Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"I've read in some books that the Emperor's favorite stone is night-blooming jasmine, while others say he loves amber, and still others say he loves old stones... There are all sorts of things, it's really a headache."

Zhongli's gaze swept across the table, and he picked up a night-blooming stone.

"If we're talking about a favorite, the Rock King still loves Night-blooming Stone the most. He once said, 'Night-blooming Stone shines brighter than the stars.' However, these Night-blooming Stones are not of good enough quality, so we'll probably have to choose again."

"Besides the Night-Mooring Stone, objects made of amber are also indispensable in the ritual of inviting immortals."

The ritual of inviting the immortals, simply put, is a ceremony to invite the rock god to descend to earth, and the offerings must naturally satisfy the rock god.

"The Rock King Emperor really likes wine vessels carved from amber..."

Jiang Bai was impressed by Zhong Li's eloquent speech. He discovered that Zhong Li was quite knowledgeable about the Rock God, knowing things that outsiders would find difficult to understand, and even knowing which poems the Rock God had recited.

Could it be that he knew the Rock God? But they later had a falling out and went their separate ways?

But it doesn't really look like it...

Jiang Bai's thoughts drifted off without him realizing it...

Chapter 97 Jade Balance Star Carving Clear Light

Huixin took notes of Zhongli's words in a small notebook, and then took out a large pile of perfume balms.

"What about the perfume? I've prepared several kinds, but I don't know which scent His Majesty will prefer..."

These perfume balms are all quite small; they are samples, and the finished products have not yet been made.

Looking at the row of scented balms laid out in front of him, various fragrances filling his nostrils, Zhongli thought for a moment and said:

"I don't know either. Perhaps putting these in front of the statue and letting the statue choose is a good idea..."

"So this method works too!" Huixin exclaimed, realizing she had learned another trick.

As the group was chatting, a girl with her hair styled in cat ears and a long sword hanging from her waist walked over.

"wisdom!"

"Miss Keqing!" Huixin exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the person who had arrived.

"I didn't see you at the Moon Sea Pavilion, so I guessed you were here." Ke Qing walked closer and stopped.

She wore a light white blouse embroidered with silver patterns, the sleeves of which were wider than usual, fluttering in the wind. The waist was cinched, and the skirt, layered to cover her thighs, encased her slender legs in black stockings.

She had large, round almond-shaped eyes, a high nose, a rosy face, and fair skin.

She looks like a rich young lady from some wealthy family.

However, she stood upright and had an air of authority when she looked at people, so even though she didn't look very old, no one dared to underestimate her.

She looked at Zhongli and Jiang Bai beside Huixin.

Who are these two?

"These are Mr. Zhongli and Mr. Jiangbai from the Hall of Rebirth," Huixin introduced.

After introducing Zhongli and Jiang Bai to Ke Qing, she then introduced Ke Qing to the two of them.

"This is Keqing, one of the seven stars of Liyue. She is also presiding over today's invocation ceremony."

Yuheng and Tianquan are among the few members of the current Liyue Seven Stars who like to show their faces in public, so the public image of the Liyue Seven Stars is mainly based on these two.

"Are you Ke Qing from Yuheng Star? You look about the same age as our Hall Master. You're truly a young man of great talent!" Jiang Bai exclaimed, offering a compliment.

As the people who govern Liyue under the Geo Archon, it's hard to imagine that Keqing, one of the Seven Stars, is so young.

He assumed that people who wield power are usually older, the kind who are quite old.

The age of this Jade Balance Star was truly beyond his expectations.

"I have long admired your name."

Zhongli is much simpler.

His tone was flat, showing no change despite the fact that the other party was a Seven Star.

Hello.

Ke Qing nodded slightly. Although she was one of the Seven Stars, she was not difficult to get along with and did not act arrogantly towards the two of them because they were ordinary people.

But she didn't really respond to Jiang Bai's praise either.

"Miss Keqing, what brings you here?" Huixin asked, puzzled.

It must be no small matter that I need to come out and find her in person.

Ke Qing didn't hide anything and directly stated her request, "The annual rituals for inviting immortals have been too unchanging. I'm sure the Emperor is tired of seeing these things. I want to come up with something new."

"Something new?" This sudden request caught Huixin completely off guard.

“Yes.” Ke Qing walked around the table, looking at the various ores displayed on it, and said slowly:

“In previous years, it was all these minerals and glass lilies. They were only pretty and had no other use. They also didn’t help the Emperor understand the current state of Liyue Harbor.”

"The Emperor descends only once a year, so this descent must be made clear to him what happened that year. Otherwise, how will he know that his decrees are correct?"

Although the girl was young, she already had a strong presence, and her words carried weight.

"We've never done this before. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to so readily present government affairs to the Emperor..."

Moreover, there are a great many government affairs to attend to in a year, and even this eight-sided table probably wouldn't be enough to accommodate them all.

Huixin was in a real dilemma, torn between Keqing's wishes and traditional customs. She was truly caught between two difficult choices.

"Does never mean it's right?" Keqing's will was quite firm, and she was not afraid to express her thoughts to outsiders.

"Liyue Harbor is like a magnificent castle on the beach right now. It is not humans who decide whether the tide rises or falls."

She looked down at the prosperous Liyue Harbor, her eyes filled with a multitude of emotions, including anxieties about the future.

People are used to living under the protection of gods and never think about the future of humanity.

But what if one day the gods disappear?

By then, will the people, spoiled and pampered by the gods, be able to rebuild Liyue Harbor?

She has always been thoughtful and far-sighted, and she can see the hidden dangers of Liyue more clearly than others.

The entire Liyue region depends on the Geo Archon. If something happens to the Archon, then the entire Liyue region will be in serious trouble.

But one must eat one bite at a time, and one must also take one step at a time to oppose the Emperor.

"People make mistakes, so is the Emperor always right?" she asked loudly, not at all afraid that her words would be overheard by those with ulterior motives.

Her question not only stumped Huixin, but also Zhongli and Jiang Bai.

Do gods make mistakes?

Jiang Bai has never met him, doesn't know him, and has no idea about him.

But Zhongli knew.

Gods are not omniscient and omnipotent; there is no doubt that gods can also make mistakes.

He sighed softly, "No one is always right, not even the gods."

"In the initial ceremony for inviting the immortals, government affairs were actually displayed. However, as the number of government affairs increased and the Rock King Emperor rarely reviewed them, the government affairs gradually disappeared from the table..."

With Zhongli's help, Huixin was immediately freed from her dilemma.

"I'll sort out all the events of this year and try to finish them before the invocation ceremony begins."

Whether the Emperor sees it or not is his business; whether he lets it go or not is a matter of their attitude.

Keqing nodded, walked to the railing of the Rocky Palace, looked down at Liyue Harbor and murmured to herself.

"The Emperor has protected Liyue for a thousand years, but will he do the same for the next thousand years, ten thousand years, or a hundred thousand years?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for Zhongli to hear.

Zhong Li revealed a meaningful smile.

"Mr. Zhongli, what are you laughing at?" Jiang Bai looked at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he was laughing.

He was just a bystander the whole time, completely clueless.

He sensed that Ke Qing, the Jade Balance Star, had a lot of opinions about that Rock King Emperor. Could it be that Zhong Li thought he had found an ally, which was why he was smiling so meaningfully?

If you're going to rebel, then rebel yourselves; just don't drag him and the hall master into it...

"It's nothing, I just thought of something happy." Zhongli chuckled and turned to leave.

It's truly a joy to have someone like this in Liyue Harbor.

Only the existence of such people would make him seriously consider whether or not to hand over Liyue Harbor to them.

Chapter 98 I'm Looking for Master Hu

Upon leaving Yujingtai, Jiang Bai immediately made a hasty retreat.

It's best not to go shopping with Zhongli anymore. With the meager amount in his wallet, he can't afford the expenses Zhongli might incur for a casual little trinket.

When Huixin paid the bill, he glanced at it and saw that the meal cost nearly 20,000 Mora!

Twenty thousand moras! He doesn't even have that much in his pocket right now!

He now understood why the head of the family was so stingy; with such a money-guzzling beast in the house, even the richest family couldn't withstand such squandering...

Jiang Bai left, and Zhong Li wandered around Liyue Harbor alone.

A light rain began to fall from the sky, and the raindrops drifted down with the wind, landing on his hair and the hem of his clothes.

Street vendors hurriedly set up tarpaulins, but the rain did not affect their business at all.

"I wonder what kind of decrees Prince Yan will issue for this year's Immortal Invocation Ceremony. Hopefully, they won't be related to seafood..."

"This year's harvest is good; there are more fish in the sea than in previous years..."

"What's the use of having so many fish if they're still getting cheaper and cheaper... It takes a lot of effort to scoop up a net full of fish, and the price isn't even as high as last year..."

"With more fish available, everyone's selling fish, so naturally the price goes down..."

"I'm not concerned about the fish. I just hope Lord Rock can get the Abyss of Layered Rocks back to operation. The Abyss has been closed for who knows how long; if this continues, everyone's going to go crazy from boredom..."

"I do think there might be some government policies this year regarding foreigners doing business in Liyue. Although Liyue is considered the commercial center of Teyvat, there are still too few foreigners doing business here..."

"Don't even mention how troublesome it is for foreigners to do business in Liyue. It's the same for us locals. We have to go through all sorts of permits and licenses just to sell something. Those long procedures make my head spin..."

"Aren't these things handled by the Seven Stars? Prince Yan shouldn't be involved in these matters, right?"

Zhongli walked in the rain without an umbrella, listening to the idle chatter of those around him, letting the raindrops fall on his clothes.

......

Bu Bu Lu.

Bai Zhu, who had gone into the mountains to search for Qi Qi without success, finally returned from the mountains.

Seeing that Qiqi was processing medicinal herbs in the backyard, he immediately felt relieved.

It's good that Qiqi didn't get lost.

Seeing Bai Shu approach, Qi Qi put down her work and called out, "Mr. Bai."

When did you get back?

Qiqi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Qiqi doesn't remember."

“That’s true…” Bai Shu rubbed his forehead. It was obvious that Qi Qi had asked the wrong person about this.

"Mr. Bai, your clothes are wet," Qi Qi said, looking up at him.

Mr. Baizhu is not in good health and needs to be careful not to catch a cold.

"I only got a little rain, it's nothing."

Bai Zhu was well aware of her own health condition.

"You keep going, I'll be going now."

“Okay…” Watching Bai Zhu walk away, Qi Qi continued to process the medicinal herbs.

She felt there was something she wanted to tell Mr. Bai, but she just couldn't remember what it was.

Never mind, it's probably not important if I can't remember.