The commotion in reality did nothing to interfere with the video playing on the screen.
"Worth a fortune... Hmm, what a shame. Paimon thinks we probably won't ever need it again..."
Both the real Paimon and the Paimon in the video found that a great pity.
After all, besides being a little foodie, Paimon was also a little money-grubber. She genuinely felt it was a shame that such valuable knowledge would never come in handy again.
Next, Zhongli and the other two asked Shitou for samples of the three types of Noctilucous Jade, "marveling" at how his skill at slicing samples rivaled that of the chefs who sliced beef at Lanzhou noodle shops.
No, he was even better than those Lanzhou noodle chefs. After all, beef was softer than Noctilucous Jade, easier to slice, and less prone to shattering. Being able to cut Noctilucous Jade into samples as thin as cicada wings showed that Shitou's craftsmanship was no joke.
Faced with three Noctilucous Jade samples so thin they almost seemed transparent, Paimon and the Traveler, prompted by Zhongli, decided to use Hydro to separate them from Pyro, heating them indirectly to protect the samples while testing the quality of the different types of Noctilucous Jade.
Then, choosing between Xiangling's family kitchen and the Meaty Tribe's large pot in Dadaupa Gorge, the two ultimately decided to go bully the poor Hilichurls.
Hilichurls had no human rights anyway, so nobody would speak up for them if they got bullied, right (not really)?!
[Xiangling: Uh, should I say Dad's ancestral iron pot dodged another disaster?]
[Hu Tao: What a shame, what a shame. I thought I could land a sale.]
[Xiangling: Eek?!]
[Hu Tao: Relax, relax. You're still so easy to tease, Xiangling. I meant providing a service for your pot.]
[Xiangling: Phew, I thought...]
[Yun Jin: Stop teasing Xiangling.]
[Xinyan: Exactly! If you've got that much free time, help me think up a rock performance for Lantern Rite!]
[Keqing: Ahem, Xinyan, remember to file a report this time. Even I've heard about the complaints against you.]
[Xinyan: Huh? Heh, hehe.]
[Keqing: ...]
[Collei: Uh, getting back on topic, Dadaupa Gorge is in Mondstadt, right? Why go so far just to test the samples?]
[Paimon: To borrow the big pot there that can withstand elemental reactions... Hmm, something seems off.]
[Paimon: From Liyue Harbor to Dadaupa Gorge... Hmm, even taking the shortest route straight through the snowy mountain, that still feels a bit too far.]
[Lumine: Relax, Paimon. The map in a game definitely wouldn't be as realistic and vast as the real world. After all, those lawless players just play games for fun. They wouldn't want to run all the way to a fight and spend three days and nights just traveling.]
[Lumine: Besides, did you forget we can use Teleport Waypoints?]
[Albedo: Hmm? You mean those strange ancient devices scattered throughout Teyvat? Can you use those Teleport Waypoints because you're from another world, or is there another reason? If you have time, would you like to come to the snowy mountain? I sincerely invite you to join my research team.]
[Lumine: Uh, just to be safe, let me ask first. If I join, I won't be the one being studied, will I?]
[Albedo: ...The stipend is substantial.]
[Lumine: Answer my question directly!]
[Paimon: Could you tell us how much you'd pay?]
[Albedo: My research funding is quite ample. At least ten million Mora to start, with substantial additional compensation for any damage sustained.]
[Paimon: We're in!]
[Lumine: Paimon!!!]
While everyone in the discussion area enjoyed the merriment, the video cut out most of Zhongli and the Traveler's trip to Dadaupa Gorge, leaving only a shot of Aether running across the grass with Zhongli's voice narrating.
"It's been a long time since I set foot in the nation of wind..."
"Whenever my friend from Mondstadt visits Liyue, he brings a few bottles of authentic Dandelion Wine."
"I must say, the City of Song's famed wine tastes considerably better than Sumeru's [Cold-Soaked Snake Wine]."
[Tighnari: Cold-Soaked Snake Wine... Well, I actually think it's quite decent.]
[Cyno: Question: why does Tighnari like drinking Cold-Soaked Snake Wine?]
[Tighnari: All right, stop right there.]
[Cyno: The answer is: cool-headed shooting wine.]
[Collei: ...]
[Tighnari: ...]
[Cyno: Cool-headedness is Tighnari's best quality as a Forest Watcher, and Tighnari also uses a bow-]
[Tighnari: I didn't ask you to explain!]
[Diona: I hate it, hate it! I hate all alcohol! I'm absolutely going to destroy Mondstadt's wine industry!]
[Klee: Yay! Diona, Klee will help!]
[Jean: Klee?!]
[Klee: Huh?!!!]
[Venti: Huh? Give me a break. Mondstadt without wine is even harder to imagine than Liyue without contracts.]
[Barbara: Rest assured, Lord Barbatos. The cathedral will always have every variety of alcohol we can collect ready for you.]
[Paimon: Miss Barbara, this really feels like you're luring prey into a trap.]
[Jean: Ahem.]
[Bennett: Is it just me, or does what Mr. Zhongli said make it sound like he knows our Anemo Archon?]
[Lisa: Uh.]
[Kaeya: Ahem.]
[Diluc: Sigh...]
[Venti: Ahem, let's get back to Cold-Soaked Snake Wine. Yes, that wine certainly left quite an impression on me too. Back then, it was Greater Lord... Never mind, I'm not saying anything else today.]
Inside the Angel's Share, Lisa, Kaeya, and the other sharp minds exchanged glances. They had long known that as the video revealed more information, more people would eventually realize what it implied. But if an adventurer from Mondstadt rashly exposed Rex Lapis's true identity, wouldn't that be something of a mockery of the people of Liyue?
And as for their own Anemo Archon, with him provoking that renowned God of War, Rex Lapis, like this, they were genuinely afraid a gigantic meteor might suddenly fall from the sky.
They wouldn't feel bad if it hit Venti, but wouldn't it be unjust if their fine City of Mondstadt got caught in the blast?
Fortunately, the old gentleman had spent many years cultivating his temperament and had long since experienced the drunken bard's absurdity. Faced with Venti's intentional or unintentional provocations, he calmly drank his tea and watched the show.
In the video, the screen swallowed up the subsequent footage of Zhongli and the others going to Dadaupa Gorge. It went black, and when the picture returned, the scene jumped straight to their return to the Jade Mystery.
Shitou: "Oh, you're back, sir. I've kept all the goods for you. Have you decided? Which kind do you want?"
After Shitou finished asking this question, the video paused, and a system question popped up on the screen.
[System: Changing this video's quiz format. Inserting a question now.]
[Question: Which Noctilucous Jade did the Traveler's group ultimately choose?]
[A. Noctilucous Jade No. 1]
[B. Noctilucous Jade No. 2]
[C. Noctilucous Jade No. 3]
[D. I'll take them all.]
[System: This question's difficulty is medium. Answers will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, restricted to starred users. Countdown begins now: 5, 4...]
[Amber: Ah, wait, it can suddenly change the format like that?]
[Cyno: Once upon a time, there was a question-]
[Tighnari: All right, stop there. You seem a little too uninhibited today.]
[Lyney: Hmm, although the quiz format changed suddenly, the question itself is still-]
[Shikanoin Heizou: Hiding all the key information.]
[Childe: Thank heavens. Thanks to the Traveler and Paimon's tremendous help, we can at least rule out option D.]
[Hu Tao: Yes, although our consultant is very generous when shopping, he does know how to rein it in when someone reminds him. We should be able to rule out D.]
[Lisa: But we still haven't the slightest clue about the other options.]
[Neuvillette: I'm used to it by now.]
[Kaeya: We can't exactly say this question is impossible to deduce. It's probably like the earlier questions: we need a specific person who knows something the rest of us don't to work out the correct answer.]
By now, they were already on the seventh question, and the clever people in the discussion area had more or less noticed something.
Namely, from yesterday until now, those questions for which the videos seemingly revealed no relevant information actually offered certain viewers new clues that only they themselves could discover.
For example, with the question about which nation's "script" had changed in the Footprint promotional video, the others naturally knew nothing of the circumstances and could only guess blindly.
But the Lesser Lord Kusanali, who knew full well that she possessed the authority to communicate with Irminsul and could theoretically modify everything in Teyvat, could naturally make a reasonable guess that this change to the "script" might have something to do with her, and thus deduce-or rather, guess-the correct answer.
So, for this seemingly contextless question, there surely was someone among the users in the discussion area who held the key to answering it, possessing information that the others did not know.
The only question was whether that person could realize it.
After all, while the discussion area had no shortage of clever people like Lyney, Heizou, and Kaeya, it also had plenty of innocent-eyed types like Itto and Paimon.
If that information happened to be in their hands, all would truly be lost.
[Lumine: Hmm, I don't know if I'm thinking along the right lines, but in that case, I choose C.]
[Paimon: Huh? Did you suddenly find a clue?]
[Lumine: I'm just guessing based on my experience playing similar games in other worlds. Still, there's some chance I'm right, and even if I'm wrong, I still have three exemptions.]
Actually, this question's difficulty was medium. Even if she guessed wrong, she could grit her teeth and accept whatever punishment she might receive without much trouble.
Lumine had watched quite a few quizzes by now, and she was rather tempted by the rewards.
And if the screen's rewards really varied by person and were always the most suitable reward for the recipient, then perhaps her reward would have something to do with finding Aether?!
Holding on to that hope, Lumine volunteered to answer.
After all, at this point, she truly was wholeheartedly searching for her brother.
[System: Correct answer. Awarding the esteemed five-star protagonist, Traveler Lumine, a one-year supply of Sweet Madame, a dish from the world of Genshin Impact. For one year after claiming the reward, Traveler Lumine may freely use an unlimited supply of Sweet Madame. However, the next Sweet Madame cannot be summoned while less than 80% of the previous Sweet Madame has been used.]
[System: Sweet Madame restores 22% of the selected character's maximum HP and an additional 1,200 HP.]
[System: Sweet Madame: delicious, affordable, and made with simple ingredients. Truly an essential dish for home and travel. By Sara.]
Seeing that the Traveler had really answered correctly and received this reward from the screen, the first to cheer and leap with joy was, unsurprisingly, the little foodie Paimon.
[Paimon: Wow, it's my favorite, Sweet Madame!]
[Paimon: And it's Sweet Madame you can use however you want! Does that mean, unlike Pac-Man's bone broth ramen, you can give it to other people to eat, Lumine?]
[Lumine: You little thing. Your brain really does work fast when it comes to food.]
[Paimon: Ehe.]
[Venti: What do you mean, "ehe," little Paimon?]
[Paimon: Hmph, whatever you say, I'm going to eat three Sweet Madames every day for the next year!]
Gasp!
Just how was this little thing's stomach built?
Quite a few people had already seen exactly what Paimon looked like in the previous videos.
Never mind anything else-how could that body, smaller than an ordinary human child's, eat three Sweet Madames a day?
She had to be joking, right?
[Kaeya: If anyone else said that, I'd think they were joking, but with Paimon...]
[Diluc: I just did a count. Sixty-two servings of bar snacks disappeared from the tavern last night.]
[Rosaria: If I remember correctly, the Angel's Share serves its bar snacks on medium-sized plates, right?]
A plate of bar snacks that size was generally meant to last a customer through an evening of leisurely drinking and eating. For one person, it was actually equivalent to a meal.
She had polished off sixty-two servings of bar snacks in one evening. Apparently, when little Paimon said she would eat three Sweet Madames a day, she was actually understating things.
[Albedo: Hmm, Paimon, would you be interested in joining the Traveler on the snowy mountain to participate in my research team? I provide daily meals.]
[Paimon: No way!]
With an unlimited supply of Sweet Madame guaranteed, Paimon could now actually turn down free daily meals. What an eye-opener.
[Lumine: @Kazuha, my Sweet Madame restores health too. Your friend should need it, right?]
[Kazuha: I deeply appreciate your kindness, Miss Lumine. Thank you very much, but I cannot put you in danger for the sake of helping my friend.]
[Kujou Sara: Kazuha, what do you mean by that?]
Was Inazuma some sort of killing field?
Or was he trying to persuade the Shogun's prey not to come to Inazuma?
Kujou Sara's gaze sharpened.