With all the wives who had gone out now back, dinner was naturally ready as well!
Tonight, Xiangling had pulled out every ounce of skill the Wanmin Restaurant had to offer, all to reward everyone for their help the night before.
Boiled Black-Back Perch, Golden Shrimp Balls, Grilled Tiger Fish, golden crab—you name it.
Because the seafood Beidou had brought back was of superb quality, there was an especially abundant spread of it.
What's more, Xiangling had even taken the trouble to learn everyone's tastes.
Not only had she arranged light, delicate dishes for Ningguang and vegetarian fare for Ganyu, but Golden Shrimp Balls for Keqing, and even fried tofu and little fried skewers for Yae Miko.
There were so many dishes that several tables couldn't hold them all.
The girls were all dumbstruck by the sight before them.
"Wooow! This is way too lavish!"
"My, my~ Truly worthy of the Wanmin Restaurant's head chef. Your skill is a cut above our Inazuma's Wuyou Pavilion, no less~ Little one, I quite fancy your cooking~"
"These appetizers paired with Sumeru's fine wine—now that's wonderful!"
"Inazuma's shochu is rather good too~"
"That's only because you haven't yet tasted our Mondstadt's Dandelion Wine! Dandelion Wine is the best of all!"
Hearing Eula's words, Beidou nodded again and again, "Indeed. I've been to Mondstadt and drunk it a few times before—it really is splendid!"
"Ah, I'd love to drink it a few more times!"
Amber said with a beaming smile, "Don't worry, it won't be long before you can drink it!"
She was thinking that once she and Eula returned to Mondstadt, she'd set up the portal!
Then she could just bring the wine straight over and astound them all!
The girls ate and drank, wolfing everything down.
Ye Xi gently stroked Xiangling's slender, willowy waist and praised her, "Well done, our master chef Xiangling."
"Hehe~ It's nothing, really. It's mainly because the conditions here are so amazing!"
"I've never seen such a convenient kitchen!"
Xiangling had truly been dazzled by the kitchen at home.
There was a refrigerator made from Mist Flowers, a stove made from a Pyro Slime, and even a machine that sucked away the cooking fumes.
Normally, cooking at the Wanmin Restaurant, the greasy fumes from stir-frying were quite choking, but here there was no need to worry about that at all.
And with a faucet that gave water at a single touch, washing vegetables became very convenient too!
With such excellent conditions, she could finally show off her full talents!
"All right, hurry and have a taste—how did I do?"
Xiangling held out the Grilled Tiger Fish she had prepared, her face full of anticipation.
....
After the meal, it was time for the hot spring.
The girls all headed off to the hot spring pools.
Ye Xi, meanwhile, came to see Beidou off.
She had to return to the ship to spend the night, since the ship was still sailing out at sea.
Without her there, if something went wrong, she worried her subordinates wouldn't be able to handle it.
As for Yae Miko.
By rights, she ought to have gone to the ship too, but she couldn't be bothered, and had already slipped away to lazily soak in the hot spring.
"Well then, Master Ye Xi, we'll reach Inazuma tomorrow."
"Mm, I'll head over when the time comes."
Hearing this, Beidou nodded and stepped into the portal.
Meanwhile, on another side.
Ying'er arrived at this steaming hot spring pool with cherry blossoms drifting down, her lovely eyes brimming with disbelief.
To be honest, when she had followed Dehya through the portal from the Jade Chamber that afternoon, she had already been greatly astonished.
She could never have imagined that the Jade Chamber was actually connected to a world like this.
After listening to Dehya's explanation, she understood that this place was an Adepti's Serenitea Pot.
Because of that, she became all the more certain that Ye Xi was an Adeptus.
Yet upon seeing this hot spring, she truly couldn't help but marvel—life here was simply too much of a luxury!
The food, the clothing, the lodging, the travel—everything, all of it, was so wonderful!
To be able to live here for a lifetime would be a blessing earned over several lifetimes!
At this thought, she set about washing herself in earnest.
She wanted to scrub herself spotlessly clean, and then do her utmost to serve Ye Xi, striving to earn his favor so she could stay by his side forever.
Rather than be cast aside by Ye Xi a few days later.
After bathing for a while under the showerhead by the pool's edge, she ran into the hot spring just like the other girls.
Everyone knew that tonight Ying'er would be joining the big family, so they struck up a familiar chat with her.
"Ying'er, the perfume balms you brew are so excellent—you must be living quite comfortably. Why would you want to be with Master?"
Ayexia was rather puzzled. In the beginning, she had actually sought Ye Xi out for the sake of academic funding.
Had she not been short on Mora at the time, she might very well have missed her chance with Ye Xi entirely!
But she knew about Ying'er's situation. A while back, she had obtained some of Ying'er's perfume balm from Dehya, and knew this balm was worth a great deal!
Since it was so profitable, Ying'er surely wasn't short of money!
Ningguang nodded in agreement as well, "If my estimate isn't off, Ying'er has already saved up quite a considerable nest egg."
"After all, perfume balms and custom-tailored clothing both count as luxury goods in Liyue."
Hearing Ningguang's words, everyone looked at Ying'er with newfound respect.
To be so young and yet able to make such a thriving name for herself in Liyue, the trading capital of Teyvat, possessing a considerable fortune—
This was absolutely not something an ordinary girl could accomplish.
This was Liyue, after all!
Making one's start in Liyue was far harder than in other nations!
At the very least, Ayexia felt that a scholar like herself fell far short of Ying'er.
Ying'er said with a smile, "It's not that grand. Ningguang is right—I do indeed have a little nest egg."
"It's just that I'm a frail woman, and I really can't safeguard such wealth."
"If I were to honestly marry someone, I fear I'd end up losing both the person and the fortune."
"That day, looking at all of you at Master Ye Xi's side, you all had an Eye of God."
"It just felt like marrying into this place would be very safe."
"From now on I'll have to count on everyone to save my life in moments of danger."
It was precisely because everyone had an Eye of God, while she alone did not.
That was why Ying'er felt especially inferior, and wanted to do her best to display her own worth before Ye Xi and the others.
"Eh?"
Hearing Ying'er say this, the girls were all a little taken aback.
Keqing crossed her arms and said, "It seems you don't yet know Ye Xi's secret."
Ayexia chimed in, "Ying'er, you'll soon be able to protect yourself."
"Actually, Alusha, Setaria, and I didn't have an Eye of God in the beginning either."
Ying'er's face was full of astonishment and bewilderment.
So Setaria explained a bit about what had happened before.
"...What? You can get an Eye of God from Master Ye Xi!?"
Ying'er was stunned.
She had originally assumed that Ye Xi only took a fancy to girls who already had an Eye of God.
Little had she expected the truth to be that Ye Xi would grant an Eye of God to any girl he fancied!
This was simply unbelievable!
At this moment, the three little secretaries attending at Ningguang's side were also utterly shocked.
This news filled them with delight beyond their wildest hopes!
"I wonder when Master will visit us! I can hardly hold myself back!"
"An Eye of God!? It'd be wonderful if we could have one too!"
"I can't wait!"
The little secretaries were all aflutter with excitement.
Ying'er felt the happiness had come too suddenly. Coming back to her senses, she asked, "So you're saying... tonight I'll also receive an Eye of God?"
"That's right!"
Keqing nodded.
In fact, Ying'er's appearance had indirectly helped her!
With Ying'er here, tonight Ye Xi wouldn't need her and Xiangling.
Otherwise, going by Ye Xi's words, tonight she might have had to be with Xiangling together...
How embarrassing that would be!
Having received an affirmative answer, Ying'er grew excited, "Tonight, I'm definitely going to pull out all my skills and make sure Master Ye Xi is satisfied!"
Hearing Ying'er say this, the girls all fell silent.
They had seen Ying'er's skills before, after all.
Back then, Ying'er had taught them how to make perfume balm, grinding up Silk Flowers.
That technique of hers for gripping the pestle was simply... unrivaled!
Dehya couldn't help but sigh with feeling, "I have a feeling that tonight, that fellow Ye Xi is going to surrender."
"Mm, makes sense! If it's Ying'er, then yes!"
"Could it be that tonight Master is going to be routed? This is a historic moment to witness!"
"Ying'er, go for it!"
The girls all silently cast looks of longing toward her.
This left Ying'er rather at a loss.
Routed? What did that mean?
...
Nightfall.
Ye Xi had finished his soak in the hot spring and freshened up, planning to go join Dehya and the others for a little drink.
But halfway there, he was intercepted by Ying'er.
She was draped in a thin white bath towel, her alluring snow-white skin and that hint of cleavage fully on display.
She was just like a lotus blossom risen from the water, beautiful to the utmost, enough to make one's mouth water.
"Master~ It's time to rest, isn't it~?"
Ye Xi: ???
He hadn't expected Ying'er to be even more eager than he was!
"Uh, I'd like to go have a couple of drinks first."
Ying'er smilingly took Ye Xi's arm, gave a coquettish smile, and said, "Then Ying'er will drink with you~ What kind of wine would you like to drink?"
"The sweet-and-sour apple cider, or the cool, throat-soothing mint liquor?"
Before Ye Xi could answer, Ying'er rose onto her tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, and whispered softly, "Why don't we have a little of the high-proof Liyue aged liquor, how about that?"
"Mmm~ That fiery, burning sensation slides down off the tip of the tongue, surges into the throat, bringing a strong, warm heat, swallowed down without leaving a single drop."
"Just thinking about it feels delicious~"
"Hiss..."
Ye Xi drew in a sharp breath, inwardly exclaiming, what a girl.
This girl was far too good at seduction.
At this distance, he not only caught the faint fragrance wafting from Ying'er, but could also feel the hot breath exhaled from the girl's cherry-like little mouth.
Who could possibly withstand that?
Listening to Ying'er's description, he really did want to taste the Liyue aged liquor!
Before he could even speak, Ying'er pulled him back into the room.
...
Deep in the night.
Ying'er's eyes were utterly dazed.
She finally understood what Dehya and the others had meant by being routed.
It was impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
She alone was simply no match for Ye Xi.
So in the end, she gave up.
Ye Xi, beside her, was a little puzzled.
He didn't understand why Ying'er was working so desperately hard.
Soon, however, his attention was drawn to the system's rewards.
[Ding~]
[Task [Branching] complete!]
[Body Enhancement +17]
[Cryo Elemental Power...]
[.....]
After a string of numerical bonuses, Ye Xi discovered—
This time there were actually no substantial skill rewards!
Instead, quite a few material rewards had appeared.
[Congratulations on obtaining a five-star gourmet recipe!]
[Note: The delicacies in this recipe are all foods that don't exist in Teyvat!]
[Congratulations on obtaining one sample packet of [Drowsy Black Tea], along with its preparation method!]
[Drowsy Black Tea: After drinking it, sleep quality improves; you can take a steady 30-minute nap. It also promotes digestion, speeds up metabolism, prevents weight gain—the more you drink, the slimmer you get!]
Hearing this, Ye Xi was instantly intrigued.
This Drowsy Black Tea was perfect for everyone!
A cup after lunch, a little midday nap, and no fear of gaining weight!
It felt like it could be used widely!
As for this recipe, it was simply the best gift he could give Xiangling!
With this recipe, Xiangling could hold off for now on researching those bizarre, outlandish dishes.
And he, as her dish-tester, wouldn't have to suffer so much.
Moreover, the dishes in the recipe didn't exist anywhere in Teyvat!
If he gave this to Xiangling, it could absolutely be added to the Wanmin Restaurant's menu, and would surely draw in many diners!
Just as he was thinking this, another reward window popped up before him.
[Congratulations on obtaining one set of Keyan brand bath and skincare products, along with its preparation method!]
[Bath and skincare products: Including facial cleansers, toners, and lotions for both men and women—a full series of washing and grooming items!]
Seeing this reward, Ye Xi was downright bewildered.
He didn't understand what on earth the system was trying to do.
Why had the contents of the rewards become so strange?
Wasn't Keyan a real-world skincare brand?
It seemed it had even done a collaboration with Genshin Impact once....
Before he could come to any conclusion, the methods for making these bath and skincare products quickly surfaced in his mind.
The items on the ingredient list all seemed to be abundantly stocked in Sumeru's Avidya Forest.
Suddenly, Ye Xi's eyes lit up.
He was thinking—why not go into business himself?
His path of building infrastructure was absolutely without issue.
But once the various transportation facilities were complete, how many kinds of goods could really be exchanged between the nations?
Mondstadt's fine wine; Liyue's minerals, fragrant tea, and silk; Sumeru's fruits, spices, and ceramics; Inazuma's seafood.
Apart from these, there didn't seem to be much else.
If he founded a large company and stuck a foot into every kind of industry, raking in money like crazy—wouldn't that be just wonderful?
He could fully add even more goods and then get them circulating.
For instance, founding a company in Sumeru to develop these bath and skincare products, and then exporting them.
In Liyue, gathering the black tea from around Chenyu Vale and Qiaoying Village to make [Drowsy Black Tea], then selling it to other nations.
On top of that, he could even turn the Wanmin Restaurant into a chain of eateries, opening branches in other countries!
You have to understand, for girls, bath and skincare products were an absolutely fatal temptation!
There wasn't a single woman who didn't cherish her skin!
Take their own girls, for example.
Ningguang, the great tycoon of Liyue, worried every day about her skin getting worse; even a fox demon who had lived five hundred years fretted over it too.
If even they were like this, then for the common folk, wouldn't it be an utterly crushing, dimension-lowering blow?
It was guaranteed to sell like hotcakes!
As for [Drowsy Black Tea], the temptation of weight loss was, for ordinary girls, an utterly unreachable dream.
No matter how thin a girl was, she still wanted to lose weight.
Take Ganyu, for instance—even though she was so slender, she still didn't dare eat too much.
With this tea, wouldn't her worries simply vanish?
What's more, this tea could even cure insomnia!
As for the gourmet food, that went without saying.
Food is the paramount necessity of the people—everyone is in pursuit of good food!
Of these three products, no matter which one, each was a hugely profitable proposition.
Perhaps these rewards from the system were hinting that he should prepare to walk down another path!
If he were to sell these goods on a grand scale...
Then the economic trade between the nations would grow ever more frequent, and the variety of goods traded would increase as well!
Just like building infrastructure, this was a fine idea for passing the time!
At this thought, he made up his mind.
He had to have a good discussion with Enjou about founding more and more companies!
It was just that, for these grooming and skincare products at hand, was there anyone who knew the trade?
Though he had the preparation methods, he surely couldn't make them all by himself, could he?
As he pondered, his gaze fell upon Ying'er beside him, still panting for breath.
That's right.
This girl was so skilled at researching perfume balm—why not hand this task over to her to handle!
....
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