"What's that?"
"It looks so yummy!"
As everyone was heading back to their home on Yujing Terrace, Paimon spotted someone selling snacks by the roadside and immediately floated over.
Rowan followed her gaze and saw a middle-aged man holding a stick, with all kinds of candied hawthorn skewers stuck on top.
There were orange ones, apple ones, and the traditional bright red hawthorn flavor pretty much everything.
Paimon stared at the candied skewers, practically drooling.
Luckily, Keqing had already left. Otherwise, seeing Paimon like this would've made her question reality.
That little thing had just finished an entire table of dishes, and not long after, she was already craving candied fruit.
She really was a walking rice bucket.
Jean and Istaroth couldn't help looking at Lumine. Now they finally understood why Lumine kept complaining about Paimon's appetite on the way here.
This wasn't "big appetite", this was a bottomless pit.
With the two of them staring at her so strangely, Lumine's face turned red. Embarrassed, she yanked Paimon back and gritted her teeth as she warned her in a low voice.
"Paimon, enough."
"You ate so much already, and you still want more?"
Paimon refused to back down. Hands on her hips, she declared righteously,
"That wasn't food. That was dinner."
"This is dessert! I haven't had after-meal dessert yet!"
Faced with Paimon's shameless confidence, Lumine covered her face in mortification, making it look like she didn't even know her.
Rowan found their interaction amusing. He then turned to Istaroth and Jean.
"Do you two want candied hawthorn skewers too?"
"That's a traditional Liyue snack. It's coated in a sugar glaze, and inside it's all fruit."
"The bright red one is really tasty. Sweet and tangy. Eating a skewer after a meal isn't a bad idea."
"I want it! I want it!"
Seeing that Lumine didn't want to buy it for her, Paimon immediately scooted over, raising her little hand high in the air, afraid Rowan wouldn't buy it.
Paimon wanted it so badly that Istaroth and Jean kindly nodded as well, saying they wanted to try some.
Otherwise, with Rowan's personality and the fact he didn't really like sweets there was no way he'd buy it just for Paimon.
"Alright then. Boss, four skewers."
Just as Jean and Istaroth predicted, if they hadn't wanted to try it, then no matter how much Paimon begged, Rowan wouldn't have bought any.
Since they all wanted a taste, he might as well get one skewer each.
Paimon was only benefiting from their "support." Otherwise, at best, she and Lumine would've gotten a single one to share.
Rowan took four traditional hawthorn-flavored skewers from the vendor and handed them out—one each.
He didn't need one, and he didn't really want it either.
Even if he did, he could just take a bite from Jean's or Istaroth's.
No need to waste Mora buying an extra one.
Paimon accepted her skewer and happily started eating.
She actually wanted the orange flavor more, but since this was a freebie, she decided not to be picky.
Lumine thanked him and then took a small bite.
Instantly, her eyes narrowed in bliss.
So sweet!!!
Jean and Istaroth also ate with soft smiles.
But after a few bites, Istaroth felt it was too sweet and didn't want anymore.
She gave the rest to Rowan—this was exactly why he only bought four in the first place.
So the group continued eating as they walked toward Yujing Terrace.
In the end, it proved that even four skewers were too many.
Not only did Istaroth stop, but later even Jean couldn't finish hers.
Candied hawthorn skewers were really more about the taste. If you weren't a true foodie, eating a few pieces to sample it was enough.
Paimon and Lumine, however, finished theirs completely—one out of a "no wasting food" principle, and the other because she was simply a glutton.
When Jean couldn't eat anymore, Paimon looked at her with eager, puppy-like eyes.
Jean felt a little embarrassed and was just about to hand her skewer to Paimon when Rowan took it first.
He bit off the half-eaten hawthorn Jean had already nibbled, then handed the rest to Paimon.
That action made Jean's cheeks turn red. She shot Rowan a look—he really wouldn't let even a half-bitten piece go to waste.
Then, still blushing, she hurried ahead toward Yujing Terrace, walking far in front of everyone.
It was obvious—she was shy.
Paimon didn't care at all. Half a piece less was still food.
For a foodie, deliciousness came first.
Everything else was just background noise.
Just like that, they returned to the small courtyard on Yujing Terrace.
After resting briefly, Paimon and Lumine went into their room to sleep.
Tomorrow was the Rite of Descension, so they needed to conserve their energy.
Rowan did the same.
Soon, the courtyard went dark, and no one made a fuss.
A few hours after the lights went out, the entire Yujing Terrace was sealed off by the Millelith.
Don't misunderstand—it wasn't aimed at Rowan and the others.
It was because the Rite of Descension would be held on Yujing Terrace today.
Three steps, one guard—Yujing Terrace was surrounded so tightly it was as if not even a fly could slip in.
By the time the four people and one little companion woke up again, the outside had already grown noisy.
A huge number of foreigners were swarming toward Yujing Terrace.
That's right—although it was Liyue's biggest annual ceremony, there actually weren't that many locals attending.
Most of the attendees were foreigners. You could even say there weren't many Qixing members coming to watch, either.
Inside Yujing Terrace, the altar had already been prepared with everything needed for the ceremony.
A massive bronze incense burner stood there, and beside it were all kinds of offerings—silk, porcelain, chicken, duck, fish, meat, fruit—everything.
At the very front of the incense burner, a pair of candles had already been lit.
Everything was arranged meticulously, without the slightest hint of disorder.
There was no helping it—this was Liyue's most important ceremony, practically a solemn festival.
Compared to the Lantern Rite, the Rite of Descension was far more dignified and formal.
"Ningguang: Keqing, go invite Mondstadt's Knight King to come observe the ceremony."
"It won't be long until the auspicious time."
Seeing the sun in the sky nearing noon, Ningguang looked at Keqing and spoke.
Keqing nodded, then headed straight for Rowan's courtyard without another word.
"Alright, I'll go right away."
"Wow, there are so many people!"
"But why are there so many foreigners?"
(End of Chapter)
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