Chapter 78 [Daily Updated Menu] Officially Launched - Lin Yue Reads...

Lin Yue watched Old Mo's hunched back but didn't disturb him. He simply turned away silently, his heart filled with countless emotions. In this cruel land, how difficult it was to protect this warmth and hope.

Just as he was immersed in this complex emotion, a system notification sounded.

[Ding! Detection indicates that Hope Town Community has initially established stable food production, processing, and external service capabilities. The core module of the [Civilization on the Tip of the Tongue] system—[Daily Updated Menu]—is officially launched!]

[Module Description: From now on, the system will randomly or selectively issue [Menu Update Tasks] based on changes in the community's internal and external environment, the appearance of special visitors, and the host's available ingredients and cooking skills. Completing these tasks will not only earn generous rewards but also unlock more legendary recipes with special effects, enhancing Hope Town's unique value and influence.]

[Ding! You have received your first [Daily Menu Update] task!]

[Task Name: The First Targeted Solution in Hope Town]

[Task Time Limit: Seven Days]

[Task Objective: Within seven days, identify a diner exhibiting obvious symptoms of physical discomfort. Through observation and analysis, tailor a targeted therapeutic meal for the diner to achieve initial relief of their symptoms.]

[Task Rewards: 800 System Points, unlock a recipe related to this therapeutic effect, and one random mineral exploration blueprint.]

[Failure Penalty: None. But please remember, host, every missed opportunity for a cure could cost your menu a potential loyal customer.]

This task invigorated Lin Yue.

Over the next few days, whenever Lin Yue had free time, he would go to the dining area of ​​No. 1 Store and wander around like a concerned waiter. He carefully observed the words, actions, and physical condition of every customer.

Finally, his target appeared.

He was an old man who had come with a small escort caravan. He had gray hair, a hunched back, and his right leg was noticeably stiff when he walked. He would unconsciously pound his knee and lower back with his hands, and a pained expression would appear on his face.

Lin Yue stepped forward, carrying a steaming pot of Starlight Barley Tea, and sat down opposite the old man.

"Grandpa, you seem to have trouble moving around. Is your old ailment acting up again?" Lin Yue asked with concern.

The old man sighed and rubbed his knee: "Ah, that's right. It's a lingering ailment from working in the mines when I was young. This godforsaken place is damp and cold all the way here. At night, it feels like my legs are being pricked by countless needles, and the pain keeps me awake."

Lin Yue understood immediately and silently said in his mind: "System, scan and enter this old miner into the [Diner Management] module and set him as a temporary observation object."

[Ding! Data for temporary customer [Rheumatism Miner] has been entered. Recording their initial physical condition... Severe accumulation of cold and damp energy in their joints has been detected, leading to poor blood circulation and causing chronic pain.]

[Ding! Based on the test results, a dietary therapy suggestion has been generated.]

[Dietary therapy focus: dispelling cold and dampness, promoting blood circulation and unblocking meridians.]

Recommended core ingredient combination:

Fire Crystal Pepper: It is very hot in nature and rich in fire element energy, which can powerfully dispel cold and dampness from the body.

Otherworldly ginger: It is warm in nature and helps to dispel cold, warm the middle and stomach.

Blood-red vine: Promotes blood circulation and removes blood stasis, effectively boosting energy and blood flow.

[Suggested cooking method: Simmer in bone broth for a long time to allow the medicinal properties of the ingredients to fully infuse into the soup.]

“Grandpa,” Lin Yue smiled mysteriously, “perhaps…we have a suitable dish here that can help with your ailment. If you don’t mind, I’ll have the kitchen make you a special soup for lunch today, free of charge. Would you like to try it?”

After obtaining the old man's consent, Lin Yue immediately rushed into the kitchen and gathered all the chefs together.

"Everyone, I'd like to ask you a question. Having worked in the kitchen for so long, have you noticed that when we make the same food, some people feel completely comfortable after eating it, while others feel it's too hot and makes them feel like they're getting a sore throat? For example, stewed pork with fire crystal peppers?"

The cooks looked at each other, and A-Lian was the first to nod and say, "Mayor, what you say is true. Last time, some guards who came from the snow line especially loved the stew with fire crystal peppers and ginger slices, saying that it made them feel warm all over. But A-Mu and the others said they couldn't sleep at night because they were too hot after eating it."

“That’s right,” Lin Yue snapped his fingers, following her lead, “This is what I want to discuss with everyone today: using food to specifically regulate the human body. We hope that the town has some magical crops, like starlight wheat, fire crystal peppers that can make people feel warm, otherworldly ginger, and the blood-activating blood vine that I brought back from the forest a few days ago. Everyone should have more or less felt their unusualness in their usual diet.”

His gaze swept over each of the female chefs present: "I hope that through your superb culinary skills, you can maximize the special effects of these crops. This may be a more important core resource than the ironware and snow salt we sell on Yihaodian."

"Because people's health and safety are the most precious things in the world. And our food may improve people's health and cure their ailments. At that time, the one who truly holds the key to Hope Town's fate may not be me, nor Uncle Stone Fist, but you—our great chefs!"

Looking at the women before him, their faces etched with the marks of years of labor, yet their eyes still clear and resolute, he spoke with sincerity and expectation: "I entrusted you with this important place, the kitchen, because I believe that women possess a resilience, meticulousness, and compassion that men lack. In this era, the jobs you can handle may be limited, but I firmly believe that in the fields of cooking and healing, you can create miracles that no one else can match. I hope you can shine here, making Hope Town's kitchen the warmest and most miraculous place in this wasteland."

These words deeply touched every cook. They had never imagined that their job, which others saw as merely "cooking," held such a lofty status and significance in the eyes of the town mayor. Their eyes welled up with tears.

“Right now, there’s a living example.” Lin Yue described the old miner’s situation in detail. “My idea is to use the ingredients I just mentioned to make him a special warming soup. The specific proportions and flavor are up to you to research and create. I have faith in your skills!”

"Yes, Mayor, we guarantee to complete the mission." Mia and Sister Lian's eyes gleamed with excitement as they plunged into the research and development work in the kitchen.

Around noon, when the old miner returned to the dining area, he was greeted with a bowl of steaming hot, bright red soup that exuded a rich, spicy, and herbal aroma.

This is the cold-dispelling, blood-activating, and body-warming soup that Mia and Aunt Lian finally developed after several adjustments.

They crushed the most prized leg bones of the snow-capped yaks and simmered them over a low flame for a full day and night, creating a rich, milky-white broth rich in collagen. Then they added a generous amount of exotic ginger slices, fire-crystal chilies, and a small piece of crushed blood-red vine, continuing to simmer to allow the spiciness and active energy of all the ingredients to fully infuse the soup. Finally, they added some thinly sliced ​​smoked meat and a few wild fruits resembling red dates to enhance the warming and nourishing effects, seasoned with salt, and it was ready.

The old miner looked at the bowl of hot, thick soup in front of him and accepted it with some skepticism.

He blew on the steam and carefully took a small sip.

"Cough! Cough cough! It's...it's so spicy!" A spicy, warm current rushed from his throat into his stomach, causing him to cough repeatedly. But then, an unprecedentedly powerful warmth spread from his mouth, down his esophagus, to his stomach, and then rapidly spread throughout his limbs and bones.

"Warm...so warm..." The old miner's face showed an expression of disbelief.

Without further hesitation, he picked up the large bowl and gulped down the entire bowl of soup.

After finishing a bowl of soup, he felt as if he had just stepped out of a giant steamer, drenched in sweat. The comfort and warmth that emanated from his very bones was something he had never experienced in over a decade. He tried moving his knees, and although they still hurt, the sharp, stabbing pain that used to pierce his very bones had actually eased considerably.

"Amazing...amazing! This...this is definitely not food, it must be a miracle drug!" The old miner was so excited that tears streamed down his face.

Seeing his excited expression, Lin Yue smiled and shook his head, explaining, "Old man, this isn't some kind of miracle drug. You're only feeling better temporarily because you've sweated a lot. Once the heat subsides, the pain will probably return. This kind of chronic ailment requires gradual treatment. If you don't mind, why don't you stay here for a few more days? We can give you a 50% discount on the rooms behind our shop, and I'll have the kitchen refill your daily bowl of warming soup for free. This is the first time we've made food with such a specific effect, and we want to see just how effective it really is."

When the old miner heard that he could not only get discounted accommodation but also drink this miraculous soup for free every day, he was naturally very grateful and immediately agreed.

For the next few days, the old miner went to the canteen every day for a bowl of warming soup. A miracle truly happened. He found that his joint pain was occurring less frequently and was becoming less severe.

I used to wake up several times every night in pain, but now I can sleep through the night. By the fifth day, I was able to take a walk in Central Park all morning without stopping.

That day, after he finished drinking the life-saving soup again, he found Lin Yue, who was supervising road construction, with trembling hands. He didn't say many words of thanks, but as if he had made a huge decision, he carefully took out something wrapped in multiple layers of tattered cloth from his inner pocket.

He peeled back the tattered cloth layer by layer, revealing a fist-sized stone inside. The stone was dark red all over, and its surface seemed to have magma flowing on it. It felt warm to the touch.

“Mayor,” the old miner said, handing the stone to Lin Yue, his voice filled with gratitude and reluctance, “I…I don’t have any extra money. This is a treasure I found by chance in the deepest part of an abandoned ancient mine when I was young. It’s fireproof, and it even gets slightly warm when near a flame. I’ve always carried it with me as a talisman. Today I…give it to you, as a way of…repaying you for this life-saving elixir. Alas, as I get older, these material possessions become less and less important than good health.”

Lin Yue took the peculiar stone, and a warm sensation spread through his palm. He immediately instructed the system to scan it.

[Ding! Rare mineral detected - [Earthfire Crystal]]

[Characteristics*: It is not combustible, but contains extremely pure and stable fire element energy. When ground into powder, it can be used as a powerful combustion aid and catalyst in metallurgical processes, enabling the temperature of ordinary furnace fires to exceed limits in a short time, and greatly promoting the melting and separation of impurities in ores.]

[Evaluation: A key material for refining high-grade steel, an accelerator of the Industrial Revolution. Note: Although rare, this item is not unique; it can be obtained continuously by finding the right locations.]

Lin Yue's heart started pounding wildly.

He immediately grabbed the precious gem and rushed into the blacksmith's shop.

When Uncle Stone Fist saw the legendary Earth Fire Crystal, his eyes widened instantly. He snatched the crystal, examined it from all angles, and trembled with excitement, his beard almost standing on end.

"Earthfire crystal, my god, it really is earthfire crystal. Even back in our land, this kind of treasure can only be found occasionally deep within specific earthfire veins. I thought that once I left my homeland, I would never see an alchemical artifact of this caliber again in my lifetime."

Without saying a word, he immediately lit the forging furnace and conducted a small-scale steelmaking experiment.

Place a small piece of the highest quality pig iron into the crucible, and then carefully scrape a little bit of dark red powder from the earth fire crystal and sprinkle it in.

When the crucible was placed into the furnace and powerfully blown by the bellows, the color of the flames inside the furnace instantly changed from bright white to a glaring, slightly purplish hue. The pig iron inside the crucible melted at an unprecedented speed and churned violently, causing a large amount of black impurities to be rapidly separated and float to the surface.

After a period of intense and exciting forging and quenching, a small, brand-new metal block, completely black and gleaming with a restrained yet resilient luster, appeared on Stone Fist's anvil.

He picked up the metal with pliers and casually grabbed an ordinary iron axe from the side and struck it.

"clang!"

With a sharp crack, the sturdy iron axe was chipped open like tofu, leaving a deep gash. The new piece of metal, however, remained completely unharmed.

[System Notification: Successfully forged the first piece of refined carbon steel. Quality: Excellent. Attributes: Hardness +80, Toughness +60, far exceeding ordinary ironware, meeting the standards for crafting advanced tools and weapons.]

“Steel…it’s steel.” Stone Fist looked at his masterpiece, tears welling up in his eyes. He seemed to see the former glory of the dwarves.

However, the Earth Fire Crystal is only available in a small amount, and once used, it's gone. Furthermore, the iron ore currently in Hope Town is of inconsistent quality, and most of the ore requires the assistance of the Earth Fire Crystal to be refined into qualified steel.

The development of advanced industries was immediately met with a huge bottleneck due to the shortage of high-end raw materials.

In the past few days, Lin Yue had a strange feeling about the atmosphere in the town. Although everyone was still working hard, when it was time to rest, some of the old residents who came from Blackrock City, such as Old Barton and Aunt Leah, would unconsciously gather together, sighing and looking worried.

Lin Yue even encountered Li Ge several times, and when he greeted him, Li Ge seemed dazed, as if he didn't even notice Lin Yue.

That evening, Lin Yue saw them huddled together in a corner, whispering to each other, their faces etched with deep sorrow. Sensing something was amiss, he went over to them.

Upon seeing the town mayor approach, everyone immediately shut their mouths and tried to disperse.

"Don't go," Lin Yue stopped them, looking at Aunt Leah's red eyes, and asked gently, "Auntie, what happened? Is there any difficulty at home? Or has someone bullied you? Tell me, and I'll stand up for you."

Aunt Leah shook her head, but tears involuntarily streamed down her face. Amu stood beside her, head bowed, fists clenched.

"What exactly happened?" Lin Yue's tone became serious.

Finally, Li Ge couldn't hold back any longer. He sighed and said, "Mayor...this has nothing to do with you...it's...our own business..."

Under Lin Yue's repeated questioning, they finally revealed the truth. It turned out that a recent traveler who had escaped from Blackrock City had brought them the latest news from their hometown. That damned Duke Caslan had become even more insane ever since his son Karl suffered a loss of face and his private treasury shrank dramatically here last time.

To expand his military, he levied heavy taxes on all civilians within his territory. Those who couldn't pay were simply arrested and sent to the mines as forced laborers. He even... openly opened slave markets in the cities, selling rebellious or desperate civilians like livestock.

“We…we still have so many relatives and fellow villagers trapped there,” Aunt Leah sobbed. “We…we know we shouldn’t be telling you this. You’ve already done so much for us. We’ve finally managed to get a peaceful life, and we can’t…we can’t cause you any more trouble…but…but the thought of them still suffering…it feels like a knife is cutting our hearts…”

They dared not ask Lin Yue for help; they did not want to drag the entire town into the quagmire of war because of their own selfish desires. But the concern and worry for their relatives and fellow villagers gnawed at their hearts day and night like a venomous snake.

Lin Yue fell silent.

Two seemingly unrelated things, yet both pointing in the same direction, weighed heavily on his heart.

His urgent desire for high-end materials spurred him to seek out new mineral veins and establish broader trade channels, which is the intrinsic driving force for the town's own development.

The devastating news from their hometowns, and the deep-seated hope and pleading in their eyes, transformed into a heavy moral responsibility—an external pressure that Hope Town, as a land of hope, could not avoid.

He looked at the cold, refined carbon steel sample in his hand, and then at the conflicted, expectant yet uneasy eyes of Aunt Leah and the others.

A difficult choice lay before him.

Lin Yue knew he had to make a decision as soon as possible.

To celebrate the breakthrough in steelmaking technology and to temporarily ease the somber atmosphere, Lin Yue had Shi Quan craft a delicate little wok out of carbon steel that evening. The wok had extremely thin walls, conducted heat very quickly, and even had a beautiful wooden handle. The plan was to test the new wok and sample the new dishes while having dinner in the canteen that night.

"Today, I'll show you what real stir-frying looks like. But, well, my cooking skills... well, you all know what I'm like." He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“So, someone else is in charge of cooking,” he said, handing the small stainless steel wok to Sister Lian next to him. Sister Lian was specially recommended by Aunt Leah from the kitchen team, and her cooking skills in stir-frying were highly recognized by the team.

Sister A-Lian took the light and shiny wok, tossed it around a bit to get a feel for its weight and balance, and then skillfully walked to the newly built, powerful stove.

She heated the new pot over a blazing fire until it was scalding hot, poured in a small amount of animal fat, and immediately added the diced snow rabbit, a large amount of fire crystal pepper pieces, otherworldly ginger slices, and wild garlic and leek pieces after the oil was hot.

"Sizzle—!!!"

A burst of aroma, a blend of numbing spiciness and smoky fragrance, instantly rose up.

Sister Lian flicked her wrist, and the new wok danced in her hands, the rabbit pieces and ingredients inside seemingly coming to life, tracing graceful arcs above the flames. Her skillful wok-tossing technique left Lin Yue, the theorist, speechless and ashamed of his own abilities.

The whole process took only a minute.

When a plate of golden-brown, fragrant, and steaming hot stir-fried snow rabbit was served, the instant burst of wok hei (the smoky aroma emanating from the wok), the crisp and pleasant sound of stir-frying, and the ultimate spicy and savory flavor once again demonstrated to everyone the revolutionary changes that technological advancements have brought to food.

This is what real stir-frying is all about.

As everyone savored this dish, which tasted far better than any barbecue they had ever had before, the gloom in their hearts seemed to dissipate considerably.

Lin Yue looked out at the pitch-black night and made up his mind.