The Innate OiO Sacred Physique

"This..."

Fu Xuan was starting to question her life, too.

Honestly, this was her first time meeting Jiang Yao.

How should she put it?

Her first impression was curiosity.

What kind of outrageous chain of events had turned this guy into their Xianzhou marshal in the rumors?

After actually meeting him,

she had a fairly favorable impression of Jiang Yao.

He was down-to-earth, presentable in polite company (very handsome, by Xianzhou standards), and handy in the kitchen.

His abilities remained to be seen.

But his cooking had to be excellent.

The long queue was proof enough.

All right.

Then came the question.

How could he be the key to breaking this deadlock?

She couldn't figure it out. She simply couldn't.

"Hehe, Fu Xuan, don't get hung up on appearances."

"Cooking is like playing chess. Sometimes, an unexpected move can be the key to victory."

"But sound, orthodox moves must still form the foundation."

Jing Yuan was afraid Fu Xuan would get stuck in a rut.

He knew what she had been through.

He also knew that what had happened to her master remained a source of unresolved anguish.

"An unexpected move? It's still confined to the board!"

"What good is knowing the road ahead? You still have to choose, and one wrong move can send you into the abyss!"

Fu Xuan argued back out of habit.

Jing Yuan rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

Fu Xuan glared at Jing Yuan. She had a feeling the general was mocking her, but she had no proof.

"I'm rather hungry, as it happens. I'll be relying on the Astral Express's hospitality."

Jing Yuan laughed heartily.

He had caught the aroma, too.

It had whetted his appetite.

Of course he wanted a taste.

He also wanted to see what Jiang Yao was really all about.

He was very curious about Jiang Yao.

Naturally, he trusted Fu Xuan's divination.

At the same time, he realized that this Stellaron outbreak on the Luofu was only the beginning.

Things seemed much more stable now.

But this was merely the calm before the storm.

Perhaps Jiang Yao really was the key to breaking the deadlock?

So, what exactly was Jiang Yao doing right now?

Why, he was directing Stelle: "Flame Lance, charge!"

Yes, yes, exactly.

The Snow Skin Mochi's skin naturally needed a good steaming.

What if there wasn't enough heat?

Make up the difference with the Flame Lance!

Sure, Stelle was the Galaxy Bat Hero.

But there was nothing wrong with occasionally moonlighting as the Molten Knight!

With Jiang Yao supervising,

nothing would go wrong, of course.

And Jiang Yao could keep making exquisite clothes for the Snow Skin Mochi.

First, he kneaded the material he had carefully prepared earlier using One-Person Jiahe and Iced Floating Mutton Milk.

His perfectly measured, exquisitely precise technique ensured its elasticity.

Yet it wouldn't affect the feel of the Snow Skin Mochi's own skin beneath the wrapping.

Clothes had to fit, and fit properly!

Take Phantylia, for example. Tingyun's clothes fit her wonderfully, and were even a little small.

She did have the innate OiO sacred physique, after all!

But what if Fu Xuan wore them?

That would make her Mai Shiranui's sister-in-law: Miss Doesn't-Know-Her-Limits.

Only a snug, proper fit could create that coy, bashful effect of a beauty half-hidden behind her lute!

Thus, Jiang Yao gave it his utmost attention.

Then,

once the material had been carefully cut,

it was time to decorate.

The Tapir Film Roll was already a delicate pink, brimming with girlish charm and especially effective against little girls.

So Jiang Yao chose pink, too.

Although the Xianzhou Luofu was a warship rather than a planet,

its plentiful produce rivaled any planet's.

As such, there were plenty of ingredients to choose from for coloring.

Since the flavor had to complement the Snow Skin Mochi,

Jiang Yao chose a fruit with a flavor like the mangoes of his previous life and the color of roses.

Then he paired it with milky-white Iced Floating Mutton Milk.

Hmm, doesn't it still feel like something's missing?

What's missing?

Jiang Yao glanced at the living, breathing Entwined Fate beside him.

It all clicked!

How could I not throw some blue into the mix?

But considering that it wouldn't match the flavor of the fruit he had on hand,

he would just have to use a blue plate when serving it!

And so,

he wrapped the Snow Skin Mochi in its clothes.

Then he plated it.

The improved Tapir Film Roll—Entwined Fate—was born!

Fire a salute to celebrate the birth of Entwined Fate!

May every Trailblazer, Traveler, Drifter, Captain, Commander, and Analyst win their fifty-fifties! May the early gold pulls never stop~

Raise your voices and cheer—

Fate Gate!

At this point,

of the Luofu's four great snacks,

the Qiongshi Bird Skewer, Hot Floating Mutton Milk, and Tapir Film Roll had all been revamped.

Only the final one, Singing Lotus Root Cake, remained.

It was also the snack Jiang Yao considered the simplest.

There was no need to improve the ingredients. He only had to change the technique.

But after working for so long, surely he could enjoy himself a little?

He handed out Pulled-Sugar Qiongshi Bird Skewers to Stelle, March 7th, and Welt, who had finally arrived.

Bailu stared fixedly at them, reminding herself over and over not to act rashly. Impulsiveness was the devil, and it would keep her from eating the other snacks.

Stelle and March 7th thanked him repeatedly. After Jiang Yao pointed it out, they discovered that the sugar could be pulled into strands.

The two goofy kids actually started playing with the sugar strands!

All one could say was that this was yet another perfectly in-character episode.

Welt also revealed a contented smile.

It might have been only a snack,

but it was a snack made by Jiang Yao!

A taste that brought back memories.

"Ahem, young friend Jiang Yao, a pleasure to meet you. I am Jing Yuan, general of the Luofu Cloud Knights."

Jing Yuan greeted him courteously.

"Hello, General. I'm Jiang Yao, head chef of the Astral Diner... pfft, the Astral Express."

Jiang Yao's tongue had slipped.

Mainly, after arriving on the Xianzhou, he had discovered its abundance of ingredients, and Asta had given him confidence and courage.

His desire to turn the Astral Express into the Astral Diner had only grown stronger.

Really, he had his old pal Aha's feeding to thank for this, too.

Back then, he had still been very thin.

After Aha blew up the Express,

well, wouldn't you know it? The Express hadn't tasted great, but it had certainly been edible.

Most importantly!

The Astral Express itself was the creation of that old biker geezer Akivili.

It's perfectly reasonable for it to carry the power of the Path of Trailblaze, right?

I, the Aeon of Voracity, can eat anything. It's perfectly reasonable for Paths to be on my menu, too, right?

Did you really think I climbed over the wall just to get something tasty?

I'm preparing for the coming Aeon War, stockpiling power and waiting for those old and young geezers to fall so I can have a proper feast!

And the Astral Express needs energy to blaze trails.

If I turn it into the Astral Diner, isn't that another form of trailblazing?

Besides, the Astral Express is getting old. It's gradually falling behind the meta.

What's wrong with giving it a makeover and constantly upgrading it?

Every patch has its own god-tier pick!

Then the diner crew will have the energy to blaze trails into the unknown.

And I'll get to eat the overflowing power of the Path of Trailblaze.

Isn't that basically an alternative perpetual-motion machine?

So,

Jiang Yao not only had this idea, but also had the nerve to carry it out, one step at a time.

And as for Jiang Yao's slip of the tongue,

Welt, March 7th, and Stelle had naturally heard it.

Surely no one actually thought this was the kind of book where the others couldn't even hear the protagonist misspeak?

But so what if they had heard?

All three simply ignored it.

Whether it was the Astral Express or the Astral Diner,

what difference did it make?

Our Trailblaze is all about embracing everything. Isn't that right, Himeko, my pal?

"Hehe."

Jing Yuan had naturally heard it, too.

He simply found Jiang Yao interesting.

Besides, if Jiang Yao's companions had nothing to say, what right did he have to comment?

Still...

"Could I have one of those Qiongshi Bird Skewers?"

Jing Yuan spoke his mind.

Mainly, Stelle, March 7th, and Welt all looked as though they were thoroughly enjoying theirs.

And Bailu's desire for one was written all over her face.

It was hard not to feel tempted.

This shameless old fellow!

Fu Xuan grumbled inwardly.

Then, maintaining her dignified air, she spoke:

"I would like one as well."

At some point, Qingque had sidled over.

"I—I want one, too~"