Kaguya looked at the fried tofu in her hand, which was dry and even somewhat burnt, unsure if she should eat it. Mainly, the fried tofu didn't look very appetizing.
"Why aren't you eating it?" Lan turned around, blinked, and asked curiously as she saw Kaguya hesitating with a skewer of fried tofu.
"Oh, it's nothing," Kaguya said awkwardly.
"It's delicious." Lan flashed Kaguya a bright smile and took a bite of her fried tofu, resting her chin on her hand and squinting her eyes into crescent moons with a blissful expression.
Is it really that good?
Seeing Lan devouring her fried tofu, Kaguya swallowed.
Could it really be tasty?
Without thinking too much, Kaguya took a bite of the fried tofu on the skewer and began to chew, her expression becoming quite colorful.
As it turned out, Kaguya had overthought it. The fried tofu looked unappetizing, and it tasted just as bad.
The fried tofu was full of greasy flavor without any savory taste. It was mixed with a beany flavor and even had a burnt taste. Chewing it felt dry, like biting into rubber, lacking any softness or smoothness. The texture was simply terrible.
The worst part was that there was no other flavor besides these odd tastes.
That's right; there wasn't even the essential saltiness, let alone any soy sauce, chili, or ginger—nothing at all. It hadn't gone through any second process; it was just fried and served.
"So, how is it? Tasty, right?" Lan squinted and tilted her head with a smile.
"Uh-huh," Kaguya managed to swallow the fried tofu in her mouth and forced a smile. "Not bad, it's quite tasty."
"See, I knew it," Lan said happily, and casually handed Kaguya two more skewers of fried tofu. "If you like it, eat more."
Indeed, she brought it upon herself. She should have known not to say that. Besides, this situation seemed familiar somehow.
"Um," Kaguya tried to change the subject, "this wooden hut, is it—?"
"It's mine," Lan, unaware of Kaguya's intention, said indistinctly, her mouth full of fried tofu. "What do you think? Not bad, right?"
Kaguya was speechless, unsure of what to say. But considering the fried tofu in her hand, it wasn't surprising.
"I wanted to ask you something." Kaguya said.
"What is it?" Lan asked, taking the last few bites of her fried tofu and sucking her fingers, which was irresistibly cute.
"What is this place, and why am I here?" Kaguya noticed Lan's bright eyes fixed intently on her fried tofu, so she handed it to Lan. She had no interest in such food.
Lan accepted the fried tofu from Kaguya, took a big bite, and seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.
Kaguya couldn't understand why Lan was so interested in this poorly made food. The strange taste and texture were practically culinary disasters.
"You don't even know that?" Lan paused, blinked her bright eyes, and asked curiously.
"Uh-huh."
"This..." Lan propped up her arms, pinched her chin, and thought for a moment before saying, "I believe you've already noticed, this world is actually fake, not the real world."
"Hmm." Kaguya nodded slightly. She had felt something was wrong from the beginning, and it was that sense of dissonance that caught her attention.
"Actually, we are inside a barrier," Lan stood up, pushed the door open, and walked out, looking at the clouds floating in the sky.
"A barrier?" Kaguya said in surprise. Although she had a vague idea in her mind, she thought it was unlikely.
This barrier was too vast, with no end in sight. Kaguya extended her senses, but after a long time, she still couldn't find the boundary.
Although Kaguya had her own space, and quite a few of them, none were as vast as this. How much energy would it take to create such a barrier? Can someone who creates such a thing still be considered human?
"Yes, this barrier has been around for a very long time," Lan looked at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
"Then how did I end up here?" Kaguya felt like she was in a fog, making it hard to distinguish anything clearly.
Lan suddenly paused, as if she remembered something, then turned and said, "I almost forgot, I need to take you over there."
"Where?" Kaguya asked, confused.
"You want to know why you came here, right?" Lan smiled at Kaguya, "You'll understand when you get there."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lan grabbed Kaguya's hand and, like a white lightning bolt, tore through the sky, flying towards the distance.
Kaguya felt like a ragdoll in Lan's grasp, powerless to resist as she was pulled along. The speed was so fast that even the scenery on both sides became distorted, and all she could see were colorful blurs, giving Kaguya her first feeling of motion sickness.
Finally, Lan stopped, and Kaguya felt weak in her limbs and body, her head still spinning. Fortunately, she hadn't eaten anything, otherwise, she would probably have thrown up.
"We're here, this is the place."
A voice sounded in her ear, and Kaguya blinked and raised her head.
What appeared before her was an unremarkable wooden house, which didn't look much different from any other structure. Of course, it was much better than Lan's dilapidated shack, which was on the verge of collapse with wood beginning to rot and covered in mottled marks. It looked like it could fall apart in a gust of wind.
But for some reason, Kaguya felt something strange about this wooden house, as if there was something inside emitting an energy. These energies were not easily detectable by the naked eye, but before Kaguya's vision techniques, she could see them clearly, like silk threads exuding a dazzling brilliance.
"Go on in," Lan squinted and smiled, waving at her. "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
"Okay."
Kaguya nodded and said no more, stepping lightly towards the wooden house, gently pushing the door open, and walking inside.
Suddenly, the space of the whole world trembled imperceptibly, and time seemed to pause for an instant before returning to calm. An ordinary person might not have noticed it at all.
"Is she really the one?"
Standing not far away, Lan's relaxed expression disappeared, and she stared at the wooden house intently, her golden eyes emitting a strange light.