"I never thought I'd live to eat a meal personally prepared by an adeptus," Hu Tao said, staring at the enormous table of food in disbelief.
At this point, even Jiehu and Houzhang, who were not exactly the quickest to notice these things, realized something was off. They lowered their voices and said, "Hey, Houzhang... should we leave first?"
"Uh... well..." Houzhang looked over the situation, weighing their chances of escape.
The moment Xianyun saw the two of them thinking about running, she upheld her creed of going down together and quickly said, "I am hardly the only adeptus here. These two are as well. You may not know this, but this Mr. Jiehu is Mountain Shaper, while Houzhang is Moon Carver. I personally invited both of them over from Qingyun Peak today."
Hu Tao, Chongyun, and Xingqiu, the three youngsters, once again looked at them in surprise.
"Oh my. To think the people I've been chatting with for so long are actually the legendary adepti of Liyue. How terribly rude of me!" Venti swayed his head and cupped his hands in greeting.
"The adepti should take the seats of honor," Nahida said from the side.
"Indeed. That is only proper," Zhongli said with a nod.
Hu Tao glanced at him, "Is that your only line?"
Lora called out to Xiao, "Conqueror of Demons, you should sit with the adepti. You must have plenty to talk about among yourselves, right? Oh, and Miss Ganyu, Miss Shenhe, since you are both disciples of adepti, please take the seats of honor as well..."
"Come, come, everyone sit..." Makoto thoughtfully prepared chairs for them.
The six of them took the seats Makoto had prepared, each carrying their own thoughts. Then Makoto pulled Yae Miko over and had her sit beside Ganyu.
"Hey, I wanted to ask earlier. You don't look like you're from Liyue. Are you from Inazuma?" Hu Tao looked at the group and asked.
Xingqiu looked at Yae Miko and suddenly realized something. He said slowly, "This lady... I think I know her. She's the editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House, Miss Yae Miko, right?"
"That's right. This is the famous Miss Yae Miko. She is not only the editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House, but also the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine..." Makoto explained to the three who did not know the situation.
"Grand Narukami Shrine... I've heard of it. I hear it is Inazuma's most important shrine, with an exalted status..." Chongyun looked at Yae Miko in surprise. "I never imagined this young lady would actually be the Guuji of that shrine."
Yae Miko wore a polite smile and continued, "You mustn't underestimate these two sisters beside me either. They are..."
Before she could finish, Makoto tightened the hand she had placed on her shoulder slightly, forcing her to swallow the rest of the sentence. Makoto then continued, "We are just shrine maidens who followed Guuji Yae here."
"Perfect. Since we have the chance, let me introduce everyone." Lora clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. Of course, her words were mainly for the three youngsters.
"This is Nahida. She's from Sumeru, a child from my relatives' family. This is Raiden Kunikuzushi, and he is family with Makoto and Ei..."
When Lumine heard "a child from my relatives' family," she paused slightly and looked at Lora, a thought suddenly forming in her mind.
After everyone took their seats, they all appeared cheerful on the surface, but under the table, currents were surging. The seven old-timers wore smiles straight from the heart, cups and glasses crossed over the table, and several adepti sat as if on pins and needles.
However, as the banquet neared its end, aside from saying a few things here and there, Lora and the other old fellows surprisingly did not cause much trouble. Xianyun and the others were rather taken aback.
Watching Lora smile as she talked with Hu Tao, Xianyun even began to wonder whether she had thought too badly of her. Perhaps Lora really had only meant to tease them a little and had no intention of taking it any further...
But soon, Xianyun realized she had underestimated just how wicked Lora could be.
Lora stood up with a cup of tea in hand and said slowly, "As the saying goes, when friends come from afar, even from far away they must... ah, no, is it not a joy? The heavens are vast and the earth is vast, but food is the greatest matter of all! Miss Xianyun prepared such a lavish table for us, so we truly must thank her properly..."
"No need! Really, there's no need!" Xianyun said at once.
Yet Lora continued speaking. "What's more, being able to share dinner with Miss Xianyun, all these adepti, and the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine is truly our good fortune!"
"So, we must express our respect to the adepti, as well as to the Guuji!"
"Mm... that is only proper," Zhongli nodded.
"The Axe Gang... ahem, in short, all colleagues present... offer tea to you!" Lora raised her teacup.
Zhongli rose with his teacup. Nahida and Zhongyue stood on their chairs. Makoto and Ei raised their cups together. Venti cheerfully lifted his wine bottle. Alongside Lora, they all faced the people in front of them and smiled.
Watching six gods plus one Dragon Sovereign offer tea and wine to them, Xianyun and the other adepti all turned to stone on the spot. Yae Miko's ears shot upright, her expression frozen.
Lora, however, truly had not targeted Xiao. He was seated at the very edge and received the least impact. Watching the gods aim their fire at Xianyun, Jiehu, and Houzhang, Xiao quietly let out a small breath of relief.
"Lora, what is the Axe Gang?" Nahida quietly asked.
Lora shook her head. "That's not important. Just play along!"
…
The banquet ended with that final round of tea-offering.
Afterward, Jiehu said to Xianyun with complete seriousness, "I will never accept another invitation from you again. Truly."
"That was far too frightening. I was nearly scared back into my true form," Houzhang said from the side, still shaken.
"Can this be blamed on me? I'm a victim too!" Xianyun complained helplessly. "Stop standing around and hurry up. Help me clean all this!"
Jiehu and Houzhang looked at each other and both sighed in resignation. The two of them helped Xianyun clear away the bowls and chopsticks on the table. Of course, it was not only the three of them. Lora and the others had originally wanted to help as well, but Xianyun persuaded them to go back.
Yae Miko and Scaramouche sat together in a corner nearby. Scaramouche looked at the fur standing up on Yae Miko's head and said, "Were you scared?"
Hearing his question, Yae Miko glanced at him. "You say that like you weren't scared too!"
"It's not like they were offering tea to me. What would I be scared of?" Scaramouche said indifferently.