Gan Lan put away her shocked expression and pretended not to have seen anything. She smiled at the viewers in the streaming channel. "I’m full, so I’ll get back to work now. I’ll try to finish the rest of the Phoenix tail feathers today and color it tomorrow."
After saying that, Gan Lan immediately got into the zone. She didn’t stop this time, carving all five tail feathers in one vigorous effort. Only the feet were left, which would be easy. She started with the legs, followed by the tarsus and toes. A Phoenix’s toes were separate, just like a crane’s; the inner, middle, outer, and hind toes were all distinct from one another.
Finally came the flames beneath the Phoenix’s feet. By the time Gan Lan finished carving them, it was nearly four in the morning. She couldn’t even lift her arms anymore. She slumped into her chair, her eyes unfocused.
The intensity was too high, and the physical toll was too great. Her body couldn’t take it anymore. Coupled with hunger and exhaustion, she felt terrible all over. When the doorbell rang, she merely lifted her eyelids. She had no energy to wonder who could be visiting in the middle of the night.
Yi had been standing guard by Gan Lan’s side. Seeing her slumped in the chair, completely drained of strength, he fetched a bottle of recovery agent and handed it to her before turning to answer the door. The other robots had already shut down their energy boxes and ceased operations; Yi was the only one left.
Gan Lan drank the entire recovery agent Yi handed her, finally regaining a bit of strength and energy. Only then did she have the time to observe her completed Phoenix. She stood up slowly and inspected it from head to tail, looking for any unaddressed flaws so she could quickly touch them up.
After her inspection, she stepped back to view the Phoenix from a slight distance. The Phoenix held its head high with a piercing gaze. It had slightly spread wings, a massive body, and meticulously crafted feathers. Its nine tail feathers fanned out above the flames, and it trampled upon the fire underfoot like a king reborn from the ashes.
Gan Lan nodded in satisfaction, her eyes filled with joy. Looking at this majestic Phoenix was like looking at her own child. After all, she had carved it bit by bit, making it practically her flesh and blood. Giving it away truly pained her heart, but she had already promised and couldn’t go back on her word. She gently stroked the Phoenix’s wing, her face full of reluctance.
It was already four in the morning, the dead of night, yet the all-nighters in her streaming channel were still there, and there were quite a few of them.
Retreat: [My god, this is too beautiful! Watching the streamer finish it step by step makes me feel like I participated in the whole process. It’s so fulfilling! Is this the Phoenix?!]
Handsome Mingyu: [You’ve worked hard! Even though staying up late will hurt my beautiful face, thinking about how this Phoenix will eventually belong to me makes me too excited to sleep. This is the absolute best birthday cake I’ve ever received! Thank you, I’m truly so touched.]
Sky Blue: [I’m going crazy, crazy, crazy with jealousy! Ahhhh! You need to take care of your health! Ruining your body over a cake isn’t worth it.]
Feiran: [Hurry up and eat breakfast, then go to sleep. Don’t work so desperately. You’ve been so tired these past few days; you need to rest well.]
Gan Lan was indeed exhausted. "Thank you all for staying up with me. I’m really too tired today, so I’m going to rest now. You guys should go to bed soon too. Good night, see you tomorrow."
With that, Gan Lan went offline.
Yi walked up to Gan Lan carrying a temperature-controlled box. "This is a delivery from Yan Yifei. Do you want to open it now?"
Gan Lan was confused. Not only was he not sleeping in the middle of the night, but he actually sent something over.
"Yi, help me open it. I can’t move my hands." Gan Lan sat on the sofa, watching Yi open the temperature-controlled box and take out the food inside.
They were all ingredients she had never seen with her own eyes before. She had only seen them in the materials given by her teacher, so she still had some impression of them. Smelling the aroma of the food, Gan Lan’s stomach unknowingly began to rumble. There was a bowl of soup, four plates of dishes emitting a unique fragrance, as well as a bowl of porridge and a bowl of rice.
Just as Gan Lan was about to pick up her chopsticks, she saw Yi take out two exquisite, transparent little vials of medicine from the temperature-controlled box. The label on the side read "Advanced Recovery Agent". Gan Lan’s eyes widened. She carefully took them and stroked them repeatedly before reluctantly setting them down. She couldn’t bear to drink them.
The one Yi had given her earlier was a standard recovery agent, which cost ten thousand Credit Points a bottle. Now, what Yan Yifei sent was the Advanced Recovery Agent, priced at a million Credit Points a bottle. Its efficacy was a hundred times better than the standard ones. Once consumed, a person would immediately regain their vitality, and their hunger would vanish. It could definitely be considered a rather miraculous medicine.
He probably guessed that Gan Lan wouldn’t drink it, so he sent some late-night snacks along with it. Though at this hour, it should probably count as breakfast.
Gan Lan had Yi put the vials away. She first took a sip of the plain porridge; it was soft, fragrant, and carried a trace of sweetness.
She tasted a slice of roasted Star Beast meat, and her eyes lit up. The heat control for the roast was perfect. No other spices were added, yet the umami of the meat, coupled with just a hint of saltiness, made it incredibly delicious. What a magical, unique ingredient!
She took a sip of the soup, made from some unrecognizable Star Beast bone. Hot! Fresh! Delicious! It felt as if there was a trace of something in the soup that soothed the mind. After drinking it, Gan Lan felt even more energized.
Gan Lan held the soup bowl and sniffed it carefully, but she couldn’t distinguish the spices and ingredients used. It seemed to be a special type of meat and spice she wasn’t familiar with. It turned out that this futuristic world wasn’t devoid of fine cuisine; it was just that these ingredients were too precious to be widely accessible.
Gan Lan sampled each dish one by one. She figured these were all produced by Sunny Day Restaurant. Now, she was beginning to understand Sunny Day Restaurant a bit more. High-end ingredients paired with high-end preparation methods were indeed something commoners couldn’t afford. If that was the case, Gan Lan also knew that the reason they didn’t value her right now was that they had enough power of their own.
This made her feel much more at ease. It would be best if they stuck to their high-end route while she took her grassroots approach. Wouldn’t it be perfect if both sides stayed out of each other’s way? If any conflicts truly arose in the future, her Huaxia had its own impressive signature dishes to bring to the table!
Gan Lan polished off all the food Yan Yifei had sent. The portions weren’t large, just enough to fill her up. She stood up to digest the meal. After some thought, she sent Yan Yifei a message.
Come and have some barbecue!: [Thank you for the trouble. The food was delicious. And thank you, it was very heartwarming. Go to sleep soon, I’m going to sleep too. Good morning ^^]
After sending the message, Gan Lan turned off her Light Brain, took a shower, and got ready for bed. It was almost five o’clock. Even though she had drunk the recovery agent and eaten a meal to boost her spirits, she still felt exhausted. Because of this, she completely missed Yan Yifei’s almost instantaneous reply.
Feiran: [It’s nothing, just lifting a finger. Happy Dreams ^^]
It was indeed just lifting a finger for him, but Master Qingping was the one who suffered, having to drag himself out of bed in the middle of the night to cook! He was so furious he almost went on strike.
Meanwhile, looking at Gan Lan’s message on his Light Brain, Yan Yifei’s lips curled upward. It was just pulling an all-nighter; he could go three days and three nights without sleep if he had to. However, he obediently went to bed. Even in his sleep, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, as if he was having Happy Dreams.
At the same time, having finished washing up, Gan Lan fell into a deep slumber.