Paimon in the discussion forum had been lectured repeatedly, and Paimon in the video was not faring much better.
After hearing Zhongli recount the inside secrets of Liyue Harbor's jade trade, Paimon patted her chest, looking shaken by the close call.
"That was close! So it's this easy to get scammed buying this stuff..."
Seeing how closely Paimon's reaction on-screen matched her reaction in the discussion forum, everyone found another piece of evidence supporting the screen's credibility.
By this point, though, very, very few viewers in Teyvat still doubted what the screen showed.
"However, a genuine method of identification does exist-a true expert can still tell the difference."
"'Like a fool who sees a finger pointing at the moon, looking at the finger rather than the moon.'"
Faced with Zhongli's lofty quotation, the ignorant little Paimon obligingly expressed her confusion. "What does that mean?"
Zhongli answered Paimon's question like a very patient teacher.
"When you point at the moon, a clever person understands that you are pointing at the moon. But someone who is not clever sees only the finger before their eyes, not the moon."
[Collei: Um, what do I do? I feel like I'm the one who can only see the finger in front of me.]
[Nilou: M-me too (rubs head).]
[Arataki Itto: Huh? If you stick up a finger, aren't we supposed to look at the finger?]
[Kuki Shinobu: Boss (helpless).]
[Sigewinne: Don't worry, don't worry. Have a milkshake and take a break.]
[Wriothesley: Oh, I feel like drinking the head nurse's milkshake would give them a very thorough rest.]
[Furina: Melusine cuisine is quite famous in Fontaine-]
[Furina: Trying Merusea Village cuisine was even ranked twentieth in The Steambird's "Top One Hundred Challenges for the Brave This Year"!]
[Charlotte: Uh, honestly, even I don't want to remember that selection process.]
[Charlotte: Especially since, for the sake of journalistic integrity, we actually tried every one of those challenges...]
"The patterns, the outer shell... these are all fingers. Noctilucous jade is a wondrous stone used for illumination at night. The importance of its 'brightness' is what corresponds to the moon in the sky."
Zhongli began explaining his "essential knowledge for high society."
"High-quality noctilucous jade has a greater affinity for Pyro. In other words, the brighter and bluer the ore glows under high temperatures, the better its quality."
[Paimon: I-I feel like I've learned something that isn't much use.]
[Xingqiu: No, no, no, Paimon, that's where you're wrong. This is knowledge that can earn you a fortune at the right moment. In Liyue, someone wouldn't share knowledge like this with you so readily unless you were close.]
[Nahida: Knowledge has power, and knowledge is precious.]
[Cyno: Indeed. I've seen many people go astray in pursuit of knowledge.]
[Nilou: Oh, s-so Mr. Zhongli is this generous? In the Akasha, I'm not even qualified to access knowledge of this level.]
[Lumine: So this is the refined life of a person of taste...]
In reality, Shitou of the Jade Mystery stiffened as he watched the screen. What Zhongli had just explained could all be considered high-level insider knowledge in their trade.
Simple, easy to understand, and convenient to put into practice-knowledge like this about judging the quality of noctilucous jade was normally something their trade tacitly agreed to keep from spreading.
Now it had leaked, and on such a massive scale...
We're screwed. The noctilucous jade business is going to be tough from now on.
Shitou had a feeling that from now on, he would frequently see people taking samples next door to find a pot and test their quality.
Zhongli in the video felt no burden over revealing the ore trade's confidential information so casually. A secret worth a fortune in the jade business came from his lips as casually as mentioning that he had eaten two buns for breakfast.
"I have told you a secret worth a fortune in the jade trade. All that remains is to put it into practice."
[Ningguang: I can already imagine the fluctuations in the noctilucous jade market over the coming days.]
[Keqing: Hmph, I don't see anything wrong with it. This should reduce the number of customers being deceived, too.]
[Ningguang: But this will also have a considerable impact on legitimate business. Merchants pursue profit. If a trade becomes less profitable, it may instead undergo changes detrimental to Liyue's economy.]
[Paimon: Wow, i-is this knowledge really worth a fortune?!]
[Lumine: Paimon, that was its value before it became widespread. Now, well, at most it'll keep you from getting scammed in the future.]
[Yanfei: Aah (headache), I have a feeling I'm going to get more commissions over the coming days.]
[A Ping: Ho ho ho, don't fret, Yanfei. At times like these, it's all the more important to keep a level head.]
[Yanfei: Yes, Granny.]
[Yaoyao: Have you run into trouble, Senior Sister Yanfei? Yaoyao will help, and Yuegui will come too.]
[Yanfei: Ah, well, yes (embarrassed), you'll be a great help, Yaoyao.]
[Xingqiu: Ahaha, although I don't concern myself with the family business, I can imagine, well, Father and my elder brother nursing their headaches.]
Xingqiu's father and elder brother-the current chairman and eldest son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild-watched Xingqiu in the discussion forum, unsure whether to smile or grit their teeth. The boy's luck was heaven-defying; who knew what kind of dumb luck had made him a four-star user in this discussion forum, an opportunity even greater than an encounter with the adepti.
Did the boy even realize that, while others might waste years in the mountains without ever meeting an adeptus, his privileges as a four-star user who could speak in this discussion forum theoretically gave him the chance to converse directly with the adepti, or even Rex Lapis himself?
The brat was still being so carefree. If he had been home, they really ought to have brought out the ancestral fire poker and taught him a lesson.
And aside from the opportunity to encounter adepti, something ordinary people rarely enjoyed, this was also an excellent chance to build a network of connections.
Leaving everything else aside, the forum was full of not only important figures from Liyue, but even gods and high-ranking officials from foreign nations. If used properly, it would surely allow the Feiyun Commerce Guild to break through its own confines and become a major international commerce guild, perhaps even rivaling the immensely powerful Northland Bank.
But...
Sigh.
Father and son exchanged a look, shaking their heads with wry smiles.
If their second son-or younger brother-could do that, he would not be himself.
Or perhaps it was precisely Xingqiu's pure-hearted nature that had allowed him to obtain a Vision, join this discussion forum, and become a so-called four-star user?
Mundane people like them truly did not understand such things.