"If it were just simple teleportation, it wouldn't be impossible in Teyvat. But what we're going to make next needs to be something universally accessible."
Bai Ye remembered clearly that, in the story, aside from Aether and Lumine, the Abyss Order had used teleportation, and the Fatui had as well. The Abyss Order was simply too mysterious,
and before the Fatui teleported during Osial's appearance, they had first traveled to Liyue by ship. That showed that, at the very least, large-scale teleportation had distance limitations.
Those things were certainly useful, but they had nothing whatsoever to do with ordinary people.
What Bai Ye wanted to do
was create machines that everyone could use.
Fontaine had made some attempts in this area and created some machinery. Bai Ye had seen them too—things like cameras and steam-powered devices. Their technological level, without elemental power, was roughly between the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, but most were geared toward entertainment and daily life, with little focus on developing productivity.
Fontaine's people simply would not think of inventing vehicles capable of long-distance transport like this.
"So, we'll have to accomplish this ourselves. Using one person's will to change all of Liyue, even the entire Seven Nations... that really is exciting."
Bai Ye was brimming with motivation.
He began picking up paper and pen to draft designs for the vehicle.
"Change the Seven Nations?"
Hearing Bai Ye say that, Hagintos was somewhat shocked.
"Is that what we're doing?"
She had only wanted Bai Ye to create some Art of Automata of his own. On one hand, it would make life more convenient for the people of Liyue; on the other, it would allow Bai Ye's Art of Automata to rise to a higher level.
How had it suddenly become about changing the Seven Nations?
"Of course. Sometimes, a single invention is enough to change an entire nation. Besides, I'm not planning to make just one invention."
Bai Ye answered with certainty.
The moment an idea took root, the world suddenly seemed vast.
After his teacher's reminder, Bai Ye felt his thoughts surge like a tidal wave.
Countless ideas flooded into his mind.
"Aren't you just planning to invent a machine to make transporting goods easier? What could that possibly change?"
Hagintos still did not quite understand.
"Teacher, if I can make these machines cheap enough that every merchant can afford to use them, do you think they'll adopt them?"
Hagintos thought for a moment, then gave Bai Ye an affirmative answer. "They certainly will. After all, Liyue Harbor relies solely on sea transport, and that has many shortcomings. Shipping goods by sea still depends on ports. If the destination is inland, it becomes extremely troublesome."
"Exactly. And I plan to make the vehicles faster, so they'll be quicker than sea transport. If I succeed, plenty of people will definitely switch to land transportation. Then Liyue's existing official roads will no longer be enough and will certainly need expansion. At the same time, with more people traveling overland, rest stops will have to be established along the routes. At that point, whether willingly or not, merchants will have to begin developing the north."
Actually, when Bai Ye had traveled from the place where he first met Hagintos to Liyue Harbor, the thing he found most objectionable was how much undeveloped land Liyue still had.
Liyue had so much wilderness, yet they were not farming it?
Not farming it!!!!!!
Bai Ye had spent time in the countryside as a child. Though he was not particularly skilled, he could still tell by feeling the soil that Liyue's land could grow vegetables.
Watching it back then, he had almost wanted to cry.
Liyue did not even suffer much harassment from monsters now. A few scattered Hilichurls and Slimes—did that even count as a problem?
If people from his homeland in his previous life had known about this, forget Hilichurls—even Hilichurl Kings would have been sent to plow the fields.
Bai Ye felt that the reason was that Liyue relied too heavily on trade for development.
There were only a few populated areas.
Liyue Harbor sat by the port and handled maritime trade; Qingying Village also traded with Fontaine, while Qingce Village was more of a place for retirement.
So many places could not be left undeveloped.
Bai Ye intended to use the transport vehicles he developed to gradually influence Liyue's merchants into developing Liyue's wastelands.
Of course, vehicles alone would not be enough. If he had the chance in the future, what Bai Ye truly wanted to do was lay railways and build trains.
Not only to connect every part of Liyue, but also to trade more effectively with every nation.
Continuously develop productivity.
As long as he did not touch Forbidden Knowledge, Bai Ye believed he would not draw the destruction of the Heavenly Principles.
It was not Honkai, after all.
After Bai Ye finished speaking, Hagintos immediately expressed her agreement.
"So that's how it is. Before this, I always thought the Art of Automata could only make life a little more convenient. I never imagined it could change so much."
"Yeah. When the time comes, as the founder, I'll definitely earn a huge amount of money. Teacher, we'll be rich."
By the end, Bai Ye was eagerly looking forward to a wealthy life.
He would definitely have to live in the Jade Chamber, get himself a cat-eared maid, have a personal little chef to prepare all three meals, and then there would be massages, opera singers, dancers, ones from Mondstadt, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine...
After fantasizing about his wonderful future for a while, Bai Ye turned and picked up the blank paper in front of him.
For now, it was all just wishful thinking.
First, he had to make the first step a reality.
Mm, he would set a recent goal first.
Deliver those goods on time and thoroughly slap that little crooked merchant in the face.
Bai Ye immersed himself in the design process.
Once he started designing, several days passed.
During that time, Liyue Harbor continued operating as usual.
The Feiyun Commerce Guild seemed unwilling to give up. They were considering whether it was feasible to risk transporting the goods to Port Ormos in order to fulfill the contract.
Xingqiu, on the other hand, had nothing to do, so he could only wander around Liyue Harbor.
One day, just as he passed Wanmin Restaurant, someone called out to him.
"Have you seen Bai Ye these past few days?"
Xiangling spoke to Xingqiu.
"Huh? Bai Ye?"
Xingqiu was stunned.
"No, I haven't. Did he go take on a bounty? Haven't you seen him these past few days either?"
"Yeah. He hasn't come to Wanmin Restaurant to eat for several days now. Do you think something happened to him?"
Xiangling nodded seriously.
Hearing Xiangling say that, Xingqiu also felt that the matter was serious.
"No, we should go check on him first."
He hurriedly said this.
Xiangling nodded.
The two quickly ran toward the house Bai Ye had rented.
"Bai Ye, please don't let anything happen to you!"
Xiangling muttered worriedly as she ran.
Before long, they reached the place Bai Ye had rented.
Before they even went inside,
they heard slightly crazed laughter coming from within.
"It's done, it's done, I finally did it!"
Through the window,
Xingqiu and Xiangling saw a disheveled young man.
Xingqiu and Xiangling looked at each other.
"Did he... get possessed?"
Xingqiu asked Xiangling.
"Mm..."
Xiangling hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"How about this, Xiangling? I have a good friend from an Onmyoji family. I'll go ask him and bring him over to take a look."
"Mm-hm, hurry and invite him over."
Xiangling nodded earnestly.
Then she thought about it and felt that she could not avoid finding someone as well.
"We should call Hu Tao over too. She deals with ghosts often, so maybe she can scare the ghost away?"
Before you continue