Chapter 81
"As soon as I got back, something happened."
"Oh? What is it?"
Zhongli ignored the old man Li Yue mentioned who could melt Teyvat and looked at Li Yue curiously.
"Traveler from Otherworld like me wants to meet me, the new Geo Archon, but guess where I found out about this?"
"Where?"
Li Yue looked up and pointed to the Jade Chamber floating in the sky, then crossed her arms.
"From Ningguang! Don't you find that interesting?"
"From the Ningguang on Tianquan Star?"
Zhongli glanced at the Jade Chamber, then frowned.
"Tianquan Star is quite bold."
137. Zhongli, I am the true Rock King! (Bounty 1/11)
Although Li Yue was smiling, Zhongli understood the hidden meaning in Li Yue's words.
Tianquan Ningguang actually directly asked the Rock King to let him see someone. This kind of thing should not be possible now that there are Three Great Generals and Seven Arbiter-Generals on the Qixing. According to Li Yue's requirements, no matter what the matter is, military matters should be reported directly to the Three Great Generals, and matters concerning people's livelihood should be reported directly to the Seven Arbiter-Generals. Above the Three Great Generals and Seven Arbiter-Generals, there is also the Grand Governor of Liyue who has to handle it. No matter what the matter is, as long as it needs to be passed up, it must be done in this way.
In other words, any matter concerning the Qixing, when presented to Li Yue, has already been approved by the Seven Arbiter-Generals or the Three Great Generals, as well as Zhongli, the Grand Governor of Liyue.
However, Zhongli, the Grand Governor of Liyue, was unaware that the news had already been delivered to Li Yue.
Although Tianquan Star used the word "request," a request does not mean that she can directly go to Li Yue.
"This should be a test from Tianquan. After I became the Geo Archon, there were Three Great Generals, Seven Arbiter-Generals, and you, the Grand Governor, between me and the Qixing. They basically can't see me. Although they are nominally in charge of Liyue Harbor, their power has been greatly reduced compared to before."
"Indeed, because of the Three Great Generals and the Seven Arbiter-Generals, although the Qixing can still act as before, their actions are greatly restricted. If their subordinates object, they cannot force their way through many things, because their subordinates will complain to us."
Zhongli also agreed. During his time as the Grand Governor of Liyue, Zhongli had the most experience of the changes in Liyue. Before, he only went to work once a year, so he could only decide the general direction of Liyue's development from a macro perspective. He was often unable to observe the grassroots level, so much so that he was shocked to hear that the boss told the employees to take a break and even thought about retiring!
But now, he has to go to work every day, and what he comes into contact with most are the voices from the bottom. He was shocked to find that even after the boss tells the employees to rest, the employees still have to go to work the next day!
Oh no, that's not it. He was shocked to discover that there were actually many gaps between the bottom layer of Liyue and the Qixing.
Especially in the economic sector led by Ningguang often leads the wealthy merchants of Liyue to make money, but the sailors at the bottom of the boat don't get much money. Meanwhile, Ningguang and the wealthy merchants hoard a lot of Mora in their own hands. Ningguang also easily changes the rules of Liyue Harbor by controlling the economic planning of Liyue Harbor Port, which is a very bad behavior!
The most interesting thing is that there are plenty of people willing to spend hundreds of millions of Mora to invite Ningguang to dinner. Why would they do it? Isn't it because they can get the information they want from Ningguang and make a profit? If there is no profit to be made, then who would invite Ningguang to dinner?
This is essentially using one's power to openly accept bribes!
"Li Yue, what are your thoughts?"
"Of course I have the idea."
Li Yue touched her chin.
"The Traveler who wanted to see me is actually a friend I met in Mondstadt. She is indeed Traveler from Otherworld. As my friend, she was tricked by Ningguang into doing a lot of things for her in order to get Ningguang's promise to introduce her to me. I have just directly refused Ningguang."
"So what's next?"
"My friend wants to see me, why should he ask Ningguang for help? I sensed her location when I came here. I will take you to find her later. The new Rock King just rejected Ningguang, and then he met with Traveler from Otherworld in the street in front of everyone, and publicly announced that the Traveler was a friend of the Rock King. This should have greatly damaged Ningguang's prestige, right?"
Zhongli imagined the blow Ningguang would suffer after Li Yue did this. This would directly reduce Ningguang's already diminished voice, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Is it really necessary to go to this extent?"
Li Yue's expression was somber.
"Zhongli, I did all this for Mu... for Liyue!"
"But this would cause the Qixing system to lose some of its effectiveness, which would have a great impact on human society in Liyue."
"Don't worry, I've taken that into account."
Li Yue merely reduced Ningguang's power, not turned her into a useless ornament. The entire economic direction of Liyue was now in her hands. Li Yue had previously been too lazy to care about such things, but now he could not allow it to happen.
"I was only thinking of Liyue's best interests. I hope you won't regret it, Li Yue."
"Zhongli, I am the Rock King!"
That's true. Although Li Yue's previous actions gave him a headache, he wouldn't act recklessly when it came to important matters. He said he wasn't good at managing a country, so to prevent himself from making mistakes, he introduced the Three Great Generals and the Seven Arbiter-Generals. And this system has indeed made Liyue Harbor better, hasn't it? Even though Li Yue was pushed to the position of Geo King by himself, he is still very responsible for Liyue.
Li Yue's reasoning was compelling, and Zhongli expressed his agreement.
"Okay, then we'll do it your way."
"Let's go, let's set off now."
Li Yue stood up, pulled Zhongli and Nahida along, and set off together.
In Li Yue's perception, Ying's location was Wanmin Restaurant. Li Yue led Zhongli and Nahida from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which immediately attracted the attention of the passersby in Liyue Harbor.
"Lord Geo Archon has appeared!"
"And there are also General Nahida and General Zhongli!"
"Watch your words, please call him Grand Governor Zhongli!"
"I never expected that the three of you would all appear in Liyue Harbor at the same time! It's truly a rare sight! Let's follow you and see if we can have the honor of exchanging a few words with you!"
The three appeared at the same time, causing a crowd to gather. The people of Liyue Harbor gathered behind them, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far, wanting to see where the three were going.
And so, they walked from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to the Wanmin Restaurant.
"Wanmin Restaurant? Lord Geo Archon has entered Wanmin Restaurant? Does Lord Geo Archon intend to dine here?"
"You probably don't know this, but before Lord Geo Archon ascended the throne, he was a gourmet recognized by Chef Xiangling of Wanmin Restaurant, and helped Chef Xiangling develop many new dishes!"
"Are you talking about dishes like grilled frogs and deep-fried spiders?"
"That's right! I've tried it, especially the grilled frog, it's absolutely delicious!"
"Lord Geo Archon, what brings you here!"
Chef Mao was shocked to see Li Yue enter with Zhongli and Nahida at the same time, and he quickly stepped forward.
"I just happened to have some free time, so I came out to have a meal with you. Don't you welcome me, Chef Mao?"
"How could I not welcome you? Your presence here is such an honor to my humble shop!"
Chef Mao was very excited. The new Rock King liked to eat at his place, and he was overjoyed.
Is Xiangling here today?
"Yes! She's in the kitchen! I'll call her out!"
Chef Mao turned and shouted towards the kitchen.
"Xiangling, come out quickly and see who's here!"
"They're here, they're here."
Xiangling came out of the kitchen and saw Li Yue and the other two.
"Hey! It's Li Yue!"
"You have no manners! This is Lord Geo Archon!"
Chef Mao immediately reprimanded him.
"It's alright, Chef Mao, we're old friends, there's no need for you to be so polite with me."
Li Yue raised her hand in greeting, instantly elevating the status of Chef Mao's family.
"Hey? Li Yue!"
Following Xiangling out were Ying and Paimon. The two of them were also in the kitchen and came out after Xiangling. When they saw Li Yue Paimon immediately exclaimed in surprise.
"Isn't this Paimon and Ying? You're here too."
"Wow, it really is Li Yue! Ying, we've finally met Li Yue."
Ying smiled and nodded.
"Why do you say 'finally'? Is it really that hard for me to see you? We've been good friends since Mondstadt. Do you really need to use the word 'finally' to see me?"
"Well, you've become the new Rock King, haven't you? I heard from the people here that it's very difficult to see you; you have to ask permission first."
Paimon poked his index fingers together as he explained.
"Whom do you consult?"
"Uh, it's the Ningguang from the Tianquan Star."
"Why would I need to ask her for permission? We're already friends, why would I need to ask her? Ordinary people might need to ask permission to see me, since I'm very busy and can't handle everything personally. That's why I established the Three Great Generals of Liyue and the Seven Warrior Immortals under the King. They can ensure that the affairs of the people of Liyue are handled well."
"As for you, there's absolutely no need for that. And if you need to ask for instructions, you should go to Zhongli. Zhongli is the Grand Governor of Liyue and is directly responsible to me. Ningguang has to report to Zhongli first, and then to me. If there are any special circumstances that require you to see me, just ask Zhongli to convey the message to me. Because I'm not usually in Liyue Harbor, you might not be able to find me, but if I am in Liyue Harbor, Zhongli will be the first to inform me."
Li Yue patted Zhongli next to her as she spoke, and Zhongli nodded politely to Ying.
"Hello Traveler, I am Zhongli, a guest elder of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and I am also currently serving as the Grand Governor of Liyue."
Ying nodded to Zhongli in a friendly manner.
Paimon, meanwhile, spread his little hands and complained to Ying with a helpless expression.
"Does that mean all the work we did before was for nothing? We traveled so far."
"It's alright. Just remember this lesson and be more careful in the future. Don't let people boss you around everywhere you go."
Li Yue kindly offered this reminder.
"We understand, and we'll be more careful in the future. Also, if we need to contact you in Liyue Harbor, we'll go directly to you or Zhongli."
"That's right."
As Li Yue spoke, she waved to Ying and Paimon.
"Come on, I'm here to eat too. If you're here to eat as well, let's eat together. It's on me today!"
"Yay! Someone's treating us to dinner! That's fantastic!"
The little foodie Paimon immediately started rubbing his feet happily.
After Li Yue said she would treat everyone, a gentle breeze blew through the crowd, and Venti, dressed in green, appeared inside the Wanmin Restaurant.
"I heard someone's treating us to dinner? Can I come along?"
"Ah, he's a street performer!"
"Oh, it's Paimon and the Traveler. Long time no see."
"Venti, you've come at the right time! I just got back from outside. Let's eat together!"
Li Yue waved to Venti, including Venti in the conversation.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Three Great Generals of Liyue and the new Geo Archon dined with the Traveler Ying. This honor is something even the Qixing cannot achieve!
138. A letter from the Grand Sage of Sumeru
The news that the new Geo Archon Li Yue had dinner with the three Liyue Three Great Generals at Wanmin Restaurant became a trending topic in Liyue Harbor. Also trending was a comment Li Yue made to the onlookers after the meal.
"This Traveler Ying is a friend of mine, Li Yue. She is not very familiar with Teyvat. If she encounters any difficulties, please do me a favor and lend her a hand."
The Rock King personally spoke up, saying that Luminous was his friend and asking everyone to give him face, promising to help the Traveler if she encountered any difficulties.
This is outrageous!
The Traveler Ying suddenly became a hot topic in Liyue Harbor. Although she was not a Liyue native and did not hold any official position in Liyue, she had a lot of influence. She was a friend of the new Geo Archon, and the fact that the Geo Archon could make her appear was enough for the people of Liyue! What if she became friends with this Traveler and the Traveler said a few words to the Geo Archon? Wouldn't that be giving her a direct boost in front of the Geo Archon?
Liyue Harbor has no shortage of opportunistic merchants. For a time, everyone wanted to befriend Traveler, and Traveler' status in Liyue Harbor rose accordingly. However, Ying was a very smart person. She knew that these people were befriending her to save face for Li Yue. She also knew that Li Yue was saying this to make things convenient for her. Therefore, she would only contact the merchants of Liyue Harbor when she really needed help. Otherwise, she would only contact her friends, such as Xingqiu, Xiangling, and Venti.
Now, there are also Zhongli and Nahida, because Ying sought out Li Yue to inquire about the gods. However, Li Yue said, "Although I am a new god, I haven't been in Teyvat for very long. I don't know anything. Why don't you ask Zhongli? That guy knows a lot."
Then Ying was pushed to Zhongli. As for whether Zhongli would reveal his identity, that was none of Li Yue's business.
And since Venti is also getting involved, Zhongli's old trick of being a jerk is probably doomed, as is Nahida; it all depends on her own choices.
After a brief appearance to support Lumine, Li Yue left again. His status was different now, and he couldn't wander around outside anymore. His previous Past of Teyvat column had also been discontinued. Only his two martial arts novels were still being published and distributed. However, Li Yue was certainly not short of money now.
Because of Li Yue's appearance and his explicit mention of Tianquan Ningguang, Ningguang's reputation has clearly declined. After all, the Rock King publicly belittled Tianquan Star in front of everyone and directly stated that Tianquan Star had no right to meet the Rock King, which was a real blow to Ningguang.
But as the saying goes, let the Liyue Qixing suffer a little, so that the people of Liyue may benefit!
As a result, Li Yue had just returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor when she saw Ganyu.
"Lord Geo Archon, you're back."
"Hmm? Ganyu, what brings you here? Do you need to see Zhongli?"
Li Yue greeted her very politely. This former secretary of the Qixing was now the Seven Arbiter-Generals of Liyue Qixing, responsible for diplomatic oversight.