Ganyu stood atop the winged corner of Third-Round Knockout, clearly watching Lumine and Zhongli at the alchemy table behind them. She also saw Xiangling and a young man in a black cloak and mask making several trips back and forth.
Indeed, she had been at Third-Round Knockout for quite some time, observing all their strange movements from start to finish.
When she first arrived, it wasn't the best timing—the blonde traveler and the guest consultant from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had just sat down to eat. It didn't feel right to interrupt their meal, so she quietly waited in the shadows for the right moment.
But it was peak dinner time at Third-Round Knockout, and the delicious aroma nearly overwhelmed her. Just then, a fresh scent pulled her out of the haze.
She closed her eyes to focus—it was mint. Tracing the smell to its source, she saw Xiangling and an unfamiliar young man walking over from the direction of Wanmin Restaurant with a large bag of fresh mint. They approached the alchemy table, concocted something, then left again.
Xiangling was Madame Ping's disciple and a renowned chef in Liyue Harbor.
But now, Ganyu hardly dared approach Wanmin Restaurant… the food was just too good. She already struggled with her appetite, and last time she found out that Xiangling had been secretly giving her two extra ladleful's of food compared to everyone else… It made things so much more complicated.
Xiangling had meant well, and Ganyu couldn't bring herself to refuse. But overeating was a serious obstacle to maintaining her weight and figure… she had to steel herself and avoid going there altogether.
Ganyu tried to resist the temptation of the savory smells by focusing on the scent of mint, all while her thoughts drifted.
Then Xiangling and the boy passed by again, this time carrying onions.
Onions?
Later, it was Jueyun Chilis… Mint, onions, Jueyun Chilis—everything they carried was intensely flavorful, especially that large amount of Jueyun Chilis. It made Ganyu genuinely concerned.
A few days ago, when she had visited Cloud Retainer, she had heard the Adeptus mention that Xiangling had once tried to eat a Cloudsear Octopus raw. Yaoyao had been so worried about her getting sick that she pulled Madame Ping over to help dissuade her.
The story had passed from Yaoyao to Madame Ping, then to Cloud Retainer, and eventually spread among the other Adepti. That's how Ganyu found out that while Xiangling's culinary skills were top-tier, her talent for inventing strange recipes was equally remarkable...
Just as Ganyu was wondering what on earth Xiangling was up to, the storyteller at Third-Round Knockout began recounting a tale about Ningguang, which drew the attention of both the blonde traveler and the guest consultant from Wangsheng.
This was a perfect chance to appear… It would give the impression that speaking of Ningguang, her envoy has arrived. Yes!
Ganyu made her entrance. After introducing herself to the blonde traveler, her flying companion naturally brought up the phrase, 'speak of Ningguang, and her envoy appears.' It had been worth it, enduring all that tempting aroma in the shadows.
While they chatted, Xiangling and the young man left again—this time with apples.
Apples, hmm. A very nice food.
She was hungry. She sniffed involuntarily.
No, no! Focus on the job!
"Ningguang said: 'Bring her to me. I want to see her. At the Jade Chamber, I will… ahem.'"
Xiangling and the boy returned once more, now with an armful of sweet flowers that smelled incredibly fresh!
Ganyu simply closed her eyes and continued from where she left off: "At the Jade Chamber, I will personally… cut through the tangled undercurrents, one by one."
After saying that, the hunger nearly consumed her. Only she knew that she almost blurted out 'sweet flowers' instead of 'undercurrents'…
She couldn't stay here any longer, or her stomach would start growling...
She made the call. Having delivered all of Ningguang's message, Ganyu quickly left.
Though not too far. She headed straight to the alchemy table.
"Ganyu! Why haven't you come to my place to eat lately? Don't tell me my cooking didn't taste good last time?"
"No, not at all!" Ganyu frantically waved her hands, hesitated, then whispered, "Actually… I've been trying to lose weight. It's because the food is too good—I can't help myself…"
"Ohhh—! I knew it! Sorry, sorry. I just thought you always came alone and looked a little lonely… so I snuck in two extra ladles for you."
"I noticed…"
Victor Wang had just finished making the last batch of reagents. As he opened his eyes, he walked into this awkward moment. To lighten the mood, he asked Ganyu, "But you don't look fat. Why are you trying to lose weight?"
Ganyu became even more embarrassed and murmured, "It just… looks that way…"
Xiangling came to the rescue: "Hey, this is girl stuff—don't butt in!"
Victor Wang, fortunately socially aware enough, quickly nodded. "Oh, oh, right—girls can be really particular about weight… Ahem, let's not talk about that! I'm Victor. You are?"
"Hello, I'm Ganyu. I saw you two carrying lots of fruits and vegetables back and forth… Huh? Why do I smell sweet flowers, but not see any?"
"Looking for this?" Victor Wang lifted a clear cup labeled with a sweet flower tag. Inside was a clear liquid. "All the sweet flowers are in here."
"Sweet flower juice… but the color's off. Is this alchemy?"
"Exactly. It's an extract of sweet flower flavor infused into purified water—what we're calling a sweet flower-flavored reagent."
Knowing that Ganyu liked sweet flowers but was worried about gaining weight, Victor Wang added, "And this reagent con-tains—no—su-gar! I don't really get the science, but it only carries the flavor."
"No sugar? So that means…"
"No weight gain. Obviously. It's basically just water." It was only upon meeting Ganyu that Victor Wang realized—this was the ultimate Ganyu trap.
"There's actually something like this? I've never seen it before!"
Victor had thought about that too. He tried to explain, "The recipe is super simple. I'm sure someone's figured it out before. But it's not very useful, and since the fruit can be made into actual juice, no one wants to waste it on a flavor-only potion."
"Um… like you guys?" Ganyu cautiously pointed to the reagents Victor had made.
"Ahaha, guilty as charged. But we're doing it to create something new—"
"Gum!" Xiangling cut in smoothly.
"Exactly, sugar-free gum!"
"And bubblegum too!"
"With sweet flower flavor!"
Victor and Xiangling enthusiastically took turns promoting their creation to Ganyu.
"Huh, really?!"
"Wanna try? We're about to make a fresh batch!" Xiangling invited warmly.
"But I still have wor—no, never mind. Please let me try the sweet flower one!"
At Yujing Terrace, official work ended at 6 PM. Though it was already past 8 PM, Ganyu usually stayed late working overtime.
But after the Archon's death, the Liyue Qixing had reduced most of her workload. Aside from conveying Ningguang's messages, she actually didn't have anything else pressing right now. She could… get off work on time for once.
Victor and Xiangling exchanged happy glances—one pleased to make a new friend, the other thrilled to have a new taste tester.
Back at Wanmin Restaurant, Xiangling rushed into the kitchen, calling out, "Wait here, I'll cook up a batch right now!"
Ganyu looked a bit stiff sitting across from a stranger, but her attention quickly shifted to the plate of clear candies on the table. She leaned in to sniff and asked, "Are these the chewing gums?"
"Yep. That's Xiangling's last batch. But since they all look the same, it's hard to tell the flavors apart… You'll want to avoid the ones with Jueyun Chili and onion."
"Hmm… this one's chili, this one's onion, this one's mint." Ganyu pointed to each one accurately.
"The scent's barely noticeable, and you can still tell?"
"Mm-hmm. May I try one?"
"They're test samples—go ahead."
Without hesitation, Ganyu picked the only relatively normal mint-flavored gum, then chewed… and chewed… and chewed…
"It not only tastes like mint, it even has that same cooling sensation… but it feels like I can't chew it down."
"That's normal."
Victor Wang explained:
"It's all about the flavor, texture, and being sugar-free. Its main uses: freshening breath; relieving stress in tense moments; and offering a zero-calorie candy so people can enjoy their favorite flavors without gaining weight.
"Also, while you can swallow it, I wouldn't recommend it. Best to chew till it's flavorless, then spit it out—like sugarcane."
He really didn't want to know what would happen if a slime ate it…
Just then, Xiangling returned with a tray, countering, "You can eat it! I've tested all the ingredients—nothing toxic or harmful."
Hearing that, Ganyu hesitated, then gulped down the mint gum with a loud glup.
"Hehe! Try the fresh batch of sweet flower gum!"
Two steaming plates of gum landed on the table. Smelling the sweet flower aroma, Ganyu eagerly picked one up, joined by Victor and Xiangling.
The flavor was all sweet flower, but the texture was wildly different—an incredible experience. Ganyu kept chewing in silence, then, like before, swallowed it whole.
Xiangling also swallowed hers without hesitation. Seeing that, Victor, despite his reluctance, followed suit.
Deep down, he still thought gum was something to chew and spit… whereas Xiangling genuinely wanted to make slimes into staple food...
"How is it?"
"A candy that tastes just like sweet flowers… one you can chew forever… I think it's amazing!"
"Yeah, the hardness is almost the same as the last batch. The refining temperature was spot-on. We can now consider it a stable recipe."
"Yay! Try the other plate—those are the bubblegum ones I was testing!"
The bubblegum looked just like the gum, but picking it up revealed it was softer. In the mouth, it felt even more different—stickier, less elastic, and overall more tender.
Victor Wang was just about to try blowing a bubble when he noticed Ganyu's expression shift oddly.
"Don't tell me the texture is…?"
"It's slime!" Xiangling clarified.
In that instant, Ganyu froze completely.