act40side

Oh... nothing...

Well, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you find out the truth about your father—

You're such a contradiction—so bold when you eat, yet so refined when you speak.

When we're eating together, it's all good fun; we're good friends. Why do you turn into a different person as soon as you put down your chopsticks?

Friends?

And another thing, why are you helping me look for these tangerine cakes in the first place?

Well, I'm writing a book.

Most cookbooks today only contain recipes from renowned chefs, yet the streets and the countryside are full of unique delicacies that few people ever pay heed.

I hope to collect all these recipes into a book. Perhaps, years later, people will read this book and learn of Baizao's unique cuisine. Hm... it's just a silly dream of mine, is all.

And also...

What?

I think I'll keep that a secret for now.

Well, as long as we're out here, you might as well take me to a few more places, yeah?

Sure! Where do you want to go?

Let me see... this letter mentions the Virtue Bookstore, the Humble Garden, and the Baizao Academy.

Hey... what does this word mean?

Can you let me have a look?

This is a letter? Why is it so greasy?

I didn't do that! It was like that when I opened it! I don't know what my dad was doing when he wrote it.

So these are all letters that your father wrote to you?

Yes. The few that I managed to save.

(Strange, this stationery... it's...)

Hmm? What is it?

N-Nothing. It's just that most of the places mentioned in this letter no longer exist.

Huh? But it was only written a decade ago.

For Baizao, a decade is enough for the whole city to change.

Have you noticed that anything has changed since arriving in Baizao?

Well, aside from the food, there are all these energy poles all over the place. It seems like kind of a waste.

It may seem wasteful, but in fact, we have no other choice.

The city of Baizao was founded a long, long time ago.

At that time, Yan had just experienced a great war, and the country was in dire straits. However, suddenly, an extremely rich Originium vein was discovered right next to the ruins of a battlefield.

Wow. What impeccable timing! You Yanese sure are lucky!

No. It wasn't lucky at all. The Originium vein was rich... too rich. It attracted too many Originium particles in one place, which eventually led to Catastrophe.

Basically, not only was it difficult to mine, but it also created a vast stretch of land that was prone to Catastrophes, and there was nothing the Yanese could do about it.

That is, until one of the Tianshis had an idea—they could build a city right on top of the Originium vein. The city infrastructure would deplete the excess Originium energy, preventing further Catastrophes.

Building a city on top of an Originium mine? That sounds like a recipe for disaster!

It was indeed an extremely dangerous undertaking. However, the True Lung decided to go ahead with it... and that's how Baizao was founded.

How did they do it? I can't even imagine...

Honestly, I'm not totally sure either. In all the Yanese history books, there is only a single passage that talks about that period—

'Skilled individuals were sent to the disaster zone, and after fifty-three years of effort, a city was built and established as the capital. The city was named Baizao, with the hope of tending all cooking stoves under heaven.'

As for the more advanced technical details, you'd probably have to look at some of the materials from the Tianshi Bureaus. That's beyond my area of expertise.

So to this day, the Baizao government still encourages us to use this energy.

Baizao is constantly changing. That's how these skyscrapers appeared, as well as the numerous nomadic city plates.

And what happened to the people who built the city?

*sigh*...

I'm completely stuffed, but I still haven't found the taste I'm looking for.

I've taken you to every restaurant I know that sells such cakes.

Maybe tomorrow we can go look in some of the larger restaurants.

*burp*

What did I tell you? What did I tell you?

You looked the whole day, yet you couldn't find your so-called, 'authentic tangerine cakes', could you?

You were following us all day?

You were afraid we would find better food, weren't you?

Me? Afraid? Pah!

I already told you before, if you're looking for the best chef in Baizao, you've already found him. If I can't cook it, no one else can.

Blaze, I've tasted his food. It really is quite excellent. A rare treat.

You really know how to flatter!

Besides, you're arguing over the details in how a single pastry is made—how could that possibly be the standard for judging a chef's skill?

Still, I can see that you, chef, are still curious about these sweet tangerine cakes that Blaze is talking about, are you not?

....Not really.

How about this? You two set aside your bet, and we'll see where we can find these sweet tangerine cakes.

That way, Blaze will find the tangerine cakes she's looking for, and you, chef, will learn a new recipe. Sounds like a delightful arrangement, no?

Huh? What?

What about my one month of free meals?

Hmph, my cooking skills are so superb that no one can match them, but there are other chefs that I respect. If I had to name one in particular, it would be...

Well... it would be...

Who?

The head chef of Ding Feng Lou, the highest rated of the Four Great Restaurants.

You mean, Mr. Mo Bufu?

Everyone at Ding Feng Lou is busy preparing for the Feast of a Hundred Delicacies. That means the old man is prepping for his last feast.

His last feast? You mean, he's retiring?

Who knows! That old man's been challenging people left and right lately—really showing off...

What are you waiting for? Let's go!

It's not so simple...

Chef Mo is quite an important man. He is responsible for the entire feast. We can't bother him with trifling matters such as some tangerine cakes.

The girl is clever, but she's only half right. If you really do want to go meet him, I have a way.

Last month's receipts?

No. Not in this pocket...

Ah. Here it is.

An invitation to the Ding Feng Lou Chef Selection...

Blaze, we won't get many opportunities to meet Chef Mo.

Then what are we waiting for? Whoever is going to the competition, take me with you!

As to who will participate in the competition...

Huh? What are you looking at me for?

Oh, you came to the library too. What a coincidence.

Hello, Yu. Are you here to look up some case files?

Just grabbing some books to put under my pillow. I haven't been sleeping well lately—maybe some reading will help.

How I envy the life of a student. Their brains are filled with books, not worries.

Surely you're joking.

I'm not joking at all. Investigating these sordid cases for the Judicial Review Office every day is bound to make one feel sick.

They say the Baizao Academy library is the cleanest and purest place in the world, where only wise men and sages dwell. So I'll sit here for a while and purify my soul.

Did you use to study here at the Academy too, Gu Quan?

That was many years ago...

I still haven't achieved anything yet, academically, since I graduated from here. I feel unworthy of the academy's prestige.

But I was fortunate to meet a great teacher here, and that experience will benefit me for the rest of my life.

Who is this teacher you speak of?

...No longer with us.

Then why did you come here today? To borrow books?

I'm here to look up some case files...

The Ministry of Rites is preparing for a grand celebration, and we need to refer to some old rituals.