My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 434: Chapter 287: I Was Originally a Speck of Interstellar Dust Abandoned by the Mother Nest

”You don’t have weapons, so your combat strength is relatively weak. I’ll give you two Spiritual Soldiers as well.”

Li Xiang took out a Flame-Patterned Short Knife and a Profound Ice Short Sword. Both were exquisitely crafted. He handed them to Chiba Asatsuyu and Chiba Yukigiri respectively.

Both of these were Tier Nine Extraordinary Spiritual Soldiers, rewards he had obtained while hunting high-potential Exotic Beasts in North America. They were unparalleled in Sharpness but only had a single Extraordinary Attribute: Luck.

As for Chiba Yuki, whether it was Aoi Monshou or Red Wisdom, she was not lacking in Magical Treasures or methods, so Li Xiang didn’t give her a Spiritual Soldier.

It was the height of the cherry blossom season. Accompanied by the mother and her two daughters, Li Xiang admired all varieties of cherry blossoms, sampled all kinds of local delicacies, and after resting for several days, planned to resume his journey.

”Master, the day after tomorrow is Asatsuyu and Yukigiri’s sixth birthday. Why don’t you stay for two more days?” Chiba Yuki asked, extremely reluctant to see him go.

”Godfather, please stay and celebrate Asatsuyu’s (and Yukigiri’s) birthday!” the two lovely, doll-like little girls pleaded, hugging Li Xiang’s arms from either side.

”Will this affect the hot spring inn’s business?” During the few days Li Xiang had been there, Chiba Yuki had closed up shop, given her employees a few days off, and dedicated herself to serving him.

”It’s fine. Business was quite good before, so we earned a lot.” Chiba Yuki wasn’t obsessed with money. Besides, with her and her daughters’ current abilities, acquiring wealth was easy.

So Li Xiang decided to stay. A day or two wouldn’t make a difference.

The mother and daughters cheered.

Chiba Yuki prepared a cherry blossom-themed evening banquet for her twin daughters.

In the center of the courtyard at Snow’s Inn, a hundred-year-old Somei Yoshino cherry tree bloomed like a cloud. Chiba Yuki wore an ink-dyed furisode kimono, her hair done up in a bun and adorned with the Earth Vein Crystal Splendor: Eightfold Cherry Blossom Hairpin that Li Xiang had given her. The twins wore Shichi-Go-San ceremonial dresses, one crimson and the other azure, with a Fire Rat Fur Coat and an Ice Silkworm Belt tied at their waists, respectively.

Li Xiang brought out many precious ingredients, delicacies from the mountains and seas. Chiba Yuki personally cooked them, and every dish was exquisite.

There was a sashimi platter: black gold abalone sliced as thin as a cicada’s wing, revealing an iridescent sheen; bluefin tuna belly, its fat marbled like the snow line on Mount Fuji; and wasabi paste mixed with a cherry blossom and rose honey sauce.

Lava Rock-Grilled Wagyu: Hokkaido A5 Wagyu, beautifully marbled, sizzled on a volcanic rock slab, its fat rendering.

Yukimi Venison Tobanyaki: Sika deer ribs and Black Truffle were slow-roasted in a hinoki wood box. When the lid was lifted, a fragrant, cherry blossom-scented steam wafted out.

Yamata Crystal Sushi: Crushed Spirit Medicine Powder was mixed into the sushi rice, topped with glistening salmon roe and gold foil cherry blossom petals!

And a large birthday cake: ”Ice and Fire Twins: Gouyu Birthday Gala.”

The main structure was a two-tiered Tai Chi cake. The bottom layer was a molten red velvet cake base, simulating the elder sister Asatsuyu’s tyrannical lava-and-smoke energy. The top layer was a frosty butterfly-pea flower mousse, corresponding to the younger sister Yukigiri’s Ice Crystal Superpower. At the intersection of the two layers, a Gouyu totem made of Obsidian sugar shards was inlaid.

The top was decorated with an exquisitely sculpted, levitating 3D fudge Mount Fuji. Edible LED strips were embedded inside the mountain; when turned on, they displayed alternating effects of flowing lava and ice-blue auroras.

There were even cartoon sugar figures: a transparent spider blown from isomalt, its abdomen filled with glowing popping candy. When it touched the tabletop, it would ”crawl” and shimmer with a faint light.

Chibi-style fondant figurines of the twins: Asatsuyu held a Flaming Lollipop, the tips of her hair decorated with red gold edible gold foil; Yukigiri hugged an Ice Crystal Rabbit, her skirt hem encrusted with Hexagonal Frost Flower Candy pieces.