Liyue has many restaurants, and among them, the most magnificent should be the Golden Stage and The Fully Furnished Co., where the popularity is such that reservations are required.
Wanmin Restaurant, on the other hand, carved its own style by taking a commoner-friendly approach. Its dishes, flavors, and dining style all possess distinct Liyue local characteristics, and the prices are fair and reasonable. Even a certain picky consultant is very satisfied with the taste here.
Chef Mao's culinary skills are already first-class, but his daughter Xiangling's cooking has surpassed his master's, and she still shows signs of growth. In the future, she will surely carve out her own niche.
Many customers come specifically for Xiangling's cooking, and they are very satisfied with her culinary skills, as long as she doesn't make strange things, everything is fine.
Generally speaking, Xiangling would not bring out her strange dishes, but today, a very beautiful girl came.
The guests present had never seen such a beautiful girl before; her attire was very similar to Yun Jin's, yet many differences could still be observed.
Anyway, this girl was very beautiful, and she seemed to be Xiangling's friend. As soon as she arrived, Xiangling hugged her and pestered her with all sorts of questions.
Nothing was out of the ordinary up to this point; it's quite normal for girls to be a little intimate. Chef Mao was also very happy that his daughter had made such a beautiful friend.
But the subsequent development left them a little bewildered, making them doubt their previous conjectures.
Xiangling's best way to entertain is with her cooking, and it's normal to treat a good friend with food, but... what's the meaning of bringing out those dark dishes that no one usually dares to eat?
"Come, have a taste. This is my improved Rainbow Glazed Pizza and Slime Slid Mushroom. The taste must be excellent."
Wow! Just by the name, you know these are two extraordinary dishes. Do you see that Mushroom covered in Slime condensate? Just a quick glance, and my stomach feels like it's churning.
Why does that girl show no expression at all? Did she already know Xiangling would use this kind of dish to mess with her?
Wait, why are you picking up your chopsticks?
Eh? Why are you still picking up that Mushroom?
Hey! Don't eat it! Spit it out quickly!
Under everyone's gaze, Durandal ate the Mushroom, chewing slowly and savoring it carefully, which made their eyebrows twitch. Even Chef Mao couldn't bear to watch.
"Guest, are you... alright? If it's too much, please don't force yourself."
Durandal shook her head, took a sip of water, and picked up another piece of Mushroom to eat.
Xiangling, sitting next to her, saw Durandal's actions and her eyes lit up. This was the first time she had seen someone eat her dishes so seriously.
She knew that Durandal, compared to others, would definitely treat her culinary creations more seriously. She had indeed not misjudged.
"How is it? How is it? How do you feel, Durandal? Is there anything strange?"
"First, the texture is different from other foods. Also, this appearance would scare away many people."
The diners nodded in agreement. It wasn't just a few people; almost everyone was scared away by this unique appearance.
If it weren't for Xiangling's excellent cooking skills, they probably wouldn't even come to Wanmin Restaurant anymore.
"However, the taste is not bad. As expected of you, even such a dish can be made delicious."
Hmm!? The expressions of the previously approving diners instantly turned horrified. What did she just say? Delicious? Not bad taste?
Is... is this evaluation really correct? Is she sure she didn't say the wrong thing? Does she know what she's saying?
The diners looked back at the Slime Slid Mushroom on the table. Even now, they could see the Slime condensate moving on the Mushroom. Could such a dish really be made delicious?
"Hehe~ Thank you for the compliment, but I still hope to hear a different evaluation from you so I can make some improvements."
"Improve your cooking? With my skill level, can I really do that?"
Durandal was well aware of the gap in cooking skills between her and Xiangling. She was very strong, so powerful that even the Heavenly Principles dared not provoke her, willing to let her stay on the continent of Teyvat.
But this does not mean she is omnipotent. She is diligently learning to cook, but she is still far from Xiangling's level, let alone offering suggestions.
"What's the big deal? You don't necessarily need your cooking skills to be better than mine to guide me. Besides, I've already received very important advice from you and am preparing to incorporate it into my cooking."
How to infuse 'heart' into cooking, Xiangling hasn't figured out yet, but she has already touched upon a bit of insight. With a little more time, she will grasp the trick.
Although she wasn't sure what advice Xiangling was referring to, since Xiangling herself had already said so, Durandal also put forward her thoughts.
The onlookers watched the dishes on Durandal's table, their expressions gradually becoming complex.
They didn't think Durandal was a plant hired by Xiangling; even a plant wouldn't be able to maintain a poker face while tasting such dishes.
Moreover, Durandal's unique aura also made them realize that she was not an ordinary person, and such a person should not be capable of lying.
So... should they also try it? Although it feels very strange, maybe there will be an unexpected surprise?
Thinking this, they raised their hands to order, but in the end, no one ordered because they just couldn't get over the mental hurdle.
Because it wasn't the busiest time, Xiangling didn't have to serve customers with Chef Mao and had time to chat with Durandal.
"This... is the notebook you gave me. Many of its contents have been very helpful to me. Thank you."
Durandal took out the notebook Xiangling had given her. She had read its contents several times, and most of it had already been memorized.
"It's just... there are many places in it that I think need to be modified. Although I can accept strange textures, that doesn't mean others can."
"Hmm~ Is that so? It seems I still need to work hard and try to make Slimes more delicious."
Can't you think of something else? Why must you focus on Slimes? Are there no other ingredients on the continent of Teyvat worth your attention?
Xiangling took the notebook; it had many signs of being read. Because it was read carefully, the notebook was still in the same condition as when she gave it to Durandal, with no signs of damage.
"By the way, why did you suddenly come to Liyue? Are you here for the Rite of Descension?"
"Yes, my friend who invited me to travel wants to see the Rite of Descension, so I accompanied her."
"Eh~ Invited you to travel? So, you plan to visit the other Seven Nations in the future?"
"If there are no surprises, I will accompany her to the end of her journey, and I will visit all the other nations."
"Is that so? I wonder what ingredients are in other countries. I'm a little curious."
Xiangling really wants to visit other countries, understand their food cultures, and absorb their essence to improve her cooking skills.
But as the head chef of Wanmin Restaurant, she can go out for culinary training when she's not busy, but she can't be away for too long, otherwise Chef Mao would be driven crazy.
So, at most, she can only visit the nearest Mondstadt, and then go to other nations when she has time in the future.
"Can you tell me about the person you're traveling with? I'm so envious that you can travel with Durandal."
"Why be envious? Envious of being able to go to other countries?"
"Hehe~ That's just one point, there are other reasons."
Durandal tilted her head in confusion, not quite understanding what Xiangling wanted to express.
"The person I'm traveling with is Lumine. Besides me, there's also a little guy named Paimon accompanying her. Lumine usually calls her emergency food, and after thinking about it, I'll call her reserve rations."
"Eh? The one you're traveling with is actually Lumine? I didn't expect you two to know each other."
"Hmm? You know her too?"
"Yes! When I left you and went to Springvale to find fresh ingredients, I met her. At that time, she and I went to find many interesting ingredients together, and we even had a cooking showdown with the people of Springvale. She and I are friends too!"
Hehe~ I didn't expect two of my good friends to be traveling together. This feeling is pretty good.
"Why didn't she come with you? If you both came, I could treat you to dinner."
"She has to report to the Adventurers' Guild and find a hotel for accommodation tonight. Because of the Rite of Descension, hotels are completely booked these days. It will probably take some time to find a hotel with an empty room."
Durandal didn't tell Xiangling about Keqing, for various reasons. In short, Keqing was to be ignored for now.
"Indeed, every Rite of Descension attracts many foreign tourists. With so many tourists, hotels being fully booked is a common occurrence."
As a Liyue native, Xiangling is well aware of the tourist situation every year at this time. If you arrive late, even rooms in small inns will be snatched up, let alone other rooms.
"If there's really nowhere to stay, you can come to me! My house is quite big, and if you don't mind, you can stay at my place for a few nights. You can go to a hotel when there are vacancies."
Don't let the size of Wanmin Restaurant fool you compared to those big restaurants; their house is quite large and has several empty rooms, perfectly capable of accommodating Durandal, Lumine, and a few other girls. I'm sure Chef Mao wouldn't mind Xiangling bringing friends home to stay.
Xiangling's suggestion is very good, at least Lumine will definitely be excited when she hears it.
Why? From her recent behavior, it's clear she loves beautiful girls, and is Xiangling a beautiful girl? Definitely.
Therefore, Lumine absolutely cannot know about this, otherwise she might not even look for a hotel and just come directly to see Xiangling.