"Mmm! Delicious!"
Xia Lian picked up a snow-white slice of fish soaked in red oil with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.
The next second, her eyes, which always carried a hint of timidity, suddenly froze.
The fresh, tender, and smooth fish meat melted with a gentle press in her mouth, releasing the pure, fresh sweetness of the deep sea.
Immediately after, a domineering and richly layered numbing and spicy flavor explosively burst forth.
First, the tingling current of Sichuan peppercorns surged across the tip of her tongue, closely followed by the blazing wave of dried chilies, instantly igniting all her taste buds.
It was stimulating and satisfying, yet not overly scorching; instead, it aroused an even stronger appetite, making it impossible to stop.
"This is delicious too!"
Su Wan picked up a piece of spicy chicken, still trying to maintain her habitual elegance cultivated over many years, preparing to take a small bite.
However, the moment her teeth broke through the fragrant and crispy outer skin, all her attempts at etiquette management completely failed.
After a light "crunch," the perfectly sealed fresh and tender meat juices burst open inside her mouth.
The tender smoothness of the chicken and the crispiness of the outer skin formed a brilliant contrast. The aroma of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns was stimulated to the extreme by the hot oil, leaving only pure fragrance without excessive spiciness.
All that was left in her mouth was crispiness, fragrance, tenderness, and an endless aftertaste.
Her mind went completely blank, and her body, acting faster than her reason, picked up a second piece.
She simply couldn't stop.
"I told you so! My Sis's cooking is the best in the world! It's 100 times better than the Elven Royal Chef's!"
Lin Xiyue mumbled her praises indistinctly while shoveling large mouthfuls of rice, her mouth smeared with oil.
Lin Qingyue looked at the three of them being completely conquered by the food, feeling incredibly smug in her heart.
Hmph, let me show you what Liyue's Little Master is all about!
So what if he's the Elven Royal Chef? Does he have Guoba's legacy? Does he know what glowing cuisine is?
On the grand road of culinary arts, Master Xiangling has never lost!
They devoured the food like a whirlwind sweeping away scattered clouds.
The dishes on the table were swept completely clean.
Even the last bean sprout soaked in Red oil in the boiled fish bowl was precisely fished out by Lin Xiyue.
The four of them slumped ungracefully in their chairs, rubbing their round bellies, and simultaneously let out satisfied burps.
"Burp... So... so blissful..."
Xia Lian's little face was flushed, her eyes hazy, her soul clearly still immersed in the delicious flavors from just now.
Su Wan had also completely dropped her usual dignified pretense, leaning lazily against the back of her chair with a look of pure relaxation and contentment on her face.
"Qingyue, your cooking skills... it's a loss to the culinary world that you haven't opened a restaurant."
She praised her sincerely.
"Low profile, low profile. Just standard procedure."
Lin Qingyue waved her hand, but she couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, the atmosphere was perfect. Su Wan sat up straight, her expression turning serious and earnest.
"Qingyue, Xiyue, Xia Lian."
She steadied her breathing, looking as if she were about to make the most important decision of her life.
"I have a proposal."
"I'm really glad I was teamed up with you guys for this Dungeon trip."
"We work together seamlessly and trust each other."
"So, I wanted to ask... could we form a permanent team? From now on, we can take on all missions and operations together."
After speaking, she looked at the three of them, surprisingly a little nervous.
This was probably the first time in her life she had been so proactive in pursuing something.
"Me! I agree!"
Xia Lian was the first to raise her hand high, her small head nodding like a chick pecking at rice.
"I-I'd be very happy to be with everyone!"
Lin Xiyue, meanwhile, habitually looked toward her Sis.
Lin Qingyue smiled.
"I have no objections, of course."
She looked at Su Wan and Xia Lian.
"You two are the most reliable teammates I've ever had."
An Ice Mage, balancing DPS and crowd control, calm and decisive.
A Ranger, an all-rounder in reconnaissance and surprise attacks, careful and reliable.
Their combat styles complemented each other, and their personalities meshed well too. Teammates like these were incredibly hard to find.
"That's great!"
Lin Xiyue cheered, and the atmosphere instantly became lively.
"Since we're a permanent party, we should have a team name, right?"
she proposed enthusiastically.
"A team name?"
The moment this question was asked, the previously lively atmosphere instantly cooled down.
The four looked at each other in dismay, staring wide-eyed.
"How about... 'Beautiful Girl Squadron'?"
Lin Xiyue said tentatively, striking what she thought was a very cute pose.
"...Tacky."
Su Wan's evaluation was concise.
"Then... 'Justice Iron Fist Sisterhood'?" Lin Xiyue refused to give up, clenching her fist.
"Sounds like some third-rate gang that collects protection money." Lin Qingyue's mouth twitched.
"How about 'Crazy Kill Squad'? Simple and direct!" Lin Xiyue's eyes lit up, feeling this suited their style perfectly.
"Can you think in a different direction?" Su Wan rubbed her forehead, feeling her refinement undergoing an unprecedented challenge.
"Then how about something epic, 'Aegis of Athena'? 'Valkyrie's Spear'?"
Lin Xiyue threw out two in one breath, looking at everyone expectantly.
Lin Qingyue closed her eyes in pain, feeling her toes doing construction work inside her shoes, ready to curl hard enough to carve out a whole Disneyland.
She raised a hand with difficulty, making a "stop" gesture.
"Xiyue, I'm begging you, please stop talking. We might as well just be called the 'Social Death Girl Group'."
Off to the side, Xia Lian was already so embarrassed she wanted to crawl under the table.
"Let me try." Su Wan cleared her throat, attempting to salvage the team's taste.
"The name needs to have Intent, like 'Winter Overture'?"
"Sounds like we're going to a poetry recital," Lin Xiyue complained.
"Then what about 'Elemental Resonance'? It reflects our class traits."
"Sounds like a physics lab group," Lin Qingyue ruthlessly shot it down, then asked,
"Besides, what are my class traits? Summoning meteorites and pulling out an AK? How is that supposed to resonate?"
"How about 'Luna's Protection'?" Xia Lian suggested quietly. "Or 'Starlight Four-Leaf Clover'?"
"The former sounds like a celebrity fan club, while the latter sounds like a gardening hobby class." Lin Qingyue shook her head.
"Then what do we do? We can't just call it the 'Naming Duds Mutual Aid Association', right?"
Su Wan scratched her head, completely giving up on being elegant, her face full of defeat.
Just as everyone was at a loss, a flash of inspiration hit Lin Qingyue's mind.
A name that was chuunii, domineering, and had a special meaning, audaciously took shape.
She slapped her thigh and said in a deep voice:
"I've got it!"
The other three immediately looked at her.
"Let's call it—"
Lin Qingyue deliberately dragged out her words, using a solemn tone as if announcing a universal truth, slowly spitting out two words:
"Quantum Battleship!"
"..."
The air in the room froze.
Lin Xiyue: "...Ha?"
Su Wan: "...Why?"
Xia Lian: "Qu... What is quantum?"
"Think about it," Lin Qingyue began to seriously talk nonsense.
"What is the core characteristic of our team? It's uncertainty!"
"Think about it, isn't our tactical style extremely unpredictable?"
"One second I'm a defenseless Priest, and the next I might pull out a meteor to format the enemy along with the map."
"Isn't our route of action completely bizarre? While others are still struggling in the Beginner Village, we've already raided the final BOSS's lair, and casually had afternoon tea with the faction leaders along the way."
"What is this kind of unpredictable behavior, existing in all possibilities before observation, called in physics?"
The three of them shook their heads blankly.
"It's called a 'quantum state'!" Lin Qingyue snapped her fingers. "Schrodinger's cat, got it? Before you open the box, you never know if it's dead or alive."
"Before we make a move, the enemy will never know exactly what method we'll use to send them off."
Lin Xiyue rubbed her chin thoughtfully, her eyes gradually shifting from blankness to "that actually... makes a bit of sense."
"Moreover, doesn't 'battleship' sound domineering? Very intimidating?"
Lin Qingyue spoke with growing enthusiasm,
"Full firepower, invincible, sweeping away everything!"
The more she spoke, the more she felt this name was simply a stroke of genius.
Quantum mechanics plus interstellar battleships—the coolness factor is completely maxed out! Perfect!
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian repeatedly chewed over this name, which had so many absurdities they didn't even know where to start roasting it, their expressions growing weirder by the second.
"Quantum this, Battleship that, this combination is just too absurd."
"But..."
"Thinking about it carefully, it seems... quite fitting?"
Their fighting style was indeed full of uncertainty.
And the scene of Lin Qingyue throwing Planet Befall was really no different from a battleship's main cannon firing.
"I... I have no objections." Xia Lian was the first to give up thinking.
Su Wan let out a long sigh, rubbed her throbbing temples, and finally gave up the struggle, choosing to accept this absurd reality: "...That works too, I guess. At least the name sounds intimidating."
"Sis is right!" Lin Xiyue slapped her thigh, completely convinced.
"We'll call it Quantum Battleship! Anyway, my Sis is very quantum herself; you never know what kind of new tricks she'll come up with next!"
And so, in a harmonious (giving up on treatment) atmosphere, the strange "Quantum Battleship" squad was officially formed.