"Watching chefs cook can be a pleasure in itself," Lora said with a smile to Paimon. "Later I'll have Ningguang bring you over to serve as a judge. Then you'll get to taste plenty of delicious food."
"Yeah!" Paimon clapped excitedly.
After a tense and thrilling round of competition, Xiangling and Yanxiao both finished their dishes and presented them to the judges' table.
Paimon was invited to join the judges and happily devoured the food while offering her "professional" opinions.
The dishes were divided into many portions and distributed to the audience. In addition to the judges' scores, the opinions of the spectators were also an important part of the evaluation.
After a series of scoring rounds, the final winner was announced.
Xiangling narrowly defeated Yanxiao by a single point, claiming the championship of this Masterful Chefs Competition.
With the champion decided, the atmosphere in the venue surged to its peak. The cheers and laughter of the crowd mixed with the rising steam of freshly cooked dishes, forming an inseparable wave of festive excitement.
Amid this lively atmosphere, the massive stone placed at the center of the venue suddenly began to tremble.
The sudden change caught many people's attention. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the giant stone cracked apart, revealing what lay inside.
"Ah! That's—"
Seeing the statue within the stone, Xiangling's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey, isn't that Guoba?" Paimon stared at the statue inside the shattered rock in astonishment.
Xianyun watched the scene for a moment. Then she quietly moved behind Lora. While Lora was absorbed in watching the spectacle, Xianyun suddenly pushed her forward with both hands, sending her straight out of the crowd.
In an instant, Lora became the center of attention.
"Eh?"
Lora blinked.
What just happened? How did she end up out here?
She turned around and saw Xianyun standing where she had been, smiling calmly. In that moment, everything became clear.
Ah… she'd been set up.
Ningguang looked toward Lora and said, "Miss Lora, would you care to explain the situation here?"
Lora withdrew her gaze from Xianyun and turned to Ningguang, giving a small nod.
"…Yes."
Noticing the look on Lora's face, Venti quietly leaned toward Xianyun and whispered, "Hey, Cloud Retainer, did you see the look she just gave you? Next Lantern Rite, you're in trouble."
"Hm?" Hearing Venti address her by her adeptus name, Xianyun stiffened slightly.
Oh no. She had been so focused on pushing Lora into the spotlight that she had completely forgotten about that detail. It seemed that when the next Lantern Rite came around, she would need to take a long trip away from Liyue.
On stage, Makoto passed Lora a megaphone.
Lora cleared her throat before addressing the crowd.
"In truth, the Kitchen God is Guoba—and Guoba is the Stove God!"
"What?!"
The entire audience stared at her in shock.
Even the usually composed Ningguang looked somewhat incredulous. She glanced at the small, soft, round creature standing behind Xiangling, no matter how hard she tried, it was difficult to associate it with a god.
Lora pushed up a pair of imaginary glasses and addressed the crowd with a serious expression.
"Once upon a time, he was the Adeptus closest to humanity. It happened in a distant age…"
She recounted Guoba's story as if telling a legend. When she finished, silence fell over the crowd.
Ningguang and the others believed Lora's words, but for the ordinary people present, the story she had told was simply too shocking.
"This is Miss Lora," Ningguang said from the side when she noticed the crowd's varied reactions. "She has close ties with the Adepti. What she says must be the truth."
Hearing Ningguang's explanation, Lora quietly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her second identity hadn't been exposed.
"So… Guoba really is a god…" Xiangling looked at Guoba with both astonishment and heartache in her eyes.
The final of the Masterful Chefs Competition ended amid this unexpected turn of events. News that Guoba was the Stove God quickly spread throughout every corner of Liyue Harbor.
Soon everyone knew that Xiangling, the chef of Wanmin Restaurant, had once been accompanied by the Stove God himself. In an instant, Wanmin Restaurant became the hottest topic of discussion throughout the streets and alleys of Liyue.
Walking along the street, Lora attracted quite a bit of attention with Xiangling and Guoba following beside her.
She turned to Xianyun and said, "Xianyun, that was a great move you pulled back there."
Xianyun shivered slightly before forcing a smile.
"I only did that in a moment of urgency. You know I intend to live in Liyue for a long time. I can't possibly do something so high-profile! If people discovered that I'm an Adeptus, my peaceful life would be over. But you're different—you don't live in Liyue permanently. You're much more suitable to explain things…"
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm not angry." Lora shook her head with a smile. "Next Lantern Rite, I'll make sure to prepare something special just for you."
Xianyun's mouth twitched.
It seemed she really would need to leave Liyue for a while.
The group arrived at Wanmin Restaurant and parted ways with Xiangling and Guoba at the entrance before continuing down the street.
As they walked, Venti drank from his bottle. For him, drunkenness was simply a choice—if he wanted to get drunk, he could. If he didn't, he could drink thousands of cups without falling over.
After Xianyun and Zhongyue left the group to return home, Lora turned to Venti.
"So, are you planning to stay in Liyue?"
Venti shook his head.
"Nope. Did you forget? I don't have a place to stay in Liyue."
"Like you have a place to stay in Mondstadt," Lora replied instinctively.
Venti fell silent.
"…Well, it's true. But hearing it out loud still feels a little strange."
Makoto overheard their conversation and looked at Venti with surprise.
"Venti, are you still as down-and-out as before?"
"Uh… well…" Venti scratched his head awkwardly. "That's not being down-and-out! It's my philosophy of freedom!"
"Speaking of being broke," Lora added from the side, "I suddenly remembered that time you tricked me into getting locked up in the confinement room at the Cathedral of Favonius."
Venti chuckled sheepishly. "That was an accident."
Makoto and Ei exchanged a glance. Then Makoto took out a small pouch of Mora and handed it to him.
"A little money. Think of it as charity… no, a gift. You're welcome."
"You've picked up some bad habits from Lora, Makoto," Venti said with a grin.
Even so, the money was quickly accepted. With a cheerful smile, he took the Mora and tucked it into his pouch.
Ahead of them, Zhongli stood watching the group, his expression difficult to read.
"You all…"
Noticing him, Venti quickly hid his wine.
"Oh! The old man's back!"
Lora waved.
"Hey there—welcome home, Zhongli."
Makoto smiled gently.
"Long time no see, Mr. Zhongli."
Ei nodded.
"Long time no see."