"Shh!" Raiden Makoto gently touched Ganyu's small head, but inadvertently, she touched the horns on top of Ganyu's head again.
"Ugh..." Ganyu's pretty face flushed crimson in an instant, and his legs even felt a bit weak.
"Except for Lumine and Paimon, they don't know my identity either, so don't let it out."
"Do you understand? little qilin." Raiden Makoto's gentle tone made it impossible for Ganyu to feel angry; if anyone else dared to touch his horns, he would definitely... he's super fierce.
"Just call me Makoto."
"Um... I understand..." Ganyu lowered his small head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Makoto, didn't you... pass away in that calamity?"
"Yes, but Gods are immortal... perhaps for that reason, I have returned." Raiden Makoto nodded; he still didn't know the reason why he was resurrected with all his memories.
"Does Rex Lapis... does Rex Lapis know?"
When that event happened at the Rite of Descension initially, he truly thought Rex Lapis had passed away. Later, it seemed Rex Lapis had appeared in the dreams of all of them, and he knew Rex Lapis hadn't died.
But Ganyu didn't know where Rex Lapis was, nor had he deliberately searched for him.
Rex Lapis might be disguised as an ordinary person, hiding right next to him. After working diligently for so many years, Rex Lapis deserved a good rest.
"He knows."
"I saw him when I came over and spoke with him." Raiden Makoto nodded. "It seems you all know Morax did it for..."
"Yes, Rex Lapis appeared in all our dreams." Ganyu nodded. "Then... then Makoto... can you tell me who Rex Lapis... who Rex Lapis is now?"
Ganyu was curious, being a fanatical follower of Rex Lapis.
"You don't know?"
"I don't know."
Seeing Ganyu's bewildered look, Raiden Makoto felt it was normal. It was perfectly normal for Ganyu not to know that Zhongli was Morax.
After all, Morax looked completely different now compared to when they used to meet. If he weren't a fellow God and an old acquaintance of Morax, he wouldn't have recognized Zhongli as Morax either.
"He hasn't told you, so he must have his reasons." Raiden Makoto smiled. "I won't tell you either. When he chooses to tell you, that will be the right time."
"Alright." Ganyu was a bit disappointed, but Raiden Makoto's answer felt very reasonable to him.
If Rex Lapis wanted to tell them, he would have done so during the dream visitation.
"Then... Makoto, did you come here for something urgent? You can tell me. I am the secretary for the Liyue Seven Stars... I have the authority to help you." Ganyu's voice was soft and low, his pale purple eyes looking seriously at Raiden Makoto.
"No need."
"I appreciate the thought, little qilin."
It had to be said, he quite admired Ganyu; he liked hardworking little girls like Ganyu.
That was also why he had jokingly asked Zhongli for Ganyu back then.
That girl Kamisato Ayaka seems a bit like Ganyu too, doesn't she? Are all Cryo Vision holders so dignified and gentle?
He quite liked people with temperaments like Ganyu and Ayaka, who were also very diligent and serious in their work.
"Um... then can Makoto please stop rubbing my head..." Ganyu's eyes were getting a bit watery, he blinked, his face flushed; his horns were really, really sensitive.
Wuwuwu... he couldn't even resist... "Sister... I've got it!" Raiden Ei finally woke up from his state of deep thought, having made up his mind. "I'm going to seclude myself in Wanmin Restaurant for a day or two... I know how to make a machine that will help me with my cooking."
"Hmm?" Raiden Makoto was slightly curious about Raiden Ei's words. "You mean you're going to build a machine?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Since I can't cook... why don't I follow the example of that bird just now? I can also build a machine to help me..." Raiden Ei said seriously. "Using external tools for cooking should still allow me to participate in the Culinary King Competition, right?"
"Ah? Yes..." Keqing was stunned for a moment, but then he nodded. He had been talking with Xiangling and hadn't paid attention to what was happening here.
"It should be fine."
"That's good." Once Raiden Ei was reassured, he looked at Raiden Makoto again. "Sister, I already have some ideas."
"Tell me." Raiden Makoto was curious. His sister was something of a technical shut-in, so it was normal for him to have such thoughts.
"Didn't I create Scaramouche? Back then, I discovered that if you conduct electricity into metal... the metal heats up."
"If those metals are smelted into wires and then coiled together with electricity running through them... wouldn't that provide a heat source?" Raiden Ei was excited. All this time, he couldn't cook because the Electro element would cause an Overloaded reaction with fire. But what if he didn't use fire for heating?
Would he be able to cook then? Raiden Ei was very excited; he was actually somewhat grateful to that bird. If not for her, he wouldn't have thought so much.
"Are you talking about... an induction cooker?" Raiden Ei's description gave Raiden Makoto the feeling of an "induction cooker," which seemed to be the principle of how induction cookers worked in his previous life.
"What is an induction cooker?" Raiden Ei blinked, not quite understanding. "Sister..."
"Do you think it will work if I do that?" Raiden Ei was excited. As long as there was a heat source, wouldn't cooking be simple? This year's Culinary King would definitely be his.
"Sure, you can try."
Raiden Makoto couldn't help but look at Raiden Ei with a hint of admiration. Could he say anything less of his sister? To think he discovered the manufacturing method for an "induction cooker" so easily.
Developing technology in the world of Genshin Impacts didn't seem like a good thing; after all, it might attract the Heavenly Principles or even lead to Honkai.
But just a few technological products shouldn't be too much of a problem, right? Moreover, these products weren't for war but could be used to improve people's livelihoods.
There probably wouldn't be any issues, right?
Looking at the excited Raiden Ei, Raiden Makoto nodded with satisfaction. "It seems you aren't completely unmotivated."
"Sister... what do you mean I'm not unmotivated? I've always..." Raiden Ei was speechless. "Sister... I've always been learning."
Before creating Scaramouche and the Shogun, he had seriously studied the relevant technologies. He had also quickly created the Puppet Shogun, and he had quickly learned and successfully applied the Consciousness Attachment Technique that Yae Miko taught him.
He, Raiden Ei, was definitely not some warrior who knew nothing but fighting!
"So you plan to tinker that thing out in these two days?"
"Mm-hmm... but for the materials, I might need Keqing's... help." Raiden Ei then looked seriously at Keqing.
Before Keqing could speak, Ganyu said seriously, "If there's anything, you can come to me. I can help you solve it too..."
"Yes, Ei, Ganyu can help you." Keqing nodded. Among the Liyue Seven Stars, there had always been a saying.
"The Seven Stars come and go, but Ganyu is eternal."
Although Ganyu was the secretary for the Liyue Seven Stars, he was currently the person with the highest authority in Liyue besides Rex Lapis.
"Then... thank you." Raiden Ei already had a plan, so he called Ganyu aside to tell him the materials he needed, and Ganyu listened intently.
"That big bird just now was an Adeptus..."
"Then could the God of Stove also be an Adeptus?" Xiangling only now reacted to what had just happened. "If the God of Stove is an Adeptus, then the Grand Master must know something about him."
"..."
"Xiangling, isn't your reaction a bit slow..." Paimon was speechless. "The 'God of Stove' sounds like an Adeptus, doesn't it?"
"Let's go to Yujing Terrace to find the Grand Master. We can also introduce the Grand Master to my teacher." Xiangling was excited. "Keqing, what do you think?"
"Well, Grandma Ping... she should indeed know about the God of Stove. We should be able to get useful information from her." Keqing nodded.
"Then shall we go?"
...Yujing Terrace.
Raiden Ei didn't come with them because he wanted to stay at Wanmin Restaurant to create the items in his mind.
So only Lumine, Paimon, Xiangling, Keqing, Raiden Makoto, and Guoba and Orobashi came along.
"Grand Master!"
As Xiangling called out to an old woman behind a small stall, his voice was full of excitement and joy.
"Oh? Xiangling is here." The old woman was Grandma Ping, and she had a kind smile on her face.
Guoba even jumped up and waved at Grandma Ping, who nodded back at him as if signaling to him.
That also made Raiden Makoto completely certain of one thing: Guoba must indeed be the God of Stove.
"Grand Master, have you been doing well lately?" Xiangling smiled. "She is also my teacher."
"Very well." Grandma Ping nodded, then looked at Raiden Makoto next to Xiangling. "Oh? Xiangling, you've taken another teacher."
Grandma Ping sized up Raiden Makoto, a flash of surprise in her eyes. In her eyes, Raiden Makoto seemed like an ordinary person, but he gave off a feeling of returning to one's true self.
It was as if the person before him was an existence similar to Rex Lapis, but looking closely, Raiden Makoto was indeed ordinary.
"Hello." Raiden Makoto smiled. He could tell at a glance that Grandma Ping had the characteristics of a Liyue Adeptus.
"Hello." Grandma Ping smiled. Seeing Raiden Makoto's gentle and harmonious smile, he was much more at ease.
From Xiangling's expression, he also knew that Raiden Makoto was likely not a bad person.
"Grand Master, I have something to ask you. Do you know the God of Stove?" When Xiangling asked that question, Guoba, who was nearby, ran off to the back as if he were avoiding something.
"The God of Stove? Of course I know." Grandma Ping looked at the running Guoba as she spoke, then added, "The God of Stove and I are old friends."
"So the Grand Master really knows the God of Stove." Xiangling was curious. "Then can the Grand Master tell us about the God of Stove?"
"Speaking of which, it's the Moonchase Festival recently, isn't it?"
"moonchase was originally an Adepti rite. The people of Liyue didn't perform Adepti matters, but seeing the Adepti do so, they followed suit and evolved various festivals under the name of moonchase."
"Later, to commemorate a friend, Rex Lapis unified various festivals under the term 'moonchase.' To observe the earth from the heavens, to swear by the moon, to remember the past and think of the present, a time for reunion and joy—that is moonchase." Grandma Ping was also happy when he spoke of these things.
Raiden Makoto, meanwhile, thought for a moment. The Moonchase Festival was somewhat like a combination of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Little New Year from his previous life in Huaxia.
"Rex Lapis..." Keqing sighed deeply upon hearing the name. "Sigh..."
"Rex Lapis always emphasized tradition. It's a pity that from now on, the task of carrying on these traditions can only be completed by us, his successors." Keqing's heart was a bit heavy.
But he was also somewhat determined.
"Keqing, if there are thoughtful people among the successors who still remember those things, Rex Lapis would be very gratified to know." Grandma Ping smiled.
Just as Keqing was about to speak, a Liyue soldier walked over.
"Lord Keqing, Lord Ningguang requests your presence..."
After a moment of thought, Keqing nodded and said, "Is it urgent? I'll be there shortly."
"Makoto, Traveler, Xiangling, Grandma Ping... I have some business and must take my leave first."
After seeing Keqing off, Grandma Ping said with a smile, "In short, the God of Stove and Rex Lapis were also friends. The Moonchase Festival was created specifically to commemorate the God of Stove."
"The God of Stove was also a good friend of mine. Unfortunately, for certain reasons, he has long been gone and has faded from people's memories."
"But Gods are immortal. We once agreed that when the land recovers, the God of Stove might reappear in the world in another form." Grandma Ping looked at Guoba in the distance as he spoke.
When Grandma Ping finished, he turned his gaze back to Raiden Makoto. For some reason, Raiden Makoto gave him a feeling similar to Rex Lapis; both he and Rex Lapis had that aura of returning to one's true self.
"It seems the Grand Master and the God of Stove have a very good relationship. I also believe the God of Stove will return one day." Xiangling said with a smile.
Along the way, Raiden Makoto had seen much in Liyue. Seeing that Liyue had many Adepti, the Liyue Seven Stars, Raiden Makoto couldn't help but sigh. Liyue was truly full of talent, with rich resources, and the people were also ambitious.
Whereas his Inazuma was poor and barren, with few talents.
The position of the Adepti in Liyue was equivalent to the position of Sasayuri and Mishiro Chiyo in Inazuma. However, both Sasayuri and Mishiro Chiyo had passed away. There were truly too few people available for use in Inazuma.
But that probably had to do with Inazuma having too little land. Raiden Makoto didn't really envy Morax.
Liyue during the Archon War was much more tragic than Inazuma.
However, when would he be able to truly retire like Morax? It seemed that after returning, he would have to properly cultivate talent. If Inazuma could produce more people like the Seven Stars or Ganyu, then it could endure in the world under human rule.
That would probably be the time when he and his sister could completely step down.
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