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

"That's a story for later," Shen Liang laughed. "What do you think we dug up so many stones for?"

The girls were taken aback.

“Every inch of land in Liyue Harbor has been accounted for, but there’s no law that says the ocean area belongs to them,” Shen Liang said with a smile. “If we want to evade the approval of the Liyue Seven Stars, we can establish our base at sea and launch our floating city from the ocean!”

Everyone finally understood!

It turns out that Shen Liang's initial plan was not to build a base, but a dock!

He wants to create land on the coast of Liyue Harbor himself, since there are no laws in Liyue that prohibit land reclamation on the ocean! As long as he builds a dock with enough space to transport materials, he can use it to establish a floating platform... and thus build a new floating city, a Jade Pavilion!

The people of Liyue have absolutely no power to stop them, whether through laws, institutions, or any other form of authority!

Even if they forcibly build the floating city, they will absolutely be in the right!

“Slightly arrogant,” Ayaka Kamisato said with a smile.

"But Lady Ryoko seems to always be this arrogant," one girl muttered.

"She's been much more restrained since coming to Liyue; at least she hasn't killed anyone yet. It's clear that Lady Ryoko has been working hard to integrate into civilized society; you can see she's now acting in accordance with the rules of Liyue Harbor."

"But if we follow the rules this time, the Seven Stars of Liyue might not be able to tolerate it. There can't be two suns in the sky, how could the Jade Pavilion, which covers Liyue Harbor, allow a second one?"

"So, they might not follow the rules."

"You have to consider who you're dealing with before you start disregarding the rules," Shen Liang said with a smile, rubbing the cute girl's face next to him. "If we don't follow the rules, even the Seven Stars of Liyue would have to think twice before doing so."

He pulled back the light curtain, turned around, and left.

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

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Although the Jade Pavilion housed many maids and guards, the central Ningguang Palace usually housed only three trusted secretaries, who also served as personal maids.

When Ningguang returned to her bedchamber, her three secretaries, Baiwen, Baixiao, and Baishi, would keep their work quiet so as not to disturb her thoughts, whether she was working or resting.

But today they didn't need to be so careful, because downstairs in the bedroom, Yuhengxing's clear and loud voice, though still young, had already resounded throughout Qunyu Pavilion.

"I've already said that Shen Liang is someone Gan Yu and I are responsible for contacting. You've repeatedly sent people to monitor him. What about me and Gan Yu?!" Ke Qing stared at the sleepy Ning Guang, completely disregarding that this was her bedroom. Her eyes were fierce, like those of a ruffled little female cat.

Ningguang rubbed her temples and sat up.

She was wearing only a close-fitting, thin, almost transparent light gold silk undergarment, similar in style to a strapless bra or a bellyband. Her long, snow-white hair hung down her back, and a wisp of hair stuck out on her forehead.

After casually securing her calf-length hair with a hairpin, Ningguang didn't seem to care much about her disheveled appearance. Barefoot, she walked to the table, dipped a handkerchief in the ice bucket in front of her to cool off, and handed it to the helpless-looking Yelan. "Wipe yourself?"

Ye Lan took the handkerchief. She had rushed over at noon, and being exposed to the scorching sun and covered in dust, she simply pressed it to her face.

"We've been discovered?" Ningguang asked.

"That's it."

"Really?"

"The target hasn't been found, but Miss Gan Yu has her eye on me." Ye Lan shrugged. "And Miss Ke Qing too. Sometimes I really wonder if I need to improve my work skills. Anyone can find out my whereabouts and even come to confront you. What's the point of me keeping secrets?"

“So this can be considered learning from a mistake,” Ningguang said calmly. “Of course, this is also my problem. I’ve always wondered where Gan Yu’s bottom line is. Anyone can talk to her about work, gossip, anecdotes about immortals, or even romance. She treats everyone with the same gentleness, and it seems like nothing can make her angry… But I never expected that her bottom line is here.”

Ye Lan and Ke Qing were taken aback. "Gan Yu's bottom line... what does this mean?"

“Gan Yu must have warned you that there are some things you can’t tell me.” Ning Guang tapped the table lightly, not answering, but glancing at Ye Lan.

Ke Qing immediately looked over, but Ye Lan remained silent for a moment before shaking her head. "I promised Gan Yu I wouldn't tell, and in my opinion, there's no need to tell."

“It seems that Gan Yu is just as trustworthy to you as I am,” Ningguang smiled.

“No, strictly speaking, Miss Gan Yu’s credibility with me is even higher than yours,” Ye Lan said.

"Heh." Ningguang remained noncommittal.

Keqing was somewhat confused. She had originally come to confront Ningguang, but the conversation made her feel like she understood nothing at all. She felt like a naive innocent girl who had infiltrated a powerful deal, or a little rabbit caught in the crossfire of a pack of wolves!

What a joke! She's from Yuheng Star! One of the Seven Stars of Liyue, a girl on par with Tianquan Star! How could she not understand!

"What are you talking about? Explain yourself!" Ke Qing shouted.

Ningguang looked troubled. "How am I supposed to explain this to you..."

"Then explain slowly!"

“No, although I can guess most of it, explaining it wouldn’t be good for Miss Gan Yu’s image.” Ning Guang chuckled softly. “Let’s get back to the main topic. Shen Liang is trying to build a new Qunyu Pavilion in my style. What are your thoughts on that?”

Ke Qing wanted to say defiantly, "Why can't we build it?" "Let people build it if they want to!" "Are you allowed to set fires but not the common people?" But she wasn't the kind of girl who would throw a tantrum at a time like this. After frowning and thinking for a while, Ke Qing said in a deep voice, "No."

“I thought you would agree.” Ningguang lowered her head. “You and Shen Liang are friends, but I may not be. I thought you would decisively stand on his side.”

She pulled open a drawer from under the table, revealing a slender pipe made entirely of white jade. The bowl was crafted from black agate with a gold inlay, exuding opulence. She gently sprinkled tobacco into the bowl, pressing it firmly with her fingers, then raised her beautiful, rose-red eyes to look at Ke Qing with a playful expression.

Seeing that she was silent, Ke Qing knew what she meant, but there was nothing she could do. She could only frown, pick up a match, and light the ignition layer for her. Ningguang chuckled twice, but then put down her pipe.

“I know you don’t like me smoking,” Ningguang said elegantly.

"Then why did you ask me to order for you!"

"I just enjoy seeing you looking distressed."

"Smoke less. You're getting on in years. Don't become a Seven Star and then you won't live much longer." Ke Qing pouted, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ning Guang's ample bosom and slender, fair waist beneath her strapless bodice, and her eyes couldn't help but show envy. "Tsk, how do you maintain your figure? You can still look so... humph!"

Ningguang blinked her beautiful eyes. "Then of course it's smoking, drinking, and sleeping more."

"I don't believe it!"

No wonder Keqing was envious. Although they were both top-tier beauties, Keqing looked more youthful, while Ningguang was a mature and sophisticated woman. However, Ningguang's age did not match her appearance of being in her early twenties.

Even with the Eye of God's ability to preserve youth, Ningguang's appearance was still outrageous. Keqing remembered that when she was young, Ningguang was already famous, rising from a commoner to a Seven Star, which was quite an achievement. Now, Ningguang was probably over forty years old, and people from all walks of life would respectfully refer to Tianquan Star as "Grandma Ningguang".

Ke Qing couldn't see even a trace of aging in this woman's firm, fair skin and bright, beautiful face; she was as delicate and youthful as a young girl.

Yelan glanced at Ningguang and then at Keqing. She had always known that although these two said they weren't friends, she couldn't really find any difference between them. Even the Liyue Seven Stars had to make an appointment to see Ningguang, let alone someone like Keqing who would just show up and disturb Qingmeng's dream, forcing Ningguang to get up and entertain her. There was no other way.

“He’s from another world, someone who doesn’t belong to Liyue. Wouldn’t it be too shameful for us to build a second Jade Pavilion if word got out?” Keqing sighed. “He and I are indeed friends, but your Jade Pavilion is not only your residence, but also a landmark of Liyue. How can there be two landmarks in the world?”

“But I don’t think so,” Ningguang said calmly.

Ke Qing was taken aback.

“Keqing, since I was little, fortune tellers have said that I have a life of toil and will not enjoy wealth for many years. I don’t believe in fate. I think that businessmen must hold everything in their own hands. Whether one is noble or lowly is determined by oneself. So after I made money, everything I ate, wore and used was the best.” Ningguang paused, “Qunyu Pavilion does not represent my status, much less the status of Liyue.”

"so?"

“So as long as the price he offers is high enough and tempting enough, and he abides by our rules enough, I can let him build the base he wants, whether it’s a floating city or a new Jade Pavilion, I don’t care.” Ningguang shrugged. “Outsiders might think that Liyue has lost face, but if it can be exchanged for enough ‘substance,’ what’s wrong with losing face? Besides… it’s not necessarily lost.”

"What does 'inner substance' refer to?"

“His construction team.” Ningguang narrowed her eyes. “He’s actually using these things to lure us in. The price he’s offering must be for these construction teams… If I’m not mistaken, those machines aren’t for ordinary people. He must have trained his women to use them. And once these people and these machines are in our hands, their value far exceeds the status of a so-called landmark.”

"Are you willing to do that?" Ke Qing glanced at her.

This is essentially sacrificing Ningguang's life for Liyue's benefit.

“So I want the lion’s share of the Manelli Group,” Ningguang said calmly. “I know you want it too. You’re his friend, and I can’t compare to you in terms of closeness. But I’ll be at a loss, so the lion’s share must be with me.”

"Refreshing," the word came to Ke Qing's mind.

"But what do you mean by 'not necessarily losing face'?"

"What if I couldn't keep this Jade Pavilion in the first place?" Ningguang looked up, admiring her sky garden, a slight smile playing on her lips. "If I couldn't keep it in the first place, what reputation would I lose?"

Before Ke Qing could ask any more questions, the door opened, and the guest who entered was petite and adorable, wrapped in a tight-fitting black bodysuit.

"The heartbeat of 'Vortex Demon God Oser' has been detected, Miss Ningguang. The estimated recovery time will be brought forward again." Gan Yu wasn't surprised by the three people in the bedchamber, but said somewhat hurriedly, "The estimated time has been adjusted from three years to one year!"

“Look.” Ningguang turned to look at Keqing.

Ke Qing saw countless reluctance and loneliness in her eyes, as well as an unwavering determination.

"I told you, I couldn't keep him."

----------

Shen Liang is shopping for groceries at a Chinese supermarket in downtown Munich.

At this moment, everyone in the supermarket was staring at him. This Chinese supermarket wasn't just for Chinese people; on the contrary, it had a large number of foreigners… well, I shouldn't say locals. It mainly sold a wide variety of imported Chinese goods. From Wang Xiyi's Thirteen Spices to Shanghai-style tofu, you could find them all. Many Germans also liked to buy seasoned Northeastern sauerkraut here.

However, the reason everyone was staring wasn't because Shen Liang was particularly beautiful. In fact, most ordinary people would just see him as a pretty girl with long, straight black hair dressed in men's clothing, glance at him a few times, admire him briefly, and then move on. What truly tormented him was that he was pushing a shopping cart, and inside the cart was the eldest daughter of the Shaniat family, dressed in hot pants and a tank top, gesturing curiously.

Siren.

He was pushing a stroller, inside which a baby seat held Celine, who weighed about 90 pounds. Oh, and Anna was following behind.

Of course, Xilin might also weigh 100 pounds, since Kiana weighs 96 pounds, and Shen Liang estimates that her hair might be enough to make up a whole number.

"Human! I want this, buy it for me!" Celine shouted excitedly, slapping the shopping cart, completely ignoring the astonished looks from those around her. "Look, look! The 1991 Coca-Cola you gave me last time! Look there! So extravagant! You Chinese are so extravagant! You actually have bottles of this vintage displayed on the counter! Wait... only one euro? You're kidding me!"

Shen Liang tried his best to ignore Xilin.

Celine was visibly excited; she said it was her first time experiencing life in such a large department store. She exclaimed in shock at every price tag, because she had never seen everyday products priced below one euro.

In Miss Celine's eyes, one euro was probably the smallest unit of measurement. She was even puzzled as to why many financial transactions involved decimal points. The great Miss Celine argued with Shen Liang at the time, stubbornly believing it was a historical legacy of Germany, where smaller denominations were used in the past and the calculations were still in place.

"This...guest?" The store employee approached cautiously, because the three people here looked too "extraordinary." Their extreme appearance and exquisite clothing made them seem like people who would come to a place like this.

But as an employee, he still had to bite the bullet and offend people.

"This is a shopping cart for infants and toddlers... You will break it if you sit on it."

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Young Lady in the Shopping Cart