"Her tastes are the same as mine," Lora said to Xiangling.
Hearing this, Xiangling let out a small sigh of relief. She had never served a creature like Hélie before—it was certainly an unusual situation.
The group found a quieter table and sat down.
Makoto flipped through the menu. When she had still been in Inazuma, she had often thought about visiting Liyue to experience its famous cuisine. Now that she had finally arrived, however, the dazzling array of dishes made it difficult to decide.
Beside her, Ei sat with an unusually serious expression, as if she were facing a formidable opponent.
Zhongyue set her tanghulu aside. Noticing Ei's solemn face, she leaned toward Lora and whispered,
"Hey… what's wrong with her? I've been sealed for a thousand years—Morax has already become Zhongli—and she's still this stiff?"
"It's not polite to talk about someone behind their back," Lora replied with an amused smile.
Zhongyue shook her head immediately.
"I'm not talking behind her back. I'm saying it right in front of her."
Makoto chuckled softly from across the table.
"You two really do look like mother and daughter."
"Huh?"
Both Lora and Zhongyue froze for a moment.
They turned toward Makoto, who was still smiling, and Lora asked,
"Are you serious?"
"Don't you think so?" Makoto replied gently. "Zhongyue's hair and facial features resemble yours quite a bit."
"That's because I gave her this appearance," Lora said.
Makoto nodded thoughtfully.
"Exactly—you gave it to her."
For a moment, Lora was completely speechless
Wait… is this really Makoto?
This must be fake, right?
While Lora was still struggling to process the situation, Ei had already finished making her selections.
"I'll have Central Plains Mince, Stir-Fried Sliced Pork, Jade Parcels, Mora Meat, Boiled Black-Back Perch, Matsutake Meat Rolls, Jueyun Chili Chicken, Almond Tofu, and Pearl Jade Soup."
"Got it!" Xiangling replied with an energetic nod before calling toward the kitchen. "Please wait a moment—it'll be ready shortly!"
Hearing her order nearly half the menu in one breath, Lora blinked.
"Can you really finish all that?"
"Isn't that what the rest of you are for?" Ei replied matter-of-factly, glancing between Lora and Zhongyue. "I'm not sure how much Hélie eats, but with Zhongyue here, leftovers shouldn't be an issue."
Lora slowly turned to look at the Dragon Sovereign beside her.
After a brief pause, she nodded.
"Mm… you're absolutely right."
Xiangling went all out in the kitchen. It didn't take long before the dishes began arriving, carried over one by one—with Guoba trotting proudly behind her.
Makoto's gaze landed on the small creature and widened slightly.
"That is… Mark—"
"Guoba," Lora corrected gently. "His name is Guoba."
"Guoba, I see…" Makoto said with a soft smile. "Hello, Guoba. I'm Makoto."
"Gulu gulu!"
After helping set the dishes on the table, Guoba looked up at her as if smiling and waved his little paw in greeting.
By then, Ei had already picked up her chopsticks, her eyes completely locked on the food.
"Let's eat."
Ei could hardly wait any longer, and Zhongyue looked just as eager.
Lora and Makoto exchanged a glance and sighed in quiet resignation. Turning slightly, Lora called,
"Hélie, time to eat."
"Yes, Lady Lora!" Hélie replied brightly, quickly picking up her bowl and chopsticks.
Makoto ate lightly. She sampled each dish in small portions, occasionally taking another bite whenever a particular flavor caught her interest.
Ei, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy nearly everything. Together, she and Zhongyue ended up finishing most of the dishes on the table.
When the meal was over, Ei gave a solemn assessment.
"This feels completely different from eating sweets. It's very satisfying."
"And the taste?" Lora asked with a smile.
Ei nodded and pointed to several dishes.
"The flavors are excellent. They're quite different from Inazuma cuisine—especially this Boiled Black-Back Perch. The numbing spice is remarkable. It's extremely delicious."
Makoto added thoughtfully,
"As expected of Liyue, the nation renowned for its cuisine. If these dishes were served in Inazuma, they would easily qualify as imperial court cuisine."
Though her words carried a hint of exaggeration, they clearly showed just how impressive Wanmin Restaurant's cooking was.
Lora nodded with a pleased smile.
"Of course. These are Xiangling's signature dishes. When I first arrived in Liyue, my very first meal here was exactly like this."
"Really? You like this flavor?"
Xiangling hurried over from the kitchen with Guoba after overhearing their conversation, her face bright with excitement.
"Really," Makoto replied with a gentle nod. "It's delicious. Have you ever considered opening a restaurant in Inazuma? I could help arrange the necessary permits."
Lora nodded in agreement.
"She really could. All the Commissions answer to her."
"Open a shop in Inazuma?" Xiangling blinked in surprise before breaking into a bright smile. "If the opportunity comes in the future, maybe I really will open a Wanmin Restaurant branch there!"
"Then it's settled," Makoto said lightly. "I'll arrange a storefront for you in Inazuma."
"Hehe… maybe we should talk about that later," Xiangling replied, scratching her head with a shy laugh. "Right now I'm preparing to participate in this year's Masterful Chefs competition."
She continued thoughtfully, "But if both of you from Inazuma like the taste, then the flavor itself probably isn't the issue. Still… if I want to win the championship, relying only on traditional dishes might not be enough."
"With your skill, I'm sure you'll come up with something new," Lora said. "Coincidentally, these two friends of mine came to Liyue specifically to search for good food. We can help you gather inspiration from other cuisines as well."
"That would be amazing!"
Xiangling's eyes lit up instantly. Turning to Lora, she asked eagerly,
"Miss Lora, could I invite you to be my culinary consultant?"
"Me? Your culinary consultant?" Lora blinked in surprise.
Xiangling nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! You're from Fontaine, and you're also Mr. Zhongli's friend. You must be very knowledgeable—you probably have your own unique insights about food, right?"
"Uh… unique insights… well…"
She had none.
She was from Fontaine. What special culinary wisdom could that place possibly offer?
At best, the desserts were pretty good.
Noticing Lora's awkward expression, Makoto stepped in with a gentle smile.
"If Chef Xiangling doesn't mind, perhaps I could take the role of culinary consultant instead. It has been a long time since I last visited Liyue, but I believe I could still be of some help."
Xiangling nodded immediately.
"Of course! If I can incorporate ideas from foreign cuisines, I might be able to create even more delicious new dishes!"