Caelg didn't head straight back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Instead, he took a detour—to say hello to an old acquaintance.
After all, during that stretch of time earlier, he'd introduced countless "hometown dishes" here. If it was something he could think of, he'd probably cooked it already.
The only regret?
No crayfish in Teyvat.
Otherwise, spicy crawfish would've shaken Liyue to its core.
"Ah! Brother Cael! When did you get back?!"
The moment he stepped into Wanmin Restaurant, Xiangling rushed over.
"Just now," Caelg replied with a grin, hands on his hips. "Literally just arrived in Liyue Harbor."
From the kitchen, Chef Mao wiped his hands on a towel and came out, smiling broadly.
"Cael's back! You really caused a stir in Mondstadt this time."
"…Caused a stir?"
Caelg tilted his head. "You mean the Stormterror thing? The news traveled that fast?"
Xiangling nodded furiously, eyes shining.
"Of course! Everyone's talking about it! They say you were part of the team and acted as the strategic brain—the one giving commands! That's amazing!"
Caelg froze.
Strategic brain?
He'd mostly just solved mechanisms and stayed out of the way.
The rumor mill in Liyue was terrifying.
"It's exaggerated," he waved it off. "The final blow was the Traveler's. She did the real work."
"But that doesn't mean you didn't contribute!" Xiangling protested.
"She became an Honorary Knight, and you got nothing—clearly unfair!"
Caelg laughed, flicking her forehead lightly.
"I turned it down. Too much trouble. Not my thing."
And he meant it.
Mondstadt's brand of "help everyone with everything" was exhausting.
Some errands were so absurd he still remembered them vividly.
Looking for a cat… and they sent the Acting Grand Master.
If not for Primogems, he'd have walked away long ago.
"Brother Cael?" Xiangling asked, puzzled. "You spaced out."
"Ah—sorry," he said quickly, scratching his head. "Just remembered something."
Chef Mao chuckled.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Sit down. I'll cook for you. I've mastered all the dishes you taught me—my skills have leveled up!"
Caelg was about to agree when—
"I'll do it! I'll cook!" Xiangling raised her hand enthusiastically.
"I want to make it for Brother Cael!"
Chef Mao sighed, already seeing this coming, and stepped aside.
Caelg didn't mind.
As long as it was food.
The dishes were simple: Yangzhou fried rice, tomato-and-egg stir-fry—home-style meals.
After a few bites, Caelg paused.
This is way better than last month.
He gave her a thumbs-up.
"Really good. You've improved a lot, Xiangling."
She scratched her cheek shyly.
"That's mostly because of what you taught me before…"
As he ate, Caelg noticed someone missing.
"Where's Xier? Not working today?"
"Oh!" Xiangling replied.
"She took the day off because you're back. Wait—don't tell me you didn't go to Wangsheng first?"
Caelg laughed.
"On the way. Thought I'd stop by here first.
So—how's everything been? Yun Jin's performances going well?"
Xiangling nodded.
"Pretty well. But she said without you as a partner, things don't feel as smooth. She's very… perfectionist."
Caelg twitched.
He'd never officially agreed to be Yun Jin's partner—
He just performed with her when bored and got paid.
"…And Hu Tao?" he asked cautiously. "Behaving herself?"
At that, Xiangling fell silent.
Caelg sighed. "Just say it. I can take it."
"Well…" Xiangling rubbed her temple.
"She's almost been arrested by the Millelith twice a week lately.
'One-stop funeral services,' 'Buy Wangsheng premium, get high-definition Zhongli posters'—the wilder it is, the better it sells."
Caelg awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"…Yeah. Wonder who taught her that."
"Oh, and one more thing," Xiangling added.
"Xier's been acting strange lately—talking to herself sometimes. Like she's speaking to someone else. You should check on her."
Caelg's expression stiffened.
Talking to herself…?
He shook his head.
"Probably nothing," he muttered. "I'll look into it."
After finishing the meal, he stood.
"Thanks, Xiangling. That was great."
"Stop praising me!" she laughed. "I'll start floating!"
He waved goodbye and headed toward Wangsheng.
A short distance away—
Thump.
Someone ran into him, bouncing backward and landing on the ground.
"Ah—sorry!"
She looked up.
"Caelg?!"
He blinked.
"…Yun Jin?"