Zhongli was famous across Liyue for being a true gourmet, and he was one of Xinyue Kiosk's most loyal regulars.
Naturally, every dish on the table had been ordered by him—and the quality was guaranteed.
The happiest person at the table was definitely Venti.
Not only was the food amazing, the alcohol was fantastic too.
Mondstadt's wine was known for being sweet and smooth, while Liyue's liquor came with a sharp, explosive kick beneath its rich aroma—one good gulp and the burn shot straight down your throat.
Both nations had their own specialties. You couldn't really say one was better than the other.
Venti kept knocking back cup after cup. The strong liquor had already flushed his entire face red, but his hands didn't slow down even a little.
"This is great! The food's great, the drinks are great—Liyue is such a wonderful place! Good thing Morax manages this nation so well, or I'd never get the chance to enjoy all this! Traveler, right? Don't you agree?"
With Morax sitting right there in person, what else could Kael say?
"Yeah, yeah, sure. You're absolutely right."
Hu Tao chomped on the drumstick in her hand as she reminded him, "Mr. Venti, you can't just call the Geo Archon by name like that. If you talk like that anywhere else in Liyue, someone might beat you to death."
"The Rex Lapis won't mind. Zhongli, don't you think so?"
Zhongli simply lowered his gaze, took a sip of tea, and smiled without answering.
Kael noticed Venti's eyes starting to glaze over. Worried that he'd get too drunk and start running his mouth, Kael quickly stepped in.
"Alright, Liyue's liquor is a lot stronger than Mondstadt's. Slow down a bit and eat more."
The last thing he needed was for Zhongli's identity to get exposed—and for Venti to accidentally expose his own as well. That would be a disaster.
Yanfei's bright green eyes looked a little unfocused.
Even though she'd met plenty of Mondstadt visitors in Liyue, and her work often required her to deal with out-of-towners…
The two men before her were nothing like normal people.
The boy in the green cloak moved with effortless grace, light and free in every gesture.
And the other young man… his looks were so strikingly beautiful that even the Adepti might struggle to compare.
Maybe only Zhongli—who sat quietly nearby, calm and unreadable—could match him.
But compared to Zhongli, this Mr. Kael felt far more approachable, the kind of presence that made you feel at ease the moment you looked at him.
Except…
There was something impossibly familiar about him…
Yanfei couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen him somewhere before.
And deep down, she had the strange, persistent sense that this wasn't what he was supposed to look like at all.
Yanfei was normally lively, cheerful, and great at socializing. In a group, she was usually the one chatting away nonstop.
But ever since she saw Kael, her emotions had been completely unsettled.
Even by the time the banquet was nearly over, she still hadn't calmed down.
Once everyone was full and satisfied, Hu Tao waved to the shopkeeper.
"Shopkeeper, the bill!"
Xinyue Kiosk's shopkeeper came over with the tab. "Of course. The total is 327,000 Mora. After applying Mr. Zhongli's premium membership discount, it comes to 300,000 Mora."
"Perfect!"
Hu Tao nodded cheerfully, then turned to Yanfei. "Yanfei, go ahead and pay."
Kael blinked. "Didn't you say you were treating us? Why are you making Yanfei pay?"
Hu Tao replied boldly, "I referred a big client from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to her for legal consultation. She's treating me to thank me. You all are benefiting from my connections, which means it's basically me treating everyone~"
…Somehow, that logic made sense to her.
"In that case, let me pay."
Kael didn't want Yanfei to spend her money, so he immediately pulled out his own pouch to handle the bill.
"Mr. Kael, wait."
Yanfei stopped him. "Hu Tao recommended a major client to me. I can more than afford this meal. Please, let me cover it."
She took out the Mora and passed it to the shopkeeper.
Once the banquet wrapped up, Kael got ready to head back to Wanmin Restaurant.
But the completely drunk Venti grabbed him tightly and refused to let go.
"Don't… don't go… Traveler… Let's keep drinking… with Mora…"
Kael quickly clamped a hand over Venti's mouth before he could blurt out something dangerous.
---
"Looks like Venti's completely gone. I'll take him to Wanmin Restaurant so he can sleep it off," Kael said.
Zhongli blinked at the sight, then nodded.
"Very well. I'll trouble you to watch over him."
Kael propped up the giggling Venti and headed toward Chihu Rock.
Hu Tao, her belly satisfyingly full, let out a burp.
Her eyes lit up with mischief.
"Yanfei, even though we never have legal disputes at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, we do have tons of clients. I might as well introduce a few more to you."
She snickered. "I heard Liuli Pavilion's Tianshu Meat is fantastic. How about we—Yanfei? Hey… what's wrong?"
Yanfei stared at Kael's retreating figure when a sharp stab of pain suddenly twisted through her chest.
She pressed a hand to her heart, her expression contorting with agony.
Huge teardrops streamed down her green eyes, falling uncontrollably.
She took a few shaky steps toward Kael's direction, but the pain in her chest became so unbearable she collapsed forward, clutching herself.
Bent over, voice breaking with sobs, she cried out:
"Don't go… please don't go…"