Now everyone understood why Guoba had been given so much attention; it turned out he was the protagonist of the story.
It must be said that Xiao was the most distressed at this moment, because he didn't recognize Guoba in the story.
In fact, the chef he mentioned at the time was Marcius, but he didn't recognize Guoba even when Guoba was standing right next to him.
The inarticulate Xiao decided to head to Liyue Harbor; at this point, Marcius couldn't chat much with him, but he still planned to leave him some 'Spicy Meat Wotou'.
Returning to the story in the book, Granny Ping explained the reason for the stone's cracking to everyone.
It turned out that the God of the Hearth was a God who acted according to people's wishes; although the Chef King's Competition was lively, the effort put into it outweighed the actual wishes.
Instead, it was Keqing's wish being fulfilled that awakened the stone statue.
The statue was carved in Guoba's peak form, looking nothing like his current endearing, clumsy appearance; instead, he resembled 'Superman Strong'.
[Granny Ping to Guoba: "How do you feel seeing your God statue from your peak? Look at him, still so majestic and awe-inspiring."]
[Xiangling grasped the key point and asked in confusion: "Peak form... Wait, what happened to Guoba? Was Guoba different before than he is now?"]
[Granny Ping replied: "He, ah, used to be Liyue's Earth God, and now he is your Guoba."]
["The wisdom and power he once possessed were all dedicated to this land."]
["It was he who accompanied you across the barren plains, came to the port, built houses, and lit fires."]
["It was he who personally lit Liyue's first night lamp, allowing the aroma of food to waft into thousands of households."]
["You no longer remember him, but in the era when you still recognized him, he was the Immortal closest to people."]
The Liyue people's eyes welled up with tears; it turned out their Gods were never high and mighty.
Their Gods always accompanied them, as it was thousands of years ago, and as it is now.
This is Liyue, a nation that walks with Gods, and the Gods who walk with Liyue are not just the Emperor.
But why did we forget him? We shouldn't forget him!
Later, Lin Qiu drew an illustration, which was the image of Marcius.
["God of the Hearth" Marcius, born from sparks struck from colliding stones, is a God who loves humans.]
[A thousand years ago, ancient people expanded their cities, establishing settlements on the plains, named 'Guili Assembly'.]
[The God of the Hearth cherished the people's livelihood, manifesting avatars to secretly enter thousands of households to help light fires and cook, assisting people in reuniting.]
[However, a great flood destroyed their homes; the waters devastated Guili Assembly.]
[The residents were forced to move south back to Liyue Harbor, and although the journey was not very far, there were strong winds and heavy rain along the way.]
Another illustration showed various Immortals and Gods descending to the mortal realm, with cranes stopping the wind and rain, spreading their wings to protect all beings, and qilin bearing people on their backs as boats.
[The Immortals escorted the people for more than ten days, during which, the God of the Hearth created an ancient delicacy.]
[It consisted of flatbread and meat sauce that could remove dampness and cold, and was easy to carry.]
[In the centuries that followed, there were disasters and diseases on the land, and the God of the Hearth no longer appeared frequently, but instead poured all his power into the land to quell various disasters.]
An illustration showed Guoba in a massive form, raising his hands as if possessing the power to sever the connection between heaven and earth.
[The God of the Hearth, having exhausted his power, greatly diminished in intellect and became very small.]
[When he finally bid us farewell, he was less than one person tall.]
[He revealed the secret of bringing happiness through dishes and the mystery of the hearth fire to the Emperor and me.]
[He himself went into the mountains and fell into a long sleep.]
[When the God of the Hearth departed from this world, Guoba was born.]
[The day he awoke, he ate the spicy meat wotou made by the yellow-clothed girl.]
[Although he couldn't remember his past, he was still moved and decided to follow this girl.]
[After the God of the Hearth quietly disappeared, every morning, vendors would start setting up their stalls and hawking early.]
[People would go out to buy groceries, light fires, and cook, just like any other day in the past.]
[Because Liyue, ah, has always been like this.]
The last illustration depicted the gradual transformation from Liyue's Immortals, slowly integrating into the mortal world, and then becoming mortals.
[Gecheng: Wind and rain still bless, mountains and seas rejoice together, by the grace of heaven and earth.]
[Ganyu: Stars shift, seas change, yet the human world's smoke and fire remain.]
[Ningguang: Fame is mine, for centuries to come, never forget to wander by candlelight at night.]
[Keqing: Ancient and modern affairs, surging in the current, a grand vision awaits new talents.]
The tears welling in the Liyue people's eyes could no longer be held back. Yes, Liyue has always been like this.
But for these words, 'has always been like this,' how many Immortals, how many Millelith, have sacrificed everything?
Sanwan Buguo Port was a public place after all, and everyone didn't want to be seen crying, so they all bowed their heads, wiping away tears.
Zhongli fell into a long silence, finally revealing a faint smile.
Old friend, people have remembered you. This title of God of the Hearth can finally be returned to you...
"So Guoba is the God of the Hearth that my grandfather was looking for..." Keqing exclaimed with deep emotion.
It turns out the God we have always sought has been by our side from ancient times until now; it has always been like this.
"It's really well-written." Heuria sighed, although she had no close relationship with the Immortals of Liyue, it didn't prevent her from being moved by the story.
As a God who also loves humans, Heuria could deeply empathize.
"Yes, Aping told it really well." Guizhong secretly wiped away tears; because her usual habit was to pull her sleeves up high, no one noticed her wiping tears.
Only Lin Qiu's system exposed Guizhong's emotional breakdown this time.
Gecheng smiled without speaking, and even the most boisterous Hu Tao fell silent; this time she didn't hold a memorial like in Venti's story, because Marcius wasn't dead.
Speaking of which, Venti and Guoba are somewhat similar; both of them maintain the stability of a land with their power.
"Marcius, hmm... This drink is for you then." Venti gulped down another bottle of wine.
The Inazuma people were also watching, but they didn't feel much envy, because Ei used to protect them in the same way.
Even if the Inazuma people didn't know that Makoto also transformed into Shen Sakura to protect this land for them, they still believed in their Gods.
What's more, there was also Fox Saiguu, who, despite 'turning into a monster,' was still protecting them, though they were currently unaware of it.
Yae Miko's focus, however, was a bit strange: "A story about cooking... No wonder Ei didn't want to watch it."
Yae Miko hasn't had much of an emotional breakdown yet; it's unknown if she will when she sees the story of the Grand Narukami Shrine Cleansing Ritual later.
"A respectable senior." Nahida said sincerely; sacrificing oneself to quell disaster is truly great.
Speaking of sacrificing oneself to quell disaster, Little Furina was also thinking at this moment.
'If sacrificing me could stop the prophecy from happening... how wonderful that would be.'
Then she remembered Lin Qiu's promise. That's right, Lin Qiu would definitely be able to solve the prophecy!
----------
Character Voice · Guizhong: About Guoba
"He's truly adorable now. The last time I saw him, he seemed to be saying something to me. I wonder if