"Hmm, this batch of Slime Condensate Frosting seems a bit too sweet... The 'bam' texture comes with a hint of bitterness. Not very tasty. Paimon, you try it."
Su Bai set down the piece of Slime Condensate Frosting that made a crackling sound. He already regretted offering to take Lumine and Paimon to the Jade Chamber to meet Ningguang.
Those two were determined to make the most delicious Slime Condensate Frosting for their delusional get-rich-quick scheme. As a result, Su Bai, who had nothing better to do, became the official taste tester.
After experiencing this bizarre slime dish over a dozen times, Su Bai finally couldn't take it anymore. No matter how exotic the sweetness, even an adeptus has limits. If he had a choice, he would rather eat Xiangling's Qingxin stir-fried slime than this Slime Condensate Frosting again.
"So, Su Bai, which one of these do you think is the best?"
"Ptooey, ptooey. Why is this one so bitter?"
Paimon took a bite of a freshly made Slime Condensate Frosting. The overwhelming sweetness followed by bitterness made her spit it out immediately. Su Bai finally lost it, his face twisted in a bitter expression—clearly, he had suffered greatly.
Lumine looked at the piece in her hand and silently tossed it aside. Though she trusted her cooking skills, she wasn't foolish.
"Just pick a few of the best ones. Ningguang probably doesn't like overly sweet things. The ingredients in her meals are top-tier, but the preparation methods leave much to be desired."
Su Bai picked out a few pieces that didn't look too sweet and packed them in a box. Here he was, an adeptus, always receiving gifts from Ningguang whenever he visited the Jade Chamber. He never thought he'd actually have to prepare a gift for her one day.
---
At the Jade Chamber, Ningguang and her three secretaries were processing various intelligence reports. The incident at the Rite of Descension had brought all sorts of unsavory characters out of hiding in Liyue Harbor, which only increased Ningguang's murderous intent.
"Lady Ningguang, several merchants are currently urging grain suppliers in Liyue Harbor to raise prices. Here is the list."
Baishi extracted a sheet of paper from the pile of intelligence and respectfully handed it to Ningguang. Ningguang glanced at it and set it aside.
"Bankrupt those on the list."
"For the grain suppliers who did not submit this report, replace them with our own people."
Ningguang's tone was as if she were giving an insignificant instruction, but the content sent chills down one's spine. This was the power of the Tianquan, head of the Liyue Qixing. With a single word, she could determine countless people's futures.
Baishi bowed and began to write down Ningguang's orders. As her secretary, she knew that ninety percent of the grain suppliers in Liyue Harbor were Ningguang's people. Any supplier who failed to report timely information undoubtedly harbored ill intentions.
The more intelligence Ningguang read, the colder her gaze became. This put immense pressure on her three secretaries. In all their years by Ningguang's side, they had never seen her like this.
The three exchanged glances and wisely chose to turn a blind eye. Those selected to be Ningguang's personal secretaries needed not only loyalty but also intelligence.
Though they knew Lady Ningguang wouldn't take her anger out on them, Baishi and the others still chose silence. No one dared to test Ningguang's patience.
"Lady Ningguang, according to our informants, Adeptus Su Bai may be coming to visit. Will you see him tonight?"
"Oh? Su Bai? It seems that Traveler holds a high place in his heart. To personally visit over such a minor matter."
"Baishi, have the Traveler's wanted notice canceled. Also, instruct the kitchen to prepare some pastries and brew a pot of tea from Qiaoying Village. Given the current situation in Liyue, we may need this fox adeptus to mediate with the adepti on our behalf."
---
At Yujing Terrace, after exchanging a series of secret codes that left Paimon completely lost, the group stood on a piece of floating stone and slowly drifted toward the Jade Chamber.
During this time, Su Bai had suggested using his Anemo energy to fly Lumine directly to the Jade Chamber. Lumine declined for the sake of her own safety. She had seen Su Bai's Anemo control back in Mondstadt. If his wind could send him spinning in midair, she wasn't about to trust it.
"Wow, this is the Jade Chamber? It's so magnificent!!"
"From the ground, it looked ordinary, but up here, it's incredibly luxurious. What an eye-opener. How much Mora did this cost..."
Paimon's exclamations made Lumine nod in agreement. She wasn't an ordinary person without worldly experience. Among the worlds she had visited, those who could achieve what Ningguang had with her own power were few and far between.
"Alright, stop gawking. I think Ningguang has already prepared refreshments for us. Follow me."
Su Bai sniffed the sweet aroma in the air and pouted. Though he knew Ningguang meant no harm, being anticipated like this was rather unpleasant.
"Huh? How did Ningguang know we were coming?"
"Ningguang has informants all over Liyue. Remember Verr Goldet, the owner of Wangshu Inn? She's one of Ningguang's informants."
"The moment we finished eating at Wangshu Inn, Ningguang already knew what we had."
Su Bai's words left Paimon and Lumine speechless with shock. Lumine felt a knot of worry. She was a wanted criminal. Would she really not be arrested for visiting Ningguang directly?
Noticing Lumine's concern and seeing that the stationed Millelith soldiers showed no intention of arresting her, Su Bai made a guess. He gently patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. Your wanted notice has probably already been canceled. Ningguang moves quickly. The Millelith might be taking down your posters in Liyue Harbor right now."
"Huh? Really? Then Ningguang is such a good person."
Hearing that Ningguang had canceled Lumine's wanted status, Paimon immediately awarded her a good person card. If Lumine weren't wanted anymore, Paimon could go eat delicious food in Liyue Harbor. How wonderful.
"Hehe, in all these years, few have called me a 'good person.' Does our fox adeptus share that opinion?"
A gentle voice came from the largest building on the Jade Chamber. A woman in pale yellow robes slowly emerged. At the same time, the rich aroma of premium pastries filled the entire Jade Chamber. The smell was so intense that tears—or rather, drool—began to flow uncontrollably from the corner of Paimon's mouth.
Lumine shot Paimon a glare for embarrassing her, though she herself couldn't help swallowing. This aroma was even richer than what she had smelled at Diluc's Dawn Winery. Lumine sighed inwardly. As one of Liyue's wealthiest individuals, even the fragrance of Ningguang's pastries carried a scent of unaffordability.