relaxed.
The mushrooms in the mushroom soup, along with a pair of chopsticks, were forcibly stuffed into Jinhsi's hands.
"You really pushed yourself too hard just now. Drink some light mushroom soup first, and avoid all that spicy oil. You're only sixteen, why are you always trying to be tough like others? If you get a stomachache, I won't approve your paid sick leave."
The steaming heat, carrying the aroma of savory and spicy flavors, hit her face. Jinhsi stared blankly at the mushroom on the tip of her chopsticks. The monster at the bottom of the pit violently crashed into the soup, causing ripples to spread and pebbles to fly over, all of which were steadily blocked by the shield in front of her, which had lowered its center of gravity.
"What are you looking at! Hurry up and eat!"
Sigelica turned her head, her voice barely concealing her anger.
"If you keep threatening to kill yourself like this, I'll force this whole pot of soup down your throat today!"
Linnai, smiling, chimed in while holding a bowl of dipping sauce beside him.
"Yes, yes, I suggest you make more sesame paste. A young lady like you who has just retired from a self-sacrificing position is best suited for this mild flavor."
The scalding heat slid down the bitten mushroom into her stomach, Jinhsi's stiff shoulders finally slumped. The wind and snow outside were still fierce, and the afterimage of the Sentinel deep in the clouds and the howling from the pit never stopped. But this was the first time in her life that she had clearly caught the wonderful bubbling sound of the pot boiling in such desperate noise.
Dania carefully pushed her bowl over, her face beaming with the joy of sharing.
"You really need to add more sesame paste... Xiao Yu's seasoning is so fragrant."
Jinhsi gently traced the warm edge with her fingertips, looked at the pink-haired girl in front of her with sauce on her hands, and picked up a second piece of food.
A muffled, massive impact suddenly came from the direction of the mountainside. The red light on the flat surface flickered again, and the previously convulsing afterimage of the Dreamless Phantom quiet. A thin crack appeared on the black rune on its forehead, revealing an even smaller line of ink.
"The gate is locked... Forced recovery initiated."