"Xiangling, stir-fried sliced meat, Crystal Shrimp, Rice Buns, and one each of Three-Threaded Delicacy and Come-and-Get-It. Oh, and pack them up for me."
Bai Ye walked into Wanmin Restaurant and spoke to Xiangling.
Master Mao was stir-frying at another stove. Hearing Bai Ye order so many dishes, he asked curiously, "Did you make a fortune these past couple of days? You've become awfully generous with your food and drink lately. You even eat something different every day. I remember that young lady stopped employing you long ago."
"Oh, there are some special circumstances these days, so I need to eat a little more."
Bai Ye replied with a smile.
At the same time, he sat at a table and waited for Xiangling to pack up his food.
Guoba was still watching Bai Ye with his head tilted, but this time, instead of observing from afar as before, he waddled straight over.
He sensed that Bai Ye was hiding something, but it was not something hostile toward him.
Seeing this, Bai Ye reached out to pet Guoba.
Pat, pat, pat...
Guoba looked at Bai Ye's hand rubbing back and forth over his head, then stiffly backed away.
He turned and ran toward the back, then lifted the already-packed food from the stove.
Hanging it from his tiny arms, he waddled back over to Bai Ye.
"Haha, Guoba seems to like you quite a bit."
Master Mao burst out laughing at the sight.
"Maybe I just have a friendly face."
Bai Ye picked up the packed food and said to Master Mao with a smile.
Master Mao had just finished frying a dish. Looking at Bai Ye, he stroked his chin and thought for a moment before nodding. "Indeed. You're about as handsome as I was when I was young."
"Dad, you're bragging again."
Xiangling could not help exposing her father.
"Hey, how is that bragging? And why aren't you helping your old man right now?"
Master Mao argued indignantly with his daughter.
The father and daughter traded a few jokes while Bai Ye watched from the side with a smile.
Seeing that they were nearly done bickering, Bai Ye smiled and left. "All right, I'll be heading off first. I still have things to do after I eat."
"Mm, see you tonight."
Xiangling bid Bai Ye farewell.
"Okay."
After leaving Wanmin Restaurant and walking some distance away, Bai Ye found a tall ceremonial archway. Using Anemo elemental power, he easily climbed to the top.
Bai Ye sat up there.
Then he took out all the food.
"Teacher, get ready to enjoy some delicious food."
Bai Ye said with a smile.
After obtaining the Floating Stone Yelan had given him, Bai Ye absorbed it, allowing his teacher to recover considerably.
Under the current circumstances, Bai Ye could let his teacher try more things.
Bai Ye closed his eyes and began mobilizing the senses of his teacher's remnant soul, allowing her to share his sense of taste.
That way, when he ate, it also counted as his teacher eating.
The reason Bai Ye had bought so much food was because he wanted to enjoy more while the Floating Stones were relatively plentiful these days.
The reason he had not stayed at Wanmin Restaurant was because Bai Ye worried Guoba might notice something.
"Hehe..."
Hagintos let out a delighted laugh.
Bai Ye picked up a Crystal Shrimp and placed it in his mouth.
When he bit through its tender yet springy outer skin, the peeled fresh shrimp and juices mixed with various ingredients burst within. Its rich, fragrant flavor instantly blossomed across his mouth.
As he slowly chewed it, Bai Ye and Hagintos both let out satisfied sounds.
"I truly haven't experienced this feeling in a very long time."
Hagintos said to Bai Ye.
"Mm, I've already reserved tables at Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion. When the time comes, I'll take you to taste the food from both places."
"This... doesn't that seem like too much trouble?"
Hagintos hesitated.
"It's fine. You're my teacher, so of course I have to treat you well."
Bai Ye picked up another chopstickful of Three-Threaded Delicacy and put it into his mouth.
"Teacher, you wouldn't want your student to be someone with terrible character, would you?"
Bai Ye was deeply grateful to Hagintos.
When he had first transmigrated to Teyvat, he had been completely alone and possessed no combat ability whatsoever. His teacher had saved him and given him his earliest support; afterward, she had also taught him every ability she remembered without holding anything back.
Bai Ye knew that his teacher had taught him everything she could.
No matter what happened, he had to protect his teacher well. If he ever had the chance to restore her body, that would be even better.
"Mm, all right then. Bai Ye, eat more. I still don't feel satisfied."
Bai Ye began wolfing down the food.
With the average height of an Anemo boy, he simply could not eat too much.
Very soon, he finished the meal. Then he set the lunch boxes aside, leaned against a pillar, and sat down.
Gazing out beyond Liyue Harbor, Bai Ye took out the maze blueprint.
Rather than entering it, he began carefully studying the Art of Automata recorded upon it.
This was a different Art of Automata from his teacher's. He needed to work hard to learn its contents.
"Mm, so this is how it's solved? Amazing."
Bai Ye marveled at the maze blueprint's ingenious mechanisms.
He began learning the mechanical techniques within it.
Hagintos watched him and felt happy for her student.
Although little of her memory remained, Hagintos still knew very well that Bai Ye's talent was likely unmatched by anyone she had encountered in her life.
He was far stronger than she had ever been.
Otherwise, he could not possibly have learned all of the Art of Automata she still retained in such a short time.
She could no longer teach him anything. If Bai Ye wanted to keep improving, he had to learn the Art of Automata of others, integrate it all, and forge his own path.
"The owner of this mechanism blueprint would be a good subject to study from. Unfortunately, with my current memories, I can only recall having compared myself with him or her before. I know nothing of the specifics."
After thinking it over, Hagintos felt that she needed to recover more of herself so she could continue hiding from the Adepti.
"But that would require more Floating Stones, and buying Floating Stones requires more Mora. Where is that money supposed to come from?"
Hagintos began worrying somewhat about money.
By evening, Bai Ye finally set the mechanism blueprint aside.
Over the course of the afternoon,
he had already learned many of the Art of Automata techniques within the maze blueprint.
By drawing inferences from one example,
Bai Ye had gained even more ideas.
There were some things he could try.
Patting his stomach,
Bai Ye felt that the food he had eaten at noon had mostly been digested. He prepared to jump down from the archway and go to Wanmin Restaurant to buy more food.
However, just as he was about to jump down, he saw a group of people entering along the distant road.
"They're people from the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Why do they look so dejected?"
Bai Ye looked at them curiously.
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