On the player side, the Version 2.3 Dragonspine storyline has begun.
Thanks to one of Paimon's new ideas, the duo returned to Mondstadt.
Along the way, Paimon kept quiet, teasing Lumine's curiosity, insisting they'd only talk once they reached Mondstadt.
Upon arriving in Mondstadt City, they spotted Albedo leaving with a serious expression from afar.
Lumine felt something was off; Albedo didn't usually look like that.
Once Paimon's business was done, they'd follow up and ask him about it.
"Hey, Timaeus, and Sucrose!"
The two turned around. "Oh, it's you guys!"
"It's been a while, how have you both been?"
Paimon asked, "What important stuff were you just discussing?"
Timaeus explained that the three of them usually met here to discuss their recent research topics.
Paimon crossed her arms. "Darn, we're one step too late. If only we could've caught Albedo…"
"But with that expression he had, a bit colder than usual, did something upset him?"
"If that's the case, he probably wouldn't be in the mood to help me."
Lumine narrowed her eyes at Paimon, wondering what kind of crazy idea she had that required Albedo's help.
Sucrose explained that Albedo was probably fine.
It was likely because Timaeus's research topic was too boring.
Timaeus scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm just an ordinary guy, how can I compare to him? Should I just leak his secrets?"
"No, no, it's not that boring!"
Paimon spoke up at this point, as she was here to ask Timaeus for help.
Timaeus, kind-hearted as ever, asked what Paimon needed.
Paimon finally revealed her grand vision.
"So, a while back, I found a batch of super, super sweet Sunset Berries up in the mountains, but they're so sweet that once you eat them, they're gone, and I can't bear to part with them…"
"So, I want you to make a device that turns the berries into juice when you put them in. That way, they can be preserved forever, right?"
["Genius! As expected of Paimon!"]
["Isn't that just a juicer?"]
["The guy above, get the word right, it's not the same thing!"]
["It's that kind of ji, right?"]
["??? Too many weirdos!"]
Lumine was ready to smack someone. They came all the way back from Inazuma to Mondstadt for this idea?
Lumine held her forehead, scolding herself for having any expectations of Paimon. What an idiot she was.
Timaeus was dumbfounded too. "What you're talking about… I'm afraid…"
Paimon, who had just praised him, instantly flipped. "Huh? You can't even do something this simple?"
That left Timaeus speechless.
Paimon turned to Sucrose. "Sucrose, got any ideas?"
Sucrose patiently explained that alchemy has different research branches.
Her focus was bio-alchemy, so she couldn't make juice.
But she could make Sunset Berries come to life, turning them into berries with arms and legs.
Paimon: …
Lumine apologized to the two, embarrassed. "Sorry, Paimon's full of nonsense. I'll make sure to keep her in check from now on."
Paimon wouldn't let it go. "Hmph, and here I thought alchemy could do anything."
"Paimon~"
Under Lumine's glare, Paimon finally settled down…
In the livestream, Guinaifen commented,
"Alchemy feels less convenient than Adeptus arts, huh."
"Adeptus arts are just too versatile, and they don't come with a cost."
["You're right about that."]
["Makes sense. I think Paimon should go find that woman."]
["Cloud Retainer could probably pull it off."]
["It's to set up Albedo's story, so it's understandable."]
'Thank you, Mu Yang, for the highlighted message': So, no one in the livestream has noticed today's update Easter egg yet? (10,000 yuan)
Guinaifen saw Mu Yang's message.
"It does seem like there was an update when I logged in today. A hidden Easter egg?"
["Found it! Someone posted about it on miHoYo's forums, it's at [Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor]."]
["The official announcement's out too. It's the warm-up for the collaboration they mentioned, and it'll be permanent!"]
After finishing this dialogue, Guinaifen went hunting for the Easter egg.
The storyline could wait; this collaboration was related to Mu Yang, after all.
Who could be more important than her dear husband?
Plus, Mu Yang's top-tier donation practically screamed for attention.
She had to help spread the word, in case some people missed the official announcement.
It was a win-win.
Guinaifen controlled her character, teleporting to the Chihu Rock waypoint.
Once loaded, she saw the building in front of her, completely revamped.
"Wow, is this the newly renovated [Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor]?"
["Feels way grander than before."]
["This kind of work? No need to guess—it's definitely Mu Yang."]
Guinaifen approached and inspected the newly built platform.
It was where Tian Tiezui usually performed his storytelling.
"The preview mentioned you can interact with Tian Tiezui to start the Sword Challenge event, right?"
Guinaifen tried it but failed.
There were only some very familiar but questionably copyrighted new dialogues…
["If Old Demon Han comes, I'm the first to run!"]
["You think you can outrun him?"]
["I'll just shield Little Gui in front of me."]
Guinaifen circled around and noticed the shady old man who used to lecture people here was gone.
"That crooked old guy was apparently taken care of by Mu Yang."
The master of shenanigans, Little Gui, leapt up from her chair, channeling Hao Jing.
"No evil shall escape justice!"
["Streamer, stop shaking, I'm getting dizzy!"]
Guinaifen moved to the other side and spotted the newly opened shop.
The shop assistant explained the rules to the players.
Every day, players could spend 10,000 Mora to buy one drink.
Depending on the elemental cup they received, they'd get corresponding rewards.
The top prize was Mu Yang's Cryo element cup, worth 66 Primogems.
The rewards decreased from there, with the lowest being 5 Primogems.
Lower Primogem rewards came with more materials.
Collecting all seven different cups allowed players to redeem Serenitea Pot decorations from the assistant,
such as a dragon statue of Rex Lapis, Mu Yang's sword, and more, with additional items to be added later…
This was Mu Yang's way of steadily building popularity.
Even if he didn't appear in version events, players would come daily to try their luck.
At worst, 10,000 Mora for 5 Primogems and materials was still a good deal.
The livestream chat erupted.
["Why is Big Bro Yang a god?"]
["Holy crap, I gotta log in!"]
["Urgent, urgent, stop getting stuck on Geo, aaaaah!"]
["Mu Yang's cup, I'm coming for it!"]
["You're acting weird."]
Guinaifen was thrilled. "Is there really such a generous permanent event, Yang?!"
Little Gui rubbed her hands together. "Husband, bless me, bless me…"
Then, she closed her eyes and clicked to select one.
She chose [Double Fruit Clear Dew], which boosted attack power…
The assistant took a cup and began making the milk tea. The first-time animation was a must-watch.
She placed Sunset Berries, jam, Qingxin, and sugar into the mechanism, and after a moment, the milk tea was ready…
["Isn't this exactly what Paimon was looking for?"]
["The symbol on the mechanism? Definitely the great adeptus bird."]
["Great adeptus bird juicing (tongue-out red bean)."]
["It really takes Adeptus arts, huh."]
Guinaifen was still praying…
The animation ended, and the rewards appeared:
[Double Fruit Clear Dew] *1
[Cryo Element Porcelain Cup] *1
Primogems *66
["???"]
["Is the streamer a dog?"]
["I'm a pet expert, that's definitely a dog."]
["Suck, suck, suck, suck!"]
Guinaifen was over the moon. "Woo-hoo! Mu Yang really loves me! Hahahaha!"
Even Mu Yang, watching the livestream in Teyvat, couldn't help but marvel.
Guinaifen's luck was something else…