He changed Tiwat

He placed his hand on his chest and said in the most sincere voice, "I, Han Fulai, have always treated people with sincerity."

Chapter Ninety-Eight: I'll use the same trick again, young master, offer your head.

"You speak. I'm listening."

Ningguang turned to the side, her gaze not on Han Fulai, but fixed on an ornament on the table.

It was a small brass scale, a symbol of Tianquan, the star that governs the laws of Liyue.

Ningguang's meaning was clear: she knew that Han Fulai might be an envoy representing the immortal forces, and that it would not work to deceive her, the star of Tianquan, with lies.

Moreover, she has made ample preparations for this battle, and to shake her decision, one must offer a weight strong enough to tip the scales.

Han Fulai also stared at the scales and said, "Sister Ningguang, have you ever thought about why the Fatui released Báche this time? If the Fatui's goal is to destroy Liyue Harbor, even the Maelstrom Ocel couldn't do it, so is Báche enough for him alone?"

“That’s not enough. So their goal isn’t really to destroy Liyue Harbor.” Han Fu answered his own question.

"What is the biggest difference between the current battle between Liyue and Osel? It is that we have lost the Geo Archon on the surface. The Archon will not take action."

"Furthermore, the Fatui have been operating in Liyue for many years, so they must know that there are many disagreements between the Seven Stars government and the Liyue Ascendants. Last time, our victory over Oser was the result of cooperation between humans and immortals. What about this time? Will the Seven Stars government and the Liyue Ascendants continue to cooperate? How far can Liyue's standing forces go against Barchak? Does the Thousand Rock Army have any new equipment?"

"The Ba Che is a test, a test of the current level of cooperation between humans and immortals in Liyue, a test of the strength of Liyue's standing forces... and at the same time, a test of the power of the Jade Pavilion."

"If I'm not mistaken, their goal is precisely to see the limits of the Jade Pavilion's power. That's why they chose to unleash the Ba Che; the Fools want to see you reveal your trump card!"

"By just this battle with Ba Che, the enemy can obtain a lot of important information about Liyue, the relationship between Liyue's humans and immortals, the strength of the Thousand Rock Army, and even the power of the Jade Pavilion... The Fatui are getting something for nothing. By sacrificing Ba Che as a pawn, they can gain such valuable information. This is a business with no cost and huge profit."

Ningguang's expression remained calm.

"It was based on my understanding of all this that I made the decision to destroy Qunyu Pavilion. If my trump card is strong enough, then revealing it is not a trump card, but a deterrent."

"But what if this trump card isn't big enough?" Han Fulai asked.

"What do you mean?" Ningguang asked, frowning.

Han Fulai replied in a deep voice: "I mean that the military strength of Zhidong Kingdom is far greater than the strength they have shown on the surface."

"Oh?" Ningguang's eyes finally focused on Han Fulai's face. As the intelligence hub of Liyue, Ningguang was always confident in her grasp of intelligence.

Ningguang was well aware that the Fatui of Winterfell were stronger than the Thousand Rocks. The Fatui elites were not only highly trained and well-equipped, but also possessed the Evil Eye, allowing them to unleash power comparable to those wielding the Eye of God for a short period. In fact, this was the Fatui's reliance on to dominate Teyvat. She had naturally considered all aspects when making her decision.

But she also knew that, given Han Fulai's mysterious background, he might actually know information that she didn't.

"Demon God remnants," Han Fulai said. "The Fools have already put the power of the Demon God remnants into practical use, injecting them into suitable individuals in the form of reagents. Given the Winter Kingdom's modus operandi, if they don't consider the side effects, they must have already secretly deployed a force to support those with the power of Demon God remnants. I speculate that such a force should possess combat power equivalent to that of a Demon God in the short term."

"Where is your source of intelligence?" Ningguang narrowed her eyes.

"I can't say. But I hope Sister Ningguang can believe me," Han Fulai answered frankly.

Ningguang pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"I believe you; that's a good bargaining chip. But it's not heavy enough."

"If the Fools use the remnants of the Demon God's army as their trump card, it means they can't use it easily, just like the Jade Pavilion won't be easily destroyed. Even if the Jade Pavilion is preserved, the situation will simply change from one-sided deterrence by the Jade Pavilion to mutual deterrence. But the returns from investing in the Jade Pavilion are enough to make up for these risks."

Han Fulai understood Ningguang's meaning. The political gains she obtained from destroying the Jade Pavilion still outweighed the risk of the Winter Kingdom invading Liyue while the Jade Pavilion was unavailable. Even if the retired Geo Archon and the Ice Queen ruling the Winter Kingdom did not intervene, the Liyue Asmodians would not stand idly by and allow a war of aggression to break out on Liyue's land. Even with the Archon's retirement, the Liyue Asmodians' covenant to protect Liyue remained intact.

Ningguang's sacrifice of the Jade Pavilion was ultimately to protect Liyue Harbor. Even if there were many political interests involved, the Liyue Cultists would not allow Liyue to suffer from war because of the loss of the Jade Pavilion.

From Ningguang's perspective, destroying the Jade Pavilion was an extremely profitable business. She gained the hearts and minds of the entire Liyue people.

Of course, Han Fulai didn't expect that he could convince Ningguang with just these things.

Therefore, he wants to increase the stakes.

"But Ningguang's plan is only for Liyue's business. This business is not big enough."

"Oh? So what exactly is your big business?" Ningguang looked at Han Fulai with great interest.

Han Fulai stood up and stood straight in front of the Ningguang table.

This was the first time Ningguang had ever seen Han Fulai dare to look down at her so condescendingly.

"Does Sister Ningguang know who has the biggest business on this Teyvat continent?" Han Fulai asked.

“That is naturally the God of Commerce, the Rock King Emperor,” Ningguang replied.

"And what about besides the Emperor?" Han Fulai continued to ask.

"...To the Winter Kingdom, the Fools." Ningguang reluctantly admitted this fact. The Fools' tentacles extended to the Seven Kingdoms, and they were known as "Three things are omnipresent on the continent of Teyvat - mint, sweetflower, and the Fools."

"So, Sister Ningguang, would you be willing to compete with the Fools for business?" Han Fulai suddenly laughed.

Ningguang looked up at Han Fulai, her expression growing increasingly complicated: "You don't mean to..."

Han Fulai maintained his smile and reached out to press down on one end of the brass balance scale.

"With just three sentences, Sister Ningguang's scales will tip in my favor."

"My first words are: I will give you a human hero who has the power to fight against the demon god and will obey the Seven Star Government, or rather, obey you."

He lowered one side of the scale a little.

"My second piece of advice is that I will provide you with the strongest support behind the heroes, the unreserved support of the Liyue Cult."

He pressed one side of the scale down again.

"My third piece of advice is that I will create a fleet for you called the Jade Pavilion!"

He exerted a sudden force, pressing the scales down to the very bottom.

"Are these three chips enough?"

“That’s enough. But how will you achieve it?” Ningguang stared intently into Han Fulai’s eyes.

"I'll stick to the same trick—offer your head, young master." Han Fulai's eyes were stern.

"Whom are you offering this time?" Ningguang asked.

Han Fulai raised his hand and tapped his temple.

"I."

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Yun Jin's Investment

The next morning, as agreed, Han Fulai and Shen He went to "Hanfeng Ironware" to meet Yun Jin and Beidou.

Shen He meditated and recuperated under the care of his senior sister Gan Yu yesterday, and it was quite effective. He has almost made up for the energy he had lost in refining the immortal talismans.

Correspondingly, Han Fulai yawned the whole way. The reason, of course, was lack of sleep.

He was used to sharing a room with Gan Yu and had also spent a night with Shen He in a guesthouse, but the sight of Gan Yu and Shen He sharing a bed was too destructive—especially the sight of their breasts accidentally colliding and pressing together, which was hard for a healthy, vigorous man to resist.

So he simply spent the whole night in his office studying the book of ancient poems and lyrics, while recalling the feeling of using immortal power in the cave of the True Lord of Qixia in the Minghai, until he finally took a nap at his desk very late.

Despite the lack of sleep, Han Fulai didn't feel the usual fatigue after staying up all night; he was just a little sleepy. This was probably one of the benefits of the enhanced physique brought by immortal power—Gan Yu was able to work overtime for three thousand years straight, and her immortal power was probably her greatest reliance.

What's somewhat gratifying is that, through his all-night study, he has now further mastered the knack of using his divine power. Although he hasn't reached the level of complete control that the Liyue Immortals possess, he has at least gained more confidence. To use a martial arts novel analogy, his divine power is now roughly equivalent to Duan Yu's unpredictable Six Meridians Divine Sword. After all, this divine power wasn't something he cultivated himself; it's more like Zhongli giving him a long-term buff.

It's a pity that Zhongli wasn't thoughtful enough to provide him with a set of Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique).

When Han Fulai and Shen He arrived at "Hanfeng Ironware", Yun Jin had already arrived, but Beidou was nowhere to be seen.

Yun Jin greeted the two and told them that Bei Dou had a fleet to deal with and asked her to deliver the immortal talisman and the Thousand Wonders Core to Bai Wen for bidding.

After talking with Ningguang yesterday, Han Fulai naturally knew that Beidou was helping Ningguang prepare for the Battle of Bache. These matters had nothing to do with Yun Jin, so Han Fulai did not mention them further.

After obtaining the Thousand Wonders Core from Master Zhang, the group boarded a carriage and headed to the abandoned mine where the Jade Pavilion was located.

Bai Wen was greatly surprised when he received the materials submitted by the two. The public bidding for the reconstruction project of Qunyu Pavilion had only been going on for three days. Most of the other participating merchants had at most found the "Mingxia Floating Life Stone," and most of them hadn't even found any clues to the materials, let alone the materials themselves. Yet Han Fulai had already prepared all three materials.

However, when Baiwen heard Yun Jin say that these materials were jointly provided by her, Beidou, and Han Fulai, a knowing smile appeared on his face.

With Yun Jinyun of the Liyue Yun Clan, Captain Beidou of the Southern Cross Fleet who has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles, and Vice Minister Han of the Moon Sea Pavilion with his Immortal background, the combined forces of these three parties would undoubtedly crush the other contestants.

After carefully examining the materials brought by Han Fulai and Yun Jin, she nodded and said to the three of them, "The Qianqi Core and the Immortal Talisman are both of excellent quality. It seems that the competition has been decided. Now, please invite the three winners to move to the Qunyu Pavilion. It is quite a coincidence that Lady Ningguang is inspecting the progress of the project at the Qunyu Pavilion today. You may ask Lady Ningguang questions here."

Ningguang's arrival was no coincidence. She already knew yesterday that Han Fulai would deliver the materials today; inspecting the project's progress was merely a pretext.

Baiwen spoke a few words to her staff, instructing them to notify all participants that the winning bidder for the project had been determined and to invite them to the Qunyu Pavilion construction site so she could announce the results.

Then Baiwen took the lead, leading Han Fulai and the other two, and climbed up the mountain road around the construction site of Qunyu Pavilion.

Han Fulai couldn't help but feel a little emotional after climbing up to the Qunyu Pavilion. Just twenty days ago, on the night he danced with Ke Qing, most of the buildings in the Qunyu Pavilion were still in a dilapidated state. He never expected that the main buildings would be rebuilt in a decent manner and could be restored to their former glory with a little repair.

The tech tree in Teyvat is developed in such a strange way!

If you say it has high productivity, it relies on horse-drawn carriages for movement and gliders for flight. Most countries are still in the era of cold weapons, and even the most technologically advanced Winterfell and Fontaine are only in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. But if you say it has low productivity, the speed at which it rebuilt the Jade Pavilion has caught up with the construction speed of Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, which can be described as "Liyue speed".

This must be the source of Ningguang's confidence in smashing up the Qunyu Pavilion. As long as she has enough money, she can just spend a month or two to rebuild the Qunyu Pavilion.

Ningguang, of course, had no idea what Han Fulai was thinking. She accepted the materials, dismissed Baiwen, and led Han Fulai and the others to the deck of the Qunyu Pavilion.

Ningguang made a hand seal, and a circular magic circle instantly appeared on the deck. The deck opened within the circle, revealing layers of intricate mechanisms beneath.

Ningguang channeled elemental power, injecting it into the floating celestial talisman. The talisman emitted golden light and spontaneously merged with Qianqi's core, transforming into a massive sphere of light. Under Ningguang's manipulation, the sphere slowly descended, entering the mechanical structure beneath the deck and disappearing from sight.

As Ningguang moved, the deck of the Jade Pavilion closed again, leaving no trace on the surface. Ningguang let out a long sigh and explained to everyone, "Combining the immortal talisman with the Thousand Wonders Core and placing it into the Jade Pavilion's control chamber will complete the reconstruction of the Jade Pavilion. After that, the iron chains will be retracted, and it will ascend into the sky."

She looked around at everyone, smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you all for your hard work. Now it's my turn to fulfill my promise and give you your rewards."

Just as Ningguang announced on the Jade Palace that day, the winner of the bid for the reconstruction of the Jade Pavilion has the right to ask her one question. Whether it's Ningguang's business secrets or the future plans for Liyue Harbor, Ningguang will answer any question she asks without reservation.

For the people of Liyue, this is indeed an invaluable opportunity to ask questions.

Even Yun Jin, who was used to seeing huge crowds at the theater, couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She fidgeted with the hem of her dress and took two steps forward.

Before Yun Jin could speak, Ning Guang spoke first.

"I've heard a little about Mr. Yun's purpose in coming here. You're looking for a suitable stage for your new opera, aren't you?"

Yun Jin wasn't surprised. Rumors circulated that Ningguang knew all the secrets of Liyue Harbor, so it wasn't strange that she knew Yun Jin's intentions beforehand. She gracefully bowed to Ningguang and replied, "Indeed. Does Miss Ningguang have any suggestions?"

Ningguang smiled and said, "Since this is a new play that Mr. Yun has prepared with great care, it must be of great importance. How about we hold the premiere in the newly built Qunyu Pavilion?"

"Qunyu Pavilion is situated on a very high elevation, from which one can see all the mountains below. From such a height, one can feel the wind blowing and observe the various aspects of human life. I think there is probably no more suitable stage in the world for you, sir. Now that Qunyu Pavilion has been completed, it naturally needs a completion ceremony. If Mr. Yun could attend, it would be a great honor for Qunyu Pavilion."

Yun Jin nodded without hesitation and said, "Thank you, Miss Ningguang. I have prepared the opera props. I would appreciate it if you could take them to Qunyu Pavilion later."

“It’s a masterpiece, worthy of such praise. No need to be so polite,” Ningguang said with a smile.

When Han Fulai saw Yun Jin's unwavering demeanor, he realized that Yun Jin must have had this in mind from the very beginning when she participated in the reconstruction of Qunyu Pavilion.

The Yunhan Society enjoys a very high reputation in Liyue Harbor, and Yun Jin herself is the foremost performer of Liyue opera, with a widespread fame. For Yun Jin, her career has already reached the pinnacle of the opera world. If she wants to go even further, she cannot limit herself to the opera world—she wants to become a guest of honor of the Seven Stars government, representing the Seven Stars of Liyue to lead the arts and culture of Liyue.

Performing a new play at the opening ceremony of the Jade Pavilion is tantamount to announcing to the entire Liyue that Ningguang is behind the Yunhan Society!

Ningguang's collaboration with Yun Jin allows her to extend her business reach into Liyue's theatrical world while leveraging Yun Jin's influence. The partnership is mutually beneficial, yielding the best for both parties.

This is not just a bidding process, but an investment by Yun Jin in herself and the future of "Yunhan Society"!

Han Fulai secretly admired her, saying that everyone in Liyue was a businessman. Although Yun Jin was just a famous opera singer on the surface, her business acumen was probably no less than Xing Qiu's.

Chapter 100: Once you're here, you're a Liyue person.

“Then I will await Miss Ningguang’s good news,” Yun Jin said.

Ningguang nodded. "I will choose an auspicious day to invite Mr. Yun to the stage."

Now that Yun Jin had received the answer she wanted, the matter of rebuilding the Qunyu Pavilion was considered complete for her.

She turned around and winked playfully at Han Fulai and Shen He: "Mr. Han, Shen He, I have to go prepare for my new play, so I'll take my leave now. Remember to come and listen to my new play!"

Her new drama, naturally, is "The Goddess Splits the Temple," starring Shen He.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Yun. I look forward to it very much."

Han Fulai smiled, cupped his hands in farewell, and said goodbye to Yun Jin.

After Yun Jin left, Ning Guang took a few steps toward Han Fulai and asked, "Little Han, is there anything you want to ask me? This agreement also applies to you."

Ningguang smiled broadly, seemingly very interested in what questions Han Fulai would ask.

Han Fulai shook his head and turned his gaze to Shen He, who had been silent and seemed like an outsider.

"It is my duty to help Sister Ningguang rebuild the Qunyu Pavilion, how dare I ask for payment? I would like to ask Sister Ningguang to give my younger sister Shenhe a chance to ask a question."

"Me?" Shen He was clearly surprised, wondering why Han Fulai would bring up the topic of himself.

“Yes. Without your help, how could we have gathered all the materials in such a short time? You have the right to be paid. Since you have put in the work, you should naturally receive corresponding compensation. In Liyue Harbor, this is called 'you get what you pay for',” Han Fulai said earnestly to Shen He.

Shen He had no prior experience with work, not even understanding why one had to pay for things. The concept of "work compensation" was entirely new to her. However, seeing Han Fulai's serious expression, Shen He could at least understand that it was only natural to ask for compensation after working.

"Thank you... but I really don't have any problems." Shen He looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Is that so?" Ningguang chuckled. "Then I'm afraid this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask questions will be wasted. Sister Shenhe, you can ask me any questions you have."

"Waste is bad, you know. Your master also taught you not to leave any food when you eat Qingxin, right? Besides, Lady Ningguang really knows everything, doesn't she?" Han Fulai patiently persuaded from the side.