*[Promising Future Chat Group]*
Wangshu: "(Wiping sweat) The enthusiasm of the Cangcheng people for Jianbing pancakes... is a bit beyond imagination."
Wangshu: "I'm so busy my feet aren't touching the ground, and the batter is almost running out. I should be able to get off work early today."
Jingliu: "So, why did the me of back then have no objections?"
Wangshu: "Another customer is here. Chat later, Senior."
Jingliu: "..."
Of course, a customer had truly arrived again.
Perhaps they were looking at Wangshu's portable cart, perhaps they were just curious about the so-called 'Ancient Kingdom Selection' and came to see the novelty, or perhaps the foot traffic at the Academy was indeed quite good.
The queue in front of the small stall wasn't long, but it never broke.
"It smells really fragrant."
A young girl, who looked petite and frail, took a deep breath in front of the small cart.
"Doesn't it? Ancient Kingdom Selection, a snack with a thousand-year heritage is bound to be delicious. The key is that it's made to order and smells amazing."
"Wait until tomorrow when I organize the cart; I'll make Shouzhua pancakes along with them. It'll smell even better then."
Wangshu kept the conversation going naturally. Although his body had become younger, his social experience hadn't disappeared with age.
He wasn't clear on what office work was like, but for work outside that required communicating with others, talking a bit more was usually not a bad thing—provided one maintained a proper sense of boundaries.
"Mm~" The girl hummed softly for a moment, then nodded with a smile on her lips. "Then I will come again tomorrow."
Wangshu's movements paused slightly.
I was just talking big; I'm actually not planning to make Shouzhua pancakes.
Perhaps the nation of long-life species was indeed more leisurely. Even though war still broke out from time to time, in Cangcheng—a trading hub and commercial sanctuary—everyone seemed to lack any sense of urgency.
He stayed quiet for a moment, then naturally skipped over the topic. "Alright then, so what would you like to add, miss?"
The girl didn't seem indecisive, her tone light and brisk: "One of everything."
Maybe... this was just how Cangcheng people were. Throughout the morning, Wangshu had lost count of how many times he had heard "One of everything."
By now, his movements were quite agile. Scooping batter, spreading the crepe, cracking the egg, sprinkling chopped green onions... all done in one breath.
"The Xianzhou people really have good appetites. We short-life species don't have such big stomachs to eat 'one of everything'," he lamented while skillfully applying the sauce.
Although Jianbing pancakes weren't actually that filling, there were many ingredients available on the Xianzhou. Wangshu had put them all on the menu as add-ons, so the "everything" option appeared somewhat bloated.
"I am not a Xianzhou native."
The girl's voice was slightly softer.
Approaching noon, the customer flow was a bit high, yet she didn't seem to consider herself an outsider at all. She propped her arms on the small cart, cupping her cheeks, and watched the young man perform with great interest, acting very familiar.
"That's great then. This Jianbing pancake will definitely make you full."
There was no need to wait too long. The batter would dry quickly, requiring the heat to be turned off.
The girl, however, didn't pay attention to the food. She gazed quietly at the young man's profile. "Aren't you going to ask for my name?"
Why would I ask your name? Are you Cangcheng people all this familiar?
Wangshu shook his head, flinging back the bangs that had scattered over his forehead from the busyness, and put on a smile, going with the flow. "Then, what is your name, miss?"
"Huo Shi."
"Huo Si? Do you know Huohuo?"
After saying it, Wangshu laughed at himself. Huohuo wasn't young, probably forty or fifty when the plot started, but she definitely had nothing to do with Star Calendar Year 6299.
"Not Huo Si..." The girl shook her head, her enunciation becoming clearer. "It is—Huo—Shi."
Wangshu blinked, trying hard to distinguish the sounds, but he still couldn't hear it clearly. He had trouble differentiating between flat and curled tongues; sounds like 'forty' were really hard for him to tell apart. Moreover, even though the girl repeated it, he didn't feel it was any clearer.
He muttered something under his breath. He didn't catch what 'Huoshi' the young man was saying, but Wangshu simply gave some feedback. After all, the customer is king.
"Here, it's ready. I wish you booming business in Cangcheng, customer, and may everything go as you wish!" Wangshu smiled.
Most people coming to Cangcheng were there to do business. Of course, there were ordinary people too. After all, during wartime, Cangcheng's lack of bellicosity truly... counted as a pure land in a certain sense.
"I am not here to do business. I am here to find someone."
The girl calling herself Huoshi took the food, her fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of Wangshu's hand.
"Then I wish that you find the person you're looking for as soon as possible, miss," Wangshu said, following the flow of conversation.
Huoshi nodded, took the Jianbing pancake, and made way, taking one last deep breath before leaving.
It still smells so good. Just like Him. Mellow and sweet.
But recently, the scent seems to be constantly dissipating. It shouldn't be Wangshu.
She continued to search following the scent, not staying there for long. She took a bite of the full, thick Jianbing pancake, casually sucking on her slender finger. The taste isn't bad!
Even if I find the person, I'll come back tomorrow to taste that so-called Shouzhua pancake.
"Cangcheng lives up to being a major place; there are so many beauties."
Wangshu lamented slightly. Not to mention the Foxians with their innate enchanting constitutions, those with a Celestial Physique were rarely troubled by disease from the moment of birth. Their features were at least upright and regular, all above the passing line.
"Hey, hey!!! Customer, no cutting in line!"
Wangshu suddenly noticed someone trying to squeeze to the front and quickly spoke up to maintain order.
Everything became orderly again, and the small stall returned to its busy yet peaceful rhythm.
It wasn't until ten minutes later that Wangshu heard a very familiar voice. It sounded like Little Jingliu, yet also like a teacher who had been very good to him during his school days. He subconsciously raised his head.
Standing in front of the stall was a new customer. Their appearance was extremely outstanding, skin lustrous and white, brows and eyes exquisite as a painting. Their temperament was clean and transparent, making it hard to distinguish their gender... though their smooth long hair presented a very good-looking gradient, like peach blossoms in spring.
"Customer, what would you like? The menu is right on the side."
"One of everything."
It was still the familiar request, only the voice that had previously sounded like an auditory hallucination seemed to have returned to normal.
Wangshu muttered a bit in his heart, planning to ask Big Jingliu in the group later. After all, this was the Honkai: Star Rail world; asking more questions couldn't be wrong.
"Aren't you going to ask my name?"
The steam from the iron plate rose up. Just as he was focusing, that voice rang out again, this time carrying a hint of matter-of-factness.
Wangshu: ...
This time, he fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Customer, what is your name?"
He really didn't have the habit of asking customers for their names, and he rarely encountered such people.
"Setsuna," the customer answered cleanly and crisply.
Do you want to grasp the future?
A scene instantly flashed through Wangshu's mind, but his expression remained brimming with a smile. "A very nice name. Very poetic."
Setsuna was slightly surprised by Wangshu's calmness, then spoke without shying away: "I am here to save your life."
Wangshu: "Ha, haha..."
Is this person sick?
This single thought popped into Wangshu's brain.
He actually wasn't too worried about the Cangcheng crisis. The Abundance creations were indeed strong, plus the Emanator Shuhu was capable of destroying Cangcheng.
But Propagation Jingliu was born to counter The Abundance. With infinitely stacking damage plus super-strong lifesteal, she was truly the nemesis of The Abundance.
"I'm not joking."
Setsuna emphasized.
Wangshu organized the pancakes, not knowing how to respond.
Setsuna narrowed their eyes. Their ability seemed to have failed; words that should have made others subconsciously believe seemed to have no effect on the young man.
"Have you never heard of the *Huoshi Swarm King*? She didn't even bother hiding it, and you still chatted so happily with her, you dummy."
With no other choice, he could only throw out some heavy bombs.
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