Chapter 60 Developing a New Dish

"My current ranking is tenth. At this level, everyone's growth rate is roughly the same."

"If I could play a duet with the Erhu Old Man, boosting my growth rate to fifth place wouldn't be a problem."

"However, at this position, no one can guarantee whether other players hold hidden trump cards for climbing the ranks. Relying solely on the Acting Method is not secure enough."

"It is best to simultaneously employ multiple different methods to surge the Weirdness Value."

Chen Ye looked at the names occupying the top ten on the leaderboard while pondering his strategy for the upcoming rank push.

Given his current progress, he definitely needed to aim for the top spot. The exclusive talent, Eye of Fortune, had proven to be so exceptionally useful throughout his journey that he would give it a five-star review!

However, only the number one spot could inherit this month's exclusive talent.

This position was undoubtedly coveted by numerous players.

If he were to simply rely on the Acting Method to climb the leaderboard with a steady growth rate, it might not be enough.

Who knows if these top-ranked players are preparing any trump cards for the final sprint?

Aside from the Acting Method, the fastest way to acquire Weirdness Value is none other than collecting items belonging to one's own Trait Sequence.

If one can fuse traits and achieve a Second Awakening, or even a Third Awakening, the resulting increase in Weirdness Value will certainly be massive!

Even just the instantly skyrocketing numbers would be equivalent to the cumulative acting results of several days!

Moreover, successfully advancing a profession to its second or third awakening would bring a qualitative transformation to one's strength.

At this stage, Chen Ye's Weirdness Value had already reached over ten thousand points, leaving little room for improvement through mere accumulation.

Collecting more fuseable traits is the most mainstream and core progression path in *The Era of Weirdness*.

"To obtain trait items, there are currently about three main approaches."

"First, through resource exchange, directly trading with other players for trait items in the [Weird Black Market]. However, since players have fewer resources in the early stages, tradable items are scarce, types are limited, and a successful trade is not guaranteed."

"Second, earn enough copper coins and head to the Yong'an Market to purchase trait items. Yet, trait items are generally only found in the silver coin trading zone, and their prices are quite high. As things stand, without earning several thousand or tens of thousands of copper coins, it's virtually impossible to gather enough assets to buy a trait item."

"Third, eliminate specific weird entities, or clear weird games, and let monsters drop trait items. However, the dropped items depend entirely on the type of the weird entity..."

Chen Ye weighed these three approaches. For the time being, the second option suited him best.

After all, he possessed the trait of a [Chef Apprentice], making money-making relatively fast.

If he could research new dishes and sell them to 'Wang Jing', he would not only gain additional Weirdness Value bonuses from the [Gourmet]'s tasting feedback, but also deepen his chef persona, all while earning more assets along the way.

While maintaining a high-growth posture on the leaderboard, he could secure extra Weirdness Value and earn more copper coins.

Killing three birds with one stone.

Compared to the other two methods, the second one was far more stable.

As for the third approach... Chen Ye's current traits leaned more toward utility, while his combat-oriented traits were still quite scarce. He might not even be able to defeat a "Good Resident," let alone clear a weird game with a higher danger level!

Starting as a [Wanderer] and safely lingering in Xining Alley for steady development was currently the most suitable route for this profession's growth.

"Perhaps..."

"I can try developing a new dish."

Chen Ye quickly formed a new train of thought.

He remembered the old woman who sold roasted chestnuts saying that as long as it was fine food, it could carry certain abilities?

And Wang Jing had tasted the sugar-fried chestnuts and rated them as an A-grade delicacy.

Suppose... he could also develop an A-grade delicacy, but one different from the sugar-fried chestnuts—would it unlock other abilities?

With this thought in mind, Chen Ye hesitated no longer and began researching a new dish.

In the darkness, with a soft "click," the stove fire instantly ignited, illuminating the surrounding area.

He chose a location not far from the Erhu Old Man, so that if he encountered any danger, he could retreat in time to ask for support.

The time had reached midnight.

However, the chestnut-selling old woman did not seem to have come here today. Usually by this hour, her hawking cries would echo through Xining Alley.

Chen Ye had originally wanted to consult his culinary master, but since the old woman had not arrived, he didn't waste time and focused on his own rhythm.

On the handcart were placed oil, salt, pinecones, and newly bought dough wrappers.

Beside them stood a bucket of water.

Chen Ye had verified that this bucket of water was completely fine, having been drawn from the upper reaches of the Xining River last time.

The halo of fortune emitted the white light of ordinary numbers, confirming to him that the water was free of pollution. He took a sip to moisten his throat.

Then, he soaked the dough wrappers in the water.

Similar to the "pinecones," these wrappers were also harvested from the scales and dander of certain weird entities and specially crafted.

Do not be fooled by their thinness; they possessed incredible toughness, refusing to tear even when pulled apart vigorously with both hands.

If consumed without processing, they would cling to the teeth like mud, entirely impossible to chew.

Swallowing them forcefully could even lead to death by choking.

After softening the wrappers in water, Chen Ye placed them directly into a high-temperature pan to roast!

At this moment, the soaked wrappers retained a slight amount of moisture.

Right then...

They were tossed into the blazing furnace fire, causing the moisture to evaporate rapidly while the outer skin instantly became crisp and crackling, resembling a thin flatbread.

One bite would cause the crispy, fragrant dough skin to shatter immediately in the mouth, releasing an overflowing aroma.

This ingredient was now fully processed.

Immediately following that.

Chen Ye set the toasted "crisp flatbread" aside, heated the wok with oil, and dumped dozens of pinecones into it all at once.

However, this time he did not use the method for sugar-fried chestnuts. Instead, with maximum force, he repeatedly hammered the pinecones in the wok until they shattered into a powdery consistency.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of blacksmithing continuously echoed through Xining Alley...

While maintaining the agile footwork of a wanderer to dodge back and forth, Chen Ye circled the stove, relentlessly hammering the pinecones and crushing them into granular powder.

During the practice...

He felt his arm strength growing greater and greater. Initially, it took dozens of strikes to reduce a single pinecone to powder. But now, with precise control of his strength, he could pulverize a pinecone into minced meat texture with just about ten strikes.

"Ever since my Weirdness Value increased to ten thousand points, the improvement in arm strength during culinary practice has become more and more pronounced..."

Chen Ye tried flipping the wok and discovered that he could toss the contents of such a large furnace effortlessly, without expending any noticeable exertion.

In this way, not only could he advance the Acting Method, but he could also improve his combat capabilities along the way!

Although enhanced arm strength had very limited utility in this world, it was still far better than having zero combat prowess.

"Almost done."

At this point, the minced mixture in the wok had been thoroughly stir-fried and separated. Chen Ye added a pinch of edible salt, scooped it out of the wok, and plated it.

Except... this "plate" was made from the crisp flatbread.

With a fluid and dashing wave of his spatula, he expertly shoveled the minced meat filling perfectly into the folds of the flatbread.

A newly crafted dish was born—

Minced Meat Flatbread!

Simultaneously, the growth rate of his Weirdness Value rose accordingly—

[Weirdness Value +310!]