Volume Four: Withering in the World - On the Eve of the Storm (2)
Large teleportation array.
Even within the system of Truth Incantation, pioneered by MacArthur and perfected by successive Pope, this is an absolute crystallization of wisdom.
With a teleportation array, even if you are thousands of miles apart, you can arrive in a matter of seconds.
However, each activation of the large teleportation array consumes a large amount of energy, and the greater the teleportation distance and the longer the activation time, the greater the consumption. Therefore, the large teleportation array is generally only used to transport important Big Figure or to dispatch troops in emergency situations, and is never used for ordinary freight or passenger transport.
The conditions for teleporting people or objects between large teleportation arrays are simple: 1. Both the origin and destination teleportation arrays must have sufficient energy supply; 2. Both teleportation arrays must remain open. These two conditions are indispensable. As for the Divine Spellcaster stationed beside the teleportation arrays, their only responsibility is to supervise the normal operation of the teleportation arrays.
And now—at noon on the second day of the Holy Spirit Festival —the Great Teleportation Array has welcomed distinguished guests who are qualified to use it.
"Node One is ready!"
"Number Two is ready!"
"Number three..."
"Number four..."
The Divine Spellcaster guarding each node of the teleportation array sent out signals, and upon seeing the hand gesture from the commander on the nearby platform, they simultaneously inserted the Spirit Marrow in their hands into the slots of the nodes. Spirit Marrow is a product obtained by refining and meticulously processing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Psionic Brick over a long period of time. Both the raw materials and the manufacturing costs are extremely high, and it is a strategic resource specifically used to activate the teleportation array.
"Teleportation has begun!"
The Spirit Marrow at each node emitted a dazzling light, and the Divine Spellcaster immediately moved away from the teleportation array to avoid disrupting its operation. The long-waiting honor guard immediately stood at attention, raising their instruments, ready to play a welcoming tune at any moment.
The light grew stronger and stronger, eventually forming a pillar of light that shot into the sky. Through the thick light barrier, several figures could be vaguely seen appearing in the teleportation array, with a woman seemingly leading them. At that moment, all sorts of musical instruments played in unison, and ceremonial soldiers wielding longswords twirled their swords, while the surrounding Divine Spellcaster bowed in salute.
The sudden welcome seemed to startle the woman, but she quickly regained her composure and resumed her upright posture. As the light faded, the woman—or rather, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen—was finally revealed to the crowd. She had rare, long, dark green hair and emerald eyes of the same color, perfectly complementing her fresh, natural beauty. However, her gaze was somewhat evasive, as if she were still unaccustomed to such a grand occasion. She wasn't simply wearing the robes of the other Saintess; instead, she wore a plain-colored woolen long coat over her form-fitting robes, giving her a Mori Girl (forest girl) feel, very simple and natural.
"Welcome, Saintess Maiden!"
The unified cheers seemed to make her a little uncomfortable again. The young Saintess swallowed hard, trying to force a loud voice—
"H-Everyone, thank you for your hard work! I'm the new Virgo Saintess, who took office a month ago. Perhaps I still have many shortcomings, but... but... I will persevere!"
I bit my tongue.
"Ouch... it hurts... it hurts..."
The paladins serving as her guards seemed unfazed, immediately offering her a cup of warm water when she bit her tongue. The professionally trained honor guards below showed no surprise whatsoever; they had already heard that the newly appointed Saintess of Vergo was somewhat unreliable, but this did not diminish their reverence for Saintess.
"A warm welcome to Your Saintess Maiden, to this Holy Spirit Festival. Your faithful followers are ready to welcome you and give you a proper welcome. Please follow me."
"Okay, thank you for your help..."
Vilgo had no airs of a Saintess. Like a priestess, she was originally just a junior nun in the church, only her appearance and academic performance were much better than those of the other nuns of the same age. However, a month ago, she was suddenly designated as the new Virgo Saintess by a divine oracle from the Cathedral of the True God, which really made her flustered for a while.
Moreover, this was her first inspection tour since becoming Saintess, so her nervousness was self-evident. May the Supreme God protect her and make sure she doesn't mess it up!
Vergo departed accompanied by a solemn and dignified honor guard, leaving the remaining Divine Spellcaster who managed the great teleportation array to stretch their bodies and begin their routine tidying up.
No one noticed that from the shadow behind a Divine Spellcaster, a round, head-like object peeked out.
It looked left and right with its head, then quickly withdrew it without making a sound or attracting anyone's attention.
After shifting among dozens of shadows several times, Sasin, the commander of the Seventh Division, finally emerged into the outside world.
"Captain! Captain!"
"Are there no pursuers?"
"How is it, Captain?"
The members of the Seventh Division immediately rushed forward, and Sasin crawled out from the shadows under the table. His ability to infiltrate into shadows and move between them was very convenient for stealth and assassination, but it was also very physically demanding, so he was now a little out of breath.
"Everything is going smoothly. The newly appointed Virgo Saintess has just arrived. Just as the intelligence said, she's a useless piece of trash and nothing to worry about."
"The security of that large teleportation array..."
"Don't worry, I've figured it out pretty much. Acting too early will only arouse suspicion. We'll wait until dawn on the fourth day, and as soon as we receive Lord Nid's signal, we'll act immediately! We'll catch them off guard and take them down in one fell swoop!"
Seeing Sasin's confident demeanor, Dorothy looked worried and asked, "But during the Holy Spirit Festival, the security of the Great Teleportation Array should be increased daily, right? On the last day, the security might be more than double what it is now. In that case, we—"
"That's why we'll need Ms. Xiao Wu's assistance then; she's a crucial asset."
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu, who was at the center of the conversation, was eating fried fish balls.
This is a snack that can be bought for just two Tong Coin at a roadside stall. It consists of fine fish meat mixed with various seasonings, coated in batter or breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. It's simple to make, delicious, and inexpensive.
Well... for Xiao Wu, the home cook, this thing is "cheap," but not "good value for money."
"It's overcooked; the fish has lost most of its freshness, it wasn't heated evenly in many places, and the seasoning ratio is wrong. Even if it was rushed, this is a bit too cheap and shoddy..."
Xiao Wu chewed the fish ball in her mouth carefully, and even used a bamboo skewer to pry open the outer wrapping material to look inside, and her evaluation was merciless.
"Wow, this is really delicious!"
But Sin Annihilation seemed to be enjoying his meal, his mouth stuffed full of dumplings, his cheeks bulging out, looking as cute as a little squirrel.
Seeing Sin Annihilation like this, Xiao Wu shook her head helplessly.
"Don't talk when your mouth is full... Never mind, when it comes to food, you can't be careless. Either don't eat, or eat well. Street food like this is all about quantity over quality; it lacks both skill and the sincerity of careful preparation. If I were to make fried food, I'd be chattering away..."
Xiao Wu, who is usually very quiet, became unusually talkative, and once she started talking, she couldn't stop, leaving Sin Annihilation completely stunned.
"Gulp (swallows)... Could it be that Xiao Wu is a good cook?"
"At least it tastes better than these."
"Oh..."
"... What's with that expression? Don't you believe me?"
"No, no, it's just... I used to just eat whatever was available to fill up my meals, and I rarely ate such exquisitely prepared food. I think these fried fish balls are the best I've ever eaten. If Xiao Wu's could make them even better... I might start to act strange."
Wow~~~~~
Xiao Wu scratched her head, looked around, and quickly spotted her target.
"Oh, right, that's the one, let's treat you to something nice."
This is a restaurant hosting an event where customers can pay a small fee for ingredients and cook their own meals using the stove. Of course, the purpose of those participating in the event is not to eat, but to enjoy the fun of cooking with family and friends. After all, no matter how well you cook, you can't compare to the chefs at the restaurant.
Of course, Xiao Wu's purpose was different.
She promised to treat the Sin Annihilation to a good meal, and she meant it.
"Excuse me, sir, the kitchen knife is here..."
"I already said we don't need it, stop loitering around in the way!"
"Ee--I'm sorry!"
The shop owner, seeing two stunningly beautiful women arrive, wanted to fawn over them, but was scared away by a single sentence from Xiao Wu.
"Aren't all the ingredients ready yet?" Xiao Wu impatiently, pointing to the long list she had drawn up.
"Uh... I'm sorry, there are a few items that we don't actually have."
"Huh? You don't even have ingredients this low-grade? What kind of shop are you running then?"
"But... that's precisely why we don't have it, because it's too low-class. Our restaurant is an x-star establishment, and we use all sorts of high-quality ingredients..."
"Enough! What I hate most are your brain-dead ingredient-selection-focused people! Do you think you can make money by using high-end ingredients and pretty plating? What's the use of high-class presentation if the taste is bad?"
"Well..."
The boss almost lost his temper, but when he saw the large wad of cash that the aloof beauty had thrown on the table, he immediately calmed down and put on a fawning smile.
"... It's truly unbelievable. This is the Central United Academy, and everywhere you go, there are idiots who think that good ingredients and high-quality raw materials guarantee delicious food..."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Xiao Wu pulled out the Black Star White Night and slashed it a few times. Several seemingly high-end potatoes were peeled clean, with no extra skin left. The chefs watching were dumbfounded.
"... And what about foie gras, blue cheese, and caviar? Each one is more ridiculous than the last. Foie gras tastes like a big piece of roasted fat, blue cheese is pungent and spicy, and caviar is so fishy, yet people insist on eating it raw..."
While cursing and swearing, Xiao Wu threw a large pile of chopped spices into the oil pan. Although it was a mixture of common seasonings such as pepper, star anise, and fennel, it released a rich and appetizing aroma as soon as she heated it in the oil.
"... What's most infuriating is that they insist on using such a huge plate to hold such a tiny amount of food, and it's ridiculously expensive. Who are they trying to fool? You don't even have time to savor the flavor before it's all gone, and the people eating it still have to pretend they know what they're doing and are really enjoying themselves. So, the romance of rich idiots who have too much money to burn is being ripped off and going hungry..."
The muttering continued, it seemed that Xiao Wu was quite resentful. Although she was muttering, her actions didn't stop at all, she even started doing two things at once. With her left hand, she used a spatula to flip the wok, while with her right hand, she deftly removed the fish bones with Black Star dagger, marinating the fresh fish meat with the prepared sauce.
Stare--
Sin Annihilation wasn't listening to Xiao Wu's rambling at all; she was only concerned with what Xiao Wu would do for her.
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Dance Master, marry me!
Yesterday I went to the Chongqing viewing platform. I was exhausted from the climb. The journey was bumpy, and I didn't get back to the hotel until 12:30 a. m. Then I wrote until after 2 a. m. before I finally went to sleep. Please give me some Monthly Votes to comfort me!