He changed Tiwat

He nodded vigorously, deeply moved.

“Ningguang and I are colleagues, but we really don’t get along. I used to think that in her eyes, Liyue Harbor was nothing more than her business field—she would do anything as long as it could make money and make her famous. To be honest, I hate people like her who have no principles… but I’ve realized that this might just be my prejudice.”

Ke Qing lowered her head slightly.

"After the Emperor left, we reached a lot of consensus, which is rare. My evaluation of her in the past was indeed a bit biased. Despite our fundamental differences in views, she is a reliable comrade-in-arms in the current situation. I now realize that she also truly loves Liyue. Not only in the previous Battle of Osel and the Lantern Festival, but even in this effort to establish the 'Liyue National Bank' at the Seven Stars Conference... Without her, I really don't know what Liyue Harbor would be like."

"In any case, for the future of Liyue, I am willing to work hand in hand with Ningguang."

Keqing's final words were very firm.

Han Fulai smiled slightly. He knew that Ningguang's operation to win over Keqing had been a great success. Although Ningguang had actually used some methods to win Keqing over in this matter, since the result was good, there was no need for him to point it out. Moreover, from a long-term perspective, the better Ningguang and Keqing cooperated, the more beneficial it would be for Liyue's future.

Keqing is now wearing a dress made by Ningguang's personal tailor, which in itself indicates that their relationship has improved. This can actually be seen as Keqing's statement to Ningguang.

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at a shop in Feiyun Slope, and Keqing stopped.

"This is it."

Han Fulai looked up and saw the three characters "Mingxingzhai" written on the shop's signboard.

“Actually, I pre-ordered some goods from ‘Mingxingzhai’ and have been waiting for three months. They should arrive today…” Ke Qing said, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her expression. “Mr. Han, could you ask them for me?”

"Eh? Isn't Lady Keqing going to pick up the goods herself?" Han Fulai asked curiously.

"No." Ke Qing shook her head.

She clutched the hem of her evening gown, her voice trailing off: "I'm dressed a bit... and the item I'm picking up is... Xingxi is very gossipy... Anyway, you go pick up the item for me, just say 'Crystal Crescent Moon,' and she'll understand."

"Oh. Okay." Han Fulai nodded. Although he didn't quite understand what Ke Qing was talking about, it was just helping to pick up a package, so it shouldn't be a big problem... right?

When Han Fulai entered "Mingxingzhai", the owner, Xingxi, immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Happy Lantern Festival, sir!"

"Hello boss, happy Lantern Festival!" Han Fulai replied politely.

"Judging from this gentleman's attire, you must have come from afar to purchase jewelry, right? Our jewelry store, 'Mingxingzhai,' is a long-established brand. Although we currently only accept pre-orders for jewelry, we also have some other items for sale..." Xingxi looked at Han Fulai's plaid shirt and jeans and mistakenly thought he was a tourist from out of town.

"Huh? Jewelry is only available by pre-order?" Han Fulai couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Yes, I'm really sorry." Xingxi had obviously said this before. During the Lantern Festival, there were many merchants coming and going, and she had memorized these words by heart. "Our 'Xingxingzhai' is often out of stock... As you know, Liyue's glass is famous throughout the world, and only Liyue's special sand can be used to make it."

"Moreover, to put it somewhat immodestly, our 'Star Jewelry Shop' has always been the leader in Liyue's jewelry industry! As a century-old jewelry store, I mean several hundred years, not just one hundred. 'Star Jewelry Shop' can be said to be like the Geo Archon of the jewelry world, unique since ancient times, hehe. Therefore, many precious jewels can only be sold at our 'Star Jewelry Shop'."

"The King of the Jewelry World..." Han Fulai smiled, wondering how Zhong Li would react to such an advertising slogan... Well, he probably wouldn't care at all.

Xingxi continued enthusiastically, "Have you ever heard of our 'Crystal Crescent Moon'? It's very popular among young men and women. They say that if you can buy one of the ten super rare 'Crystal Crescent Moons' each month, you can win the heart of your sweetheart..."

As she spoke, she pointed to the counter behind her.

On the counter was a crescent-shaped gemstone, crystal clear and radiant.

“This is ‘Crystal Crescent Moon’…” Even though Han Fulai didn’t know much about gemstones, he couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, “Crystal Crescent Moon… its color is like crystal, crystal clear, soft and serene; the crescent moon symbolizes joy, just like the saying, ‘There are trees on the mountain, but no branches on the trees; I am pleased with you, but you do not know.’ What a wonderful name!”

"Are you interested, sir? Hehe... Whether this legend is true or not, at least for me, if someone were willing to buy it for me as a gift, I would definitely be tempted, right?" Xingxi said with a smile.

"Many wealthy merchants have traveled great distances just to buy a piece of our 'Crystal Crescent Moon'... But who knew that the mines in the Layered Rock Abyss would be sealed off recently, cutting off the supply of raw materials all at once. As you can see in the shop, we only have a few pieces left in stock. In principle, they are for display only. If you insist on talking about prices, forget it, it's definitely a number that you won't be happy to hear..."

“However,” Xingxi picked up the register on the table and handed it to Han Fulai, “if you want to buy, you can place a pre-order. Normally, it takes three months to pick up the goods, but recently the supply has been insufficient, so you may have to wait a while longer. The deposit is…”

"Wait a minute." Han Fulai quickly interrupted Xingxi's sales pitch, taking out his identification from his pocket. "I'm not here to place an order. I am Han Fulai, the personal secretary of Lord Keqing of Yuheng Star. I have been ordered to pick up the 'Liuli Crescent Moon' that Lord Keqing ordered three months ago. Please check the records."

"Ah... This was ordered by Lady Keqing..." Xingxi's face showed a hint of embarrassment. She smiled apologetically, took out a bag of Mora from the counter, and handed it to Han Fulai.

"I'm sorry, we're out of stock. This is Lady Keqing's deposit; please return it to her."

"Huh?" Han Fulai raised an eyebrow, holding the bag of Mora. "Didn't you say it would be ready for pickup in three months? Why isn't it here?"

"All the 'Crystal Crescent Moons' in the past few months have been bought up by Lady Ningguang at double the price. So the 'Crystal Crescent Moons' available to other guests are scheduled for April and beyond this year..." Xingxi shrugged helplessly.

Han Fulai took the bag of Mora and walked across the street, where Ke Qing was waiting for him.

Ke Qing placed one hand on her chest, as if making a decision. When she saw Han Fulai return, a hint of joy appeared on Ke Qing's face, but she quickly turned her face away, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Han Fulai, and instead said in a deliberately indifferent tone, "If you like it, it's fine to give it to you."

"Ah..." Han Fulai was slightly surprised.

Seeing this, Ke Qing quickly explained, "You, you mustn't misunderstand... Look, haven't you helped me a lot lately? So consider this a thank you gift!"

“But…” Han Fulai weighed the Mora bag in his hand. It was indeed quite a lot, but he was now a paid man. “I’m not really short of money right now. Please accept these Mora, Lady Keqing.”

"Mora?" Keqing turned her face back in confusion.

Han Fulai explained the whole story to Keqing and handed the Mora bag to her.

Ke Qing did not reach out.

Han Fulai heard a "clucking" sound. He looked in the direction of the sound and found that Ke Qing had clenched her fists.

Keqing hardened, Keqing's fist hardened!

"That woman Ningguang... I really can't get along with her!"

On the Jade Capital Terrace, in the Yiyan Hall, Ningguang and Beidou were sitting across from each other at the table, enjoying a drink.

Before them, besides fine wine and delicacies, was a chessboard.

The chessboard is exquisitely crafted, perfectly replicating the terrain and streets of Liyue Harbor to scale, complete with teahouses, shops, inns, general stores, and more. Furthermore, even the itinerant vendors and stalls of Liyue Harbor are accurately reproduced. If it weren't for its function as a chessboard, it could easily be called a "sand table" for battlefield simulations—in fact, many have suspected that Ningguang created this chessboard primarily for sand table exercises.

For Ningguang, creating this "Liyue Millennium" was merely a game, a way to pass the time.

Ningguang had several exquisite dice lying beside her, in various styles such as six-sided, ten-sided, and twelve-sided, which would be used depending on the situation.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that the material of the dice is the very same precious item mentioned by the owner of "Star Studio," which can only be fired from the special sand and soil of the Layered Rock Abyss. It is a renowned product of Liyue that is famous throughout the world—Lapis Lazuli.

Two chess pieces are placed at each end of the chessboard, representing Ningguang and Beidou respectively.

Generally speaking, the chess pieces are made of glass and have a uniform design, but Ningguang herself is currently using special chess pieces.

These are chess pieces made by Ningguang herself using elemental power. They are also made of glass and are replicated in proportion to the image of the players – whether it is Beidou's eye patch or Ningguang's pipe, every detail is clearly reflected on these chess pieces.

As for how to play "Liyue Millennium," players roll dice to determine the number of spaces a piece will move. Based on the number rolled, the piece will land in various locations on the board.

Different locations trigger different events, leading to changes in the chips held by players. For example, if Beidou's piece lands on the square symbolizing Qunyu Pavilion, he must pay Ningguang chips as rent to stay overnight. The game's outcome is determined by the final number of chips held by each player.

The rules seem simple and clear at first glance, but when you actually start playing, you often lose your way amidst the ever-changing events—the player is like a merchant newly arrived in Liyue Harbor, holding capital and making investment decisions in the face of various events. No wonder some people exclaim that this game is just like life.

As the creator of "Liyue Millennium" and the rule-maker of the game, Ningguang, in keeping with Liyue's spirit of "contract," has formulated complex rules for this game, and she is constantly updating the rules according to her own mood—the latest rules have been iterated to the sixth sub-version of the thirty-second version.

The version sold to the public was the eighth edition, the simplest and most understandable in Ningguang's eyes. However, to the average person, the rules were still far too complex and cumbersome. But because the pieces were exquisitely crafted, buyers continued to pour in. In fact, more people bought these sets simply for the glass-crafted pieces than for the actual players.

To date, Ningguang maintains an undefeated record in the "Liyue Millennium" tournament. After all, she is both the inventor of chess and Liyue's most outstanding merchant—of course, this is the public perception; in reality…

"Oh, you still dare to challenge me to a game of chess? Perhaps you didn't lose enough last time?" Beidou chuckled as he downed his glass of wine in one gulp.

"Just luck," Ningguang shook her head dismissively.

"Heh, the ever-victorious Ningguang, you lost twice last time, twice!" Beidou snorted.

"So what? You lost even more. We agreed to drink a jar of wine for every loss, but I wonder who came back drunk last time. I heard they were passed out on the deck of the 'Death Star'." Ningguang glanced at Beidou and said sarcastically.

"Hey! This time it's your turn to get drunk. I'm going to let the whole of Liyue Harbor see you make a fool of yourself while you're drunk!" Beidou pushed the wine jug in front of Ningguang.

Ningguang waved her hand, "Betting on drinking is rather boring. How about we add some new stakes today?"

"What is that?" Beidou asked curiously.

“‘Crystal Crescent Moon’, if you win, all of these are yours.” Ningguang clapped her hands, and Baiwen, who was standing to the side, presented a large box containing thirty shimmering gems, which were none other than the “Crystal Crescent Moon” that Keqing had been longing for.

"I'm not really interested in jewelry," Beidou said nonchalantly, smoothing his hair. "Let's bet on something else."

She pointed at Ningguang and said, "I'll bet you this new outfit. If you lose, you have to take it off and give it to me."

"Oh?" Ningguang glanced at him, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise and amusement. "Very well, let's change the stakes. If you win, I'll grant you one request, including this outfit. If I win, you'll have to grant me one request... like a day's control of the 'Southern Cross' fleet, how about that?"

"Haha, no problem. Bring on the wine!" Beidou laughed heartily, rubbing his hands together, ready for a big battle.

Ningguang waved her hand slowly and deliberately.

Upon seeing this, Baiwen put the box containing the gems away and then turned around to take out a pen and a thick notebook.

Ningguang took the paper and pen and began to scribble and draw.

"What are you doing?" Beidou tilted his head.

“I’m in a good mood right now, so I’m going to change the game rules, ‘Liyue Millennium’ version 33.” Ningguang smiled. “Gamblers will always pin their hopes on the next die… but in the end, the one who makes money is, of course, the dealer who never touches the die.”

Chapter Sixty-Five: Issuance of Liyue Coins

Half a month after the Lantern Festival, Liyue Harbor is gradually returning to its former glory.

Although the Lantern Festival and fireworks display were over, Han Fulai's work was not. On the second day of the Lantern Festival, Keqing went to see Gan Yu again, ostensibly to "assist in the closing work of the Lantern Festival and the construction of the Liyue water conservancy project," and once again requested that Han Fulai be temporarily reassigned to Gan Yu for an extended period.

Han Fulai has now officially assumed the position of Yuheng Star's exclusive secretary.

The advantage, of course, is that he receives two salaries. Keqing's family is wealthy and powerful, and the salary they pay him is far higher than his basic salary at Moonlit Pavilion, to the point that Han Fulai has the illusion of "financial freedom"—as long as he doesn't consider buying a house in Jade Capital, he is now considered a high-income earner in Liyue, at least he has the means to frequent high-end places like Glazed Pavilion.

The downsides are also obvious: receiving two salaries means having to work two jobs. His status as Gan Yu's personal secretary remains unchanged; he still lives in Gan Yu's lounge, and he still has to do his work for Gan Yu. Although Gan Yu is considerate of him and has reduced his workload considerably—the added workload from Ke Qing has made him feel like he's "earning money but not living to spend it."

As the personal secretary of Yuheng Star, his main workload right now comes from the follow-up work of the Lantern Festival. This year's Lantern Festival and fireworks display are nominally organized by Keqing of Yuheng Star, so the follow-up work will naturally be undertaken by Keqing.

As the saying goes, going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard; the wrap-up work for the Lantern Festival and the fireworks display is just as complicated.

Han Fulai's first challenge was the issue of material recovery—the colorful banners, lanterns, and other festive decorations hanging throughout Liyue Harbor all needed to be retrieved and stored in the General Affairs Department's warehouse. The fireworks displays throughout Liyue also required dedicated personnel for collection and management.

When Pantalone attacked the General Affairs Department, she used fireworks, and Ningguang claimed it was an accidental explosion. Therefore, to prevent fireworks explosions, the General Affairs Department would need to establish a corresponding explosion-proof storage warehouse and assign specialists to manage it. This clearly requires a corresponding set of management regulations.

In addition, there is the street cleaning work of "Xiaoshi", the demolition work of "Mingxiao Lantern" construction site, the maintenance work of equipment used during the festival, the disputes between tourists and local vendors during the festival, etc. All kinds of trivial finishing work have now piled up on Han Fulai's desk.

After all, this isn't a game, and these trivial issues can't be fixed with a single update.

Of course, no matter how much work there is, it can always be completed if we do it one by one.

The problem is, his current boss is Ke Qing—or, as Han Fulai privately complained, "that obsessive-compulsive workaholic cat-head."

Keqing is a perfectionist, known for her high standards and strict requirements when it comes to work. Even if something would normally take half a month to complete, she will find ways to shorten the time and finish it in a day or two. And by "complete," Keqing doesn't just mean finishing the task, but completing every single detail related to it.

The so-called "details" include "summarizing experiences, learning lessons, and establishing a sound work process system to cope with next year's Lantern Festival." She even learned about "the advanced management experience of Yuehaiting" in her exchanges with Gan Yu, and introduced a "work log" system for her own staff to ensure that "everyone has something to do and everything is managed."

After Han Fulai's advice, Keqing no longer took on all the work alone. Now she was quite willing to delegate authority and knew how to appoint people to their positions. "Mr. Han, your work ability is obvious to all. The capable should do more. I am prepared to hand over all these matters to Mr. Han."

The development of systems requires a wealth of practical experience and data support, so Han Fulai spent most of his time writing work reports on the Lantern Festival and Fireworks Display, and establishing corresponding work processes based on these reports. This will indeed make things much easier for the civil servants responsible for preparing for the Lantern Festival and Fireworks Display next year… but that's because someone named Han Fulai is currently taking on all the work for them.

To use a phrase similar to those used in news reports—"This is a case of Han shooting himself in the foot."

He regretted it many times in private, thinking that he shouldn't have agreed to be Keqing's personal secretary just because the atmosphere was so good on the night of the Lantern Festival.

The only thing that could comfort Han Fulai was that his dual identity as the deputy head of Yuehaiting and the exclusive secretary of Yuheng Star allowed him to have two teams under him, one from Yuehaiting and the other from the General Affairs Department, to share the workload—"At least a hundred people are working overtime with me every day," Han Fulai could only console himself with this thought.

Despite his complaints, Han Fulai still worked hard to speed up his work, because he was about to face a new challenge—the challenge of "Liyue Coins".

A major event that was overshadowed by the festive atmosphere during the Lantern Festival is now quietly revealing its impact.

Ningguang presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the "Liyue National Bank" on the morning of the second day of the Lantern Festival, and the location of this "Liyue National Bank" is right across from the "Northern Bank".

What makes the Liyue National Bank special is that it is now issuing a currency called "Liyue Coins" to the people of Liyue. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Liyue National Bank, Ningguang announced the newly enacted "Liyue Coin Management Regulations," declaring the legal issuance and circulation of "Liyue Coins" in the name of the Seven Stars government.

Because the Golden House is undergoing renovations and Mora production is suspended, the Liyue National Bank is using "Liyue Coins" as a substitute for Mora.

The so-called "Liyue Coins" are paper banknotes issued by the Liyue Seven Stars government. These banknotes are about the size of an average person's palm and are printed on special paper made from Liyue's specialty, the Neon Flower, and with ink extracted from minerals. Trace amounts of rock elements that do not affect human health are also added as anti-counterfeiting features.

The banknote's main design is bright yellow, with the denomination and the Geo elemental symbol representing Liyue printed on the front, while the back depicts Morax, the Geo Archon, from the Statue of the Seven. It's said that the Geo Archon on the banknote bears a striking resemblance to a certain retainer of the Hall of Resurrection, but this is merely a coincidence.

Based on the current prices in Teyvat, banknotes are issued in four denominations: "fifty", "one hundred", "one thousand", and "ten thousand", and can be exchanged for Mora at the same rate.

The initial circulation of banknotes came from merchants trading with Ningguang's Merchant Guild. Ningguang used the newly issued Liyue Coins from the Liyue National Bank to settle payments with them. Trusting Ningguang, these merchants began experimenting with using Liyue Coins in the market.

Liyue coins are lightweight, compact, and easy to carry, and have the same value as Mora, making them very popular with merchants. Once the first merchants to use Liyue coins experienced their benefits, the first paper currency on the Teyvat continent began to circulate in Liyue Harbor.

Chapter Sixty-Six: Han Fulai Answers Reporters' Questions (Part 1)

While traveling merchants from other regions are not yet very accepting of paper money, many local merchants in Liyue have already joined the ranks of users of Liyue Coins. At the same time, many residents working in Liyue Harbor have also come into contact with paper money in their daily lives.

As the issuance and circulation of paper money began to spread, a rumor quietly began to circulate in Liyue Harbor.

The rumors were quite sensational: "Mora production in the Golden House has ceased; the Liyue Septate is deceiving the public by issuing paper money; the Liyue National Bank simply doesn't have the capacity to redeem Mora!"

Rumors spread like wildfire throughout Liyue Harbor in a short period of time.

The initial merchants who used Liyue currency were mostly wealthy businessmen who partnered with Ningguang Merchant Guild. For them, the value of this money was not as important as their cooperative relationship with Ningguang. Even if these banknotes could not actually be exchanged for Mora, Ningguang's credit was enough to be used as Mora.

But for small and medium-sized businesses that later began using paper money, and for some of the laborers working at the docks, these banknotes represented their hard-earned money. They couldn't allow the Mora they had worked so hard to earn to become worthless pieces of paper.

Not only are the receptionists at the Liyue National Bank receiving inquiries from residents, but legal advisors within Liyue Harbor are also constantly being asked what responsibility the Seven Stars government should bear if Liyue Dollars cannot be exchanged for their equivalent value in Mora. Legal advisors, including Yanfei, have given a unified answer based on the current "Liyue Dollar Management Regulations"—"The Seven Stars of Liyue have a responsibility to maintain the credibility of Liyue Dollars, ensure financial order, and exchange them for Mora equivalent to their face value."

Meanwhile, legal advisors also pointed out: "Liyue is the 'Land of Contracts.' If the Liyue National Bank takes advantage of the people's trust and exchanges worthless paper money for Mora in the hands of the residents, it is a breach of contract. The people have the right to demand that the Liyue National Bank compensate them tenfold according to the ancient contract set by the Emperor."

It seems there are quite a few talented scholars in Liyue; one even obtained the last quarter's financial report from the Whitewater House, the financial authority within Liyue's eight gates. According to that report of unknown origin, Liyue's fiscal expenditures last quarter appear to have decreased compared to previous years.