Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Shen Liang glanced at them discreetly and understood the difference between the Thousand Rock Army and the Inazuma Territory's magistrate's army. Although both wore standard armor, the Inazuma people's armor was often constructed of wood and bamboo, while the lowest-ranking soldiers in Liyue wore highly protective metal armor and carried sophisticated standard weapons.

Moreover, these Chiiwa soldiers were not pampered pampered soldiers who had lived in peace for too long. Their first reaction upon seeing a crime scene was not fear or reluctance, but rather hatred and anger. They were not afraid of vicious criminals, and were even eager to make their arrest... In this respect, they were completely different from the soldiers of Inazuma.

The two countries are completely different. Inazuma is too chaotic, and the soldiers have long since turned a blind eye to these so-called "crimes" because it is almost impossible to control them. On the other hand, the Thousand Rock Army of Liyue may rarely encounter such evil, and they still maintain a strong sense of anger and justice.

From the soldiers' two different habits, he could discern a significant difference in the social atmosphere of the two countries. Clearly, Liyue was not a war-torn, turbulent land; he couldn't use the same habits he had developed in Inazuma to interact with the people of Liyue.

Shen Liang put away his motorcycle, got into a carriage, and followed Ke Qing away from this place.

Long after he had disappeared, a crane gracefully landed and looked down at the motorcycle tracks on the ground.

"A purely mechanical alchemical vehicle, showing no sign of elemental force flowing, yet it can travel dozens of miles at such a terrifying speed..." True Monarch Liuyun Jiefeng looked up at the direction his disciple and Shen Liang had gone, his eyes shining brightly. "Indeed, the art of mechanics has never been the privilege of gods, demons, immortals, and ghosts. Since you, I have never seen such a mysterious mechanism... It's truly ashamed to say that, as an immortal, I can't even understand the principle of that mechanism. The brief genius of mortals can always amaze countless years that we have wasted."

She suddenly transformed into a mature fairy with blue hair and a long dress, somewhat resembling Shen He, and revealed a very lonely smile.

"You think so too, don't you, Gui Zhong?"

There was no response; the wind rustled the leaves.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun stood quietly for a while, then said, "Shen He is aloof and distant, even more detached from worldly affairs than us immortals, and lacks common sense, making it difficult for him to maintain normal interpersonal relationships. This is her first time descending the mountain, and she has already entered a vortex she shouldn't have entered. Inazuma Young Dragon, the Seven Stars of Liyue—these are the kinds of people she first met. For her experience in the mortal world, this is simply the highest level of difficulty."

"However, after all, he is my disciple, born to accomplish great things, isn't he, Gui Zhong?"

Still no one responded.

"So you've been dead for so long. Immortals have such long lifespans. I always feel like you'll come knocking on my door again, bringing some awful snacks to go with your drinks." True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng said softly. "Then bless your niece to meet a good man on her journey. Haha, look at her silly face, maybe she'll bring her sweetheart back."

--------------

About a few hours later.

The delicate-looking boy was curled up in his seat, fast asleep, covered with a brocade quilt, which Ke Qing always carried with him when he went out. She only covered him up after seeing that he was really asleep.

There were only the three of them in the carriage. Shen He was a man of few words, and after Shen Liang became sleepy, the two of them couldn't find anything to talk about. So they simply kept quiet so as not to disturb his sleep, and then watched his clean-looking sleeping face the whole way.

The bard said that the young general of Inazuma was a beautiful boy who appeared only once in a thousand years. Keqing didn't take it to heart at first, because that's how the locals in Inazuma liked to make such claims. They'd say things like a genius who appeared only once in a hundred years, a beautiful girl who appeared only once in five hundred and twenty-one years, and sometimes they'd even be precise to the last digit, like a virtuous and incorruptible official who appeared only once in five hundred and twenty-one years.

That's absolutely ridiculous.

But she finally realized that she had been blinded by her own limited perspective; it turned out that Inazuma's propaganda might be true, or even exaggerated enough.

Ke Qing gazed at his long, black eyelashes as his eyes were closed, his gentle and lovely appearance resembling that of a cat or a cake. His smooth, satin-like black hair covered his fair and delicate face, then fell down until the ends touched the ground, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

He remained quiet and motionless, like a flawless jade sculpture.

It's hard to imagine that this little boy, with his appearance as white as jade, is the legendary demon who burned down Nashina Beach and intimidated Inazuma.

However, it might just be Shura. Legend has it that male Shura are fierce and cruel, while female Shura are charming and alluring.

Shen Liang happens to possess both qualities.

That makes me really curious.

She was gradually becoming immersed in admiring the boy when suddenly, Shen He nudged the sleeping Shen Liang, "Wake up, we can see the dock. We'll be entering Liyue Harbor within five minutes."

Ke Qing instantly snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been staring at someone sleeping for hours, right under Shen He's nose! She blushed with embarrassment and quickly turned her head away to calm herself down.

Shen Liang rubbed his eyes, pulled back the curtains of the carriage, and let the light in.

"Seeing how uncomfortable you are sleeping, I originally wanted you to rest your head on my knees," Shen He said calmly. "But considering that I'm wearing leather on my thighs, it might not be as comfortable as the cotton on the seat, so I gave up on that idea."

Shen Liang was taken aback. They had only just met, and suddenly he was talking about lap pillows? It seemed a bit strange. The most important thing was that a lap pillow was a very symbolic gesture, with more symbolic than practical meaning. Who would give up on it because "I'm wearing a leather jacket and it's uncomfortable to use as a pillow"?

Shen Liang felt that what she said seemed to lack common sense.

However, he didn't take it to heart and nodded, "It's okay, I can sleep anywhere as long as the place is clean."

He then looked out the window and was quickly captivated by the scenery.

Liyue Harbor!

This is the port city known as "Golden Harbor" by the Inazuma people, the largest trading port on the Teyvat continent! Passing through the guards at the northern city gate, you can see the huge docks as soon as you enter, with thousands of sails arriving and thousands of merchants gathering, and goods from all countries being frantically swam in and out here.

The moment the curtain was drawn back, a bustling and enthusiastic atmosphere filled the air. The docks were a market, and even though this was only the edge of Liyue Harbor, it was already teeming with people. Sailors and merchants came down from the docks, and vendors lined the streets. A few steps further, there was a huge dockside inn for travelers, with a sign that read "White Horse Inn." Vendors sold seafood, antiques, alcohol, breakfast, and large bowls of tea. There were also porters and coachmen waiting for work, and shop assistants and waitresses beckoning from the shops, all trying to attract customers with their calls and shouts.

This was just the dock; the bustling atmosphere of Liyue Harbor instantly transported Shen Liang to another world, a vibrant alien world with a population more than ten times larger than Inazuma.

Chapter Eleven: It's all your fault! I can't afford a house!

Shen He and Shen Liang looked out the window at Liyue Harbor.

It was the first time for both of them to visit such a beautiful place. It was bustling and grand, and the vitality of life could be seen in everyone's actions.

“This is the ‘human world’ that Master spoke of,” Shen He suddenly said.

Shen Liang gazed intently at the vibrant city-state, his mind filled with the speech he had given to the women of the Emmanuel Group before setting off.

"We will bring clothing, fashion, and the diverse cultures of another world to Liyue Harbor, making the name of the Emmanuel Group resound throughout the Seven Kingdoms." Shen Liang read aloud the script prepared by Ayaka Kamisato.

However, upon actually arriving, he discovered quite a few problems. For example, how should he get started? First and foremost, where to stay was a question. Liyue Harbor was far more prosperous than Inazuma City, and land prices were incredibly high. If he wanted to start making money, he would inevitably have to establish himself in a prime location in Liyue Harbor—after all, he didn't want to operate on a small scale. It would be too beneath him to be running a small business with so many daughters of high-ranking officials and nobles from Inazuma.

"The CBD area of ​​Liyue Harbor is Scarlet Cloud Slope, right?" Shen Liang asked.

“CBD?” Keqing repeated in confusion.

"It's in the core business district, the most prosperous area."

“Oh, that’s true. Scarlet Cloud Slope is the commercial center of Liyue Harbor, a place where wealthy merchants gather. Major banks, money exchanges, and chambers of commerce all have shops here as their base. Then there are the flagship stores of top-notch chain stores like Crescent Moon Pavilion, Crystal Pavilion, Star Pavilion, and Bogu Residence. If you can’t buy it there, you basically can’t buy it anywhere else in Liyue.” Keqing thought for a moment, then proudly raised her little nose.

"No, the things that the merchants of Feiyunpo can't provide are probably hard to find even if you travel all over the seven kingdoms."

"I see." Shen Liang watched as the carriage entered Feiyun Slope, an extremely bustling commercial district. On both sides of the road were towering pavilions and towers, with red pillars and eaves and emerald green glazed tiles complementing each other.

Upon reaching Feiyunpo, the hawking noises subsided considerably. Perhaps because it was a commercial district frequented only by wealthy merchants, the shops here were ornately decorated and remained clean and tidy even though they were situated on both sides of the street. The merchants coming and going were all dressed quite elegantly, and the Qianyan Army guarding the area was much more attentive than at the docks.

"How much is the land price at Feiyun Slope?" Shen Liang suddenly asked.

Ke Qing glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and said, "If you want to buy a shop, the lowest price in Feiyunpo is two million Mora per square meter. For a prime location like the one on both sides of the road, such as Xinyuexuan, it would cost at least five million Mora per square meter, and the property rights are for a hundred years. By the way, Feiyunpo does not allow self-construction; the zoning here is pre-set by Qixing."

Shen Liang was stunned for a moment.

Two million Mora... per square meter?

Without considering the conversion of Mora to gold, and purely in terms of purchasing power, two million Mora is roughly equivalent to the income of a Liyue resident at 20,000 RMB per square meter in China! Damn, he wouldn't even need that much to buy a house in Tokyo!

However, it seems that Scarlet Cloud Slope is the core area of ​​Liyue Harbor, which is equivalent to the second ring road of Yanjing. Within the second ring road, it costs 21,000 yuan per square meter... which seems quite cheap?

But that's two million Mora! No, the demands of those young ladies from the Emmanuel Group might be five million Mora per square meter! Considering that even acquiring a shop of at least 1,000 square meters as a base would cost five billion Mora.

Just one room, and it costs 5 billion Mora.

Shen Liang was instantly wide awake. He suddenly realized that his current situation was... well, it was pretty bad in Liyue Harbor, a place teeming with wealthy merchants.

This is truly unaffordable. The share of seawater rice that Haizhi Island gives him is only 200 million Mora a year, and this is only the first year. This amount of Mora contains two million ounces of gold, equivalent to over 20 billion RMB—enough for him to squander for a lifetime!

But in the world of Teyvat, an ounce of gold is only worth 10,000 Mora. What can you do with 10,000 Mora? You can order a dish that costs three to five thousand Mora.

It seems that Haiqi Island is indeed poor. However, Shen Liang didn't have a good solution. Strictly speaking, 10% of his annual grain income is more than 200 million Mora, but the little witch is now in charge of rebuilding Haiqi Island and needs money more than him. Let alone 200 million, Haiqi Island could easily swallow 20 billion, after all, there are millions of people there starving to be fed.

Shen Liang couldn't bear to ask his girlfriend for such a huge sum of money. When she was lying on the bed acting like a brat and shouting that even the Coral Palace was hers and she was hers, what did she need so much money for? Shen Liang was finally forced to agree to her request and allow her to reduce her share of the profits from 10% to 5%.

Of course, the price was that the little witch's holiday was extended by three days. For three whole days, the two of them did not leave the mortal priestess's palace. Even when food was delivered to the door, there was no guarantee that anyone would eat it. On the third day, Coral Palace Liuge saw her little niece weakly push open the door and stumble out, her eyes unfocused and dazed. She felt so sorry for her that she wanted to rush in and beat the greedy Shen Liang to a pulp.

This story became a celebrated tale among the priestesses, with the saying, "Three nights of spring night are worth a thousand pieces of gold; I have given myself to the country and to you. Princess Haiji is a true heroine; her loyal heart shines through history."

It's too far off topic.

However, for Shen Liang, the prices of the shops on Feiyun Slope were so outrageous that he could not accept them.

"Speaking of which, how do you know the price so well and quote it so quickly?"

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m from Yuheng Star, mainly in charge of land resources. My family is one of the largest civil engineering guilds in Liyue.” Keqing gave him a strange look. “Most of the construction projects on Scarlet Cloud Slope are undertaken by my family, so of course I know a lot about land prices.”

Damn real estate!

No wonder you're one of the seven most powerful merchants in Liyue! You're in the real estate business! You're the one who made Liyue Harbor so expensive! Damn capitalist heiress, it's all your fault I can't afford a house!

Shen Liang would always immediately ignore the fact that the Schariac family was also one of the most powerful real estate groups in Europe, and that he also shared the same surname.

Next came the inner city, where riding horses was no longer permitted. The three of them got off the carriage and walked along the pedestrian streets of Feiyunpo. They saw a perpetually open building with a vermilion main gate located in the central area of ​​Feiyunpo, where many merchants and travelers came and went.

The General Affairs Department is located behind this always-open door. Shen Liang followed Ke Qing inside and saw that there were queues at every window. Although there were many people, the scene was orderly, which reminded people of the municipal government service windows in every city on Earth.

Some staff members who weren't busy with their work looked up and saw Ke Qing, and immediately stood up, looking extremely apprehensive.

"Lord Keqing."

"Good afternoon, Lord Keqing."

"Is Lady Keqing here today to inspect the work of the General Affairs Department?"

“That’s why I don’t really like coming to the grassroots departments. People will recognize me and greet me, and those in line will take up a lot of time, affecting work efficiency, and I won’t be able to finish my work.” Ke Qing didn’t answer the staff member, but frowned slightly and whispered to Shen Liang, “Come with me.”

Shen Liang was about to go to the backyard when he saw Shen He tug at his sleeve.

"I'll go in with you," Shen He said calmly. "I'm afraid the people here might harm you."

Ke Qing puffed out her cheeks unhappily like a kitten, seemingly very dissatisfied with Shen He's questioning, but she didn't want to argue and turned to leave.

The backyard was the Qianyan Army's law enforcement department, a place similar to the "police." Shen Liang sat on a chair in the interrogation room, with the white-haired fairy standing behind him with cold and fierce eyes, and an ice talisman faintly visible in her hand. The Qianyan Army staff looked at Shen Liang and then at Shen He, and asked all the questions about the treasure-stealing group with trepidation. After that, Ke Qing strode back.

Shen Liang saw that the person asking the question finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"The interrogation of the treasure-hunting group is over. They really are a gang of thieves, and most of them have murder on their hands." Keqing's eyes were filled with righteous anger. "There are very few thugs in Liyue who dare to kill so indiscriminately. According to the law, they have to endure thirty years of hard labor as miners. If they behave well, they can be executed early."

Shen Liang was taken aback. "Good performance, early execution?"