"Spicy Meat Buns were actually invented by the Stove God?!" Paimon's eyes widened in shock—she never expected this humble snack to have such grand origins.
"I never imagined Grandfather had such a connection with the Stove God..."
Keqing pressed for details—this was exactly what she had been investigating all along.
Instead of answering directly, Mu Yang turned to Xiangling. "Xiangling, where did you first meet... Gouba?"
The others were puzzled. Why bring up Gouba now? Wasn't Keqing asking about the Stove God?
"♪♪"
Xiangling looked at Mu Yang in confusion. "Meet Gouba?"
Her gaze shifted to the Spicy Meat Buns in her hands, then to Gouba beside her.
"Ah! The day I met Gouba, I was making this very dish!"
Xiangling began recounting that memory.
She had encountered Gouba in a cave.
That day, she had taken shelter from the rain inside and noticed an offering table—so she placed the Spicy Meat Buns she had with her on it.
Xiangling scratched her head sheepishly—she didn't remember the finer details.
"I accidentally fell asleep. When I woke up, Gouba had eaten all the buns."
"Ever since then, it's been following me—like family."
After Xiangling finished her story, Keqing asked, "Mu Yang, are you suggesting that..."
Mu Yang still avoided a direct answer. "Let's go back and take another look at that giant stone."
When the group returned, they saw the massive slab glowing brilliantly before cracking open...
"It—it split open?!"
Inside the stone stood the Stove God's statue—and it was unmistakably Gouba!
Xiangling, slower to react than Keqing, still hadn't grasped why Mu Yang had asked about Gouba. She gasped in shock. "Gouba?! It's you?!"
Gouba stared wide-eyed at its own statue. "♪!"
——————
Guinaifen immediately started gloating in her livestream, claiming she had noticed Gouba's unusual behavior during the event.
"Sigh, my observational skills are just too sharp—it ruins some of the fun."
She shook her head with an unbearably smug expression.
[Oh, shut up. Disgusting!]
[Every time Little Gui gloats, I lose sleep for three days.]
[Streamer, remember your image. Did I come here to watch you show off?]
After her moment of triumph, Guinaifen shifted the topic to Mu Yang.
"Mu Yang's memories really have returned. I wonder if he'll share them with us."
[At least the part about the Stove God, right?]
[Yeah, otherwise this whole event would've been for nothing.]
[Mu Yang: Yeah yeah, 'for nothing'—conveniently ignoring the 20 free pulls. Did you lose your 50/50?]
[Mu Yang would never say something so cruel (sunglasses emoji)]
——————
Madame Ping appeared behind them. "It seems you've all tasted the Spicy Meat Buns."
"Master!"
Even the clueless Paimon hadn't pieced it together yet.
"Madame Ping! Look—the Stove God statue looks like Gouba!"
Mu Yang: "Paimon, Gouba is the Stove God—Marchosius."
"Gouba is a God?!"
Gouba, meanwhile, was still staring blankly at its statue.
Madame Ping walked slowly toward them.
"You asked me if enough excitement could awaken the Stove God. My answer is: yes, and no."
She explained that the Stove God had always acted in accordance with people's wishes—a deity close to the people.
To him, effort and wishes were different things.
Effort was skill, talent, experience.
But only wishes represented the purest power in people's hearts.
The Masterful Chefs Competition was spectacular, but it contained more effort than wishes.
Effort alone wasn't enough to awaken the slumbering Stove God statue.
Madame Ping looked at Keqing. "But when Keqing tasted that dish earlier, her wish was fulfilled."
"Beyond answers, she gained something even more precious—a beautiful memory, as if standing side by side with her grandfather once more."
"This burst of power, born from a fulfilled wish, resonated with the Stove God statue—allowing it to reappear in its original form."
Keqing, naturally, was deeply moved by these words.
Madame Ping asked Gouba, "How does it feel, seeing your statue from your prime? Look at him—still so majestic."
Xiangling frowned. What did she mean by "prime"?
Was Gouba different now?
"He was once Liyue's guardian of the land. Now, he's your Gouba."
"But the wisdom and power he once possessed—he gave it all to this land."
Madame Ping recounted Gouba's past.
The dangers and trials this land faced were hard for modern Liyueans, living in peace, to imagine.
Droughts, floods, storms, hurricanes...
Earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, plagues...
Disasters never truly vanished from Liyue.
New troubles would arise in the future, just as they had in the past.
Mortals, lacking immortal bodies, suffered most from these calamities.
The Stove God once walked with Liyue's people across barren plains, arriving at the harbor, building homes, lighting stoves...
"He personally lit Liyue's first night lamp, letting the aroma of food drift into every household."
"Liyue may no longer remember him, but in the era that did, he was the most beloved of all Adepti."
——————
As Madame Ping spoke, players were treated to a cutscene.
The "God of the Stove" Marchosius was born from sparks struck by colliding stones.
He governed hearth fires and livelihoods—a God who loved humanity.
A thousand years ago, Liyue's ancestors established a settlement in Guili Plains, naming it the Guili Assembly.
As recorded in ancient texts, Marchosius created countless avatars, slipping into homes to help light stoves and cook meals.
But a great flood destroyed the Guili Assembly.
The land became uninhabitable, forcing the people to migrate south to Liyue Harbor.
The journey wasn't long, but it was plagued by storms.
The scene showed the Adepti assisting in the migration.
Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Mu Yang and Xiao in the distance—not carrying supplies, but standing guard, keeping monsters at bay.
The migration lasted over ten days, with relentless rain.
Marchosius created a dish—flatbread with meat sauce that dispelled dampness and cold, easy to carry.
In the scene, Marchosius seemed to be discussing something with Mu Yang before handing him a Spicy Meat Bun.
After tasting it, Mu Yang joined Marchosius in mass-producing them for the people.
The people, eating this food, smiled with joy.
Madame Ping's tone grew somber.
"In the centuries that followed, as disasters and illnesses plagued the land, the Stove God ceased appearing frequently."
"Instead, he poured all his power into the earth to quell the calamities."
"Exhausted, his intellect diminished, his form shrank."
"When he finally bid us farewell, he stood no taller than a person..."
"He entrusted the recipes of happiness and the secrets of the hearth to the Emperor and myself, then departed for the mountains to sleep... for a very long time."
[Wait, I noticed something—'the Emperor and myself.' Where's Mu Yang?]
[Yeah, what about him?]
[This smells like tragedy. I refuse to believe it—let me rewatch the earlier part.]
The Stove God left this world—and Gouba was born.
On the day he awoke, Gouba tasted Xiangling's Spicy Meat Buns.
Though he had forgotten his past, he was moved—and chose to follow her.
The Stove God faded quietly into legend.
Yet every morning, vendors still set up their stalls, calling out to customers.
People went about their lives, lighting stoves, cooking meals—no different from any other day.
Because Liyue... has always been this way.
The scene transitioned from ancient Liyue to modern Liyue Harbor.
From Azhdaha and Gouba, to the Adepti, then to Ganyu and Yanfei, and finally to Beidou and the Qixing...
Each era had its representatives.
Madame Ping: "Though storms rage, mountains and seas rejoice—blessed by heaven and earth."
Ganyu: "Stars shift, oceans change—yet the world of mortals remains."
Ningguang: "Glory is mine to claim—through endless years, never forget to light the night with joy."
Keqing: "Past and present surge like tides—a new era awaits its heroes."
What a magnificent portrait of Liyue!