[Location: Stone Gate – Border of Mondstadt and Liyue]
[Time: 10:00 AM]
The scenery changed rapidly. The rolling green hills of Mondstadt gave way to jagged, amber cliffs and golden foliage. The air grew humid, smelling of silk flowers and wet stone.
I leaned into the turn, the Motorcycle Eradicator tearing up the wooden path of Stone Gate. The local Millelith guards dropped their spears in shock as a black-and-blue metal monstrosity roared past them at 120 km/h.
"So this is Liyue," I muttered, my voice sounding strange in my human throat.
[Great Sage]
Environmental Mana Density: High.
Element Dominance: Geo.>
I slowed down as the wooden walkway opened up into the vast expanse of Dihua Marsh. The sight was breathtaking—silvergrass swaying in the wind, shallow water reflecting the sky, and the massive Wangshu Inn looming in the distance like a fortress built on a tree.
My stomach growled. A deep, guttural sound that vibrated the bike frame.
"Right. Dragon metabolism. I need calories."
I pulled the bike off the path, hiding it behind a cluster of bamboo. I tapped the fuel tank.
"Store."
[Stomach] activated, and the motorcycle vanished into a black mist, stored in my dimensional pocket.
I stretched my human limbs. Being bipedal was convenient, but I felt... light. Fragile. I missed my scales.
Rustle.
"Hah! Gotcha!"
A girl with dark blue hair and a bell attached to her hip burst out of the tall grass, diving tackle-style at... me?
No. She missed me by an inch and slammed into a bush behind me.
Squeal!
A boar shot out of the bush, panicked.
"Aww, it got away!" The girl sat up, spitting out a leaf. She looked at me, blinked, and then sniffed the air. "Whoa. You smell... spicy?"
"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.
She scrambled to her feet, dusting off her orange outfit. "Not like chili spicy. Like... ozone and burnt meat? Are you a chef too?"
I looked her over. Xiangling. The legendary chef of Liyue. And beside her, the small, orange bear-god, Guoba, was chewing on a bamboo shoot.
"I'm Raiden," I said, crossing my arms. "And I'm not a chef. I'm a... gourmet."
"A gourmet!" Her eyes sparkled. "I'm Xiangling! I'm looking for ingredients for my new dish: Cryo-Slime Condensate glazed with Jueyun Chilis! But I need a really big Cryo source. The slimes around here are too small."
[Great Sage]
Species: Cryo Regisvine.
Location: Subterranean Cavern, 500 meters East.>
I smirked. Perfect.
"I know where to find a big ice cube," I said, pointing toward a suspicious cave entrance near the coast. "But if we kill it, I get the core."
"Deal!" Xiangling pulled out her spear. "Guoba, get ready! We have a customer!"
[Location: Subterranean Cavern]
[Time: 10:30 AM]
The air inside the cave was freezing. The Cryo Regisvine—a massive, floral monstrosity made of ice—towered over us. It roared, slamming its frozen tendrils into the ground.
"Whoa! It's huge!" Xiangling looked excited rather than scared. "Think of the shaved ice we could make!"
"Focus on the salad later," I said, stepping forward. "Let's see how this body handles combat."
The Regisvine fired a beam of concentrated Cryo energy.
"[Shadow Motion]."
I sank into my own shadow, instantly reappearing behind the plant.
I didn't have a weapon. I didn't need one.
"[Steel Strength] + [Dragon's Haki]."
My arm turned pitch black, coated in condensed energy (resembling Armament Haki). I punched the base of the Regisvine's stem.
BOOM.
The impact shattered the ice core at the base. The massive plant toppled over, stunned.
"Guoba! Attack!" Xiangling commanded.
The bear breathed fire, melting the ice armor on the plant's head. Xiangling dashed in, her spear a blur of pyro attacks. Gouba Attack!
The plant tried to recover, spinning its vines.
"Oh no you don't."
I jumped—my leg muscles propelling me twenty feet into the air.
"[Lightning Manipulation]: Thunder Drop."
I came down like a meteor, my heel driving into the exposed corolla of the plant.
CRACK.
The Regisvine collapsed, dissolving into sparkling ice particles and loot.
I landed smoothly.
"Too easy."
"That was amazing!" Xiangling clapped. "You fight like an Adeptus! Are you one of them? You don't look like a goat or a deer."
"I'm... a distant relative," I lied smoothly. I walked over to the loot. I picked up the Hoarfrost Core.
Chomp.
I ate it whole.
Xiangling stared. "You... you ate it? Raw? Without sauce?"
"It's... crunchy," I said as the energy flooded my system.
[System Alert]
Cryo Affinity Increased.
Resistance: [Sheer Cold] acquired.
Skill: [Ice Shard Barrage] acquired.>
"You have a stomach of steel!" Xiangling looked at me with newfound respect. "I have to cook for you! I have to see what flavor profile works for someone who eats rocks!"
[Location: Campfire outside the Cave]
[Time: 11:15 AM]
Xiangling worked fast. In twenty minutes, she had set up a wok and was stir-frying boar meat with bright red peppers.
"This is my specialty! Black-Back Perch Stew... but with Boar because the fish got away!"
She handed me a bowl. It smelled lethal. The scent of Jueyun Chilis made my eyes water even in my dragon-enhanced body.
I took a bite.
Explosion.
It wasn't just hot. It was energetic. The spice rushed through my veins, waking up every cell.
"It's... good," I admitted, shoveling another spoon in. "Really good."
"Right?" Xiangling beamed. "Most people can't handle the spice. But you... you're eating it like it's candy!"
[Great Sage]
Effects: Attack +10%, Stamina Consumption -20%.
Note: The capsaicin levels are toxic to normal humans. User's [Poison Resistance] is neutralizing the damage.>
"Hey, Raiden," Xiangling sat next to me, poking the fire. "You're going to Liyue Harbor for the Rite of Descension, right?"
"Yeah. Gotta see the big boss."
"If you see him... ask him if he likes slime," she mused. "I've always wanted to cook for Rex Lapis."
I looked at Guoba, who was happily eating a chili pepper.
If only she knew she was already cooking for a God.
"I'll ask him," I promised.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over us. Aether and Paimon came jogging down the path, looking exhausted.
"RAIDEN!" Paimon shouted. "You left us! We had to walk all the way from Stone Gate!"
"Hey!" Aether waved, panting.
"You guys are slow," I smirked, finishing the bowl. "You missed lunch. Xiangling cooked."
"Xiangling?" Paimon looked at the blue-haired girl. "Wait, aren't you the chef from Wanmin Restaurant?"
"That's me!" Xiangling waved. "Oh! Are you the Traveler? Raiden told me you were coming. I saved some leftovers!"
She held up a bowl of the fiery red death-stew.
Paimon turned pale. "Is that... pure chili?"
"Eat up, Paimon," I laughed, standing up. "It puts hair on your chest."
"PAIMON DOESN'T HAVE A CHEST! I mean—wait!"
I looked toward the south. The outline of Wangshu Inn was clearer now. I could feel a sharp, karmic presence watching us from the balcony of the inn.
"Xiao," I whispered.
"Did you say something?" Aether asked.
"Nothing," I summoned my motorcycle from thin air again, causing Xiangling to drop her ladle. "Let's get to the Inn. I want to sleep in a real bed before we hit the harbor."