Genshin Impact, all those behind-the-scenes big shots are me

Zhongli: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

The two hit it off immediately, and after finishing their tea, they walked out side by side.

Ruo Tuo lay there fast asleep. As the two left the courtyard, he raised his eyelids slightly, but secretly shook his head and said, "If you want to go and have fun, just say so. You two are such gods, always making up lame excuses for yourselves."

...

The Pearl-Inlaid Ferry is quite famous in Liyue. Every afternoon, people board the ship and set sail, returning to shore the next morning. Boarding the ship is naturally a leisurely and enjoyable experience. Those who can board are mostly literati and scholars, listening to music, looking at the sea, and drinking a cup of wine, nothing more.

There were many musicians on the ship, all skilled in playing various instruments, especially the xiao (vertical flute). They were all exceptionally beautiful, dressed in flowing, colorful robes, and danced like butterflies, captivating all who beheld them.

Given these conditions, the expenses on the ship were naturally considerable. Fortunately, Su Chen had the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce to back him up, while Zhong Li didn't care. He was a regular customer, so he could send the bills anywhere he wanted, since he never paid on the spot anyway.

Su Chen was thinking of inviting Wendy along, since the latter had been a great help in restoring the lightning, but Zhong Li stopped him, saying that it would spoil the fun.

The wine at the Pearl Pavilion is very famous, and it would be somewhat inappropriate for Barbatos to get drunk and act crazy while drinking it.

Su Chen thought about it and agreed, so he gave up.

There were quite a few people on the ship. Some were listening to music, some were looking at the sea, and some were artists sitting on the bridge painting. They looked out at Liyue Harbor and their eyes seemed to hold the experiences of countless worlds. They must have had stories to tell.

Su Chen and Zhong Li boarded the ship, naturally to do serious business: drinking, chatting, and listening to music, enjoying a leisurely half-day. As night fell, they enjoyed fine wine and delicacies. The song and dance performance on the ship was quite different in style, with pink curtains hanging all around, making the dancers' figures appear and disappear, and the artistic content was quite high.

The people around were engrossed in the watch and applauded frequently.

Su Chen remained calm. Although Wu was a good dancer and a good person, he had experienced many trials and tribulations in his previous life, so this level of elegance could truly be described as 'gentle and refined'.

Zhongli remained unfazed, continuing to drink and eat.

After a dance performance, it seemed they were changing the program, so the two went outside the cabin. At this point, the passengers on the ship were clearly divided into categories: some were in the cabins, and some were on the deck.

Playboys in the cabin, scholars and poets on the deck.

Someone looked up at the stars and sang a song, but the song was utter nonsense, and the lyrics were barely passable.

Su Chen and Zhong Li sat down at a table and listened to several solemnly dressed people talking about serious topics.

The topic is about the origin of Mora. Why did the Geo Archon use Mora as currency? The most peculiar thing about the people of Liyue is that they over-interpret the intentions of the Emperor and the Grandmaster, especially those guys who call themselves professionals. Someone once said in front of Su Chen that according to his investigation, the Emperor should have eight or ten wives, and that there is a high possibility that there are bloodlines with connections in the secluded Ji tribe.

Then they went on and on, and in the end they invited Su Chen to join the organization to save the bloodline of the Human Emperor, because they suspected that the Ji clan's seclusion was caused by the faction of the Rock King Emperor.

It is our inescapable duty to restore the glory of the Human Emperor!

Finally, Su Chen nodded in agreement and relayed the message to Qianyan Army, after which the entire organization was wiped out.

Coming to his senses, Su Chen found that Zhong Li was already engaged in a lively discussion with them, and then he witnessed a classic scene—

"Do you understand Prince Yan better than I do?" the archaeologist asked, sounding somewhat anxious.

"Pfft~"

Su Chen couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my, what could make the old man so happy?"

Upon hearing the voice, everyone turned around and found that it was Ningguang walking over. They all stood up, looking rather reserved.

"Lord Ningguang!"

"Please don't be nervous, everyone. I've come to talk to Old Master Luo about something."

Ningguang smiled and gestured for everyone to sit down.

Ningguang glanced at Zhongli, who remained as calm as an old dog... She'd heard that Keqing had been trying to recruit him recently, but it seemed she'd failed. As she thought this, Ningguang asked Su Chen, "Is Grandpa Luo free?"

"We didn't even have enough time to drink, and we didn't have any money to pay the bill," Su Chen said.

Ningguang smiled and said, "Then let's put the expenses for the old master and Mr. Zhongli today at Qunyu Pavilion."

Su Chen said, "I still quite enjoy chatting with younger people."

After the two left, the deck erupted in excitement.

"I'm so excited (in Liyue dialect), that was actually Grandpa Luo just now?"

"Old Master Luo of the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce? I didn't expect him to still be alive, and so young at that."

"It's probably true, even Lady Ningguang came in person."

"Mr. Zhongli, you actually know Old Master Luo? You two seem to have a very good relationship."

"Come, come, Mr. Zhongli, please have a drink... Speaking of which, my chamber of commerce has recently encountered some trouble. Could you do me a favor and ask Old Master Luo to give me three minutes to talk to him?"

"I'd also like to have a chat with Old Master Luo. Mr. Zhongli, could you do me a favor? This top-quality jade is yours!"

"Mr. Zhongli, and me too..."

Zhongli fell silent as he watched the crowd stuffing gifts into his hands.

...

"Please sit down, sir."

Looking at the table laden with fine wines and delicacies in the luxurious private cabin, Su Chen knew that Ning Guang had come prepared.

As expected, Ningguang soon revealed that she had deliberately followed Su Chen onto the ship and then created a beautiful encounter.

Well, she also came here to take care of some things. She seems to know the owner behind this ship.

Normally, people would say they happened to run into someone while on business, but Ningguang said she happened to run into someone while on business. Su Chen really liked this kind of honesty.

"It's still about the waterway."

Ningguang put away her joking thoughts and got down to the serious business of finding Su Chen. Liyue was opening up new routes. Of the three routes in the early stages, Mondstadt had been settled, Sumeru was in communication, but there was some trouble with Inazuma.

Because the Narukami Shogunate recently indicated that Inazuma would soon lift the isolation order, this would have been a great thing for Liyue, since Inazuma is such a large market and they are close by, and most trade passes through Liyue.

However, the shogunate also said that it would not have any problem assisting in opening up stable shipping routes, but after the lifting of the isolation order, Inazuma specifically requested that the Yanhuang Merchant Guild be responsible for trade with Liyue.

After Ningguang finished listening, she saw an elderly man on the subway looking at his phone with a face full of question marks.

You said you could understand if she wanted any of the Seven Stars to connect, so why did you need the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce?

Although the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce has indeed grown to rival the size of the major families of the Seven Stars, it hasn't quite reached that level yet. Besides, the former is a 'private enterprise,' so it wouldn't be appropriate for them to directly participate.

But the condition that the Ming Shenmu Mansion must die was that Ningguang had no choice but to ask Old Master Luo for the reason.

She felt that Su Chen must have made some connections by going to Inazuma this time.

Although it's difficult, he's an old man after all. Look at what old ginger is, it's spicier. He even thought of and arranged things after the lifting of the Inazuma seclusion order. It's foreseeable that if this matter is settled, the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce will definitely surpass the other seven stars in scale within ten years.

If it were just that, Ningguang wouldn't care that much.

From a business perspective, there's nothing you can do if they have the capability.

Ningguang wasn't complaining. The Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce had grown stronger simply by competing for market share based on their own abilities. She was confident that as long as it wasn't Old Master Luo who was in charge, she could still suppress the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce.

The problem is... the Luo family has learned of the Narukami Shogunate's intentions and is now setting conditions, demanding an increase in the profit quota for the Liyue Inazuma route. First, they want to increase the revenue generated from secure escorts along the route; second, they want to reduce the tax rate on goods imported into Inazuma by the merchant guild.

Ningguang would never agree to either of these two points.

The agreement had already been reached, and the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce was not the only one involved in opening up the new sea route. Furthermore, the tax rate was unlikely to be changed; if you changed it, they would change it too, and if you adjusted it, they would adjust it too. As a result, the situation has reached a stalemate.

"Who suggested it? Was it Luo Mingtao?" Su Chen took a sip of wine.

"Yes, as far as I know, the Luo family is also looking for you."

The Narukami Shogunate wouldn't give face to the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce for no reason. After thinking it over, isn't this something the old man did?

Su Chen really hadn't expected the Luo family's actions. He put the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce in charge of Daozhi's external affairs, partly out of personal motives, and partly to stabilize the situation in Daozhi in the early stages of opening up and avoid economic turmoil. After all, once the lockdown order was lifted, it was foreseeable that chaos would ensue and direct bombing, and the people of Daozhi would be completely overwhelmed.

However, given Luo Mingtao's personality, he is a conservative, so it's quite rare for him to seize the opportunity to demand more from Ningguang. This is normal business practice; if an agreement can't be reached, they'll negotiate again later. The initial conditions were just for show, and further negotiations will continue until both sides can accept them.

Su Chen smiled and said, "Little Ningguang, I haven't interfered with the operation of the Chamber of Commerce for many years. Some time ago, I made the decision to invest in the shipping route, which caused quite a bit of trouble. Now that the general direction of the shipping route has been settled, you can discuss the minor matters yourselves. Mingtao isn't someone who can't distinguish right from wrong. As the head of the family, he's just thinking about the family."

Ningguang said resentfully, "Grandpa, what you've said puts me in a difficult position. If I agree, then the other merchant guilds will..."

"Oh! This meat is excellent! You there, quickly send this to Zhongli and tell him that this meat is incredibly delicious and he must try it!"

Baiwen: "Me???"

what?

Ningguang waved helplessly, signaling her secretary to hurry up and get on with it.

After a while, seeing that Su Chen was enjoying his meal, he said again, "Grandpa, what you were saying earlier..."

"Hey? This wine is really good! Hey you, quickly send this to Zhongli and tell him that this wine is fragrant, mellow and refreshing, and he must try it!"

Ningguang: "..."

Although she had no choice, she complied with the old man's order.

And so, back and forth like this, Su Chen managed to get Zhong Li to try every single dish on the table.

Sitting on the deck, Zhongli looked at the abundant dishes on the small table. While eating, he was puzzled. He said that each dish was incredibly delicious, so why couldn't he taste it?

The next day.

When the two disembarked from the boat, Zhongli inquired about the matter, and Su Chen shook his head: "It's a small matter, let the younger generation handle it themselves."

Liyue is bustling with activity, and among people, the pursuit of profit is the most complex thing.

He protects Liyue, but he doesn't intend to be involved in everything. If the Luo family becomes greedy and disregards the greater good of the nation, he will naturally punish them. But in the current situation, Ningguang is unwilling to concede more, and the Yanhuang Merchant Guild holds the initiative. There's room for negotiation between the two sides, and he has no interest in the merchants' back-and-forth.

However, during our conversation last night, I learned about the recent situation in Sumeru from Ningguang.

This Tianquan Star seemed to know that he was going to Xumi, and had specially collected a lot of information. He originally planned to please the old man and get things done.

Unexpectedly, after all the information had been shared, Su Chen spent the whole night sending Zhong Li incredibly delicious food, leaving Ning Guang quite embarrassed.

According to Ningguang, the situation in Sumeru has been unstable recently.

On one hand, because the Fools were making some moves in Sumeru, the Council of the Faith suddenly reduced project spending, causing quite a bit of trouble. On the other hand, mainly from the desert, some people saw ancient tribes appearing in the desert, their figures everywhere covered by yellow sand. Then a prophecy flowed from the desert—His Majesty the Emperor's power is awakening, He is calling the people of the yellow sand to restore Shurima's former glory.

As a result, the entire desert erupted in rebellion.

To prevent trouble from the desert people, troops were stationed along the edge of the sand barrier in the rainforest. At the same time, the defense of the only trade route between the two sides, "Kawan Post Station," was strengthened, and strict investigations were carried out on every person coming from the desert.

However, this behavior backfired. Those who originally did not believe in any language were shocked by such treatment. How many of those who could make a name for themselves in the desert were truly good people? Among them were the brainwashed fans of Emperor Azir. A gilded brigade calling itself the 'Palace Guard' appeared on the edge of the desert and fought with the mercenaries sent by the Council of the Church.

That was like the first shot fired in a war, and the two sides, already fraught with conflict, were now completely at odds.

Originally, the manpower dispatched by the thirty-person group was not enough to stop the riot, but suddenly a force descended and helped the Church Council suppress the rioting desert people. It is said that the name of that force is 'Earthfire'.

Earthfire was already strong in Sumeru, and after this simulation, it is probably no weaker than the thirty-person group.

After all, the thirty-person group has now been kept in captivity by the Order of the Church. In the words of other gilded brigades, they are just domestic dogs, while the desert mercenaries are wolves. How could domestic dogs possibly defeat wolves?