"I love the Moonchase Festival," Paimon said with a serious face, looking quite excited.
"Paimon has a unique taste in food, so you'll definitely love the Moonchase Festival." Xiangling nodded; like Paimon, he also loved the Moonchase Festival very much.
"Liyue is truly different from Inazuma in many places." Raiden Ei's fair face was flushed; she even stuck out her little tongue when no one was looking. She had never eaten spicy food before and had no idea the so-called boiled blackback perch would be this spicy.
She finally knew what'spicy' felt like—it was as if her taste buds were being stimulated, yet it felt incredibly refreshing.
"Of course."
Meanwhile, Raiden Makoto noticed Lumine looking at Paimon with a dark expression. Did Lumine think there was something wrong with what Xiangling just said?
"Lumine, does Paimon really have a unique taste?" Raiden Makoto asked curiously, as Lumine clearly thought Paimon's taste was peculiar.
"I remember when we were going to visit Ningguang at the Jade Chamber, right? Paimon insisted on giving Ningguang a Frosting Slime..." Back then, Lumine felt Paimon's taste was truly unique. To take something as disgusting as a Slime and turn it into a Frosting Slime to give to Ningguang...
"Oh..."
"Hey, Lumine, how can you just expose my secrets like that?" Paimon was a bit angry, looking at Lumine huffily. "Don't you also have a unique taste? Back then..."
However, in the next second, Lumine directly covered Paimon's mouth. He winked at Raiden Makoto and said with an innocent face, "My taste has always been normal. Don't listen to Paimon's nonsense."
"Speaking of which, I'm participating in this year's Culinary King Competition during the Moonchase Festival. I'd really like to have you guys as my culinary consultants." Xiangling suddenly remembered his purpose for wanting Lumine and Paimon to be his consultants and said seriously, "Is that okay?"
"Culinary King Competition?" Paimon was stunned; he didn't know Liyue had such a thing. "There's a competition like that?"
"You probably haven't heard of it. Every Moonchase Festival has a different theme designated by the Qixing. This year's theme is 'Food and the Land.' To respond to this theme, the Qixing specifically organized the Culinary King Competition."
"Interesting." Raiden Makoto found it quite interesting, though he probably wouldn't participate in such a cooking contest.
But he could go and watch when the time came.
Truth be told, compared to Inazuma, Liyue felt more like a complete nation now. Inazuma was unstable internally and felt a bit oppressive. From a cultural standpoint, Inazuma couldn't compare to Liyue either.
"Sigh, unfortunately, participating in the Culinary King Competition is a real brain-drainer. I have to develop new dishes, test them, cook them... over time, my judgment has started to slip." Xiangling sighed deeply.
"So, can you help me gather everyone's thoughts on food? I need to ask a few more people and collect different ideas." If Lumine and Paimon hadn't returned, he wouldn't have had the time for that.
"Sure."
"And... those Inazuman friends you brought along... can help me too." Xiangling's eyes lit up. He felt that Raiden Makoto must have profound culinary skills. With Raiden Makoto's help, winning the Culinary King Competition would be a sure thing.
"They call you Sister Makoto, so I'll call you Sister Makoto just like them. Is that alright?" Xiangling looked at Raiden Makoto with some anticipation.
"Of course."
Xiangling was just a young brat in front of her. To be honest, calling her Mother Zhen or Grandma Zhen wouldn't be a problem at all, and she wouldn't even mind. But given her current appearance, Sister Makoto was naturally the most appropriate.
"Sister Makoto, you just said that marinating fish slices with egg whites and... what was it, cornstarch? Can it make the texture more tender?" Xiangling's eyes sparkled as he looked at Raiden Makoto, his pale gold eyes filled with anticipation.
"Mhm."
"It's not just for fish. You can use it for meat slices too; it makes the meat tenderer and improves the mouthfeel." Raiden Makoto smiled. "If you don't believe me, you can try it now."
"No rush."
"Sister Makoto, do you have any other culinary techniques? Let's exchange some ideas." Xiangling grew more excited as he spoke. "And could you cook some Inazuman dishes for me? I want to learn too."
"You can use any of the ingredients..."
When it came to cooking, Raiden Makoto was happy to chat more with Xiangling. He could see that although the Lady before him was quite lively, he was very dedicated to his craft.
"Mhm."
"Let's step aside and chat; it's not really 'guidance'." As Raiden Makoto and Xiangling walked to the side, only Lumine and Paimon remained, still enjoying the delicious boiled blackback perch.
As for Raiden Ei, seeing Raiden Makoto getting so close to Xiangling, she felt a bit jealous.
How could her sister strike up a conversation so quickly everywhere? And Xiangling was really getting too close to her sister.
"Sister Makoto can make new friends anywhere. She truly is a gentle god," Paimon said thoughtfully.
Watching Xiangling learning humbly and Raiden Makoto teaching earnestly, Raiden Ei fell into deep thought.
Although she and her sister had always been together, she only knew how to fight and nothing else, while her sister wasn't skilled in martial arts at all.
It seemed she and her sister had no common language... Xiangling had only just met her sister, yet they were already chatting so intimately. Seeing the smile on Raiden Makoto's face, she knew he was happy right now.
"Cooking... Culinary King Competition..." Raiden Ei murmured to herself. Should she participate in the Culinary King Competition? She would learn to cook in secret and then stun everyone at the competition. Her sister would surely look at her in a new light then.
And she could also receive her sister's guidance in the future.
Plan success!
Raiden Ei's eyes lit up; she had a plan. While Lumine and Paimon were eating, she secretly slipped away.
Walking up to Master Mao, Raiden Ei whispered, "Could I borrow your kitchen for a moment? I want to make a dish for my sister."
Master Mao was taken aback, but he then nodded and said, "You're the Traveler's friends, feel free to use it. There are plenty of ingredients..."
"Mhm."
"But I have to head out to take care of some things now, otherwise I could help you prep the ingredients." After saying that, Master Mao walked out of Wanmin Restaurant, leaving Raiden Ei alone in the kitchen.
In the main hall.
"Eh... where's Sister Ei?" Paimon suddenly noticed Raiden Ei was gone. He had been so immersed in the food that he hadn't even noticed Raiden Ei disappearing from beside them.
"Sister Ei?" Lumine was slightly startled. He scanned the hall and only saw Raiden Makoto teaching Xiangling. As for Raiden Ei, who had been eating with them just now, she seemed to have vanished.
"I saw that Sister Ei seemed to find the food very spicy... maybe she went out to find some water?" Lumine's face was also a bit flushed, but he could handle the spiciness of the boiled blackback perch.
"Maybe. But man, eating this spicy boiled blackback perch right now is just amazing." Paimon looked satisfied.
"Sister Makoto, your experience is truly vast."
Xiangling felt as if "listening to your words is better than ten years of study." He hadn't noticed many of the details; it turned out there were so many nuances in cooking.
Xiangling looked at Raiden Makoto with increasing curiosity. Clearly Raiden Makoto was from Inazuma, so why was he so proficient in Liyue cuisine? And Xiangling's intuition told him that Raiden Makoto wasn't just talking in generalities; the experience he shared was likely very practical.
"It's all experience summarized by predecessors... I'm just a successor." Raiden Makoto smiled modestly. After exchanging culinary ideas with Xiangling, he realized that Liyue's cuisine seemed to be a mix of the cuisines from his past life, combining the Eight Great Cuisines of China but without being a master of any single one.
One could say it was a bit too bloated and lacked refinement.
"Sister Makoto is too modest..." Xiangling's pale gold eyes sparkled as he looked at Raiden Makoto with admiration. "I've noted down all those tips. I'll pay attention to them later."
"Mhm."
"I wonder... does Sister Makoto have any interest in joining the Culinary King Competition?" Xiangling was curious. He really wanted to know how deep Raiden Makoto's culinary skills went and looked forward to him participating.
"Inazumans can participate in the Culinary King Competition too," Xiangling added, realizing Raiden Makoto wasn't from Liyue.
"The championship prize is also very good."
"I'll pass," Raiden Makoto smiled. "I have other things to attend to in Inazuma, but if I have time, I'll come to watch the competition."
"Alright then."
His purpose for coming was, on one hand, to wait for the 'fish' of Inazuma to surface, and on the other, to find Morax and ask if he could help with "land reclamation."
Secondly, he wanted to bring Ei out to see the world.
"That's a pity, but I won't force Sister Makoto." Xiangling smiled. "But would Sister Makoto like to show off his skills?"
"Maybe later, no rush."
"Mhm, mhm." Xiangling wasn't in a hurry, but he was truly looking forward to seeing Raiden Makoto showcase his cooking.
As Raiden Makoto turned his gaze back, he found only Lumine and Paimon still eating at the table, while Raiden Ei had disappeared.
"Where's Ei? Where did he run off to now?" Raiden Makoto was puzzled and walked over to Lumine and Paimon.
"Lumine, where's Ei?"
"Sister Ei? I don't know..." Lumine paused. "Maybe the boiled blackback perch was too spicy? Sister Ei might have gone out to find some water."
"After all, Inazuman food is quite light, and Sister Ei likes sweets... he probably can't handle such spice." Lumine said thoughtfully. Of course, that was just his guess; he really didn't know where Ei had gone.
Boom...
Following a loud explosion, the entire Wanmin Restaurant building shook. Tables and utensils clattered, and dust fell from the ceiling.
The moment the explosion occurred, Raiden Makoto understood instantly.
Xiangling was startled. He looked around blankly and said in confusion, "What happened?"
Lumine and Paimon didn't know what would happen when Raiden Ei cooked, but they still remembered that morning in Inazuma when a massive explosion echoed through Inazuma City while they were sleeping soundly.
"Let's go outside first."
When Xiangling saw that his kitchen had completely collapsed and was a total mess, he was completely stunned.
"???"
How could a massive explosion have happened in their kitchen?
Raiden Ei stood there with a soot-covered face, seeing Raiden Makoto and the others who had come out.
He blinked at Raiden Makoto, wearing an innocent expression.
He had really tried to control it... but he didn't know why a huge explosion happened anyway.
"What did Sister Ei do?" Paimon and Lumine glanced at each other, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
They didn't know what had happened either.
"Sister... I just wanted to try..." Raiden Ei felt guilty. Seeing Raiden Makoto's serious expression, he realized he had likely caused trouble.
He was going to get hit again.
Didn't he just want to see if he could cook? If he could, he would secretly join the Culinary King Competition and then stun everyone, making his sister see him in a new light.
Master Mao was originally going to handle some business, but he had barely left when he heard the explosion behind him.
He turned around and saw smoke coming from Wanmin Restaurant, so he quickly ran back.
Upon his return, he saw the collapsed kitchen and Raiden Ei, whose face was covered in soot amidst the ruins.
Looking at the mess, he also fell into deep thought. Was that his kitchen?
"Come here." Raiden Makoto was speechless. He was truly at a loss. If his sister wanted to practice cooking in Tenshukaku, he wouldn't care; it wouldn't matter if Tenshukaku exploded. But this was someone else's place.
How could Raiden Ei try to cook without permission?
"Do you have no self-awareness at all?" Raiden Makoto was even a bit angry. "You didn't listen to anything when I tried to teach you before, and now you just had to..."
"You can't even behave yourself when we're out... Luckily, it was just a kitchen that got blown up. If you had hurt people on the street, how would we explain it to Morax?"
"People would think you're launching an attack." Raiden Makoto was helpless, the gentle smile on his face gone.
But Raiden Ei had blown up a kitchen, and they were penniless right now. They couldn't afford to pay for it at all!
"You just had to sneak off and cook on your own..."
He was truly fuming. When would his sister stop causing him worry? Did he need to give him a good beating tonight?
"Sister Makoto... are you saying that explosion just now was caused by Sister Ei's cooking?" Paimon froze on the spot. "No way!"
Sister Ei's cooking was comparable to a terrorist attack?
"Is it really that terrifying?" Paimon looked at Raiden Ei in horror. Raiden Ei felt even more guilty and didn't dare to speak.
He really just wanted to see if he could participate in the Culinary King Competition... to see if he could have a bit of common ground with his sister.
Who knew it would turn out like that? He had already been trying his best.
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