When it came to commerce, every member of the Liyue Qixing was a true elite—magnates who dominated their respective industries and possessed decades of hard-earned experience.
To be fair, even if Zhongli placed himself in the Snezhnayan Prince's position, defeating Ningguang and the others in the commercial arena would be close to impossible.
After all, nearly every commercial contract in Liyue had once passed through his own hands. He knew better than anyone that unless one cheated or violated contracts outright, achieving a fair and decisive victory over the Qixing was something even he could not accomplish.
"Mr. Zhongli, I heard you attended the Wanwen Collection House auction yesterday. That Fontaine merchant was there as well."
"He spent lavishly and secured the corpse of a Deep-Sea Vishap in one stroke. Who would've thought that in just one night, he'd die within Liyue Harbor? How did the Abyss Order infiltrate Liyue without anyone noticing?"
Although murders occasionally occurred within the city, the death of a Fontaine merchant was bound to provoke strong protests from the Fontaine court—and would inevitably damage the auction house's reputation.
Hu Tao lowered her voice mysteriously.
"Hehe, I heard~ that merchant captured a group of female hilichurls out in the wild to satisfy his… personal tastes. The Abyss Order disguised themselves as hilichurls ahead of time, slipped in with them, and that's how they found their chance to kill him and steal the Deep-Sea Vishap."
Zhongli raised an eyebrow. "The Millelith are still investigating. How do you know the case so clearly?"
"Did you forget, Mr. Zhongli? I have yin-yang eyes~ I can see the spirits you can't."
She leaned closer and whispered, "The merchant's ghost came to me last night and told me everything. He even asked us to hold a grand funeral rite to send him off to bliss."
Zhongli shook his head lightly. "Still playing at ghosts and spirits."
Hu Tao was indeed… unusual. At times, she seemed capable of brushing the boundary between life and death—though even Zhongli could not fully explain how. Still, talk of "yin-yang eyes" was more likely Hu Tao's own fanciful exaggeration.
"Hmph. Anyone who abuses hilichurls deserves to go to hell," Hu Tao muttered.
Zhongli sighed softly. "They are pitiable beings… yet those who are pitiable often have something detestable about them as well."
Elsewhere
After parting ways with Ganyu, Severin made his way to a blacksmith's shop.
Liyue was rich in iron ore, and its forging industry flourished as a result. Weapons crafted here sold exceptionally well across the other six nations.
"Sir, are you looking to commission a weapon?" the shop owner asked after noticing the young man standing outside for quite some time.
"Our shop can forge the sharpest weapons in all of Teyvat."
"My fists are the sharpest weapons there are," Severin replied calmly.
His bearing was extraordinary—standing among the crowd like a crane among chickens.
Recognizing that the man before him was no ordinary customer, the blacksmith grew respectful.
"You speak wisely, young master. But steel weapons can be honed with whetstones, refined through quenching to remove impurities. If a person is a weapon… how does one temper it?"
"No tempering is needed. From the moment it is born, it is already the sharpest thing in existence. If anything can temper it," Severin said evenly, "then it would be the greatest suffering of the mortal world—the hardest roads, the most desperate circumstances."
The blacksmith's gaze sharpened. "For you to say such words… you are no ordinary man."
He looked down at a sword billet glowing crimson in the coals.
"For us craftsmen, the finest tempering agent is Mora. Even the most common blade, if enough Mora is added, can be reborn as a supreme weapon."
Mora—both the currency of Teyvat and a catalytic medium for forging.
Severin nodded. "That differs greatly from Inazuma's national forging legacy—the Raiden Gokaden."
The Raiden Gokaden was a forging system devised by the Electro Archon in ages past. Over centuries, her successors refined and surpassed the original art, eventually forming five great schools. It became the foundation of Inazuma's unparalleled forging tradition.
Liyue, by contrast, developed a method centered on the infusion of Mora. The two schools stood side by side at the pinnacle of weapon crafting.
"You know of the Raiden Gokaden?" the blacksmith exclaimed.
"Please, tell me more! Inazuma's isolation makes travel impossible—otherwise I would've gone myself. If their techniques were combined with ours, we might create something entirely new. Please, come inside!"
He ushered Severin in like an honored guest.
The tea carried a faint scent of coal smoke—but Severin had not come for tea.
The knowledge of the Raiden Gokaden had come to him three years ago, acquired through his system's sign-in.
"Raiden Gokaden consists of five schools—Amenoma, Futsu, Isshin, Hyakume, and Senju…"
It took an entire day to finish the explanation.
The blacksmith finally let out a long breath.
"Truly profound. Yet at its core, the principles are similar to Liyue's methods. Each has its own strengths."
Severin nodded.
"Now that you understand it, let us discuss cooperation. I wish to commission an exquisite longsword as a gift."
The blacksmith was delighted.
"You've shared a secret art that fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine. In return, our shop will forge your weapon free of charge."
"Free?" Severin asked calmly. "I'm afraid your shop cannot afford that."
The blacksmith hesitated. "You demand extremely high quality?"
"I require the addition of one hundred billion Mora."
"One… hundred… billion?!"
The smile froze on the blacksmith's face.
The most valuable weapon his shop possessed had only thirty billion Mora infused within it—a legendary blade forged by his ancestor, said to have altered the heavens on the day it was born and later ranked among Liyue's Ten Great Swords.
If he combined the Raiden Gokaden with a hundred billion Mora… he might surpass his ancestors entirely.
"Y-Your High—" he swallowed, steadying himself.
"Such a sum is no small matter. Since you've taught me the Raiden Gokaden, allow me to ask for a fifty-billion Mora deposit. The rest can be paid upon completion."
Mid-sentence, his eyes fell upon the card in Severin's hand.
The golden snowflake insignia.
The Northland Bank emblem.
Yesterday's news from Wanwen Collection House flashed through his mind—the Snezhnayan Prince, wielding the Supreme Gold Card.
His face drained of color.
"Y-Your Highness!"
He bowed deeply. "Forgive my ignorance. I failed to recognize you earlier. In that case… ten billion Mora as a deposit will suffice!"
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