Early the next morning, Stelle slowly walked out of the room, supporting her waist.
Although the intense training these past few days had made her stronger, her body hadn't fully recovered yet. It was only with the help of that Amazing little toys (wondrous little toy) that facing Hu Tao and Shenhe together wasn't necessarily a simple task.
But this feeling was truly exhilarating. Watching someone else bear the unbearable, desperately holding back after placing that little toy on them... Stelle inexplicably felt a sense of vengeance served.
Although, she still hadn't figured out a way to put the little toy on Cloud Retainer yet.
"Where should I go next..." Stelle looked at the bustling street, momentarily at a loss.
Liyue Harbor had returned to its former tranquility. Although she wasn't clear on how the aftermath was handled, it seemed the people of Liyue weren't greatly affected by Rex Lapis's departure.
Logically, she should go find Ningguang now. After all, handling the aftermath these past few days couldn't have been easy for her.
Even if she couldn't help much, she could at least help Ningguang relieve some stress.
However, unfortunately, when she asked Hu Tao about Ningguang's whereabouts yesterday, Hu Tao mentioned that Ningguang wasn't in Liyue Harbor at the moment.
It was probably related to the aftermath work. Ningguang seemed to have gone to Qingce Village.
She probably wouldn't be back for a while.
"Then... I'll go to Yanshang Teahouse first." Stelle made up her mind and headed straight for Yanshang Teahouse.
She didn't know how Yelan was doing either. Probably very busy as well?
She'd just go take a look, ask the The two generals, Heng and Ha (the two gatekeepers) about Yelan's recent situation. If she was too busy, she wouldn't disturb her and would head straight to Wanmin Restaurant on the way.
Arriving at the entrance of Yanshang Teahouse, she I met him successfully. (smoothly met) the two gatekeepers stationed there.
"Miss Stelle! It's been a long time since we've seen you here."
"Yes, I've been busy with some matters lately... Is Yelan in?"
"Ah, your timing is truly unfortunate. Lady Yelan has an important mission; she recently made a trip to The Chasm."
"The Chasm?" Stelle was slightly taken aback. She had been in Liyue for so long but had never heard of this place.
"Yes, The Chasm is located west of Lisha. Simply put, it's a massive mining area. But there have been some issues there lately, and it's temporarily sealed off by the Qixing... Sorry, I shouldn't be discussing this."
"It's fine, I understand..." Stelle nodded, though she felt a bit curious about this place.
If there was a chance later, she'd explore it. Even if they said it was sealed off, with her relationship with Ningguang, asking about the situation and going inside for some adventure shouldn't be a problem.
"Yelan shouldn't encounter any danger, right?" Stelle immediately added.
Since it was a sealed-off area, there must be a certain degree of danger. Moreover, having been in this world for so long, Stelle had a very deep understanding of the monsters here.
Aside from the large cities with many people, monsters were practically everywhere.
Although most were creatures without much significant danger, they still caused considerable trouble for people's lives.
Otherwise, the Adventurers Guild wouldn't exist. One could say these monsters also provided a livelihood for a very large number of people.
"I don't think so. Lady Yelan said this trip was just to scout the area. And you should be aware of Lady Yelan's capabilities."
"I see, alright then." Stelle felt somewhat helpless. Since Yelan wasn't here, she wouldn't linger at Yanshang Teahouse.
After all, in the eyes of ordinary Liyue people, this wasn't exactly a proper establishment. A beautiful young lady like herself standing at the entrance talking to the guards might cause misunderstandings if seen.
"Take care on your way~"
---
Wanmin Restaurant. Stelle walked over and sat down in a corner.
She wasn't in a hurry to call Xiangling over to order. Xiangling was currently bustling about, going in and out of the kitchen. Stelle wasn't particularly hungry anyway, so there was no rush.
She simply watched the little chef work hard, feeling a pang of heartache for a moment.
Wanmin Restaurant had an excellent reputation in Liyue, and unlike high-end restaurants like Liuli Pavilion or Xinyue Kiosk, when it got busy, it was truly hectic.
Why hadn't Chef Mao considered hiring more help?
"Sorry, what would you like to or... Ah! Stelle!!" Just as Stelle was silently pondering, Xiangling ran over.
At first, she kept her head down and didn't notice who the new customer was. It wasn't until she got closer and caught that familiar scent that Xiangling realized it was Stelle.
"Long time no see, Xiangling. I'm back." Stelle gave Xiangling a smile.
She felt a bit guilty for not being able to visit Xiangling all this time.
But there was no helping it; she really had been very busy lately.
"Long time no see! When did you get back??" Xiangling couldn't help but smile brightly. Her joyful expression even made the busy Chef Mao glance back.
"Just yesterday. Sorry I didn't come see you right away."
"No need to apologize! Resting well after just returning is the most important thing." Xiangling was very understanding, which made Stelle feel even more guilty.
"Um, Xiangling..." Stelle glanced over at Chef Mao, then whispered something to Xiangling.
Xiangling's cheeks instantly flushed bright red. Fortunately, she was already busy and her face was slightly flushed anyway, so it wasn't too obvious.
She nodded slightly, then picked up her notepad and pen again, her expression returning to its usual composure.
"What would you like to eat today?"
"Just something simple is fine. I'll leave it up to you."
Xiangling finally had a little break. Stelle didn't want to order anything time-consuming or labor-intensive that would make her work hard again.
"Alrighty! Just a moment." Xiangling nodded. Since Stelle had given her the freedom to choose, she had to show off her skills and treat Stelle properly.
Besides, she also had to bring out the new dish she had prepared.
This dish was something she had specially sought advice from Mr. Baizhu to make. It had certain nourishing properties.
As for what exactly it nourished... that wasn't something to discuss in detail.
Anyway, no matter what, she had to give Stelle a good tonic. After all, in the evening, they were going to...
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