"Sister Makoto... it really is you? Why have you changed your appearance?" Paimon stared blankly at Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei in front of her. If Raiden Makoto hadn't called out to them, they wouldn't have recognized that the two young women were the sisters Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
"If we appeared in our original forms, wouldn't the Inazumans recognize us?"
"So, Sister Makoto, are you going to Liyue with us now?" Paimon asked, a little curious. "I feel like it should be appropriate now, right? Speaking of which, the Shogun is really pitiful; she has to work again now."
"Hmm."
"Kujou Sara and Kamisato Ayato have handled everything very well..." Regarding the current situation on Narukami Island, Raiden Makoto was quite satisfied, which proved her judgment of people was accurate. Kujou Sara and Kamisato Ayato were very suitable for that kind of work.
She had also left a contingency within the Shogun; with the Shogun in charge, Inazuma would not have any problems.
Those Fish hiding in the dark were not foolish; it would probably take some time for them to surface.
The problems within the Shogunate could be resolved by the Shogun's abilities, along with Kujou Sara and Kamisato Ayato. And once a God from The Abyss appeared, she would immediately notice and return to Inazuma from Liyue.
Perhaps she could even ask Morax for help then, as not all Gods from The Abyss were those who escaped Inazuma.
So, going to Liyue with Paimon now was also a good idea. Moreover, she could also invite Morax to help her achieve "land reclamation."
She had indeed considered the feasibility and thought it was possible; Gods completely had the ability to change terrain.
"Mm-hmm."
If the area of Narukami Island could really be expanded, then she could truly let humans develop on their own, and Inazuma could become self-sufficient.
"Then let's get ready."
"Let's go!"
Paimon was a little excited; she could eat many, many delicious foods again... outlying islands.
"You're coming back to Liyue with me?" Beidou then looked at Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei behind Lumine and Paimon.
"Who are they?"
"Boss, they're friends we met in Inazuma. Can they come on board?"
"Of course."
"The thunderstorms in the Inazuman outer sea have also disappeared now... Speaking of which, someone actually dared to assassinate their God in Inazuma... Do you think the culprit who assassinated the Inazuman God might also be the one who assassinated the Geo Archon?"
In Liyue, very few people knew about Morax's fake death; at least Beidou was completely unaware.
"I don't know."
"Then get on board, prepare to set sail!"
Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei stood together at the ship's edge, watching the outlying islands buildings gradually grow further and further away from them.
"The last time you left was five hundred years ago, wasn't it?"
That was the day the Seven Archons descended upon Khaenri'ah together, but it was Raiden Ei who participated in the battle, not her; she had always been stationed in the rear.
If it weren't for The Abyss invasion and the Eclipse's arrival, she wouldn't have perished in that disaster.
"Sister..." Raiden Ei held Raiden Makoto's arm. "Those things from five hundred years ago... are completely different from today."
"Indeed."
As Inazuma's coast completely disappeared from their sight, Raiden Makoto immediately turned her head.
"Now, Liyue is also a strange country to us."
"Mm-hmm."
"Sister Makoto, hurry and eat the barbecue! There won't be any left if you don't come now!"
"Let's go over."
...Liyue Harbor.
When the Death Star docked in the harbor, Raiden Makoto looked at the huge harbor and the magnificent Liyue architecture. The last time she came here must have been two thousand years ago, right?
That was the last gathering of the Seven Archons.
At that time, Liyue Harbor was just a small village, not nearly as bustling as it was now.
"Having seen the world, what do you think?" Raiden Makoto looked at Raiden Ei, who was standing there in a daze, murmuring, "Inazuma and Liyue indeed have a significant gap."
"That's natural... Although the Geo Archon has passed away, with the Qixing, Inazuma is also developing normally." Beidou nodded. "Ningguang handles those matters quite well."
"Doesn't the Boss also deserve some credit for Liyue's current appearance?" a crew member from Beidou's fleet chimed in.
"Cut it out."
"Sister Makoto, let's get off the ship. Boss, then we'll head back first?" Paimon was incredibly excited; she was already craving food.
"Mm."
"Sister Makoto, let me treat you to something delicious. Wanmin Restaurant's food... is truly superb!" Paimon was a little excited, a bit impatient.
Although Inazuma had many delicious foods, the flavors were too light. She now felt like eating something spicy.
"Alright." Raiden Makoto also wanted to see what Liyue's current cuisine was like, and how it differed from the Chinese cuisine in her past life's memories.
But from Liyue's current architecture, one could indeed see traces of her past life's Chinese architecture.
"According to the merchant fleet that came from Inazuma, the sakoku decree in Inazuma has been lifted, and we can now trade with them normally."
"That's an opportunity to make big money, selling Liyue's products to Inazuma and bringing products back from Inazuma..."
"Indeed, I'm already preparing to set off for Inazuma. That's an opportunity!"
Most people in Liyue Harbor were talking about the lifting of the sakoku decree, completely unaware of the Shogun's assassination. But that was normal, after all, the sakoku decree had been lifted a while ago, and the Shogun's assassination was a recent event.
However, with the sakoku decree now lifted, Inazuma and Liyue could travel freely between each other, so that incident would eventually spread throughout Teyvat.
Wanmin Restaurant.
"Isn't that the Traveler? Didn't you go to Inazuma?" At this moment, a middle-aged man looked at Lumine and Paimon, who appeared before him, with some surprise. He then glanced at Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
"Master Mao, didn't we come back from solving problems in Inazuma? We're planning to bring friends over for a good meal."
All the way here, Raiden Ei had been like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, looking left and right, wondering what the people on Liyue's streets were preparing.
"What would you like to eat?" Master Mao smiled, knowing from Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei's attire that they were Inazumans.
"Hmm, we want boiled blackback perch!"
"Sister Makoto, let's go sit down first. Wanmin Restaurant's dishes are really delicious!" Paimon was a little excited; it had been a long time since she had eaten Liyue cuisine.
"Okay."
Raiden Makoto noticed that Raiden Ei also looked a bit joyful. It seemed she and Paimon were both foodies, but Raiden Makoto was also looking forward to it.
As they all sat down at the table, a young girl dressed in crimson and black ran over, a hint of joy on her face.
"Traveler, long time no see!"
"Xiangling?" The girl in crimson clothes with a bun was Xiangling. "Sister Makoto, this is Xiangling, the head chef of Wanmin Restaurant. Xiangling's cooking is excellent."
"I was just thinking about you guys! You actually came back from Inazuma. These must be your friends from Inazuma, right?" Xiangling smiled. "They look like twins, that's quite rare."
"Mm-hmm."
"Hello, my name is Raiden Makoto, and this is my younger sister, Raiden Ei." Raiden Makoto smiled. The young girl named Xiangling in front of her was very lively, and her personality seemed fiery.
As for directly stating their names, there was no problem. Even in Inazuma, very few people knew their names were Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei, let alone Liyue, separated by an ocean.
"Hello, hello, I'm Xiangling, the head chef of Wanmin Restaurant." Xiangling smiled, very happy right now.
"By the way, you must have seen the decorations outside, right? The Moonchase Festival is about to begin." Xiangling was a little excited. "I'll make you the boiled blackback perch first, and we can chat later."
After Xiangling bustled away, only they remained.
"Xiangling has always been so lively, Sister Makoto, please don't mind her."
"But Xiangling's cooking is truly, truly excellent... Her dishes are also incredibly delicious." Paimon was practically drooling; she was incredibly excited now.
"Is it as delicious as what Sister makes?" Raiden Ei looked at Paimon, but Raiden Ei's question made Paimon freeze.
How should she answer...? She thought both were delicious. With Paimon's little brain, she couldn't tell whose was better, but Raiden Ei's expression clearly wanted her to say Raiden Makoto's was better.
"Sister Makoto's is probably a little better," Lumine said thoughtfully. "Sister Makoto's cooking... is a bit better."
"But Xiangling isn't bad either."
When Xiangling bustled back, carrying a dish, she said happily, "Ta-da!"
"boiled blackback perch, please enjoy."
The dish had a lot of red oil on its surface and was emitting an enticing aroma.
"So it's boiled Fish slices." Looking at the dish in front of her, Raiden Makoto realized that the so-called boiled blackback perch was the traditional boiled Fish slices from Sichuan cuisine.
Of course, it wasn't exactly the same.
"The taste is good, but it would be even better if the Fish could be a bit more tender." Raiden Makoto tasted the dish. Inazuma had no chili peppers, so Inazuman dishes were mostly light-flavored.
It had been a long time since she had tasted anything spicy.
"More tender Fish? I've already chosen the best blackback perch... Blackback perch meat should be the best, right?" After hearing Raiden Makoto's comment, Xiangling's attention was completely on Raiden Makoto. She looked at Raiden Makoto seriously.
When she was developing this dish, she had tried various types of Fish, and ultimately, only blackback perch was the most suitable.
"You can try marinating the Fish with cornstarch and egg whites for a period of time." As Raiden Makoto, who possessed master-level culinary skills, she could tell just by tasting that the Fish slices in the boiled blackback perch had not been treated at all.
"If there's no cornstarch, just egg whites will do," Raiden Makoto said with a smile. "That way, the Fish will be more tender and have a better texture."
"Ah?" Listening to Raiden Makoto's comments and guidance, Xiangling knew she had met an expert, a true expert. She had forgotten everything she was going to say to Lumine and Paimon.
"I'll try it."
Xiangling's gaze towards Raiden Makoto grew increasingly excited. In Liyue, there were very few people she could discuss culinary skills with, and those who could guide her were almost countable on one's fingers.
"Looking at your clothes, you must be from Inazuma, right?" Xiangling excitedly scrutinized Raiden Makoto. "I'll try your suggestions."
"Mm."
Meanwhile, Raiden Ei was eating a very spicy dish for the first time, and her face was now a little flushed.
Raiden Ei noticed that Xiangling's gaze towards her sister seemed a bit off, which gave Raiden Ei a sense of crisis.
Why did that gaze look like she wanted to compete with her for her sister?
"What are you doing?" Raiden Ei looked at Xiangling warily. "Although your cooking is good, there's still a bit of a gap compared to Sister's."
"Ah..." Xiangling realized that her gaze towards Raiden Makoto seemed a bit fiery, and her expression was a little inappropriate. She gave an awkward laugh. "Don't mind me... I just wanted to discuss cooking with your sister..."
For Xiangling, meeting someone with whom she could discuss culinary skills was truly rare.
So she was a little excited for a moment.
"Discussing cooking isn't out of the question." Raiden Makoto smiled; she understood Xiangling's thoughts, because she had once had them too.
In her past life, she had also traveled extensively for a period, precisely to exchange insights with highly skilled seniors. At that time, she must have been not much different from Xiangling, right?
Her master had also told her that there were always people better than oneself, and even if her master praised her skill as very high, she still couldn't be arrogant.
"Mm-hmm." Xiangling was a little excited, but seeing Paimon and Lumine eating with relish, she then smiled and said, "You two finish your meal first."
"No rush, no rush."
Raiden Ei felt a bit weary. Why was her sister so popular? She had to be on guard in Inazuma, and now she still had to be on guard.
However, didn't that also indirectly prove that Raiden Makoto was truly too outstanding? Her sister was so excellent, almost omnipotent except for fighting. She and her sister were of the same origin, so why could she only fight?
"Mm."
"You've come at just the right time. In a while, it will be Liyue's annual Moonchase Festival. The Moonchase Festival is a grand celebration for us Liyue people to celebrate the autumn moon. The elders say that thousands of years ago, the Adepti would even seek the path of the Adepti during this time."
"But now it's completely different. During the Moonchase Festival, we eat many, many delicious things, visit relatives and friends, admire the moon and flowers..."
Because Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei were Inazumans, and Lumine and Paimon were Travelers, Xiangling immediately began to introduce the Moonchase Festival.
"I knew there would be lots of delicious food!" Paimon was very excited. "I guessed it when the Boss mentioned it."
Hearing about many, many delicious foods, Raiden Ei's eyes lit up. She felt that the Moonchase Festival should be a festival she would like, but unfortunately, such a festival did not exist in Inazuma.
If she had known there were so many delicacies in the human world, why had she stayed in the Plane of Euthymia for five hundred years?
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