Kael was a little surprised. Of all times, Zhongli chose to reveal himself now.
He thought Zhongli had only come to observe the situation. He never imagined the man would openly show his connection to Xiao right here.
Zhongli slipped a hand deep into his sleeve and paused for a moment.
Only after a few seconds did he finally pull out a money pouch.
…And that suspicious pause?
Did he reach inside, realize he'd forgotten, and then conjure the Mora on the spot?
"There's a total of three million Mora here. After subtracting the expenses from the past two days, that covers two hundred ninety-eight more days. I'll trouble you to make the trip every day from now on."
Kael took the pouch without checking it and tucked it straight into his pocket.
"No problem."
Zhongli looked at him with curiosity. "Would you allow me to take a look at your pet?"
"Sure."
A paying customer was practically royalty, so Kael agreed without hesitation.
Besides, both Xiao and Mona had only assumed Little Gold was a god-beast the moment they saw him. Considering how cautious the System tended to be, Kael figured no one else would be able to see through Little Gold either.
If that was the case, he might as well be generous about it.
Little Gold was already exposed. Hiding him now would only look suspicious.
Kael placed Little Gold into Zhongli's palm.
Zhongli lifted his hand to eye level and examined the tiny dragon closely.
Just like Xiao told him yesterday—it looked almost identical.
This god-beast was practically a miniature golden version of him.
Of course, every god level beast had different attributes and powers.
Zhongli was of the Geo element.
But Little Gold was still far too weak right now. For the moment, Zhongli couldn't sense its attribute at all.
Even so, one thing was certain. Once it grew up, this creature was going to be terrifyingly powerful.
The energy within it was unbelievably pure.
Maybe that purity was why it could devour Xiao's Karmic Debt, purify it, and then convert it into its own power.
Little Gold had eaten well today, and now the sleepiness was hitting hard.
It sensed that its master had placed it onto someone else's hand, but Zhongli gave off no hostility.
So it simply flopped onto its back in Zhongli's palm, lazily rolling over like it was half-asleep.
Seeing the tiny dragon acting so relaxed, a faint smile flickered in Zhongli's eyes.
He returned Little Gold to Kael.
"It's a beautifully shaped creature."
"Yes."
Kael placed Little Gold back into the Serenitea Pot, silently complaining to himself about how much this little dragon looked like Zhongli's true form. It definitely felt a little self-indulgent.
"God level beasts are incarnations of Strength. They are not inherently good or evil. What people call good or bad depends solely on how they choose to use their power."
Zhongli gave his assessment of Little Gold before turning to Kael.
"This beast's aura is exceptionally pure. I believe that once it grows, it will definitely become a blessing to whichever land it lives in."
After that remark, his gaze shifted.
"I heard from Xiao that you plan to stay in Liyue for a while?"
"That's right."
"In that case, we can—"
"Mr. Zhongli?!"
Xiangling and Mona had waited quite a while without seeing Kael return.
So they stepped out onto the viewing deck together.
Neither expected Xiangling to run straight into someone she knew.
A regular customer of Wanmin Restaurant—Zhongli.
Zhongli also looked surprised to see her. "Xiangling? Chef Mao told me you went out on a culinary training journey. Are you heading back to Liyue now?"
Xiangling ran over, smiling brightly. "Yep! I came back early to prepare for the Master Chef Competition."
"That is excellent news," Zhongli replied with a gentle smile. "With Xiangling the great chef returning to Liyue, it seems we gourmets will enjoy many fine meals again."
"Hehe." Xiangling proudly pointed at Kael. "But my cooking is nothing next to my brother's! Mr. Zhongli, if you ever taste a dish he makes, I guarantee you'll remember it for life."
Standing beside them, Kael felt a little embarrassed hearing her hype him up like that.
She had no idea that Zhongli's real identity was a god more than six thousand years old.
Telling him he'd remember Kael's cooking for life…
That was definitely overselling it.
Kael replied modestly, "It's just barely edible, really."
Zhongli chuckled. "If even a chef of your caliber praises him so highly, then I'm sure Mr. Kael's cooking is extraordinary. I look forward to meeting you all again in Liyue."
With that, Zhongli said his farewells and walked off.
Xiao, who disliked being around too many people, had already vanished the moment Xiangling appeared.
Because of that, neither Xiangling nor Mona noticed him at all.
Xiangling turned to Kael. "So you were out here talking with Mr. Zhongli all this time! He's one of our biggest customers at Wanmin Restaurant. He's super generous and always tips huge amounts of Mora."
Kael thought back to how Zhongli spent money in the game.
With the way he spent, he was probably a VIP everywhere in Liyue.
Mona, still basking in the intimacy from earlier, felt like things between them were completely different now.
Her voice unconsciously slipped into a sweet, playful tone.
She gently held Kael's hand and gave it a little shake.
"Kael, if you're done with everything… take us out to play, okay?"