Genshin Impact, the spear remains.

Hey~

"What's wrong?"

The sudden sound from the girl beside him startled Bai Qiyun.

He had never heard this guy speak with such a voice before.

It's like sprinkling sugar on honey; just hearing a hint of it is enough to make you feel sick and nauseous.

Bai Qiyun always felt that her deliberately high-pitched voice was being sarcastic and unpleasant.

"No, it's nothing."

Ying turned her head away naturally, brushing it off.

However, Bai Qiyun, who was focused on the competition, did not devote too much energy to her. The important thing now was to prepare the ingredients.

He had already decided what dish to cook for the competition when he passed by the spring.

Because of its proximity to springs, aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, and crabs frequently appear on the tables of the people of Qingquan Town.

At the same time, they also consciously raise wild boars in captivity, indicating that these land-based meats are also part of their diet.

Taking these two points into account, the people of Springvale should be similar to those of Liyue Harbor, readily accepting seafood and delicacies from the mountains.

However, considering the differences between Mondstadt and Liyue, Bai Qiyun did not intend to make a completely Liyue dish; he had to make localized improvements to the dish.

With this in mind, Bai Qiyun calmed down and carefully planned the cooking steps.

"Ying, could you go check on Hopkins' house and see how things are going?"

There's a readily available laborer by my side, might as well use him.

Upon hearing this, the blonde girl, who was resting her chin on her hand, gave him a beautiful eye roll.

But she didn't refuse. Ying patted her clothes and walked outside.

The girl's departure did not affect Bai Qiyun's actions; on the contrary, without anyone watching, he was able to move more freely.

The kitchen and warehouse are connected, so he and Brock agreed that they could use any ingredients from her warehouse as a form of sponsorship from Springvale for the competition.

Picking up a round potato from the side, Bai Qiyun began peeling it.

Although what he was going to do wasn't very complicated, considering the number of residents in Qingquan Town, it would be a physically demanding job, even if it wasn't a craft.

The steel knife, reflecting a silvery light, danced in his hand, and one potato girl after another was stripped of her clothes and lay on the cutting board, waiting to be favored.

The speed at which it peeled the skin would astound even the most skilled swordsman.

Before long, the potatoes were cut into small pieces and placed in a basin of water for later use.

"Let me think about it, with so many people..."

Bai Qiyun held a rice bag, which contained about five large bowls of rice.

When he came here before, he estimated the number of houses and estimated that there were only forty or fifty residents in the entire Qingquan Town.

If you include people who don't live here often, such as Quinn and Diona, then there are only about forty people who can come for dinner.

Looking at the ridiculously large bowl in his hand, Bai Qiyun felt that this amount of rice should be about enough.

Taking the basin to the side, Bai Qiyun soaked the rice in the clear running water and began to rinse it.

One basin after another of milky white rice-rinsing water flowed down the ditch in front of the door into the fields not far away, where carrots and white radishes were planted, looking very fresh and lush.

Bai Qiyun thought for a moment, then walked to the edge of the field and pulled out a few radishes that were almost fully grown.

There's no way around it, it's just too tempting.

Just like he had done with potatoes before, he diced these bare little guys and set them aside for later use.

"Okay, that's about it for the vegetables. All that's left are the seasonings."

He walked straight to the chili peppers placed in the corner, past the piles of green vegetables on the ground, and put them into a basket on the side.

--------

"Mr. Drouot".

When Ying arrived at the Hopkins' house, she found Durave on the steps yelling at the others not to leave.

It's been almost half a day, why are there still so many people here?

Ying walked through the somewhat crowded people and called out to Dulav again.

"Mr. Drouot!"

The girl's voice drowned out the noisy crowd, and Dulav couldn't help but turn around.

"Ah, it's the Knight of Honor. What's up?"

He was still worried about the person who had suddenly barged in earlier, who actually claimed to be Olaf, a name on his family tree. So many years had passed, and yet someone was still impersonating him.

However, the beast ears on the other party's head and the tail behind its back were symbols of the Katzrein family bloodline, which could not be faked. Therefore, he could only take the other party aside for the time being and deal with it after Brock finished the task he had been given.

Sigh, Hopkins' situation is still unresolved, Brock has started a competition with outsiders, there's a fake ancestor on this side, and the village spring issue hasn't been resolved yet. All these problems piling up at once are about to overwhelm him.

"It's nothing. How is Mr. Hopkins doing?"

Although she had seen most of the situation on site, Ying still asked Dulav for advice just to be on the safe side.

"Hopkins? Don't even mention him. He's been sleeping since this morning and hasn't shown any signs of waking up. Even the pastors from the Church of the West Wind came to check on him and didn't know what happened."

When asked about what happened this morning, Dulaf looked helpless.

"So many people are waiting here, and they've been waiting all day with no sign of him. Who knows when he'll wake up?"

After grumbling for a bit, Dulaf stopped talking. He knew it was better not to vent his frustrations in front of outsiders, since no one is someone else's dumping ground.

"By the way, I heard that Brock and that guy you were traveling with, the Knight of Honor, are going to have a cooking competition?"

Brock just came over and told him that tonight's dinner would be provided free of charge for their match, and he's asking him to bring people over.

"Um...yes."

"That's great! We'll all go over and support them in a bit. Remember to tell them to get ready!"

The thought of enjoying delicious food made Dulaf happy.

Even the heavy feeling of all the things that had been weighing on him before felt much lighter.

Perhaps this is how the people of Qingquan Town regulate their emotions.

Fine food and wine, truly a rare treat.

"Okay, I'll go back and tell them now. You go ahead and do your work."

After smiling at Durav, Ying quickly slipped back to her temporary lodging before the sun set.

Before she even got close to the house, she could see Bai Qiyun fiddling with something in front of the door.

The open space outside the door was filled with pots and pans, and a fire was lit on the large earthen stove next to it.

Sparks flew from the burning firewood, rising into the sky along with the rising steam.

This sight reminded Ying of a sparking engine; those things make a lot of noise.