Damn it, something's wrong with the gacha I got.

His face was full of confusion.

“It’s not just here.” Keqing shook her head, her tone grave. “Shortly after you entered the Secret Realm, almost all the ley lines that formed at the same time around Liyue Harbor, and even around Qingce Village, disappeared on their own at the same time.”

"Huh?" Chen Bai's expression turned even more surprised upon hearing this. "You think... this has something to do with us? That's ridiculous! Maybe other adventurer teams that accepted the commission cleared it out at the same time?"

"No." Ke Qing's answer was resolute. She crossed her arms and continued:

“Recently, there have been frequent abnormalities in the earth's veins. To prevent accidents and panic, the General Affairs Department, together with the Qianyan Army, has temporarily sealed off all areas where siltation points have been discovered. No one may enter without formal permission.”

Her gaze swept over Chen Bai and the others. "Today, besides you, who I informed in advance, the only people with special operation permits to enter the Secret Realm are you... That's why I need to find out exactly what you did inside the Secret Realm. Can you explain?"

The recent disturbances in the ley lines have prompted Liyue to increase its vigilance against monsters.

Seven Stars also dispatched the Thousand Rock Army to guard the area, in order to report and handle any abnormalities that occurred at the siltation point in a timely manner.

But now that all the problems have been cleared up, she naturally wants to thoroughly investigate this Jade Balance Star.

"It's nothing, we..."

Chen Bai recounted everything that had happened to them in the secret realm.

In short, it's about encountering wave after wave of monsters and then using powerful attacks to clear them out.

Strangely, they encountered several bleeding dogs entangled by the power of the abyss along the way, which they dealt with as well, and also completely sealed off the abyssal rifts where the bleeding dogs had appeared.

However, this wasn't made by Chen Bai, but by Ah Xing and Qiong.

After the five reunited, the large bleeding dog and the small bleeding dog emerged from a large rift.

After dealing with these things, Aqiong and Axing used the power of [Preservation] to completely seal the gap.

After that, they were teleported back.

"So that's how it is..." Ke Qing's eyes flashed with realization after listening to Chen Bai's brief explanation.

She was quick-witted and immediately connected the clues.

It seems that Chen Bai and his group stumbled upon the root cause of the disordered ley lines across Liyue.

"Everyone, Keqing thanks you on behalf of Liyue Harbor."

With a solemn expression, she bowed to Chen Bai and the others, saying, "This matter concerns the safety of Liyue and is far from an ordinary commission. I will send someone to deliver the generous reward to your residences later."

She is not a stingy person and would not take advantage of someone else's labor.

Moreover, Chen Bai and his team cleared far more than just this one patch of silt.

This means that the monster agitation caused by all the ley lines outside the Laminariat that have been troubling Liyue for days will be greatly alleviated.

The easing of security pressures in Liyue and the restoration of smooth trade routes are of immense value to Liyue, whose lifeline is trade, far exceeding what ordinary Mora can measure.

It's worth noting that in the past, the trade routes between Liyue and other countries would sometimes experience leyline blockages, leading to monster disturbances.

If not dealt with in time, it will disrupt trade between Liyue and other countries, thereby affecting Liyue's economy.

"Hehe, it's nothing big~" Xing carried the baseball bat, grinning a little embarrassedly, but her eyes were already sparkling as she began to imagine what the reward would look like.

"I want a reward..."

Qiong crossed her arms and added earnestly, "But it would be best to use a large-capacity... trash can to carry it over."

"Mora in a trash can? Great idea! I want one too!" Xing was instantly energized and excitedly chimed in.

Chen Bai: "..."

He silently rubbed his forehead, feeling utterly helpless at his partner's obsession with trash cans.

This habit is probably impossible to break.

He guessed that there must be trash cans in Liyue Harbor, but since they were newcomers, they hadn't had time to explore and discover them yet.

"Use... a trash can to hold the reward?"

Ke Qing was clearly taken aback. Even though she was well-informed, she was still somewhat speechless at this peculiar request.

Although he felt that the requests of these two star core spirits were somewhat abstract, he still agreed.

After all, they did Liyue such a big favor, what's wrong with asking for two trash cans?

"This matter is settled. I need to return to Liyue to handle official business. Would you like to come along?"

Ke Qing then asked.

"Then we'll go with you."

Chen Bai immediately agreed.

After all, they had been fighting fiercely in the secret realm. Apart from Xing and Qiong, who had superhuman stamina, he, Chongyun, and Xingqiu had expended a lot of their stamina.

Let's go back to Liyue Harbor and fill our stomachs at the Manmin Hall first.

And we don't know how Danheng and March 7th are doing now?

These two people, one taking photos, the other collecting documents and records.

It's a good opportunity to have a meal together.

Then, Chen Bai turned to Xingqiu and Chongyun and asked:

"We're planning to have a nice meal at Wanmintang next. Do you want to come along, or go straight home?"

Upon hearing this, Xingqiu's eyes immediately lit up with interest, and he replied:

“That’s exactly what I was thinking. I heard from the Feiyun Merchant Guild yesterday that Xiangling seems to have finished her trip to gather ingredients and has been in Liyue for the past two days. If we go there now, we might be able to get her to cook.”

Seeing his partner's eager expression, Chongyun nodded without hesitation: "Yes, I have no objection."

"That's great," Chen Bai said with a smile. "It'll be lively with so many people. Let's go. We have to try Xiangling's cooking today."

So the group set off together, chatting and laughing as they walked toward Liyue Harbor.

"Your Majesty!"

Not long after Chen Bai and the others disappeared, a 1.5-inch immortal holding a spear suddenly appeared in front of Zhong Li and bowed slightly.

"Oh, it's Xiao~ I didn't expect you to come too."

Wendy smiled and looked at the person who had come.

"Yes, Lord Barbatos."

Xiao responded respectfully.

"Don't be so serious. Besides, I'm just an ordinary bard now. Just call me Wendy."

Wendy winked at him, indicating.

"...Yes, Your Excellency Wendy."

Xiao had no choice but to reply.

Chapter 151 Slime dishes are better than Himeko's coffee, right?

"Your Majesty, who were those people just now?"

Xiao refers to Chen, Bai, and the other two.

He wasn't unaware of the monsters appearing from the stagnant ley lines near Guili Plain, but after the monsters were cleared, the stagnant points didn't disappear; instead, another wave of monsters appeared.

But the appearance of Chen Bai and his group just now seems to have solved this problem.

In addition, he noticed Zhong Li, this retired old man, so he came over to ask him.

"No problem. They are travelers from beyond the Star Sea, which is a good thing for Liyue for now."

Zhong Li crossed his arms and responded calmly.

Beyond the sea of ​​stars...

No wonder it possesses the same incredible power to clear the noise from the ley lines as that blond traveler!

Xiao seemed to be deep in thought.

"Xiao, you've worked hard these past few days. Now that the cause of the ley lines disorder has been eliminated, you can go and rest. There won't be any major storms in Liyue for the time being."

Zhong Li's voice came from Xiao's ear again.

"Yes!"

......

Meanwhile, Chen Bai and his group had returned to the bustling Liyue Harbor.

As they strolled along the streets of Piyunpo, the aroma of food gradually intensified, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Wanmintang, which had a prominent signboard.

It was just before dinner time, and the hall was not yet full, but the warmth of the stove and the aroma of cooking food were already wafting outside.

Just then, a lively girl with double braids lifted the curtain and jumped out lightly, followed by a short-legged, round brown bear.

"Oh? Xingqiu? And Chongyun!" The girl's eyes lit up, and she called out crisply.

"Hi, Xiangling!" Xingqiu waved with a smile.

"Xiangling, hello. Guoba, hello to you too."

Chongyun nodded politely in greeting, not forgetting to acknowledge the little bear named Guoba.

"Lulu~" Guoba waved happily in response.

"Did you two bring new friends over for dinner?"

Xiangling's curious gaze then fell on Chen Bai, Xing, and Qiong, who were standing to the side.

These three people, dressed and with a demeanor quite different from the locals of Liyue, clearly came from afar.

“That’s right.” Xingqiu nodded and stepped aside to introduce them, “These are Chen Bai, Xing, and Qiong. They are travelers from beyond the distant star sea.”

"A traveler? Oh—!"

Xiangling suddenly realized, and gently tapped her left palm with her right fist. "I remember now! Father mentioned this morning that there were a few guests who came to Liyue with Mr. Zhongli. You guys were them, weren't you?"

"That's right, it's us."

Chen Bai stepped forward with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Miss Xiangling. I've heard so much about you."

Finally, I met this Liyue chef with superb culinary skills and a passion for innovative cooking.

Full of energy indeed!

"Hello everyone! I'm Xiangling, and this is my partner, Guoba!"

Xiangling responded enthusiastically, turning to the side and lifting the curtain:

"Are you all here to eat? Please come in! It's not too crowded yet, but you'll have to wait for a table if you come any later!"

She skillfully led the five people to a square table by the window inside the shop, where the table and chairs were clean and shiny.

After everyone was seated, Xiangling asked, "What would you like to eat? Our Wanmintang restaurant has many signature dishes!"

"Does Miss Xiangling have any recommendations?"

Chen Bai tossed the choice back to him.

Aside from the sumptuous breakfast that Zhongli treated them to in the morning, they had not yet formally tasted any other Liyue dishes.

"If I had to recommend something..." Xiangling thought for a moment, "The boiled black-backed sea bass and the tender spicy chicken are the signature dishes, and the customers all rave about them! The black-backed sea bass is tender and juicy, and paired with the special Sichuan peppercorn broth, it's especially good with rice! The spicy chicken is smooth and tender, with just the right amount of Sichuan peppercorn flavor."

“That sounds good. We’ll have these two dishes, and a bowl of rice for each person,” Chen Bai replied.

"Alright! One serving of boiled black-backed sea bass, one serving of tender and spicy chicken, and five bowls of rice!"

After Xiangling finished writing, she looked up and asked, "Do you need anything else? We welcome stir-fried shrimp and jadeite salad here."

Chen Bai hesitated for a moment, a glint of interest flashing in his eyes:

"In addition... I have heard that Miss Xiangling's innovative dishes are unique, and I have always wanted to try them. I wonder if I will have the honor of trying them today?"

Although Xiangling's innovative dishes use ingredients from monsters, with the help of this Liyue master chef, the taste is definitely not going to be bad!

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiangling's eyes lit up instantly, her voice filled with surprise, "This guest, you, you mean it? You want to try my new dish?!"

“That’s right.” Chen Bai nodded affirmatively.