Kael glanced at the sky. It was nearly dusk.
Venti stood from his seat.
"I've gotta head back to Wanmin Restaurant for work."
He'd promised Kael he would sing there for a full month. Every evening at dinnertime, he returned to perform.
Not that he minded.
After each show, Chef Mao brought out good food and good wine, and even gave Venti thirty percent of the night's profit.
His meals were much better than anything he ate in Mondstadt, and at this rate, he'd even save up a decent amount.
Hehe… once he went back to Mondstadt, he could finally pay off that tab at Angel's Share.
But…
"Traveler, I had no idea you could sing like that. With a voice like yours, Wanmin doesn't need me at all. You could take my job and do it way better."
"Uh…"
Kael had never even considered such a possibility.
He'd shoved that talent to the back of his mind ages ago. If Yun Jin's performance hadn't triggered it today, he wouldn't have remembered it existed.
And singing wasn't exactly his passion.
A grown man having the voice of an angel… the thought alone made him cringe.
He absolutely did not want that kind of reputation in the real world.
"I'm not planning on doing anything with that talent."
"That's such a shame."
Everyone wore the same disappointed expression.
Kael quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, if no one has plans for tonight, why don't we all go to Wanmin Restaurant? Dinner's on me."
Zhongli spoke up immediately. "Will Mr. Kael be cooking?"
"Well… yes."
"Then I shall gladly impose."
Zhongli didn't hesitate for a moment.
He had heard countless praises of Kael's cooking, each more exaggerated than the last.
A gourmand like him could not miss this chance.
He had long wanted to taste Kael's dishes himself.
Kael had Keqing take everyone to Wanmin first while he brought Klee home.
"I wanna eat dinner with everyone too!"
Klee held Kael's hand, her voice full of longing.
He patted her head. "Be good. You've been out all day. The Knights of Favonius will worry if you don't go back. Next time I'll bring you again."
"When's next time…"
"As long as you don't get put in solitary confinement for a month, I'll bring you to Liyue. Deal?"
Jean had always struggled with Klee's explosive mischief.
Making this promise helped Klee—and quietly helped Jean too.
"Okay!"
Klee nodded with determination and then reluctantly waved goodbye.
Kael linked pinkies with her before sending her back to Mondstadt. Once he watched her walk safely through Mondstadt's gate, he rushed back to Liyue and into Wanmin Restaurant.
Everyone had already arrived.
Xiangling came up to greet him.
"Brother, your guests are here. When I took their orders earlier, they all said they want food made by you."
Kael nodded. "Alright, I'll start now. Oh, did Amber make it to Liyue?"
Xiangling blinked. "Amber? She's in Liyue? I haven't seen her at all today."
A knot of worry tightened in Kael's chest.
By the timing, she should have arrived.
He told Xiangling, "Hurry. Tell me—help me locate Amber."
"Uh…"
Xiangling looked confused. "Locate Amber?"
Kael opened his map. Sure enough, Xiangling had triggered a quest for him.
He tapped it.
Target location: Jade Chamber.
Amber… was in Ningguang's Jade Chamber?
At least it meant she wasn't in danger.
Kael exhaled in relief.
He decided that if she didn't show up later tonight, he'd go straight to the Jade Chamber to find her.
Ningguang had given him a pass earlier, and there was an anchor point up there. He could teleport whenever he wanted.
Kael stepped into the kitchen, picked up the menu Xiangling received from Zhongli's group, and cooked dish after dish.
Once the last plate was done, he carried everything out.
"Traveler, over here! Chef Mao just brought out the wine. Come drink with us!"
Venti waved energetically.
Aside from Morax, Kael was the only one he could drink with comfortably.
Zhongli was too picky with alcohol and too self-controlled, always taking only the tiniest sip. Definitely not drinking buddy material.
Kael, though, could drink—and Venti enjoyed his company.
Kael set down the plates and sighed. "I just finished cooking for you guys, and now I have to drink too? I'm too busy."
"Hehe, the capable should do more!"
Yun Jin took a bite of the Cured Pork Dry Pot Kael had made. She nodded, whispering to Venti.
Ever since hearing him sing, she looked at Kael through a glittering idol filter.
"Mr. Kael, not only do you sing beautifully, your cooking is incredible too. Truly multi-talented."
Zhongli smiled. "Mr. Kael's craftsmanship is indeed worthy of its reputation. If you ever serve as head chef here at Wanmin, I will certainly come often."
"You flatter me."
Kael placed a Golden Shrimp Ball into Keqing's bowl before looking at Venti's eager face.
"So you wanna drink, huh? Alright, I'll drink with you tonight."