When Kael returned to Wanmin Restaurant, Chef Mao lit up the moment he saw him and immediately prepared a full table of dishes.
The two big meals Kael had promised Mona were arranged as well.
By the end of it, she was flushed red from head to toe, sweating lightly as she ate.
The next morning, Mona was still fast asleep when Kael got up.
As always, he headed to Wangshu Inn.
But today, he wasn't just here to keep his promise. He had something important to test.
He wanted to see if the System could take commands from someone else, and let Xiao issue him a quest.
He came here every day anyway to help Xiao dispel his Karmic Debt. At this point, it was basically a daily task.
If the experiment worked, he could conveniently earn Attribute Points on the side.
The moment Xiao saw him, he wordlessly extended his hand, waiting for Kael to place Little Gold on it.
"Xiao, I want to ask you for a favor."
Xiao, already posed and ready, paused and looked at him.
"What is it? Are you in trouble?"
"It's not trouble. Just something small. Could you say to me, 'Please help me dispel my Karmic Debt'?"
Kael felt unbelievably awkward.
Why did that sound so weird…
Like he was forcing Xiao to beg him.
"…?"
Sure enough, Xiao's expression shifted with confusion. He clearly didn't understand the request.
Kael had helped him for so many days. Why would he suddenly ask for something like this?
Did Kael feel upset that Xiao never properly asked him before?
Seeing Xiao's puzzled expression only made Kael more embarrassed.
He rushed to explain, "I'm just trying to test the Adepti Artifact's effect. Don't overthink it."
"Alright."
Xiao agreed immediately.
It was only one sentence. Hardly difficult.
And besides, he genuinely appreciated Kael's help.
He had believed he would spend the rest of his life suffering until madness consumed him and Rex Lapis was forced to put him down.
But the arrival of the little golden dragon had given him hope again.
Kael's help was something Mora could never measure.
"Please help me dispel my Karmic Debt."
As soon as Xiao spoke, Kael opened his map.
Just as he expected—Xiao's quest appeared.
"Xiao is tormented by Karmic Debt at every moment. It seems only this mysterious god can ease his suffering…"
Kael scrolled down eagerly.
"Reward upon completion: 50 Attribute Points."
What?
Compared to Keqing's quest yesterday, this reward was pitiful.
Saving Keqing had earned him 5,000 Attribute Points!
But this confirmed his suspicion: quest rewards scaled with difficulty.
Helping Xiao with a daily routine was basically effortless, so the reward dropped accordingly.
Damn it, of course the System wouldn't let him exploit a loophole that easily.
Xiao watched him curiously. "Did that sentence help your Adepti Artifact?"
Kael forced a smile through clenched teeth. "Yes. Very helpful. I'd like to ask you to say it every day before you take Little Gold, if that's alright."
Even a mosquito is still meat!
And he had to do this daily task for over two hundred days.
Little bits added up. The Attribute Points would be worth it.
Xiao agreed without hesitation. "No problem."
---
Meanwhile, Chef Mao and Xiangling were prepping the restaurant for opening.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Chef Mao was chopping ingredients. "It's not opening time yet. Xiangling, go tell the customer to wait a bit."
"Got it!"
Xiangling wiped her damp hands on her apron and headed to open the door.
"This customer, sorry, we're still preparing ingredients, so we aren't—"
She stopped mid-sentence, eyes going wide.
"Lady Keqing?!"
Whenever Liyue had an important announcement, the Liyue Qixing appeared.
Xiangling had seen Keqing plenty of times at major public events.
So she recognized her instantly.
Keqing looked slightly embarrassed at Xiangling's shock, but she kept her usual composed, serious expression.
After parting ways with Kael yesterday, Keqing found she couldn't think about anything else.
Whatever she did, her mind kept drifting back to him.
She hadn't slept the entire night, only wishing the sun would rise faster so she could see him again.
So the moment dawn broke, she rushed over…
Someone as logical as Keqing somehow didn't consider that she might have arrived way too early.
The restaurant wasn't even open yet.
Keqing pushed down the discomfort twisting in her chest. She lowered her gaze slightly and spoke softly.
"I'm here to see Kael. Is he here?"
"Yes, yes! He's here!"
The instant Xiangling heard who she was looking for, she lit up with excitement.
She eagerly guided Keqing inside.
"I'll go wake him up!"
"That won't be necessary!" Keqing blurted out.
Realizing she sounded a bit improper, she cleared her throat and continued in her usual cool tone, "I came without notice. He doesn't need to accommodate me. Let him rest. I can wait here."
"Oh, okay!"
Xiangling hurried to pour her a cup of tea.
"Then please wait here. Just call me if you need anything!"
Lady Keqing was someone of immense status, yet she wasn't putting on any airs. She was even willing to wait for her brother to wake up.
Hehehe… did this mean she was getting another sister-in-law?
Before, whenever Xiangling saw Keqing, she only saw a distant leader of Liyue.
But this time, she felt strangely close to her.
She walked back toward the kitchen with a smile.
She felt like Keqing would make a wonderful sister-in-law.
She didn't know why… but something deep in her heart told her Keqing and her brother would be perfect together.
And that Keqing would treat him incredibly well.