Xiangling blushed shyly, swaying slightly as she spoke. "The best chef in Liyue? I'm nowhere near that level yet."
Hu Tao chuckled mischievously and said, "Let me introduce her to everyone—this is Xiangling, the chef of Wanmin Restaurant, the best eatery in Liyue. She's also the future top chef of the region. Her cooking is bold and innovative, and everyone who's tasted it sings its praises."
In her opinion, while Xiangling occasionally made some rather peculiar dishes, whenever she got serious about cooking, her food tasted a thousand times better than the seemingly high-class dishes served at places like Liuli Pavilion or Xinyue Kiosk.
Blushing even more, Xiangling said, "Hello, everyone. Please take a seat. I'll prepare some delicious dishes for you right away." After speaking, she turned toward the bear-like creature helping her carry plates.
"Guoba, can you bring a menu over and serve some tea for the guests?" she asked.
The clumsy little Guoba waddled over, emitting soft grumbling sounds, its face full of humor. Standing on its tiptoes, it placed the menu on the table.
Noticing Lumine and Paimon's curious expressions as they stared at Guoba, Hu Tao quickly said, "This is Guoba, a pet that Xiangling picked up somewhere. It's incredibly smart and often helps her out in the kitchen."
Paimon's eyes widened. "What a clever little pet!"
Hu Tao nodded. "But compared to you, Paimon, Guoba is still a bit slow."
Paimon puffed up with pride. "That's right, I'm way smarter!" She paused for a moment to think and then realized something was off. Puffing up her cheeks in frustration, she glared at Hu Tao. "I'm not Lumine's pet! I'm her best companion and her guide!"
Lumine gave Paimon a side-eye, her expression dripping with disdain. You still dare to call yourself a guide? You've been completely useless, and I've been the one taking care of you this whole time.
Zhongli calmly took the tea that Guoba handed to him and thanked it politely, though there was a subtle, complex emotion hidden in his gaze as he looked at the little creature.
Noah noticed this and patted Zhongli's shoulder with a smile. "Zhongli, don't worry. You'll get your milk and bread eventually."
How could Zhongli not understand the meaning behind the Heavenly Principle's words? A rare smile broke through his usually solemn expression as he nodded. "You're right."
This Heavenly Principle was someone who rewarded merit and punished wrongdoing with precision. As long as he contributed, he had no doubt his old friends would return.
Hu Tao clicked her tongue in amazement. "Wow, this is the second time I've seen Consultant Zhongli smile. Noah, you're truly remarkable. Could you teach me your secret?"
With that, she hopped over to Noah's side, pressing her hands down on his shoulders.
This Consultant of hers—always so composed, so old-fashioned, and perpetually wearing a stern expression—rarely showed any emotion, whether happy or angry. She was genuinely curious.
Noah smirked slightly. "Ah, it's a secret. But for Director Hu, I might be willing to share. Lean in close, and I'll tell you."
Hu Tao leaned in eagerly, her curiosity piqued. She was genuinely dying to know Zhongli's secret.
Yae Miko, noticing the mischievous glint in Noah's eyes, immediately realized that he was up to no good. Internally, she sighed. Poor Hu Tao, still so naive.
"This, this, and this," Noah whispered, his tone full of wicked delight. "Do this, and Zhongli will definitely lose his composure."
"Oh, oh, I see! That makes so much sense! But… will Consultant Zhongli get mad?"
"Of course not! He definitely won't. Trust me—he and I are like sworn brothers. I know him inside and out."
"Alright then, I'll give it a try. What a great idea!"
Zhongli, watching the two of them whispering conspiratorially, felt his hand twitch slightly. Though he was old, his hearing was still sharp. His usually stoic face almost broke its composure.
Meanwhile, Paimon, acting as Lumine's spokesperson, asked curiously, "What's that sneaky guy talking about with Miss Overly Friendly?"
At that moment, Xiangling began bringing out the dishes. In no time, the table was filled with a feast.
After taking a few bites, Noah praised her enthusiastically. "Not bad, not bad at all. Honestly, this is some of the best food I've ever tasted."
Now this—this was real food. Back on Earth, what he had eaten barely counted. It was either oversaturated with salt and MSG or loaded with industrial additives. But this? Completely natural, handcrafted by Xiangling herself—he almost swallowed his tongue in delight.
Xiangling blushed and scratched her head, clearly embarrassed. "You're too kind."
Looking at the shy, girl-next-door figure before him, Noah chuckled warmly. "With your culinary skills, Xiangling, if you keep improving, you won't just become Liyue's best chef. You'll become the best in all of Teyvat. Becoming the God of Cooking would be well within reach."
Hu Tao exclaimed in astonishment, "Wow, Noah, that's high praise!"
Xiangling's face turned even redder. "That's way too much praise. Teyvat's best chef? The God of Cooking? That's way too exaggerated. You're making me blush so much I can't stand it."
Noah pointed to the Vision hanging at Xiangling's waist. "Look—your ambition has already been recognized by the gods. Believe in yourself, just like they do."
Xiangling blushed even more and nodded shyly before retreating in embarrassment. "I have other customers to serve. I hope you all enjoy the meal!" With that, she fled.
Hu Tao gave Noah a thumbs-up. "Xiangling's never run away from a compliment before. Noah, you're incredible!"
Noah grinned proudly. "Naturally."
Yae Miko, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. Poor, naive Hu Tao. You've completely fallen for his charm.
Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon, both perpetually broke and often hungry, were quietly wolfing down their food.
Forget talking; we're here to eat. If you're not eating enthusiastically, there's something wrong with your brain.
Even Zhongli silently watched Xiangling's retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.
The God of Cooking, huh?
After leaving Wanmin Restaurant:
Paimon patted her round, full belly. "Ahh, that was so delicious. I'm so stuffed I can barely float."
Lumine also patted her stomach contentedly. Before reaching Mondstadt, she had survived on wild berries, river fish, and stolen bird eggs—never anything as good as this. Even in Mondstadt, most of the Mora she earned as an adventurer went straight into Paimon's bottomless stomach. Today was the first time she'd eaten so well.
Turning to Zhongli and Noah, Lumine said, "Thank you, Consultant Zhongli, for treating us. And thank you, Noah, for telling me how to meet the Geo Archon. I'm going to search for the Adepti now. Goodbye."
Paimon patted her belly and said, "Goodbye, sneaky guy. And goodbye to that little faker who was pretending to be me!"
Istaroth crossed her arms and huffed. "Hmph. Greedy Paimon, I'm going to give you an awful nickname—'Glutton.'"
Paimon bristled, stomping her foot in the air. "You, you, you—"
Before she could finish, Lumine grabbed her and said, "Alright, Paimon, let's go."
After parting ways with Lumine, Zhongli was whisked away by Hu Tao to discuss business collaborations with Yae Miko. Yae Miko, in turn, wanted to leverage Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's influence to attract Liyue merchants to Inazuma and revive the nation's economy, which was in dire need of trade.
The two found themselves deep in discussion, hitting it off as they talked about business opportunities. Later, as Yae Miko left Liyue Harbor with Noah, she still had a satisfied smile on her face.
"That Consultant Zhongli certainly is knowledgeable. This collaboration with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor went remarkably well—it's exactly what Inazuma needs right now."
Istaroth sidled up with a sly grin and added, "Of course. That Consultant Zhongli, also known as Morax, is over 6,000 years old. Of course he's knowledgeable."
Yae Miko froze mid-step, her expression twisting in shock. "W-what?! Mo-Mo-Morax?!"
In a single day, Yae Miko had learned countless secrets about the world, leaving her feeling uneasy.
She learned that Lumine was a Descender, and so was Lord Noah.
She also realized that Istaroth was the Ruler of Time who had lost her authority, and that Paimon was most likely another god from Celestia who had been stripped of hers.
The ancient Archon of the Seven, the God of Wealth, the God of Commerce, the Lord of Geo, and the Warrior God, bearing numerous titles—the god of Liyue, turned out to be serving as a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Reflecting on this, it became obvious that Lord Noah had known Zhongli from the beginning, and Zhongli had addressed him with deference from the start. Clearly, Zhongli considered himself subordinate.
For someone capable of being acquainted with Lord Noah, it was impossible for them to be ordinary. Miko now realized she had made far too many assumptions.
This is bad—too complicated. This little fox needs to start using her brain.
Noah teased the still-dazed Yae Miko. "Is it really that shocking? You've been in a daze for half the day. Hurry up and give me a cute 'yuyu~', or I'll start tugging on those fox ears."
Istaroth, with her hands on her hips, chimed in supportively, "Exactly! Hurry up and squeal, or Noah will go for your ears!"
The mention of her soft ears made Yae Miko gasp in horror. She hastily covered them and then cast a plaintive look at the smirking young man. "Traveling with you has my heart ready to leap out of my chest!"
Noah shrugged. "You were negotiating with Zhongli earlier, holding your ground without hesitation."
Yae Miko fell silent. That was entirely different! Back then, she had no idea Zhongli was actually Morax. Of course, she had dared to haggle. Now that she knew he was the Geo Archon, it was like scolding someone only to realize later they were your father. Who wouldn't be shaken after such a realization?
Choosing not to dwell on it, Yae Miko gave in with a resigned look. "You win… I'll just accept it. After all, there's bound to be even more shocking things ahead." Being around this mischievous god meant more surprises were inevitable.
Noah raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh, you're adapting pretty quickly. I was hoping to see something more entertaining from you—like you jumping into my arms in fear or begging me to let you sleep in my bed because you were too scared at night."
Indeed, there were more thrilling tasks ahead for him.
The world of Teyvat was still too short on gods. The first two worlds he had visited were manageable, but the third—Inuyasha World—might not be as simple as it appeared. That world belonged to the Age of Gods, and what if those gods hadn't actually disappeared?
Thus, as he leisurely traveled from Liyue to Fontaine, he intended to reclaim the Primordial Fragments.
The defiant and temperamental gods would have their fragments recovered and be erased outright. Meanwhile, those with good tempers who understood their place would be resurrected and put to work for him.
Along the way, he planned to deal with the rebels in Sumeru and Fontaine, especially those in Snezhnaya—the particularly vile rebels who had committed heinous crimes.
Not all of the Fatui Harbingers opposed Celestia, but those who did were powerful enough to rival gods and were not merely empowered by the Primordial Fragments.
Those individuals had to be eliminated.
Furthermore, the Tsaritsa's rebellion against Celestia stemmed from Phanes being far too unreasonable. Phanes punished mistakes without caring for context, dealing a death blow to all indiscriminately.
The Tsaritsa's opposition to Phanes could be traced back to the war against Khaenri'ah when Phanes cursed the entire population of that land.
The Tsaritsa believed not everyone deserved a death sentence; the ordinary citizens were innocent.
And so, a rift arose.
The masterminds behind the Khaenri'ah disaster exploited the Tsaritsa's guilt to seek refuge in Snezhnaya, eventually rising to positions as Fatui Harbingers.
In Noah's eyes, it didn't matter if ordinary Khaenri'ah citizens were guilty or not—every Khaenri'ahn within the Fatui was guilty and deserved death.
Yae Miko had no idea what terrifying thoughts were brewing in Noah's mind at that moment. She simply rolled her eyes as he teased her. Though this divine lord had a wicked sense of humor, he never forced others. Instead, he skillfully laid traps to entice them into jumping willingly.
"Then, where are we heading next, Lord Noah?" Yae Miko asked.
Noah pointed toward the direction of Dihua Marsh. "First, to Wangshu Inn. Then, we'll visit Sal Terrae to retrieve something, and finally circle back to head directly to Sumeru."
Yae Miko sighed. "Whatever you say, I guess."
You're a celestial god, a Descender who can reshape the world's order, the superior of the Seven. How could a little fox like me possibly argue with your decisions?
Seeing Yae Miko's distracted demeanor, Noah chuckled. "Don't sulk. By the time our travels end, I promise you'll get a surprise."
Her eyes lit up. "A surprise from Lord Noah? Can this little fox get a sneak peek?"
Though this lord was harsh, he was fair and true to his word. If he promised a surprise, it would undoubtedly be delightful.
Noah strolled leisurely ahead. "A surprise is a surprise. If I told you beforehand, what's the point? Let's go."
At that moment, Istaroth floated ahead, rubbing her hands together. "What about me? What about my surprise?"
I don't need much—just give me back my power over time.
Noah's expression turned stern as he pushed Istaroth aside. "Shoo, shoo. You're my mascot. What more could you want? Your surprise is getting to chat with me when I'm bored, act as my pillow when I sleep, and serve as my spokesperson or comic relief when necessary."
Istaroth puffed her cheeks in frustration. "Ugh! Having a master like you is truly my great fortune."
Noah smirked mischievously. "You're welcome."
Of course, he didn't intend to leave Istaroth empty-handed. Once they reached Fontaine, he would restore her time authority.
Asmoday alone wasn't enough to oversee the newly expanded Teyvat, now connected to two other worlds. Asmoday would manage spatial realms, while Istaroth would govern time, detecting future threats and neutralizing them in advance.
Suddenly, Yae Miko's ears twitched, and she turned to look at a patch of grass not far away.
"Huh? There's someone collapsed over there—a girl. Hmm, she has a Vision."
Noah followed her gaze, stroking his chin as a faint smile curved his lips.
The girl was dressed in blue, her attire resembling something designed specifically for cosplay. Though it wasn't particularly revealing, it subtly drew attention to certain areas. Her outfit was decorated with star patterns, and a blue witch's hat lay beside her. She clutched her stomach with both hands, her pale face showing signs of exhaustion, her lips dry and cracked.
Yae Miko approached and examined the unconscious girl. "Is this… poisoning? No, it's just extreme fatigue."
The girl's stomach growled audibly as she weakly smacked her parched lips. "S-So hungry… strength…"
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