Starry Sky Railway: Opening Performance - Taixu Sword God

"I suggested cooking hot pot because I knew you had it, Brother Yan Huan."

"As for what I brought, besides cabbage, I also had some fragrant bread."

"Forget about the bread, we can just eat it as dry rations." Yan Huan picked up her chopsticks and began skillfully cooking the meat in the hot pot.

The bright red slices of meat tumbled in the boiling broth a few times, quickly changing color and curling up, releasing a rich aroma of meat.

"After getting up early and running around all morning, I really need to eat something." He cooked a slice of Wagyu beef roll and stuffed it into his mouth without even bothering to keep it warm.

Danheng, who had been sitting silently by the fire, carefully poking at the bonfire under the pot with a sharpened twig, slowly raised his head.

The firelight illuminated his handsome face, which was now smudged with soot, making him look somewhat helpless.

Dan Heng glanced at the cabbage bubbling in the pot, then at the pile of delicacies that belonged to Yan Huan on the stone.

“…Cabbage, actually, isn’t bad either,” Dan Heng said calmly.

"Rich in fiber...and vitamins."

"If you like to eat meat, just leave the cabbage for me."

After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and reached into the pot—his target was a piece of cabbage stalk that had been cooked until it was soft and tender, which he picked up steadily.

When they were out, Danheng would save the more precious food for Yan Huan and San Yueqi, while he himself would eat simpler meals.

"Oh, the cabbage is delicious. Brother Danheng, you should eat more meat." Bai E also happily picked up some blanched cabbage and began to enjoy it.

As a child, he was often sent by his father to tend the vegetable garden. Eating cooked vegetable leaves was a way of life for Bai E.

"Okay, okay, you all like vegetables, right? Then I'll eat all the meat." Yan Huan frantically piled meat into her bowl.

When Yan Huan was on duty, the food she prepared was usually meat with a lot of oil and salt.

People need to replenish their physical strength so that they won't falter at crucial moments.

Although his body doesn't need these things now, he's used to them.

"They all love eating grass so much, be careful they don't become malnourished and get instantly killed by the fire thieves."

Bai E's eyes lit up as he watched the lively scene in the pot, especially the bubbling meat slices.

"That makes sense, then I won't pretend anymore." He chuckled and picked up his chopsticks to take some meat.

He wasn't as nimble as Yan Huan, but he was greedy, scooping up several pieces with a single bite of his chopsticks.

The piping hot food and rich aroma dispelled the damp chill of the forest and temporarily eased the tension of the mission.

The embers of the cauliflower float on the red soup, providing a continuous source of heat.

The hot pot, a mixture of top-grade Wagyu beef, lamb rolls, spicy beef, and innocent bok choy, boiled and simmered ever more vigorously.

Danheng ate the cabbage quietly, occasionally picking up a piece of meat while silently observing the flames.

Bai E ate with a sweat on his brow and a constant smile, finding that the cabbage was indeed sweeter when cooked in the meat broth.

The sacred mission of capturing the fire-stealers and the most mundane desire for food were in a delicate balance at this moment.

The flames burned steadily beneath the iron pot, not the usual orange-red flickering of flames, but rather emitting a ghostly blue and purple glow.

The fire heated the bottom of the pot until it was scalding hot, yet strangely, very little smoke escaped.

The trees near the tree garden were infected by the Kuroshio Current, and the flames burned from these branches became strange.

Fortunately, it still works.

As long as it can be lit, the three of them won't be too picky.

If they can't find any wood, they'll even set the Black Tide monster's body on fire...

The towering, silent silhouette of the Kefaller stands on the distant horizon, like a giant looking down upon the world.

The jungle where they were located was like a deep, dark green curtain, shutting out all the noise and clamor.

The nearby Black Tide monsters had all been killed by the three men.

Thanks to the celestial mural, Onphalus has regained its light, but the sky above the tree garden still retains the colors of dusk, with the brilliant aurora flowing through it.

The trees in the forest were exceptionally tall and thick.

On the edge of this deep, damp jungle, the campfire and boiling hot pot around which the three of them sat seemed so out of place, yet so vibrant and eye-catching.

The red broth in the pot was bubbling vigorously, and the 'glug-glug' sound was particularly clear, even somewhat noisy, in the quiet forest.

The butter, infused with the spicy and assertive aroma of spices, forcefully tears through the inherent decay and chill of the forest, like an invading army announcing the existence of everyday life.

The firelight flickered, casting intermittent light and shadow on the faces of the three people sitting around.

"..."

Why haven't the fire-stealers come yet?

Yan Huan looked around curiously:

“The area outside the Holy City is polluted. He should have gone without food for a long time. There’s even the embers of the Kephall here. There’s no reason for him not to rush over.”

“I don’t know.” Dan Heng’s gaze was deep. “Perhaps… he can even eat the polluted weeds outside the city.”

"Is that even human?" Bai E felt increasingly terrified.

When Wan Di went to the front line alone to suppress the Black Tide, he would bring several sacks of dry rations.

The group didn't think much of it; if the fire thief didn't come, they could just eat and then figure out another way.

Failure is a common occurrence.

What's more, the target is a rather strange person.

Chapter 1493 Who are you?

Yan Huan calmly chewed on the meat roll. Bai E smiled, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, awkwardly vying with Yan Huan for the slices of meat bubbling in the pot.

He discovered that this thing was actually quite delicious.

Dan Heng quietly ate the softened cabbage stalks, occasionally glancing up and calmly looking over the leaping flames, then at the thicket of bushes that, though barely dispersed by the firelight, still appeared deep and dark.

His face, smudged with wood ash, displayed a strange concentration in the light and shadow.

It was as if it were listening to the whispers of the forest, or perhaps it was wary of what might be lurking in the depths of darkness.

At the edge reached by the firelight, the damp moss and dark tree trunks were gilded with a warm golden-red hue.

They formed a jarring boundary with the dense, impenetrable, dark green behind them, which seemed to reject all light.

The light and heat of the campfire, the aroma and sounds of food, and the vibrant life of the three people stood out starkly against the backdrop of the motionless Black Tide monsters lying not far away.

"We should really throw these dark, grimy things further away; they're disgusting to look at." Yan Huan glanced at the wreckage.

Virtual soldiers, rift creatures, demonic spirits... although they are all enemies, at least they don't look that creepy.

But the distorted appearance of this black tide monster is really disgusting.

On this polluted land, the three people's composure and the boiling pot are themselves a desecration of the Kuroshio calamity.

The twisted trees silently surrounded them, their presence carrying scrutiny and chill, while the soup in the pot continued to churn noisily in the dim light of the Kefaller embers.

After a while, when Yan Huan served the food for the fourth time, a chilling aura wafted over.

"Hmm?" Yan Huan turned her face away and looked to the side.

There were no footsteps, no warning, and even the movement of the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The fire-stealer seemed to emerge from the deepest, darkest shadows, slowly rising from the darkness.

A jet-black robe, devoid of any reflection, enveloped him completely from head to toe, making him appear as if he himself were a solidified shadow, absorbing all light.

His robe hung loosely, perfectly still and spotless, a stark contrast to the damp, muddy surroundings.

The sword in his hand was like a twisted piece of darkness, as if space itself had been forcibly bent and torn apart there.

The blade continuously emitted wisps of dense, almost tangible black energy.

These black wisps writhed like living creatures, greedily devouring the faint light cast by the campfire, forming a blurry, trembling visual black hole around the sword.

Its mere presence made the already oppressive air around us even thicker and colder, and even dimmed the light of the campfire.

Seeing that the fire thief remained motionless, staring intently at the three, Yan Huan couldn't help but break the silence:

"Now that you're out, say something..."

Compared to the carefree Yan Huan, Bai E was much more vigilant.

He slightly bent over, his right hand holding chopsticks to pick up meat, but his left hand had already quietly grabbed the long sword, secretly on guard.

Dan Heng remained silent, seemingly realizing that the two had almost finished eating, so he simply picked up some more meat.

As long as Yan Huan was nearby, Dan Heng remained relatively relaxed.

He already knew the strength of the fire thief.

The black-robed swordsman remained silent for a long time, his face completely hidden in the shadows behind his iron mask.

Bai E could only see the blurry outline of his jaw, its lines as cold and hard as rock.

He made no movement, said no word, and you couldn't even feel the rise and fall of his breath.

He stood there quietly at the boundary between firelight and darkness, like a statue sculpted from the purest stillness and nothingness.

An invisible, cold aura, carrying an aura of absolute negativity, spread silently like a tangible tide, almost overwhelming the clamor of the boiling red soup and the aroma of the food in Bai E's eyes.

The light from the campfire seemed unable to reach him at all, instead forming a deeper dark abyss around him.

Twisted trees stood behind him like ghostly guards, and the decaying remains of the fallen Black Tide monsters seemed to become even more filthy and lifeless after his appearance.

Time seemed to stand still. The boiling soup pot continued to gurgle and bubble.

The four of them remained silent, sitting there quietly.

Seeing that the fire thief did not speak, Yan Huan picked up her chopsticks and calmly picked up food, completely unaffected.

Bai E kept his eyes fixed on the fire thief, glanced at the relaxed Yan Huan and Dan Heng, hesitated for a moment, and then gripped his longsword tightly.

After a few minutes of silence, the fire thief suddenly made a move.

The moment he took a step, Bai E stood up abruptly, staring at him with a serious expression.