Soon after Allan left, he found Draff, who had been waiting for some time.
"What's going on? Didn't you manage to invite Miss Xiangling?"
Draff frowned.
"No, I found her. She'll be here soon."
Allan said confidently.
"Why didn't you bring her with you? Letting her come on her own isn't the right attitude when asking for help!"
Draff was clearly uneasy about Allan's efficiency and looked at him with suspicion.
"Don't worry, Mr. Draff. Right now, it's not us asking for her help, but her seeking to make amends. When the time comes, we can just..."
"What do you mean?"
Draff asked, puzzled.
Allan quickly explained what he had done earlier.
Draff's frown deepened. "Isn't that deceitful? Springvale has always been known for its honesty. How can we do something like this?"
"What's the big deal? It's just adapting to the situation. This increases our chances of success, and we don't have to beg for help!"
Allan chuckled dismissively, clearly not taking Draff's words to heart.
Draff still didn't agree. He had always been straightforward and couldn't bring himself to do something like this.
At that moment, Famas, Xiangling, and Lumine arrived nearby.
Seeing Draff still hesitating, Allan quickly added, "Mr. Draff, this concerns the interests of our entire town. You really need to think carefully!"
With that, Allan left.
Not long after Allan left, Xiangling and the others approached Draff.
Xiangling looked like a little girl about to be scolded by her teacher, her hands behind her back, head lowered, ready to receive a stern lecture.
"Are you Xiangling?"
Draff's voice was low, not directed at Xiangling but still weighed down by Allan's earlier words.
Xiangling quickly responded.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Draff. It's my fault!"
Seeing Xiangling like this, Draff couldn't help but think of his own daughter, Diona.
How could he say something as shameless as what Allan had suggested to a girl only a few years older than his daughter?
At that moment, anger rose in him at the thought of Allan deceiving such a young girl, and his tone carried a hint of that anger.
"Sigh... I've heard about what you did. Since you're here now..."
Lumine, seeing Draff's somewhat fierce expression, quickly stepped in front of Xiangling to protect her.
"Mr. Draff, we didn't know about Springvale's hunting rules. If possible, we can compensate with Mora."
Though nervous, Lumine tried to speak calmly, defending Xiangling and Famas.
Draff realized his earlier tone had been misunderstood and sighed. He clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture and explained his true intentions.
"Please help us promote our meat products!"
"Huh?"
Xiangling was confused. She had been ready for a scolding, so why was he suddenly talking about this?
Lumine was even more bewildered by the sudden shift and nearly stumbled.
"Here's the thing. Springvale has always been known for its high-quality meat, but it's only famous within Mondstadt. When I heard that Chef Xiangling had come to Mondstadt, I immediately sent Allan to invite you!"
Draff quickly explained, seeing Xiangling's confusion.
Lumine was even more puzzled. Didn't Allan just come to hold them accountable? How...
Famas glanced at Lumine, then pointed to his chest with his fingers together. Lumine understood—this was a hand signal Famas had taught her, meaning "deceit."
Paimon, however, wasn't focused on that. She asked in surprise:
"She... is actually a renowned chef?"
Draff nodded. "That's right. The famous Wanmin Restaurant in Liyue Harbor is run by Xiangling!"
Draff then went on to praise Xiangling's culinary skills, making her blush with embarrassment.
"A top-tier chef like you, paired with our top-tier meat, will surely create top-tier dishes that will make Springvale's wild boar meat famous far and wide!"
But to everyone's surprise, Xiangling shook her head and said seriously, "I'm sorry, but I can't fulfill this request."
Draff was stunned. "Why...?"
"First, I only know how to cook, not promote. Second, I've never limited the ingredients I use. If I said I used Hilichurl sticks to light my fires while cooking, could you accept that?"
"No one could accept that."
Famas sighed on the side. He knew Hilichurls were divided into tribes like the Meaty Tribe, Sleeper Tribe, and Eclipse Tribes, each with different lifestyles, but they all shared one common trait—body odor.
Thankfully, Famas's Magma Spear was disposable. If he were as cleanliness-obsessed as Jean, he'd have to scrub his short sword thoroughly after every battle with Hilichurls.
It was easy to imagine what Hilichurl sticks would smell like.
As a normal person, Draff naturally couldn't understand Xiangling's thought process and said helplessly, "Can't you just use normal ingredients? Hilichurl sticks are just too..."
Xiangling replied seriously, "In my eyes, there's no such thing as normal or abnormal ingredients. As long as it can make a delicious dish, anything goes! If ingredients are restricted, then cooking becomes boring!"
Draff took a step back.
"Then... what about other normal ingredients? Like Sweet Flowers or..."
"Only by daring to try can we innovate!"
Xiangling said earnestly, and Lumine nodded in agreement.
"That's... truly a shame..."
Draff's animal ears drooped as he spoke, clearly disappointed.
As the leader of Springvale's hunters, he had heard that during her time in Liyue, Xiangling once made a "Special Cold Mixed Poultry Dish" that caused the former head chef of Wanmin Restaurant—Xiangling's father—to suffer from diarrhea for two days. The reason? She had used both Mint and Qingxin.
"If Springvale's meat were served like this to customers..."
Draff couldn't imagine the damage it would do to Springvale's reputation.
Seeing Draff's hesitation, Xiangling nodded to Lumine and Famas. "Let's go."
"Wait."
As they were about to leave, Draff quickly stopped them, hesitating.
"Take the wild boars you hunted with you."
"Ah! Thank you!"
Xiangling, who had been serious just moments ago, broke into a sweet smile, while Paimon wiped the drool from her mouth.
A/n - Read chapters ahead on my patreon.com/nneol