[12:17]
Inside Ye Yun's shop.
Everyone sat around the long table in the center, enjoying a meal.
"Oh gosh! I can't take it anymore! Lumine! Can I eat now?" Paimon frantically tugged at a tissue to wipe away her drool.
The moment Ye Yun finished cooking the very first dish, Paimon had been forcefully "rebooted" by the irresistible aroma of the food.
Her sudden awakening had thoroughly shocked March 7th, Stelle, and Lumine, who were sitting nearby watching television.
One second her eyes were still spinning in spirals, and the next she was scrambling to her feet like a zombie awakening in a horror movie.
Lumine pulled Paimon into her arms.
"No! Not everyone is here yet! We can't eat yet!"
Paimon felt a wave of agony. The delicious food was right in front of her, but she wasn't allowed to eat it. *Sob, sob, sob~*
Ever since Lumine rescued her, the two of them had been wandering through the wilderness, braving the wind and dew along the way. When they were hungry, they picked sunset fruits to eat, and when they were thirsty, they drank river water.
Now that such a lavish feast was finally before her eyes, she still had to wait a little longer before she could dig in.
This was sheer torture. To Paimon, every second felt like a year.
Soon, Ye Yun finished preparing the last dish—a sweet corn and chicken soup.
He turned off the stove and carried the soup over to the dining table.
"Alright, alright, make some room, let me put the soup down."
Welt stood up, took the soup from Ye Yun's hands, and set it on the table.
Ye Yun sat down at the head of the table, rubbing his hands together as he looked at everyone.
"Why are you all looking at me? Make yourselves at home, no need for so many formalities. Dig in!"
Hearing the words "Dig in," Paimon felt as though she were hearing heavenly music. She broke free right out of Lumine's arms, grabbed a piece of meat with her chopsticks, and shoved it straight into her mouth.
The instant she tasted the savory flavor of the meat, Paimon couldn't help crying tears of joy.
"Sob, sob, sob! It's good! This is so good!"
Seeing this, Ye Yun scooped up a bowl of soup for Paimon.
"If it's good, eat a bit more. Don't just eat the meat, drink some soup too. This soup was simmered nice and slow over a low flame, the authentic way."
Paimon took the bowl of soup and thanked Ye Yun gratefully.
"Thank you, Ye Yun!"
Ye Yun nodded slightly.
"Drink up."
Lumine felt utterly mortified, thinking she simply couldn't keep Paimon around anymore! This was too embarrassing! Her table manners would make people think she starved the poor thing.
Just then, Lumine noticed something extra appear in her own bowl.
Looking closely, she saw that Himeko had placed a chicken drumstick on top of her rice.
"Lumine! Try this big chicken drumstick, it's so good!"
Lumine was just about to offer a polite refusal when Paimon suddenly thrust her head over.
"Lumine, do you not want to eat this drumstick? If you don't want it, give it to me! Hehe!"
Lumine instantly swallowed back the polite remark she was about to make.
"I'm eating it! I have to eat it! I just refuse to let you have it!"
With that, Lumine took a big bite out of the drumstick.
The moment the drumstick touched her lips, Lumine was likewise conquered by its deliciousness, her face plastered with sheer bliss.
Gradually, Lumine also began trying to join in on everyone's conversation, blending right in with the group.
As for Paimon... well, she was too busy inhaling her food.
.............
Over an hour later.
Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and were now lounging in the booth area to digest their meal.
Paimon was hugging a throw pillow, fast asleep flat on the sofa.
Stelle and March 7th had each claimed a sofa to lie down on and digest; they had eaten way too much and were feeling completely stuffed.
At that moment, Ye Yun's phone rang. Opening it, he saw a message from Herta asking where he was, as she wanted to come over and buy things.
After sending Herta his location, Ye Yun informed Himeko and the others.
Upon hearing that Herta was coming, Himeko remarked:
"Oh? Herta is coming to shop? Then let's set off a bit later. Originally, I was thinking we could head out to the next stop once we finished digesting."
Ye Yun brought his hands together in a polite greeting.
"My apologies for keeping you all waiting a little longer."
Welt took a leisurely sip of the tea Ye Yun had brewed.
"No worries. It won't take Herta much time to buy what she needs, so delaying a little bit won't be an issue."
Ten minutes or so later.
Herta hurried frantically onto the Astral Express, darting her eyes about the moment she stepped inside to search for Ye Yun.
Spotting him, she bolted straight over.
"I'm here to buy things!"
Hustled and flustered, Herta grabbed Ye Yun and started searching for his phone.
Ye Yun hurriedly stopped her wildly rummaging little hands.
Even though this body of yours is just a puppet, you still can't go around groping people at random! Hey!
"Stelle! Take Herta to buy her stuff!" Ye Yun shouted toward the adjacent booth.
Hearing this, Stelle poked her head out from the neighboring sofa.
"OK!"
Under Stelle's guidance, Herta sat down by the mini-bar to make her selections.
Seeing Ye Yun look so defeated, Himeko covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Herta is just like that, don't take it to heart."
Ye Yun decided he didn't even want to speak. There was a saying that geniuses always had their quirks.
Right now, Ye Yun felt that saying was spot on.
Tidying up his rumpled clothes, Ye Yun walked over to the mini-bar.
Herta swiped across the screen at lightning speed, and soon spotted something that caught her interest.
[Blood of the Qilin, Price: 50,000 Credits.
Effect: Originating from the Qilin, a divine beast of a certain fantasy world, this creature possesses a remarkably long lifespan and is an auspicious beast blessed by heaven and earth.]
A Qilin from a fantasy world—Herta wondered if she could use this drop of blood to create a clone.
Glancing at the "Exchange Balance Scale" nearby, Herta pulled out her custom-made spatial-folding wallet and continuously fished out Stellar Jades to exchange for Credits.
Ever since Lumine had made her purchase earlier, Ye Yun hadn't bothered to put the exchange balance scale away.
Leaving it right there made it convenient for others to convert Stellar Jades into Credits to buy goods.
Neither more nor less, the Stellar Jades Herta had brought today happened to total exactly 500.
With a fair exchange of goods for cash, Herta deposited the required Credits, and a drop of blood sealed inside a glass container appeared in her palm.
Herta stowed away the Qilin's blood and bolted immediately, not even bothering to say goodbye to Himeko and the others.
Everyone was already long used to this behavior; Herta was just that kind of person.
And she certainly had the skills to back up such an attitude.
Paimon muttered softly under her breath:
"What a terrible personality that person has~"
March 7th helplessly spread her hands.
"She's a genius renowned across the universe, so it's totally normal for her to be decisive and brisk in her actions. We're already completely used to it."
Paimon looked a bit curious.
"Renowned across the universe? What is the universe?"
Lumine explained:
"You know Teyvat, right? That's only considered a single planet.
And worlds like Teyvat are countless across the universe."
Upon hearing this, Paimon let out a gasp of astonishment.
"Whoa! The universe is that huge?! Doesn't that mean that Herta person is super, super impressive? To be so famous in such a massive world!"
March 7th nodded.
"She really is amazing. She's a member of the Genius Society, and every single person in the Genius Society represents the absolute pinnacle of intelligence in the universe."
Paimon finally understood just how formidable Herta was.
At that moment, Pom-Pom walked over.
"Attention passengers, please find your seats and get comfortable. The Astral Express is about to depart."
Hearing this, March 7th looked around.
She saw that Himeko, Ye Yun, and the others had already found seats and settled in.
March 7th hurriedly grabbed Lumine and Paimon, leading them over to a booth to sit down.