"Wuwu, Lumine, Feng Yi, why didn't you stop me just now?"
Paimon, touching her round little belly, felt like crying without tears.
She had only intended to have a taste, but once she started, she couldn't stop herself.
Now that she was so full, what would she do about the seafood feast later?
"Paimon, you're being unfair. We did try to stop you, but you just ate faster..."
Feng Yi felt wronged. She had told Paimon to eat less and save room for the seafood feast, but Paimon had insisted she could eat it all.
"The seafood feast is here!"
Just then, Xiangling brought over steaming hot lobster tails, their white, tender meat making one's mouth water.
"High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods, and it all depends on my secret sauce. Try it quickly..."
Xiangling chuckled, placing the meter-long lobster tail on the table and distributing a portion of her secret sauce to everyone.
Feng Yi cut off a large piece of lobster tail, dipped it in Xiangling's secret sauce, and slowly savored it in her mouth. The Q-tender, springy texture was simply divine.
Xiangling had steamed such a large lobster tail, yet managed to keep the meat tender and not dry. She must have put in a lot of effort.
"Paimon, perhaps you shouldn't force yourself. We'll help you taste the seafood feast..."
Feng Yi chuckled, looking at the conflicted Paimon. Not everyone had such a large appetite.
"Hey, you jerk, don't underestimate a gourmet's belief in delicious food!"
Paimon roared, then tore off a piece of lobster meat and began to eat it with gusto.
...
Half an hour later, Feng Yi and the others met Zhongli in Liyue Harbor as planned.
"You're quite punctual. I just arrived too. Was the Jade Chamber fun?"
Zhongli: Why did you bring a flying pig?
"Super—big! Super—gorgeous, super—expensive, the most expensive building I've ever seen!"
Paimon's vocabulary was limited, and these adjectives had exhausted her brain cells. However, the splendor and shock of it couldn't be described without seeing it with her own eyes.
"Indeed, if the Jade Chamber isn't the first, no one in Liyue can claim to be. You must have met Ningguang. How was your conversation?"
Zhongli smiled and nodded. Paimon was like a big flying sausage now, and even he, with his vast experience, couldn't help but be amused.
"She's so rich, so generous, and felt very approachable!"
Paimon thought carefully, using her limited vocabulary to describe her.
However, in Lumine's opinion, approachability was also a merchant's weapon.
"Right, what she talked about the most was the Fatui. She said that after the Geo Archon met his demise, the Fatui had been stirring up trouble in Liyue, which was very bad."
"The Fatui have always been like this. I'm not surprised at all."
Zhongli nodded slightly. The Fatui, under the Tsaritsa, had not been the same since they recruited more Harbingers.
"And they're imitating the 'Records of Transcending the Void'!"
Paimon suddenly remembered this and felt it was important to mention.
Zhongli fell silent for a moment, then sighed:
"No matter what the Fatui are plotting, when dealing with them, it's best to be cautious about everything."
Paimon felt that made a lot of sense and nodded in agreement. Next time she encountered that Harbinger, the Childe, she would have to be more careful.
"Speaking of which, does the Rite of Descension require anything from Liyue Harbor?"
"Yes, today we need to find wild Glaze Lilies."
"Glaze Lilies? Why look for them here? There are plenty in the gardens of the Jade Chamber... I heard there are some in Qingce Village too. Oh, right, I remember when we met Granny Qing, she was looking at flowers, and it seemed to be Glaze Lilies. Why don't we just ask Granny Qing for them?"
Paimon didn't understand why they had to find Glaze Lilies in Liyue Harbor. Were the Glaze Lilies here special?
"No... those are all artificially cultivated and won't suffice. Glaze Lilies once grew abundantly in Liyue Harbor. They are joyful flowers that listen to people's songs."
Zhongli gently shook his head, translating it mentally: The things I give myself should be the best.
"Before the Archon War, Liyue Harbor was land. The war caused landslides, flooding this area and turning it into wetlands, causing Glaze Lilies to almost go extinct. Now, the city retains some artificially cultivated varieties, but only a few people know that wild Glaze Lilies haven't completely died out...
These Glaze Lilies have a rich fragrance. When ground into powder and placed in the censer of the Everflame Incense, it is part of the complete 'Rite of Descension' tradition. However, to pick these flowers, we will need your help."
"Wait, Zhongli, you're not planning to make us sing, are you?"
Paimon: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
"That's right. Your singing will surely bring out the ultimate fragrance of the Glaze Lilies."
Zhongli nodded with a smile.
"Zhongli, why don't you sing yourself?"
Paimon: Master Zhongli, I advise you not to be too confident in our singing!
"I am ashamed to admit it, but I am not skilled in music."
Zhongli candidly confessed. His tone-deaf singing had only ever been heard by one person.
"Ah, this... Feng Yi, Lumine, how are your singing skills? If they're not good enough, then I, Teyvat's singing prodigy, will have to step in!"
Paimon put her hands on her hips, hoping she wouldn't have to perform.
But because she had eaten too much and her arms were too short, she couldn't reach her waist, so it was all for naught.
"Paimon, you can sing?!"
Feng Yi expressed great surprise. He had never heard the emergency food sing before.
Lumine, who was about to say "I know a little," also stopped. She was suddenly curious about what Paimon's singing sounded like.
"Of course, my singing voice, Paimon's, is not something ordinary people can hear. But anyone who has heard it can't help but praise it!"
Paimon chuckled. She had studied with Barbara in Mondstadt for a while and knew a few songs. While not as perfect as Barbara's, it was more than enough for this occasion.
"Then you do it. Let us witness the power of Teyvat's singing god."
Feng Yi laughed heartily, stepping back a couple of paces to give her space to perform.
"Just watch!"
Under Zhongli's guidance, Paimon found a wild Glaze Lily. She then flew in front of it and cleared her throat:
"Cough, cough... Da, dadadada da, dada..."
The singing was very familiar, except for a few notes that were a bit off, making it sound a little silly.
However, it was also very fitting for Paimon's character.
Just as Feng Yi was about to applaud and encourage her, the ground suddenly shifted, and the 'Glaze Lily' leaped up.