In the early morning, the central canteen in the Core Area of the Serenitea Pot was always filled with a comforting, toasted aroma of grains. Before the massive stove, Xiangling wore an apron printed with a Guoba design, her long-handled wooden spoon stirring a golden whirlpool into the boiling cauldron. Tumbling within was the porridge ground from Chisui Double-Resistant No. 3 corn—the staple grain upon which the Serenitea Pot now relied for survival. The thick paste bubbled away under the high heat, releasing a sweet and warming fragrance. The rising steam blurred the traces of fatigue etched on the faces of the queuing refugees. Holding coarse pottery bowls, they waited quietly for that life-sustaining ladle of gold to drop into their bowls, maintaining an orderly queue. It was a rare moment of peace and stability within the teapot.
"Make way! Make way! I'm starving!" A fiery red figure burst through the half-curtained doorway of the canteen in a flurry, whipping up a gust of wind that nearly knocked over the salt shaker on a nearby small table. Mavuika, the Pyro Archon of Natlan, still had traces of furnace ash on her face, clearly having just come straight from some engineering site. With a clear target, she strode directly toward the freshly steamed trays of corn cakes beside Xiangling.
"Chef Xiangling! The usual, three portions!" Mavuika’s voice was loud and clear, carrying the briskness characteristic of the people of Natlan. She snatched up a piping-hot corn cake, …
Chapter 51