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

They have been out of touch with the people and society for too long.

So long that humanity has lost the respect it deserves.

Then, Yixiao Daotian Zhenjun reminded everyone: "Fellow Daoists, even with the 50 billion Mora that Keqing lent us, we are still 21 billion short to reach 90 billion."

The immortals were once again faced with a dilemma.

Grandma Ping made a suggestion: "Since we are the ones who need their help, you should each go to the Liyue Septim to borrow money. Whether it's signing a contract or getting them to endorse you, as long as the conditions are reasonable, just agree to it."

"Since you've all promised Keqing that you'll appear in Liyue Harbor regularly from now on, agreeing to a few more conditions isn't a particularly big loss. The real loss is not being able to cultivate the True Immortal Auxiliary Techniques."

However, True Lord Xiaoyue Zhuyang was the first to jump out in opposition, angrily saying, "I will absolutely never borrow money from Yaoguang Star again!"

The three immortals, Minghai Qixia Zhenjun, Yixiao Daotian Zhenjun, and Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun, subsequently stated that they would never again seek the "Liyue Seven Stars".

They were utterly disappointed with the "Liyue Seven Stars".

“You’re still short 21 billion Mora, right? I’ll make up the difference.”

The spirit of the pot, A Yuan, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up.

Grandma Ping asked suspiciously, "Where did you get so many Mora?"

"The wealth I accumulated during my travels through seven kingdoms is my life savings. I'll lend it to you to help you in your time of need."

Lord Liuyun said excitedly, "That's great! Mora's problem is solved. I'm going to start training. Let's start with alchemy!"

As agreed upon by the group, Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun went to find Ke Qing and successfully borrowed a large sum of money, gaining priority access to the Bagua Furnace.

……

"Yuheng Star" Ke Qing's villa.

"Miss, I never imagined that a celestial being would come to your door to borrow money."

Ke Qing's personal maid sighed.

Since the immortal left, she was overjoyed and danced with delight.

The young lady's support for "rule by man" has strained her relationship with the immortal.

The visit of the immortals today is of great significance.

Keqing calmly analyzed, "The immortals want to cultivate a True Immortal Auxiliary Technique, but they lack enough Mora, which is why they came to me to borrow money. Although the immortals did not explicitly state the source of the True Immortal Auxiliary Technique, I speculate that it was taught to them by Prince Zhidong."

"Does Miss mean that the mastermind behind this is Prince Zhidong?"

Ke Qing nodded in agreement.

The maid pressed for details, saying, "Miss, you often say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Prince Zhidong suddenly taught the immortals the techniques of assisting true immortals; he must be plotting something."

Ke Qing pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know. But by doing this, he did indirectly help me."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the villa's door.

"Keqing, it's me."

Hearing the familiar voice coming from outside the courtyard gate, Ke Qing immediately got up.

"Ningguang, what brings you here?"

Opening the courtyard gate reveals the shimmering light of "Tianquan Star".

Ningguang chuckled as she smoked her pipe, “I heard you used almost all of your land and property to get a loan of 50 billion Mora from the Northern Bank for the immortals. Since you’re so generous, I’ll come and borrow a few hundred billion Mora from you too.”

Keqing said very frankly, "Ningguang, you've always known my purpose. I'm willing to pay any price to make the idea of ​​'rule by man' the mainstream ideology in Liyue. Whether it's myself or the assets under my name."

Ningguang admired her attitude and sighed, "Ah, sometimes I really envy you."

Keqing replied, "As an idealist, I admire your prudence."

The two walked and talked, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the villa's back garden.

Ke Qing's backyard is filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

Various rare and precious flowers and plants are vying for attention.

Some rare orchids have never even been seen by Ningguang.

The rich floral fragrance attracted a swarm of colorful butterflies, which fluttered around the two of them.

Ningguang stubbed out his pipe, bent down and smelled the fragrance of the flowers: "These flowers are delicate and beautiful, but behind the profusion of flowers, there may be unseen dangers."

Ke Qing knew she was implying something, so she listened quietly.

"Liyue is the Emperor's back garden. On the surface, it looks like a beautiful garden, but in reality, it is full of dangers. Keqing, we are facing our most powerful opponent: Prince Winter, who may take over this back garden for himself."

Keqing smiled and said, "With the Emperor in charge, the immortals protecting us, and the 'Liyue Seven Stars' here, this back garden will never change hands."

"Sigh, but I'm still worried."

What exactly are you worried about?

Ningguang said with a serious expression, "I have been wondering whether Prince Zhidong's promotion of the immortals to cultivate the True Immortal Auxiliary Technique is related to the business war."

Chapter 131 The Fallen Are Unforgivable

Ke Qing's expression hardened: "Ning Guang, you don't doubt me, do you?"

Ningguang did not deny it, but instead asked, "Why do you think that way?"

Ke Qing said frankly, "I just lent 50 billion Mora to the immortals, and you immediately came to my door. I think you suspect that I am an inside agent of 'Seven Stars', secretly cooperating with Prince Zhidong's business war plan."

While admiring the flowers, Ningguang casually said, "Alright, now I'm sure you're not."

Ningguang's logic in ruling her out as a suspect is quite simple.

If Keqing were a "traitor," she wouldn't actively discuss the topic of being a "traitor," but would instead feign madness and ignorance.

Keqing plucked a rainbow flower and placed it in Ningguang's hair: "You are too suspicious. The Liyue Seven Stars have absolute loyalty to the Emperor."

Ningguang smiled sheepishly: "What do you think about the immortal borrowing money?"

Ke Qing made no attempt to hide her true thoughts: "From my perspective, I would very much welcome immortals integrating into society and encourage them to leave their secluded mountain forests."

"The Liyue Sages have always maintained an air of mystery towards the people, leading them to blindly believe that the Sages are omniscient and omnipotent. However, if the people were to get close to the Sages, they would discover that the Sages are not actually good at business or governing a country. Naturally, they would trust us, the 'Liyue Seven Stars,' and the concept of 'rule by man' could be promoted."

Ningguang lowered her eyes and asked, "Immortals are indeed not good at business, that's because they've lived in seclusion for so long. But aren't you worried that once they integrate into society, they'll learn business and governance skills, which might prove that 'divine rule' is superior to 'human rule'?"

Keqing replied, "If immortals could surpass us humans in business management, I would gladly step down from my position as one of the Seven Stars! But clearly, even after studying for a hundred or five hundred years, they still cannot compare to humans in business management."

"Do you know why? Immortals are not human! Immortals have no need for material life, no 'desire to make money,' and therefore will never experience the joy of making money or profit."

"The human commercial system consists of three parts: workers, merchants, and consumers. Immortals cannot understand the meaning of workers' hard work, nor can they understand merchants' pursuit of profit, let alone the mentality of consumers. How can they shoulder the heavy responsibility of developing the economy?"

After hearing Keqing's reply, Ningguang said with embarrassment, "No wonder you dared to lend the Immortal 50 billion Mora. Alas, all six of us believed that the Immortal's integration into society would threaten the position of the 'Seven Stars,' which is why we refused to lend money for various reasons and excuses. In this matter, the six of us did not act decently enough; only you upheld the dignity of the 'Seven Stars.'"

Ke Qing's answer impressed her.

Keqing's insights are very reasonable.

The immortals of Liyue, being long-lived beings, live on dew and wind, do not eat human food, and are almost immortal. Human food and entertainment hold little appeal for them. Therefore, they do not need to work hard to earn Mora, nor do they go shopping to spend Mora. They have almost no understanding or concept of wealth.

Letting these immortals take on the work of the "Liyue Seven Stars" is like letting a group of laymen manage the economy, so Liyue's economy and commerce will only get worse and worse.

Ningguang then thought of the sweet rain at Yuehaiting.

For thousands of years, apart from completing the tasks assigned by the "Seven Stars," Gan Yu has remained completely ignorant of business management and economic development. If she were temporarily appointed to a "Seven Star" position, she would not be able to perform the duties of any of the "Seven Stars" on her own.

It's not that Gan Yu wasn't diligent and eager to learn, but rather that as an immortal who had no desire for material life, she lacked an understanding of economics and naturally couldn't make the best judgments and choices when faced with various commercial issues.

Moreover, immortals themselves do not like to manage worldly affairs; they pursue spiritual freedom and ease.

Therefore, Ningguang strongly agrees with Keqing's statement that "but clearly even after studying for a hundred or five hundred years, they still cannot compare to human management of commerce."

But humanity needs an opportunity to prove it.

The matter of the immortals borrowing money is undoubtedly a once-in-a-century opportunity.

Keqing said modestly, “Ningguang, you don’t need to flatter me. Before Prince Winter arrived, I, like you, believed that immortals should live in seclusion in a paradise. But now, my thinking has completely changed. Immortals should enter the world, educate the people, and everyone should do their part in order to govern Liyue well.”

"Whether it's 'rule by man' or 'rule by God,' the ultimate goal is to create a better Liyue."

Finally, Keqing concluded.

Ningguang nodded, then took her hand and said with a charming smile, "Take me for a stroll in your back garden. The flowers here are so beautiful and vibrant, I absolutely love them."

Ke Qing looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and said, "It looks like it's going to rain soon. Let's go back inside."

She had barely finished speaking when a thunderclap sounded from the horizon.

Liyue is located near the coast, and its weather is unpredictable.

The sky was clear and blue during the day, but a torrential downpour began in the afternoon.

The bustling Liyue Harbor was suddenly shrouded in rain.

Shops closed one after another, pedestrians hurried home, and tourists returned to their guesthouses.

The torrential rain lasted for most of the night, only stopping in the latter half of the night.

The next morning, Lady Zang Jing brought breakfast to the study.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Su Yu sitting upright on a bamboo mat reading a book.

"Your Highness, it's time for your breakfast."

Is it dawn yet?

Su Yu then looked up at the window and found that it was already bright outside.

"Your Highness, you've stayed up all night again."

"The sorrowful are engulfed in flames, the depraved are unforgivable... Reading on a rainy night is truly wonderful."

After saying that, Su Yu put down the book "Liyue Mystery Files" in his hand and began to eat breakfast.

The lady-in-waiting stood respectfully to the side and asked softly, "Your Highness, is 'the sorrowful are engulfed in flames, and the fallen are unforgivable' a new feeling of yours?"

Su Yu pointed to the "Liyue Unsolved Case Files" and said, "The files record one of the most bizarre unsolved cases in Liyue's history. The murderer specifically targets young women, and hundreds of women have gone missing so far, averaging one per year. After each crime, the murderer would leave a note at the scene, which contained this passage."

The woman in the mirror said in a panic, "Heavens, does that mean that in Liyue, a woman has disappeared every year for the past hundred years, and it's all the same murderer? That sounds terrifying. Our Winterlands, apart from the cold weather, has much better public security than Liyue. But that's all thanks to Your Highness. If it weren't for your vigorous efforts to reform, there would have been quite a few crimes before Winterlands."

"Missing home, are you?"

The lady with the hidden mirror hurriedly shook her head and said, "No...no."