In Liyue Harbor, as the sun gradually set, the bustling port slowly grew quiet. The weary workers finally had time to rest, many calling out to friends for a drink. This was when the city's restaurants were busiest.
"Mona, isn't the food ready yet? I feel like I'm starving~"
"Almost done, almost done. Say, little sister Zhongtuo, don't you usually eat at Wanmin Restaurant? Why did you suddenly come back, and with so many rare ingredients too?"
"It's all Su Bai's fault. He messaged me saying he wanted to introduce me to someone interesting, so I rushed back from Wanmin."
Azhdaha pouted. She had originally planned to drag Xiangling over to cook at Wangsheng, but before she could even ask, a crowd of customers had shown up. Seeing that Xiangling was busy, she had dropped the idea.
"Little sister Zhongtuo is back! Come, let me introduce you. This is Albedo Junior. He's going to be Wangsheng's chief alchemist from now on."
"Alchemist? What's that? Some new kind of burial profession?"
Azhdaha tilted her head. This was the first time she had heard the term. Not that it was surprising—Liyue had never placed much importance on alchemy, and those who practiced it were few and far between.
"No, no, little sister Zhongtuo. Alchemists have nothing to do with burying people. They're a fascinating bunch. That phone Zhongli gave you? I helped invent that with an alchemist."
"Oh? Would you look at that. I didn't expect something like a phone to be invented by you and an alchemist."
Having experienced the convenience of phones firsthand, Azhdaha now paid a bit more attention to this alchemist named Albedo Junior. She couldn't help but admire Hu Tao's skills—she had managed to bring back an alchemist from a trip to Dragonspine.
"Zhongtuo, if you have time, take these alchemy notes to Cloud Retainer. She might be interested in them."
Zhongli set down the notes Albedo Junior had brought out. After an afternoon of studying, he had gained a basic understanding of alchemy. Seeing the remarkable techniques recorded in the notes, he could only think to himself: 'Cloud Retainer, this burden falls to you. This stuff really tests one's talent.'
"Cloud Retainer, huh? Got it. Come to think of it, among the adepti, she's the only one who likes this kind of thing."
Azhdaha flipped through the notes briefly and immediately felt her head spinning. She recognized every word, but put together, they made no sense. After some thought, she concluded that this stuff wasn't meant for dragons.
"Chicken soup is here! Everyone, wash up and get ready to eat."
"I've put all my culinary skills into this meal. You won't be disappointed."
Mona untied her apron and draped it aside. She had given this dinner her all. She felt that even if it wasn't quite up to Xiangling's standard, it wouldn't be far off.
"Looks like we're in for a treat. A meal cooked by the great astrologist herself—not something just anyone gets to try."
"Of course! This astrologist has uncovered the secrets of the stars. A simple meal like this is nothing."
Su Bai chuckled, handed out the chopsticks, and sat down beside Shenhe. Zhongli produced a jar of his finest aged wine. Judging by the aroma alone, Su Bai could tell it wasn't cheap.
"I didn't expect you to have such good wine hidden away, Zhongli. Why not bring it out when Hu Tao's around? Afraid she'd~"
"Hmm. Speaking generally, I bought this this morning while out for breakfast. The bill was put on Northland Bank's tab. Even if Director Hu found out, she wouldn't say much—though she might ask me to share half the jar."
Zhongli calmly poured everyone a drink. Everyone present was an adult, so he didn't have to worry about setting a bad example. This was one reason he rarely drank in front of Hu Tao.
"Everyone, it looks like I arrived just in time. Might I impose on you for a meal~"
That voice... What was Ningguang doing at Wangsheng? Hu Tao wasn't in Liyue Harbor lately, and she hadn't caused any trouble. Unless she had caused trouble in Mondstadt?
The moment Su Bai heard Ningguang's voice, he instinctively started listing the possible offenses Hu Tao might have committed. But the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Even if Hu Tao had caused trouble in Mondstadt, they would have heard about it first. Why was Ningguang here?
"Ningguang, I told you Su Bai and the others would be eating at this hour, but you insisted on coming."
Keqing's slightly exasperated voice came from behind Ningguang. Albedo Junior nearly jumped, his already clumsy chopsticks clattering to the floor.
"Good grief, Keqing. Look how much you scared Albedo Junior. He can't even hold his chopsticks."
"Hmph. That's not my fault. I was just following the rules."
Facing Su Bai's teasing, Keqing stood her ground. She knew Su Bai was a reasonable person, so as long as she was in the right, she didn't worry about him blaming her.
"Alright, alright. Keqing and I haven't eaten either. Why don't we join you?"
"Then you're in for a treat. This meal was cooked by Wangsheng's chief astrologist."
After Keqing and Ningguang sat down, Mona finally lifted the iron lids covering the dishes. A wave of earthy aroma hit Su Bai's nose. He paused—why did he smell mud?
"Ta-da! Here's what I made! Cold mixed matsutake, vinegar-glazed matsutake, Jueyun Chili with mushrooms, Qingxin stir-fried with Violetgrass, Mora Meat, and chicken soup stewed with various herbs!"
"So? Pretty impressive, right?"
Seeing Mona's expectant expression, everyone exchanged glances and nodded in unison. Encouraged by their approval, Mona happily served them generous portions of the cold mixed matsutake.
"Try it! These are the matsutake little sister Zhongtuo brought back. Such large mushrooms must be incredibly nourishing."
"Keqing, Ningguang, as the Yuheng, you're both so busy all the time. You really need to replenish yourselves."
With that, Mona turned her hopeful gaze toward Keqing and Ningguang. The two exchanged a look, gritted their teeth, and—for the sake of getting phones—dug in.
"Zhongli, I think I finally know what a true hero looks like. And they're right in front of us."
Watching Keqing and Ningguang each force down a large bite of the earthy mushrooms, Azhdaha gave them a thumbs up. The century-old matsutake she had brought back were indeed highly nutritious, but if not prepared properly, they had a distinct mud flavor.
"Speaking generally, you're absolutely right."