"Xiangling, let me ask you something. Do you know when Liyue's Rite of Descension is?"
"The Rite of Descension? Oh, that's right, I almost forgot about it! Has it really gotten close to that time again? It's in one week! Brother Yuto, you're from Inazuma, so it's normal for you to be interested in the Rite of Descension."
"Hmm? Didn't they say that's the day Lord Rex Lapis descends to give his divine pronouncements? Logically, it should be a big event for Liyue, right? But you don't seem very interested."
"Nowadays, the only ones who care about the Rite of Descension are those big shot merchants, saying that knowing the latest divine pronouncements firsthand is crucial for their businesses. But the pronouncements from Lord Rex Lapis are available from the newspaper that same afternoon, so why bother getting up early and fighting for a good spot?
I've only been to the Rite of Descension once in my life. I pestered my dad for ages before he finally agreed. But on that day, Yujing Terrace was packed with people, and it wasn't fun at all. I'd rather spend that time going out of the city to find fresh ingredients. After that, I never went again.
Brother Yuto, are you thinking of attending it then? Although as a local, I really don't want to go, and I don't recommend it, if you insist, I can take you. And then we can complain about it together afterward."
Yuto looked at Xiangling's disgusted expression and felt like laughing. Her attitude was like a friend from out of town coming to Shanghai and wanting their Shanghai friend to take them to Disneyland; or coming to Beijing and wanting their Beijing friend to take them to Universal Studios.
"It's fine, it's fine. I hope this year's Rite of Descension will have something new. Huh? Wait, if Yujing Terrace is overflowing with people, then shouldn't we watch from Mt. Tianheng? I happen to live on Mt. Tianheng, so it feels like I can see it right outside my door."
"Ah? Brother Yuto, why are you living on Mt. Tianheng? That's too inconvenient! Is it because you don't have anywhere to stay? How about I find you a hotel first?"
In Xiangling's mind, she naturally imagined a scenario where Yuto, due to financial difficulties, was forced to find a cave on Mt. Tianheng to barely get by. Her maternal instincts instantly overflowed.
"No, no, living on the mountain is quite good. The scenery is beautiful and captivating, and most importantly, there's no noise pollution to worry about."
"Brother Yuto, if you're really in trouble, don't feel embarrassed, you can tell me. I know a lot of people in Liyue, and I can definitely help you."
"Alright, alright, you're a little adult. I can definitely make a living in Liyue, and a good one at that. Okay, your cooking is as excellent as ever. The chilled meat is delicious. How much is it?"
"No, no, how can I charge you for this? I promised to treat you to it in the first place. It's just a shame that there's so little of this chilled meat, after all, the quality of these frozen wild boars has been extinct for hundreds of years."
"Huh? That's not right. I remember there are still quite a lot of these frozen wild boars on Dragonspine in Mondstadt, aren't there? Didn't you find this chilled meat there?"
"Ah? No, this was one we found in the Cryo Regisvine's nest after we defeated it. I thought finding just one was already a blessing from the heavens. So there are more on Dragonspine?"
"That's right. And on Dragonspine, there's still a living Boar King, much larger than a regular wild boar. I wonder if anyone has hunted it yet."
"Wow, I've lost out big time, big time! I shouldn't have come back so quickly. Sigh, I'll find another opportunity next time."
"Oh, you're not so impatient this time?"
"Hehe, I got a good scolding from my dad. Actually, when I brought the chilled meat back to him, he just glanced at it and lost interest. He didn't care how delicious the meat was or how charming its marbling was. He just told me one thing, 'Good meat, but it doesn't belong to Wanmin Restaurant.'
But when I told him that I had reached a pork supply agreement with the hunters of Springvale, my dad was very happy and said that this is the kind of ingredient Wanmin Restaurant pursues.
It was then that I realized, although chilled meat is good, its scarcity and high price mean that Wanmin Restaurant's customers can't afford it. This kind of ingredient can only be afforded by the diners at Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion.
But the wild boar meat from Springvale is different. Although its quality is slightly inferior to chilled meat, its price is more than ten times cheaper, and the supply is decent. Even if long-distance travel makes the price a little higher, it's still within the acceptable range for Wanmin Restaurant's customers. This is what our Wanmin Restaurant pursues.
So, no matter how good the quality of the chilled Boar King meat you mentioned, Brother Yuto, if it ultimately can't end up in our customers' stomachs, then even the best ingredients are useless."
When Yuto heard Xiangling's words, he couldn't help but applaud her, giving her a generous thumbs up. "Chef Mao is amazing, and Xiangling, for understanding this principle, you're amazing too."
Xiangling was a little shy at this praise and grabbed Guoba, who was watching the show nearby, to shield herself.
Yuto ultimately couldn't pay for this lunch. By the time he finished eating, Wanmin Restaurant was also entering its peak dining hours. After the regular customers saw Xiangling, they all specifically asked for dishes cooked by Xiangling, completely disregarding Chef Mao's resentful gaze from the side.
You old rascals, as soon as Xiangling comes back, you all start complaining about my cooking. Just wait until she goes out again; I'll show you!
After leaving Wanmin Restaurant, Yuto began to think about his next moves. This year's Rite of Descension would be very exciting. If he couldn't gain something from this upheaval, then his identity as a transmigrator would be wasted.
The Fatui Harbinger, Childe, who arrived today, was just a visible front. He did most of the work, bore the brunt of the blame, and the credit was stolen by the Lady in the shadows. This was the true scenario of a working-class person. Thinking of this, Yuto felt it was unfair to Tartaglia.
Perhaps, he should increase the difficulty for Tartaglia?
However, the Gnosis was out of the question. This hot potato, whoever gets their hands on it would be an enemy of all Snezhnaya, and might even offend Lord Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon.
Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, gave up easily, allowing the Lady to forcefully take his Gnosis. Lord Morax, the Geo Archon, for the sake of retirement, deliberately used the Gnosis as a bargaining chip, also giving this hot potato to the Lady.
The fact that these Archons showed no attachment to the Gnosis indicates that it's not a good thing. Since the Cryo Archon has designs on these Gnosis, then let her have them. He would be more than happy to exchange these useless Gnosis for what he needed. Why wouldn't he?
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