Kitchen
"That should be enough portions now!"
Looking at the large pot filled to the brim with Mapo Tofu, Xiangling nodded in satisfaction.
Ever since returning last night, she had begun studying the reward she received.
With the complete recipe already in her mind—and her already exceptional culinary skills—it didn't take long for her to successfully recreate Magical Mapo Tofu.
However, she wasn't fully satisfied.
The initial method was too inefficient.
It couldn't meet Wanmin Restaurant's customer demand.
And it was exhausting.
So this morning, she spent hours improving the process.
At last, she managed to prepare large batches at once—without sacrificing too much flavor.
It had to be said:
When it came to cooking, Xiangling was truly a genius.
"Perfect timing. Time to plate!"
Breathing in the rich aroma wafting from the pot, Xiangling knew it was ready.
With swift movements, she portioned the Mapo Tofu into plates, quickly covering each one with a lid.
"Alright! Now I can finally take a break!"
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a relieved sigh.
Just then, she saw Yanfei entering and her eyes lit up.
"Yanfei! You're here?"
"Hehe, I heard you made Magical Mapo Tofu. How could I not come to try it?"
Yanfei smiled.
The fragrance filling the kitchen made her eyes sparkle with anticipation.
"Wait right there! I'll make you a special serving!"
Xiangling grinned.
For a good friend, she would absolutely go all out.
She grabbed her wok, added prepared tofu, and began cooking again.
Yanfei stood quietly to the side, watching eagerly.
Meanwhile, Chef Mao came in and carried the finished plates out to serve customers.
Not long after—
Xiangling placed a freshly made serving of Magical Mapo Tofu in front of Yanfei.
"Go on, try it!"
"Then I won't hold back!"
Yanfei picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of tofu into her mouth.
"Wow—this is amazing!"
Her eyes curved into crescents.
Spicy. Fragrant. Vivid. Hot. Numbing. Crispy.
Six flavors burst together in her mouth like fireworks.
It was exhilarating.
Without another word, Yanfei began eating rapidly.
Xiangling simply watched quietly.
"Absolutely incredible!"
After finishing, Yanfei gave a big thumbs up.
"It's not just me. It's the food from Boss Han's manga that's amazing!"
Xiangling said modestly.
"In that case, let's go read more manga. Maybe you'll get even more recipes. Then I'll benefit too."
Yanfei laughed.
"That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Xiangling nodded.
She had already prepared plenty for the restaurant.
It was the perfect time to relax at the manga shop.
"Let's go then. Xingqiu's waiting outside."
"He's here too?"
Xiangling looked surprised.
"Yep. Once he heard about the manga shop, he wanted to see it for himself."
After tidying up, the two left the kitchen.
Outside, they found Xingqiu devouring Magical Mapo Tofu with rice.
"Well? How was it?" Yanfei asked with a smile.
After finishing, Xingqiu placed down his bowl solemnly.
"I have never tasted anything this delicious."
It was truly extraordinary.
With this dish alone, Wanmin Restaurant finally had the potential to rise to prominence.
And from that—one could imagine how magical the manga shop must be.
"Since you're done eating, shall we go?"
After bidding farewell to Chef Mao, the three headed toward the manga shop.
Meanwhile — Inazuma
Grand Narukami Shrine
Under the Sacred Sakura Tree stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
She wore a red-and-white shrine maiden outfit. Her long pink hair flowed elegantly behind her.
Fox ears adorned with purple gemstone earrings symbolized her divine status.
On her right ear hung a Vision of Electro.
She was none other than the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine—
Yae Miko.
Chief editor of Yae Publishing House.
And beyond that—
She was familiar with the God of Eternity.
"Inazuma grows more restless by the day…"
Yae Miko sighed softly.
Though she rarely left the shrine, she was well aware of the nation's unrest.
The Fatui had exploited the Raiden Shogun's singular pursuit of eternity—
leading to the implementation of the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt Decree.
Now, tension simmered beneath the surface.
A storm was brewing.
Thinking of her old friend within the Plane of Euthymia, Yae Miko sighed again.
Though she and Ei both once dreamed of an eternal nation— she did not believe eternity meant stagnation.
Naturally, she disagreed with the Shogun's current path.
But ever since Ei retreated into the Plane of Euthymia— they had not met.
"If I want to break this stalemate, I must find the person foretold by the divination."
Yesterday, Yae Miko cast a divination to search for someone who could help Inazuma.
The omen was vague.
It only pointed toward two places:
Mondstadt and Liyue.
Nothing more could be discerned.
After much thought, she made a decision.
While the situation was still manageable—she would personally travel to those nations.
If she waited until chaos erupted—it would be too late.
She wasn't very familiar with Mondstadt.
So her first destination would be Liyue.
After all—she had acquaintances there.
At that moment, a shrine maiden approached respectfully.
"Lady Guuji, the Qingxin flowers have been prepared."
A beautiful smile curved on Yae Miko's lips.
Qingxin—
one of her dear "older sister's" favorite items.
So she had specially prepared some.
"Prepare the ship. I will depart shortly."
Though Inazuma had closed its borders—that restriction applied to ordinary citizens.
As the Guuji of Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko still possessed authority to leave.
"Yes, Lady Guuji."
The shrine maiden bowed and departed.
Yae Miko gazed at the Sacred Sakura in the distance.
"If I leave now, I should reach Liyue by morning…"
She murmured softly.
Hopefully—she would meet the person she sought.
And perhaps—change the fate of Inazuma.
—------------------------------
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