NFBE Chapter 244 Confused
Chapter 244 Confused
……
Yun Fuyu and Xier tinkered around for a while longer, completing all the preliminary work for the cherry blossom cake, and then put it in the oven before returning to Alicia.
Alicia twirled a finger around her hair, her voice wistful, "Ayun-chan, Xier-chan, does having me next to you make things more exciting?"
With cream still dangling from her nose, Seele blushed and lowered her head upon hearing this—it was really exciting to be right!
Having just tasted the cream, Yun Fuyu chuckled, pulled Xier back to her small stool, and looked up at her expectantly, her eyes seeming to say: Sister Ai Li, can you continue the story now?
Ugh... Don't look at her with such cute eyes!
Alicia paused to catch her breath and continued, "As I mentioned before, during that particular period, Mebius appeared to be ostracized, but in reality, he received implicit support from all factions within the Firemoth."
"What I'm about to tell you is a little-known, secret story—"
"..."
The exact details of the events are difficult to ascertain, but the undeniable result is that Mebius accomplished a major feat, subsequently rising to prominence and seizing power.
There are two clues. First, how did a scholar who was originally marginalized gain the power to assign members of the Flame Chaser to find and protect Mei just a few months later, when the Third Herrscher arrived? Second, how did Mei, who had no political backing, become the apparent leader of the Flame Chaser just a year later, when the Fourth Herrscher arrived?
There is only one answer: Mebius inherited his political team. And Mebius's power was officially established around the time of the academic conference.
"..."
“I don’t follow what happened during that period, but based on the clues I know, I guess that it was at the seminar that Mebius contacted many well-known scholars to temporarily support her, and then together they brought down a high-ranking UN official.”
Prestige, a very peculiar thing. It's invisible, intangible, and unquantifiable, yet it undeniably exists. In that moment, Möbius established his prestige, and subsequently, leveraging his status as a veteran of the Moth of Fire, along with the implicit support behind him, he directly became a rising political star.
"Although Mebius was a person who hated politics and did not use her brief period of power to do anything, the prestige and team she built were not useless. Instead, they were completely inherited by Mebius and became an important force for Mebius's later rule."
Alicia sighed, officially bringing this story to a close.
Seele had been mentally reviewing the information and couldn't help but sigh, "Although Dr. Möbius may seem like just a scholar, she actually laid a very thorough foundation for May's rise to power. And May's abilities are beyond question; she's rumored to be an unparalleled figure who 'never makes a mistake,' which further proves Möbius's keen eye."
As time went on, May proved herself to be a highly rational and versatile genius. She was adept at both politics and research.
For example, although Möbius had been kind to her, Möbius still restricted him after taking power, a completely rational decision; in just four or five years, the Moth of Fire's counterattack against the United Nations had already begun, and Yun was still one of her key generals leading the charge; not to mention in terms of scientific research.
Yun Fuyu clicked her tongue: "After hearing so many stories of collapse, it's actually quite interesting to hear about humans scheming against each other."
Upon hearing this, Seele and Alicia looked at him in alarm and exclaimed in unison, "Ah Yun, don't misunderstand! The human world is full of beauty, not just about fighting for fame and fortune!"
In their eyes, Yun Fuyu was like a college student entering society for the first time, but this guy held a button that could destroy the world! Therefore, they had to instill in him the concept that the world is wonderful, and absolutely could not let him go astray and end up destroying the world with him!
The two of them said that sentence almost in perfect unison, leaving Yun Fuyu stunned. Just then, the oven dinged, announcing that the cherry blossom cakes were ready to be served.
Yun Fuyu, too lazy to think further, said, "Let's go! It's time to see who's a better cook, me or Xier!"
Remove the pastries, carefully arrange them on a plate, and sprinkle with a few cherry blossom fragments and petals, both as decoration and flavoring. Then, using the last bit of cream, mix three colors and write the word "seele" in sea blue on the left, "cloud" in light gray on the right, and a light pink heart "?" in the center on the two top pastries.
They first sweetly fed each other a piece. Yun Fuyu ate what Xi'er made, and Xi'er ate what Yun Fuyu made. Both of them showed satisfied expressions.
After that, they served the other cherry blossom cakes to Alicia, inviting her to taste their respective creations.
Alicia: ...How come I feel like I'm already full even though I haven't eaten yet?
She took the pastry with a sour look on her face and took a vicious bite, as if she were biting the two people who were showing her their affection.
Upon closer inspection, the two are essentially identical in terms of the care put into their pastries and the texture. As for the taste, comparatively speaking, the pastries made by Yun Fuyu (which is what Seele ate) are clearly loaded with sugar, resulting in a very Seele-like flavor. However, it's unclear what magic Yun used, but even with such a high amount of sugar, the delicate fragrance of cherry blossoms can still be clearly tasted. Overall, they are undoubtedly top-tier.
However, Seele eats it directly, while Alicia chews an extra cherry blossom petal to neutralize the flavor.
The other pastry made by Seele was decent but unremarkable. But that's just how Yun Fuyu's tastes are; he's not particularly sensitive to sweets, so the desserts Seele made were rather mild in flavor.
However, for Alicia, "Alicia likes the taste of cherry blossoms and sugar, and prefers a chewier texture. Increase the amount of butter slightly, and knead the dough a little more. If she says she's on a diet today, add less sugar; if she doesn't, add half as much sugar!"
This is Sakura's notes, which perfectly describe Alicia's tastes. Her fondness for sweets, in particular, overlaps significantly with Seele's preferences.
Therefore, compared to Yun Fuyu, Alicia undoubtedly prefers the cherry blossom cake made by Yun Fuyu.
After she finished tasting it, Yun Fuyu handed her a bottle of water and then asked expectantly, "So, who made it better? Who has better cooking skills?"
The skills are about the same, but yours tastes better—that's what Alicia wanted to say.
A sweet aroma lingered in the air, the sweet taste still lingering in my mouth. In the bright kitchen, sitting on the spotless counter, I saw you looking at me with expectant eyes. Those sparkling eyes, that slightly smiling expression…
Her wet, light blue eyes were fixed on him, her pink lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she hesitated to speak.
"……cough."
With a muffled cough, Alicia turned her head and said with a barely perceptible nasal tone, "They're both delicious, I think they're about the same. If you want to decide which is better, then you can decide the competition method yourselves."
"That's it..."
Yun Fuyu nodded regretfully and said to Xier, "Then let's make it simple! Rock, paper, scissors, how about it?!"
Seele immediately covered her chest with her hands on alert: "No more lizardmen, Spocks or any other nonsense!"
Yun Fuyu touched her nose guiltily; her trick had been seen through...
He said confidently, "Don't worry, I won't use any tricks or schemes this time! As Alicia said, our skills are actually about the same, so this cooking competition will just be a matter of luck!"
"All right……"
Seele thought about it and decided it was fine, so she agreed.
"Then... rock, paper, scissors!—"
"..."
Seele's nine-game winning streak has been officially broken! He, Yun, has finally won once!
Seele pondered carefully: "...Wait a minute! Did you secretly look at the answers? Or did you secretly tamper with my consciousness?"
"How could that be? Look into my innocent eyes, don't you believe me? Seele, Seele, Seele?"
"..."
Watching them laugh and play, Alicia smiled silently and quietly left the kitchen and their room.
Standing in the hotel corridor, leaning against the door, head bowed in silence for a long time, he reached out his hand as if trying to grasp something.
He asked, "Alicia, why did you leave without saying goodbye?"
She countered, "Wouldn't it be too much of a hindrance if I stayed there?"
He said, "Your mind is in turmoil."
She didn't deny it: "Yes, it's chaotic. But so be it, I won't be affected by it."
Pretending to be strong, she walked towards her room. Just as she was about to get some rest, something suddenly occurred to her.
"Aren't gods supposed to be unique across all realms, whose proof is eternal?"
Why is she now...?
He replied, "Because the spacetime of the pre-modern civilization has severed cause and effect. In the tributary of the 'past,' I am still the only god."
I will live forever, living in the "past".
Alicia felt as if her heart was being gripped, unable to breathe in or out. So tired, so very tired, she fell into a deep sleep.
In my dream, she was the only leading lady.
……
……