Ren Kai completely ignored the "massage service" the pink fox was providing by scratching at his clothes.
"Young Master Mingyun is truly too generous."
He gave an awkward yet polite smile. Mingyun's cabin was practically turning into their personal dining hall.
"Mr. Ban is the one being too polite."
"It is my honor to dine together with Mr. Ban and Immortal Yae."
Mingyun felt extremely pleased.
"In Liyue, only the secretary of the Liyue Qixing, Lady Ganyu, Lady Guizhong, and the Adeptus known as the Streetward Rambler interact with ordinary people with such courtesy."
"Most of the other adepti tend to keep their distance."
The moment Ren Kai heard the name Guizhong, a memory surfaced in his mind.
In Rexas's memories, the War God himself had once slain an enemy to protect Guizhong—the God of Dust, Morax's closest friend.
In those memories, Morax and Guizhong seemed almost like lovers.
And in this world's Liyue, there was no old Madame Ping, nor the bird-shaped adeptus.
There was only Ping'er, the Streetward Rambler.
Cloud Retainer, meanwhile, had always remained in human form.
It seemed the system had done at least one good thing.
The appearance of the War God Rexas had prevented many tragedies.
Perhaps he could prevent even more.
Makoto… Ei… just wait for me.
"Mr. Ban? What's wrong?"
Mingyun and the pink fox both noticed Ren Kai staring blankly and asked.
"My apologies."
"I was lost in memories for a moment."
"Liyue holds many things worth remembering."
Ren Kai returned to reality with a bright smile.
"I'm starting to suspect Mr. Ban might actually be from Liyue."
"Such politeness doesn't resemble the people of Inazuma."
"Please, come inside and join me for breakfast tea."
Mingyun was delighted.
If Mr. Ban liked Liyue, that was excellent news.
"Lord Ban he—"
"Ow! That hurt!"
"I'm going to eat extra fried tofu and skewers later!"
The pink fox spoke too quickly again.
Ren Kai immediately tapped her on the head.
Only then did she realize what she had almost revealed and hurriedly changed the subject.
Ren Kai stared at her helplessly.
Rexas rarely traveled, but his hidden refuge had been in Liyue.
This fox was far too unreliable.
She had nearly exposed the fact that he wasn't from Inazuma at all.
And he had been planning to rely on that identity while in Liyue.
"Young Master Mingyun, please."
"Don't mind this little fool. Speaking nonsense is her specialty."
Ren Kai said politely.
Only when referring to the fox did his tone grow slightly heavier.
The fox climbed from his arms onto his shoulder with a proud expression.
You scolded me, so you don't get to hold me anymore.
Mingyun walked ahead with elegant courtesy.
Once inside the cabin, he began brewing tea again.
Within two minutes, Uncle Fu arrived with two workers carrying breakfast.
"That's quite a lot of food."
Ren Kai looked at the eight dishes on the table—not even counting the fried tofu and skewers.
"Please don't worry, Mr. Ban."
"Our cargo includes plenty of ingredients."
"We cannot possibly treat you and Immortal Yae poorly when it comes to food and lodging."
Mingyun knew Ren Kai had a large appetite, so he had specifically instructed Uncle Fu.
"That's right."
"This is nothing."
"When we reach Liyue, the food there is even better."
"Please eat without worry. If it's not enough, I'll fetch more from the kitchen."
Uncle Fu spoke so smoothly it was almost an art form.
He also wanted to make up for the misunderstanding during their first meeting.
"Yes, yes."
The two workers nodded eagerly.
Faced with their enthusiastic hospitality, Ren Kai realized he had no way to refuse.
It seemed he was still too inexperienced.
Uncle Fu glanced approvingly at the two workers.
He had already decided to give them a raise.
"Immortal Yae, please try some Liyue cuisine."
Mingyun picked up his chopsticks and placed some food into the fox's bowl.
"Then I'll try it."
The fox glanced at the fried tofu and skewers.
I'll save those for later.
By this time, Uncle Fu had already left with the workers.
Ren Kai's mindset began to shift slightly.
He truly was no longer an ordinary person.
With greater power came greater responsibility.
If these people treated him so well, then he should help them more in the future.
"Mmm… delicious!"
"But I still prefer fried tofu and skewers."
After tasting the dishes, the fox looked delighted.
But her eyes quickly drifted back to the fried tofu and skewers.
She even turned to glance at Ren Kai.
"Sigh."
"How did I end up with such a little glutton?"
Ren Kai placed a piece of fried tofu and two skewers into her bowl.
"I've decided."
"When I return, I'm going to raise a pet too."
"She's just too cute."
Mingyun laughed sincerely.
"Cute, yes."
"But you definitely shouldn't raise one this mischievous."
"She'll drive you crazy."
Ren Kai looked at the fox helplessly.
She had already forgotten to thank Mingyun again.
He really had to watch her constantly.
"Mr. Ban must be joking."
"Immortal Yae is very well-behaved, isn't she?"
Mingyun said, giving the fox an easy way out.
"That's right!"
"I'm the most obedient!"
The fox swallowed her fried tofu quickly and nodded vigorously.
"Young Master Mingyun, let's not just watch her eat."
"We should eat too."
Ren Kai decided not to argue about it anymore.
After all—
Nothing was more important than eating.
In the past, when Ren Kai ate meals, he only cared about filling his stomach.
Now he had no worries about food or drink.
But strangely enough, his troubles had increased.
It seemed worries only came after your stomach was full.
The pleasant meal soon ended.
Ren Kai returned to his cabin with the fox.
He canceled his transformation and returned to his original appearance as Rexas.
Then he placed the fox on the floor and stared at her intently.
"Lord Ban… why are you looking at me like that?"
The fox felt uneasy.
She definitely didn't want to be punished again.
"I'm thinking about giving you something to do."
"You can't spend every day eating and sleeping."
Ren Kai began considering how to train her.
Perhaps he should teach her some basic education.
At the very least, she needed to learn manners and discipline.
Especially that mouth of hers.
It needed serious supervision.
"You don't need to give me tasks."
"I have the inheritance jade pendant Lady Kitsune Saiguu gave me."
"I can study by myself."
The fox lifted the jade pendant hanging around her neck with her tiny paw and showed it proudly to Ren Kai.
Clearly, she was worried he might take her outside for more "exercise."