Check out my new translation!
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"We also want to try that Mountain Delicacies with Sea Flavor!"
Seeing it was Hu Tao, Xiangling glared at her. "Every time I ask you all to taste-test new dishes, only Xingqiu and Chongyun show up. You always find some excuse."
"I do not!" Hu Tao's eyes drifted evasively as she argued. "I really am busy. You know the workload at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—twenty-four hours a day, I have to be on standby."
"I'm not falling for that again… but since you all came to cheer me on, once that dish is perfected, I'll bring it to you the moment it's ready."
For most people, being Xiangling's taste-tester was not a pleasant job. Xingqiu and Chongyun did not even know whether to laugh or cry at today's rare blessing.
After setting that promise, the Liyue Exploration Squad slowly dispersed.
"Victor, don't leave yet! I won this competition thanks in no small part to Yuxiang Shredded Pork, so the prize money has to be split with you. I'm going to collect it—wait right here!"
Victor Wang wanted to say she didn't need to, but Xiangling had already dashed away.
"She looks so happy. That's wonderful!" Paimon and Lumine also stayed behind because of certain matters, waiting with him for Xiangling to return.
It did not take long for Xiangling to rush back. She insisted on giving part of the prize money to Victor Wang, then looked around the now-empty stage of the final match. "Speaking of which, the Masterful Chefs Tournament is over. I wonder if that statue changed at all… let's go ask Keqing!"
To keep certain thoughts to himself, Victor Wang pretended ignorance and asked, "Statue? What statue?"
Paimon answered enthusiastically, "The God of the Stove statue! If you're curious, want to come see it too?"
"May I?"
"Sure. It's not a secret… actually, it feels like you're the only one who didn't know."
After some back-and-forth through the city, they arrived at Yujing Terrace where the God of the Stove statue was placed. Keqing, who had arrived early, looked visibly upset. As for why—
Circling the statue and examining it carefully, Paimon muttered in confusion, "How strange… the stone isn't showing any change at all?"
Xiangling was also surprised. "How? The competition was so lively… does this level of excitement still fail to awaken the God of the Stove statue? But it already had a crack before…"
"Perhaps it simply isn't fated…" Keqing's voice carried the weight of disappointment at the statue's lack of response.
For all of them, the unresponsiveness of the statue was a dead end. In the days leading up to the Moonchase Festival, they had searched everywhere—running all over Liyue, asking countless people, reading countless records, visiting Wangshu Inn and Qingce Village, nearly heading all the way to Chenyu Vale—only to be stopped here at the very end.
Still, that was that. Lifting her spirits, Keqing looked at Victor Wang and nodded. "You completed the last commission well."
This was her first private meeting with Victor Wang after leaving The Chasm.
"Lumine did most of the work."
"No need to be modest. You all handled it excellently."
"Oh, right! Victor didn't know what happened with the statue since he was in The Chasm the whole time, and we didn't have time to explain on the way!"
With the intention of cheering Keqing up, Paimon explained to Victor Wang:
"This stone was brought up by fishermen from the shallows. They tried breaking it with tools, but it was completely indestructible, so they thought it must've been treasure fallen from the Jade Chamber and asked Beidou to return it to Ningguang. But it wasn't hers at all—
"Keqing's grandfather specialized in researching Liyue's traditional culture, and he studied the God of the Stove extensively.
"Some believed the God of the Stove was Rex Lapis himself; others believed he was someone else entirely. Keqing's grandfather belonged to the second group. He left a lot of research notes, and once even heard a strange tale—about ancient people discovering a shrine to the God of the Stove, but inside was no statue, only a large smooth stone.
"Just like the stone in front of us.
"Keqing wanted to verify the history and her grandfather's theory. So we followed every clue, and finally Granny Ping confirmed it—this stone truly is the lost God of the Stove statue.
"But we couldn't see the God of the Stove's true form… The ancient texts say the God of the Stove governs fire and cooking, and since the statue had mysteriously cracked once already, we thought the chefs' devotion and the lively Moonchase Festival would pass to the statue and restore it. But unexpectedly…"
Unexpectedly, it had all been for nothing.
Keqing sighed. "Will the statue… ever awaken?"
Sensing the mood sinking further, Xiangling stepped forward. "Actually, Keqing, I have good news for you! My master has finished restoring the missing recipe your grandfather left behind. I even cooked some during the competition to surprise you."
She took out a carefully wrapped plate of Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns—seven in total. Counting Guoba, one remained, so she passed them out. "Just enough for everyone. Eat while they're still hot!"
"Xiangling… then I won't hold back."
After a single bite, Keqing's expression changed.
"What is it?"
"I… forgive my sudden reaction. Thank you. This is exactly the flavor I've been wanting to experience again! Delicious, and… impossible. It's like I've returned to the days reading beside my grandfather…"
Keqing reminisced about reading in the study with her grandfather. Finally, she said softly, "My grandfather tried to recreate this ancient dish, but the recipe was incomplete, so he never succeeded. Every time he tried, he'd give me a hot bite to taste… I remember it so clearly. This is the flavor."
"Actually, when Master finished the recipe, I realized—this is a dish I already knew how to make. My dad taught me. In my family we call it Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns. It's portable and easy to make—perfect for traveling. Haha, every time I see this dish, I think of Guoba. The day I met him, I was making this exact thing!"
"Met Guoba?"
"Yeah. I was sheltering from the rain in a cave. There was an offering table inside, so I put my Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns on it… then fell asleep by accident. When I woke up, Guoba had eaten all of them. From then on, he followed me everywhere and became family!"
"…That really is incredible."
"Eh? Don't just chat—look!" Paimon suddenly cried out. "The stone—it's about to explode?!"
At her words, Keqing, Xiangling, and Lumine all looked toward the God of the Stove statue. Cracks spread across its surface, and bright golden light poured from within. With a loud bang, the round stone transformed into a uniquely shaped stone idol.
Keqing's eyes widened. "This—this is?!"
Lumine's eyes also widened. "Isn't that Guoba?"
Xiangling was stunned. "Guoba? Why is it you?!"
Feeling everyone's stares, Guoba looked confused. "?"
Right on cue, Granny Ping arrived. "It seems you've eaten the Chili-Mince Cornbread Buns."
"Granny Ping? Look—why does the God of the Stove statue look like Guoba?!"
"Hehe, don't panic. That is because Guoba is the God of the Stove—the Stove God and Patron God of the Soil."
"Guoba—Guoba is an Archon?!"
Granny Ping explained patiently:
"You asked me before whether enough festivities could awaken the God of the Stove. Yes… and no.
The God of the Stove is a benevolent deity who acts in response to people's heartfelt wishes. To him, heart's passions and heart's desires are different things. Heart's passions is skill, talent, and experience. Only heartfelt wish carries the purest power of human desire.
The Masterful Chefs Tournament was spectacular, but the chefs poured in more heart's passions than heart's desires. Heart's passions alone cannot awaken the sleeping God of the Stove.
But when Keqing tasted that dish, her long-held wish was fulfilled—bringing forth a powerful surge of emotion, as if her grandfather stood beside her once more. That wish resonated with the statue, allowing the God of the Stove's true form to reappear."
The power… of a wish…
Standing quietly at the side, Victor Wang felt something stir within him.
Wish-power was real. But he had never been able to see it.
What realm did one have to reach to perceive it…? What realm did one need to attain to use the power of wishes?