"Hey—you're Azhdaha, the Geo Dragon, thousands of years old, and you're already tired from selling candied hawthorn?"
Zhongyue pouted, but still followed Lora outside to buy ingredients. When they reached the doorway, she glanced back.
"In a few days I'm reporting you to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for employing child labor. No hard feelings."
Xianyun: "…"
Once outside, Lora glanced sideways at her.
"So this is how you usually get along with her?"
Zhongyue nodded.
"Yeah. What else?"
"That's… rather unusual," Lora admitted.
Zhongyue pursed her lips.
"I don't know what that old bird is thinking. She's always treating me like a kid." She shrugged. "So I just act like one to annoy her."
After a brief pause, she turned toward Lora again.
"So? How was my performance?"
"When we return to Fontaine, I'll arrange a non-resident performer slot for you at the Opera Epiclese."
Lora said it with complete seriousness.
Hélie blinked.
"Huh? Does the Opera Epiclese even have something like that?"
Lora shook her head.
"No. But if I say it exists, then it exists."
"I see…" Hélie nodded.
"Do they pay?" Zhongyue asked.
Lora tilted her head.
"Did you pick up bad habits from Zhongli?"
"No." Zhongyue answered honestly. "I learned them from you."
From behind, Ei glanced up at the sky.
"We should split up. If we all go together to buy ingredients, we'll just slow each other down."
Lora paused and followed her gaze.
"Mm. You're right."
So she divided the Mora among them, and they split up at the intersection.
Working separately was faster. Before long, everyone regrouped outside Xianyun's house.
But when Lora saw the amount Ei was carrying, she frowned.
"The money I gave you shouldn't have covered all that."
"It didn't."
"Then where did it come from?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Ei said evenly. "I mentioned I was here from Inazuma for the Moonchase Festival, and they just… gave me these."
Lora shifted her gaze to Zhongyue, who had an equally ridiculous haul.
"Oh, people thought I was cute and gave me mine."
"…They gave you yours…"
The corner of Lora's mouth twitched.
She turned to Hélie, who was carrying just as much.
"Ah… no need to ask. Yours were gifts too, right?"
Hélie nodded.
"Yes."
Ah…
The people of Liyue were incredibly generous.
So in the end, was she the only one who had actually paid for her ingredients?
Damn it.
Was she not cute enough?!
Noticing the look on her face, Hélie gently tugged at her sleeve.
"Lady Lora, please don't feel discouraged. When you return to Fontaine, you won't need to pay for anything either."
"…Uh."
That wasn't why she felt awkward.
Just then, Zhongyue kicked open the door Xianyun had only just repaired and looked back.
"Stop standing around. I'm hungry."
"You ate so much at lunch. You're hungry again already?" Lora frowned.
Zhongyue stopped, turned, and stared at her.
"Are you stupid? I'm a dragon."
Lora: "…"
Inside the house, Xianyun saw them returning with bags full of ingredients and sighed helplessly.
"This adeptus plans to install a device by the door that will notify people inside whenever someone arrives. In the future, you won't need to kick it open anymore."
"Even if doors aren't expensive, replacing them every day still costs Mora."
"Oh? Then you'd better hope you can actually hear it," Zhongyue replied mercilessly.
Seeing the mountain of ingredients they carried back, Xianyun blinked in surprise.
"That's quite a lot. I don't remember giving you that much Mora."
Lora explained what had happened.
After hearing the story, the adeptus fell silent in thought.
"Hmm… When Ganyu was still young, I once took her shopping in Liyue Harbor. People treated us the same way. The people of Liyue are especially tolerant toward children—and travelers from afar."
"Alright, enough reminiscing," Lora cut in.
She placed the ingredients on the table.
"Now go process the ingredients. Show us the power of the Supreme Cuisine Machine!"
"Don't worry—you won't be disappointed!"
Xianyun waved a hand. A gust of wind rose, lifting the ingredients and carrying them into the room that had already been blasted into a battle-scarred mess.
A moment later, she poked her head back out.
"Um… could you help me for a moment? You control water."
"…Fine." Lora sighed.
Working together, they finished preparing the ingredients and tossed everything into the machine.
Watching the adeptus start dinner preparations, Lora decided not to stay inside. If it exploded again, she might end up becoming a charred Hydro Archon.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, an entire table of dishes soon appeared.
The meal was just as lavish as the lunch they'd had earlier at Wanmin Restaurant. After all, every single ingredient had been turned into food.
"Well? What do you think? Isn't this adeptus's invention quite useful?"
Arms crossed and chest puffed out, Xianyun looked proudly at Lora.
"The presentation and aroma are good. As for the taste—we'll need to try it first."
"Then sit down quickly! You're the first people ever to eat food produced by this machine, so be sure to give plenty of feedback afterward!"
Zhongyue grabbed her chopsticks first.
She cautiously tasted a piece of fish. After a brief pause, she relaxed and began eating enthusiastically.
Before long, the table was completely cleared.
Zhongyue let out a satisfied burp.
"It tastes good! About the same as when you used to cook by hand."
Hélie offered no opinion. As a Melusine, her sense of taste was somewhat different from that of humans.
"The flavor is indeed good," Ei said evenly. "But compared to what we ate at Wanmin Restaurant at noon, it's still slightly inferior."
Lora set down her chopsticks and looked at the adeptus.
"So that's why I said earlier—if you enter the competition, you won't win."