Ceres P.O.V - Night Time

As I wondered around the village, I helped a couple of the villagers with some tasks such as delivering some food, gathering some herbs and fighting some monsters that were close to the village and before I knew it, it was nightfall

'Wow. I didn't realize how much time has passed...' I thought

"Ceres! We're back!" I heard Paimon call out to me and I saw Aether, Paimon and Xiangling making their way towards me

"Welcome back. How did you go?" I asked

"Fantastic! We found an extinct boar and now it's gonna be part of the meal!" Xiangling said with stars in her eyes

"Oh... I see" I said with a sweatdrop "Well, let's meet up with Draff"

Then we started making our way towards Draff's house. As we walked through the village, we made it to Draff's house, and talking to Draff was Olaf

"Uh... Are you sure this is Springvale?" Olaf asked

"Yes. For the millionth time, yes! But I don't know any of the people you're looking for" Draff said starting to get annoyed

"That is not possible, they all live in Springvale. They are my neighbors and friends" Olaf said

"This is strange, what is going on?" Draff looked confused

"Surely it couldn't be..."

"What's wrong?" I asked

"Well, he's talking about Springvale a long, long time in the past, so I believe this hunter is also a survivor from 300 years" Aether said, shocking all of us

"Whaaaat!? Can humans really live that long?" Paimon asked with a shocked expression on her face

"Er... Does that really makes sense?" Xiangling wondered

"Oh! I think I got it!" Everyone looked at me "What if the ice kept him fresh all this time along with the ingredient of yours, Xiangling" I said

"Oh! Like the way that you keep your food fresh!" Xiangling said

"Still, it's hard to believe..." Draff said

"But it doesn't seem like there's any other sensible explanation" Paimon said

"Okay so... What's your name?" Draff asked

"Olaf" Olaf introduced himself and Draff looked surprised

"Olaf? I'm sure I've seen that on my family tree! I can't remember which generation it was from... but it was definitely on there" Draff said

"So, a great-great-great-great grandfather, but with a whole load more greats?" Xiangling said

"But I can kinda see the resembles between you two" I said

"But they don't look so distantly related" Aether said

"What an unusual turn of events!" Paimon said

"Hee hee, reunited at long last! Isn't that just amazing!? Olaf, do you want to come and watch a cooking competition?" Xiangling asked

"Ah yes, that reminds me. Brook told me about the competition, and I've set everything up at the venue" Draff said

"You worked fast on that" I said with a amazed look

"I don't like to waste time" Draff then looked at Xiangling "You should come with me" Draff said as he started to lead Xiangling to the competition site

"Shall we head to the competition?" Aether asked as he held out his hand

"Sure" I said as I took his hand and we started following both Draff and Xiangling to the competition site

After some time walking, we made it to the cooking competition site, we saw Brook and her cooking teammate  along with Xiangling, Draff and Olaf

"We're ready to cook. Are you?" Xiangling asked

"I was born ready. Oh, and Siegfria will be my assistant for the competition" Brook said

"Then let the cooking commence! I will be your judge today. And don't worry, I may have known Brook for longer, but I will remain entirely impartial" Draff said

"Much appreciated. Well then, Aether, Ceres, Paimon, prepare!" Xiangling said as she grabbed both mine and Aether's hand, and started dragging us to her cooking station

"Wait, we're taking part in this too?" Paimon asked with a confused look

"Of course! If Brook has an assistant, you guys will have to be mine. I'll need you by my side when the going gets tough!" Xiangling said and Paimon sighed

"Paimon doesn't remember applying for that job..." Paimon said

"Well, I'm going to see this through" Aether said

"Paimon, you might get to taste test the food if you help" I said and it caught her attention

"Okay, Paimon'll do it for the sake of the food" Paimon said

Once we got to Xiangling's cooking station, Xiangling started to prep

"Our first problem is ingredients. We need something special to dress up the steak, but I don't have anything suitable here. Hmm..." She started to think and an popped up "I've got it! Radish is what we need. Mashed or grated, it'll add a touch of freshness. And we can carve little flowers out of it as a garnish. Two birds, one stone! Go find me a radish, there should be some in the area. Oh and make sure you wash it because it's going straight into the dish!" Xiangling said and we started to look around the area for radishes. After we walked around, we found a batch of radishes, we picked some out from the ground

"Come on! Let's wash the radishes in the lake" Paimon said and we made our way to the lake nearby. As we were about to wash the radishes, two Cryo slimes appeared

"Eek! Slimes! Scared the bejeezers out of Paimon!" Paimon said as she tried to calm her heart down

"They're way too close to the venue. The slimes may stir up trouble during the competition" I said

"You and Paimon wash the radishes and head back to Xiangling, I'll handle the slimes" Aether said as he pulled out his sword

"Go get'em, Aether!" Paimon said and we quickly started washing radishes . After we washed the radishes, we quickly went back to Xiangling

"Xiangling, we're back!" I shouted and we placed the radishes on the table

"Wowee! Big and luscious. It's perfect. Thanks, guys!" Xiangling thanked us and she noticed Aether isn't with us "Huh? Where's Aether?"

"We ran into some trouble, so Aether decided to stay behind to handle it" I said

"Oh, okay. Now, how about..."

Then we saw Xiangling's pan catching on fire

"Xiangling! Look out, the pan's on fire!" Paimon shouted as she started to freak out

"Oh no! It's gonna burn, it's gonna burn, it's gonna burn!!! Ceres, get the fire under control! Without using water though, or this dish is a goner!" Xiangling said as she started freak out too

I walked towards the pan and I used my Anemo powers lightly to extinguish the fire. I managed to stop the fire, but the dish is inedible

"Ugh, this is practically charcoal now... Wah, I'm gonna have to start from scratch" Xiangling said with a disappointed look

"I'm so sorry" I apologized

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I'm thinking our main is a little weak... We need to mix it up a bit. Make me a Chicken-Mushroom Skewer. And make sure it's got that ooh-la-la on the outside, then hits you with a cha-ching in the middle" Xiangling said

"I have no idea what you just said, but I'm sure Paimon will translate it to me" I said

"Just make it taste friggin' awesome!" Paimon said

"Okay, I'll try" I said with a sweatdrop

I walked towards the campfire and I started to make the skewer. After some time, I finished making the skewer. I quickly made my way to Xiangling and I handed her the skewer. She took a piece of the skewer and her eyes widen

"Mmm! Ceres, you're a natural! The meat is on track, but we're aiming for perfection here and I just think it lacks a certain..."

"A certain what?" Paimon asked

"A certain... boom shaka-laka! Yes! Definitely needs some boom shaka-laka or perhaps a little shaka-laka boom pow!" Xiangling said and I looked at her with a very confused look "I just mean it would be a waste of such amazing ingredients to just serve this as-is. Let me see... Hmm... what would be ideal is some kind of regional specialty" Xiangling said as she started to think

"Regional specialty?" Paimon asked

"Yes, something that's native to this area, but isn't often used in cooking. I don't care if it flies, crawls, or bounces. Even insects I can work with..." Xiangling said

"Uh... interesting choice..." I said with a sweatdrop

"Hmm, I'm sure I can make something of it!" Xiangling said

"Alright then..." Paimon said and Xiangling resumed making her dish

"So we need an ingredient that's boom shaka-laka... but what kind though?" I asked myself as Paimon and I started to think

"What about this?" Coming from behind us was Aether as he held a couple of slime condensate

"Uh... Do you really want to add that in the dish?" I asked with a sweatdrop and Xiangling came running towards us

"This is an excellent find, guys! Now if you'll excuse me, Chef Xiangling needs to concentrate. But I'll be sure to annoy you again if I need anything else, hehe!" Xiangling said as she fully focused on working on her dish and Aether, Paimon and I decided to walk around to pass the time

After some time, Xiangling was almost done with the dish

"It looks like Xiangling's main dish is almost done. Let's go and see" Paimon said as we started heading towards Xiangling

"I almost forgot, side dish! We need a side dish!" Xiangling said

"Then allow me to make it" Aether said

"Are you sure it's no trouble?" Xiangling asked and Aether nodded, then Xiangling handed him a recipe "Here, take this. I just scrawled it down at the last minute. And here all the ingredients you need"

I read the recipe along with the ingredients and I realized what it is

"Hey, Xiangling, is this the recipe for the snack you gave us earlier?" I asked

"Yes, with some minor improvements, so it uses up the leftover ingredients from Liyue" Xiangling said

"This is so complicated... How are we supposed to cook this with no experience?" Paimon asked

"The technique doesn't matter. What matters is that you do it with passion! That's what my father taught me. And you must be passionate about cooking if you've helped me this much already. I trust you guys. I know you'll nail this side dish!" Xiangling said

"Leave it to me and Ceres" Aether said feeling confident

"Confident, I like it! Come on, this is the final push!" Xiangling said

Aether and I headed towards the campfire, I helped prep the ingredients while Aether started up the fire. I cut up the ingredients and handed it to Aether who then started cooking the dish. After some time of cooking, the dish was done. Xiangling walked towards us and she sniffed the dish

"Mmm! They're so fragrant I could smell them coming a mile away. We're all set! And now to serve the meal, this competition is ours!" Xiangling said as we helped her carry the dishes to Draff who was sitting by the table. Brook served her dish first, Draff took a couple of bites of the dish, after he finished her dish, we put Xiangling dishes on the table. He looked interested and took a couple of bites, his eyes widen when he tasted the meat. Once he done, he cleaned his mouth with his napkin

"This was a fine feast. I have dined today like I have never dined before. Both chefs' dishes today were nothing short of exceptional. They were true masterpieces. And that is what makes this an extremely difficult decision. But this is a competition and there can only be one winner, and that winner is..." Both Brook and Xiangling were at the edge of their seats "Xiangling!"

"Whoopee! I win!" Xiangling cheered as Aether, Paimon and I clapped including Olaf

"*sigh* I thought I was sure to win with pork chops so fresh they were practically still grunting. But it turns out that's still no match for the taste of extinct boar" Brook said

"Excuse me? Did you say this was cooked from extinct boar?!" Draff asked with a surprised look

"Yep, every last bit!" Xiangling said

"My goodness... A single mouthful must be worth a hundred thousand Mora! The amount you'd make if you sold this could support every hunter in town for years to come!" Draff said and I felt my eyes pop out when I heard that

"That much?!" I exclaimed and Draff nodded

"Hee hee, the main thing is that you enjoyed eating it. I don't care about the Mora. Anyway, now that our judge has given his verdict, it's time for everyone else to eat too. I made plenty!" Xiangling said as she served a huge plate of the meat from the extinct boar and she looked at Brook "Meanwhile, I want to try Brook's dish" Xiangling said and we started eating the meat while Xiangling was eating Brook's dish

"This is absolutely delicious... I'll admit it. I was beaten by the best" Brook said

"Losing is no fun, but it was worth it for the chance to eat such superb cooking! Please, Xiangling, I want some more!" Siegfria said as she held out her plate for seconds and Xiangling gave her more of the meat

"This is gorgeous too! Such a perfectly layered texture. Were it not for the exquisite boar and excellent side dish, it's hard to say if I still would have won" Xiangling said

"Paimon's turn to eat!"

"I will have a taste too" Olaf said as he took a bite of the meat and his eyes widen "Oh... My oh my... This is... This the taste of Springvale! ...Or rather... it used to be"

"It tastes so good I want to weep tears of joy" Aether said

"It's true. It tastes like home" I said

"This is the last time I will be able to taste the food of my era..." Olaf said with tears rolling down his face

"Hey now... Cheer up, if you like the taste I can always make you some more!" Xiangling promised

"...Really? But the boar... it's extinct..." Olaf said

"The boar may be, but the taste isn't! I can simply recreate it using different ingredients. Putting a smile on customer's faces is what we chefs are called to do!" Xiangling said and Olaf cried more

"Th-Thank you..." I gave Olaf a tissue and he accepted it

No One P.O.V

After getting everything got cleaned up, Aether, Ceres and Paimon went to meet up with Xiangling who was preparing to leave

"Thanks, you guys. Without your help, I don't know how it would have gone today" Xiangling said

"And without you, Paimon wouldn't have gotten to try so many new tasty snacks! Also wouldn't have gotten so full..." Paimon said as she rubbed her stomach with a satisfied look

"So, Xiangling, where are you going next?" Ceres asked

"Not sure. I'll probably start heading back to Liyue, but I might change my plan on the way. I don't like to plan things too thoroughly. Who knows, maybe you'll bump into me out in the wild again!" Xiangling said

"Must be nice to be so carefree" Paimon said

"You two are gifted chefs, Aether, Ceres. You two made an amazing batch of Jade Parcels. Come and visit me at the Wanmin Restaurant some time. I did promise I'd cook for you guys! And if you want, I'll teach how to cook some of my latest inventions too" Xiangling offered

"It's a deal!" Aether and Ceres said in unison 

"It's a deal! Hee hee! See you again soon, Aether and Ceres!" Xiangling said as she waved goodbye to them as she left Springvale

"Shall we start heading to Starsnatch Cliff?" Ceres asked

"Yeah, I'm ready" Aether said 

"All right! Next stop, Starsnatch Cliff!" Paimon said and they started making their way to Starsnatch Cliff

They followed the map to where the cliff is and after some time from fighting some monsters and a couple of Fatui wandering around, they made it to the Starsnatch Cliff and waiting for them were Venti, Diluc and Jean

"Everyone is finally here" Diluc said and Paimon looked over at the edge

"What a view..." Paimon said with an awe look

"Right? You can see everything up here. That's why this is my favorite spot whenever I visited Mondstadt when I was younger" Ceres said

"Lovely for a fated reunion, isn't it?" Venti asked and Ceres nodded "Well, we must be prepared for a fight"

"Regardless of the outcome, things finally seem to be taking a turn for the better. Mondstadt has really been going through so much recently..." Jean said

"Ha! In the end, the solution to our problem was a simple as a traveler, a priestess and a song. I suppose the Knights of Favonius may have played a part in it too..." Diluc said

"Oh, we get it, Master Diluc... Everyone, please step aside! I, the best wandering bard of the mortal world, shall begin my performance with the Holy Lyre" Venti said as he walked close to the edge and started the beautiful melody of the Holy Lyre. Then suddenly, the ground started to shake, flying up above was Stormterror (Dvalin) as the dragon also brought along its strong winds as it flies up

To be continued