The Infinite Journey of a Certain Flame

The result was quite unexpected. As soon as the rice balls were eaten, the crew members reacted almost exactly like Beidou, all of them vomiting them up.

Seeing this, Kiana, standing to the side, looked at Ying with a mixture of amusement and exasperation:

"Huh? Everyone's reaction is the same as ours? Looks like Ying, our sense of taste isn't the problem."

"Yes, indeed..."

Ying stuck out her little tongue, seemingly still wary of the taste of that rice ball.

This situation must have been quite heartbreaking for the person who made these rice balls.

"Huh? Are these rice balls really that bad...?"

Unconvinced, Xiangling picked up a rice ball from the table and started eating it, but things took a turn for the worse...

Even she, the chef herself, felt extremely uncomfortable eating it.

The taste is just like...

"Strange, why does it smell like Ice Mist Flower? But the scent isn't quite like Ice Mist Flower, what could it be..."

Just as Xiangling was feeling puzzled, Paimon, who was standing next to her, suddenly started eating the rice ball in small bites.

While eating, he couldn't help but let out satisfied laughter.

"Hehehe! Slime bait is really delicious! It was definitely the right thing to secretly save some after using it last time!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ying, who finally realized what was wrong, rushed over without saying a word, grabbed the emergency food that had been secretly mixed with seasonings, and pouted hard.

"Pay-Mont! What did you just say?"

"Waaaaah!!! No, I didn't say anything. I didn't put the bait of the righteous man in my food!"

Goodness, it turns out that this Ying's travel companion and spare food also has a habit of secretly leaving things behind?

It seems that since his encounter with Mona, this little guy has left some bait behind.

It seems that because they felt it was a waste to use bait to lure slimes, they just added it to the dish.

"This is really..."

Everyone in the store who knew about Paimon's mischief looked helpless.

The Death Star crew, who knew nothing about the so-called bait, were completely bewildered.

"What the heck? What did they put in this rice ball just now?"

"It looks like some kind of bait. Wow... I just ate a rice ball, could it be something?"

"Good heavens, you can even eat that kind of sweet stuff that makes you want to vomit?"

"How could I not be able to eat? I actually think it tastes pretty good. Don't believe me? Look at that Inatsume-no-Mae with the veil on her face, isn't she enjoying her meal just fine?"

Upon hearing this, Kiana and Ying were immediately shocked, and even Paimon, whose face was bruised and swollen, was surprised and pointed to Shadow, who was taking small bites of rice balls.

"She?! She?!"

"Wow! Finally, someone is interested in my cooking, hehe. Even though someone sabotaged it halfway through, I'm still so happy."

Xiangling was naturally overjoyed to see that someone liked her cooking.

However, compared to her novelty and fondness, Kiana and others had very different opinions.

"Um... Shadow, do you think there's anything wrong with this rice ball?"

"Hmm," the Thunder General Shadow, the ruler of Inazuma, swallowed the strange rice ball in his mouth in a small bite, then wiped his mouth. "It tastes alright, even sweeter than the Three-Colored Rice Balls. I really don't know how such a sweet rice ball is made."

"Uh..."

Upon hearing Shadow's question, Kiana and Ying exchanged bewildered glances.

They then unanimously expressed:

"I don't think you'd like it, never mind..."

Since Ying likes it, let her be?

It's unclear whether adding this bait, originally used to lure groups of slimes, into rice balls and having it eaten by demons would have any side effects.

But how could a demon god die because of such a small thing?

With that thought in mind, the two of them felt relieved.

After finishing their meal, Beidou and the others left Wanmintang in a rather leisurely manner.

Of course, they didn't forget to treat everyone to a meal before they left and settle the bill.

After these people left, Ying, on behalf of Kiana and Ying, told Xiangling the purpose of their trip.

"Xiangling, do you know about the Chef King Competition?"

The Battle Between Flame and Lightning and the Abyss (Genshin Impact): Chapter Twenty-Eight - Meeting the Thunder General on Tianquan Star

Upon hearing about the cooking competition, Xiangling immediately perked up:

"Hey? You mean that cooking competition? I'm planning to participate!"

Almost unsurprisingly, Xiangling showed a look of joy and curiosity upon hearing about the so-called Chef King Competition.

Upon seeing this, everyone wore an awkward yet polite smile.

Ultimately, Kiana and Ying's purpose in coming here was to inquire about the competition and see if they could get involved.

Since Xiangling seems so enthusiastic...

"While it's still early, why don't we ask other people for their opinions on the dish?"

Ying smoothed her hair and, unusually, took the initiative to ask Xiangling about her.

Kiana maintained her smile upon hearing this, but began to mutter to herself.

"That's good, Ying took the initiative to invite you. Xiangling will agree too, right?"

As if to confirm Kiana's guess, Xiangling immediately became interested upon hearing this.

She covered her chin, her eyes unusually sparkling:

"Hey? You want to know what other people think of the dishes? Great! I'd like to know that too, so I can cook dishes that everyone can enjoy!"

"Huh? Hahaha"

Xiangling's sudden excitement surprised everyone.

However, those present were all seasoned veterans, so they weren't too slow to react.

He quickly came to his senses.

"Ahem, Xiangling, are you going to go ask them? That would be fine..."

Ying loosened her slightly sore hands from beating Paimon, then gave a kind smile:

"Let's set off now while it's still early."

"Okay, sure. Let's include Guoba too."

After saying this, Xiangling casually put the rice crust from her waist.

Soon, this special ornament of extraordinary origin transformed into an adorable doll that could walk on its own, and began to hop and skip along with the group.

Since it wasn't too late, the group still had plenty of free time after visiting Hu Tao, Bai Shu, and others.

Since there was still plenty of time, Kiana suggested going to Jade Terrace for a look.

"Shadow, your rice ball...you haven't finished eating it yet?"

As Ying and Xiangling walked towards Yuqiongtai, Kiana turned around speechlessly and looked at the person still holding a rice ball.

Judging from their posture, the film crew hasn't finished eating yet...

At this very moment, the Inazuma Thunder General was taking small bites of the rice ball, which was so sweet it was almost unbearable.

It's hard to imagine that this special bait, capable of attracting hordes of slimes, could fascinate her so much...

"Well, that's fine too. At least there won't be any conflict, hmm... that's a good thing."

Kiana wanted to say more, but considering it wasn't a big deal, she chose to remain silent.

After all, right now, it's already a blessing if this Thunder General from Inazuma doesn't cause any major disturbance in Liyue.

If we run into Ningguang and the others later...

How to explain it is a big problem.

So, do I need to think about this later?

The only problem right now is...

Will Ningguang, who is of noble birth from Tianquan Star, simply ignore this top-tier combatant who has come all the way from Inazuma?

"Well, Tianquan Star probably won't be so easy to deal with... As long as the Qianyan Army remains silent, nothing should happen, right?"

With this thought in mind, Kiana and Shadow walked past the Chiiwa soldiers on guard duty without any burden, following Ying and Xiangling.

"You are... wait, who are you?"

"Huh? Do you find this strange? Wow, even now, are the people of Liyue still not used to Inazuma's guests?"

Kiana's overreaction left the Thousand Rock Army soldier, who stood guard like a gatekeeper with his white spear in hand, sweating profusely.

What does this have to do with anything?

What's wrong with me, a soldier from the Chiyan Army, asking a question to a suspicious stranger?

And why are you all heading towards Yuqiongtai for no reason?

Could it be that they intend to harm Lady Ningguang?

"How strange... Not long ago we discovered a strange rock that attracted Lady Keqing, but now these unfamiliar faces have suddenly appeared. Could there be some connection between them?"

Qianyan Jun closed his eyes and pondered for a while, then politely inquired:

"May I ask what brings you here, gentlemen?"

"It's nothing, we didn't plan to see Ningguang specifically." Kiana blinked.

"...So you've come to see Lady Ningguang?"