FATE: Target of Grand Master

This little incident did not affect everyone's mood, and the group continued walking towards the Emiya residence.

Recalling Rin's envious look earlier, Xia Yan suddenly had a whimsical idea and decided to conduct an experiment.

He walked over to Rin, who was still sighing, and said with a smile, "Rin, do you want this box of jewels?"

Lin rolled her eyes at Xia Yan and said, "Xia Yan, stop teasing me. This is your prize. I may be envious, but I won't take it from you."

"I'm not kidding you. Don't let my appearance fool you, when it comes to magical talent, I'm far inferior to you, and the effects these gems will have in my hands are definitely far less than if they were given to you. So, I want to give these gems to you."

"Huh? Really? But, isn't that a bad idea?"

After being showered with praise by Xia Yan, and tempted by a box of gems, even Rin, who prided herself on maintaining her elegance, couldn't keep up with the excitement.

"There's nothing wrong with it. Since it's my prize, I'm free to do with it as I please. Besides, I can't guarantee that these gems won't go back with me when I return to my world. If I can't take them with me, wouldn't it be a waste?"

"Since you've put it this way, then I won't hold back."

Rin thought about it for a while, but in the end she couldn't resist the temptation and accepted Xia Yan's kindness. However, as the current head of the Tohsaka family, she didn't want to take other people's benefits for nothing.

"Thank you, Xia Yan. Actually, I also have something I'd like to give you."

After saying that, the Heroic Spirit Emiya deactivated his spirit form and handed a simple little box to Rin.

Xia Yan took the small box from Lin's hand, opened it, and couldn't help but gasp.

A gleaming, familiar short sword lay among them.

"Rin, you actually gave me a jeweled sword? Its value is completely disproportionate to the jewel I just gave you."

Even Xia Yan felt that Lin had made a terrible deal.

"If this were a transaction, it would naturally be unequal, but I don't see it as a transaction; rather, it's an expression of gratitude. Actually, you left in such a hurry last time that I never had a chance to express my thanks to you. As your older sister, I thank you for helping Sakura escape her suffering. As your Master, I thank you for bringing Archer back. As the head of the Tohsaka family, I thank you even more for restoring Fuyuki City to its original state. Even this jeweled sword is not enough to express all my gratitude; please accept it."

Since things had come to this, Xia Yan didn't refuse any longer and put the small box away.

A message box immediately popped up in front of Xia Yan.

[Lost Item: 50 Magic-Storing Gems]

[Obtain the Craft Essence: Gem Sword]

[Craft Essence Description: A special Craft Essence that automatically recharges with mana, providing the wielder with a large amount of additional mana. Mana is automatically recharged after being depleted, taking up to one day to fully recharge.]

As expected of a gemstone sword! It perfectly compensates for Xia Yan's lack of magic power.

Although even with the Jewel Sword, Xia Yan couldn't unleash Morgan's full power against such an overpowered Servant, the Jewel Sword gave Xia Yan an extra trump card to boost Servant output at crucial moments. For Xia Yan at this stage, there was no more suitable way to increase output.

Over the next few minutes, Xia Yan and Rin whispered about some of Sakura's thoughts. Rin was surprised that Sakura had so many ideas of her own. While thanking Xia Yan for telling her, she also resolved to pay more attention to Sakura in the future.

Soon, the group arrived at Emiya's residence.

Cú Chulainn had been waiting at the door for quite some time, carrying a bucket.

"Lancer, how was your day?"

Seeing that Cú Chulainn had taken the initiative to greet him, Xia Yan assumed he had gained something and naturally gave him the opportunity to show off.

"It's alright."

As Cú Chulainn spoke, he handed the bucket to everyone.

Several mackerel were swimming back and forth in the bucket, and among them was a fleshy red fish.

"That's a sea bream, isn't it, Lancer? You're having a lucky day," commented Lang, a local.

"Yeah, hahaha, it's all up to you now, kid."

Cú Chulainn handed the bucket to Shirou with remarkable ease.

"Why?"

Shirou then realized that Cú Chulainn had come to ask for more food.

In the end, Shirou gave in and took the bucket to the kitchen.

"We'll help too."

Xia Yan, Lin, and Ying also headed towards the kitchen, making the already small kitchen feel extremely crowded.

"Brother Xia Yan, you should go and rest first. Come back later when I'm making your signature dish."

"No way, I'm here to learn from you. Let me observe and learn!"

Xia Yan maintained a humble attitude when facing the top-ranked chefs.

"It's just ordinary skill; the idea of ​​'stealing' someone else's technique is an exaggeration."

"Shirou, you're being a bit too modest."

"Sister is right, senior, your cooking skills are anything but ordinary."

Shirou wanted to say something modest, but he became a little embarrassed by the compliments from the Tohsaka sisters next to him.

The kitchen work proceeded smoothly in the harmonious atmosphere among the four people.

In the other living room, Artoria, Illya, Medusa, and Morgan were playing cards.

Morgan was initially reluctant to participate, but under the provocation of Artoria's words, he joined the game.

Cú Chulainn watched television alone, while Emiya returned to the Tohsaka mansion ahead of time, and Sera and Lyselite also returned to Einzbern Castle first.

However, this card game was not as tense as the previous beach volleyball game, and the atmosphere among the group was quite good.

It's unclear who brought up the topic of cooking first, but Artoria began praising Shirou at length, with Illya and Medusa occasionally chiming in. In contrast, only Morgan was constantly praising Xia Yan.

This piqued the interest of the three, and everyone in the living room became increasingly looking forward to the upcoming dinner.

"After removing the fish's internal organs and scales, pat it dry, then coat it with flour, then dip it in egg wash, and finally coat it with breadcrumbs. Fry it in hot oil until golden brown. Once fried, place it on shredded cabbage, squeeze some lemon juice and sauce on top, and the fried mackerel is ready."

Shirou spoke while operating the pot, his movements so skillful that he seemed to become one with the pot.

"That's about it for now, Xia Yan, it's your turn."

Shirou gave up his position as head chef and watched Natsumi's cooking with Rin and Sakura.

Xia Yan didn't hesitate and immediately brought out his signature dish—braised pork.

First, blanch the pork belly in a dry pan to remove the skin and any unpleasant smell. Then, scrape off any darkened parts with a knife and place the whole piece in a pot of cold water with scallions, ginger, and Shaoxing wine. Bring it to a boil over high heat and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the pork and rinse it with warm water. Cut the pork into evenly sized square pieces and it's ready to cook.

Spray a little oil in a pan, add the meat chunks, and pan-fry over low heat until all sides are slightly golden brown. Remove the meat from the pan. Add more oil and rock sugar to the pan and stir-fry until bubbly. Add the meat chunks back in, along with cooking wine, soy sauce, vinegar, and spices. Stir-fry for a while, then add boiling water. Once boiling, simmer over low heat for one hour. Remove the spices, add salt to taste, and finally reduce the heat to medium-high, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.

"So beautiful, crystal clear."

The other three watched as the meat in the pot slowly became as soft and tender as jelly, and they all exclaimed in admiration, attracting the attention of the people in the living room who came over to watch as well, and they also exclaimed in admiration once again.

Rin, who is also skilled in Chinese cuisine, took out her notebook and frantically took notes.

Morgan was extremely pleased with himself.

Although Morgan outwardly maintained a nonchalant attitude, stating that becoming his personal chef was no easy feat, Xia Yan knew that his emperor was secretly delighted, especially after making a grand entrance in front of Artoria.

After returning the audience to the living room, the four kitchen staff continued working without stopping, quickly piling up all sorts of dishes on the living room table.

"I'm back~"

With the arrival of Fujimura Taiga, everyone for tonight's gathering was finally present.

"Welcome back, Taiga!"

Cú Chulainn walked to Fujimura Taiga first, and instantly revealed a cunning expression.

"Um, did you bring it?"

Fujimura Taiga responded with a sly grin, as if he were an accomplice.

"Don't worry, I brought them all."

"Alright, let's get ready to eat."

Cú Chulainn took the bag from Fujimura Taiga and put it in the refrigerator.