Then, Xiangling led everyone to find her "First Master," the Adeptus known as Streetward Rambler — Granny Ping.
Streetward Rambler hadn't expected to make an appearance herself, but she certainly couldn't let Guizhong laugh at her either!
[Gouba waves excitedly: "Lu~♪!"]
[Granny Ping glances at Gouba and smiles: "Xiangling, you're here."]
The readers would never have imagined that the elderly woman described in the book—white-haired and hunched over—had now transformed into a poised, blue-haired beauty.
As the group in the book chatted with Granny Ping about the topic of the God of the Hearth, Gouba seized the chance to run off, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.
[Granny Ping: "The Geo Archon, in memory of a friend, unified several festivals under the term 'Moonchase.' Gazing at the earth through the heavens, swearing by the moon, reflecting on the past and present, celebrating reunion and joy—this is the 'Moonchase Festival.'"]
["I suppose among these many festivals, the 'Festival of the Hearth' is included."]
"Hmph, she's even more eloquent than this adeptus." Cloud Retainer reluctantly offered praise.
"Old folks do love telling stories," Streetward Rambler said with a chuckle, seemingly slipping back into her Granny Ping persona.
In the book, Keqing was called away by Ningguang's messenger, and Granny Ping began speaking of the Archon's friend she had mentioned earlier—the "God of the Hearth."
[Granny Ping: "The 'God of the Hearth' was also my dear friend. Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, the 'God of the Hearth' has long since vanished, fading even from people's memories."]
["However, gods are indestructible. We once made a pact that when the land regained its vitality, the God of the Hearth might return to this world in some form."]
Havria and Guizhong exchanged glances—they had indeed returned to the world in some form.
[Granny Ping: "Liyue is like my most treasured potted plant. I've watched it grow ever more beautiful, ever more prosperous. In the blink of an eye, another generation has come of age... How wonderful."]
["Only with fresh blossoms on its branches can a tree remain evergreen."]
Hmm... she really might be better at conversation than Master? Shenhe wondered. In her heart, her master was indeed quite skilled at talking.
Guizhong sighed—A-Ping was still the most consistent. Both Xiao and Cloud Retainer had somewhat "lost their composure in their later years," but A-Ping remained as steady as ever.
As for the "fresh blossom" on the branches, Nahida read these words without much reaction.
She only thought that if it meant the "tree" could remain evergreen, she wouldn't mind sacrificing herself. And the tree in her heart was Sumeru.
In the story, the mysterious giant stone cracked at one corner.
The group analyzed that it might have been due to the lively atmosphere of the Moonchase Festival—the cooking, the reunions—that imbued the stone with a trace of "divine power."
A few days passed in the book, and Xiangling unsurprisingly advanced through the preliminary rounds.
She then prepared many "experimental dishes" and wanted the Traveler to taste them.
The Traveler and Paimon, however, said they had eaten too much to judge objectively and suggested finding someone else—so they went straight to Beidou.
At the time, Beidou was with Xinyan, discussing Xinyan's upcoming visit to the ship.
The real Xinyan was utterly baffled—she never expected to make an appearance.
In the book, the group chatted about Xiangling's new dishes and even poked fun at Ningguang's taste, as she actually liked "Boiled Cabbage."
Both Beidou and Xinyan preferred heavily seasoned, spicy food, so a refined dish like Boiled Cabbage just tasted bland and unexciting to them.
The real Xiangling took notes—this saved her the trouble of conducting a survey.
"I see, it's missing that 'pika' sensation," Xiangling muttered as she scribbled in her notebook. "Maybe I should try adding some Electro Slime?"
After getting feedback from those who preferred bold flavors, the group in the book decided to ask someone with a lighter palate—none other than the ever-elusive Vigilant Yaksha.
Their method of summoning Xiao was simple: they just called his name.
After all, Xiao had once told them that if they called for him, he would appear.
[Paimon: "Xiao—!"]
No response.
["Let me try again—Xiao—!"]
Still nothing.
[Lumine: "Xiao, are you there?"]
[Xiao: "What is it?"]
["You called my name, correct?"]
In an instant, Xiao was already standing atop the ship's mast.
"Wow, just calling his name works that well? This consultant remembers that," Hu Tao mused.
"..." Lucian had a bad feeling about this. Did I just accidentally screw Xiao over?
[Xiangling: "Hello! My name is Xiangling, and I'm a chef. I've made it to the finals of the Cooking Championship, and before the competition, I prepared some dishes. I'd like to get feedback from diners with different tastes."]
As Xiangling spoke to Xiao, Gouba frantically waved his arms to get his attention.
[Xiao teleports down. "A diner? Does that include me?"]
[Gouba stares wide-eyed at Xiao, but Xiao doesn't notice him.]
Gouba: Please, look at me.
At the Traveler's request, Xiao agreed to sample the dishes.
[Xiao: "...The flavor is good."]
[Gouba hops around beside Xiao, still trying to greet him, but Xiao remains oblivious.]
[Xiangling: "An adeptus praised my cooking... Would Dad cry if he found out...?"]
"Not necessarily..." Chef Mao secretly wiped away a tear but refused to admit it.
[Xiao: "Your skill reminds me of another chef."]
["That person could craft dishes that nourished the soul. You share that talent—both of you are masters."]
At the time, everyone assumed the chef Xiao referred to was Yanxiao.
After offering his thoughts, Xiao prepared to leave. Hearing this, Gouba panicked.
[Xiao: "Until next time."]
[Xiao vanishes instantly. Gouba's eyes well up with tears as he lowers his head in disappointment.]
Yanxiao scratched his head. So that short guy was an adeptus? Oh no, this is blasphemy...
"The Vigilant Yaksha didn't notice him..." Cloud Retainer sighed.
"Maybe he's just not used to looking down at people," Guizhong giggled behind her hand.
Lucian couldn't resist flicking Guizhong's forehead.
Guizhong clutched her head but didn't get angry, acting more like Hu Tao than ever.
Their personalities weren't the only similarity—their builds were nearly identical. Maybe this was just what an "A-type" personality looked like?
In the book, several more days passed, and the Cooking Championship reached its finals, hosted by Yanfei.
The real Yanfei had just returned to Liyue and gone to Yujing Terrace to find Granny Ping, only to discover she wasn't there. She was still searching.
[Yanfei: "On the left, we have our contestant from Dihua Marsh—a seed player renowned for his blade skills and fragrant creations: the Quick Blade Gourmet, Yanxiao!"]
["On the right, representing Liyue Harbor's fierce culinary prowess—the Rain of Flames, the Ingenious Chef, Xiangling!"]
["And her mysterious assistant partner—who knows who that is!"]
[Gouba sobs pitifully.]
Lumine noticed something odd—why hadn't Cloud Retainer made it to the finals?
She glanced at Cloud Retainer, who immediately understood her thoughts.
"Hmph, this adeptus had no interest in partaking in mortal competitions," Cloud Retainer sniffed, though it was hard to tell how much of that was true.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Streetward Rambler: About Liyue Harbor
"I have witnessed its prosperity with my own eyes, experienced the warmth of its markets and alleyways. I live within it, and I love this place."