"Pfft——"
Silver Wolf almost sprayed her happy water all over the screen. After coughing twice, she said: "I saw you playing chess and thought you were both wise and brave. And you're telling me you were playing Gomoku?"
Although the type of chess actually has nothing to do with intelligence, most people have this common impression of chess:
Playing Go = profound game between masters, full of strategizing.
Playing Gomoku = childish.
This is the first impression most people have of different board games. So when the viewers realized what kind of chess Jun Bai and Guizhong were actually playing, their minds instantly did a complete flip.
From a wise man to a ruler who still retained a childlike heart.
As a result, Jun Bai's popularity value, which had recently dropped to zero, rose once again.
Image contrast is also a source of character popularity. Jun Bai looked at the rising popularity value and secretly laughed in his heart.
"You didn't secretly move the pieces while I wasn't paying attention, did you?" Guizhong looked at the chessboard with an unconvinced expression.
"You think I'm Mountain Shaper? This way of playing is something I taught you. Do I need to cheat to beat you?"
Jun Bai calmly drank his tea.
Even if you, Guizhong, are intelligent and can strategize from a thousand miles away, sorry, when this old man was dominating the entire grade in high school, you were still just a speck of dust.
Beating you is as easy as flipping my hand!
Guizhong puffed up her cheeks, then formed a hand seal. The pieces on the chessboard returned to their original positions, as if the game had never happened.
[My wife's move is so cool!]
[Anyone related to the Archons really isn't simple. Both Venti before and Guizhong now.]
"So amazing, how did you do that?" Paimon asked with sparkling eyes.
Guizhong said lightly: "It's just a simple spell technique. If you want to learn it, Paimon, I can teach you."
"Really?" Paimon said in surprise.
"Of course. It's very simple. You can learn it in one day." Guizhong smiled.
"You're not mentioning at all that cultivating the adeptal energy required to successfully cast it takes at least a year of bitter training." Jun Bai quietly added from the side.
"Then forget it. I won't learn it."
The moment she heard it required a year of bitter training, Paimon instantly lost all interest in the technique Guizhong had used.
Guizhong smiled and stopped speaking.
[Feels like Guizhong has a black-bellied attribute…]
[Black-bellied little loli. I like her even more!]
"By the way, Jun Bai, on the way here I heard Miss Bonanus say you prepared a banquet to entertain us?"
Paimon skipped over the previous topic and spoke while drooling. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to find the "banquet" Bonanus had mentioned.
Just walking up from the bottom floor of Fengdeng Lou, the aroma alone had already made the empty-stomached Paimon ravenous.
"Yes. This is a welcoming banquet I prepared for you as the host." After Jun Bai spoke, he snapped his fingers.
Instantly, clouds and mist surged into the room.
When the clouds parted, Lumine looked at the completely different scenery and felt shocked.
Was this still in Liyue?
Jun Bai and Guizhong were sitting at a dining table with eight covered dishes on it.
The young man beckoned to Lumine: "Come quickly. These were personally made by the manager of Fengdeng Lou at my request."
Paimon flew over directly. Lumine followed at a leisurely pace.
"Is this also a simple spell technique?" Lumine sat down after pulling out a chair and asked with a smile.
"Adeptal Art: Exterior Scenery Method. The principle isn't difficult, but for ordinary people to learn it requires more than twenty years of bitter training." Jun Bai explained, then looked at Guizhong.
Guizhong understood tacitly and formed another hand seal.
Eight lifelike Sparrow puppets flew over and lifted the lids off the dishes.
Instantly, steam rose and an overwhelming fragrance filled the air.
[They actually used real object demonstration? MiHoYo, you're using my memory to load food models?]
[Boiled cabbage? Nine Treasures? The moment I saw these two familiar dishes I knew I had to @Nanxiang.]
[All eight dishes are the kind only served at state banquets. Brother Bai, you really didn't treat us as outsiders!]
[More than that, I want to know if the Sparrow puppets that flew over earlier will get merch. @GenshinImpact]
Silver Wolf casually took a screenshot, planning to look up the real-life prototypes of these dishes after the stream to broaden her knowledge.
While the players were still discussing which eight dishes Jun Bai had prepared for the banquet, Lumine and Paimon's welcoming feast had already come to an end.
Paimon rubbed her round belly with a satisfied face. Jun Bai estimated that her flying altitude had dropped a little.
Lumine's condition wasn't much better. She had told herself to be reserved before picking up the chopsticks because others were present. Yet one bite later, her appetite far exceeded normal.
It was a potential explosion.
"How did you find this welcoming banquet?"
"Too satisfying. I never imagined food could taste this good." The foodie Paimon gave her review.
"As long as you're satisfied." Jun Bai smiled.
Guizhong elegantly wiped her mouth and said: "I'm just riding on your coattails. This guy Jun Bai usually only treats me to the second floor."
"You're in Guili Assembly all day. Every time I come, you make me treat you. Coming to the third floor every single day—do you really think the boss and chefs don't need to serve other guests?" Jun Bai rolled his eyes.
Then Jun Bai looked at Lumine and said: "I have already asked the Geo Archon. He agreed to meet with you after the Rite of Descension."
"Thank you." Lumine nodded gratefully.
"You're welcome. Rest for a while now. Later I will go with you to Liyue Harbor. The Rite of Descension will begin there." Jun Bai said.
After that, the game entered free exploration mode.
Silver Wolf only wanted to continue the story right now, so she immediately stood up from the chair and went to talk to Jun Bai.
Jun Bai: "Have you rested enough? Then let's go."
Dialogue choice: "I've rested enough."
Jun Bai nodded: "Good. I'll take you to Liyue Harbor."
Guizhong smiled and waved: "Have a safe trip. I won't go with you."
Jun Bai stood up: "You can see the Geo Archon whenever you want, can't you? There's no need to miss this time."
[Goodbye wife. The teleport waypoint has been unlocked. I'll come back to see you.]
[Can see him whenever she wants? Looks like not only Jun Bai, but even Wife Guizhong has a pretty good relationship with the Geo Archon.]
[I think we can guess boldly—Guizhong is actually the Geo Archon Morax we're looking for! Otherwise her appearance in this plot would be very strange.]
[6. Anyone who actually looked carefully at the three statues in the square wouldn't make that guess.]
Then the screen went dark, and a line of text appeared:
"Jun Bai put away the Exterior Scenery Method, carried you and Paimon on his back, spread his flaming wings, and flew toward Liyue Harbor. After a bumpy ride, you arrived at Liyue Harbor before throwing up."
Afterward, a full panoramic view of Liyue Harbor appeared on screen—a nation-style capital city no less impressive than Guili Assembly.
Silver Wolf and the live stream viewers immediately took screenshots, obtaining a wallpaper-grade image.
Immediately after, the next segment of the story began.