Arknights' Lock of Heaven

"He wielded a golden hammer to save Zhao, and Handan was the first to be shocked."

"Two heroes of a thousand autumns, their fame resounds throughout Daliang City."

"Even in death, the spirit of chivalry remains, and one shall not be ashamed to be a hero in this world."

"Who can write your book, sir, the Tai Xuan Jing, even in your old age?"

"How romantic, how magnificent, how desirable."

Grani couldn't understand the poems, but that didn't stop her from listening intently.

Skadi memorized the poem word by word, her expression thoughtful.

In fact, everyone experiences disappointment; childhood dreams will eventually shatter, and only time can smooth things over.

In situations like these, simply venting your feelings is usually enough, or rather, there's never really a problem to begin with.

This is not a big deal.

Young people are often sentimental.

They walked and talked, and eventually made their way back to the cave.

It must be said that the evening breeze in the mountains of Kazimierz was still a bit chilly, and having a cave at this time was completely different from sleeping in the wilderness.

Big Bob and his friends have camping equipment, but it's all at a campsite further away, so they can't bring it right away.

By the time they get it, it will probably be dawn.

So the group simply built dozens of bonfires, and people spent the night gathered around them in twos and threes.

The members of the Reunion Movement skillfully removed their outer garments and spread them on the ground, took off their masks, and took out portable dry rations to heat them up over a fire.

The food was incredibly diverse, ranging from luxurious jerky to cold, hard steamed buns and biscuits, as well as more modern compressed biscuits and various sauces whose names I couldn't recall—all foods that could be stored for a long time without spoiling when traveling.

Of course, the taste was nothing to write home about.

Grani and Skadi, acting as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, skillfully took out the food they had and pieced it together, intending to make do with dinner that way.

Xia Yu glanced at Skadi's hand, which she had extended confidently in front of her, and fell into deep thought.

That's how everyone does it; they all get together, share their belongings, and eat from the same pot.

Their relationship was harmonious; they were brothers who would entrust their lives to each other. If I had something to eat, my brothers would naturally have something to eat too.

Even Skadi, who usually doesn't socialize, huddled with Grani, each taking out a few pieces of bread and some jerky.

Grani also carefully took out a packet of sauce from his pocket and distributed it to the Reunion Movement members around him.

Xia Yu, with her sharp eyes, spotted the Rhodes Island logo on the sauce packaging.

Skadi held out her hand to him, gesturing for him to bring out some ingredients to make a pot.

But then there's the food Xia Yu is holding...

"Would you like some jerky?" Big Bob approached the two men, holding a large handful of jerky. "This is genuine camel meat, we are..."

"Alright, alright," Xia Yu sighed, glancing at the food in everyone's hands. "Put everything away. I'll treat everyone to a good meal today."

Hearing his words, the group of people who were gathering food from the communal pot were stunned.

Looking at him from left to right, it didn't seem like he had enough food for so many people.

Most people here have only seen Xia Yu's Heavenly Lock, but have never seen the electromagnetic cannon emerging from the golden ripples.

Although they had heard their companion who had witnessed it firsthand, language always has its limitations and cannot truly convey the experience of being there in person.

But they soon found out.

The familiar golden ripples spread through the cave once again, and many members of the Reunion Movement jumped up instinctively.

They still remember how they were bound tightly in the blink of an eye.

Once bitten, twice shy.

However, what emerged from the ripples was not the familiar Lock of Heaven, but... a large cauldron?

Skadi thoughtfully withdrew her hand and looked at the large cauldron in the middle of the cave.

Those ripples... can hold an electromagnetic cannon, can hold that golden chain... so who says they can't hold food?

Titi's eyes showed some interest. If she followed a captain like this, wouldn't she never have to worry about food and drink in the future?

Although she could manage on dry biscuits, who would want to eat dry rations if they could eat better food?

All eyes were focused on the large pot. Xia Yu took a few steps forward and came to the pot. He took out a thermos from behind him and opened the lid.

As the air circulated, a faint aroma of meat filled the air around everyone.

All eyes were focused on the thermos in his hand, and they watched helplessly as he poured it out.

Gudong.

As the rich broth mixed with chunks of meat poured down, the intense aroma made people swallow hard, and the emptiness in their stomachs made their gazes even more fervent.

It's such a pity, there's only such a small bottle...

Looking at the thermos in Xia Yu's hand, everyone had the same thought.

There are forty or fifty people here, and this small bottle is probably not even enough for one person to take a sip.

People have already started looking for the water bag.

Although it's a small amount, if you add some water and boil it, everyone can still get quite a bit.

Although it certainly won't taste as good after being diluted with water, at least everyone got to eat it.

But their hands, reaching for the water bags at their waists, gradually slowed down, and their gazes toward the large pot became increasingly fixed.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Ten seconds... twenty seconds...

The broth inside the small thermos was still flowing continuously.

Every now and then, you can see a succulent piece of meat gushing out and splashing a ring of thick soup into the pot.

The cave was already filled with a rich fragrance.

grunt.

Some people's stomachs had already started rumbling, but no one laughed at them; everyone's eyes were fixed on the small thermos.

Even after the large pot, which required one person to carry it, was filled, the broth in the bottle continued to flow endlessly.

Xia Yu put away the thermos in her hand, looked at the large pot of meat soup in front of her, and nodded in satisfaction.

Everyone's eyes were still focused on the bottle.

"Ahem," Big Bob coughed twice as if to remind them, startling them awake, and everyone quickly looked away.

That bottle is absolutely a priceless treasure!

It's best not to look at it too much, lest people misunderstand.

Grani, who was standing to the side, was also dumbfounded. She was about to ask Xia Yu to let her take a look at the thermos when she immediately realized what was happening and looked away.

Only Skadi's gaze toward Xia Yu grew increasingly ardent.

She didn't have any ulterior motives; she just knew she was in for a treat.

He was still thinking about what kind of food Xia Yu would like to take with her when they went on a mission.

Thinking about it, he walked up to Xia Yu, reached out his hand again, and asked him to take a look at the thermos.

They were completely justified and self-righteous.

She didn't speak, but Xia Yu immediately understood what she meant.

He casually handed her the thermos.

This doesn't need to be kept secret, at least not for Skadi, one of her own teammates.

Skadi took the thermos and curiously opened the cap to look inside.

It was still a full bottle of broth, not reduced at all.

"Go ahead and go see if you're curious," Xia Yu said casually, noticing the curiosity in Grani and the others' eyes. "It's not exactly a secret anyway."

“For someone like you, it might not mean much,” Big Bob shook his head with a wry smile, “but for us…”

"The food in front of us is more practical."

That's not something a homeless person like myself should handle, even if its owner doesn't mind.

Big Bob had no doubt that this ordinary thermos would sell for an exorbitant price in any major city.

The broth that never runs dry... it's a treasure straight out of a myth.

It wasn't as magical as he thought, and the idea that it would never run out was utter nonsense. These were several large pots of Shaylag-style broth that Rhodes Island's chef, Cliff Peak, had simmered for three days. The reason it seemed to be flowing endlessly was simply because the large pot couldn't hold all the broth.

None of the Reunion members went up to look at the thermos, except for Grani, who walked up to Skadi with great interest.

"Come, come, try these broths," Xia Yu waved her hand, and a row of large bowls appeared with golden ripples.

"This is the work of a chef from Shelag. In the freezing cold of Shelag, it is one of the most warming things you can get. You can't find this kind of food anywhere else."

Xia Yu pulled a ladle out of thin air, and a large bucket of steaming white rice appeared behind her. She tapped the pot with the ladle and shouted, "Line up, line up! Everyone gets some!"