I'm in the Teyvat running group

"No...no need...thank you, Master Yunxiu." Xinggui gently accepted her reward and quickly retreated to the back.

Chapter 427 All Talismans Prepared, Awaiting a Delicious Dish

Although Yunxiu was a little disappointed that she didn't manage to find a business genius along the way, she was still quite happy, since the things the students discussed were really effective.

Based on each person's strengths, some relics were given as gifts. Yunxiu sent the entire document to Yanfei and then began discussing the creation of talismans with Lishui. Yunxiu's own "Constellation" has a talent that can solidify spells without cost, namely the "Spell Sign Inscription" in the "Spark" Constellation. Currently, Yunxiu can even inscribe any spell below the eighth ring without cost, and the second and third rings are just a piece of cake.

Li Shui indicated that he could hand-craft several talismans to create props, which could be easily made by Yun Xiu providing the magic, but the talismans themselves required a cost.

Based on the situation in Teyvat, the actual cost of second and third-ring spells is around 60 to 150 Mora per spell. Even with large-scale production, it is difficult to reduce the cost to below 60 Mora. This is mainly because spells at this level begin to involve some costs related to laws, which are difficult to reduce.

As for the spells themselves, Yunxiu developed more than twenty second and third-ring cooking spells quite casually. This was much simpler for him than developing a legendary spell. From [Precise Cutting] and [Temporary Preservation] for food processing, to [Flavor Locking] and [Temperature Sensing] for cooking temperature and seasoning, as well as a series of spells such as [Firm Adjustment of Cooking Temperature] and [Rapid Cooling], there were a total of 27 spells in five categories.

Lishui quickly created a "template" for printing talismans. All it took was injecting specially formulated ink into it and printing it onto pre-made talisman paper.

Contestants can collect fifty talisman papers in advance, select the types they need on-site, and submit them. They will quickly receive fifty different talismans. Those who are eliminated early can keep them as a bonus.

Of course, you also need to cook a dish with a score of over 70 in the virtual world before you can register. Although it is a virtual creation, the score is not much different from the real one.

However, this selection is open to all countries of Teyvat, so Yunxiu immediately instructed Yanfei to start the selection process now. This way, all the contestants can be gathered as soon as possible. For those who are farther away, we may need to find a few legendary powerhouses who can fly fast to transport them. After all, it is quite easy for one person to carry a demiplane, especially for someone like Tvalin who can cross the entire Teyvat in a day.

"It seems everything is ready except for the final touch." Yunxiu looked at the few talismans she had casually tested in front of her with satisfaction, and smiled at Xiaoyue, "Now I should be able to slack off. Surely Yanfei won't dump this on me too, right?"

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"President...President Yanfei said these matters need to be reported to you..." Zhilin carried a large stack of documents to the backyard of Wanmintang and found Yunxiu sunbathing under her tree: "The applications that have been approved have been reviewed. President Yanfei asked me to ask you how the funds for the talismans should be calculated..."

"Um... how did you know I was here?" Yunxiu stood up from the recliner with a headache, took the documents and said helplessly, "Yanfei can just handle this kind of thing casually, or you can decide."

"I opened the door for you, Xiuxiu! Senior Sister Yanfei is so busy, why don't you lend a hand!" Xiangling poked her head out from the kitchen, smiling at Yunxiu: "Hurry up and take care of these things for Zhilin, I still need to develop dishes for the competition!"

Yunxiu shook her head helplessly, realizing that she had most likely been tricked by Yanfei and Xiangling working together...

He chuckled wryly twice, but quickly became serious and looked at Zhilin, saying, "Then give me a report. Let me see the details first."

“Okay…okay, it’s like this.” Zhilin cleared her throat and continued, “There were a total of 214249654 applicants this time, and 843154 of them passed the registration. Among them, 3418 are above the level of a Primordial God, 9 are at the level of a Familiar, 17 reported possessing divine artifacts, and 20916 have special talents. According to the calculation, we need to print a total of 42157700 talismans. Of course, my suggestion is to print 4300 million just in case…”

Seeing that Yunxiu did not raise any objections, she continued, "True Lord Lishui Dieshan has already given a specific cost estimate. The final cost can be reduced to 75 Mora per talisman, which will require approximately 32 billion Mora. This is the cost we need to pay for the talismans..."

32 billion... It's not too far from what I expected, but this scale is still relatively easy for me to handle.

“No problem, let’s proceed according to this plan. Leave it to Ningguang; we’re just the organizers this time.” Yunxiu took the documents, smiled, signed them, and handed them back to Zhilin: “I saw the discussion on Lingjing; it seems the preliminary preparations and payments have already begun? Did our chamber of commerce advance the funds?”

“No…no, this time it was True Lord Li Shui Die Shan who contributed two of his divine artifacts. One can be used to mass-produce talisman paper by pouring in materials, and the other can produce ink for printing. Of course, the materials are currently being provided by the Chamber of Commerce…” Zhi Lin thought for a moment, then took out another document and handed it to Yun Xiu before adding, “This paper is True Lord Li Shui Die Shan’s Crane Cry Paper, which is said to have excellent effects…”

Yunxiu took the document and glanced at it, quickly becoming quite interested. He looked at Zhilin and smiled, "Why don't we go to the site together? Maybe we can discover something interesting?"

"Huh? President, I still need to deliver the documents to Lady Ningguang."

"I'll deliver it." Yunxiu casually took the documents, waved his hand, and a spatial rift appeared in front of him. Opposite him was the tea table of Qunyu Pavilion. Yunxiu flicked the documents and handed them over lightly. He clapped his hands and smiled at Zhilin, saying, "Let's go. I'll explain things to Yanfei for you. I heard that Zhiqiong is also participating this time?"

"Yes... but it seems my sister didn't pass. She's currently helping maintain order at the site with the Surveyors Association..."

"Then we'd better dress up properly." Yunxiu waved her hand, and the two of them were instantly disguised and became invisible.

The two leisurely left Wanmin Hall and headed towards Chihu Rock, which was near Wanmin Hall and was also the location of the General Affairs Department.

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Yukio is a street vendor who sets up a stall at the Wood Leak Tea House. Out of more than ten million contestants in Inazuma, less than one hundred thousand made it to the finals, and he was one of them. But that's not surprising. Being able to set up a stall near the Wood Leak Tea House for more than ten years without being kicked out is a skill in itself. His grilled poultry skewers and fox ramen have been praised by gourmets like Ayato Kamisato, and are of an excellent standard.

However, his preliminary score was not high, 83 points, which is considered average among the Inazuma contestants.

"It wouldn't be bad to treat it as a trip..." Looking at the family behind him, Yukio couldn't help but happily think about what they could do in Liyue. After all, it was rare for the whole family to travel together, so perhaps it would be nice to spend more time in Liyue?

"Dad... what should we do now?" Xia asked Xingxiong curiously, looking at the bustling crowd around them. "Where are we staying... Dad, did you book a room?"

"Liyue has prepared houses for all the participants this time, and they are all suites." Yukio smiled: "The husband of that Miss Shenli, Yun Xianren, has developed a space expansion spell. Liyue is indeed rich and powerful. After Dad registers and receives the talismans, he can take you all with him."

"Daddy's awesome!" Xia hugged Yukio's arm and shook it, then dragged him toward the General Affairs Department. "Daddy, let's get it quickly!"

Yukio gave his wife and son a few words of advice, then bent down and picked up Xia before walking step by step toward the General Affairs Department. He had promised to take his daughter to see it.

After queuing for more than twenty minutes, Xingxiong finally got to the front of the line. Behind the window was a serious-looking middle-aged mage. He took out a crystal plate, scanned Xingxiong's body, and a line of text appeared on his screen.

"Yukio"

"Inazuma Narukami Island"

"Food: Fried Foods & Snacks"

Preliminary Round Score: 83.3 points

Rank: 41221

"Eligibility: Valid"

"Identity verified. Please select your talisman type. You can choose up to 7 categories and 50 talismans." The middle-aged mage flipped his crystal plate over and handed it to Xingxiong, showing him the names of twenty-seven different talismans.

When he saw Xia, he smiled slightly, a rare occurrence. Then he lowered his voice and said, "It's rare to see parents bringing their children to the competition. I can give you a free tip: for your fried food, try to consider temperature sensing and fine-tuning of the heat, and then add some rapid cooling and juice retention to ensure the taste."

He smiled and winked at Yukio: "Besides, [Rapid Cooling] is a two-way talisman. This talisman can also be converted into [Long-lasting Heat Retention]. Fried food should need this the most, right?"

Yukio thought for a moment and realized that what the middle-aged mage said made a lot of sense. He nodded and said, "Then I'll leave it to you. As for the quantity... the most important one, [Quick Cooling], needs 20 copies, and the others 10 each."

"Alright." The monk took a piece of paper, quickly wrote down a line of numbers, and gently handed it to Yukio, saying, "You can collect it on your left after you go out. Just hand it to them."

Xingxiong took the paper and saw that it was clearly written: 20 sheets for "Rapid Cooling", 10 sheets each for "Juice Retention", "Temperature Sensing", and "Fine-Fitting of Cooking". He thanked her and left with his daughter.

Stepping outside and walking to the window on the left, a young girl sat beneath a row of strangely colored mechanisms. Yukio handed her a piece of paper, which she took with a slight smile. She then pressed a few buttons behind her, and soon a pale gold brocade bag fell down. She picked up the bag and handed it to Yukio: "This bag is also a gift for everyone. It's a storage bag specially made by Mr. Yunxiu as a perk. Inside are fifty talismans."

Yukio took the storage bag, touched it gently, and a talisman appeared in his hand.

"Temperature Fine-tuning - Three Rings - C-02 - 432541: Adjusts temperature by ±15% within 300 seconds, allowing for precise sensing."

“C is the cooking aid category, 02 means it’s the second type in the aid category, and the following number is the code. This is the 432541st.” The girl smiled at Yukio and said, “Please keep these safe. Even if you are eliminated from the competition, you can take them back as a bonus.”

Xingxiong took the talisman bag in his hand, thanked them softly a few times, and left with his daughter.

Yunxiu and Zhilin stood aside, watching the middle-aged man from Inazuma who had brought his daughter to the competition, and the young woman from the General Affairs Department who saw off one chef after another who came to collect talismans. Yunxiu could already see the little bit of wish power related to food and human nature gathering above the heads of these chefs.

Although it was most likely Yan Fei's private decision to give each contestant a storage bag, the additional cost would only be around 20 billion, which is perfectly acceptable for the Chamber of Commerce. It would be worthwhile to gather more wish power.

The competition will officially begin in three days.

Chapter 428 The topic was determined by drawing lots; the mandarin fish was plump.

One contestant after another took their talisman packs. [Temperature Perception] and [Rapid Cooling] were the most popular, because cooking time and temperature are indeed the most important parts of a dish.

However, some contestants occasionally choose special options like "salt balance" or "accelerated proofing." The latter is mainly to speed up fermentation. Only a few choose comprehensive auxiliary options like "aroma diffusion," which is mainly for contestants who are good at making desserts.

Yunxiu even saw Xiangling take the initiative to collect fifty talismans, mainly choosing [Non-destructive Slicing], [Removing Fishy Odors], and [Moisture Retention]. This was mainly because the cost of using the artifact was indeed extremely high. Using it once might result in not being able to finish within the allotted time and facing a deduction of points, so it was a helpless move. However, as the top chef in Liyue Harbor, Xiangling's arrival still caused a small sensation.

Because she was a genuine top three in the preliminary rounds among hundreds of millions of contestants in the entire Spirit Realm.

"Vice President Xiangling is really remarkable. She actually came to collect this herself." Zhilin said while munching on an apple she took out of her storage bag. "I thought someone as important as her would have someone deliver it to her home. This time, the seeded players can choose to have it delivered to their homes."

“Xiangling isn’t that kind of person, and Wanmintang isn’t far from here.” Yunxiu smiled as she looked at Xiangling, but she suddenly noticed that Xiangling had glanced in her direction, then walked straight up to her and whispered, “Someone special will be coming later, so don’t go watching the show.”

"!" Zhilin was so shocked that she dropped the apple in her hand. Her mouth gaped open, and she couldn't speak: "This..."

Yunxiu squeezed Xiangling's hand helplessly and gently stroked her palm, but she quickly understood why Xiangling had discovered her... As her wife, Xiangling possessed the Kiss of Time, which also served as a location tracking device, since the energy was constantly being transferred from Yunxiu.

Xiangling nodded, then left with her small bag and fifty talismans.

"Is this the unspoken understanding between husband and wife? It's amazing!" Zhilin stared blankly at Yunxiu and Xiangling, then bounced back and forth a couple more times to make sure she wasn't being seen. She turned to Yunxiu and said, "President Yunxiu..."

“This is a spell…” Yunxiu looked weakly at the three heads that emerged at the end of the road. He now understood why Xiangling had told him that someone special was coming…

Those were Hu Tao, Zhong Li, and Gui Zhong. The three of them strolled all the way from Crimson Cloud Slope in Liyue Harbor, constantly greeting the people around them, causing an absolutely enormous chaos.

Many people surrounded them, asking all sorts of questions. Zhongli and Guizhong smiled and answered everyone. Hu Tao was overjoyed, greeting everyone like a big star. However, she was no different from a big star in Liyue Harbor. Now, many people speculate that Hu Tao is the daughter of the Emperor, but it's a melodramatic story that she was fostered by the Hu family in the Hall of Rebirth when she was young.

Seeing the impending chaos, Yunxiu patted Zhilin's shoulder helplessly, deactivated her invisibility, and handed her a silver-white card: "Go to the Mage Association and transfer a batch of high-level mages over here. They must be at least at the Genshin Impact level. Take my identification card."

The Mage Association is nearby, and Zhilin can make a quick round trip. This place is no longer under the control of ordinary mages; a group of high-level mages need to be transferred here.

Zhilin nodded and left with the card in her hand, while Yunxiu revealed himself, multiplying from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to ten thousand, instantly creating tens of thousands of Yunxiu figures. They began to take over from the association's staff and organize the scene. This was the [Multi-Projection Technique], which actually didn't have much combat power. Even Yunxiu's strength could only be maintained at around the fourth ring, but given his reputation and status, it was the only way to control the situation as much as possible.

Finally, just as Zhongli and his two companions reached the door, a large group of Genshin Impact mages from the Mage Association arrived and took over control of the situation, bringing order back to normal.

"Speaking of which... why did the three of you end up together? Did you all participate?" Yunxiu looked helplessly at the three in front of him. Zhongli was alright, but Guizhong and Hutao were clearly two problem children. He could only turn his gaze to Zhongli: "Your Majesty, logically speaking, you are a judge and shouldn't be participating..."

"I've brought these two here to receive the talismans," Zhongli said, stroking his non-existent beard. "Most of the immortals participated and passed the preliminary rounds. It's a pity that I, as a judge, cannot participate."

“I think you are the most suitable person to be a judge…” Yunxiu looked at Hu Tao’s eager expression: “Aren’t you very busy lately? How can you find the time?”

"Two very talented newcomers have arrived at Shenyu Valley's Rebirth Hall, and I've trained them well!" Hu Tao happily held up the crystal plate in her hand: "Look, I got 81 points! Maybe I can get even higher!"

I think you'll probably be eliminated in the first round. I just saw a guy with 83 points, who's only average...

Yunxiu muttered a complaint to herself, then looked at Guizhong and said, "That Immortal Guizhong..."

"I'm a culinary master, you know. I'm not much worse than your Xiangling." Gui Zhong showed off the crystal plate in his hand. Yun Xiu took a closer look and, sure enough, it was true. The total score was as high as 97.7, ranking eighth in Liyue! This was even considering that she, as a celestial being, didn't know much about the dishes from recent years!

Fine……

Yunxiu, with a headache, personally led the two to receive the talismans. Hu Tao chose the same ones as Xiang Ling, while Gui Zhong chose [Accelerated Awakening] and [Lossless Slicing], plus [Aroma Diffusion], making it look like they were going to make desserts. This surprised Yunxiu. The Emperor then explained at the right moment, "Many of Liyue's desserts nowadays are her creations. The 'baozi' from back then was her invention."

"I was a pastry master back in the day, and in terms of skill, I'm not much worse than Maxius." Gui Zhong smiled as he flipped through his talismans one by one, and even took one out to examine it carefully.

"Aroma Diffusion · Triple Ring · E-05 · 4325: Apply this spell before serving to allow the aroma of the dish to diffuse evenly within a 10-meter radius for 600 seconds."

"Morax, look, this must be what your son researched!"

"The talisman is of extremely high quality, with concise runes. It must be the work of Xiaoyue." Zhongli took the talisman and examined it briefly before nodding. "The cost should have been controlled as well. It is indeed a rare and excellent item that can be used in the war later on."

The three put away the talismans and left. Yunxiu did not let the mages go back, but let them stay. Today was the last day, and it would probably be over after they were all distributed. After that, it would be the contestants' preparation time. Judging from Zhongli and Guizhong's situation, there might be some unexpected trouble later.

Sure enough, the closer it got to the end, the more unexpected things happened. Yunxiu even saw Ziqiao and Ruotuo Dragon King coming over!

The two of them came together. Ziqiao and Ruoduo Dragon King each received fifty talismans. Although the hunchbacked man's popularity was not as high as the Emperor's, he was still one of the high-level gods recognized by the people of Liyue, which naturally caused a sensation. When Ziqiao, the legendary white horse immortal, appeared in the world, it attracted a lot of legends.

But just as the staff started cleaning up in the evening, a suspicious-looking person came and stood in front of the window.

"I need 10 [Destructive Slicing] sheets, 20 [Temperature Sensing] sheets, and 20 [Rapid Cooling] sheets... I don't need the storage bag." A mysterious figure wearing a large hat and wrapped in a cloak extended a fair arm, holding a peculiar Dudu bag in his hand: "Just put them here..."

"Commander Qin... I never expected you to be involved in this kind of entertainment..." Yunxiu suddenly appeared behind the mysterious person, startling her.

"Oh dear... who... ah, it's Yunxiu." Qin relaxed quickly after realizing it was Yunxiu. She brushed her hair aside and smiled helplessly, "As the leader of the Knights, it's still troublesome for me to show my face in public... but I originally only participated in the competition for fun, but I didn't expect to advance. I was thinking of giving it a try and taking a few days off."

Yunxiu nodded. That wasn't surprising. Qin was a cautious person. She had indeed been in Liyue these past few days because of a series of events. Yunxiu just hadn't expected her cooking skills to be so good.

After receiving her fifty talismans, Qin pulled up her hood and quickly disappeared in a streak of blue light. She was the last contestant to arrive.