Cael and the others regrouped with Lumine.
"Traveler," Zhongli said calmly, "having just left the free city of Mondstadt, what are your impressions of Liyue?"
"Huh?" Lumine paused, then thought for a moment.
"Um… the adepti, I guess. There are a lot of stories about them. And the food's amazing—Liyue cuisine is really good."
Zhongli nodded. After a brief pause, he added,
"The dishes we just ate were all created by my old friend, Cael."
Paimon, who was crunching on after-meal sunflower seeds, froze on the spot.
She vaguely remembered Cael once saying he was a chef…
"…Damn."
Zhongli continued,
"The era of the adepti is nearing its end. Liyue Harbor is preparing to enter an age of human governance. The question is—has the Liyue Qixing truly prepared to stand on their own?"
Hearing this, Guizhong finally understood why Zhongli had chosen to fake his death.
At the same time, she couldn't help but marvel.
"In just a few hundred years… Liyue has become this peaceful and prosperous?"
Seele stayed quietly by Cael's side, saying nothing.
After all, she hadn't gotten very far in her political theory books yet.
Zhongli let out a soft sigh.
"Enough of this for now. Let us prepare the Rite of Descension."
"Alright!"
Paimon flicked away a sunflower seed shell. "So what do we do first?"
"First, we require high-quality Noctilucous Jade," Zhongli explained.
"The Geo Archon was foremost among the adepti—only the finest jade will suffice."
"Noctilucous Jade?" Lumine tilted her head.
She remembered picking up a few pieces while roaming around earlier, so she handed them to Zhongli.
Zhongli took one glance and shook his head.
"These were likely gathered casually in the wild. Their quality is poor—frankly speaking, even dogs wouldn't want them."
Paimon stopped mid-chew.
Cael stared at Zhongli in shock.
Guizhong looked utterly incredulous.
…Did those words really just come out of Zhongli's mouth?
Zhongli, on the other hand, was mildly puzzled.
Those phrases were something Cael had taught him centuries ago. Crude, perhaps—but efficient.
Clearing his throat, Cael stepped in.
"I've got some top-grade Noctilucous Jade. Cooked with it before—extra bright, extra blue."
He didn't want to waste time. He'd stocked up long ago, and this piece was the rarest he'd found in half a year.
Zhongli examined it and nodded.
"This will do."
Guizhong, meanwhile, watched Zhongli closely.
In just a few hundred years… he really had changed.
...
"Next," Zhongli said, pocketing the jade, "we need Silk Flowers."
"I've got those too."
Cael somehow produced a small box from nowhere. "All varieties. Take your pick."
"..."
How does he have everything?
Paimon and Lumine exchanged baffled looks.
Even Zhongli felt a bit suspicious now—was Cael predicting the future again?
Zhongli continued,
"The Geo Archon favors incense. We should check the Statues of The Seven to see which scent he prefers."
Just as Lumine and Paimon were about to speak—
"I—"
Cael raised a hand.
Everyone turned to him.
…A grown man with incense?
"I don't," Cael said honestly.
"..."
"But I had some custom-made earlier."
Seele tugged at his sleeve.
"Brother Cael, why did you have incense custom-made?"
Cael replied without missing a beat,
"Obviously for you and Director Hu Tao. Just happened to come in handy today. I'll give it to you later."
Seele nodded, visibly pleased.
The part about Hu Tao was promptly ignored.
...
"You're not some kind of prophet, are you?" Paimon said, hands on her hips.
"In certain dumb stories, characters like that get stabbed, you know!"
Cael laughed.
"Why worry about that? Just follow me."
Zhongli smiled and sighed.
Guizhong looked utterly lost.
Lumine thought this was pretty great.
Seele felt deeply impressed.
...
"Ah, it's you again, honored Mr. Cael~"
Ying'er's presence was nothing like her in-game counterpart—every word she spoke carried a seductive undertone.
Unfortunately for her, she wasn't a child.
Cael was completely immune.
He calmly set down a bag of Mora.
"I pay, you deliver. Clean transaction—no funny business."
"Oh my… Mr. Cael, how utterly unromantic," Ying'er sighed.
She knew her teasing had no effect on him.
She couldn't help wondering what kind of woman Cael actually liked.
Then her gaze flicked briefly to Lumine behind him.
She smiled.
Ying'er took the money and handed over the incense, then leaned toward Lumine.
"You're quite cute, little one. Come visit me sometime~"
Lumine: "?"
Cael took the incense and left immediately—no hesitation, no mercy.
Seele was very satisfied.
...
At the Statue of The Seven.
"I thought this would take hours," Zhongli said thoughtfully,
"but we've gathered everything in mere minutes."
"What's next, Zhongli?" Paimon asked.
"We still need the Cleansing Bell. For that, we must go to Yujing Terrace and borrow it from someone known as Granny Ping."
"Granny Ping?"
Guizhong, Lumine, and Paimon all voiced their confusion at once.
Lumine and Paimon had never heard the name.
Guizhong, however, was puzzled for a different reason.
Ping'er… Granny Ping?
Don't tell me she's an old woman now?
"Hehehe…"
A mischievous smile spread across Guizhong's face.
Cael glanced at her and immediately knew what she was thinking.
To be honest—he was curious too.
Imagine your old friend suddenly turning into a granny.
Yesterday you were chatting arm in arm—
today it's:
"Oh my~ isn't that Guizhong? My, my, you finally came to visit this old bag of bones~"
Just imagining it was enough.
...
When they reached Yujing Terrace, there was no old granny in sight—
Only a young woman in her prime.
"Hello! We're looking for Granny Ping," Paimon greeted politely.
Ping'er smiled faintly and glanced at Guizhong before replying,
"Are you looking for my grandmother? She's not here."
Guizhong understood that look perfectly and could only sigh.
Cael also felt a bit disappointed.
What a shame—no granny scene.
Lumine stepped forward.
"We'd like to borrow the Cleansing Bell. Could you pass the message along to Granny Ping?"
Ping'er immediately understood and smiled.
"Oh, the Cleansing Bell? Go ahead and borrow it. It's for the Rite of Descension, right?"
"Eh? Really?" Paimon blinked in surprise.
"Of course."
Ping'er casually reached into a nearby teapot and pulled out the bell.
Cael's mouth twitched.
…So that's how it works?
Then in the game, was she just too lazy to grab it?
Paimon took the bell and quickly thanked her.
"Thank you! May I ask your name?" Lumine asked.
"Just call me Ping'er."
...
...
First day of the New Year—Happy New Year! 🎉