Baiju Guesthouse, Second Floor – Guest Room
After finishing her bath, Paimon floated out of the washroom, rubbing her damp hair with a towel.
Aether's twin sister, Lumine, had already freshened up earlier and was now leaning against the windowsill, gazing at the bustling night crowds of the North Wharf with a distracted look. Clearly, her mind had drifted far away.
"Lumine, are you still thinking about the Rite of Descension?"
Paimon drifted over, towel in hand, watching Lumine's absentminded expression.
"Mm."
Snapped out of her daze by Paimon's voice, Lumine nodded slightly.
"We did meet the Geo Archon… but we didn't get the chance to ask about my brother."
"And now that the Archon's seat has changed hands…"
"Should we look for the new Geo Archon, or the old one?"
They had just arrived in Liyue and immediately witnessed a historic event.
Not quite what they expected, but at least they'd managed to see the Geo Archon.
The problem was—what should they do next?
"That's easy~"
"I think it's more reliable to go look for the old Geo Archon."
"Even if he's retired, he's still the oldest of the Seven. He definitely knows more than the others—more accurate, more complete."
"As for this new one, Hagenti the God of Dust… well, I don't know anything about them."
Paimon had at least some knowledge of Morax. But this new name, Hagenti? Totally blank.
"Mm~"
"Tomorrow, let's try asking around—see if there's still a way to meet the Geo Archon. Old or new, I want to meet them both."
Lumine decided it was best to cover both bases.
If either one of them had news about her brother, she couldn't risk missing it.
"Fine."
"Then tomorrow, let's go check the Adventurers' Guild first."
Paimon quickly proposed her only idea.
After all, the Guild was the only organization they really knew in this unfamiliar city.
They were famous adventurers themselves. Maybe—just maybe—they could pick up some inside information.
Taking one last glance at the scenery outside, Lumine closed the window.
"Paimon, let's sleep early. We have to get up on time tomorrow."
"Make sure you wake me up, alright? I don't want to miss breakfast again."
"Relax, I'll wake you. Sleep tight."
"Mmhm!"
Rustling lightly, the two of them finally tucked themselves into bed.
Goodnight.
Meanwhile, at Tiger-Eating Rock.
"Boss, you're back?"
Heulia, the God of Salt, greeted Taro cheerfully from the hall downstairs. She waved half a plate of plum blossom cakes in her hand.
"Want a late-night snack? It's fresh~ You must be hungry after a long day."
On the table lay three plates—two already empty, with half remaining on the last. Clearly, she'd been waiting for some time.
"No need to wait for me."
Taro sat down beside her, chuckling as he grabbed a piece of the cake.
"If I hadn't come back tonight, wouldn't you have been waiting in vain?"
He bit into it, the delicate fragrance blooming across his tongue.
"Mhm. Not bad. Where's this from?"
"I made it myself."
Heulia's eyes curved like crescents, clearly pleased.
"I asked Xiangling to teach me. These are my own handiwork."
"…You cooked this?"
Taro paused, chewing more carefully, then smiled.
"Didn't think you had a talent for cooking. This is a nice surprise."
"Hehe~"
Heulia puffed out her chest proudly.
"I might be weak in battle, but I'm still a god! Learning something like this is easy."
As the Archon of Salt, she was weak in strength but, surprisingly, seemed to have an unusual knack for cooking.
After Xiangling taught her once, she could almost perfectly replicate the recipe. The first time left Xiangling utterly dumbfounded.
Talent—that's what this was.
"Being a god doesn't automatically mean you can cook."
Taro shook his head, recalling a certain Earth-born "princess" who could turn boiled eggs into poison. Cooking, without talent, was hopeless.
A simple egg soup, in the wrong hands, could turn into "Death in a Bowl."
"Strange, I really didn't feel it was hard at all."
Heulia tilted her head innocently. To her, everything went smoothly.
"Boss, I'll handle the cooking from now on, alright?"
"I promise you'll be satisfied."
"…At home cooking too?"
Taro thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Sure, why not. But you really have the time? Won't it be troublesome?"
He had left the shop entirely to her already, making her the manager. Now she wanted to take care of the household meals too?
Wouldn't that be too much?
"Plenty of time."
Heulia smiled softly.
"Remember, Boss, I left an avatar in the shop. If there are customers, I can just shift my consciousness over. Otherwise, I'm totally free."
"Oh, and another thing~"
From her chest, she pulled out a small ledger and handed it to him.
"Here, look at the earnings these past two days. Especially today, with the Rite of Descension, business was booming."
"Oh?"
Taro flipped it open—and froze.
Sold: Rose-Red Orb – 45,000,000 Mora
Sold: Dragon-Phoenix Jade Ruyi Pair – 82,000,000 Mora
Sold: Gold-Inlaid Ocean Chalice Set – 63,200,000 Mora
Sold: Coiling-Dragon Hairpin – 27,000,000 Mora
…
Total revenue: 2,447,250,000 Mora
Profit: 1,814,000,000 Mora
Expenses: two purple-gold bedframes, mink-fur bedding, fresh plum blossoms, cutlery sets, etc. Total spent: 1,302,000 Mora.
"…What?"
1.8 billion profit in two days.
Selling luxury goods was this easy?
These buyers must be loaded fools.
Still—he liked loaded fools.
The more the merrier.
He glanced at Heulia.
So she'd marked everything up by four times?
A 300% profit margin.
Taro smirked.
"I'll give you this—business genius."
(End of Chapter)
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