It was merely a matter of not finding the right frequency, not that her comprehension was lacking or her operational skills were insufficient.
After just two days, Bayonetta had found the key and successfully cast the spell for the first time.
Of course, succeeding once didn't mean she could succeed every time thereafter.
Magic no matter how simple still had considerable technical content.
Even someone as talented as Bayonetta needed practice to achieve stable spellcasting.
"Sister Bayonetta, why does your portal look different from everyone else?"
On the third day, which happened to be Saturday the curious Kanna followed Bayonetta to the Sanctum to play.
While eating popcorn and watching from the sidelines, the little girl was very well-behaved and obedient, quietly staying to one side as she watched Bayonetta practice magic under Daniel Drumm guidance.
Looking at the portal Drumm had summoned, then at Bayonetta creation, the little girl who had just finished her last kernel of popcorn couldn't contain her curiosity and asked her question in a crisp voice.
"Don't you think mine looks better?"
While struggling to maintain the ring shape, Bayonetta turned her head to respond to the little girl question.
For other beginners, one of the most common reasons for spell failure was insufficient concentration.
But for Bayonetta... perhaps due to frequently facing swarms of enemies and needing to dodge attacks coming from multiple directions during battle, she had long mastered the technique of multitasking and had practiced it to perfection.
Sure enough, even while dividing her attention to respond to Kanna inquiry, the ring of light before her showed no unusual changes.
It remained the same as before, maintaining its unstable state.
Neither improving nor collapsing.
Its oval shape resembled an egg that Da Vinci might have drawn as a child.
Of course, when little Kanna said 'different' she certainly wasn't referring to the portal shape.
After all, she was still a child and the slight difference between oval and perfect circle wasn't really that important in her eyes.
What truly sparked Kanna curiosity was the color of the portal Bayonetta had summoned.
Perhaps due to differences in the source of magical power, all other sorcerers including the Ancient One produced portals that were orange-red in color with sparks flying everywhere—very much like the sparks produced when cutting metal with an electric saw.
But the one Bayonetta had summoned.
Not only had the color changed to a bright pink tinged with seduction, but its manifestation was completely different from sparks.
It was somewhat like lingering mist, and somewhat like paint spreading through water—devoid of any fiery quality, filled with the gentle elegance unique to women.
"Mm-hmm, yours looks better."
What woman doesn't love pink? Little Kanna nodded vigorously, giving Bayonetta exactly the answer she wanted to hear.
As they spoke, another ring of light suddenly appeared in the practice room.
"Thanks, Wong."
"It's nothing, don't mention it. Come on, let me give you a hand."
Shi Xiaolei voice came from the other side of the portal and a few seconds later, he and a chubby sorcerer stepped through the ring one after the other appearing before Bayonetta, Kanna, and Daniel.
"Oh, everyone's here."
Holding two stacked foam boxes in his arms, Shi Xiaolei greeted the three with a cheerful smile.
"Daniel."
"Wong."
After greeting Wong, the sorcerer stationed at the Hong Kong Sanctum, Daniel Drumm asked with a smile: "Did you manage to get everything?"
"Of course, with me on the job, how could I not get everything?"
Lifting the bundle of things he'd tied up securely, the chubby Wong smiled with pride: "Look, it's all here."
"Xiaolei, Xiaolei, can we make delicious food tonight?"
Jumping down from her chair and pattering over to Shi Xiaolei, Kanna stood on her tiptoes and reached out with her small hands wanting to open the foam box lid to see what ingredients were inside.
That's right, Shi Xiaolei had made a trip to Hong Kong.
The story goes back to when they left home that morning.
In two more days, the restaurant would be reopening for business.
To prepare for the grand reopening, Shi Xiaolei had made a list and planned to do some major shopping.
Mainly ingredients, plus a small amount of special kitchen equipment that couldn't be obtained through the renovation company connections—things like bamboo steamers, wooden buckets for steaming rice, and ceramic jars for pickling vegetables.
He had planned to drop Bayonetta off at the Sanctum, then go alone to check out shops run by his fellow countrymen.
After getting those kitchen implements, he'd visit the farmers market to greet the vendors he'd worked with before and ask if they could provide 'daily home delivery' service for his new restaurant.
After all, the restaurant space had expanded considerably and daily ingredient consumption was much higher than before.
If he continued as before, personally going to the market every morning to select and purchase ingredients, it would be too time-consuming.
Conversely, having the vendors deliver ingredients would not only save trouble—since it was bulk ordering from designated partners, there might be some discount on vegetable prices.
All things considered, it would be both convenient and economical.
The plan seemed good, but after arriving at the New York Sanctum things took an unexpected turn.
Because of Daniel Drumm comment that 'to avoid unnecessary attention, it's best to choose the other two Sanctums as destinations when practicing, opening portals in their practice rooms' Shi Xiaolei suddenly had an idea—since they needed to open portals anyway, and the other side was Hong Kong, why not take advantage of the convenience and shop there directly?
In the shops run by fellow countrymen in New York, he might not be able to find those particular items he wanted, but in Hong Kong just by making a round through the markets he'd surely get satisfactory results.
Moreover regarding ingredients, Hong Kong would offer much more variety.
Items like lotus root, wood ear mushrooms, day lily, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, bitter gourd, shepherd purse, water bamboo, and such—these were basically impossible to find in Western supermarkets.
Even white radish, Chinese chives, tofu, and various bean products were quite rare and hard to come across in the markets.
Previously, by relying on 'authentic Chinese flavors' he had attracted many repeat customers.
Shi Xiaolei naturally considered this a very successful business strategy.
After the restaurant renovation, he planned to continue adhering to this principle and expand upon it.
Once the idea popped into his head, he couldn't stop it.
Plus, Daniel Drumm, who was in charge here, was already a regular customer at the restaurant.
It was a perfect match.
Bayonetta stayed in the New York Sanctum practice room, accompanied by Kanna, to continue practicing her newly learned spell.
Meanwhile, Shi Xiaolei was sent to the Hong Kong Sanctum by Daniel and through his introduction, met the chubby Wong who guarded Hong Kong.
It was quite fortunate timing—Wong had just applied for a bottle of red potion from Kamar-Taj a week ago to save a childhood friend who had been dying from a serious car accident.
What happened next was predictable—through Daniel introduction, Wong learned that Shi Xiaolei had connections with the Ancient One and their relationship was quite good.
Upon further inquiry, he discovered that Shi Xiaolei was actually the provider of that potion, having recently done him a huge favor.
So without hesitation, Wong immediately showed his enthusiastic side and actively offered his gratitude in return.
"Thanks a lot, Wong."
After thanking Wong, Shi Xiaolei casually invited him to stay: "Why don't you not rush back? Didn't you say you haven't eaten yet... I'll start cooking right now, it'll be ready soon. You can just have a bite here with us, saves you from having to cook for yourself when you get back."
"Well..."
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)