Grand Narukami Shrine, Inazuma.
Xia Zhi set down his pen and flipped through the completed sheet of music. Satisfied, he nodded to himself.
Venti's quill really was handy for composing.
He glanced at the clock. It was nearly noon. Time to head to the kitchen and teach Ei how to cook again.
When he arrived, he found her already busy at the stove.
The table beside her was covered with dishes—each one only missing a bite.
"You made all of these?" he asked.
"Yes," Ei said, nodding calmly.
"You've been in the kitchen all morning?"
"Correct."
Ever since Xia Zhi had placed that small tag around her neck earlier that day, her sense of taste had returned to normal. For the first time, she realized how strange her own cooking actually tasted.
At first, she'd felt a little defeated. But then she remembered how her sister used to eat every single dish she made—no matter how awful it was—always with a gentle smile.
That was her sister's love.
For her sister's sake, she couldn't give up. She would master cooking, no matter how long it took.
And until she could make something edible, she absolutely wouldn't serve her food to her sister again.
Xia Zhi looked over the dishes. Visually, they weren't bad at all. But taste was another story entirely.
"So," he asked, "any progress?"
Ei hesitated, then shook her head. "None."
"..."
"I followed your instructions exactly," she said, frowning slightly. "Same steps, same ingredients, same portions... but somehow, it always tastes strange."
Xia Zhi thought for a moment. "Maybe you should let the Shogun handle the cooking and go learn bartending from Diona instead."
Ei shook her head firmly. "A warrior must not surrender to failure."
"...Alright, fine. Then take a break. I'm going to make Gods' Temptation."
She nodded.
Xia Zhi began preparing the dish. It was a derivative of Adeptus' Temptation, though he'd replaced the ingredients with superior ones of extraordinary quality.
Normally, he bought his materials straight from the [Shop]. But now, with the [Seed-Converting Box], he could try cultivating them inside his Serenitea Pot. With its [Spirit] trait, the crops' quality should improve even further.
Who knew—maybe he could make an even higher-quality Gods' Temptation someday.
And it'd give his cousin something new to do as well.
As he worked, he set aside a few of the plant ingredients to store in the Box for nurturing.
Cooking was second nature to him by now. Venti and Azhdaha soon joined in, helping to carry dishes from the kitchen.
During lunch, Xia Zhi mentioned his upcoming project to clear out the sea ruins at Araumi.
Venti listened for a moment, then sighed. "That sounds... kinda boring."
For him, fighting war machines in Inazuma was nowhere near as fun as drinking in Mondstadt. Without enough faith energy, his divine power restored slowly. Maintaining Millennial Melody already took plenty out of him.
Dragon King, on the other hand, didn't mind. "I'm an architect now," he said with a rumble. "No construction's started yet, so a bit of excitement sounds fine."
Xia Zhi smiled. "If you come along, I'll give you a bottle of Essence."
"Essence?" Venti perked up.
Wasn't that the same powerful stuff Azhdaha had given Xia Zhi on their last trip?
He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "Well... even if it sounds dull, a friend's request is a friend's request! Of course I'll help!"
"So you're in?" Xia Zhi asked.
"Absolutely," Venti said, puffing his chest out proudly.
"I heard you once reshaped Mondstadt's landscape—flattened mountains into plains," Xia Zhi remarked.
Venti grinned. "Yep, that was me."
"Then you can reshape Araumi's terrain for me too," Xia Zhi said casually. "That area would make a perfect port."
"Ah, well..." Venti hesitated. "It's not the work that's the issue. It's the mana drain. Doing that kind of thing really eats at my power..."
"I'll give you two bottles of Essence," Xia Zhi offered.
Venti froze, then flashed a dazzling smile. "You can count on me, my friend! I'll make Araumi the prettiest port in all of Inazuma!"
"Good," Xia Zhi said with a nod.
Azhdaha suddenly cleared his throat. "Mr. Xia..."
"What is it?"
"I'm quite adept at altering landscapes myself," the dragon king said solemnly. "Perhaps you should entrust the project to me. I'll make sure Araumi is handled flawlessly."
Venti turned to glare at him. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"
"I only need one bottle of Essence," Azhdaha added calmly.
"You're undercutting me!" Venti shouted, pointing at him.
Xia Zhi rubbed his chin. "Hmm. You make a good point..."
"Wait, wait!" Venti blurted out. "You promised me first!"
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Relax. A deal's a deal. You'll handle Araumi. I'll call you next time, Dragon King."
The dragon king sighed regretfully, then raised his cup. "Fine. Let's drink."
Venti scowled but clinked glasses anyway. "You're impossible."
Across the table, Xia Ci laughed. "How about this—Venti, didn't you say this whole thing sounded boring at first?"
"I didn't! Don't twist my words!"
"Then hear me out," Xia Ci said with a teasing smile. "If you don't actually want to do it, why not subcontract it to Azhdaha? You'll still get the two bottles, and he only wants one. Win-win."
Venti paused mid-sip. That... actually made a lot of sense.
He could just sit back, do nothing, and still profit.
He turned to Azhdaha with a grin. "Ahem... my friend."
Azhdaha didn't even blink. "Sorry. I don't have friends like you."
"Hey, hey! Don't be like that! I was just joking earlier! You're my best friend, really! Think about it—we both benefit!"
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