A/N: Hello everyone! I've not forgotten about this quite yet! Though, I must apologize for the lack of uploads. Why? This fic is simply not my main focus right now... I mean, The Huntsmen and the Librarians have my full attention right now, in the hopes of acquiring more LC/LoR/Limbus Fanfics. But, I do recognize that this is my most famous one, and- Holy shit! You people really like this one, huh? So here's more of it!

ParticularFrog: And you've just waited a long time for this one once again. I'm sorry.

The A-Demonbane: Yeah... I'll probably watch a video or ten about Genshin's lore at some point.
True! I did try to draw a relation between the two, but after reading your comment I realized that you've made a good point, It wouldn't make sense to compare the Traveller with the Tarnished.
Aye, I've no intention of making the reader sympathize with Brook either. And yeah... As it stands, in terms of power creep, Godfrey remains the one on top. For now.

Sseth Enjoyer: Yeah...

Jaypeg: It's been updated!

Ascandas: I may or may not have something planned for them, the demigods. BUT, they would likely have a similar, minor appearance, much like Morgot. Next up would likely be Mohg, to complete the Omen twins.

AssassineCon: That's rather the point of Godfrey being the 'Lord of the Battlefield', wouldn't you agree? It would be unbefitting of a Lord to act all pissy about a minor thing he would forget in a day or two.

Here it is, please enjoy.

Collision.

The earth cracked at the point of impact, lifting chunks of dirt and stone off of the ground in its immediate vicinity, as a dust cloud formed around the sudden explosion.

Upon contact with the ground, an earthquake never seen before in Springvale shook the stone houses to their foundations. Roof tiles rumbled and smashed in the floor alongside flowerpots that rested near the windows. Luckily, no one was hurt, and although the participants of the cooking competitions did feel it, the wooden barracks remained steadfast.

The many villagers spectating the main event turned their backs and ran towards the tall cloud of dust and falling debris.

Lumine and Paimon did not stand still and were quick to see what was up.

The mitachurl bit the earth right by the road connecting Springvale to Mondstadt, so missing it would be an impossibility.

And so, from within the cloud, rising to his full height, Godfrey held high the three radishes he honorably protected.

Confused and amazed looks fell upon his muscular and gigantic frame. The Mitachurl had its entire upper torso stuck in the earth below, its legs were comically dangling about unable to find stable ground.

"Woah..." "Who's that?" "It's that scary man I saw yesterday..." "Such strength!" "Oh my!" "Are you okay?!" "How did you do that?!"

The crowd endlessly talked over each other, amazed by the sudden and unnecessary act of brute strength inflicted upon the mitachurl.

But Godfrey cared not for such comments, he was already used to them. No, he still had unfinished business with the dammed vegetables. Inspecting them on his hand, he noticed a thin layer of dirt covering its surface, likely due to the dust cloud his own deeds created.

"One instant." He muttered, silencing all of the crowd.

Well, all but one person.

Paimon stared starstruck at the Elden Lord. "Ooooh! Did you see that Lumine?!" She yelled, shaking her companion in place as her legs repeatedly moved back and forth with excitement. "He just flew off and grabbed that guy mid-air, then BOOSH!"

Though impressed, Lumine remained with a stoic expression, knowing fully well that this was the man who challenged her to duel not a day ago. "..." She did not utter a word.

The people watched as the First Elden Lord sheepishly crouched near a crystal clear pond in the village itself, and dunked the radishes, clearing them of any accumulated dust.

The pond in question was small, Godfrey probably had more height than it had in radius. In the middle was a small amount of dirt where a small mossy-stone statue stood.

"'tis done." The giant spoke, approaching Brook who was paralyzed with fear. "Hither." He spoke, dropping the three radishes atop her still shaking palms.

Waiting for a response, Godfrey returned to his spot near the bard and sat down with his legs crossed, waiting for the climax of the competition.

In terms of the quality of the vegetable, it wasn't close to passable. Brook analyzed the radishes and became quickly annoyed. The radishes had grip-like marks around them, as though someone held on to them a bit too tightly. Another problem was that they seemed to have been unmaking themselves in a slimy mess as her hands traveled through their body, to her, it was clear that something somehow tried to dissolve them.

Usable, sure, but not in a competition such as this.w

Mustering all of her courage, Brook called out to Xiangling, who quickly returned to her station, knowing full well to not get too distracted when it came to cooking. "Oi, Liyue chef! The radishes got slime condensate in them!"

Godfrey did hear that comment but did not react to it, he was too busy staring at the small creature hiding behind Xiangling's stand. "Hmmm..." He hummed, scratching his beard. The tiny creature closely resembled a stuffed animal, with bear-like features, but nothing like the bears commonly found in Mistwood.

This one was too small... Too Harmless.

For all intents and purposes, this small creature was nothing short of a pet to the young chef, Godfrey reckoned. Yet, there was something about it that intrigued him, something irked him to his very core, and he could tell that the small bipedal bear didn't like Godfrey as well.

"Really?! Gimme Gimme! That's exactly what I needed!" Xiangling excitedly dashed toward Brook and took the vegetables at blazing-fast speeds.

"Yer sure girly? I've never seen someone using 'em for cooking, and that's for a good reason I reckon!"

"Oh no, no, no! These are delicacies, see? Only those with refined taste can look past these limitations! After all, who cares about the ingredients if the dish ends up being delicious?" Said Teyvat's greatest chef.

As the two chefs went back to their art, Lumine and her companion, despite their instincts saying otherwise, approached the sitting giant.

"..." Lumine's gaze fell upon the Elden Lord's eyes.

"..." Godfrey stared back at the traveler, making her take a step back.

"Uuu..." Paimon floated behind Lumine, in a futile attempt to hide herself from the Elden Lord. "Where's that tune deaf bard when you need him?!" She silently screamed in Lumine's ears, not helping the situation at all.

Godfrey, growing tired of this needless awkwardness, opened his mouth. "Whom doth thou regard shall win the duel?" He asked, uncaring for the looks the people of Springvale gave him, all too afraid or too awestruck to take a step forward.

"..." Lumine did not answer, perhaps she was lost in thought, or maybe she couldn't place a bet on the winner. Her partner, Paimon, had already made up her mind as to who would surely win the competition. "Of course, Xiangling is going to win, she's the best one there is when it comes to food!"

Godfrey chuckled to himself. "So that's how thou see it hm? I for one, do not regard so. Not only is Xiangling a child, yet brook hath shown enough resolve to topple entire fortresses. To merely dismiss the underdog is unwise, bawbling creature."

Now that had Pimon riddled up, instantly leaving Lumine's back and floating in the face of the Elden Lord. "B-Bawbling Creature?!" Needless to say, she was fuming.

"Oh, now you've done it!" She then proceeded to roll up her silky sleeves, revealing twig-like arms, ready to punch Godfrey in the face. "It's Paimon! P-A-I-M-O-N! I'll make sure you don't forget it!"

Paimon reeled back her thin right arm, ready to throw a punch with everything she's got, as Godfrey watched, amused. "Here it goes...!" Lumine watched with deep concern as Paimon attempted to punch the First Elden Lord.

Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, the punch never landed. Instead, in a swift action, Godfrey raised his hand to about Paimon's height, and flicked his forehead with his index finger, propelling her backward due to the lack of friction to stop her in the air.

After a moment of silence, Paimon seemed to have processed what manner of transgression was inflicted upon herself. She stopped floating in the air and stood up with her legs. Then, like a master chess player, she was ready to unleash a move unforeseen by her mortal opponent.

Her hand held her aching forehead tightly as she wobbled her way to Lumine's legs, where she stopped and rested her head for a moment. "...?" Lumine was unsure what was happening, but she soon felt Paimon lightly tugging at her skirt.

"He-He..." Paimon's voice cracked as she looked up to meet eyes with her companion. Tears began rolling down her eyes and cheeks, soon her whole face was a teary and drooly mess. "He flicked meeeeee!"

The small girl started wailing like a child. "He called me a complicated word and flicked me!" Struggling to breathe through her clogged-up nose, she pointed at Godfrey with ire in her eyes. "That really hurt y'know!?" But Godfrey simply eyed her.

Noticing that crying would not affect the old man, Paimon then turned to Lumine. "Heeey! Did you see that?! He flicked meeee!" And yet again, Lumine felt no pity for Paimon, bawling on the floor. "Hey, Hey!" She continued, her head moved back and forth as she continued to tug on Lumine's skirt. "Waa... That's too cruel! Don't you have any shame for not helping me?!"

Lumine could not care less. That was her face told Paimon at least. "Maybe you shouldn't have tried to punch him in the first place," Lumine spoke with a soft but damnating voice.

"uuuuuuu..." She recoiled to a fetal position on the ground, holding her head to handle to pain she still felt.

"Haply I've treated thou too harshly," Godfrey spoke, looking at the small creature with pity in his eyes. "Paimon." Paimon was not at all pleased with that response, but it was better than him calling her a creature.

Godfrey chuckled, amazed at how amused he became just by bullying Paimon for a second.

The time has come.

The stars have aligned.

The moment Godfrey waited so dearly, was almost a reality.

The mixture of scents and spices in the air was enough to make him and the townsfolk salivate.

A table, small when compared to Godfrey, held two silver platters, its contents were hidden away by four silver covers. However, it wasn't enough to hide away the stunningly pleasant smell.

Two of them were made for Godfrey, as the other two were mad at the two other hunters that lived in Springvale. Each was simply an extra portion taking Godfrey's sheer size into consideration, therefore handing him a whole plate for each competitor to himself.

"Let's not wait a second longer!" Brook spoke with an enthusiasm never seen before. "Reveal them to the judges!" Xiangling watched the reveal, proud of her work.

"Hmph!" Godfrey grunted in expectation as Brook pulled the cover out of the two dishes, revealing them to him.

In an attempt to not spoil himself from the experience, Godfrey focused on only one of them, Brook's dish.

The aroma hit him right in the face. "Brook?" He prompted her to explain what he was looking at.

"Braised Meat! Made into a stew with carrots, potatoes, onions, and some other things I fail to remember the name, she's my pride and joy! The rest, I'm sure you'll experience it for yourself." Now all that's left is for Godfrey to jump on in.

The fork, spoon, and knife given to him were too small. In fact, he was cogitating downing the whole thing at once. "Allow us see..." And in a swift motion, Godfrey took the bowl by its base, rose it to face, 'Ah... The rich soup and fragrant meat combine 'I an irresistible aroma...' And poured the thing inside his mouth, managing to not leave a drop of soup in the bowl, nor let it spill out.

He closed his eyes and munched on the stew with great emotion. 'The vegetables... Crisp, not soft. Good.' And began to take mental notes. 'The meat itself is great, not too soft and not too hard, just enough to be undone under the tongue...' The heat of the freshly made dish meant little to him, the fire of the giants was much worse. 'The soup itself... Beautiful. One should'st dip bread unto it.' He swallowed

Godfrey opened his eyes, not at all impressed with the dish he just ate. "As expected of some one competing against the orb's greatest chef." He spoke, earning a commemorative yelp from Brook.

"The Vegetables, the sauce, the soup... All were on point." Brook listened with a smug expression as praises were sung her way. "However..." Like a shatering glass, Brook's eyes snapped to Godfrey, as sweat began forming on her forehead. "The meat left much to be desired... Nay, that's not it..."

Godfrey chose carefully his next words. "The meat took too much of the dish. Meat is good and essential. 'tis the soul of this stew, yet it over welcomed its keep and stole the spotlight for too long." Godfrey nodded to himself, proud of his interpretation. "Marry. A dish canst not be rated with hold, but for a component, every ingredient might not but play its part, and 'i this case, the meat didst the heavy lifting."

Brook deflated, her ego was so high in the skies, and now it came plummeting downwards crashing on the ground.

"This is a brave dish. I'ld hast this with mine children would I had the chance. Xiangling shall fight an uphill broil would she wishes to win." Godfrey admitted, giving Brook's confidence back to her. "Thank you for your honesty, Godfrey." She spoke as Godfrey turned to the other dish.

Without even asking the chef for the specifications of the dish, Xiangling was already in front of him and talking. "I believe you'll enjoy this, mister Godfrey! We've gone above and beyond to find the ingredients. You will find this very exquisite!"

"Hm," Godfrey observed the dish. Three unique-looking sacks of dough with a green lotus-like leaf on top, tied up by a small ribbon made from a plant he did not recognize. On its side, a skewer of chicken and mushroom dipped in the sauce of the three dough balls. If anything, this dish is already a treat for the eyes.

"Hm. Good presentation." And without further ado, Godfrey started with the skewer of mushrooms and poultry, fitting the whole thing into his mouth, taking out just the stick that held it together. 'Fresh poultry and mushrooms. Reminds me of the badlands.' And indeed it did. Those two ingredients were the most plentiful in the wild, and this was effectively the best the wilderness had to offer pierced on just one stick.

But still, that wasn't anything special, this was just the appetizer.

Moving on to the main dish, the thing whose shape Godfrey couldn't name. He plucked one of the dough sacks with his hand and placed it in his mouth, closing his eyes to focus on the feeling. 'There's ham. Nay, that's not ham. 'tis better.' There was something he couldn't understand assaulting his tastebuds. 'Seeds too. Spices, and broth. All packed into such a quaint package of pleasure.'

However, there was something else in this dish. Not an ingredient, not a technique used to cook it. No, it was something else. He wouldn't go as far as to say it was something as cheesy as love, but it sure felt like it. He felt passion, passion radiating from this piece of masterful craftsmanship. The aromatic broth poured down like the light of dawn, a feeling so unique Godfrey had not felt it in food before.

What's more, he felt the strings attached to the earth, the connection that this dish had with the ground he stood upon. "The Taste of Springvale." He spoke after swallowing the piece he tasted. Before Xiangling could react, Godfrey was ready with the verdict.

"Upon my name as Godfrey, first Elden Lord, I hereby declare that Xiangling is the winner of this duel. Brook's dish, though 'twere made with moe passion, lacked substance. Meat isn't all's. Xiangling hath fared to capture the most love of the land and put it on this trencher 'i a combination of taste, smell, presentation, and force of will. For that, i applaud thee."

Brook fell to her knees, dejected. It was a crushing defeat. Strangely enough, It was the outcome she expected. "Ha... So it came down to this..." However, to hear her defeat coming out of the mouth of another was still soul-crushing.

"Hey, cheer up!" Brook heard those words coming from atop her. "It's not you're not good!" She looked up to see Xiangling, with a smile on her face and a hand stretched out for Brook.

"It's not losing that makes you lose, it's giving up that makes you lose!" Hearing those words Brook took the young chef's hand and lifted to her full height. "So, cheer up, okay?"

'Words to live by.' Godfrey thought, not that he wasn't already living by those words. 'However, I still have unfinished business.'

Godfrey, eating another one of those dough sacks, walked over to Xiangling with purpose in his eyes. "Xiangling." He spoke in an imposing low tone.

"Can I help you?" The girl took a step back to look Godfrey in the eyes.

"'tis said tales of thy duel 'i a week from now, and I've made it mine intent to see it through." He spoke in a stern voice, pride dripped from his mouth. "Shall thou allow me to act as a judge 'i the duel? If not, I understand."

The young chef was surprised to hear Godfrey ask such a specific thing. "Um, why? If you want to eat good food, you can just eat food made by me in Liyue Harbor!"

Godfrey shook his head. "No. One thing is ordinary food, chosen from a menu. It may be good, yet it won't be special. What thou've shown me today was something that came from thy heart, from thy will to fight and emerge victorious. That is the taste I seek with mine crusade."

Xiangling had to agree, he did have a point. "Hm. You sure know how to pick your words, old man... Sure! I'll see what I can do." Godfrey smiled a genuine smile. "Though, I have to make my way back to the restaurant... Wanna come with me? Oh! I can have you review my father's food!"

Godfrey was pleased. "That had been much appreciated. Experience is aye welcome when it comes to being a food connoisseur." He spoke, feeling both lucky and proud to have found the chef who stood at the top so quickly, even if his spot in the judge roster wasn't exactly solidified.

And so, south-west they went, exclusively on food. Godfrey wondered how long would this travel take, but regardless of its duration, he would make sure to enjoy every hour of it.

This was new land after all!

Lumine and Paimon didn't go with them, instead, the only company the two had aside from each other, was that small stuffed bear-looking animal, who followed closely behind Xiangling.

The thing did its best not to look at Godfrey, though it did glance at him ever so often, and every time it did, it felt as though a larger presence followed the Elden Lord. And every time Godfrey glanced at the thing, it felt as though he was looking at Marika's Erdtree, set ablaze.

A being of great power, but now shriveled and reduced to a plush-shaped companion. 'What is this land...'

If what his instincts told him is true, then Xiangling has a friend of grand importance.

Pushing that aside, Godfrey took his time to let the different terrain settle in his mind. The lush green forests of Modstadt were slowly being replaced by tall yet thin towers of stone, reminding him of the perilous heights of Mt. Gelmir. These odd rocky formations dotted the land in the distance, as the wind that constantly flew on his back was beginning to die down.

A great snow-covered mountain loomed over Godfrey, as an uncanny snowstorm circled around it and only it, almost as if the storm was targeting exclusively the mountain which pierced through the clouds. Godfrey made a mental note to explore the mountain eventually.

Following Xiangling, the First Elden Lord noticed that whatever location he was in, was not covered in his map. 'I must find a statue of the seven then.' Godfrey sighed, bothered by the inconvenience that was filling the map, only to take a step directly into a lower ground he hadn't noticed before.

"Huh?!" He blinked, his left leg was already knee-deep in cold water. "Hm." He exhaled, shoving away the sudden scare, only to realize that Xiangling was nowhere to be found in his immediate vicinity.

He looked around him and found no one. "That wench... Wherein didst I lose her?" Did she trick him? No, she wouldn't. Then why was she gone? "Right..."

Godfrey stepped up to stable ground and analyzed the ground for footprints. "Not 'ere..." Ahead of him was no footprints, and behind was only his. "A wrong turn haply?" He backtracked.

He couldn't help but appreciate the beauty the local flora held, the water was clear and transparent whilst also housing the various plants he had no idea what their names were, as lilypads and the like dotted the lake. Godfrey walked through what felt to be a small patch of dirt in the middle of a great lake.

That was until he noticed the plants with an odd fruit on the top suddenly disappeared, almost as if someone harvested only the head of the plant.

To add to his suspicion, Godfrey noticed a pair of small footprints heading into the water, and also a pathway through the plant life in the water. "I see. She went that way." And so, with nothing else to lose, Godfrey followed the plant path in the water, thinking that he might find Xiangling at its end.

Swiming to the shore where the path ended, the weather shifted suddenly, as the once clear skies of noon, became clouded. And just as quickly as it shifted, rain began to softly pour.

Lifting his body to the rocks on the shore, Godfrey noticed the girl in the distance, collecting these plants with reckless abandon. 'Are they ingredients?' It was likely but he couldn't prove it, so he approached her. "Xiangling."

The girl looked at Godfrey with a smile on her face. "Can you believe how many lotus heads are in here?! I can rarely find them normally, but this place is filled with them!"

Godfrey blinked. "Lotus heads?"

Xiangling nodded with excitement. "Yep! It is a very sought-after ingredient by the good people of Liyue, myself included." Godfrey noticed Xiangling's bag filled with these 'Lotus Heads'. "They are very expensive back in the Harbor, but here in the wild, they come free!" The First Elden Lord nodded his head in understanding.

Taking in his surroundings, Godfrey felt as though he had been transported to yet another world. He was on the edge of a large circular body of water, surrounded by tall, vertical mountains, but what made him even more curious was what rested in the middle of this lake. A gigantic structure in the shape of a square, no, it was many squares that made up a giant one. He felt like something waited for him in there, giving him a bad feeling.

"There are more in the Middle! Can you go fetch them while I get the ones around the edge?" The chef spoke.

But, if the greatest chef in the world asked him to go and see what was in the middle of it, he was sure to go. "Very well." He spoke, promptly jumping into the oddly deep waters.

His instinct told him that a fight was brewing.