According to the surviving fragments of "Records of Liyue's Gods and Anomalies," in ancient times, the ancestors of Liyue struggled to survive in the wilderness. At that time, there was a compassionate God whose name is now difficult to verify, sometimes called "Machius," and sometimes the "God of Stove."
This God did not long for power or fight for territory; he only loved the warmest smoke of the human world.
He once transformed into a thousand forms, entering every nascent settlement to teach people how to build stoves and light fires, how to cook food for warmth, using delicious food to dispel the cold and hunger, and to unite hearts and communities.
His power originated from the curling smoke and the sounds of laughter rising from the stoves of thousands of households.
However, legend says that to ensure the land of Liyue would forever enjoy abundance and that the stove fires would never go out, this God eventually dispersed all of his power into the mountains, rivers, and earth. His form subsequently dissipated, and he fell into a long slumber.
He gave everything he was to the mountains and rivers of Liyue and its thousands of people.
He injected the soul of "Umami" into the rivers, lakes, and seas, so Liyue had abundant fishery products.
He scattered the essence of "Aroma" into the wilderness and plains, so Liyue's grains were exceptionally plump and its Spice had a unique flavor.
He imprinted the mastery of "heat control" into every ley line of Liyue, so that people could always easily master the mysteries of the stove fire.
This was his selfless contribution to all living beings in Liyue, great and tragic, yet in the end, even his name was gradually forgotten by time.
From this, a bold yet perfectly explanatory "unofficial history" hypothesis was born.
Could the gluttonous, sleepy, and harmless Guoba before our eyes in Wanmin Restaurant be none other than the God of Stove, Machius, who has exhausted his power and lost his memories, only re-forming a tiny body based on a trace of instinctive attachment to the "smoke of the world"?
He wandered unconsciously and was eventually attracted by the soaring steam and the passion for cooking at Wanmin Restaurant, staying there.
This place is his eternal home.
[Chapter 3: A Mutual Journey of Protection and Heritage]
Thus, the meeting between Xiangling and Guoba was by no means an accident.
That day, Xiangling encountered that small orange figure in Jueyun Karst. It was attracted by the aroma of the food Xiangling carried, following the most familiar scents of "fire" and "food" in the dark, and came before Xiangling.
He was not "found"; he was "summoned."
From then on, the God of Stove, Machius, was reborn under the name "Guoba."
He follows Xiangling; while it looks like Xiangling is taking care of him, in reality, he is guiding this gifted Damselette in the shadows.
Why can Xiangling always create such amazing dishes? Why can Guoba always breathe out the perfect amount of heat at critical moments? Why do the dishes at Wanmin Restaurant possess a "Wok Hei" that even Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion cannot replicate?
Because the God of Food is right by his side.
In this way, one is a broad-minded culinary genius with a desire to explore all things as ingredients, and the other is a God who controls the world's "stoves." Their combination is the most exquisite arrangement of fate (or "food luck").
With infinite imagination and exquisite skill, Xiangling continuously expands the boundaries of cuisine. Meanwhile, Guoba (Machius) is the guide for the ingredients, letting food finally become a warm vessel for emotions and memories.
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