Hotpot, known in ancient times as gudong stew, got its name from the "gudong" sound produced when ingredients were thrown into boiling water. It is a delicacy with a long and storied history.
Regarding the origin of hotpot, there are two theories:
The first claims that hotpot already existed during the Warring States period, when ancient people used clay pots as cooking vessels.The second holds that hotpot began in the Han Dynasty—dou being the predecessor of the modern hotpot.
Whichever theory is correct, both demonstrate that hotpot has a history of nearly two thousand years.
Over a thousand years, even oceans may turn into mulberry fields—how could such a dish have remained unchanged? Thanks to the efforts of countless generations of food lovers, cooking techniques steadily developed. Various types of hotpot emerged one after another, spreading to other lands where they merged with local culinary cultures to give birth to many uniquely flavored hotpot dishes.
For example: chocolate hotpot, curry hotpot, cheese hotpot, ice cream hotpot...
"Chocolate, curry, cheese, ice cream..."
Atem chewed on a beef meatball, his expression subtle as he stared at the yin–yang hotpot before him. Beneath the divided pot, the flames burned fiercely.
During the period when he had lost his memory and resided in AIBO's body, he had come across many modern dishes in daily life and tasted some of them. Chocolate, cheese, ice cream—he had eaten them all...
To be honest—pardon his lack of imagination—he simply could not picture what the hotpot versions of these three things would look like.
"Atem, do you want to try them?"
Yugi was sitting right beside him. They were close enough that Atem's muttering was heard clearly.
"No, I'm just curious what chocolate, ice cream, and cheese hotpot would look like."
Atem answered truthfully, hiding nothing.
"They're... all thick liquids..."
Yugi had seen all three kinds of hotpot before. After thinking carefully, he offered the one trait they shared.
Ice cream hotpot consists of several flavors of ice cream, fruits, chocolate sauce, and little desserts. Its base is chocolate sauce—a thick brown liquid.
Chocolate hotpot is usually made from chocolate, cream, and brandy. It's also a thick liquid, its color varying depending on the recipe.
Cheese hotpot is similar to the previous two. The base is cheese mixed with other seasonings—thick, yellow, and liquid.
"......"
Just those seven words made the atmosphere at the table fall silent. Obito and the others all showed speechless expressions.
A perfect summary.
But with such limited description, none of them could make sense of what he was actually talking about.
Most importantly... it was extremely easy to misunderstand.
For things one has never seen before, seven words aren't enough to imagine it. Instead, vague, inappropriate images flash in the mind—images that really kill one's appetite.
Yugi also realized he had oversimplified. But his understanding of those hotpots came only from promotional posters by the roadside—he didn't know any more details.
Fortunately, Atem and the others had no intention of pressing the topic. They tacitly steered the conversation elsewhere.
Minato talked about what he had seen these past few days, Obito occasionally adding explanations. Muyang, Mahad, and Byakuya listened. Atem and Yugi reminisced about old times.
From Minato's words, Muyang learned why he was on the Sabaody Archipelago.
To put it simply, Sabaody was a transportation hub—very convenient for attacking pirates, and just as convenient for attacking the Navy. Minato's group had never considered changing locations. Their escape yesterday had only been an act.
After eating and drinking their fill, Kisame used Water Release to wash the pots and dishes, while Itachi used Fire Release to burn the tables and chairs to ashes.
Obito: "......"
Watching the furniture he had made himself turn to ash left him with very complicated feelings.
The puppet guardians stood around the camp perimeter while everyone else went about their own activities—reading manga, playing games, discussing techniques, or messaging friends and family for updates... The overall atmosphere was relaxed.
In one corner of the camp, a bonfire crackled, surrounded by many people.
Atem and Yugi were chatting leisurely. Years of longing couldn't be summarized in just an hour or two. Mahad sat beside them, alert to the surroundings, still serving as their protector.
Byakuya sat a little farther away, holding a manga. Occasionally she let out a "guhehehe" laugh—one look and anyone could tell she wasn't reading anything proper.
Muyang, meanwhile, was checking the system backend, calculating the profits from the past few days of the event.
Over these few days, the best-selling items were the HP/MP recovery potions. Although they were cheap, the immense sales volume turned them into a considerable source of income.
Next came some flying tools and skills—not a large amount.
After that came a collection of miscellaneous items, not worth listing one by one.
As for the event rewards, most items and skills were crafted by Muyang himself, with only a few purchased from the shop.
Subtracting expenses from income, the total came out positive.
In other words—they made a small profit.
"Oh? Improvement. Keep it up next time."
Compared to last time's losses, this event wasn't even halfway through and had already earned money. The progress was obvious.
......
The next day—the sixth day of the event.
After breakfast, the two teams went their separate ways.
The pirate faction continued their troublemaking with the World Government—their destination this time: Marineford.
The Navy faction didn't need to leave Sabaody. They stayed put on the islands, waiting like hunters for pirates to wander in.
Muyang had no intention of staying on Sabaody, nor of visiting Marineford to watch the show. Instead, he planned to go to Fish-Man Island.
Fish-Man Island, as the name suggests, is the island where fish-men live. Located 10,000 meters under the sea, it's a mandatory stop on the unofficial route to the New World, known as the "Undersea Paradise." It's also the birthplace of most fish-men and merfolk.
At present, there are two methods to reach Fish-Man Island.
The first is widely used—coating the ship, then riding the currents to the island.
The second, used by only a few, is taking a submarine and following the currents underwater.
Both methods have their pros and cons. The danger level is about the same—each with roughly a fifty percent chance of ending up in a sea king's stomach.
Muyang used neither. Instead, he moved through space directly, teleporting into Fish-Man Island.
Mahad, Atem, and Yugi weren't particularly interested in merfolk or fish-men. The Realm of Monsters already had various kinds of spirits—including merfolk and fish-men. Mahad and Atem had seen them, and although Yugi hadn't, he had seen their holographic projections.
Still, after some discussion, the three decided to accompany Muyang—mostly curious how merfolk of a different world might differ from those of the Spirit Realm.
As for Byakuya—no explanation needed. She had no reason to refuse. If Muyang hadn't stopped her, she would've gone ahead of everyone else.
After confirming the number of people going, Muyang activated his divine ability and transported all five of them to a deserted rocky shore within Fish-Man Island.