Allan, who had left ahead of time, quickly found Draff, who had been waiting.
"So? You didn't manage to invite Miss Xiangling?"
Draff frowned.
"No, I found her. She'll be here soon."
Allan replied confidently.
"Then why didn't you bring her with you? Letting a guest walk here alone—
that's not how you ask someone for help!"
Draff clearly didn't trust Allan's efficiency, giving him a skeptical look.
"Relax, Mr. Draff.
Right now it's not us asking her for help—
it's she who needs to come apologize to us.
When she's desperate to make amends, we can then—"
"What do you mean?"
Draff looked confused.
Allan quickly explained everything he had done.
The deeper Draff listened, the tighter his brows locked.
"That's deception! Springvale has always prided itself on honesty.
How could we do something like that?"
"What does it matter? It's called adapting to the situation.
This way our chances of success go up, and we don't have to beg anyone!"
Allan smirked, clearly unmoved by Draff's disapproval.
Draff still looked troubled.
He had lived his entire life upright—
he genuinely couldn't stomach the idea.
At that moment, Farmas, Xiangling, Lumine and the others were already approaching.
Seeing Draff still conflicted, Allan delivered one last push:
"Mr. Draff, this concerns the interests of our entire village.
Please think carefully!"
With that, he hurried off.
Moments later, Xiangling and the group arrived.
Xiangling looked exactly like a schoolgirl about to be scolded by her teacher—
hands behind her back, head lowered, ready to be punished.
"You are Xiangling?"
Draff's voice was low—not because he was angry at her,
but because he was still stewing over Allan's words.
Xiangling quickly bowed her head.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Draff! It was my fault!"
Seeing her small, apologetic posture,
Draff suddenly thought of his own daughter—Diona.
How could he possibly say the shameless words Allan had suggested…
to a girl barely older than his child?
A surge of anger toward Allan rose in his chest,
his tone accidentally picking up some of that frustration.
"Huff… I've heard about what you did.
Since you're already here—"
Lumine saw Draff's stern expression and immediately stepped in front of Xiangling protectively.
"Mr. Draff, we didn't know the hunting rules of Springvale.
If needed, we can compensate with Mora."
Though nervous, Lumine still tried to speak calmly,
attempting to defend Xiangling and Farmas.
Draff realized his tone had been too harsh, causing a misunderstanding.
He exhaled softly, pressed his hands together in a pleading gesture,
and stated his real intention.
"Please help us promote our meat products!"
"Eh—?"
Xiangling blinked, stunned.
She had fully prepared herself for a scolding—
not… this.
Lumine, blindsided by the sudden tonal whiplash, nearly stumbled.
"It's like this," Draff explained quickly when he noticed their confusion.
"Springvale is known for our high-quality meat, but our fame is limited to Mondstadt.
When I heard the famous chef Xiangling had come here,
I immediately had Allan invite you!"
Lumine frowned.
Hadn't Allan approached them earlier to reprimand them?
Then how—
Farmas glanced at her, pressed his fingers together,
and tapped his chest.
Lumine recognized the sign language he taught her:
"Deception."
Paimon, however, was focused on something else entirely.
"She… she's a chef?"
Draff nodded.
"Yes. In Liyue Harbor's famous restaurant, Wanmin Restaurant, Xiangling is the head chef!"
He then launched into a passionate stream of praise for Xiangling's cooking,
to the point that even she grew embarrassed.
"With a first-rate chef like you paired with our first-rate meat,
the dishes you create could make Springvale's boar meat famous across the continent!"
But then—
to the astonishment of all three—
Xiangling shook her head firmly.
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this request."
Draff blurted out:
"Why not…?"
"First, I only know how to cook—
I don't know how to promote anything.
Second, I've never restricted what ingredients I can use.
If I told you I might use a hilichurl's wooden club to light a fire,
could you accept that?"
"…No sane person could accept that."
Farmas sighed.
He knew hilichurls came in tribes—Meat-loving, Sleepy, and Eclipse.
Their lifestyles varied,
but they all shared one universal trait:
They smell. Horribly.
Thankfully, Farmas' lava spear evaporated after use.
If he were like Jean—obsessed with cleanliness—
he would need an entire bucket of soap after every hilichurl fight.
One could only imagine what a hilichurl's wooden club must smell like…
As an ordinary person, Draff could not comprehend Xiangling's logic.
"Can't you use… normal materials?
A hilichurl's club is just too…"
Xiangling responded seriously,
"In my eyes, there's no 'normal' or 'abnormal' ingredient.
If something can be cooked into delicious food, then it's valid!
If ingredients are restricted, then cooking becomes boring!"
Draff took a cautious step back.
"Then… what about other normal ingredients?
Sweet flowers, at least?"
"Only by being brave enough to try new things
can we keep innovating!"
Xiangling declared earnestly.
Lumine nodded in agreement.
"…That's truly unfortunate."
Draff's beast ears drooped in disappointment.
As the leader of Springvale's hunters, he had heard the rumors—
like how Xiangling once made "Special Cold Poultry" in Liyue,
which caused the former head chef of Wanmin Restaurant—her own father—
to have stomach troubles for two days
because she used mint and qingxin together.
"If Springvale's meat were served like that…"
Draff could not even finish the thought.
Seeing his hesitation, Xiangling nodded to the others.
"Let's go."
"Wait."
As the group turned to leave,
Draff hurriedly stopped them.
He paused, then sighed.
"Take the boars you hunted with you."
"Ah! Thank you!"
Xiangling's expression instantly brightened into a sweet smile.
Paimon wiped the drool from her mouth.
~~---------------------------
Visit my P@treon for advance chapters:
patreon.com/DevilWarden