The group walked toward the location of the giant stone.
Passing through the archway, they saw Keqing standing before the stone with a furrowed brow.
Hearing the footsteps, Keqing turned around.
"Everyone! I was just about to send someone to fetch you, and here you are."
The sudden condition of the stone had left Keqing somewhat bewildered.
Now, with Mu Yang and Granny Ping both present, things were looking up.
She quickly explained, "A crack has appeared on one corner of the stone, but... we still can't tell what's inside."
Paimon, ever the humorist, quipped, "Huh? Did someone sneak in and smash it?"
Leaving aside the fact that someone of Beidou's caliber had already tried and failed to break it—how many humans in Liyue could possibly surpass Beidou in strength?
Moreover, this stone was imbued with the power of the Stove God and was under the strict surveillance of the Qixing.
It was unclear how Paimon had arrived at that conclusion.
Keqing patiently clarified, "It likely formed naturally. Our weapons have no effect on it."
"But why would it suddenly crack?"
Here, the advantage of bringing Granny Ping along became apparent as she spoke up.
"This is because the power of the Stove God stems from the lives of the common folk."
"The steam from cooking, the joy of reunions... Haha, if you all put in a bit more effort, I believe the truth will soon come to light."
Paimon, ever eager, chimed in again, "The Stove God, the Stove God—according to the books, it's the deity in charge of meals... If the stone cracked, does that mean someone's been cooking like crazy?"
Keqing, however, thought deeper. "Could it be that the dedication people put into their cooking is being transmitted to the Stove God's statue?"
If the statue could draw power from the lives of the people, and if the Stove God presided over fire and cooking...
Then Paimon's speculation might indeed hold water.
After all, this year's Moonchase Festival theme, "Cuisine and Scenery," was one she and Ningguang had chosen.
Recently, all the chefs planning to compete had been preparing diligently.
Xiangling stepped forward to add, "During the Moonchase Festival, many people return home for reunion meals. It's been bustling everywhere lately—the more people there are, the stronger the festive atmosphere becomes."
Lumine nodded in agreement. She, more than anyone, could feel the current atmosphere in Liyue.
Thanks to Mu Yang calling her back, she hadn't missed this year's Moonchase Festival.
Mu Yang said that as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered—she should enjoy herself to the fullest.
Paimon continued her line of reasoning, "If Liyue's liveliness can make the stone crack, then once it gets lively enough, will the stone completely shatter?"
"That must be it, right, Granny?"
Instead of giving a direct answer, Granny Ping chuckled and suggested, "Hahaha, why not give it a try?"
Keqing nodded in agreement. "Indeed. If this is related to cooking, nothing could be better."
She hadn't expected that the Liyue Cooking Championship they were hosting would have such an effect.
The competition hadn't even started yet, and things were already this lively.
Moreover, the finals would be held outdoors, allowing everyone to watch in person—the atmosphere would undoubtedly be perfect.
Paimon grew excited. "Once the finals are over, we'll get to see the Stove God's true form, right?"
Now that the topic had shifted to food, her mind was unusually active.
"That is a possibility," Keqing mused.
Paimon declared that all this talk about the cooking competition had made her hungry.
"...Ugh, I can't wait. How great would it be if I could wake up and it was already the finals?"
Xiangling said there was no rushing the competition—there were still the preliminaries before the finals.
But if Paimon was hungry now, she could prepare a feast for everyone present.
After all, over the past two days, she'd gathered plenty of feedback and was ready to put it into practice.
And so, the group enjoyed a lavish meal prepared by Xiangling at Granny Ping's home on Yujing Terrace.
During the meal, Mu Yang asked, "Ah Ping, where's Yaoyao?"
"She's gone back to Qingce Village."
[GAIA!!! My Yaoyao!]
[Can you believe it? Seeing Mu Yang, who looks like a youth, calling Granny Ping 'Ah Ping'...]
[The adepti's appearances are just transformations, right? They can look however they want—it's not like she's actually an old granny.]
[If that's the case, then I'm wide awake now.]
[Then why did she choose to look like this?]
[Who knows.]
Lumine asked, "Who's Yaoyao?"
"She's my junior sister and also a good friend of Qiqi's."
As the conversation flowed at the table, time passed quickly...
Once the meal was over, the group went their separate ways.
Keqing had Qixing duties to attend to.
Xiangling, meanwhile, returned to prepare for the preliminaries.
Lumine and Mu Yang continued to assist her.
The preliminaries were divided by region, which wasn't particularly challenging for Xiangling.
She easily secured her spot in the finals.
Later, Cloud Retainer sent word, asking Lumine to come to Mt. Aocang as promised.
The adeptus wanted to demonstrate her culinary skills—or rather, her machinery.
With the preliminaries over and nothing else to do, Xiangling begged Lumine and Mu Yang to take her along.
She also wanted to see the machinery specifically designed for cooking.
With Mu Yang's adeptal energy aiding them, the group soon arrived at Mt. Aocang...
The great immortal bird was secretly delighted to see more than one person arriving.
However, she couldn't show it outright—that would be too obvious.
"Young girl, are you also interested in this one's Supreme Cuisine Machine?" she asked Xiangling.
Xiangling nodded, saying she'd come specifically to see this machinery.
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer grew even happier, lifting her head proudly.
"Very well. This one shall broaden your horizons."
With that, she spread her wings and soared, leading the group toward the three Supreme Cuisine Machines.
Paimon couldn't help but mutter, "She really hasn't changed at all..."
Mu Yang thought to himself, And neither have you.
When it came to speaking ill of the adepti, Paimon never held back.
The group arrived before the three large pots.
"So these are the ' Supreme Cuisine Machines'?"
Cloud Retainer nodded. "This one has already prepared the surroundings. All that remains are the ingredients, and we may begin."
"However, allow this one to first explain..."
Mu Yang observed Cloud Retainer's demeanor. If she were in human form, she'd probably be adjusting red-framed glasses right about now.
Cloud Retainer launched into her lengthy lecture—not starting with the machinery's construction, but with ancient texts documenting gourmet cuisine, beginning with the very concept of "cooking."
"In the matter of cooking, ingredients are of utmost importance. To gather rare ingredients, countless chefs labor tirelessly, traveling far and wide..."
This lengthy spiel nearly put Paimon to sleep.
"So... what's the point of all this?"
"Ahem..." Cloud Retainer cleared her throat, seemingly realizing she'd gone off on a tangent.
"This one's Machine first resolves this very issue."
"Once activated, it will automatically seek out the most suitable ingredients for cooking in the vicinity."
"Furthermore, it will mark the trail with the ingredient's aura, allowing the chef to simply follow the path."
Paimon stroked her chin and posed the ultimate question:
"Can't it go fetch them itself?"