The east wind stirs the green willows; the mist thins as the rain clears.
A heavy rain fell in the latter half of last night, washing away the old industrial air of the Magic City and leaving a fresh scent of earth and greenery. The garden's flowerbeds were luxuriant, their green leaves and branches glossy from the wash.
After Ken got up, washed, and went downstairs, he smelled the aroma of food.
Two lovely figures were busy in the living room.
"Awake? Come see what the Director made you for breakfast!"
Hu Tao, looking mysteriously pleased, brought a pot over, set the lid on the table, and wore a proud look on her fair face.
Ken glanced at Hu Tao, his expression a bit complicated.
Perhaps due to her night-owl traits, the girl had clearly stayed up late—her bright eyes still carried traces of fatigue. What made Ken feel helpless, though, was the suddenly rising slopes that had appeared overnight.
He paused on the stairs for a moment and asked, "Hu Tao, did you… fake it?"
"Hm?" Hu Tao was still absorbed in her cooking and didn't catch his meaning.
Ken didn't answer. His gaze openly dropped to her bosom, and he lifted his chin toward it.
Following his gaze downward, Hu Tao suddenly felt a bit guilty.
Ah—caught so fast?
Yesterday afternoon, while going wild shopping with Eula, she had indeed bought two sets of B-cup underwear to wear inside to create the illusion that she'd "grown up." After everyone got used to the look, she planned to quietly advance toward a C.
She didn't expect that even as a B it'd still be noticed by Ken. Clearly… a B isn't that big…
Hu Tao, with righteous bravado: "I grew up. Isn't that allowed?"
"Even if you were taking hormones, there's no way you'd go from negative A to a proper B overnight," Ken said languidly.
Hu Tao: "…"
What do you mean, negative A to proper B?!
Even though she still didn't fully understand many concepts from Blue Star, she could guess from Ken's expression what he meant—he was just mocking her.
Hmph.
Hu Tao crossed her arms and shot back, "You're the one always staring over here, even estimating values. Ever heard there's a thing called 'hidden depths'?"
Ken: "…"
Looking at Hu Tao refusing to admit it, Ken couldn't help but chuckle.
What a sin. She'd only been on Blue Star a short while and already learned to falsify with bras.
He himself had been fooled by falsification in a past life: thought it was Everest, later discovered it was a plain—exaggerate it more and it'd be a basin.
"My dish is ready too."
While they were sniping at each other, Eula's voice came.
Last night, after taking quite a bit of coin from Ken, Eula and Hu Tao had decided over Messenger to make a special meal to thank him for his help.
They'd gotten up early to prepare.
"Pick one! Whose food do you want for breakfast?"
Hu Tao deftly shifted the topic, her plum-blossom eyes gleaming with mischief.
Looking at the two covered dishes, Ken chose without hesitation: "I'll take Eula's."
It wasn't favoritism for Eula—it's just that Hu Tao's "special cuisine"…
Most people really can't handle it.
"Huh? You're not picking the Director's dish? I'm writing down this grudge!" Hands on hips, Hu Tao glared at Ken, indignant.
Eula snorted lightly: "This shows you have good taste… But for the Director copying my way of speaking—this grudge, I'm writing down first!"
Ken: "…"
When the dishes shed their veil of mystery, Ken was even more certain he'd chosen right.
Eula had made Mondstadt's traditional staple: Stormcrest Pie.
Take fresh tender beast meat, marinate then braise it, mix eggs and butter into flour, wrap the braised meat, sprinkle seasonings, and bake till crisp outside and tender within—it's done.
It might not be peerlessly delicious, but it's definitely far better than Hu Tao's Ghostly March.
Glancing at that strange-looking thing, Ken coughed to hide his smile.
Compared to Stormcrest Pie, Ghostly March used much rarer ingredients—matsutake and snapdragon—to produce a weird dish shaped like a heap of round-headed sprites.
Someone once saw the odd shape, took a bite, and regretted it for half a month.
Because this cuisine of sublime realm blasts your taste buds into total failure—absolutely not for ordinary people to enjoy.
"Beyond mountains there are mountains, beyond towers there are towers; Ghostly March is first among powers. Someone fails to know the true treasure; later the tears will flow by the hour!"
Watching Ken eat Stormcrest Pie, Hu Tao improvised a doggerel right away.
Ahem—
Hearing this strange poem, Eula coughed twice: "Is Liyue's poetry… in this style?"
"Hehe… The dark doggerel poet is none other than me!" Hu Tao arched her brow proudly. "Let the Director taste your Stormcrest Pie and experience Mondstadt flavors. Would you like to taste Liyue Harbor's delights?"
"Oh? A challenge? I accept." Eula put down the pie, picked up chopsticks, and lifted a piece of Ghostly March.
Eula, you're too naive… Ken thought silently.
Sure enough.
Three seconds later.
Eula's face twisted into a complicated grimace. She forced it down, the corner of her mouth twitching as she looked at Hu Tao: "You… are you taking revenge on me? This grudge… I'm writing down!"
While cooking, she'd seen Hu Tao use good ingredients.
Seeing the odd shape, she just went with the flow and tried it.
But she didn't expect it to taste this bad… so bad she couldn't even tell what was in it… Where was the matsutake?
No wonder Hu Tao didn't taste her own dish!
"Ahem… The Stormcrest Pie is pretty good…"
Watching Eula's reaction, Hu Tao guiltily chewed some pie… Mm, not bad.
Only after downing lots of iced cola did Eula calm down.
Her glassy eyes refused to look at that plate of Ghostly March again.
Pain!
…
At midday.
Estimating the time, Ken figured Lumine's progress should be about done, so he headed to Cloud Retainer's abode.
He happened to meet Lumine coming out.
"I was just about to head to Blue Star and find you—things here are settled."
Seeing Ken, Lumine's face lit up with joy.
Truly in sync—just as she'd planned to find Ken, he arrived.
"Smoothly?" Ken rubbed her head with a smile.
"Very. The food you made easily won over Cloud Retainer." Lumine's cheeks flushed; she nuzzled his palm with her head. "Shall we go to Wangshu Inn now? To find the Conqueror of Demons."
"Sure." Ken nodded, opened a Vortex Gate, and took Lumine and Paimon away.
Only after they left did a cool, wooden expression slowly rise from the lush flowerbeds nearby—Shenhe.
Shenhe looked at the door that vanished into the sky, a bit puzzled.
Then she turned and went into the cave.
Cloud Retainer, who usually took the form of a crane, had turned into a young woman.
Her radiant hair shone with holy light down her slender back. But that pure face was full of anger.
"Master?"
Seeing Cloud Retainer's anger, Shenhe was surprised.
When she'd seen that traveler leave, she'd been smiling. She thought Master and the traveler had a pleasant talk.
"Hic…"
Cloud Retainer hiccupped and said angrily, "The Liyue Qixing are so inept they allowed the Rex Lapis to be killed during the Rite of Descension… This is no small matter. I must meet with the adepti and discuss it in detail!"
Her angry voice made the surrounding cave shake.
"Shenhe, stay in Jueyun Karst for now. We'll talk when I return!"
She had planned to send Shenhe down the mountain to train. But with such a major incident in Liyue—the most chaotic time—Cloud Retainer could only drop that idea.
The Archon's death is no small matter.
Even if she tried to remain calm, the surging, uncontrollable adeptal energy around her betrayed her anger within.
Shenhe had wanted to report the Vortex Gate she'd just seen, but seeing her master's fury and single-minded focus on the Archon, she kept silent and nodded.
Still… had something truly happened to the Archon?
Shenhe was surprised.
…
Wangshu Inn.
The inn rose grandly along the mountain path; a massive ginkgo tree shaded the sky. A light breeze sent leaves spinning down, adding elegance to the antique inn.
Ken landed with Lumine on the top floor.
Before them stretched the vast Dihua Marsh—fields of flowers and swaying reeds, the breeze carrying fresh scents.
"Xiao?"
As they reached the railing, Paimon immediately spotted the green-haired youth.
He looked exactly like Xiao in the Genshin data.
Before Xiao could speak, Lumine instantly pulled out the Sigil of Permission and presented it before him.
"The Sigil of Permission? Seems you came prepared. But this merely ensures I won't harm you; it does not mean you won't suffer—"
Xiao spoke coldly, but before he could finish, a plate of almond tofu appeared before him.
Xiao: "…"
Ken cut off the spell and offered the tofu. "Try it?"
After a beat, smelling almond tofu even more fragrant than the inn's, Xiao honestly accepted it.
"Go ahead," Ken signaled to Lumine.
Xiao didn't obsess over sweet flavors, but the mouthfeel of almond tofu resembled a dream he once had.
"Rex Lapis was assassinated."
Just as Xiao tasted his first bite, Lumine blurted it out.
In the story, Xiao is extremely elusive.
So while she had this chance, Lumine went straight to the point.
"Ahem—"
Choking mid-bite, Xiao narrowed his amber eyes as danger spread around him: "Ridiculous. Rex Lapis is Rex Lapis, the mighty war god famed in the Archon War. How could he be assassinated?"
His first reaction was disbelief.
Who could easily assassinate the Rex Lapis? If it actually happened, with his power the winds and clouds would churn; Liyue might see a second Guyun Stone Forest. How could it happen quietly?
"It's true!"
Lumine quickly explained the whole story, then told him what happened at Jueyun Karst.
Silence.
After hearing her out, Xiao fell silent for a long time.
"I… cannot imagine it. No matter the era's change, I never thought of a Liyue without the Lord of Geo…"
The almond tofu in his hand suddenly had no taste.
Forcing himself calm, his deep eyes grew dangerous: "The Qixing who govern mortals—what role did they play? I must meet the adepti at once. Thank you for telling me."
With that, Xiao vanished, leaving only the bowl of almond tofu.
"He really is elusive," Paimon said, eyeing the tofu and drooling a little.
"Come on, let's try the inn's food." Seeing Paimon itching to taste it, Ken lifted her by the back of her neck and headed inside.
Under the ginkgo's quiet elegance, Ken sat at a table and ordered the signature dishes.
"By the way, Aether asked about you last night!"
Paimon, waiting eagerly for the food, brought up last night.
Ken was curious: "Oh? What'd he ask?"
"Nothing much…" Lumine wanted to thump Paimon.
Paimon pouted: "Lumine's shy. Last night, Aether asked about you and Lumine's progress."
"Oh? Didn't think my brother-in-law would be so busy yet still concerned about me and Lumine. I should thank him properly." Ken glanced at a blushing Lumine. "Shy about what? Next time brother-in-law comes, we'll bring him to Blue Star to hang out."
"Mm… okay." Lumine agreed, but inwardly didn't take it seriously.
Her brother had wanted to go to Blue Star for a long time, but she'd never agreed.
Hmph…
Otherwise, with how he acts these days, who knows what he'd say to Ken!
Somewhere deep in the Abyss, Aether suddenly sneezed: "???"