Genshin Impact: I, Heavenly Principle, Will Make Teyvat Supreme

Xiangling blushed shyly, swaying slightly as she spoke. "The best chef in Liyue? I'm nowhere near that level yet."

Hu Tao chuckled mischievously and said, "Let me introduce her to everyone—this is Xiangling, the chef of Wanmin Restaurant, the best eatery in Liyue. She's also the future top chef of the region. Her cooking is bold and innovative, and everyone who's tasted it sings its praises."

In her opinion, while Xiangling occasionally made some rather peculiar dishes, whenever she got serious about cooking, her food tasted a thousand times better than the seemingly high-class dishes served at places like Liuli Pavilion or Xinyue Kiosk.

Blushing even more, Xiangling said, "Hello, everyone. Please take a seat. I'll prepare some delicious dishes for you right away." After speaking, she turned toward the bear-like creature helping her carry plates.

"Guoba, can you bring a menu over and serve some tea for the guests?" she asked.

The clumsy little Guoba waddled over, emitting soft grumbling sounds, its face full of humor. Standing on its tiptoes, it placed the menu on the table.

Noticing Lumine and Paimon's curious expressions as they stared at Guoba, Hu Tao quickly said, "This is Guoba, a pet that Xiangling picked up somewhere. It's incredibly smart and often helps her out in the kitchen."

Paimon's eyes widened. "What a clever little pet!"

Hu Tao nodded. "But compared to you, Paimon, Guoba is still a bit slow."

Paimon puffed up with pride. "That's right, I'm way smarter!" She paused for a moment to think and then realized something was off. Puffing up her cheeks in frustration, she glared at Hu Tao. "I'm not Lumine's pet! I'm her best companion and her guide!"

Lumine gave Paimon a side-eye, her expression dripping with disdain. You still dare to call yourself a guide? You've been completely useless, and I've been the one taking care of you this whole time.

Zhongli calmly took the tea that Guoba handed to him and thanked it politely, though there was a subtle, complex emotion hidden in his gaze as he looked at the little creature.

Noah noticed this and patted Zhongli's shoulder with a smile. "Zhongli, don't worry. You'll get your milk and bread eventually."

How could Zhongli not understand the meaning behind the Heavenly Principle's words? A rare smile broke through his usually solemn expression as he nodded. "You're right."

This Heavenly Principle was someone who rewarded merit and punished wrongdoing with precision. As long as he contributed, he had no doubt his old friends would return.

Hu Tao clicked her tongue in amazement. "Wow, this is the second time I've seen Consultant Zhongli smile. Noah, you're truly remarkable. Could you teach me your secret?"

With that, she hopped over to Noah's side, pressing her hands down on his shoulders.

This Consultant of hers—always so composed, so old-fashioned, and perpetually wearing a stern expression—rarely showed any emotion, whether happy or angry. She was genuinely curious.

Noah smirked slightly. "Ah, it's a secret. But for Director Hu, I might be willing to share. Lean in close, and I'll tell you."

Hu Tao leaned in eagerly, her curiosity piqued. She was genuinely dying to know Zhongli's secret.

Yae Miko, noticing the mischievous glint in Noah's eyes, immediately realized that he was up to no good. Internally, she sighed. Poor Hu Tao, still so naive.

"This, this, and this," Noah whispered, his tone full of wicked delight. "Do this, and Zhongli will definitely lose his composure."

"Oh, oh, I see! That makes so much sense! But… will Consultant Zhongli get mad?"

"Of course not! He definitely won't. Trust me—he and I are like sworn brothers. I know him inside and out."

"Alright then, I'll give it a try. What a great idea!"

Zhongli, watching the two of them whispering conspiratorially, felt his hand twitch slightly. Though he was old, his hearing was still sharp. His usually stoic face almost broke its composure.

Meanwhile, Paimon, acting as Lumine's spokesperson, asked curiously, "What's that sneaky guy talking about with Miss Overly Friendly?"

At that moment, Xiangling began bringing out the dishes. In no time, the table was filled with a feast.

After taking a few bites, Noah praised her enthusiastically. "Not bad, not bad at all. Honestly, this is some of the best food I've ever tasted."

Now this—this was real food. Back on Earth, what he had eaten barely counted. It was either oversaturated with salt and MSG or loaded with industrial additives. But this? Completely natural, handcrafted by Xiangling herself—he almost swallowed his tongue in delight.

Xiangling blushed and scratched her head, clearly embarrassed. "You're too kind."

Looking at the shy, girl-next-door figure before him, Noah chuckled warmly. "With your culinary skills, Xiangling, if you keep improving, you won't just become Liyue's best chef. You'll become the best in all of Teyvat. Becoming the God of Cooking would be well within reach."

Hu Tao exclaimed in astonishment, "Wow, Noah, that's high praise!"

Xiangling's face turned even redder. "That's way too much praise. Teyvat's best chef? The God of Cooking? That's way too exaggerated. You're making me blush so much I can't stand it."

Noah pointed to the Vision hanging at Xiangling's waist. "Look—your ambition has already been recognized by the gods. Believe in yourself, just like they do."

Xiangling blushed even more and nodded shyly before retreating in embarrassment. "I have other customers to serve. I hope you all enjoy the meal!" With that, she fled.

Hu Tao gave Noah a thumbs-up. "Xiangling's never run away from a compliment before. Noah, you're incredible!"

Noah grinned proudly. "Naturally."

Yae Miko, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. Poor, naive Hu Tao. You've completely fallen for his charm.

Meanwhile, Lumine and Paimon, both perpetually broke and often hungry, were quietly wolfing down their food.

Forget talking; we're here to eat. If you're not eating enthusiastically, there's something wrong with your brain.

Even Zhongli silently watched Xiangling's retreating figure with a thoughtful expression.

The God of Cooking, huh?

After leaving Wanmin Restaurant:

Paimon patted her round, full belly. "Ahh, that was so delicious. I'm so stuffed I can barely float."

Lumine also patted her stomach contentedly. Before reaching Mondstadt, she had survived on wild berries, river fish, and stolen bird eggs—never anything as good as this. Even in Mondstadt, most of the Mora she earned as an adventurer went straight into Paimon's bottomless stomach. Today was the first time she'd eaten so well.

Turning to Zhongli and Noah, Lumine said, "Thank you, Consultant Zhongli, for treating us. And thank you, Noah, for telling me how to meet the Geo Archon. I'm going to search for the Adepti now. Goodbye."

Paimon patted her belly and said, "Goodbye, sneaky guy. And goodbye to that little faker who was pretending to be me!"

Istaroth crossed her arms and huffed. "Hmph. Greedy Paimon, I'm going to give you an awful nickname—'Glutton.'"

Paimon bristled, stomping her foot in the air. "You, you, you—"

Before she could finish, Lumine grabbed her and said, "Alright, Paimon, let's go."

After parting ways with Lumine, Zhongli was whisked away by Hu Tao to discuss business collaborations with Yae Miko. Yae Miko, in turn, wanted to leverage Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's influence to attract Liyue merchants to Inazuma and revive the nation's economy, which was in dire need of trade.

The two found themselves deep in discussion, hitting it off as they talked about business opportunities. Later, as Yae Miko left Liyue Harbor with Noah, she still had a satisfied smile on her face.

"That Consultant Zhongli certainly is knowledgeable. This collaboration with Wangsheng Funeral Parlor went remarkably well—it's exactly what Inazuma needs right now."

Istaroth sidled up with a sly grin and added, "Of course. That Consultant Zhongli, also known as Morax, is over 6,000 years old. Of course he's knowledgeable."

Yae Miko froze mid-step, her expression twisting in shock. "W-what?! Mo-Mo-Morax?!"

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