The next day, the Moonchase Festival came to an end, and the winner of the Cooking Championship was decided.
In the end, Xiangling emerged victorious. Cloud Retainer's opponent in the semifinals was none other than the Traveler—yes, the Traveler had participated this time as well. Ultimately, Cloud Retainer was no match for the Traveler and was eliminated.
It's worth mentioning that the day before, Keqing had sought out Lucian and thanked him. In return, Lucian treated her to a meal of Golden Shrimp Balls.
Before the competition began, the group spent some time together. If before, Lucian and Keqing could only be considered acquaintances, now they could truly be called friends.
Now, moving on from yesterday's events, let's talk about today. On this day, Lucian released a new book:
"Alatus Chapter: Act I: The Butterfly in the Sophora, the Dream of Exorcism."
The story tells of the Traveler arriving near Wangshu Inn and noticing that a few Hilichurls were acting strangely, seemingly tainted by evil energy.
Paimon thought these Hilichurls might harm passersby, so as kind-hearted adventurers, they ought to eliminate these monsters.
"Traveler, do it for me—use your elemental power on them!"
After the Traveler defeated the Hilichurls tainted by the evil energy, they noticed a masked figure in the distance who appeared to be performing some kind of "ritual."
The masked figure held a "talisman" in hand, dispersing the corrupted Hilichurls.
[Paimon: "The way he was just 'performing rituals' makes him seem more like an Adeptus than Xiao! Maybe we should go talk to him?"]
The other Adepti scoffed—they could tell at a glance that this was a fraud.
What kind of charlatan could possibly compare to the Vigilant Yaksha?
Yet Xiao himself showed no reaction. In truth, even Xiao acknowledged that performing rituals wasn't his forte.
However, Xiao noticed that this person had merely driven the monsters away rather than eliminating them.
"...Causing unnecessary trouble." Xiao sighed.
Unlike the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Xiao's method of dealing with remnants of evil gods was far more direct and brutal. While efficient, the cost was also much higher.
The remnants of evil gods weren't so easily destroyed—in the end, they only added to the weight of the "karmic debt" that plagued Xiao.
As for the masked figure in the story, ordinary people couldn't tell whether he was a real Adeptus or not, but they knew Xiao.
Could this mysterious masked figure really be more powerful than that short Adeptus? Even ordinary folk wouldn't think so.
Sure, that Adeptus might be short, but his abilities were unparalleled.
Still, everyone was curious—who was this masked figure? Was he truly an Adeptus?
[Masked Figure: "Ah, no need for thanks. Exorcising demons and aiding the world is but the duty of an Adeptus—nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning..."]
[Masked Figure: "Oh? You seem like unfamiliar faces. This Adeptus thought you might be 'devotees.'"]
[Masked Figure: "This Adeptus should introduce himself, as propriety demands."]
[Masked Figure: "This Adeptus is the 'Adeptus Who Grasps the Stars and Seizes the Heavens,' also known among devotees as the 'Celestial Lord of the Stars.'"]
[Masked Figure: "This Adeptus has descended to aid the mortal realm. Since fate has brought us together, if you have any wishes, feel free to share them with me."]
Unaware of the truth, ordinary people found this "Celestial Lord of the Stars" somewhat amiable.
But those with a bit of knowledge could immediately tell he was a fraud.
"Grasping the stars and seizing the heavens? Never even heard of such a title! Hmph, impersonating an Adeptus—this Adeptus ought to punish him!" Cloud Retainer declared.
Just because you call yourself a "True Lord" doesn't mean you're an Adeptus!
"Exactly! What kind of proper Adeptus goes around calling themselves 'this Adeptus' left and right?" Guizhong nodded.
"Hm?" Cloud Retainer felt Guizhong was mocking her, but she had no proof.
"But Master, aren't you an Adeptus who loves calling yourself 'this Adeptus'?" Shenhe replied bluntly.
"..." Cloud Retainer fell silent. Shenhe might as well not have mentioned her—now there was proof.
Fine! From now on, this Adeptus won't let you use this Adeptus's Automatic Cooking Divine Machine!
[Paimon: "Celestial Lord... you can even grant wishes? I always thought the Adepti of Liyue were just really good at fighting..."]
The moment these words were spoken, MacArthur—no, wait—the moment these words were spoken, Cloud Retainer immediately interjected:
"This Adeptus's greatest skill is not combat, but machinery!"
She had assumed no one would refute her, since Paimon and the Traveler were off gathering materials for the Serenitea Pot with Yanfei.
Even if they were reading, they should be doing so outside, not here to tease her.
Yet, even without Paimon present, someone still contradicted her.
"Mhm, just a tiny bit worse than me, that's all." Guizhong nodded, even extending a small hand from her long sleeves to gesture a tiny amount.
"..." Cloud Retainer was convinced Guizhong was targeting her.
Guizhong covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. Cloud Retainer really was the most fun to tease—none of the other Adepti had such an amusing personality.
Cloud Retainer couldn't refute Guizhong either, as Guizhong's mastery of machinery did indeed surpass hers by a small margin. Left with no choice, she obediently returned to reading.
In the book, the so-called "Adeptus Who Grasps the Stars and Seizes the Heavens" chuckled:
[Masked Figure: "Hehe, after all, a 'Celestial Lord' outranks a 'True Lord' by one tier in the hierarchy of Adepti."]
"Outrageous!" Cloud Retainer couldn't hold back anymore, springing to her feet.
Finally, Lucian had no choice but to placate her:
"Alright, alright, let's finish reading the story before getting worked up, okay?"
The story involved someone impersonating an Adeptus, and Cloud Retainer's fiery temper made her react to every line.
Though everyone was reading their own copies, her outbursts were quite disruptive.
"Hmph." Cloud Retainer, giving Lucian face, sat back down and continued reading.
In the book, the Traveler began asking the surrounding "devotees" for their thoughts.
[Male Devotee: "Did you see the 'Celestial Lord of the Stars' perform his rituals? Truly divine and mighty! There's hope for my father's illness now..."]
[Male Devotee: "I previously sought a prescription for my bedridden father. It was completely different from Bubu Pharmacy's recipe—when brewed, it even emitted a faint mist, very mystical! Though it might've just been from added Mist Flowers..."]
[Male Devotee: "As for the antiques offered to the 'Celestial Lord of the Stars' as tribute, they're nothing compared to my father's life!"]
As the saying goes, the onlooker sees most of the game. Before this, the readers hadn't been sure whether the "Adeptus Who Grasps the Stars and Seizes the Heavens" was real or fake. But the moment they read "antiques offered as tribute," they instantly understood.
This child was undoubtedly filial—just a bit foolish.
But it wasn't entirely his fault. When loved ones are gravely ill and medicine fails, people often pin their hopes on dubious "remedies."
"Sigh... delaying proper treatment like this..." Baizhu sighed.
From the description alone, it sounded like the man's father was seriously ill. Combined with the haphazard use of medicine, the situation had only worsened.
"How could anyone deceive people in such matters?!" Barbara was also displeased. As a deaconess, she was effectively a healer as well.
Keqing frowned, already considering how to apprehend the culprit. But had this person actually committed a crime in reality?
Dehya, too, was furious. She couldn't stand such deception—giving false hope to the sick, only for it all to be lies.
"This bastard... I really want to go to Liyue and beat him up myself!" Dehya clenched her fists.
Dunyarzad gently placed her hand over Dehya's fist and said softly, "There, there. I'm sure Liyue will handle it properly."
Just the first devotee's story of being swindled was enough to anger everyone. Who knew what the others had been tricked into?
===✧✦✧===
Character Voiceline · Cloud Retainer: About the "Adeptus Who Grasps the Stars and Seizes the Heavens"
"Hmph! Other Adepti may be magnanimous, but this Adeptus will not let this impostor off so easily.
However, this Adeptus is not so cruel—merely leaving a mechanism by his side that plays terrifying whispers on loop. Surely, it will grant him a few 'restful' nights of sleep."