Story Reader / Affection / Changyu: Qilin / Story
Two hours into waiting for him in his "secret lair," you finally find Changyu slipping through the door.
Haha, sorry for leaving y'all up there.
Cheekily he shrugs and wipes off the rain from his mechanical parts, looking anything but apologetic.
So, what are you doing here? Is Babylonia after that black market as well?
Hmm, well, well...
Changyu takes a long look at the four of you and stops when his eyes reach your tired appearance.
You look like you'd walked through a rainstorm. And when was the last time you rest up?
He deftly climbs up the racks behind him and throws a box down.
C'mon, let's get you something to eat.
Let's call it my apologies—not to mention that there's this itsy-bitsy problem I can use your help with.
Ha, nothing can get past you! There's this itsy-bitsy problem I can use your help with.
Oh, slow down!
Changyu tears open the box he took, grabbing two cans of canned food, a couple of condiments, and a self-heating cooking pot.
C'mon, it's obviously just food stocked in the warehouses.
One of Akdilek's many ventures is reselling food. Occasionally I'll "liberate" some of the ingredients upstairs and keep them here.
Y'know, just to reminisce... how people used to gather and feast.
Sure, I no longer have to eat, but I still love to cook. It's nice when others enjoy my cooking.
He deftly opens the red can and mixes in a few different spices, stirring everything together. Next is the white can, which he opens and takes out a few white, circular discs.
Are those... made with actual flour?
That's right; these are wrappers for this famous Kowloong dish called "jiaozi." Y'all can give it a try once I'm done!
—If the commandant approves.
Ha! Is that a compliment, or are you just worried?
To be fair, Kowloong doesn't make these cans the way they used to.
He spoons out a portion of the fillings from the red can and stuffs them into a piece of wrapper. Holding it in his palm, he folds the edges of the wrapper and turns the whole fare into a wrinkly dough.
They ought to look better, but that would be way too much work for me, so you'll have to make do with this.
Changyu's hands briskly move around as he speaks. Before you know it, he has finished wrapping a whole plate of jiaozi.
Oh? Maybe it's because the motion of wrapping jiaozi is pretty similar to my martial art training. Check this out—
Changyu slows down his movement to demonstrate. With a wrapper in his left hand and the spoon on his right, he takes some fillings from the can and stuffs them into his left palm.
...And squeeze. Done!
Right? It makes sense once you speed it up.
Tch. Picky eaters get field rations for dinner.
Changyu turns around and grabs a bucket hanging on a nearby pipe, pouring the water inside into the cooking pot.
The piping still works here?
It's more of a filter than a pipe, if anything. It purifies the rainwater collected above ground.
Relax, though. Sure, it's not completely sterilized, but it's clean enough to drink.
Throwing the jiaozi into the pot, Changyu seasons them with a pinch of salt. The water quickly begins bubbling.
Almost there...
He lightly rinses the plate in his hand with the boiling water.
What was that?
You mean rinsing the plate with hot water? That's just common Kowloong practice. Our people believe doing so keeps the containers clean and the eaters healthy.
With that, Changyu fishes out a whole plate of... grotesque and twisted shapes.
And done! Give it a try!
If they taste bad, it's because you've got bad taste.
You pick one up with a fork as everyone has their eyes on you—
Told ya!
This isn't your typical rations, you moron! Blow on the food before you stuff it in your mouth.
Taking a closer look at your half-eaten dumpling, you cannot believe how fragrant this swirling mess of black and brown bits is.
...Even though the boiled wrapper looks like a piece of crumpled paper in the trash. But, hey, there is no denying that it is indeed very tasty.
Hearing that, the three Gray Ravens look visibly tempted.
Not that we have to eat—but if you recommend it, Commandant, then...
Lucia only thinks for a moment before picking up one for a bite.
Is this what Kowloong cuisine tastes like? It's really wonderful. Do you guys want one?
I'd like to try one...
Liv grabs the fork from Lucia and takes a bite.
It's quite delicious. Let me run a scan on the ingredients... Oh, the nutritional balance is well-thought-out as well. Commandant, you can eat as much as you want.
How about you, Lee?
I'll pass. Save them for the commandant.
Now, some thoughts to go with your food.
This adulterating business has been bad business for Akdilek as well.
The counterfeits are barely discernable, and it takes way too long to inspect every single one of 'em. We'll be forced to use the knockoffs in any emergency.
Our bases on the ground are similarly compromised.
Regardless...
Changyu pulls up a chair to his side. Leaning on it, he fiddles with the spoon he used earlier, looking buried in thought.
I'm very close to seeing their boss. I imagine he's got information y'all want.
How about a deal? Get rid of the man by my side, and you get to keep his token.
His clothes as well, so you can play dress-up afterward, and we'll pay their boss a visit together.
A mole from the dock. He was planted on Akdilek originally, but now he just keeps tabs on me.
Of course I can! But they know I'll beat his ass, so they've installed this irritating device on me as a contingency.
Relax. Do me this favor, and I'll take care of the rest.
You'll be putting the commandant in harm's way.
And why would we have to stick our noses into your "family matters"?
Are you holding a grudge, Lee? And I thought we were family!
Look, get ahold of the token, and it'll take us to whoever is in charge. You can find out any information you need.
We businessmen call it—
Venturing.
WIN—WIN—It's a win-win!
You know what, it doesn't matter—I just need [player name] alone. So what do you say?
That's the spirit!
In that case, Commandant, I await your command!
