Ever since his trip to the Jade Chamber, Yuto had been hiding on Mt. Tianheng, not appearing in Liyue Harbor for several days, fearing he might get hit on the back of the head if he walked on the street. This continued until Yuto saw a large ship with a Snezhnayan design entering Liyue Harbor from Mt. Tianheng.
Liyue Harbor became exceptionally lively because of this. Yuto used his transformation ability, taking on the appearance of a random passerby, and appeared at the Liyue docks.
Indeed, the Fatui Harbinger, Childe Tartaglia, appeared at the Liyue docks. Tianquan Ningguang herself came to greet him, which was a show of great respect for Snezhnaya's Diplomatic Ambassador.
However, Tartaglia felt that Ningguang's expression during their handshake held a hidden meaning. Her professional smile made even the battle-hardened Tartaglia feel a chill. For a moment, he even thought Ningguang was very similar to Regrator, both being individuals he found difficult to deal with.
Watching Childe arrive in Liyue as expected, the heavy stone in Yuto's heart finally settled. He had been afraid that his arrival might cause a butterfly effect, altering the original course of events.
If Childe hadn't come to Liyue, his words would have lost a lot of credibility in Ningguang and Yelan's minds. Yelan might have even directly taken action against him.
Now, Ningguang and Yelan should be too busy to pay attention to him. For them, the Fatui matter is the top priority.
Thinking this, Yuto left the Liyue docks, found a secluded spot to revert to his original appearance, and headed to Wanmin Restaurant.
Damn it, eating vegetarian food for the past few days had upset his stomach. This time, he was going to have a good meal, no matter what, to make up for the hardship of the previous days.
As Yuto reached the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant, just as he was about to ask Chef Mao to prepare a few dishes, his eyes caught sight of a striking red figure.
"Xiangling, you're back!"
Xiangling turned around, saw Yuto, and immediately greeted him with excitement. However, her excitement only lasted a few seconds. Then, as if remembering something, the smile vanished from her face, replaced by a dejected expression.
"What's wrong, Xiangling? Why the long face? Was your trip to Mondstadt not smooth?"
"No, no, no, the trip to Mondstadt was very smooth. Big Brother Yuto, I even found the chilled meat you told me about by chance, and its taste is indeed a step above the wild boar meat from Springvale."
"If that's the case, then what's there to be upset about? Oh, right, do you have any chilled meat left over? Can you make some for me to try?"
"Of course! But, Big Brother Yuto, I'm really sorry. My dad told me that I left you on Mt. Tianheng, which led to you being attacked by monsters and almost losing your life. If it weren't for a certain immortal lady saving you, the trouble I caused would have been huge."
"Hah, so it was about that. That's ancient history; I almost forgot about it until you mentioned it. It's fine. Compared to such trivial matters, I care more about your cooking. It's been a long time since I've had your dishes. Today, I'm in for a treat!"
Xiangling was naturally cheerful and outgoing. Her earlier gloominess was due to guilt towards Yuto. After receiving Yuto's forgiveness, she quickly became lively again, and she also wanted to apologize to Yuto with delicious food.
"Just you wait! I'll let you taste my new dish made with chilled meat. It'll be so fragrant you'll lick the bowl clean! Guoba, fire breath!"
"La la la… la la la."
Guoba was truly Xiangling's family. When Xiangling was down, Guoba was also listless and wilted. When Xiangling perked up again, Guoba also recovered his spirits, and the flames he breathed out became a bit more vigorous.
"Ta-da! This is [Spicy Stir-fried Chilled Meat], this is [Chilled Mora Meat], and this is [Boiled Chilled Meat]. Big Brother Yuto, please try them."
It must be said that chilled meat truly lived up to its reputation as a delicacy for gourmets. Whether it was the texture or the aroma, even though Yuto himself was not a professional food critic, he could easily taste the difference in the meat's quality.
It was just a pity that the supply of chilled meat was extremely scarce. Rarity made it valuable, and in terms of price, it was truly not suitable for inclusion on the Wanmin Restaurant menu.
However, Xiangling had already opted for a compromise, reaching a trade agreement with Draff from Springvale (Diona's father) to bring Springvale's wild boar meat to Liyue. Although it would be slightly more expensive than local Liyue pork, the difference in meat quality was well worth it.
Since it wasn't yet mealtime at Wanmin Restaurant, there weren't many customers. After preparing these dishes, Xiangling sat next to Yuto and began recounting her experiences in Mondstadt.
Mondstadt had many ingredients she had never seen before, like Valberries, Wolfhooks, and even the attacking Cryo Regisvine, and Whopperflowers disguised as Sweet Flowers.
Before she even arrived in Mondstadt, she heard from traveling merchants that a Stormterror was wreaking havoc there. While others were still afraid of Stormterror, Xiangling's tears couldn't help but flow from the corners of her mouth.
Such a large dragon—how wonderful would it be if it were made into roasted dragon ribs! (Dvalin: Do you even hear yourself? When have I ever suffered such a fate? Lawyer! Where's my lawyer?!)
It was just a pity that by the time she arrived in Mondstadt, she heard that the Stormterror crisis had already been resolved by a very powerful Honorary Knight.
Hearing this news, Yuto immediately became interested. Had the protagonist already arrived?
"Xiangling, is that Honorary Knight male or female? Have you met her yet?"
"She's a girl, and a beautiful blonde girl at that! Her name is Lumine, a Traveler determined to journey across the continent of Teyvat. She also has a small white companion floating in the air named Paimon. Oh, right, they said they're also heading to Liyue soon. When they arrive, I'll introduce you to them.
Let me tell you, even though that little one named Paimon isn't big, her appetite is truly astonishing! She ate an entire pot of food all by herself. I don't even know how she fit it all in her stomach!
But for us chefs, customers who can eat all of our dishes are our favorite kind of foodies."
Next, Xiangling recounted how she met Lumine, participated in a cooking contest (a Food War?) with Brook from Springvale, and successfully won. She also managed to rescue a hunter named Olaf, who had been frozen for three hundred years. This hunter turned out to be Draff's ancestor, which was truly surprising.
Yuto enjoyed eating the delicious food while listening to Xiangling's vivid narration. Suddenly, he remembered a very important matter.
He only knew that Lumine and Paimon would arrive in Liyue on the day of the Rite of Descension, but he apparently didn't know when the Rite of Descension would begin.
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