Chapter 55: A Captivating Delicacy

"I’ve never had any psychological issues."

"Because I can control the sword in my hand." Mo Si wasn’t the type to be overwhelmed by the number of Insect Race he’d killed. "I know full well that behind me are the Federation Star System and the citizens of the Federation."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. You’re about to turn this call into a political lecture. And while I’d never get tired of hearing about the Admiral’s glorious history, I’m more interested in knowing the reason you called me."

"Mm." Mo Si paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

He posed a question to Ning Shen: was it possible for soldiers, after training, to experience a sudden decrease in mental fatigue and a gradual rise in their physical fitness simply from tasting some virtual food?

On the other end of the line, Ning Shen: ?

Ning Shen ventured, "The Admiral doesn’t like to joke, does he?"

"I’m not joking."

"Hmm, how should I answer this... If you were asking about what happens after eating delicious *real* food, I would say it’s possible. Spiritual power is a miraculous thing. Producers can infuse pure spiritual power into food to help people eliminate fatigue."

"But virtual food... No matter how realistic it is, it’s still just a string of data. A soldier’s brain is highly perceptive; it can’t be deceived by false data. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that the food is so unbelievably delicious that even the fake data is enough to captivate the heart and soul, cleansing the mind—"

"—giving them a feeling of supreme bliss. Happiness can restore one’s mental state. But you know the food situation in the Federation, so... hmm..."

’To claim something that delicious exists is a joke in itself.’

Having gotten a thorough explanation, Mo Si felt he had a much better grasp of the situation. He promptly ended the call, using Ning Shen’s chattiness as an excuse.

’No wonder those soldiers who went for psychological counseling all came back looking so grim. Ning Shen really is a chatterbox.’

As he was pondering, the clock struck eight. The livestream from Jiang Qiuqiu that he had waited all day for had begun!

He slipped into the livestream room using his encrypted account.

Just as she always did, Jiang Qiuqiu addressed the camera, "Welcome, everyone, to my livestream. Today’s menu is a little special; it’s an all-vegetarian dish."

#Changbei is a tiger: ?? A-all vegetarian? Streamer, have you abandoned us from the Beast Clan already? Noooo, can we have meat, please! Any kind of meat will do, I’m not picky anymore! Even Gugu Beasts are fine!!!#

’That familiar nickname... Changbei?’

’That cheapskate... he’s already a Level 7 VIP.’

’To get money out of him, this streamer must really have some skills.’

"Vegetarian dishes can be delicious, too. But without further ado—since my description can’t compare to you tasting it for yourselves—let’s get right to the menu: today’s dish is Braised Bamboo Shoots in Oil."

#Bamboo shoots? What are those?#

Jiang Qiuqiu took out the pointed bamboo shoots she had prepared in advance.

#?? Hey, I think I recognize that. Isn’t that the new vegetable the agricultural researchers announced a while back? I remember it didn’t have a name...#

"That’s right. It doesn’t have an official name yet, so I just gave it one myself."

"Alright, to cook bamboo shoots, you have to prep them first." Jiang Qiuqiu picked up a green, tender shoot. "The outer husk of the shoot is inedible, so we need to remove it."

"Peeling it off layer by layer is too much of a hassle, so we’ll just use a knife."

She raised a large cleaver and effortlessly split the shoot in half. Then, she stripped away the tough outer husk. Soon, several long, jade-like pieces of bamboo shoot lay on the plate.

On his end of the livestream, Mo Si was still confirming his initial assessment. ’Slender hands, a clear and gentle voice... she’s definitely a young woman, no doubt about it. My judgment was correct.’

After the livestream had been on for a little while, his gaze slowly focused on the plate of prepared shoots.

’All these years, campaigning on the frontiers, he’d never understood why livestreaming had become so popular throughout the Federation. It was just...’

’Watching other people live their lives?’

’How strange.’