4

Her quirky personality and elusive whereabouts.

He had thoroughly learned his lesson.

In the past, he had often been tricked in this regard, and while there wasn't much loss, being played by a teenage girl was still a bit embarrassing.

This time, he finally got a chance to get his revenge.

"It's this late, why are you acting crazy, running out to find Hilichurls?"

"Uh, I got a bit carried away, didn't originally plan to be out this late... Never mind that, Hu Tao, are you heading back to Liyue Harbor? Want to go together?"

Hu Tao looked at Law suspiciously, with the natural distrust she held for men who 'messed around' late at night, and asked.

And Law, of course, couldn't say.

He hadn't fought so freely in a long time, and for a moment, he got a bit carried away.

When he came to his senses, he realized it was already completely dark, and although this place wasn't far from Liyue Harbor, it was different from the time he had initially calculated.

There was indeed a tiny bit of difference (fingertip universe)~

But it wasn't a big problem; he was human, not a machine, so making mistakes was normal!

"Then let's go together."

Knowing that Law didn't really want to discuss the topic, Hu Tao didn't dwell on it much; she herself had long lost interest in the subject...

Hu Tao didn't think much about Law's invitation and readily accepted.

Although due to her work, Hu Tao was long accustomed to coming and going alone at night and didn't feel lonely because of it... occasionally, she still hoped to have someone accompany her.

Even if it was just from here back to Liyue Harbor.

This not-so-distant journey.

As for Law, his thoughts were even simpler; he just genuinely found it rare to encounter Hu Tao heading back to Liyue Harbor at this time.

He simply extended an invitation.

As for other messy thoughts... this was reality, not a game.

...

Law and Hu Tao were both God's Eye wielders, with physical abilities beyond ordinary people, and although it was a bit more remote than expected, overall, they were still near Liyue Harbor.

Traveling at full speed, without being delayed by anything else.

After about twenty minutes, they saw the lights from Chi Hu Rock (oil lamps? Probably, definitely not electric lights).

"Finally here."

Hu Tao stretched, looking at Liyue Harbor, and yawned, appearing quite tired. The work of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, on the surface, was about life and death burials...

But in reality, that was just what was shown to ordinary people.

Maintaining the boundary between life and death was also one of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's duties. Therefore, it was inevitable to deal with true 'ghosts,' though it was hard to define the ghosts of Teyvat.

And whether they were the same as the ghosts Law understood.

But at least one thing was certain: both were most active during the 'yin' hours (nighttime).

Hu Tao had left Liyue Harbor a day ago, resolving a small problem on Wuwang Hill. Although she had been traveling non-stop.

But this was not a game after all.

There were no convenient anchor points.

Moreover, the actual map was much larger than in the game... After all, a real world has too many things that a game doesn't need...

Although Hu Tao was long accustomed to such work.

Even if she stayed up for two more days, it wouldn't be a problem!

But she was also quite exhausted. Seeing Liyue Harbor, fatigue washed over her all at once, which was normal.

"Looking at you, you must be quite tired these past two days... Do you want to go to Xiangling's place with me to eat something? Or just go straight home and get a good night's sleep?"

Seeing Hu Tao's expression, Law generally guessed what was going on.

He pondered for a moment and asked.

He had played Genshin Impact in his previous life, and although the map was limited at the time, most of the time, like most players, he called characters 'wife' one after another and couldn't really say he invested much emotion.

But coming to this real world.

He had a clearer understanding... not sympathy, but appreciation.

The kind where he would instinctively take care of her.

The reason he invited Hu Tao to Wanmin Restaurant was, firstly, that at this time, there would be fewer people at Wanmin Restaurant than during the day, and secondly, he had seen Xiangling at Wanmin Restaurant when he came out.

As long as his luck wasn't particularly bad.

She should be in Liyue Harbor today.

Coincidentally, he had activated his golden finger, which he had waited over twenty years for, today. Besides the increase in strength, he also obtained many good ingredients. If nothing else, Xiangling would definitely be very interested!

And a good meal was also the best medicine to soothe fatigue.

Chapter 6: Treating and Good Ingredients

"Yes!"

Although a bit low on energy, upon hearing that Law planned to treat her, Hu Tao still pushed through her sleepiness and nodded without hesitation.

A full meal before bed was also appropriate.

Although she hadn't gone hungry on the journey, it was still the wilderness, and conditions were limited; there was no such thing as a grand meal. Reality wasn't a game where you just throw ingredients into a pot and wait for a progress bar.

Knife skills, heat control, seasoning, and ingredient pairing.

These were all quite troublesome in the wild.

It wasn't possible to do everything with one click like in a game. Hu Tao had been eating dry rations these past few days, and she hadn't noticed it before, but now that Law mentioned it.

Hu Tao suddenly felt her stomach rumbling.

Her steps quickened by three points. Without Law leading the way, she instinctively headed towards Wanmin Restaurant...

"Welcome to Wanmin Restaurant!"

At this hour, most of the kitchen staff had already left work, leaving only a few assistants and Xiangling still busy. The open kitchen allowed them to oversee the front counter from the back kitchen.

As soon as Law and Hu Tao entered.

They heard Xiangling's enthusiastic voice. Still full of enthusiasm after a day of work, should one say, it's just like Xiangling?

"Law and Hu Tao? What are you planning to eat tonight?"

Xiangling looked up, saw familiar faces, and asked.

Hu Tao from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and Law from the general store were both regular customers of Wanmin Restaurant, so Xiangling naturally recognized them, especially the latter, who also had some cooperative relations with Wanmin Restaurant.

Some unique Sumeru seasonings and ingredients were handled by Law, who acted as a merchant, responsible for contacting and transporting them.

They had dealt with each other often.

Naturally, they weren't strangers. Law had also helped Xiangling collect some strange 'ingredients,' so they could certainly be considered friends.

"I brought some good ingredients you've never seen before, Xiangling."

Law shook his head, indicating that he had brought his own ingredients. He led Hu Tao to an unoccupied table, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Eh? New ingredients? Show me quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Xiangling stopped thinking about why Law and Hu Tao came together, and her eyes began to light up.

This hit Xiangling right in her weak spot.

She currently had no work, so she told Guoba to watch the fire and scurried from the back kitchen to Law and their table, her big eyes sparkling as she stared at Law.

She was clearly very excited about the so-called unprecedented ingredients he mentioned.

Liyue Harbor was known as a gathering place for merchants, importing goods from all seven nations. Since she was little, Xiangling had seen and eaten countless ingredients. She wouldn't dare say she had eaten everything in Teyvat.

But at least, she had tried most popular ingredients.

However, some ingredients were too special; either inconvenient to transport or too costly. Wanmin Restaurant, as a restaurant catering to ordinary people, mainly used local Liyue ingredients.

After all, restaurants also had to consider costs.

"I guarantee you've never seen them!"

In the past, Law wouldn't dare make such a guarantee. After all, this wasn't a game, and there were no map restrictions. Given Xiangling's personality when it came to food.

It was truly hard to say if there was anything in all of Teyvat she hadn't eaten.

It wasn't impossible, but it was definitely very rare.

But this time, these were ingredients from another world, a world specifically known for producing all sorts of strange and wonderful gourmet ingredients.

If Xiangling had seen them.

That would be a ghost!

Of course, considering his own limited trading points, and the fact that some ingredients from the Gourmet Prisoner world were indeed surprisingly large in volume.

And also more complicated to process.

What Law took out wasn't anything too astonishing.

Just two silver fish, slightly larger than a palm. At first glance, they looked no different from common river bass.

Hu Tao, who had initially expected Law to take out something great, expressed her disappointment.

Not being a professional chef, she really couldn't tell the difference between these and ordinary river fish. Silver? River fish weren't without that color.

"This is?!"

Xiangling didn't react at first, but she also didn't think Law was lying to her. Instead, she observed carefully and soon discovered something unusual.

These two silver fish hadn't died after leaving the water; instead, they were in a state of suspended animation. If one looked closely, they would notice that the scales of this fish were not actually silver.

Instead, they were transparent, tiny scales that would be overlooked if one didn't look closely.

The silver color was actually the flesh of the fish itself.

Out of a chef's intuition, Xiangling didn't believe that this silver color was due to a layer of mucus covering the fish's body.

Moreover, the more she looked closely.

The more she realized something was off.

The fins and eyes of these two fish seemed to be a type of crystal. Her intuition told her that these seemed to be edible??

"What kind of fish is this???"

The more she looked, the stranger it seemed; the more she looked, the more she felt a thrill of discovery. Xiangling, she just loved these strange ingredients!

Not to mention, this one looked delicious at first glance.

"This... I don't know either. But a friend of mine said it's great for making fish soup."

Law shrugged, indicating he couldn't answer the question. There were too many strange ingredients in the Gourmet World; things of this level didn't even rank there.

His 'self' from that side hadn't specifically left a name.

So he truly didn't know, he just mentioned that this thing didn't require much complex processing to make a delicious fish soup.

Late at night, it was suitable to drink something warm.

That's why Law took this out.

"Fish soup? Hmm, it doesn't seem to have much meat. I'll try it."

Taking the two fish from Law's hand, Xiangling looked thoughtful. This was the first time she had seen such a special ingredient. Although fish soup wasn't a complex dish.

It still made Xiangling feel a sense of pressure.

The pressure of the unknown...

After all, even the same dish could present two different flavors due to different ingredients and different cooking methods, let alone this completely new ingredient.

What to pair it with.

How to control the heat.