Seeing Shitou flatter Zhongli in the video, someone-or rather, an adeptus-immediately activated a skill unique to the people of Liyue: being a Rex Lapis fangirl, regardless of whether this was simply a merchant's usual way of sweet-talking customers.
[Xianyun: Hmph, at least this unscrupulous merchant has a good eye.]
[A Ping: Oh, Cloud Retainer... (helpless).]
[Ganyu: Um, what Cloud Retainer means is... hmm, how should I put this?]
[Yanfei: If you can't think of how to put it, don't bother. I understand. My mom and dad give me the same sort of headache.]
[Xianyun: Hmm? Are you talking about this adeptus?]
"Wait! Hold on, boss! What he just said doesn't count. Let us discuss this again!"
On-screen, Paimon hurriedly stopped Shitou from sealing this rare, big deal on the spot and packing up all the Noctilucous Jade he had brought out. If they really let Shitou pack it all up, never mind having to ask Childe for more money right away-even the funds Childe had already advanced them might not cover the bill.
After stopping Shitou, Paimon looked at Zhongli and said haughtily,
"Hey! If the ritual only needs one kind, wouldn't buying all of them waste three times the Mora?!"
[Lumine: Silly little Paimon, it's twice as much wasted.]
[Paimon: Huh? Hmm?]
[Collei: Isn't it three times?]
[Tighnari: Ahem.]
[Faruzan: As I thought, Collei should become my student instead!]
[Arataki Itto: Huh? Isn't it three-]
[Kuki Shinobu: All right, boss. We've had more than enough of people being bad at math. You don't need to join in.]
[Furina: Hahahaha! You're all such a riot! Why don't you come to Fontaine and form a theater troupe?!]
[Navia: Furina, you really do act on every whim.]
[Neuvillette: As long as it does not interfere with trials, matters like this... well, I am used to them.]
"Mora... hmm..."
Faced with Paimon's questioning, Zhongli seemed rather puzzled, as though he were saying, "Isn't Mora something you can have as much of as you want?"
Only after running through a mental check did Zhongli realize.
Oh, ordinarily, most people need to consider how much Mora they spend.
"Indeed. I did not consider that aspect just now. That was an oversight on my part."
Paimon's large eyes were filled with confusion. "Huh? How can you buy things without thinking about Mora?!"
The Traveler took on absolutely any commission to cover her monthly living expenses of 300,000 Mora.
Now here was someone who actually had so little concern for money. It really challenged Paimon's worldview.
Seeing this, most viewers shared Paimon's thoughts.
Only a handful wore subtle smiles.
If Mr. Zhongli really was that person, then he truly would not consider Mora when shopping.
After all, to that person, Mora was like air to humans: everywhere, perfectly commonplace.
In the video, Zhongli responded to Paimon's question quite seriously.
"If one must consider Mora before everything else, that is equivalent to letting Mora tie one's hands and feet in all things."
[Paimon: ?]
Paimon: ?
Both on-screen and off, question marks appeared over the two Paimons' heads in perfect sync.
"Mora is naturally currency, but currency is not naturally Mora."
This grand, Zhongli-style reasoning left Paimon even more confused.
[Paimon: ???]
Paimon: ???
[Ningguang: I see. An insightful observation, Mr. Zhongli.]
[Keqing: A truly memorable lesson.]
[Dori: Though I still think Mora, Mora, and more Mora are what matter most!]
[Navia: That may be true, but in reality, even a single Mora can stump a hero in plenty of situations.]
[Pantalone: No, no, no. Mr. Zhongli is teaching us how the economy functions from a higher perspective.]
[Venti: Um, have you considered that he might only have come to that conclusion because Mora has simply never troubled him?]
[Barbara: Never troubled by Mora?]
[Paimon: Wow, is there really anyone in the world with so little concept of money?]
There was not.
But there was a god like that.
Zhongli glanced at the drunken bard's comment in the discussion section and shook his head helplessly.
That drunken bard was one of the few people who left him as helpless as Hu Tao did.
Thanks to his comment, even Hu Tao was now giving him strange looks.
On-screen, Aether chose "He's talking about economics," resolving Paimon's confusion.
"So this is the world of the rich..."
Though Paimon still did not quite understand, she could only take it as the worldview of rich people, something she had never truly encountered.
But with their limited funds, they could not let Zhongli act according to his money-is-no-object worldview now.
"So you understand macroeconomics, but not how to save a little [small change]!"
Zhongli smiled. This little one had summed it up quite accurately.
But.
Paimon...
As he watched little Paimon floating in the video, that peculiar crown and that cape glittering with starlight-an appearance that was essentially undisguised-Zhongli's expression became unreadable.
There is not even any intention of hiding it.
"Do not waver. Even with Mora tying my hands and feet, I still have ways to resolve the problem despite those constraints."
Zhongli began showing off knowledge that few people in Liyue Harbor possessed.
"Judging the quality of [Noctilucous Jade] is indeed difficult. Whether a piece of raw ore is good or bad, its texture, color, and internal grain will not differ greatly."
"Only after the Noctilucous Jade has been fashioned into an object will you discover that some finished pieces are utterly unpresentable."
"If you then go back to argue with those unscrupulous merchants, they will fob you off with excuses such as [your crafting bench is no good] or [the heat was wrong]..."
[Paimon: Whoa, that was close. There's way too much to this. Ordinary people really shouldn't gamble on stones.]
[Lumine: Paimon (side-eye), you're still thinking about gambling on stones?]
[Paimon: No, no! Hmm, fine, I admit it. I was going to try it once with my secret stash.]
[Paimon: Just think about it! If we got really lucky and found a top-quality piece of jade, wouldn't that cover all our expenses for the rest of our journey?!]
[Lumine: Uh, Paimon, the people who end up throwing away their entire savings usually start out thinking exactly that.]
[Paimon: All right, I won't think that way anymore.]
[Ningguang: Haha, when the Traveler and Paimon arrive in Liyue, I would like to invite you both to the Jade Chamber as my guests. If little Paimon sees anything she likes, she may choose it for herself.]
[Paimon: Wow, this person is so generous!]
[Lumine: Paimon?!]
[Keqing: Hehe, in Liyue, greeting gifts are a perfectly normal part of social exchanges. There's no need to worry, Traveler.]