Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

As Liyue's economy develops, their future profits will be even better, perhaps even doubling.

Keqing said, “Everyone wants to have a long-term vision, but how many people are willing to step out of their comfort zone? Ningguang, send our property certificates to the Winter Mission’s headquarters. His Highness the Prince won the business war; this is the reward he deserves.”

Gan Yu looked up and said, "I just received news that His Highness the Prince went to the Northern Bank."

"Let's all go and pay our respects to His Highness the Prince. He is the new master of the Liyue business world."

After Ningguang made the suggestion, none of the other six objected.

It is time to pay our respects to His Highness the Prince. From now on, His Highness will be the merchant with the most assets in Liyue Harbor and the largest shareholder. We will need to communicate and cooperate with His Highness in all aspects.

As they were leaving, Ningguang said again, "Ganyu, you come too."

"I?"

"The transfer and receipt of property will require the signing of certain documents with His Highness the Prince, and you will be in charge of that."

"Ok."

The thought of seeing His Highness the Prince again made Gan Yu blush.

She recalled the scene of standing on the dock with His Highness the last time, drinking in the dew, and her heart began to race involuntarily.

"Lord Ningguang, please save us! We're starving!"

"What happened? Everyone has suddenly become very poor."

"My lords, if you don't come to the rescue, Liyue's business will really be finished."

The seven stars appeared together on the street, and the crowd immediately gathered to watch.

"Please rest assured, everyone, the problem will be resolved soon. We are on our way to the Northern Bank to discuss this matter with Prince Zhidong."

Ningguang spoke, and the rioting crowd parted to make way.

As soon as the Liyue Seven Stars arrived at the headquarters of the Northern Bank, the staff at the entrance stopped them.

"My lords, His Highness the Prince knows you are coming. Please wait in the main hall."

Ningguang asked, "Is Your Highness very busy right now?"

"His Highness is receiving a very important guest. No one is allowed to go upstairs."

"What kind of guest is more important than the Seven Stars of Liyue?"

"You should know that person; he's a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth. By the way, his name is Zhongli."

Chapter 219 Zhongli Appears

"The guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth, that Mr. Zhongli?"

"It is indeed this person."

Upon hearing this, Ningguang had no choice but to wait in the hall with her group.

Ke Qing asked, "What exactly is Zhongli's identity? He's definitely more than just a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth. Even the proud and arrogant immortals treat him with utmost respect."

"Furthermore, Zhongli seems to be an immortal being. His name has been mentioned many times in some historical records of strange tales from thousands of years ago. Of course, it is also possible that it is just a coincidence of names."

Ningguang, holding her elbow, guessed, "This person must be a friend of the Emperor. In short, he has a very close relationship with the Emperor."

The other members of the Seven Stars generally agreed with this statement.

The Emperor is renowned in Liyue for his vast knowledge; he knows everything from astronomy to geography, and it seems there is nothing he doesn't know.

Hundreds of years ago, a strange thing happened in Liyue: some people saw the immortals descending the mountain to celebrate Zhongli's birthday.

At first, many people thought it was a rumor. However, the immortals, who always valued their reputation, never offered any explanation in the face of the escalating "rumors".

Zhongli is not only very mysterious, but his strength is also unfathomable.

Master Hu Tao of the Wangsheng Hall, who was in charge of funeral services, had been attacked by evil spirits and unclean things many times. On one occasion, he even encountered the lingering resentment of a demon god who was powerful enough to kill all the immortals.

If Zhongli hadn't intervened, the Hall of Rebirth would have already had a new leader.

It was after that incident that Master Hu Tao announced to the public that all of Zhong Li's expenses in Liyue would be covered by the Hall of Rebirth. From then on, Zhong Li developed the habit of not carrying any money when he went out.

Today, the Prince of Zhidong personally received Zhongli before the Seven Stars, the message of which is self-evident—

Zhongli's status is even more prestigious than that of the Seven Stars of Liyue!

With that in mind, the Seven Stars stopped urging them and waited patiently.

In their view, it must be that the Emperor sent Zhongli to negotiate with Prince Zhidong.

Aside from guessing Zhongli's identity incorrectly, the truth is just as the Seven Stars speculated: the Rock King Emperor Zhongli is currently upstairs drinking tea with Su Yu.

[Rich Man] Pantalone stood respectfully behind Su Yu. Even though he was the executive officer of the Winter Kingdom, he dared not be disrespectful to the Rock King Emperor.

From the moment Zhongli stepped into the office, Pantalone felt a powerful aura, no less than that of the Ice Queen.

The lady with the mirror in her eyes, looking solemn, brewed tea and poured water for the two of them.

She knew perfectly well that His Highness the Prince had won the business war and was about to acquire all of Liyue Seven Stars' assets.

The fact that the Rock King Emperor is visiting His Highness at this time is definitely about the business war.

Could it be that, as His Highness the Prince previously stated, the Geo Archon intends to alter the rules of the Liyue Contract in order to forcibly reverse the outcome of the business war?

"Morax, long time no see."

“Your Highness, you knew I would show up, so you waited for me here early in the morning, didn’t you? And you also expected that I wouldn’t allow you to take away the property of the Seven Stars of Liyue.”

Su Yu smiled calmly and said, "Don't be so nervous, Morax. I have no interest in the wealth of the Seven Stars of Liyue. At our level, wealth, power, and women are all just fleeting clouds."

Zhongli nodded: "Great minds think alike. Your Highness, you have already proven your strength, whether in martial arts or business acumen, you are top-notch."

"You used the Northern Bank as a base to perfectly find the loopholes in Liyue's business system and completed one of the most classic business battles in history, which left a deep impression on me."

“In the past, I always thought that Liyue had the most perfect business regulations and laws among the seven kingdoms. This time, the prince has taught me a harsh lesson. Now I believe that you can govern a wonderful new world after overthrowing the laws of nature, just as we discussed when we first met.”

Su Yu took a sip of tea and said, "Morax, there's no need to flatter me. This trick won't work on me. According to the agreement between you and me that day, I defeated the Seven Stars of Liyue, and you need to hand over the Heart of God."

Zhongli put down his teacup and said, "I will naturally keep my promise. However, I would like to ask Your Highness to release the deposits of the Northern Bank to ensure the normal circulation of currency."

"No problem. From this day forward, the Northern Bank will fully cooperate with the Liyue Seven Stars to restore normal market order. Are there any other conditions or requirements?"

“That’s all. Now, Your Highness, come with me to the secluded place to obtain the Heart of God.”

[The Rich] Pantalone and the lady with the Tibetan mirror exchanged a glance, overjoyed.

Our trip to Liyue is finally coming to an end.

Among the seven kingdoms, the Heart of God of the Rock King is the most difficult to obtain. His Highness the Prince avoided a direct conflict with the Rock King and instead forced him to hand over the Heart of God through a fierce business battle.

Moreover, His Highness the Prince has reached a cooperation agreement with the Rock King Emperor, which is simply the most perfect and ideal outcome.

In the previous deductions by the Ice Queen, to obtain the Heart of God from the Geo Archon, either the Ice Queen had to make huge concessions, or the Winter Kingdom and Liyue would have to engage in a life-or-death war. There was no other way.

His Highness, however, took a different approach and created a new miracle.

The two could already imagine that when this news reached Zhi Dong, Her Majesty the Queen would be overjoyed.

The only regret is that in the end, they were still unable to seize all of the Liyue Sept's assets.

But compared to the Divine Heart of the Rock King Emperor, these losses are nothing.

After all, His Highness the Prince said that the purpose of the business war was not to destroy Liyue.

"Morax, wait for me outside. I have some work to do."

Zhong Li nodded and left the office first.

"Your Highness, you are truly remarkable. The Rock King has actually compromised! I will immediately draft the document and send the good news to His Majesty."

The lady of the Hidden Mirror was so excited that her voice trembled. If it weren't for the huge difference in their social status, she would have wanted to rush over and kiss His Highness the Prince.

Pantalone, the wealthy man, beamed and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on your new achievement. You are the pride of the Winter Kingdom."

However, Su Yu's face showed no joy. Instead, he coldly ordered, "Lady, go and inform the delegation's headquarters to activate the highest level of combat readiness. The Northern Bank should also increase its defenses. Pantalone, after I leave, you have something to do..."

After arranging everything, Su Yu and Zhong Li left together through the back door of the Northern Bank.

The lady in the mirror looked puzzled: "Why are we being told to be on high alert when the prince and the emperor are going to retrieve the heart of the god?"

"I don't know. But since Your Highness has given the order, we shall carry it out."

The wealthy Pantalone was equally perplexed.

The lady from the Tibetan mirror rushed back to the mission's residence and notified the guards to keep their equipment in good working order. She also arranged for the canteen staff to go to the market to buy large quantities of rice, flour, oil, vegetables, and meat, all in accordance with the standards for war preparedness.

Chapter 220 Zhongli's Darkening, Heaven and Earth Shake Up

Meanwhile, Pantalone checked the time, then left his office and went to the bank lobby.

The Liyue Seven Stars had been waiting for a while when Ningguang smiled and asked, "[Rich] Executive Officer, may we see His Highness the Prince?"

Pantalone secretly admired Ningguang's magnanimity; even after being deprived of her property, she was still able to maintain the proper etiquette and demeanor.

The other six men all had angry looks in their eyes, as if they were about to rush up and kill him.

The reaction of the Liyue Septim was within Pantarone's expectations.

These seven people are no ordinary individuals. Having lost the business battle and all their assets, they must be resentful and will vent their anger on themselves.

But he doesn't care how sensitive these people are.

Before His Highness the Prince arrived in Winterland, he and [Young Master] Tartaglia had suffered many setbacks in Liyue, but now they finally got to hold their heads high.

“Ningguang, His Highness the Prince and Mr. Zhongli are out on business and do not have time to meet with you.”

"Is that so..."

Ningguang felt slightly disappointed.

"However, His Highness the Prince instructed me to tell you to inform the Thousand Rock Army to be ready for battle at any time."

"Your Highness, did he give a reason?"

"No. Alright, I've completed the task His Highness assigned me. As for whether you believe His Highness's words or not, that's your business. Everyone, please return; the Northern Bank will be closed for a few days."

Ningguang thought for a moment and said, "I believe what His Highness says."

The fact that Prince Zhidong was unable to meet with Zhongli must mean that he had something very urgent to discuss with her.