Whether it was that fox or the girl who cut down Balladeer, he had no chance to fight them again, unless those two came out of Inazuma.
Moreover, he had to quickly inform Her Majesty the Tsaritsa about the transaction. Otherwise, if some foolish Harbinger caused trouble again, wouldn't he be the one taking the blame?
Tartaglia stated that he would pay, but taking the blame was absolutely out of the question.
Currently, all the Fatui he knew of within Inazuma had been consolidated, just waiting to pay the money and break through the Thunderstorm to return to Snezhnaya.
But what was he afraid of? That as soon as they broke out, some foolish Harbinger would lead people back in.
The Thunderstorm surrounding Inazuma was devastating for ordinary ships, but if a ship was sturdy enough, it could break through the Thunderstorm.
For example, Liyue's Alcor, and their Snezhnayan steam ironclads.
Snezhnaya now possessed steam engine technology, and under the research and development of the Harbinger Dottore, it could be applied to various machines. Liyue's Ruin Guard factory was the best example.
If measured by Earth's technological development, Snezhnaya had already completed its First Industrial Revolution and entered the Steam Age.
Fontaine, on the other hand, had already made contact with electricity, otherwise, there wouldn't be things like Camera and film projectors.
Steam engines could provide far greater power than sails, which meant they could propel warships made of steel.
However, despite being ironclads, their volume wasn't much larger, and some were even slightly smaller than Liyue's Alcor.
After all, steel weighed significantly more than wood at the same volume, and with the limited power a steam engine could provide, the volume naturally had to be reduced.
In fact, in terms of naval power, Snezhnaya's steel fleet could sweep any nation, but the key was the existence of Archons in this world.
So, at most, there would be minor skirmishes; a fight to the death was impossible.
Besides, which nation doesn't have its trump cards? If technology can't keep up, why can't I use elemental power?
For example, Liyue's Guizhong Ballista. Those were coastal defense cannons, with Tianheng Mountain and Guyun Stone Forest full of them, not to mention the aerial fortress, the Jade Chamber.
In a crisis, it could even be dropped like Planet Befall, a definite strategic deterrent... The scene returns to the Kamisato Estate. At this moment, Shiki stood in the Kamisato Clan's kitchen, where ingredients were abundant, and beside her stood Ayaka.
Ayaka was very curious about Shiki's cooking, and her curiosity only grew when the other party said she would make Liyue dishes.
That was Liyue cuisine! She had never known what Liyue cuisine tasted like since childhood, only seeing illustrations of some classic dishes in books.
"Shiki, what are you planning to make?" Ayaka asked curiously.
"What to make? Let me think... For the four of us, six dishes should be enough, and then a bowl of soup."
"Three meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, plus one cold dish. Summer is approaching, and the weather is getting hot, so we need something cold to cool down."
Shiki was simply following her own habits. After all, she wasn't a gourmet and wasn't particular about pairings; she just needed to make something decent.
But Ayaka, who had only ever made desserts, found it very impressive. She had never paid attention to these things during meals before.
"Oh! Is it that elaborate?"
"It's alright, isn't it? For meat dishes, I'll make Braised Chicken with Mushrooms, Braised Pork Belly, and Boiled Fish with Chili Oil. For vegetables, Oyster Sauce Lettuce and Shredded Potatoes. As for the cold dish... Ayaka, what do you think of Cucumber and Jellyfish Salad?"
"Oh, right, one more question: do you eat spicy food? Do we have Jueyun Chilis here?"
Shiki rattled off a long list of dish names, making Ayaka's head spin. She knew nothing about Liyue cuisine; what was all this?
However, there were things she could understand, such as spicy flavor and Jueyun Chilis.
Jueyun Chilis are special crops grown in Liyue. Eating them makes your mouth feel like it's on fire. Can this thing really be used in cooking?
And most importantly... "Shiki... we don't have Jueyun Chilis here..."
"We don't? That's a real shame..."
Shiki shook her head. Without Jueyun Chilis, she couldn't make Boiled Fish. If Boiled Fish doesn't have chili, can it even be called Boiled Fish?
That's like soda without fizz—it completely loses its soul.
"In that case, let's switch it to braised fish. But then we'll have two braised dishes..."
"I've got it! Why not change the Braised Pork to Stir-fried Beef with Scallions?"
"Alright, Ayaka, time to start working!"
The first dish to tackle was the time-consuming Braised Chicken with Mushrooms. Shiki took fresh chicken legs, placed them on the cutting board, and then slammed her hand down heavily.
Bang!
The six chicken legs were lifted into the air by the immense force, immediately followed by a flash of lightning, splitting the chicken legs into three pieces mid-air.
She lit the fire, blanched the chicken to remove the scum, added seasonings and two slices of ginger, covered the pot, and let it simmer over high heat.
The massive Kamisato Clan kitchen naturally had more than one pot, so after setting the Braised Chicken with Mushrooms to cook, Shiki began preparing the Braised Fish.
First, she scaled it, cleaned the insides, marinated it briefly in cooking wine, and finally put it into the pot.
Ayaka was stunned. Was this Liyue cuisine? It was so different compared to Inazuman food.
"Huh? Why are you adding beer?"
"To remove the fishiness."
Shiki poured half a bottle of beer into the pot. Whether it was sea fish or river fish, they all had a fishy smell, and beer was excellent for removing that odor.
After setting the fish to simmer, Shiki repeated her earlier action, using lightning to slice potatoes into uniformly thick shreds.
Freshly cut potatoes definitely couldn't be cooked immediately; they had to be soaked in water first, otherwise the stir-fried shreds would be mushy and lack texture.
While the shredded potatoes were soaking, she could start preparing the final meat dish.
Once the Stir-fried Beef with Scallions was done, she would make Lettuce in Oyster Sauce. By then, the shredded potatoes would be sufficiently soaked.
After blanching the shredded potatoes, the Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and the Braised Fish would basically be ready. A final touch, and they could be served immediately!
Oh, right, there was also soup. That was easy; Shiki just whipped up a simple Tomato and Egg Drop Soup.
"Mmm... it smells so good..."
Ayaka couldn't help but swallow. Compared to the monotone flavors of Inazuman cuisine, Liyue cuisine was a dimensional reduction attack.
"Shiki, your cooking skills are actually this good?"
"Want to learn? I can teach you!"
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