"Hehe~~"
"You two get along so well. Actually, I've got a friend just like you."
"His name's Guoba. Next time we meet up, I'll introduce you."
Xiangling was really just teasing.
Of course she could tell Lumine and Paimon were partners.
And Lumine had clearly picked up on Xiangling's sense of humor too, so she'd just been playing along.
Only Paimon, the little one, was still completely in the dark.
"Guoba? Why is it food again?"
"Do all you chefs like naming things after whatever you eat?"
Xiangling giggled and pulled out the Guoba charm hanging at her waist to show them.
"Haha, it's because it's cute!"
"Oh, right, right—could you help me with some hunting?"
"There are so many animals here. They're all top-notch ingredients!"
"I can't handle it all by myself. If I let them go, it'd be such a waste."
Only then did Xiangling remember what she'd originally come here to do—
she was here to catch forest boars, not stand around chatting.
Paimon spread her little hands, clearly uninterested.
"Sounds like a pain. I don't wanna."
"Don't say that."
"If you help me out, I'll cook something really tasty for you later. How about it?"
"Don't be fooled by my age—I'm a real chef, you know!"
The moment she heard there would be delicious food, Paimon the bottomless pit instantly abandoned her previous stance and agreed without a second thought.
Lumine's opinion didn't even factor into the decision.
"Okay! Tasty food—it's a deal!"
"Lumine's super good at this!"
Lumine shot Paimon a helpless look and pressed a hand to her forehead.
Could you stop ignoring my opinion for once?
Just in the past few days, this little glutton had stirred up who knew how many incidents in the name of food.
Lumine was starting to seriously consider stewing her and eating her just to save on maintenance.
Xiangling hurried to smooth things over.
"Come on, don't sweat the details."
"We're all friends here. Since your friend already agreed, I'll be counting on you."
"Could you help me hunt one forest boar?"
But as soon as Xiangling finished, Lumine shook her head.
"Xiangling, I should probably tell you something not-so-good."
"The forest boars here all belong to the hunters of Springvale."
"They aren't wild, so we can't just hunt them."
Even though there were no fences around the boars, that was only to keep their meat tender and flavorful.
Instead of penning them in, the hunters let them roam freely through the woods, eating wild fruits and living as naturally as possible.
And when the boars were on the verge of going hungry, the hunters would even bring them feed,
making sure they grew up plump and healthy so they could bring in steady income for Springvale.
"Ah?"
"So that's why there are so many forest boars here… I knew it was weird."
Only now did Xiangling realize what was going on.
No wonder there were at least thirty to fifty forest boars gathered in one place.
Under normal circumstances, there was no way that many wild boars would all cluster together in the open like this.
It had to be a managed herd.
If she laid hands on these boars, that wouldn't be hunting.
That would be theft.
As the next successor of Wanmin Restaurant and one of Liyue's top chefs, how could she stoop to petty, sneaky crimes like a common thief?
"Then what should I do? I really wanted to make a big feast for myself and for you two."
"Is there any other way?"
Lumine thought for a moment, then clapped her hands.
"Oh, I know. I heard from Diona that Springvale's pork has been piling up."
"These days, if you go to the village hunters and ask to buy pork, they definitely won't turn you away."
"How about we just buy a boar?"
Xiangling considered it, then nodded.
"That could work. I just don't know how much one boar costs."
"Would ten thousand mora be enough?"
As a top-tier chef, Xiangling could judge a boar's quality from the sheen of its fur and the lines of its muscles.
In her eyes, these forest boars left Liyue's far behind by several leagues.
A boar in Liyue might go for a bit over a thousand mora, and the meat was… passable at best.
Good enough to get by, but far from ideal if you wanted truly outstanding cuisine.
Of course, that didn't mean you could only make good food with the best ingredients.
Thinking like that would be putting the cart before the horse.
A true chef ought to be able to turn the most ordinary ingredients into the most delicious dishes.
But if you had access to top-tier ingredients, who would willingly stick to average ones?
Wanmin Restaurant might cater to the general public's tastes, but that didn't mean Xiangling couldn't pursue high-end cooking as well.
Besides, forest boar was basically a staple on everyday menus.
It wasn't some rare dragon meat or anything like that.
If the price was reasonable, maybe it was time for Wanmin Restaurant to switch pork suppliers.
With that, the three of them headed toward Springvale.
Lumine led the way. She'd accepted commissions here several times before and had met Springvale's head hunter—Duraf, Diona's father.
"Hello, Mister Duraf. I'm Lumine. Do you still remember us?"
Arriving at Duraf's house, they found him there as expected, seemingly in the middle of preparing his hunting gear.
Lumine stepped forward to greet him, and Duraf finally came out of the house.
"Oh, it's you two—the Traveler and Paimon, right? What brings you here?"
"I don't have any commissions for you at the moment. If you're looking for work, you should try Mondstadt City."
Of course Duraf recognized Lumine and Paimon—especially Paimon.
Flying companions were rare enough, but a duo like theirs?
You wouldn't find another pair like that anywhere else in Teyvat.
Naturally, they'd left quite an impression on him.
"It's not that, Mister Duraf. This is Xiangling."
"She saw how good your forest boars are and wanted to ask if she could buy one to cook with."
"What do you think?"
As usual, Paimon took over as the spokesperson and handled the negotiations with Duraf.
The moment Duraf heard the name "Xiangling," he froze.
Which Xiangling?
The Xiangling from Wanmin Restaurant in Liyue Harbor?
If it was really her, didn't that mean Springvale was saved?
Duraf looked at Xiangling in delight, almost pleading.
"You're Miss Xiangling from Wanmin Restaurant, aren't you? Please, help Springvale!"
"Our meat products have piled up so much we can't finish them. If this keeps up, everything will spoil."
"Please help us promote our pork. If you're worried about the quality, I can slaughter one right now and let you taste it yourself!"
"Ah????"
Paimon and Lumine both crashed out in shock.
What was going on?
Weren't they just here to buy pork?
Xiangling was… this famous?
(End of Chapter)
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