"What's going on? Did we have a break-in?!"
Furina was startled by the scene in the kitchen, thinking it had been burglarized.
Xavier also froze in place.
The kitchen counter was covered in stains, and even the floor and ceiling were splattered with condiments, as if it were a World War II battlefield.
Xavier took a closer look and realized that the source of all this was the pressure cooker.
The lid of the pressure cooker was now deformed, and the pot itself was unrecognizable.
Inside were rice, noodles, meat, and various vegetables, a true hodgepodge.
Even without thinking, it was obvious that Hu Tao must have poured all these ingredients into the pressure cooker and stewed them haphazardly.
Unfortunately, Hu Tao had no idea how to use a pressure cooker, so the moment she opened it, the entire kitchen turned into a battlefield.
No wonder Hu Tao's behavior was a bit unusual today.
First, she said she'd left food for him, then she just waved and ran off.
"Xavier, I'll leave this for you to clean up; I need to go back!" Furina said, slowly backing out of the kitchen.
This clearly looked like a major undertaking, and she had no desire to stay and help Xavier clean.
Thus, Xavier spent over three hours alone cleaning up the kitchen.
He had only been away for one day, and Hu Tao had managed to turn the place into such a mess!
"Finally, I'm done..."
After washing up, Xavier lay on his bed, feeling much more relaxed.
Suddenly remembering something, Xavier opened an app used to connect to his motorcycle's dashcam.
Though called a dashcam, it was actually a 360-degree panoramic camera.
This meant that everything that happened today was recorded, and from all angles.
Before filming Zhongli's video, Xavier felt it was necessary to upload a new work.
Presumably, everyone would be very interested in Furina's daily life, right?
Although Xavier wasn't entirely sure, he ultimately edited and added music to the video before uploading it to Xiao Po Station.
The next morning, Xavier felt a chill throughout his body.
Had the temperature dropped, or was his blanket too thin?
No, that's not right; I have a celestial physique, so how could I be afraid of the cold?
He sat up and nearly jumped to the ceiling.
"Holy crap, when did you get here? Why didn't you say anything?"
Xavier never in his life expected the person standing before him to be Balladeer.
He stood by his bed, silent, staring at him with a cold gaze.
"Such a lazy person."
Presumably, Balladeer was annoyed that Xavier woke up so late, so he complained.
Xavier, like a shy girl, quickly covered his body with the blanket.
Although he was wearing pajamas, he just felt it was too strange.
Xavier said cautiously, "Cut the crap. Why are you in my room so early in the morning? You're not trying to assassinate me, are you?"
Balladeer said nothing, tossing an exquisite box onto the bed.
"Buer asked me to bring you these Sumeru specialties. Don't say I didn't bring them when the time comes."
This made Xavier very puzzled: "Why didn't she come herself and send you instead?"
Mentioning this, Balladeer was clearly displeased, huffing, "She's tied up today. Compared to that idiotic academic conference, it's better to come here and bring some things to you, you bug."
Xavier's mouth twitched; he had thought the other party had repented, but it turned out he was just an errand boy.
Xavier ignored him, opened the box, and took a look.
He found a note inside, written entirely in Teyvat script.
Logically, Xavier shouldn't have been able to read it, but as soon as his eyes fell upon it, he understood immediately.
"Xavier, thank you for taking care of A-Mao and me these past few days."
"I don't know what you like, so I asked A-Mao to bring you some plant seeds."
Only then did he realize the box was full of various oddly shaped seeds.
Picking up a blue seed, Xavier asked curiously, "Balladeer, what kind of seed is this?"
"Starshroom, suitable for growing in dark environments."
Balladeer's answer was simple and direct, without any unnecessary words.
Xavier picked up another seed: "And this one?"
"Sumeru Rose."
"What about this one?"
"...Dundun Peach!"
"And this one, why does it smell so good?"
Balladeer's patience seemed to have been completely worn out by Xavier, and he said annoyedly, "Wait until Buer comes, then you can keep asking!"
Xavier chuckled, "You're annoyed, you're annoyed!"
Balladeer nearly exploded, turning around and leaving the room.
Indeed, to deal with such an arrogant person, you just have to make him impatient.
This instantly improved Xavier's mood.
Just as Xavier was having breakfast, he saw Zhongli arrive.
Xavier politely asked, "Zhongli, have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
Xavier had guessed as much; after all, eating here saved him a meal's worth of money.
Xavier's breakfast today was Western-style: a sandwich, fried egg, and a cup of hot Milk.
Though simple, it was nutritionally balanced and tasted good.
Zhongli was about to take a bite when he suddenly saw Balladeer in the corner and asked, "Xavier, is this young friend A-Mao not eating?"
"He's a puppet; it doesn't really matter if he eats or not," Xavier's answer was simple and direct.
Balladeer really wanted to say that although he was a puppet, it didn't mean he didn't have taste or appetite.
Just like that damned Beelzebul, who used Raiden Shogun's puppet body but loved to eat sweets every day.
It's fine if I don't eat, but you can't not invite me!
Gradually, not long after, everyone arrived one by one, except for Nahida, who was busy with official duties.
"Really? Then Hall Master will help!"
When Hu Tao heard about helping Zhongli film a video, she was the first to agree.
Seeing her so enthusiastic, Xavier suddenly remembered what happened last night and questioned, "Hu Tao, did you blow up my kitchen yesterday?"
"Huh? Did I?" Hu Tao didn't feel guilty at all. "I thought that's how you usually cooked! Oh, fine, I won't cook next time, alright?"
Xavier had felt a bit guilty when he left yesterday, and since Hu Tao genuinely just wanted to cook, he didn't press the issue.
He glanced out the window; the weather today was excellent.
It was perfect for going hiking and filming a video.
He checked the time; it was just past 8 AM.
"Let's go!"
Klee was already jumping with joy: "Yay, it's a grand adventure!"
After getting ready, everyone headed straight for the mountains.
Everything went smoothly at first, until they suddenly came to a fork in the road.
"Xavier, let's go this way!"
Hu Tao, who never liked to take the usual path, pointed to a small trail nearby.
Xavier glanced at it and said speechlessly, "This path clearly isn't very passable, is it?"
"Oh, as long as there's a path, it means you can walk it! And the main road has so many people, how boring!"
Furina was surprisingly the first to agree: "I agree!"
Klee thought for a moment and said, "Hmm~ Klee thinks this path looks more like an adventure, Klee wants to go too!"
Xavier also had a very bad premonition; sure enough, Yoimiya next to him also started to chime in.
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