Ei seriously analyzed the stall owner's words. "Dumplings... mixed with milk? Unheard of. What made you think to do this?"
The stall owner was quite frightened and quickly clasped his hands together. "Ah, forgive me, Your Excellency! I don't mean any offense to eternity!"
Ei replied, "I said no need for formalities and no need to be so frightened. Do you truly believe the eternity I seek could be shaken by mere dumplings and milk?"
The stall owner scratched his head, thinking to himself, 'How is this different from the Shogun I've heard about?'
He continued, "Actually, it happened by accident. A friend of mine made too many dumplings when hosting guests and gave me the leftovers since he couldn't finish them. But even for me, that amount was too much. Around the same time, my milk wasn't selling well either. Neither dumplings nor milk keeps for long, so on a whim, I tried mixing them together. To my surprise, when the proportions were right, it turned out unexpectedly delicious."
[Xiangling: Many Liyue delicacies came about this way too. I'm always experimenting with different ingredient combinations. Sometimes the food turns out terrible; other times I discover unexpectedly wonderful flavors.]
[Ningguang: In business, combining multiple strategies can also yield optimal results. The right combination maximizes profit.]
[Paimon: It seems combining different elements can produce unexpected outcomes.]
[Nahida: When you combine and explore existing knowledge, you generate new knowledge. We call this process experimentation and research. New findings must be tested before they can become established knowledge.]
[Xiangling: I understand this! Everyone's tastes are different. Just because I like a new dish I've created doesn't mean it's truly good. Only after gaining recognition from others can it become a new dish worth passing down.]
[Nahida: Exactly.]
Ei nodded. "Mm. Born from coincidence. Quite interesting. May I have one?"
Tomoki nodded eagerly. "Her Excellency is interested? Of course, absolutely! Would you like one too?"
He served them each a cup.
Ei took a sip and nodded approvingly. "Mm, not bad. Sweet and delicious, with a texture reminiscent of confections. Drinking it is a novel experience."
Paimon happily commented, "Right? It's like drinking a beverage, yet it feels like you're eating something at the same time!"
Ei searched for the right words. "Like porridge? But clearly not equivalent."
"Regardless, I like it." A sweet smile spread across Ei's face.
[Furina: Ah, her taste buds have been won over by a simple dumpling-milk drink! If Ei came to Fontaine, she'd be utterly captivated by the dazzling array of cakes—she wouldn't be able to move!]
[Ei: That wouldn't happen.]
[Yae Miko: Ei's will cannot be shaken by mere food. Still, Fontaine's cakes are indeed more exquisite than Inazuma's, with greater variety.]
[Furina: That's because the cake shop owners are skilled at innovation! They introduce new flavors almost every month, and they're all delicious. I adore every single one.]
[Xiangling: New flavors every month? My pace of developing new dishes is so slow...]
[Furina: Not every flavor becomes a hit, of course. The unpopular ones get discontinued. Through this process of continuous replacement, the seven cakes they sell now are the best ones developed over the past five hundred years.]
[Paimon: Then each of those cakes must be absolutely delicious!]
[Furina: Naturally! I love every single one. If I weren't worried about gaining weight, I'd eat them all every day.]
[Navia: I adore desserts too! I'm a dessert master myself!]