"Uh… ah… right. The door's open…"
The shattered gate lay scattered across the ground. For a moment, Lora had no idea what she was even supposed to say.
"Hm. The force of that punch and the control behind it were both excellent. It destroyed only the wooden door without causing any collateral damage. A very refined technique."
From behind her, Ei calmly evaluated Zhongyue's strike.
"…Is this really the time for that?" Lora asked, turning around with a baffled look.
"Come in. Don't be shy—treat it like your own home."
Zhongyue stepped over the broken planks and walked into the courtyard as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Ah… okay."
Lora followed after her.
Watching the dragon girl ahead, she asked,
"You didn't just start doing this today… did you?"
Zhongyue nodded without hesitation.
"Of course not. That woman refuses to let me keep a key. She says I'd lose it sooner or later. And when I come back and knock, she often can't hear me anyway. But it's fine—it's only a wooden door. She's very rich, so replacing it isn't a problem."
"No wonder this place is in such a quiet area," Lora sighed, finally understanding. "If this were in a busy district and the door got smashed every few days, the Millelith would've shown up a long time ago."
"She said the same thing," Zhongyue replied over her shoulder. "According to her, living here makes it easier to work on her inventions."
They had only just reached the center of the courtyard—
when a massive explosion suddenly erupted from one of the side rooms.
Gray-black smoke and dust burst from the doors and windows.
Lora stood frozen as the room's door hurtled straight past her face, slammed into the wall behind her, and shattered into splinters.
Beside her, Hélie stared in shock, clutching tightly at Lora's dress.
"Lady Lora… are there enemies?"
"Let me handle it!"
Ei was already preparing to draw her sword.
Zhongyue, however, shook her head, eyes fixed on the smoke-filled room.
"No. Not an enemy."
"Cough, cough…"
A coughing voice came from inside.
Moments later, a figure stepped out of the smoke.
The woman wore a dark-green gauze dress, though her face was now smeared with black soot. She waved a hand irritably, trying to disperse the lingering smoke around her.
Wow… the elegant blue-green adeptus bird has turned into a blackened one…
For a brief moment, Lora nearly lost control of her expression.
Clearly, Xianyun hadn't expected to find so many people standing in her courtyard. The moment she saw them, her expression shifted rapidly—surprise, then shock, and finally embarrassment.
She quickly stepped back, trying to close the door.
…Only to realize the door had already been blasted away.
Her gaze darted around the courtyard in mild panic.
"Ah—Xianyun, you don't need to hide," Lora said, waving a hand reassuringly. "We're very experienced. A little explosion won't scare us."
Xianyun's face flushed red. She straightened and cleared her throat.
"Ahem! This adeptus is not shy! This adeptus merely felt that greeting guests in such a state would be inelegant, and intended to tidy up first! You all—"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
Only then did her gaze fall on Ei standing behind Lora.
The moment she recognized her, she froze.
"You are… the Electro Archon of Inazuma?"
"It's me," Ei replied with a small nod.
"Why have you come to Liyue?"
Xianyun's expression suddenly turned serious.
"This adeptus has heard that you once issued the Sakoku Decree, isolating Inazuma from the outside world, as well as the Vision Hunt Decree, confiscating all Visions. You—"
"That is all in the past," Ei said calmly. "Both decrees have already been abolished."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Xianyun glanced toward Lora.
Lora gave a small nod.
"Yes."
"Then why have you come to Liyue?" Xianyun asked again.
Before Lora could answer, Ei spoke first.
"We came with Lora to eat and drink for free."
"…Huh?"
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
Xianyun stared at her in complete confusion.
"You…?" she said slowly. "Besides you… who else came?"
"My sister. Makoto," Ei replied honestly.
The moment the name left her mouth, Xianyun nearly jumped.
Her gaze snapped toward Lora.
Lora simply nodded.
"She came back to life. Just like me."
"Ah…"
Xianyun considered this for a brief moment.
"…Not strange. Acceptable."
After Lora confirmed it, she seemed surprisingly unfazed.
After all, both of them had already been dead for five hundred years. If one could suddenly return from the dead, then a second one wasn't particularly shocking.
"Speaking of which," Xianyun continued, "you said you came here to eat and drink for free. At lunch today, did you—"
From the side, Zhongyue lifted her head and frowned at Lora.
"I paid!" Lora said immediately. "Do I look like someone who runs a tab?"
"Zhongli said—"
"He's wrong. Don't listen to him."
Zhongyue blinked once, then nodded without hesitation.
"Oh. Okay."
Lora turned back toward Xianyun.
"By the way, what kind of invention are you working on this time?" Lora asked. "That explosion was pretty intense. Haven't you finished that large-scale weapon for the Millelith yet?"
At the question, Xianyun smiled and raised a finger.
"Of course not! What this adeptus is currently developing is an outstanding invention—one that will revolutionize the way Liyue prepares food!"
From the side, Zhongyue added,
"That large-scale weapon is already finished. It was handed over to the Jade Chamber long ago so the Millelith could begin testing it."
"…An invention that will change how Liyue cooks food?" Lora murmured.
For a moment, it seemed she had already guessed what Xianyun might be building.
"Explaining it won't help—you wouldn't understand anyway. Just come inside and see for yourselves."
Xianyun gestured for them to follow.
Once inside, Lora finally got a proper look at the room.
There was almost no decoration left. The walls were covered with scorch marks from repeated explosions.
In the center of the room floated a massive machine, something like an enormous alchemical furnace.
"This is this adeptus's invention!" Xianyun declared proudly. "Simply place ingredients inside, and it will automatically produce delicious dishes according to whatever the operator imagines!"
Standing beside her, she presented the machine with unmistakable pride.
"Really? Then send one to Inazuma!" Ei said immediately. "Just deliver it straight to Tenshukaku!"
"Uh… well…"
Xianyun hesitated.
"This adeptus has only built one so far."
"That's fine. I can wait," Ei replied without hesitation.
"…Wait. How did making something like this cause an explosion?"
Lora raised a hand, clearly puzzled. That kind of blast didn't seem like something a cooking machine should be capable of producing.
"Ah… that is a rather long story," Xianyun admitted. "This adeptus was testing its function just now. Perhaps there was an issue with the ingredients placed inside. Once the machine began operating, it inexplicably exploded."