Paimon looked around and quickly spotted the Koi Noodle House. Excited, she flew over.
"Traveler! Keqing! Hu Tao! Xiao! Hurry up and come over!"
"Paimon, slow down! Wait for us!"
"You really only think about food..."
But it wasn't just Paimon—after the battles they'd been through, the Traveler, Keqing, and the others were just as hungry.
The moment they reached the noodle house, the Traveler sat down without hesitation and called out, "Boss! Four large bowls and one small bowl of ramen, please!"
The shop owner came out promptly. "What kind of ramen would you like?"
Paimon asked excitedly, "What flavors do you have?"
The owner began listing them, "There's Hundred-Bowl Herbal Soup Noodles, Hundred-Bowl Pumpkin Sweet Soup Noodles, Black-Bowl Smoked Char Siu Noodles..."
He rattled off a long list of oddly named flavors.
The names sounded strange, but Paimon didn't care. She immediately made her choice. "I want the Hundred-Bowl Fried Char Siu Noodles! Traveler, Keqing, Hu Tao, Xiao—what about you guys?"
"Herbal Soup Noodles for me..."
"I'll get the same as Paimon..."
...
The noodle house owner worked quickly.
In just a few minutes, steaming hot bowls of ramen were placed before them.
It smelled amazing.
Even better than they'd imagined—comparable to what Wanmin Restaurant served.
Paimon picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. Her eyes lit up. "Delicious!"
The Traveler, Hu Tao, and Keqing were also thoroughly impressed by the ramen.
But that wasn't all.
Just one mouthful, and they immediately felt reinvigorated. Their fatigue faded, their bodies filled with energy—it made them want to charge back into the Hollows and take down a few more Ethereals just for fun.
"This ramen is amazing!" Paimon beamed.
Keqing mused, "There's something in this... It tastes like there's a power-enhancing ingredient mixed into the broth."
The Traveler resisted the urge to check the last bit of Mora in her pocket. "Ramen this good... it has to be expensive, right?"
Hearing their praise, the owner smiled brightly. "My ramen's the best deal in town—just 2,500 Dennies a bowl!"
2,500? That wasn't too bad.
But... Dennies? Was that just what people here called Mora?
The Traveler paused, thinking.
Then she looked up. "Excuse me, where's the blacksmith's shop in this city?"
Their weapons had taken a beating in the Hollow—she needed to get them repaired.
But the owner looked completely puzzled. "Blacksmith? We don't have anything like that around here..."
The Traveler scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Oh... I see."
A city this big with no blacksmith? Definitely not like any other place in Teyvat.
Then she asked, "What about the Adventurers' Guild? Can you tell us where it is?"
Still confused, the owner replied, "Adventurers' Guild? That sounds like something out of a movie. You're probably thinking of the Hollow Investigation Association. You can find them at Lumina Square."
The Traveler sighed. "Alright then..."
No blacksmith. No Adventurers' Guild. This place just kept getting stranger.
But she wasn't giving up yet.
"One more question. Which nation is this—Natlan? Liyue? Fontaine? Sumeru?"
The owner had no idea what she was talking about.
New Eridu was New Eridu. It didn't belong to any country—and things like nations had vanished long ago in the Old Era.
He glanced at the Traveler, starting to wonder if she was just messing with him, and decided not to respond further.
Seeing this, the Traveler frowned and turned to Keqing. "This place is weird. It doesn't feel like any of the Seven Nations. Could this actually be part of ancient Khaenri'ah?"
Keqing nodded thoughtfully. "Let's look into it. But first, we should try to find Zhongli."
Xiao said seriously, "Let's ask the shop owner again... about Zhongli, the guest."
He waved the owner over. "Excuse me—have you seen a man named Zhongli?"
The owner shook his head. "Nope. Haven't seen anyone like that. You folks ask some odd questions, huh?"
Keqing: "..."
Hu Tao sighed. "Zhongli... where did you go?"
Paimon, unwilling to give up, added, "He's a young man who likes wandering around the city, carries a birdcage, listens to storytellers, drinks tea—have you seen anyone like that?"
This time, the shop owner seemed to understand.
So that's who they were looking for—Mr. Sam Li.
But before he could say anything, a crisp voice called out from behind them.
"Walking birds, drinking tea—your description's pretty spot on. Are you looking for Mr. Sam Li, by any chance?"
Everyone turned around quickly.
A stylish young woman stood there.
It was Belle—the owner of the video rental store next door.
She greeted the shop owner and ordered a bowl of ramen for herself.
Hu Tao jumped in eagerly, "Do you know Zhongli?"
Belle shook her head. "No, but I do know someone named Sam Li. He matches your description—loves birds, tea... coffee too... and he also really likes..."
"What? What else?" Hu Tao pressed.
Belle sighed. "...keeping ledgers."
That did it.
Hu Tao, Keqing, Xiao, the Traveler, and Paimon all lit up with excitement.
The name, the birds, the tea—those could be coincidences.
But bookkeeping? That sealed it. This Sam Li had to be their Zhongli.
Hu Tao stepped forward, hands clasped. "Beautiful, kind, and generous lady, could you take us to see Zhongli?"
Paimon added quickly, "The Sam Li you mentioned is almost certainly our Zhongli. Can we meet him?"
Their guess had been right all along.
The reason Zhongli had suddenly disappeared... was because he'd ended up in this strange city.
Seeing how desperate they were, Belle hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Mr. Sam Li usually sits outside the coffee shop during the day, but it's already noon—he's probably gone back to Hare's House by now. Don't worry. Eat first, and when you're done, I'll take you there."
They weren't in a rush.
Since they were friends of Sam Li's, she figured it couldn't hurt to help.
Paimon beamed. "Great! It's a promise!"