Using it to cut fish won’t pick up any flavor.
After all, it has no physical form to begin with.
I wonder how the MANTIS “Sakura” from the last era would feel seeing her weapon used this way?
Probably quite gratified.
Casually creating a snow country with a diameter of twenty meters, Zhao Bai sheathed his knife and nodded at Mei.
Mei also nodded in confusion.
After a long while, she finally snapped out of her shock, her eyes wide as she asked, “What just happened?
Is this snow country a special effect of your weapon?” “It’s just a preservation method, really.
It’s all to ensure the guests can enjoy the most delicious food, nothing worth mentioning.” “?” Shock doesn’t even begin to describe her current feelings.
Mei felt as if she were watching the Herrscher of Reason making money off a projection of a Homu toy, while the Judgment of Shamash’s holder was selling kebabs on a bridge.
There was a mix of astonishment and a hint of envy, completely unable to comprehend.
What she had been desperately pursuing was something others took for granted.
As the dimensional slash was released, another burning fire scene turned into an icy purgatory, and Zhao Bai couldn’t help but frown.
His hands began to tremble slightly.
After using the power of absolute zero for a long time, his body started to feel cold, and if this continued, there would be a risk of frostbite.
“Are you…?” Seeing this, Mei asked with concern, but before she could finish, Zhao Bai pulled out another katana from his waist.
A red blade.
Flames of deep crimson wrapped around the blade, and a rolling wave of heat surged forth.
After Zhao Bai let out a strange cry and retracted the sword, the earlier chill was dispelled by more than half.
His waist no longer ached, and his legs felt fine.
Cooking for an entire day was no longer a strain.
The legendary Demonblade – Florid Sakura, which was said to come from hell, was now just Zhao Bai’s hand warmer.
One could only say that fate plays tricks on people.
“What did you say?” Zhao Bai turned back to ask, and Mei, halfway through her sentence, suddenly choked, her expression becoming quite vivid.
“Nothing, you’re so amazing.” Zhao Bai found it strange; of course, he was amazing—did he need her to tell him?
Didn’t he already know?
Zhao Bai entered a loop of dimensional slashes—dimensional slashes—drawing the crimson Sakura for warmth—then another dimensional slash, soon creating a blue barrier isolating Flare from the ranch.
He sheathed his sword, took a breath, and his brow remained tightly furrowed.
Zhao Bai stood silently, his eyes fixed on the direction from which Flare was burning, not speaking for a long time.
“Mei, are the wildfires in Australia burning this strangely?” He stuck out his tongue to sense the wind direction and mumbled, “Even though the west wind is blowing, Flare always seems to burn towards the ranch, as if someone is controlling it.” No wildfire in the world burns like this.
Mei frowned, sensing the subtle discord between the wind direction and Flare’s direction, and called over the temporary head of the ranch, Mr.
Chen Sicheng.
“Besides the continuously burning wildfires, is there anything else strange about this ranch?” “Nothing else.” Compared to the standard questioning methods Mei learned in class, Zhao Bai was clearly more cultured and easygoing.
He spoke up, “This Flare is burning towards this ranch.
You just stand here and move in several directions; I want to see what connection there is between the wildfire and you.” “Don’t say that recklessly!” Mr.
Chen was extremely flustered, as if he were hiding something.
Of course, he wasn’t hiding anything.
Any ordinary person encountering such a situation would inevitably feel this way.
Mei spoke to soothe him, and after a long time, she finally calmed Mr.
Chen down, but Zhao Bai’s words sent him right back to his original state.
“Is there perhaps a relative of yours where the Flare is burning?” At this, it was as if the pepper storage room in the cafeteria had exploded.
Zhao Bai saw a nearly forty-year-old man squeeze out a hot tear, the glistening droplet flowing down his dark, thin cheek.
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
It turned out that Mr.
Chen’s daughter had passed away young; she was clearly of elementary school age but had died from a full-body infection caused by burns.
Her body was not cremated but buried in a wasteland one hundred and twenty kilometers away from here.
“…” “I have a rough idea of the situation now.” Zhao Bai lowered his head in contemplation, and Mei nodded thoughtfully, her expression grave.
Mr.
Chen looked incredulous as he said, “Did you discover something?
Why do you look so mournful?
My daughter was buried three years ago; please don’t speak carelessly!” “Next, we need to go deeper into the fire scene.” Zhao Bai interrupted him, drawing his sword in vigilance, no longer appearing as relaxed as before.
Mei understood Zhao Bai’s intention and quickly drew her weapon.
Her sword was the standard for every katana user in Schicksal, the Pulse Katana – Prototype, the same sword Zhao Bai had brought during his last mission with Kiana.
“What are you all talking about?!” “Mr.
Chen, you should leave quickly; you will regret staying.” Zhao Bai said without looking back, and instead of deterring him, it ignited Mr.
Chen’s fighting spirit.
“I won’t leave!” Zhao Bai hated this kind of situation.
He shouldn’t have called Mr.
Chen for questioning; he should have explored the depths of the fire with Mei, slashing any demons and monsters they encountered.
This guy was clearly a desk worker with zero combat ability.
Hearing that it might be related to his deceased daughter, he was no longer afraid, wanting to meet her.
“Let me be there too!” Mr.
Chen said earnestly.
Zhao Bai and Mei exchanged a glance and nodded.
“It’s not impossible…” Zhao Bai’s tone softened, using a retreating-to-advance strategy.
He said, “But you have no combat experience.
What if we encounter danger and can’t protect you?” “We can sign a liability waiver.” Typical of a desk worker; the answer was to sign a contract.
“But there are many terrifying sights within the Flare.
Can you really handle it?” “Definitely!” Zhao Bai said nothing, lowering the raised blade slightly.
His body was like a taut bow, a larger, more violent dimensional slash slowly brewing within Zhao Bai’s scabbard.
Clang!
In an instant, an ice-blue world appeared before Mr.
Chen.
Strange, terrifying, emitting a distorted aura.
Burning skeletons, animal corpses half-burned but still running, burning tree trunks covered with bite marks—all transformed into lifelike ice sculptures, even the evaporating blood solidified in mid-air.
This sight was enough to make one faint on the spot.
Mr.
Chen, for example, rolled his eyes, and with a thud, collapsed to the ground.