"Heeheehee, I defeated Yan Xiao."
In the second day's match, Xiangling defeated Yan Xiao by a narrow margin, and she was quite happy at the moment.
Now, only the final match of the Culinary King Competition remained tomorrow: Xiangling versus Raiden Ei.
Since the Semi-finals did not limit the theme, Raiden Ei relied on those few dishes to sweep through the Culinary King Competition and directly entered the finals.
Raiden Ei now believed she possessed extraordinary cooking Talents, convinced that her previous lack of skill was due to her not being serious enough. Now that she was serious, cooking was simple for her.
"Makoto, can I talk to you?" After Xiangling and Yan Xiao's match ended, Keqing looked a little embarrassed as she stared directly at Raiden Makoto.
Judging by Keqing's expression, she seemed to have something she wanted to discuss privately. Raiden Makoto nodded. "Sure, Keqing, what is it?"
"Let's go talk over there."
Keqing was troubled; she didn't even know how to face Xiangling. Therefore, she sought out the very gentle Raiden Makoto, who felt like a big sister.
She felt that Raiden Makoto might be able to give her an answer.
"Mhm."
While everyone was still immersed in the aftermath of the match, Keqing walked over to the side with Raiden Makoto.
Raiden Makoto noticed the distress on Keqing's face.
"What's wrong?"
"Makoto, as a judge, one should be fair and just. I cast my vote for Yan Xiao... the Adeptus' Temptation he made was genuinely delicious."
"I made this decision after careful consideration, and my conscience is clear," Keqing said earnestly. "But Xiangling is my friend, and I don't know how to face her."
"I think you should be honest with her."
"Actually, I also voted for Yan Xiao," Raiden Makoto chuckled. It wasn't because Xiangling's dish was bad, but rather that both contestants excelled in their own ways.
Yan Xiao's Adeptus' Temptation reminded her of Buddha's Temptation, and its rich, sweet flavor was indeed excellent.
It left her very satisfied.
"You also voted for Yan Xiao?" Keqing widened her eyes in surprise. She had assumed that, as Xiangling's master, Raiden Makoto would vote for Xiangling, yet Raiden Makoto had done the same as her and voted for Yan Xiao.
"Mhm."
"No wonder Xiangling only won by one vote..." Keqing finally understood why Xiangling had only won the match by a slight margin of one vote.
"As judges, we should indeed be fair, just, and transparent. Given Xiangling's character, she certainly wouldn't want us to abuse our power for personal gain."
"I think... you just really like Yan Xiao's golden shrimp balls, don't you?" Raiden Makoto smiled, looking at Keqing's expression and feeling the urge to tease her.
"Ugh..."
"Makoto... how can you be so direct?" Keqing's face flushed slightly, and she looked at Raiden Makoto awkwardly. "Yes... I really love eating golden shrimp balls..."
"Although Yan Xiao's flavor isn't as good as yours, it's still very nice." Keqing scratched her head, feeling extremely embarrassed that Raiden Makoto had exposed her thoughts.
"Keqing, Master, why are you two here?" After Xiangling snapped out of her daze following the crowd's encouragement, she intended to find Raiden Makoto, only to discover that Raiden Makoto and Keqing were talking nearby.
As for Raiden Ei, she hadn't come to watch the match today; she had been honing her culinary skills at the Wanmin Restaurant.
"Xiangling... you came at the right time. There's something I wanted to tell you." Keqing still felt a little uncertain when she saw Xiangling, and she cautiously said, "I cast my vote for Yan Xiao."
"So that's what you were talking about! It's fine, I don't mind at all," Xiangling blinked. "Isn't that exactly what you, as judges, should do? That's what being fair and just means."
"Did Master also vote for Yan Xiao? I saw Master's expression when she ate the Adeptus' Temptation... she looked very satisfied," Xiangling then looked earnestly at Raiden Makoto.
"Mhm."
"His Adeptus' Temptation was indeed very good. However, there is still room for improvement in your dishes today."
"Mhm mhm, I will work hard." Xiangling wasn't unhappy that Raiden Makoto voted for Yan Xiao; she was even pleased that Raiden Makoto offered her advice.
She was no longer a novice chef; her pursuit was no longer comfort, but the challenge of more difficult dishes.
"The match with Sister Ei tomorrow..." Xiangling was very confident. She personally believed that it was impossible for Raiden Ei to defeat her; Raiden Ei making it to the finals was already a considerable success.
"Of course you'll win. Tomorrow's match has a restricted theme. How could Ei possibly complete it?" Raiden Makoto smiled. Tomorrow, Raiden Ei wouldn't be able to make the dishes she taught her, and Raiden Ei only knew how to make a few very simple dishes.
Raiden Makoto was a little surprised that her younger sister managed to reach the finals, and she hoped that in the future, her sister could be this serious about other things as well.
"Guoba, did he not come with you today?"
"Mhm... Guoba has been with Sister Ei all day. He seems to really like Sister Ei, though I don't know why." Xiangling nodded. "But if he's happy, I'm happy too."
"Oh, right, Makoto."
"That Ye Zixiu was a member of the Treasure Hoarders... Treasure Hoarders are always sneaky, appearing in groups..."
"You and Ei need to be careful lately... those Treasure Hoarders are relentless and never-ending..." Keqing looked seriously at Raiden Makoto. "Ye Zixiu died because of that explosion, and those Treasure Hoarders hold grudges; they probably won't..."
"Don't worry," Raiden Makoto smiled. "You know that Ei and I are holders of Electro Visions. What trouble can those Treasure Hoarders possibly cause?"
"Mhm."
"Makoto, will you two return to Inazuma eventually?" Keqing asked, looking earnestly at Raiden Makoto. Seeing the gentle Lady before her, she felt an increasing sense of closeness to Raiden Makoto.
"Yes," Raiden Makoto nodded. "I still have a lot of work to complete in Inazuma. After that, I might travel around with Ei."
"Then I'll follow you two for now." Keqing pondered for a moment. She felt she must follow Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei, as she knew just how annoying the Treasure Hoarders could be.
That way, she could also protect Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
She also wanted to understand Raiden Makoto better. She was very curious as to why she felt such a sense of familiarity with Raiden Makoto. Moreover, Raiden Makoto looked like a Lady just like her, yet for some reason, she always felt like Raiden Makoto was an elder.
She was quite curious about Raiden Makoto's past experiences, but out of politeness, she wouldn't ask those questions directly.
"Sounds good," Raiden Makoto smiled. She quite liked Keqing; of course, it was the fondness an elder would have for a junior. As an Electro Vision holder, Keqing was indeed like a junior to her.
Crucially, when her memory was incomplete, she had treated Keqing as her own sister.
But looking at it now, Keqing's temperament and sense of responsibility far surpassed Raiden Ei's.
"Mhm mhm."
"Master, should we head back now? And also..."
"Alright."
Wanmin Restaurant.
When Raiden Makoto and Xiangling returned, she found Raiden Ei tinkering with something outside again.
"Sister..." Raiden Ei said excitedly when she saw Raiden Makoto return. "Let me show you my new invention..."
"A rice cooker?" Raiden Makoto immediately noticed an object resembling a rice cooker in front of Raiden Ei, and as Raiden Makoto spoke the name "rice cooker," Raiden Ei's eyes lit up.
"rice cooker? That's a great name... I was just trying to figure out what to call it," Raiden Ei said with a smile. "Didn't I discover that passing electricity through an Iron Coil generates heat? I thought about it just now..."
"What if I made it into this shape? Can't it cook rice directly? I just tried it, and the rice cooked tastes almost the same as rice cooked in an iron pot." Raiden Ei was happy; she now found that having a new invention gave her a sense of achievement.
"It will also be very convenient for cooking rice, and it can be used for making soup..." Raiden Ei then glanced at the Little White Snake wrapped around Raiden Makoto's arm.
When the Little White Snake noticed Raiden Ei's gaze, it coiled tighter around Raiden Makoto's arm, feeling a little scared.
Someone had previously mentioned making soup out of it.
"Not bad," Raiden Makoto nodded. "If you had applied yourself like this before, Inazuma would have flourished long ago."
"Not only that... I have other inventions." Raiden Ei then pulled out another object that looked somewhat like an Immersion Heater. She said earnestly, "Based on that principle... I made this. If you insert it directly into a kettle, it can heat water."
"An Immersion Heater, indeed." Raiden Makoto blinked, looking closer at Raiden Ei. Was her younger sister truly developing into a Tech Geek?
"Excellent."
"Knowing how to draw inferences from one case, you've made some progress." Raiden Makoto nodded in satisfaction. It seemed Raiden Ei had matured quite a bit. She no longer demanded that Raiden Ei achieve anything in governance, as those matters could all be handed over to the Shogun later.
As long as Raiden Ei wasn't just a Martial Artist who only knew how to fight, like before, that would be fine.
"Are Sister Ei's new inventions all this convenient?" Xiangling had been watching Raiden Ei demonstrate her new inventions with great interest, finding them quite wondrous.
"Yes."
Raiden Ei nodded. She believed that if the objects she created were slightly improved, even ordinary people could use them. If they were promoted in Inazuma upon her return, wouldn't that be a great benefit to the nation and its people?
Moreover, she now found that staying in one place to research new inventions was a worthwhile endeavor.
The Archon War had long ended, and the Seven Nations were now stable; fighting and killing were unlikely to be commonplace.
"It's extremely convenient," Raiden Ei smiled. "And Sister, while researching new inventions, I discovered a very interesting phenomenon."
"Oh?" Raiden Makoto looked at Raiden Ei with interest. "Tell me, what interesting phenomenon?"
"If you electrify a Coil... that Coil can directly attract iron objects... isn't that fascinating?" Raiden Ei was excited; these were phenomena she had never known about before.
"Electromagnetism?" Raiden Makoto was slightly stunned. It seemed Raiden Ei had discovered the relationship between the Electric Field and the Magnetic Field.
She still remembered her High School Physics knowledge. Her sister had actually discovered Electromagnetism.
If her sister could delve deeper into the research, perhaps she could even discover Electromagnetic Induction? Then Alternating Current, various forms of Automation, and Electrical Appliances could all appear?
"Very good, very good." Raiden Makoto nodded approvingly. "You have grown considerably compared to before."
Raiden Makoto rubbed Raiden Ei's head. "Keep working hard... your inventions are quite interesting, and I support your development in this area."
Raiden Ei was quite thrilled, as she rarely received praise from her sister before. Now, because she was dedicated to new inventions, her elder sister praised her.
This even strengthened Raiden Ei's resolve. She would delve deeper and work harder to invent more new objects.
She found the process to be very enjoyable.
"Mhm mhm."
"Master... did you two forget about me?" Xiangling said pitifully. "Speaking of which, Sister Ei, where is Guoba?"
"Guoba?" Because she had been focused on her new inventions, she had overlooked other things. She knew Guoba had been sticking close to her, but she truly didn't know where Guoba was.
"Guoba... I don't know..."
"Wasn't he just here? I remember he was sitting right next to me," Raiden Ei said, confused. "I was too focused on those things... so I overlooked him. I apologize..."
"It's fine..."
"Guoba often runs off by himself anyway. I never know what he's doing," Xiangling smiled. "Sister Ei, your new inventions are all very interesting."
"Can that black thing really cook rice? Without a fire?" Xiangling was curious.
"That's the rice cooker... of course it can cook rice, and it can cook enough for many people at once... Let me demonstrate it for you," Raiden Ei nodded. "This way, you can cook rice while preparing dishes, killing two birds with one stone."
"Mhm mhm."
Just as Xiangling was expressing her curiosity, an arrow flew in from outside and stuck directly into a nearby wooden pillar.
"Huh?"
"Who is it?" But when Raiden Ei went outside, there were too many people on the street, and she couldn't distinguish where the arrow came from.
"There seems to be a letter on the arrow," Xiangling, sharp-eyed, spotted a letter attached to the arrow's tail and quickly ran over.
Her expression instantly changed, and she said anxiously, "Guoba... Guoba has been captured by those Treasure Hoarders!"
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