Liyue Harbor.
As one of the grandest centers in the Teyvat multiverse, its surface area alone rivaled that of a small galaxy—not to mention the countless divine pocket realms carved within by its myriad gods.
After all, as the seat of one of Teyvat's greatest divine collectives, it was connected through trade and diplomacy to innumerable worlds across the multiverse.
This place had long since become cosmopolitan—every moment, new communities were founded here, while just as many vanished into obscurity when they could no longer sustain themselves.
Stories born here outnumbered those of Little Garden by orders of magnitude; that world, for all its glory, occupied a stage no larger than a single star's surface area.
Only those communities led by gods of Supreme God level or higher could exist eternally in such a hub.
And among these, only a handful—barely more than a dozen—had reputations so vast they echoed across the multiverse itself.
Such communities had long since transcended the mere concept of "communities." They were eternal beacons—pillars of civilization.
Each of those beacon-communities was led by an Almighty God, truly omniscient and omnipotent.
In Little Garden's terms, they would be true 2-Digits, or at the very least, 3-Digits of exceptional rank.
Such communities were collectively known as Courts.
Among them, Wanmin Hall was universally recognized as the Culinary Court.
Its subordinate communities spanned countless worlds.
Even Xiangling—now an Almighty God herself—could no longer keep track of how many branches Wanmin Hall had across the multiverse.
Often, when she traveled in search of new ingredients, a branch would spontaneously appear in whatever universe she passed through.
...
Wanmin Hall Headquarters.
This was an enormous, god-forged dimension—its creation requiring divine authority at the level of a Supreme God.
In this age, the title of Supreme God carried far greater weight than in the pre-multiversal era.
Once upon a time, only a Primordial God could create a medium-quality universe; now, even a Supreme God could do so.
"Guoba, aren't you going to Little Garden with Zhongli and the others? Maybe you could reach the Super God level faster that way," Xiangling said as she stirred a simmering pot, cooking ingredients she had gathered from a newly born universe.
The strange aroma spread throughout the realm; even lesser gods who merely inhaled the scent could glimpse fragments of Law itself.
A small bear-like creature sat lazily on a rocking chair, fanning itself leisurely like an elderly grandpa.
"Super God? Don't joke, Xiangling. That place could never help us chefs reach that stage."
"Sure, the path of cuisine can lead to the level of Primeval God, but we can't do it by reflecting through other worlds—we can only advance slowly, step by step."
"After all... we're the first ones to ever walk this path."
Xiangling puffed her cheeks in protest. "Guoba, you're too pessimistic!"
Marchosius waved his fan with a chuckle. "I'm just being honest."
Xiangling—whether calling him Master, Lord Stove God, or Guoba—mixed titles without a care. But who could scold her? She was one of the Liyue Divine Collective's most beloved treasures, one of their true darlings.
And what Marchosius said about the difficulty of the path of gastronomy was no exaggeration.
Even at their level, after exchanging insights with Lumine and the others, they had realized that among the countless multiverses, there were few—if any—who could rival them on the culinary path.
They might even be the pioneers of this divine art.
"Xiangling-sis! Yaoyao brought you some fresh ingredients!"
A cheerful voice echoed as a young girl trotted in—two golden bells tied to her hair jingling with every step. She carried a small basket on her back, her bright smile lighting up the entire hall.
"Oh~ Yaoyao, you're here! Come, come, I just steamed some egg custard myself!"
Guoba immediately perked up, standing upright with the delighted expression of a doting grandfather.
Yaoyao was the most adored among Liyue's many beloved ones.
She had a gift for caring for others—everyone loved her for it.
The only pity was that she had ascended to godhood at too young an age.
Her mind and body had changed little since then.
No one knew which Truth had decreed such a rule.
For a mortal to ascend into godhood was to undergo the complete sublimation of life itself—every aspect of their being refined and perfected.
The lifespan of a god was unimaginably long. Even the lowest-ranked deities could live for tens of millions of years.
There had never been a single recorded case of a god dying of natural causes.
As a result, divine growth cycles were extraordinarily prolonged.
Baizhu, the greatest medical god in all of Teyvat, had once conducted an analysis.
According to his research, for Yaoyao to grow from her current form to that of a young maiden would take approximately six million more years.
In divine terms, a god's growth of one year equated roughly to a million years in the mortal realm.
Yaoyao spoke in her soft, gentle voice. "Thank you, Uncle Marchosius. I'm not hungry right now, but while I was gathering jade shoots in the Liyue valleys, I found this. I wanted to give it to you."
As she spoke, Yaoyao reached into her small pouch and produced a lustrous jade cicada.
"Oh~ isn't this a Spring-Autumn Cicada? What a marvelous ingredient—it can imbue cuisine with the essence of time itself! Thank you, Yaoyao." Marchosius' plush, doll-like hand gently patted her head in delight.
"Wow! Such high-quality jade shoots! As expected of Yaoyao!" Xiangling's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Hehe~ Yaoyao, wait a moment—I'll use these to make a brand new dish just for you!"
Yaoyao smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Xiangling-sis. The dishes you make are always the best."
Marchosius sighed dramatically. "It's true—Xiangling's cooking is the best. Far better than mine, even."
Yaoyao shook her head and smiled warmly. "Uncle Marchosius' cooking is just as delicious. Both yours and Xiangling-sis's dishes are wonderful in their own ways."
Marchosius chuckled softly. "You really are the sweetest, Yaoyao."
Just then, a lively, boisterous voice echoed through the hall.
"Xiangling! Xiangling! I just got here, and I already smell something delicious! Looks like I came at the perfect time!"
"I even brought a friend along to mooch some food!"
At the sound of that familiar voice, Xiangling placed her hands on her hips and looked over with mock exasperation.
"Hu Tao! You really do have perfect timing. Yaoyao just brought me fresh ingredients, and I was just about to start cooking—then you show up."
Before them stood a twin-tailed girl wearing a dark brown outfit and a Qiankun Taigua hat. Her plum-blossom-shaped pupils gleamed with lively spirit.
She held the hand of another girl—slightly older than Yaoyao by two or three years—with silver hair and small, delicate dragon horns sprouting from her head.
The girl's light violet eyes shimmered with the mysteries of the cosmos at its dawn, and her presence radiated an aura that transcended even the realm of the Almighty. It was a sense of transcendence—a height beyond the omnipotent.
There was no doubt about it—this dragon-born girl had surpassed divinity itself.
She was a Super God.
"Eh?! Hu Tao, she—who is she?" Marchosius' plush-like face froze for a moment, his voice tinged with surprise as he quickly asked.
Among the upper echelons of Teyvat's divine collectives, the relationships between gods were less like those of hierarchy and more like family.
Those who had ascended together, fought together, and built their worlds together were more than allies—they were kin within a vast divine household.
Hu Tao and Zhongli, as divine rulers, were akin to the heads of this great family.
Thus, in private moments, they often dispensed with formalities altogether.
Especially in Liyue, such familial warmth ran deep.
After all, Hu Tao and Zhongli treated their followers not as subordinates, but as friends and family.
Were they to regard them merely as servants, the entire divine collective would soon grow cold and divided.
Hu Tao grinned brightly, placing both hands on the dragon girl's shoulders. "Hehe, this is Kurma! I met her back in Little Garden—we became fast friends. And I'm sure she'll be a close one for life."
Marchosius extended his furry paw with a welcoming smile. "I'm Marchosius, the Stove God. Any friend of Hu Tao's is a friend of ours. Just don't mind if I seem a bit beneath your level."
Xiangling nodded eagerly, holding a ladle in her hand. "That's right! Anyone who's Hu Tao's friend is my friend too! Just tell me what kind of food you like, and I'll cook it up for you!"
Kurma grasped Marchosius' plush paw with one hand and Xiangling's with the other, flashing her sharp white teeth in a brilliant smile. "Hehe~ Then we're friends from now on! And if anyone dares bully you, they'll have to deal with my World Dragon fists first!"
Her pale violet eyes gleamed faintly.
With her keen perception, she could easily sense the primeval aura emanating from both of Hu Tao's companions.
With that kind of aura, ascending to 2-Digit status would be effortless for her—and here, in the true center of the multiverse, even surpassing that level was possible.
After all, the multiverse wasn't about endless fighting—it was about connection, diplomacy, and wisdom.
Those gods who, during Little Garden's earliest era, knew only battle and conquest had long since vanished.
Yaoyao approached with a warm, gentle smile. "Sister Kurma, my name's Yaoyao!"
Kurma reached out and patted her head affectionately. "Yaoyao, is it? From now on, big sister Kurma will protect you."
Yet inside, she was quietly stunned.
Walking through Liyue Harbor with Hu Tao, she had encountered countless beings of staggering power.
Even the staff of ordinary teahouses were at least 5-Digits, while the clerks of larger shops were 4-Digits.
And just strolling through the streets, she could see several 3-Digits in plain sight.
And this wasn't even within the major community compounds—those would surely hold even more.
Just entering this place called Wanmin Hall, she could tell that most of its members were 3-Digits.
It was truly terrifying.
Of course, she wasn't measuring by divine essence but by rank—since in this multiversal core, hierarchies were judged by tiers.
If one were to match ranks to divine essence, then a True God here would roughly correspond to one of Little Garden's lesser 3-Digits.
A Primary God would be equivalent to an average 3-Digit.
A God-King aligned with a high-tier 3-Digit.
A Supreme God or a Primordial God corresponded to Little Garden's top 3-Digits or even 3-Digits of exceptional status.
An Almighty God stood just below the level of a 2-Digit—but the gap wasn't as wide as one might think.
And that was no surprise.
After all, when Zhongli first descended to Little Garden, his strength had already rivaled that of the Four Primordials.
Marchosius watched as yet another mighty deity began doting on Yaoyao, sighing deeply.
"As expected of Yaoyao… she wins the affection of every great god without even trying."
Despite all that divine favor, she never once became arrogant or spoiled—and that only made the gods love her more.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder—perhaps Lord Heavenly Principle favored Yaoyao herself, which was why all existence seemed to adore her.
"Aiya~ just smelling this food's making me hungry. Let me help you, Xiangling!" Hu Tao said cheerfully, patting her chest with pride.
Xiangling quickly waved her hands in alarm. "Eh-eh-eh! Hu Tao, no! Go drink some tea instead! Every time you 'help,' you end up making something bizarre and waste half my precious ingredients!"
"Alright, alright~ I'll just sit and wait to eat, then," Hu Tao pouted playfully.
Meanwhile, beyond Liyue, the arrival of Little Garden's gods continued across Teyvat.
The merging of worlds had long since ended the era of True Name Conflicts—battles for true divine identity between gods of the same name and myth. Such contests only existed in younger worlds, used to strengthen their foundational essence.
Of course, gods could still challenge one another for true names voluntarily, but only with mutual consent. Without it, no contest could occur.
Still, the presence of so many gods from Little Garden inevitably caused… awkward encounters.
After all—you're Athena, and I'm Athena. Who's the real one? Who's stronger? Someone's bound to feel embarrassed.
...
Meanwhile, in the Fontaine Divine Realm—
The visiting gods from Little Garden were overwhelmed by Fontaine's divine domain, its underlying essence vastly surpassing that of Little Garden as a whole.
After the formal diplomatic exchanges were complete, the two sides began deeper cultural interactions.
Of course, such affairs were mostly handled by the lower-tier 3-Digits and 4-Digits. The higher 3-Digits and 2-Digits, however, had already been captivated by the pleasures Fontaine had to offer.
After all, they had already gained what they came for—the confirmation of rank and the vision of their next path forward.
They planned to indulge themselves before returning to Little Garden to begin their ascensions.
Within Fontaine's largest gaming community—
This was the Great Game Hall, founded by Tet, the God of Games, and Fontaine's top-ranked community.
It had once been nothing more than a small card parlor—but had since grown into Teyvat's largest entertainment community.
And now, within that very hall, two eternal rivals from Little Garden were seated across from each other, locked in a card game.
Shiroyasha clicked her tongue, glaring at the blonde, red-eyed woman opposite her—whose beauty and curves were outright scandalous. "Tch! I can't believe I ended up in the same nation as you. This feels so wrong."
Queen Halloween smirked faintly, her crimson eyes glimmering with mischief. "No wonder I kept hearing an annoying buzzing sound—turns out it was the White Night Demon sitting nearby."
Shiroyasha twitched, a vein popping on her forehead. "That's uncalled for! I didn't even insult you first, and you start swinging right away?!"
Queen Halloween merely chuckled. "Heh…"
Just as Shiroyasha was about to unleash a retort sharp enough to send the queen fleeing in embarrassment, a calm, elegant voice interrupted them.
"Oh~ ladies, how about a wager?"
Both Queen Halloween and Shiroyasha turned sharply.
A man of indescribable beauty had appeared beside their table, seating himself as though he'd always been there.
Before either could speak, twin waves of overwhelming presence washed over them—the divine essence of the Pan-Human History itself, intertwined with the Will of the Multiverse.
Stunned into silence, both women could only stare as the perfect god produced two Gift Cards in his hand.
On each card was the symbol of the sun—within it, the intricate markings of a constellation.
"With these two quasi-multiversal Gifts—what you'd call 1-Digit-grade Divine Authorities—how about we make a little bet?"
—
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