Billy was lost in thought when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder, startling him.
"Billy, don't just stand there. Let's hurry! I wonder what Cloud Retainer will serve us this time."
Billy snapped back to reality.
"That huge building halfway up the mountain—is that the Adeptus's home?"
Paimon shook her head.
"No, that's just the entrance gate to Cloud Retainer's home. Her actual residence is still a long way off. Let's not waste time—come on!"
As she spoke, Paimon had already flown ahead impatiently.
Under the guidance of the Traveler and Paimon, the group began climbing a moss-covered mountain path. The steps seemed endless, stretching out of sight. Sometimes, when they finally reached the end of a set of stairs, they found the path simply vanished. If not for the Traveler and Paimon leading the way, they would have easily gotten lost.
After a long trek, they finally reached the massive structure.
Paimon flew up eagerly and triggered the mechanism at the door, causing the massive stone gates to swing open.
"Hurry inside! There's still a long way to go."
"Adeptus's home is so big. Doesn't she get tired coming back every day?"
"Cloud Retainer flies so fast. She can reach the mountain peak in the blink of an eye, so of course she doesn't get tired..."
Half an hour later, Nekomata suddenly spotted something and called out,
"Sam Li, Paimon, Nicole, look over there! There's a huge pond, and inside it is a crane. That must be the Adeptus we're looking for..."
Saying this, Nekomata rushed over excitedly, with the others quickly following behind.
But when they got closer, they realized the crane in the pond was not the same as the one they had seen the other night. It was smaller and its plumage was different in color. Clearly, it was not Cloud Retainer, but just an ordinary crane.
Nekomata sighed dejectedly.
"I thought we finally found the Adeptus, but it's just a fake..."
The crane narrowed its eyes.
"Who are you calling fake? You're the fake."
Everyone—Nekomata, Nicole, Billy, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Zhu Yuan—was startled. This crane could talk? Could it be another Adeptus living here?
"Meow—you can speak?"
The crane gave a light snort.
"Of course. After cultivating for a hundred years, I've long since mastered human speech."
"My master already knows you've come and has been waiting in the immortal palace for some time. Follow me..."
With that, the crane flapped its wings and soared upward, glancing back at the group before flying toward the palace atop the mountain.
Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Tsukishiro Yanagi exchanged glances and quickly followed.
"Traveler, let's go too!"
As they climbed higher, the group noticed the elemental energy around them growing richer and denser, to the point where even the journey no longer felt tiring.
Before long, they reached the mountaintop and saw the Adeptus's residence.
Though called an immortal palace, it was not the grand, lavish sight they had imagined. On the contrary, everything appeared natural and harmonious, the architecture seamlessly blending into the surrounding landscape.
The moment they arrived, Paimon shouted at the top of her lungs,
"Adeptus! Adeptus, we're here! Where are you?"
A calm voice answered, carried into all their ears,
"Do not shout. I am here. Come closer."
Not only Paimon, but Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Keqing, Nicole, and the others all heard it.
They followed the path forward and soon saw Cloud Retainer beneath a pavilion.
And not just her—beside her stood two more figures. Though they looked human, they were in fact Adeptus in mortal form: Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver.
Seeing this, everyone hurried over.
Paimon immediately flew to Cloud Retainer's side.
"Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, Mountain Shaper—you were living peacefully in Liyue, so why have you all suddenly returned to Aozang Mountain together?"
Cloud Retainer replied slowly,
"Because it is about to begin. Naturally, we had to return."
It turned out that before Ningguang and the New Eridu delegation had even met, they had already spoken with Cloud Retainer once. Thus, even before Liyue and New Eridu officially formed their partnership, Cloud Retainer had foreseen this day and returned early with the other two Adeptus.
Hearing Paimon call them "Adeptus," Billy's eyes widened.
"Wait—these two old fellows are Adeptus too?"
Mountain Shaper frowned.
Mountain Shaper chuckled.
"This young one is quick to make friends."
Paimon quickly introduced them.
"Let me do the introductions. This is the renowned Adeptus of Liyue, Mountain Shaper, and this is the renowned Adeptus, Moon Carver..."
Meeting three Adeptus at once, Zhu Yuan and Tsukishiro Yanagi exchanged glances, joy flickering in their eyes. They had expected to search for them one by one—never had they imagined things would go so smoothly.
Just then, Paimon's stomach rumbled loudly. It was already midday, and not just her—everyone was hungry.
Blushing, Paimon clutched her stomach.
"Cloud Retainer, do you have anything to eat here?"
"Even a cat can't go without food, meow."
Cloud Retainer answered calmly,
"I knew you would come, so of course I prepared a meal."
She rose and walked toward a nearby room.
Paimon quickly followed after.
"What kind of delicious food did you prepare?"
Cloud Retainer replied slowly,
"Beast meat, vegetables, lake perch, mountain spring dew... whatever you want to eat is available."
Soon, under her guidance, they entered the room.
From the outside, the house did not look large, but inside it was vast, with a huge table standing at the center. Spread across the table were plates of beast meat, fish, vegetables, and sweet dew. But these were not dishes—they were raw ingredients.
"Wait... weren't the meals already prepared? Why are they all raw?"
Nekomata tilted her head in surprise.
"Meow, do we have to cook them ourselves?"
Cloud Retainer shook her head.
"Of course not. Whatever you wish to eat, I can prepare instantly."
As she spoke, she waved her sleeve, and a strange device appeared beside her.
"Simply place the ingredients into the Divine Cooking Machine, and in moments, you will have a steaming hot dish."