Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

The next moment, His body shrank and landed on the altar.

"Wow!" Jiang Bai, a member of the onlookers, exclaimed in surprise.

"Is this the true form of the Rock King Emperor? It's completely different from the statue!"

“In the legends of Liyue, the Emperor has many forms, but in every summoning ceremony, he only appears in his true form as a dragon.” Ningguang turned the pipe in her hand, her expression equally reverent.

This is the Geo Archon, the god who has protected Liyue for 3,700 years.

"This isn't the first time I've seen the Emperor appear, but every time I see him, it fills me with excitement and exhilaration." Hu Tao clenched her fist, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

It was worth standing here for several hours to see the Emperor; this small price was well paid!

"Yes! We are so fortunate to have such a guardian deity in Liyue." Beidou also felt the same way.

"I wonder what decrees His Majesty will issue this year. I hope they won't be related to seafood."

"The dignified captain of the Big Dipper would actually worry about these things?" Ningguang's tone was sarcastic.

Chapter 167 Questioning the Gods [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"I have to manage the food, clothing, and daily necessities of so many people on my ship, and you, a Seven Star, are watching me every day. Of course I'm worried."

“If you don’t exploit loopholes in the rules, I naturally won’t keep an eye on you every day.”

Ningguang and Beidou exchanged words, seemingly at odds, but the atmosphere was quite peaceful.

Jiang Bai discovered that although the two people seemed to be enemies, they actually had a pretty good relationship. There was a feeling that they recognized each other but also regarded each other as rivals.

Seeing that Jiang Bai didn't quite understand what they were talking about, Hu Tao kindly explained:

"Every year, the Emperor would issue divine decrees, such as which products would be subject to increased taxes and which products would be subject to reduced taxes."

"However, the divine pronouncements only provide general directions and cover many aspects. The specifics of how to proceed will require the Seven Stars to formulate the details and plans."

"Policy changes will certainly alter the development of various industries to some extent and will cause some market fluctuations, but all within a controllable range..."

Policies, taxes, and people's livelihoods are too far removed from Jiang Bai's life, and he doesn't pay much attention to them.

He nodded after hearing Hu Tao's explanation.

The ritual of inviting immortals continued, with the Rock King Emperor, who was almost as tall as two people, floating above the incense burner, his majestic voice constantly emanating from his mouth.

Those were divine pronouncements.

The recorders nearby were already prepared and wrote down these oracles one by one.

The Rock King Emperor issued seventeen divine pronouncements this year, covering a wide range of topics.

It provided general directions in all aspects, including economy, trade, diplomacy, people's livelihood, and military.

The people who came to Yujingtai listened very carefully.

Most of them were merchants who had come to get firsthand information, hoping to seize the opportunity of this policy change and make a fortune. Therefore, they were unwilling to miss any details of the oracle.

As for Jiang Bai and Hu Tao, they were much more casual.

No matter how the policy changes, the funerals of the deceased must still be held, and the policy changes have no impact on them.

Of course, if taxes are increased in this area, then it will have an impact.

The ritual of inviting immortals drew to a close amidst the hurried writings of people.

There is actually one more step at the end of the ritual to invite the immortals, but it is not at the Jade Capital Terrace, but at the Moon Sea Pavilion where the Seven Stars work.

The Rock King Emperor will stay at the Moon Sea Pavilion for a while to review the year's affairs and assess the results.

If there are any questions about this year's policies, Qixing will also consult with them. If there are major issues that cannot be decided, they can also ask the Emperor for advice.

However, the specific details are unknown to outsiders.

As the final bell tolled, the Rock King transformed into human form and, surrounded by the Thousand Rock Army and led by Keqing, walked towards the Moon Sea Pavilion.

After the Emperor left, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Jiang Bai placed a rock pillar under his feet to lift himself into the air, wanting to see what the humanoid Rock King Emperor looked like.

Even though he had the advantage of height, all that could be seen was a white hood and a cloak that covered his entire body, while the Rock King Emperor's entire body was hidden in the hood and cloak.

"This really does look like the image of the Seven Gods..."

The Rock King Emperor in the Seven Gods statue also wears a hood, but the clothing on the statue is simple and there is no cloak.

Ningguang had already walked towards Yuehai Pavilion, and Beidou had also left. Hutao reached out and tapped the rock pillar, then looked up at Jiang Bai above.

"Let's go, let's go have lunch! After lunch, I'll take you to meet my poet friend, Xingqiu!"

She has finished writing the outline for "Snow Country Chronicles" in the last two days; all that remains is to work on the details and specific descriptions.

She's not very good at these things; she'll have to ask the great writer Xing Qiu for help.

However, she has been busy thinking about the outline these past two days and has not had time to look at the books written by Xingqiu, so she does not know what Xingqiu's books are about.

"coming!"

The stone pillar dissipated, and Jiang Bai spun halfway around, striking a cool landing pose, which earned him a glare from Hu Tao.

"Master, let's go, let's go! I'm starving..."

"You're so energetic, I don't see how you look like you're starving to death."

Jiang Bai immediately became half-dead, "Master... I, I'm going to... starve to death..."

The two laughed and joked as they walked down towards Liyue Harbor.

……

Moon Sea Pavilion.

In the small conference room, the Rock King Emperor sat at the head of the table, with the Seven Stars and several important staff members of the Moon Sea Pavilion below him.

As the secretary of the Seven Stars and also the agent of the Rock King Emperor, the half-immortal Gan Yu stood beside the Rock King Emperor, holding paper and pen, ready to take notes at any time.

Morax flipped through the thick stack of documents on the table. Under his hood was a handsome face, somewhat similar to Zhongli's, but not the same.

He flipped through the documents without any expression on his face.

The seven people around sat quietly on the stools, not saying a word, but doing their own things.

Morax needed time to review the documents, and that time was just enough for them to digest today's oracle.

Not every year brings any major events; the documents mostly record tedious and complex daily administrative affairs.

He actually knew all these things, but He still carefully read through them.

It involves comparing one's own knowledge with the records of the Seven Stars, and also judging the personality and approach of each of the Seven Stars based on their actions.

After completing his routine work, Morax was about to leave when Keqing called him back.

"Your Majesty, I have something I would like to ask."

With a serious expression, she stared into the eyes of the deity in a bold and direct manner, almost rudely, and expressed her long-held doubts about the deity.

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

Seeing her so bold, Morax gave a meaningful smile.

This wasn't the first time he'd heard these words. He'd heard them once before when he was at Yujingtai in his capacity as Zhongli, but the feeling he had then was completely different from hearing them now.

That time, it was simply a human being's confusion and anxiety about the future.

Those words reflected her thoughts, but they didn't represent anything in themselves.

But this time, it was said in front of the gods.

In an almost rude manner.

These are two completely different meanings, indicating that she is ready.

She is ready to make life better for the people of Liyue even without the need for gods.

Others might think He would be angry to hear such rebellious words, but on the contrary, He greatly admires the person who can say such things.

Only with such ambition to replace the gods as masters can the people of Liyue truly be led to forge their own path.

Then give it a try!

Chapter 168 Inazuma's Seclusion Edict

"No one can exist forever, and gods are no exception."

Leaving behind these profound words, Morax disappeared from Liyue Harbor.

After the Rock King Emperor left, the meeting room fell silent.

Ke Qing was lost in thought, pondering the words left by the Rock King Emperor, while the other seven stars also had different expressions.

What exactly did the Rock King Emperor mean by those words?

They naturally knew that gods do not exist forever; for example, the Great Tree King of Mount Sumeru disappeared five hundred years ago.

Liyue has existed for 3,700 years, but the Emperor's birth predates Liyue by a great deal. Having lived such a long life, it is highly possible that he suddenly passed away.

Does the Emperor mean for them to prepare early?

But can Liyue really lose the Emperor?

.....

Unaware of what had happened at Yuehai Pavilion, Jiang Bai and Hu Tao, having enjoyed a hearty meal, walked out of the restaurant.

For the people of Liyue Harbor, ensuring that the whole family is well-fed and not hungry is far more important than the ritual of summoning immortals.

The two walked towards the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce while digesting their food, overhearing many people chatting along the way.

Jiang Bai listened intently and realized that they weren't talking about the ritual of summoning immortals, but rather about the country of Inazuma, which was far away across the sea.

Jiang Bai's curiosity was piqued, and he slowed down and pricked up his ears.

"What kind of mess is this?!" A businessman-looking man exclaimed, his face full of annoyance.

"What's wrong, Lao Sun?" someone asked curiously.

"I received an order six months ago from a merchant in Inazuma. I paid the deposit six months ago, and last month I finally got the goods ready and managed to ship them to Inazuma. But they were stopped at the outlying island!"

"They stopped them? Why?"

"They say General Raiden issued a nationwide lockdown order, prohibiting foreigners from entering and Inazuma people from leaving! I spent so much time preparing the goods, and then spent almost half a month transporting them to Inazuma..."

"This is six months of hard work! I don't know how much money I've invested in this batch of goods. I was just waiting to deliver the goods and collect the final payment! But then they told me I couldn't enter the country and that I had to turn back!"

"When I heard that, my head went black, and I almost died of anger!"

The businessman clutched his chest in anguish as he spoke, nearly fainting at the thought of the enormous losses.

The people around him patted him on the back to calm him down, and it took a while for his emotions to stabilize.

"I drifted at sea for more than half a month, but I was sent back before I could even reach the shore. The magistrate there said that the Thunder General would soon set up a thunderstorm zone outside the Inazuma Sea, prohibiting ships from coming and going. He said that if I didn't go back now, I would never go back!"

Half a month! It takes at least half a month to sail from Liyue to Inazuma! And that's assuming the seas are calm. If the weather is bad or the sailing conditions are unfavorable, it will take twice as long!

Putting aside the value of this shipment, the shipping costs alone are astronomical!

Because of this inexplicable decree, he was almost bankrupt!

He patted his chest to calm himself and took deep breaths to avoid dying of anger.

"Oh, this..."

Those around them looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Encountering something like this is truly the worst luck imaginable.

"Wasn't Inazuma perfectly fine before? Why the sudden decision to close the country off?"

"Who knows!"

"Oh no, my brother-in-law is still in Daoqi, I have to hurry back and tell my wife!" Someone dashed off.

"Sigh, all I can do now is borrow money from the Northern Bank to get through this period and sell the goods..." The merchant said, pinching his brow in exasperation, his face gloomy.

This incident made him look at least ten years older.

Jiang Bai nudged Hu Tao, who had also slowed down to listen to the gossip, and asked, "Master, one of our clients also went to Inazuma, right?"