Chapter 725: Section 512: Lightning Black Pepper Sauce
Sanda still couldn’t make up his mind.
"The Big Guy’s risks are too great. If he is trained up and then he goes mad... we’d face destruction from within before the enemy even strikes. That’d be a laughing stock."
"Moreover, can the finances hold up? Right now, although the bulk of the training has ceased, the business plan is still ongoing."
"Do I have enough resources at my disposal to push the Big Guy’s Transcendent Level to Gold, no, Silver?"
"And how much time would it consume? Damn it, we need professionals to calculate the answer."
From Zi Di’s letter, Sanda knew her intentions, which were to continue implementing her business plan with firm resolve.
As the head of the division, Sanda’s primary concern was to cover for a fallback—if the business plan failed, he’d have to take the hit, so his considerations differed from Zi Di’s.
"Sigh, no matter what, even if we don’t push his Transcendent Level, we still need to gradually increase the Big Guy’s food."
Sanda was no longer considering halting the Big Guy’s training.
But as the Big Guy’s strength grew stronger, his efficiency in refining Fighting Energy improved, and naturally, his food consumption also increased.
If opting for a conservative strategy, Sanda would provide the Big Guy with just enough food to keep him from starving, maintaining his life, but also reduce his combat effectiveness to prevent him from going mad and causing mayhem.
Sanda remained hesitant about how to deal with the Big Guy.
"At the end of the day, it’s still that I don’t have enough resources! Need to keep making money."
"But at present, relying solely on accepting mercenary missions, the funds earned are utterly insufficient."
"Every day, the cost of purchasing and crafting Magic Potion ingredients for my squad is a daunting figure. When compared to the rewards from mercenary missions, it’s just a drop in the bucket."
"If the squad leader and vice squad leader could take on missions, the income from this aspect would significantly increase."
"But the problem is, they have more important things to do. The only Silver Levels we have here that we can send are Chi Lai and Menshi."
"What’s critical is that one of them must stay stationed on the flagship."
"We still lack higher-ranked core members. If only Qing Xin had joined us back then."
"Although they’re all Silver Level, Mages are much more popular than fighters. Mages are just too practical, they have far more tricks up their sleeves!"
Just thinking about it was useless.
Sanda put aside his worries and focused on the situation at hand.
"What’s the situation now?" he asked his subordinates.
This time for the tasting event, Sanda had specifically selected a group of mercenaries to come. Naturally, his main purpose wasn’t entertainment, but to earn funds.
Ci Haishen had arranged this tasting event not just to offer free food and drink, but also to give out extra money!
Meet a certain standard, and the reward would be even greater.
Such great opportunities were rare.
Therefore, as soon as Sanda heard the news, his eyes lit up.
"We only made 62 Gold Coins and a little over 300 silver..."
Having actually participated, he found that the funds earned were far less than he’d imagined. Some mercenaries even sustained injuries from overeating or showing off, and are currently receiving Divine Healing from the Snowbird Sect. The treatment costs for these have to be covered by the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps!
Sanda’s gaze settled on Menshi.
"How much you can earn now depends on you, Menshi!"
The Dwarf Menshi was still persevering.
Menshi walked alongside the long table, meticulously selecting Silver Level Magic Dishes.
After a long inspection and walking around the table twice, he finally made his move.
He didn’t pick a main dish, but a Lightning Black Pepper Sauce.
This sauce was meant to complement steak, but Menshi had already eaten quite a bit, so he only had enough room left to taste the sauce.
One key factor ultimately drove his selection.
Regarding this sauce, Ci Haishen had set a standard—a considerable reward for swallowing a full spoonful at once.
"Lightning Black Pepper Sauce..." Menshi picked up a soup spoon, scooped up a full spoon, and placed it into his mouth.
As soon as it entered his mouth, the pungent aroma of black pepper hit him, filling his entire palate.
The next moment, Menshi’s eyes widened in shock.
Following the scent of black pepper came a surge of real electricity, exploding in his mouth, spreading through his body in an instant.
Menshi’s hair stood on end, his muscles uncontrollably twitched, and he was frozen in place.
As a Silver Level, the enforcers maintaining order in the venue dared not reprimand him, allowing him to eat while on the move.
It took a while for Menshi to recover, his face showing amazement: "The taste of this Lightning Black Pepper Sauce is really shocking!"
His actions had already drawn the attention of many in the venue.
Seeing that he had made it through, staff immediately came over to inquire in detail about his experience with the sauce.
Menshi struggled to respond, the aftereffect of the electricity made his tongue tie in knots, making him speak incoherently.
Sanda watched with a sinking heart: "Dwarves usually have elemental resistance far above other races. It looks like Menshi’s condition is already insufficient to sustain him any longer!"
Menshi’s response was quickly delivered to Ci Haishen.
Ci Haishen nodded and ordered, "Give the Dwarf the corresponding reward. He has met the standard."
"Change the upcoming standards, specifying that Dwarves are excluded from the races that can taste the Thunder Pepper Sauce. If Elves or Humans succeed, they can get an additional 10% of the reward."
After all, in the National Ceremonies of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, the majority of those attending the feast were concentrated among these two intelligent races.
The order from Ci Haishen was quickly executed, and the sign next to the Thunder Pepper Sauce was rapidly modified.
The high reward for this taste testing would change over time until the organizers cancelled the offer.
That meant, as time passed, the opportunities for Transcendents to earn rewards were also diminishing.
"But the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps has reached its limit this time," Sanda regretfully saw Menshi withdraw from the queue.
The Dwarf was already stuffed and would have to digest the meal.
Sanda was not content; for someone scarce in business acumen like him, such a tasting opportunity was too rare.
"What if Big guy were to come and taste it?"
The thought barely surfaced in Sanda’s mind before he immediately dismissed it.
Big guy had the potential of at least Holy Domain Level, not just the younger squad leader’s little darling but also the treasure of the survivors.
Such a treasure naturally should be protected and kept tightly hidden, not to be carelessly disclosed.
Tasting these Extraordinary Dishes greatly demonstrated a Transcendent’s strength.
Should Big guy come for a taste, his presence would be revealed, undoubtedly performing admirably, and attracting curiosity and speculation, even probing.
Once it was confirmed he had exceptional potential, the troubles for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would ensue without end.
Just think of the Ice Eagle from the Saber Gang, who loved to enslave Golden Level giants.
At that point, even the Ice Sculpture Royal Family would take interest in a giant who has not yet grown up and is scarce in intelligence, but could at least become Holy Domain Level!
Especially currently, with no Legendary warriors seated in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom and only three Holy Domain Level fighters as their strongest.
For the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, the significance of having an additional Holy Domain Level presence was tremendous.
This was a world of the strong.
The Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s international status had declined over the years simply because they had no Legendary fighters and only three Holy Domain Level ones.
Having one more would raise the Kingdom’s international status significantly. Naturally, the interests embedded within were astonishing!
Sanda’s experience in getting by in the world was very rich, and he understood a principle very clear: never overestimate the bottom line of others!
Should the Ice Sculpture Royal Family discover Big guy’s secret, they might step in directly, using threats, temptations, or even other despicable methods.
At that time, the situation for the survivors would become even more troublesome than now!
"The most prudent course of action would be to keep Big guy hidden before he grows up," Sanda sighed.
This was why Sanda no longer allowed other mercenaries to deliver meals to Big guy but used Alchemy Puppets instead.
Sanda was also very worried about Big guy going berserk.
On one hand, he worried about the destruction he might cause; on the other, he was concerned that he would expose himself, alerting the City Lord of Snowbird Port.
After all, Snowbird Port, unlike Snake Rat Island and Twin Eyes Island, had a Mage Tower overseeing its docks.
The Mage Tower could capture Magic Images, and the power of these images had been demonstrated during the escape battle with the Saber Gang.
After the battle, the City Lord of Snowbird Port immediately uncovered Lan Zao’s tricks and invited the young squad leader to collaborate.
Sanda also knew that behind the City Lord of Snowbird Port was a very powerful information organization.
In such a scenario, how could he be at ease exposing Big guy?
"Everyone else has hit their limit."
"It seems I’ll have to enter the fray myself..." Sanda sighed again.
He was only Black Iron Level and couldn’t consume Silver Level Magic Dishes; the money he could earn was limited.
But something was better than nothing.
Sanda was about to roll up his sleeves and enter the fray when he heard a rough and bold voice suddenly ring out, overwhelming the noisy crowd in the square.
"Disgusting, disgusting."
"Just the smell, I already know it’s terrible!"
"Ci Haishen, you haven’t improved at all."
The roar surged like thunder, making many people’s ears buzz.
Countless gazes followed the sound, and in the next moment, they saw a towering figure three meters tall.
This was a giant.
His skin was fiery red, and his long golden hair flowed freely.
Behind the giant hung a cauldron, so large it seemed like a turtle shell on his back.
Flame-like patterns adorned the giant’s arms, and with each breath, bright light coursed through them.
The giant publicly challenged, malice-filled, yet those in the square didn’t attack.
Simply put, the giant’s whole body emitted Golden Level energy. He was a Golden Level fighter!
"Da Dou!" Ci Haishen was forced to show himself, his expression dark.
"You still have such a foul mouth. It seems the lesson I gave you before wasn’t deep enough. Now that the wounds on your arms are healed, you’ve started being reckless again," Ci Haishen said, revealing the giant’s identity.