"Being a chef can't save Liyue!"
The hoarse, heart-rending roar echoed through Wangshu Inn.
Verr Goldet watched the new cook howling at the moon like a werewolf; her face went green.
If the head chef Yanxiao hadn't insisted this kid had the makings of a great chef, she would never have hired such a hothead—ruins the inn's tranquil vibe.
He even riled up the diners into squawking along; in a blink, the once quiet, pleasant inn turned into an oath-taking hall.
But the root cause is everyone's long-standing resentment toward the Fatui. Since Osial was released by them, their patience hit the ceiling.
Annoying as the shouting was, Verr felt a bit relieved too.
When the people are united, Liyue's future is brighter.
To outsiders, though, those shouts were baffling.
The Abyss mages and hilichurls fleeing the explosions were spooked by the sky-piercing cries; their mouths twitched.
Their camp sits near the border between Dihua Marsh and Wangshu Inn, and they usually wander between the two.
Today's sudden blast hit their camp, blowing several sections away. Abyss mages led the hilichurls toward the inn. As they neared, the inn erupted with wails.
While monsters and humans don't share a language, Abyss mages can understand humans.
What the heck?
So it was the Fatui behind the blasts?
"What's going on?"
While they eavesdropped, a low voice sounded behind them.
The mages flinched and turned to see Aether standing there without them noticing.
"What happened in Dihua Marsh?"
Aether stared at the distant dark clouds, his expression grim.
Liyue is vast and rich, but there aren't many places ideal for expanding the Abyss's influence. Places too desolate are useless—you'd only keep monsters company.
Dihua Marsh was one of Aether's picks: populated but not crowded—easy to avoid the Qixing's notice and to operate among people.
He had just arrived when the blasts almost knocked him from the air—if not for his strength, he'd have been clipped by the shockwave.
"Seems the Fatui are doing explosive research over there. The aftershocks hit our camp."
An Abyss mage tattled.
Aether frowned. Given that power, he doubted it was the Fatui. But then Wangshu Inn erupted again with howls.
"So it really was the Fatui?" He was surprised. "I'll go check."
If the Abyss base is here and the Fatui are doing explosive tests, he'd have to sabotage them. Otherwise this base is wasted.
"We'll go with Your Highness!" two Abyss mages chimed in—prime time to kiss up.
Aether nodded and headed for Dihua Marsh with them.
…
Dihua Marsh.
Night wind blew away the smell of gunpowder, revealing the moon on the horizon.
In the silent open stretch, the scent of grilled bird legs and fish wafted over—the fish were blasted up by Klee's bomb; the birds were Teyvat's ubiquitous game.
As the oil sizzled, Ken brushed on sauce and sprinkled scallions.
"So tasty…"
Klee gnawed happily on a drumstick, the smoky aroma and green-onion bite making her beam. "Daddy's cooking is way better than Mom's. Mom's food isn't that good!"
If Alice heard that, she'd be speechless. She's a noted food reviewer—her cooking is decent too, okay?
"It is delicious." Yanfei nibbled the grilled fish and sighed. "Rare to eat grilled fish this good. Didn't expect Mr. Ken to cook."
The aroma made her fingers itch. She doesn't usually like grilled fish—prefers tofu—but this was beyond expectations.
Watching Ken quietly eat a drumstick, Yanfei grew curious. Powerful yet gentle, a great cook and handsome, from Blue Star… Is everyone there this strong?
She was curious but didn't ask—too nosy for a first meeting.
They chatted and ate.
When she learned Klee was the Spark Knight of the Knights of Favonius, Yanfei's eyes lit up—she has a friend in the Knights, too. Strictly speaking, her savior.
But just as Yanfei was about to talk about that, Ken sensed a familiar aura approaching.
"Yanfei, are you full?" Ken cut in.
Yanfei blinked. "Yes."
"Then take a little nap." Ken said.
Yanfei: "???"
Before she could ask, a gentle breeze rose from all directions, softly brushing her cheeks as if lifting her into the sky. The comfort made her close her eyes.
Meanwhile—
Aether appeared nearby with two Abyss mages, drifting through the night, eerie as phantoms.
"Daddy, bad guys!"
The moment Klee saw the mages, she grew alert, reaching into her backpack for a Jumpy Dumpty to lob at them.
She'd heard Lumine had a brother connected to the Abyss, but she'd never met him. And since she often follows Kaeya to clear monsters, her instinct upon seeing hilichurls and Abyss mages is to throw a bomb and blow them sky-high.
"That's Lumine's brother," Ken pressed down her hand. This was why he'd put Yanfei to sleep. The fewer who know about the Abyss and Aether, the better—for Lumine's sake.
As Ken looked at Aether, Aether looked back. Even through the night, his brother-in-law's looks and presence were unmistakable.
"Brother-in-law? It's you!"
Seeing Ken casually grilling fish, next to a little girl with a greasy mouth, Aether stared and finally blurted.
Wasn't this supposed to be the Fatui's doing?
How is it his brother-in-law?
And there's a strange girl sleeping there?
Aether glanced coolly at the two Abyss mages, eyes probing. This intel was way off. Not the Fatui—his own brother-in-law.
The two mages shrank under his gaze. Not their fault; who'd think it was Ken blowing things up?
"What brings you here, brother-in-law? Smelled the food?" Ken greeted, pretty sure the blast drew him.
Aether drifted over with the mages, eyeing the grill with a complex expression. "What are you doing here, exactly?"
"Daddy took me fish-bombing," Klee blinked. His face resembles Lumine's a bit, but sis is prettier.
Fish… bombing?
"That commotion was you two fish-bombing?" Aether gaped.
"You could put it that way…" Ken admitted.
Klee's excitement about the tests was essentially about bombing fish. Watching fish blast skyward makes her happiest.
Aether: "…"
Seeing Ken so nonchalant, Aether's expression grew more complicated.
You caused all that just to bomb fish at Dihua Marsh?
Now the entire Wangshu Inn thinks the Fatui are testing explosives, people are riled up to enlist and attack Snezhnaya—and it turns out you're here bombing fish with your daughter?
Absurd.
However…
"Who is she?"
Aether's gaze skipped Klee and landed on the sleeping Yanfei, scrutinizing.
If he recalled, Lumine and Ken had just sealed the deal—so why is there another girl here?
And Lumine isn't even with him? Is brother-in-law too attractive?
"She's a new friend. Do you need something? If not, we're heading back to Blue Star."
They'd made enough noise; time to rest. If Aether reached here, Ningguang's eyes and ears likely noticed too. Better to return to Blue Star.
As for the scrutiny—Ken didn't mind. As an older brother, it'd be odd not to care about women around your brother-in-law.
"Wait…" Hearing "Blue Star," Aether hurriedly said, "Since we've run into each other, take us there? Brother-in-law, we've wanted to go for ages—never seen it."
"No problem…" Ken smiled. After what happened at the convention, many players and netizens were flaming Aether—since Lumine's chasing a man was Aether's advice. It broke players.
Aether visiting Blue Star was perfect for shooting a meme edit to vent player emotions.
"I'll send Yanfei back first."
Leaving her here would be bad—she was asleep; if anything happened, that'd be awful.
Ken summoned a vortex gate set to Yanfei's law office, placed her in her room, then returned to Dihua Marsh, and took Aether and the mages to Blue Star.
…
The villa.
Because he's traveled worlds before, Aether wasn't overly shocked—just surprised. The two Abyss mages, though, were bouncing around, gawking.
"So this is Blue Star. Lumine told me there's a game here where we're the protagonists?"
That was his first thought.
With all Blue Star's wonders, what's more fun than a game starring yourself?
"Alright, start with the early main story."
Ken queued up recordings of the main quests, double speed, while he brainstormed Aether meme edits.
In his previous life, fans compared the twins' details. Aether is gentle; Lumine's a bit cool. Aether runs faster; Lumine's charged attacks hit harder—people joked Aether got beaten a lot, so he runs faster.
Maybe use that angle… or do a full mashup.
Since Aether rarely visits Blue Star, might as well farm content.
"Didn't expect the game's plot to match our experience exactly," Aether said, astonished. In real Teyvat, he and Lumine were living similar events.
He scrubbed past Mondstadt (he kept tabs on Lumine there) to Liyue. After arriving in Liyue Harbor, he'd been busy; since they'd reunited, there was no need to monitor her.
"That Childe is deceiving Lumine, right? And why's he acting like that toward her?"
When Tartaglia appeared, Aether's face changed, brow creasing hard.
He hadn't expected his sister to get tangled with the Fatui.
And that guy looks slick—not a good sort.
"…"
Ken chuckled. Aether is gentle by nature—rarely judges people by looks. But when it's about Lumine, his protectiveness is like a dad's for a daughter. A strange man near her?
Maximum alert. And a Fatui, no less.
When Aether watched himself fight Lumine in the Golden House, he grew even more upset, wanting to dive through the screen and help her beat the Fatui.
He talks about helping Lumine grow and regain her strength, but if he actually sees her bullied, he's not having it.
"Ahem…"
Ken coughed lightly without explaining. In real Teyvat, events already diverged; Aether was watching the fixed game plot.