Chapter 57: Throwing a Party

More than an hour later, everyone gathered at Star-Snatch Cliff.

Countless stars dotted the night sky. A bonfire was lit in the center, and everyone gathered around it to play and chat.

Ye Yun set up a barbecue grill, holding a fan in one hand and skewers in the other, grilling them with utmost concentration.

Noelle helped out on the side, either adding charcoal or threading meat onto skewers.

The ingredients were all newly purchased and of quite good quality. With just a simple dusting of salt, cumin powder, and chili powder, they smelled absolutely irresistible.

Ye Yun looked at Noelle and asked, "Noelle, how has your experience been throughout the entire day today?"

Noelle looked a little nervous. "It's... pretty good, except that... it's just too relaxing, and I'm still not used to it."

Ye Yun smiled. "There are only a few people now. Once there are more people in the future, you'll find yourself plenty busy."

Noelle smiled softly and nodded in agreement.

Ye Yun checked the mutton skewers in his hand; they were almost done, and he called out to the group, "Everyone, the mutton skewers are ready! Come and get them if you want some!"

A breeze swept past, and Venti was the first to arrive. "Hehe, Ye Yun, give me some. I'll take them over to have with the old gentleman—great with wine."

Ye Yun handed over half of the batch. Venti expressed his gratitude, took the skewers, and ran off to find Zhongli.

Over there, Zhongli sat before a small wooden table, accompanied by Welt.

Welt and Zhongli found they had a lot to talk about, and their personalities were somewhat similar.

Venti brought the skewers back and placed them on the table. "Come, come, just drinking wine is boring. Have some meat. I must say, Ye Yun's culinary skills are really fantastic~"

Welt smiled and said, "Indeed. Ever since Ye Yun boarded the train, our meals have basically been handled by him. Occasionally, the Conductor helps out with a meal."

Hearing this, Zhongli put down his wine cup. "Oh? Wasn't Ye Yun originally on your train?"

Welt nodded upon hearing the question, then proceeded to explain how he and the others had come to know Ye Yun.

The two men listened to Welt while sipping their wine.

After Venti left, Klee, Hook, and Diona—the three little ones who had been playing by the bonfire—came running over with quick, pattering footsteps.

Diona had been brought along by Venti on his way back. When Venti went back to pick up Klee and Hook, Diona happened to be resting that day and playing with them. Venti thought about it and decided to bring her along as well.

However, he soon regretted it. Acting in his haste to get back quickly with the food and wine, he completely forgot that he was allergic to cat fur.

As a result, as soon as Venti landed, he sneezed nonstop and took a long time to recover.

"Brother Ye Yun~ Klee wants to eat yummy food~"

"Ye Yun! Hook wants meat!"

Klee and Hook were already very familiar with Ye Yun, so their interaction was completely natural.

Diona, on the other hand, was a bit reserved, seeing as they had only recently met.

Ye Yun handed each of the three little ones a small plate and placed three skewers on each. "Here you go, hold onto these. Come back for more if it's not enough."

The three little ones thanked him, happily carried their plates back to the bonfire, and began to eat.

Stelle, Lumine, March 7th, Eula, Amber, and Seele arrived shortly after.

At Lumine's suggestion, the girls planned to go sweep through a Hilichurl camp to earn Primogems once the gathering ended.

Each of them was rolling up their sleeves, full of fighting spirit.

With Amber, the living map of Mondstadt, among them, everyone believed they would reap a bountiful harvest tonight.

As for Diluc, he was chatting with Danheng, which came as quite a surprise to Ye Yun; he hadn't expected these two to strike up a conversation.

Lisa had set up a small tea table not far from the bonfire, chatting with Jean, Bronya, and Natasha.

The three of them were discussing matters related to governance.

As for Clara, she was learning mechanical repair knowledge from Himeko.

Clara aspired to become a great scientist and studied hard every day.

Through the past few days of study, Clara's mechanical repair skills had improved tremendously.

During the day, she followed Welt and Himeko on the train to study theory.

When she returned, she would practice on a few mechanical units.

And true enough, Clara had actually managed to modify a medical automaton capable of treating ordinary injuries.

The evening party proceeded very smoothly, and everyone present—except for Kaeya—had found a companion to play with.

Left with no other choice, Kaeya had no option but to come over and help Ye Yun with the grilling.

Just as Ye Yun finished grilling a large batch of skewers and was about to take a break, Paimon flew over carrying an iron bucket.

"Ye Yun! Another bucket, please! I want more pork chops!"

Ye Yun was instantly rendered speechless. How could this little creature eat so much?

The very first batch Ye Yun had grilled was for Paimon. Considering Paimon's massive appetite, he had given her an entire iron bucket filled to the brim with grilled pork chops.

How long had it been since then? She had already finished them? And judging by Paimon's expression, she was still craving more.

With no other choice, Ye Yun directly took out twenty pork chops and started grilling them for Paimon.

Meanwhile, Kaeya brought a large platter of various skewers over to the dining table by the bonfire.

"Everyone! The skewers are here!"

Hearing this, the crowd quickly gathered around.

Venti was thoroughly drunk and in high spirits, pulling out his lyre to strum a melody.

The singing echoed across the entire clearing; those who wanted to drink drank, and those who wanted to chat chatted.

Ye Yun took a look around and noticed that Himeko was still teaching Clara mechanical repair knowledge.

So, Ye Yun took out a small tray piled high with numerous skewers and walked over to the two of them.

"Take a break for now and eat some skewers. Studying requires a balance of work and rest."

The two looked up and, after a moment's thought, agreed.

"Thank you, Big Brother Ye Yun, for bringing the skewers for Clara." Clara smiled as she accepted the skewers, her manners exceptionally polite.

Himeko also offered a gentle smile. "Thank you."

Ye Yun waved his hand, signaling it was nothing.

At that moment, Ye Yun suddenly remembered that he had a task that was about to be completed.

That was to receive twenty different customers; he was still a few short.

The train's next stop was the Xianzhou, and there were plenty of potential customers to be found there.

"By the way, Himeko, when are we heading to the next stop?" Ye Yun asked.

Himeko replied, "According to the rules, the train will stay docked for a few more days. We'll set off in about three days."

Thinking of the next stop, Himeko added, "Our next stop is Penacony, also known as the Planet of Festivities. You can go down and have fun when we get there; it's a very entertaining place."

Ye Yun smiled and agreed.

Though things likely wouldn't go quite that smoothly—at the next stop, the Express crew would end up heading to the Xianzhou under Kafka's influence.

Listening to their conversation, Clara couldn't help feeling a tinge of sadness.

"Big Brother Ye Yun~ Sister Himeko, are you leaving? Clara will miss you both."

Ye Yun laughed heartily and patted Clara on the head.

"It's fine. Doesn't your home have a portal? You can visit the train anytime you want. Did you forget?"

Only then did Clara remember, having focused entirely on the fact that Big Brother Ye Yun and Sister Himeko were going to leave.

"Oh, right! Clara forgot."

Ye Yun smiled.

Afterward, the three of them ate skewers and chatted away.

Surprisingly, even though this was the wilderness of Mondstadt, not a single monster came to disturb them.