A while later, a flash of red appeared at the dining hall entrance.
It was Amber.
She scanned the room, muttering to herself, "So many people… there's no open seats left. Maybe I can find someone I know to share a table… Huh? Acting Grand Master Jean? And Mr. Xia!"
Her eyes lit up and she hurried over. "Good afternoon, everyone! Acting Grand Master, what brings you to the dining hall today?"
Jean gestured with a smile. "Entertaining guests."
Amber looked at Xia Zhi and smiled too. "Mr. Xia, I was just about to look for you! Didn't expect to bump into you here—what a coincidence."
Xia Zhi was curious. "Is there something you need, Amber?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to meet our alchemist? I ran into Sucrose on the street today! I told her about it, and she said she'll be waiting for us at the lab this afternoon."
"Oh, that. Thank you, Amber."
"No need to thank me… Acting Grand Master, can I sit here?"
"Of course."
"Hehe, I'll go grab my food first."
Amber ran off to the serving station and soon came back with a tray piled high with food.
"Amber, that's a lot of food."
"I've been patrolling all morning—I'm starving."
"Could've had some snacks."
"Snacks? Honestly, I'd rather have instant noodles."
"Instant noodles, huh…"
"Xiangling gave me a few buckets the other day, but I already ate them all…"
Jean tilted her head, puzzled. "Instant noodles? What's that?"
Amber immediately perked up. "It's this super delicious noodle dish Mr. Xia made! You just pour in hot water, wait a bit, and it's ready!"
Jean still couldn't quite picture it.
Amber tried to explain: "It's like a dried noodle block. You add water, the noodles soften, and then you put in the seasoning. The broth becomes super flavorful—it's the best noodles I've ever had."
Jean still couldn't imagine how something like that could taste good.
Xia Zhi smiled and took out a cup of instant noodles, setting it on the table.
Amber's eyes sparkled. "That's it!"
Jean looked at the paper cup. "This?"
"Yes, that's instant noodles. Acting Grand Master, would you like to try it?"
Jean was curious. "Sure."
Amber looked pitifully at Xia Zhi and swallowed hard. "Mr. Xia, I want some too…"
Xia Zhi took out another one and smiled. "Alright, here's one for you."
Amber beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Xia!"
Jean glanced at Amber and thought she looked a bit… hopeless.
Jean cleared her throat. "Amber, you've still got all that food on your tray. Are you sure you can finish it?"
Amber glanced at her plate and looked a little worried too. "Ah, you're right… I probably won't finish. Mr. Xia, maybe don't make mine yet. I'll save it for when I get hungry during patrol later."
Xia Zhi handed her the cup. "Alright."
Jean got her own cup of instant noodles. She peeled back the paper lid and saw a solid block of dried noodles with some sauce and vegetables on top.
"This is…"
"Special mushrooms and sauce."
"How do you eat it?"
"Just like Amber said—pour in boiling water until the noodles are covered, wait two minutes, and then it's ready."
"I see… Noelle."
Jean called out again.
Noelle once more put down her work and walked over, still wearing her usual serious expression. "Acting Grand Master, do you need something?"
"Could you bring me some boiling water?"
"Of course."
A moment later, Noelle returned with a kettle still steaming at the spout.
Jean took it, poured the hot water into the paper cup, and covered the noodles.
As soon as the hot water hit the ingredients, a rich and unique aroma rose into the air, spreading through the entire dining hall.
Every knight eating in the room simultaneously looked up and turned their heads toward them.
What… is that smell?
An unusually rich and unfamiliar aroma wafted through the dining hall.
Standing beside the table, Noelle looked curiously at the paper cup in Jean's hand.
"It smells so good." Jean couldn't help but sniff the air. She looked up at Amber. "Is it ready now?"
"Yep! Captain, just cover it up and wait two more minutes, then you can eat!"
"Alright."
Jean set the kettle down on the table.
Noelle withdrew her gaze and softly asked, "Acting Grand Master, do you still need the hot water?"
"No, that's all."
"Then I'll take the kettle back."
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble."
Noelle quietly carried the kettle away, seemingly uninterested in this newfangled instant noodle she was seeing for the first time.
Xia Zhi watched her departing figure through his God's Eye, his expression thoughtful.
Two minutes later, Jean opened the paper lid.
A wave of even richer fragrance hit her face, making her instinctively reach for her fork.
She gently lifted a bundle of noodles, blew on them carefully, and brought them to her mouth.
"Mm…"
Jean's eyes widened slightly, her whole body tensing up for a moment.
As she swallowed the noodles, her muscles relaxed again, her face flushing with warmth as a satisfied hum escaped her lips.
"This is delicious…"
Amber grinned at her. "Right? Super tasty, isn't it?!"
The mushroom strands were silky smooth, the noodles were perfectly chewy, the broth was rich and savory, and the aftertaste lingered wonderfully.
Jean nodded, completely agreeing.
Plus, she'd spent the whole morning reading a romance novel—one with a not-so-great ending. Her mood had been a bit gloomy ever since.
But now, after just one bite of this instant noodle, she found herself cheering up.
As expected, delicious food really does have the power to heal the soul.
In fact, the instant noodles contained Cream Mushroom, which carried a rich, sweet, creamy aroma and could elevate positive mood states by 10% to 15%.
Jean looked at Xia Zhi and said, "Mr. Xia, your culinary skills are indeed exceptional. No wonder you're Xiangling's master."
Xia Zhi smiled modestly. "As long as Acting Grand Master likes it."
"This so-called 'instant noodle' is not only convenient to make but honestly tastes better than any noodle dish I've ever had." Jean recalled her earlier invitation and looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, I was being inconsiderate before…"
"Inconsiderate?"
"You were originally planning to eat instant noodles, but I dragged you both to the dining hall for food that's nowhere near as good…"
"Acting Grand Master, you're overthinking it. Honestly, compared to instant noodles, we prefer fresh meals like this."
"You don't have to be polite…"
"I'm not being polite. If you don't believe me, ask Ganyu—she's probably the one who eats instant noodles the most."
Jean glanced at Ganyu.
Ganyu swallowed her bite and nodded before speaking softly, "That's true. Because of my job, I've always been extremely busy in Liyue, handling a lot of civil affairs daily. I often work overtime late into the night. Acting Grand Master, I'm sure you understand that kind of exhaustion?"
Jean's expression froze for a moment, then she nodded. "I do…"
Ganyu gave Xia Zhi a gentle glance. "After I met Mr. Xia, I mentioned this to him once. He thought about it and created instant noodles to help me solve that problem."
Jean and Amber were both surprised. "So that's how instant noodles came about?"
Ganyu smiled. "Yes. Ever since then, Mr. Xia would make some for me every week. Back then, there weren't even these paper cups—you had to use takeaway boxes. Whenever I was working overtime at night and got hungry, I'd soak two boxes of instant noodles and eat them. So, I really am the person who's eaten the most instant noodles."
"I see."
"Although Mr. Xia isn't wrong—given the choice, of course I prefer fresh food like this. But no matter how many times I eat instant noodles, I never get tired of them."
Amber, completely missing the subtext, enthusiastically agreed, "Same! No matter how many times I eat it, I never get sick of it either—it's just that good!"
Jean, being a veteran romance novel reader, was a bit more sensitive to these things.
She felt like Ganyu's words were a little… suggestive.
But she didn't overthink it—she just sighed softly. "Miss Ganyu and Mr. Xia are really close. Being able to have a warm bowl of delicious noodles during those late-night hours of hunger… that's something to be grateful for."
Actually, Noelle made Fisherman's Toast every day and left some in the dining hall. That was for Jean to snack on when she worked overtime at night.
Even though cold toast couldn't compare to hot instant noodles, the thoughtfulness behind it was the same.
Hearing Jean's words, Xia Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Since Acting Grand Master and Amber both like instant noodles, I happen to have some here. Why don't I give them to you?"
Jean: "Huh?"
Amber: "Eh?!"
"Acting Grand Master often has to work late, and Amber, as an Outrider, has to spend nights out in the wild. Carrying a few cups of instant noodles might actually come in handy for both of you."
Jean hesitated.
Amber's eyes sparkled.
"Though… if I give you all of them, what about you two when you're traveling? If you don't have time to cook…"
"You're overthinking it, Acting Grand Master. It's just instant noodles, nothing rare or expensive. I can always make more in a few days. When I do, I'll prepare extra for you."
Jean finally agreed. "Then… thank you, Mr. Xia."
Amber quickly followed, "Thank you, Mr. Xia!"
Xia Zhi smiled. "No need for thanks."
As he spoke, he took out a whole pile of instant noodles and stacked them on the table.
Jean, coming from a noble family, naturally had her own space storage item. She reached out and stored half of the noodles away with ease.
Amber, however, came from an ordinary household—she didn't have such a luxury. She stared at the noodles with excitement, but then her face clouded over. "That's… a lot to carry…"
Hearing that, Xia Zhi pulled out a ring. "Amber, here—use this."
Amber looked at the ring and blinked. "Hey, this looks just like the one Xiangling wears… Actually, everyone seems to have one…"
"Mm, it's a space ring."
"Eh?!"
"The storage space inside isn't huge, but it should be enough for your daily use."
"No, no! That's way too valuable! I can't accept this!"
"Then just think of it as me lending it to you."
"Still no! What if I lose it…"
"If you lose it, you'll just have to come work for me."
"I can't… huh? Work for you?"
Amber froze.
"This ring is actually one of the standard benefits for employees at my shop."
"You have benefits like this?!"
"Well, it's not as amazing as it sounds. It's just something I tinkered with in my free time using alchemy."
"…"
"Just kidding. Actually, this is something I prepared for you a while ago. A few days back, Xiangling secretly asked me if I had any extra space rings. She said you're always carrying your Wind Glider when you go on patrol, and it's too tiring. She wanted to give you one to lighten your load. As her master, of course I have to grant her a little request. So, take it. If you really don't want it, give it back to Xiangling—it's technically hers now."
Xia Zhi tossed the ring to Amber.
Startled, Amber quickly caught it with both hands.
If she dropped it and it broke, what would she do?!
Cradling the ring carefully, she looked down at it, eyes brimming with emotion. "Xiangling…"
You really are my best friend!
Jean sat quietly, watching the whole scene unfold. As Acting Grand Master, she was well-versed in social dynamics and could easily tell whether Xia Zhi was joking or not.
But this wasn't her place to interfere. She just smiled softly and lowered her head to eat her instant noodles.
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