"Is that so? I thought you guys would get to see my heroic performance in the arena!" Xiangling also felt a little regretful upon hearing this.
In this competition, both she and Yansiao had given their absolute best, putting on an intense rivalry.
However, they only saw the end of such a wonderful segment!
"Speaking of which, didn't Cloud Retainer say she was going to enter the competition with her mechanical cooking divine machine? Where is she?" Shiki looked around but didn't see the woman.
"Oh, right! Miss Ryougi, now that you mention it, I remember. I didn't see that Adeptus at all during the entire competition!" Xiangling said.
The Traveler's mouth twitched upon hearing this. That woman now…
"Uh, she seems to still be testing her mechanical cooking divine machine…"
Achoo!
Cloud Retainer, far away in Mondstadt, sneezed.
"How can this Adeptus catch a cold? Could it be from catching a chill while crossing the snowy mountains?"
"Never mind, the mechanical cooking divine machine is more important. This Adeptus must win the top prize in this Chef King Competition!"
Cloud Retainer on the beach continued to tinker with her three automatic rice cookers, completely unaware that the Chef King Competition had already decided its final winner.
"So, that adeptus... missed the competition?"
"Could she have misremembered the time?"
Xiangling scratched the back of his head. This was just too absurd; how could someone miss a competition they were supposed to participate in?
What's the difference between that and misremembering an exam time?
"In terms of universal rationality, that is highly likely." Shiki nodded.
"Adepti live far removed from the mortal world. For one to suddenly enter the world to participate in a competition, misremembering the time is not something difficult to understand."
"That's true... but Miss Ryougi, have you been infected by Morax? Why do you talk exactly like him!" Paimon couldn't help but retort.
Back when they were buying the Everlasting Incense, Morax's words could be said to have left an unforgettable impression on him.
Baizhu: "Three million Mora, top-tier quality."
Morax: "Three million Mora, it doesn't sound like much at first, but in terms of universal rationality, it is indeed a bit difficult to manage."
And then there was that light-speed 'indeed,' 299 isn't much, it's 10,000 less than 300.
"Hmm... do I?"
Paimon: "Of course you do!"
Traveler: "Indeed."
Paimon: "Hey! Traveler, why are you doing it too? Could it be that a virus called 'Morax's Nonsense' has started spreading?"
"Pfft..." Ayaka couldn't help but chuckle: "Little Paimon is truly amusing."
Paimon: "I'm just telling the truth. I'm just afraid that one day, everyone will have to say 'In terms of universal rationality' whenever they speak..."
"Alright, alright, that kind of thing is impossible, okay? Look at me, I don't have that verbal tic at all!" Xiangling said.
"By the way, since the Cooking Competition has ended, the statue should be able to reveal the true appearance of the Stove Archon, right?"
"What do you mean by that?" Shiki asked.
Since she had returned yesterday afternoon, Shiki did not know that the statue had developed cracks and that they would expand according to people's wishes.
"It's like this. Master says that people's passion for cooking can allow the statue to reveal its true appearance."
"And as the largest cooking competition in Liyue Harbor, the Cooking Competition must surely be able to make the statue show its true face, right?"
"Is that so?"
Listening to Xiangling's words, Shiki was lost in thought. Why did it feel like so many things in Teyvat were inseparable from the spirit?
Visions are like this, adepti arts are like this, and now even a statue resonates with people's spirits.
Or could it be what's called the Power of Faith in fantasy novels?
Or perhaps, the Power of Wishes?
Shiki always felt like she had grasped something. Since the Power of Wishes had already appeared in this world, what could it be used for?
Was there any way to collect this kind of thing?
Up to this point, she did not know, but she believed that as time passed, she would sooner or later figure it all out.
Especially the truth of this world.
"Shiki?"
Ayaka reached out a small hand and waved it in front of the pensive girl.
"Hmm?"
"Let's go, to see the statue."
"Seeing you thinking so intently just now, did you think of something?"
Ayaka said softly. Shiki then noticed that the Traveler and Xiangling had already gone to the statue, leaving only the two of them behind.
"I was thinking about wishes. Many things in this world are related to the human spirit. I've seen that statue; it's clearly just an ordinary statue made of relatively sturdy material. Why can it resonate with people's spirits?"
Shiki said as she walked towards the statue, with Ayaka following by her side.
"And the Visions too. Even though everyone has wishes, why are there so few people who obtain Visions?"
"Is it about qualifications? Or other factors?"
"I have a new wish now, but why don't I have a Vision?"
"If we're talking about qualifications, I am no worse than anyone else."
Celestia: I'd like to give you one, damn it, but you need to give me a Constellation first!
Shiki: A mere Celestia, and you dare to pry into the fate of my other half? Even the Heavenly Principles are but ants that can be crushed with a casual wave of the hand.
Celestia: I'm done, can't mess with her.
"That's true, but Visions are still a matter of fate, aren't they? Aren't there many powerful ordinary people in this world who don't have Visions?" Ayaka said.
Ayaka's strength destined her to be a long distance from the truth.
Although her status as the Young Miss of the Yashiro Commission was precious, she was still just one of the common masses.
"Perhaps. In any case, the waters of this world run deep. Many things taken for granted are precisely the things worth thinking about."
Shiki remained noncommittal. In Teyvat, even the starry sky was fake; perhaps this was just a bubble universe within the Honkai universe.
In any case, Teyvat must be in the Honkai universe. Didn't you see Otto next door observing Stormterror?
Klee's mother, Alice, even said that the boundaries of Teyvat were getting weaker. Who knows if there is Honkai outside this boundary?
Hmm... or perhaps another bubble universe? After all, the bubble universes in the Honkai universe are as numerous as sand, impossible to count.
But thinking about these things now was still too far off. When Shiki transmigrated, Enkanomiya hadn't even been released, and her current strength among the Archons was only upper-middle tier.
Although she had the means to kill in one hit, it was useless if she couldn't hit the target!
As a high-attack, low-health assassin, the enemy's attacks could miss countless times, but if she made one mistake and didn't dodge, she was done for.
Therefore, let's set a small goal: to beat the Puppet Shogun without taking damage and without using the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!
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