Genshin Impact: A Mortal's Ascension to Godhood

The competition between dishes is not only a competition of deliciousness, but also a collision of ideas.

After realizing that she could not get any advice from Li Tao and others that would help improve her cooking skills, Xiangling made another decision.

"Xiangling, are you going to look for the team that made it to the finals?" Li Tao looked at her suspiciously, "Are you going to gather intelligence?"

Xiangling nodded: "Yes. I am not very familiar with their cooking methods. I hope to understand the thoughts and feelings they put into their dishes by tasting them."

Thoughts and such... can this also be expressed through eating dishes? Li Tao was embarrassed.

"As I recall, the other team is the representative team of Chenyu Valley." Xingqiu flipped through a booklet distributed by the Food Festival Organizing Committee that introduced the participating teams. "Well, they are not even a team that has opened a shop in Chenyu Valley for a long time, but a traveling caravan?"

"Since I often do business in Yilongbu-Qiaoyingzhuang, I have learned a lot about the local cuisine. I have also recruited several chefs to join the caravan...It is these chefs who came to participate in the Chef King Competition this time."

Li Tao leaned forward, almost sticking to Xingqiu: "They are currently staying at the Tianshangwu Inn in Liyue Port. If you want to find them, just go over and say hello. Let's go."

//////

Soon, in Liyue Harbor, Tianshangwu Inn.

"What? That little cook from Liyue Harbor, our opponent in the finals, is coming to see us by name?" A middle-aged man with graying hair and a short beard looked at his companion in surprise. "Why is she here?"

His companions laughed at him and said, "Lawrence, why do you care about that little girl? Are you afraid that you won't be able to beat her in the final?"

The chef named Lawrence waved his hand unhappily. "I would be scared? Humph! I have inquired about it. During the elimination round, the little girl used a novel ingredient, so she impressed the judges... If we had the same starting point, I don't think I would lose to a little girl."

"But..." Lawrence stroked his chin and muttered, "I am also very interested in that little girl who can control the element of fire. What's wrong with meeting her?"

......

Xiangling soon met Lawrence and his two companions.

When they first met, Xiangling was a little surprised: "Sir, you don't look like a Liyue person?"

Lawrence waved his hand, with a nonchalant look on his face: "I am from Mondstadt, currently traveling with a caravan and learning some Liyue dishes."

"Little girl, your name is Xiangling, right? Why did you want to meet me before the finals?"

Xiangling frowned seriously, clenched her fists and placed them on the table, and said seriously: "Of course, it's because I want to meet the gentlemen who can make that 'steamed egg with bamboo fungus and sea cucumber'."

“Not all chefs can combine the theme of [mountain and sea delicacies] into one bowl and show their culinary skills.”

Being praised by Xiangling, Lawrence was a little flattered. For a moment, he didn't know what to say: "Ahem... Ah, little girl, I haven't introduced myself and these guys yet, right? My name is Lawrence, this is Xiao Du, and that is Li Ba..."

Several chefs whose names Lawrence mentioned also waved to Xiangling in a friendly manner.

Xiangling then told Lawrence her request: "Well, Mr. Lawrence, please listen to me. I want to understand your cooking skills a little bit before the final. So, I would like to ask, can you and your companions cook a dish for me?"

"The art of cooking? That kind of thing..."

Lawrence was about to burst into laughter, but he seemed to suddenly remember something and slowly fell silent. He stared at Xiangling's serious eyes and said slowly: "Little girl, you have to know that this is to gather intelligence."

Xiangling said playfully, "The rules don't say that we are not allowed to seek information, right? Besides, the topic of the finals hasn't been decided yet, so what's the point of cooking a dish?"

"I'm not going to do it for you for free..." Lawrence muttered, only to be poked in the back by his companion.

Xiao Du whispered to Lawrence, "Old Law, you don't really want to embarrass a little girl, do you? Where's your face?"

Lawrence pushed Xiao Du's hand away in annoyance and said, "I've told you so many times not to call me 'Lao Lao'. That's too weird!"

But Xiangling understood Lawrence's request: "Yes, I understand what you mean, Mr. Lawrence. I will pay, and I will also show you the essence of using the fire elemental power that you want to see."

Lawrence was stunned: Is this little girl a worm in my stomach? How did she know that I wanted to see how to use the element of fire to cook?

But he still extended his hand like the people of Liyue and said, "So... the contract is done?"

"The contract has been concluded. Anyone who breaks his word will be punished by being eaten by rocks!" Xiangling clapped her hands with him, and a mysterious force lingered over her.

//////

"So what happened after that?"

After Xiangling returned to Wanmin Hall, everyone asked her about the details of her communication with the Chenyugu team. So Xiangling picked out the above content and explained it in detail.

"Mr. Lawrence, his friends and I each cooked a dish. I have tasted the cooking method that Mr. Lawrence and his friends have always adhered to." Xiangling looked confident of winning, "I should be able to beat them in the final with my own strength!"

Speaking of which, what exactly is this cooking technique... Li Tao smiled awkwardly but politely.

“But Xiangling, didn’t you also show the other party the essence of the fire elemental power?” Xingqiu reminded, “The other party should be able to learn from their strengths and make up for their weaknesses, right?”

However, Xiangling said: "Only a competition like this, where all the cards are revealed and all the firepower is used, is meaningful! Dad once said that the difference between chefs lies not only in the exquisiteness of their skills, but also in their persistence in cooking and the confrontation between different cooking methods!"

//////

At the same time, Chen Yugu represented the team.

"Damn, my chances of winning suddenly feel slim." Lawrence sat in the kitchen, looking sadly at the moon above his head through the window.

"No, Lao Lao, didn't you say something like 'She's just a little girl, she will definitely win'? Why are you suddenly losing confidence now?" Li Ba said strangely.

Lawrence shook his head weakly and said, "You don't understand. The feeling of incorporating all the fire elements into cooking, burning the chef's passion and persistence, and fully releasing the deliciousness and nutrition of the ingredients - it's not something an ordinary person like me can do."

Xiao Du jumped out dissatisfiedly: "But aren't we a team of chefs? With everyone's efforts, we can definitely do what you can't do alone!"

"That's why I said the chances of winning are slim, not that we can't win at all." Lawrence stretched out his index finger and tapped Xiao Du's forehead. "If we can put all our emotions and art into the dishes on the day of the final, we might have a chance of winning."

“But the other party also cooked with the same determination and belief, so she said, ‘This is a collision of culinary arts.’”

"Okay... let's see what you are capable of, Xiangling." Lawrence finally said this and walked back to the kitchen.