Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

Jiang Bai's refusal was rather tactful.

He could send intelligence for a fee, but joining is out of the question.

Chapter 400: How About Changing the Business Approach? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Diluc wasn't too surprised. "It's alright, it was just that I brought it up too suddenly."

He asked just to give it a try; it would be great if he could join, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.

"As an intelligence agent, in order to uncover some secret information, I will need to enter and exit some dangerous areas. In the future, in order to investigate the Fatui, I may even infiltrate the Fatui's Winter Kingdom headquarters..."

Diluc did not conceal the dangers involved in signing this deal; to do so would be to disrespect Jiang Bai's life.

"this......"

Jiang Bai suddenly lost confidence in whether he could complete the deal. After all, if Diluc really died at the Fatui headquarters, his body probably wouldn't even be left behind, let alone the transmission of intelligence.

That's giving him way too much credit.

Diluc calmly replied, "I was just using an analogy. I did some stupid things when I was a teenager."

Now he considers things more, sees further ahead, and would never do such reckless and foolish things again.

Even if they were to infiltrate the headquarters of the Fools to steal information, they would do so only after thorough preparation and to ensure that their intelligence could be transmitted.

Jiang Bai scratched his head. "The clients I've worked with so far have all died in the wild. Collecting remains in enemy territory is just too risky... There might not even be any bodies left by the time I get there..."

Diluc's desired outcome has taken a completely different direction from their initial plan, turning a corpse collector into a secret agent.

Jiang Bai really wanted to sigh to the heavens. He guessed that even the hall master hadn't expected the business they initially envisioned would turn out like this.

“That makes sense. How to preserve the body is a problem…” Diluc also fell into deep thought.

His initial thought was that someone would find him after he died and bring back what he had acquired, but whether his body would remain after death was a real question.

"Could you tell me how you find people?"

Jiang Bai took out the Four Directions Instrument and some pointers, and used the pointer with the name of Walnut as an example.

"This is a set of ritual implements from our Rebirth Hall. After information is transmitted through breath, it can be used to locate the person being recorded. When the name on this slip turns gray, it indicates that the person represented by this long slip has died..."

Diluc picked up a long divination stick and examined it. The pointer was engraved with mysterious patterns, and there was a faint surge of unknown energy.

"That's convenient... Even when a person is alive, you can still find them using this pointer, right?"

“Yes.” Jiang Bai nodded honestly. “Don’t worry about us invading our guests’ privacy. Unless the long tag turns gray, we will not use the long tag to find out the location of our guests. It is all written in these contracts.”

"How about this, while signing the business deal, I'll buy out this pointer with a sum of Mora."

"Buyout? What kind of buyout?"

Jiang Bai raised an eyebrow; this was indeed a novel idea.

"I have recorded my essence within this pointer, which I will keep myself. If I am gone, someone will come to you with this pointer. You only need to lead that person to find my body. After that, whether or not the body can be brought back is none of your concern..."

Diluc thought it wouldn't be bad to buy a magical artifact that would allow people to know if he died while on a dangerous mission. That way, if he died, people would know quickly.

His death could also indirectly convey some information, giving them time to rethink their strategy and decide whether to find his body to search for information that may or may not exist.

Jiang Bai thought about it carefully and realized that it wasn't impossible to do it that way.

Although the initial purpose was to collect the body, the guest is the most important person, and he doesn't necessarily have to collect the body if the guest doesn't want to.

“Okay, but all of these need to be specified in the contract.”

"can."

After confirming that there were no problems, Jiang Bai began to draft the contract. The contract was made in triplicate. After both parties confirmed that there were no problems, they signed their names and pressed their fingerprints, and the contract was officially established.

Jiang Bai took out another blank contract document and began to draft a sales contract.

The price of the Four Directions Ritual Ritual is not cheap; the labor cost alone was ten million Mora, not even including the cost of various precious materials.

Including the Four True Souls gifted by the immortals, its value is at least 50 million Mora.

If the compass of the four directions costs 30 million, then each of the 100 pointers would cost 200,000. This is just the cost price. If we include the value that comes from reuse, the price of one pointer would be at least 1 million.

"How about two million for this pointer?"

Jiang Bai doubled the estimated value, after all, there has to be room for negotiation.

"I'll add another three million Mora as compensation for your personal danger. After all, the place that could kill me must be extremely dangerous, and your going there itself represents danger. Of course, if I don't die, you can simply accept the money..."

Although the business is normal and Jiang Bai is a reliable person, if you're going to do something dangerous, you have to pay him the appropriate compensation. Otherwise, why would you expect him to do his best for you for that little money?

In this respect, Diluc is quite willing to spend money, and even feels that three million is far from enough.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Seeing how generous the boss was, Jiang Bai's smile stretched to his lips.

Jiang Bai quoted the normal price for the business, and did not raise the price specifically because Diluc was rich. He took the three million Mora without feeling guilty.

"You're welcome, it's all worth it." Diluc smiled slightly.

He doesn't value money; to him, money is just a number. Using these numbers to achieve certain goals is a win-win situation.

After the price was agreed upon, someone soon carried in a bag of Mora.

Jiang Bai beamed with joy as he looked at the golden Mora.

Just as he predicted, that deal was a huge success!

After counting the Mora and signing the contract, Jiang Bai handed him the long slip of paper, saying, "Just drip your blood on it, and your name will slowly appear on it."

Diluc took off his gloves, revealing calluses and even scars on his hands, all from years of sword practice.

He took out a dagger and made a small cut on his fingertip. He controlled it perfectly, and just enough blood dripped from the cut, with no more blood seeping out.

Blood slowly seeped into it, and his full name appeared on the pointer.

Diluc Legenfender.

Jiang Bai placed the pointer into the Four Directions Instrument and activated the spell to test it on Diluc. After confirming that the instrument could locate him, Diluc showed a satisfied smile.

Chapter 401 Do you understand the Emperor better than I do!

After the contract was signed, Jiang Bai didn't linger and took his leave after lunch.

This trip was very fruitful, and the risk was negligible.

After all, their business is insurance-based, meaning they don't need to be involved unless the client dies.

Even though the adventurer's mortality rate is quite high, on average he only goes out three or four times a year.

Maybe when Diluc is old and frail, this job won't even be necessary.

Hu Tao was in a great mood after learning about the success of this business deal, and decided to splurge and take him to a famous pleasure boat in Liyue for dinner!

Speaking of pleasure boats, one must mention the Pearl Ferry.

This is the largest pleasure boat in Liyue. It is magnificent, brightly lit, and decorated in a lavish yet elegant style, exuding an aura of wealth that only the upper class can afford.

The performers on stage were all renowned actors who were extremely difficult to hire, even at great expense.

Jiang Bai followed Hu Tao aboard the pearl-shaped boat at sunset.

"I've made a fortune, so I'll show you the world."

"Is this place special?" Jiang Bai looked around and, apart from the luxurious decor, there didn't seem to be anything special about it.

"The people sitting here are all from Liyue's elite. Eating is not the main thing; drinking tea, listening to opera, and chatting are the real pleasures of Pearl Ferry."

Hu Tao led Jiang Bai up to the second-floor deck and found a seat with a great view.

Jiang Bai glanced at the menu in Hu Tao's hand and was shocked by the prices.

Just one pot of tea costs 7,788 Mora! Is this tea? It's Mora!

"Master, let's go..."

Although he wasn't the one paying, Jiang Bai really didn't want to be the sucker.

With this Mora, what else could he not drink?

"Why would I leave? It's not like I can't afford it." Hu Tao had no intention of leaving at all.

It's a rare treat to indulge in luxury, so naturally I should enjoy it to the fullest.

Well, what can Jiang Bai do?

He looked at the stage below with a bored expression. Behind the screen on the stage, various musicians were playing instruments and singing, while in front of the screen was a dancer with flowing sleeves and a graceful figure.

Many people on the ship were watching her dance and were deeply attracted by her movements.

As Jiang Bai looked around, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

He looked closely and exclaimed, "Wow, isn't that my Master Zhongli?!"

He quickly tugged at Hu Tao, "Master, don't rush to order. Old Master Zhong is over there, let's go and freeload!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Tao looked down in the direction he was pointing and, sure enough, their guest was having dinner with someone else.

"Let's go, let's go!" Hu Tao closed the beautifully made menu and went downstairs in a few steps, coming up behind Zhong Li.

Zhongli was discussing matters concerning the Rock King Emperor with several scholars who were researching him.

"Sir, you underestimate the power of the Rock King. As a professional archaeologist, I would like to correct some of your views."

Hearing this, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao became interested and stood behind them, listening intently to hear what they had to say.

"As we all know, the world's first Mora was cast by the Rock King himself thousands of years ago. Based on my research and a bit of speculation, I believe that this historically significant Mora was secretly passed down as a token."

"But didn't this Mora appear at the Flying Cloud Merchant Guild last time and get bought for an exorbitant price?"

"No, no, no! According to my research, that definitely wasn't the first Mora. The first Mora was probably carefully kept by the Seven Stars as part of some unknown ritual during their succession..."

"No, no! This [First Mora] is not so simple; it must contain some kind of mysterious power. My next historical work will boldly demonstrate the latest results of my decade-long dedicated research! That is—Lord Rock used this Mora as a catalyst to enhance both his sword and his blade!"

Several scholars each offered their own opinions, but Zhongli remained silent throughout.

But when the scholar started talking, everyone at the table was immediately drawn to his words.

"A knife and a sword?"

The scholar, beaming with pride, unfurled his fan. "Now I will only reveal a small part: obtaining the sword will make you the Supreme Ruler of Liyue, and drawing the sword will crown you the King of Liyue!"

Honestly, if Jiang Bai hadn't known Zhongli's identity, he might have actually believed those words.

However, the Rock King Emperor they were talking about was standing right in front of them, which made Jiang Bai really want to see what expression Zhong Li had on his face.

It's not that he disrespects his teacher; he just wants to see it!

So he walked up to Zhongli and met her eyes.

Jiang Bai revealed his neat white teeth, his smile utterly innocent.

Zhongli: Don't think I didn't notice you were here a long time ago.

He dismissed the views of these scholars by assuming that Jiang Bai and Hu Tao did not exist.

"I disagree. Putting aside the authenticity of the swords and weapons, the so-called Mora and money were originally just a bargaining chip to facilitate the signing of contracts."

"The Emperor's true intention was to guide humanity to use Mora for trade. Presumably, this first Mora was simply spent by the Emperor as currency..."

The history was confirmed by the Emperor, but unfortunately, no one believed it.

"I think Mr. Hanxue's hypothesis makes a lot of sense. But this gentleman, without any evidence, just looks down on Prince Yan's profound plans?"

Faced with the questioning, Zhongli said very seriously, "No, my statement is not a praise or criticism, but simply a statement of fact."

Han Xue, who had just made his conjecture about the sword and the blade, waved his fan and looked disdainful.

"Come on! Do you understand Prince Yan better than I do!"

Zhong Li: "......"

If Jiang Bai weren't afraid of getting beaten up, he really wanted to interview Zhong Li to see how he felt after hearing this, and whether he had the urge to reveal his true form and show them off.

"You're wrong about that! When it comes to understanding Lord Geo, my guest master is second to none in Liyue Harbor!"

Before Zhongli could even begin to refute, Hu Tao couldn't hold back any longer.

How could anyone talk about their guest retainer like that? We have to get our revenge today!

She stood behind Zhongli, one hand on his shoulder, the support buff from the Hall Master of the Hall of Rebirth was invisibly stacked.