RNP Page 85
Page 85
"So, boss, have you encountered any difficulties these days?"
After she had almost finished eating, Bai Zhi asked the stall owner.
"Difficulties?" The stall owner thought for a moment. "Your Majesty, there haven't been any difficulties. Everything has been fine lately. If I had to say there was anything, it would probably be the price of spices going up."
"But it's not a big deal. I just heard that it's been a bit difficult to sail the seas lately, so the spice shipments are going to be a hassle, which is why the price has gone up a bit. It's nothing serious."
"Oh, that's good. If you encounter any difficulties, remember to report them to the General Affairs Department."
Bai Zhi nodded and said with a smile.
"Yes, but with a god like the Emperor leading Liyue, everything in Liyue will definitely be fine."
"Haha, no one is perfect, and no god is perfect either, so there's no need to praise me like that."
"Really, this is definitely what all Liyue people think, uh... except for Mr. Zhongli from the Hall of Rebirth."
Upon hearing the boss's words, Bai Zhi burst out laughing.
"Your Majesty, please don't mind what I said. I was just saying it casually. Mr. Zhongli is actually quite a good person. It's just that his way of looking at problems is a little different from ours. He's probably the kind of cultured person who likes to show off, insisting that he has some different understanding."
"It's okay, I don't care about these things. Boss, just focus on making good food. I'll be going now."
Bai Zhi waved her hand.
"Your Majesty, please wait."
The boss quickly replied.
Before leaving, Bai Zhi glanced thoughtfully at a corner behind her.
After Bai Zhi left, the fox witch and the blue-haired woman with two horns on her head emerged from the corner and strolled to the stall.
"Ah, so Ying likes to eat these. I'll make a note of that and make this for her next time."
The shrine maiden took out a small notepad and began writing on it. The notepad was already filled with many words, all of which were the names and recipes of various dishes.
"Boss, I'll have one of this Central Plains Mixed Suey too!"
After sitting down, the shrine maiden called out, and the blue-haired girl took out a notebook.
"The Emperor and Lord Thunder God ate Central Plains offal today... and their feedback was quite positive."
"Sister Gan Yu, you really don't need to write it in such detail."
The divine child looked at Gan Yu with a smile.
"No, these are all very important. The Emperor's deeds in Liyue must be recorded in history books, let alone such an important matter as the Emperor inviting the General to Liyue to help. It must be recorded."
"The spirit of Liyue lies in the inheritance of history. Only with history to rely on can people who will enjoy these benefits in the future know that these things were achieved through the joint efforts of the Emperor, the General, and the Grass God."
.......
Holding Raiden Cat, Bai Zhi arrived at the port of Liyue, where construction was in full swing, with a pillar being erected at a high place.
This is a base station created by scholars from the Order of the Church in conjunction with Nasita, thanks to Bai Zhi's suggestion. It can be used to transmit signals.
Although the server and the final receiving terminal are still under research, with Nasida and Ying, two big names in artificial intelligence and programming, these fields are progressing very quickly, almost by leaps and bounds.
It probably won't be long before the Void Terminal in Liyue is created, and robots that can help people be more efficient will also be available.
"Hmm... Next, let's try to find a way to go to Fontaine, the Water Kingdom."
Looking at the ships floating on the water, Bai Zhi thought to herself.
177 Zhongli: Don't learn from Fu Ningna
"Lady Ningguang, recently the water veins in Liyue have been abnormally drying up. Do you think we should report this to the Emperor?"
In the Jade Pavilion, the secretary carefully walked to Ningguang's side and said.
Upon hearing this, Ningguang frowned. "I remember there were already signs of this when the Emperor was sent as an envoy to Inazuma, right?"
The secretary nodded. "Yes, the water level had already dropped somewhat at that time, but we speculated that it was due to seasonal changes."
"But recently the situation has become more and more serious, and water sources in some places are on the verge of drying up."
"Has the source of the problem been identified?"
Ningguang did not answer the secretary's suggestion to report to Baizhi, but instead asked a question.
"After the Qianyan Army's recent investigation, we found that the water veins in many places are flowing into the sea, and the flow rate is much faster than normal, as if something in the sea is attracting the water veins."
"We speculate that it might be caused by remnants of a demon god, but usually, such matters are handled by immortals, so we..."
The secretary didn't say anything more, because the meaning was obvious: the Qianyan Army had dealt with the remnants of the Demon God before, but they didn't have much experience in doing so.
"Um...."
Ningguang fell into deep thought. She recalled what Baizhi had said to Qixing a few days ago.
"The future of Liyue will be governed by people, not by gods. People should have their own strength and ability to act. Those who hide under their parents' wings will never grow."
"Just like an eagle, no matter how much it loves its chicks, its offspring must eventually learn to fly on their own. So, go ahead and do it with confidence. Even if you don't succeed, you'll still gain experience."
Ningguang believed that if she reported these unusual situations to Baizhi, Baizhi would definitely take action.
After all, no matter what, Liyue is the Emperor's child, and it's impossible for him to disregard life and death.
But wouldn't that really disappoint the Emperor?
The people of Liyue have been protected by the Emperor for so many years. Compared to the offline monarch system of the Anemo Archon next door, or the chaotic situation in Inazuma, the Emperor has laid an extremely solid foundation for Liyue. If we trouble him with everything, what's the difference between us and a child who never grows up?
Moreover, the people of Seven Stars and Liyue also want to prove themselves.
"Don't report this matter to the immortals and emperors yet. In ancient times, the Thousand Rock Army and the people of Liyue had already launched a campaign against the demon god. Now that Liyue has enjoyed peace for a long time, it also needs to hone itself."
"Pass on my orders. Go down and have the General Affairs Department cooperate with the Thousand Rock Army to manufacture elemental weapons. Also, inform Beidou not to set sail yet, but to have the Death Star patrol the waters near Liyue. This will give us enough time to react."
"Gather folk sorcerers with traditional skills and other talented individuals. After ensuring the resources of the research institute, concentrate other forces to develop weapons with sufficient offensive power. Funding is not a problem."
After a moment's thought, Ningguang decisively issued a series of orders.
Although it may sound disrespectful, Ningguang has always had a hidden worry in her heart: even gods will pass away. So far, only the three gods of wind, rock, and thunder are the original gods; the gods of other kingdoms are no longer the original beings.
Even the Emperor has recently undergone a transformation.
While the Emperor's invincible martial prowess can certainly bring stability and happiness to Liyue, if something happens to the Emperor, then the "everything depends on one thing" model will have terrible consequences.
With the emperor's intelligence and wisdom, he must have thought of this problem, which is why he tried to delegate power.
"Yes, Lady Ningguang." The secretary bowed slightly and then quickly walked out.
Ningguang stood up, looked out the window, and sighed softly, "I hope that this time, Liyue's performance will satisfy the Emperor."
“Mr. Zhongli, I’ve heard that commerce is also very developed in Fontainebleau, and that they have made great achievements in shipping as well. I’m thinking, should we visit Fontainebleau?”
Inside the Crescent Moon Pavilion, Bai Zhi took a sip of tea and then spoke.
"Fontaine? The technology there is indeed very advanced. I knew this when I was in the Academy of Teachings. Many scholars would cooperate with Fontaine's merchants. The laws there are also very comprehensive. It is said that the Water God is also a very interesting person."
On the table, Nasita blinked and revealed the information she knew.
"Yes, Fontaine is indeed a good place. Even if Inazuma is blocked, they will still enter Inazuma through various channels and bring some novel trinkets."
"In terms of innovation, they do have a lot to offer, and at least in terms of quality of life, they are much better off than Inazuma."
Raiden Cat, perched on a tall chair, licked its paws and then spoke.
"I am honored by His Majesty's favor to speak here. If you ask for my opinion, I think it would be perfectly fine to visit Fontainebleau."
"There are quite a few people who travel from Liyue to Fontaine. The goddess there, Frynn, is known as the Goddess of Justice, and is also the queen of all waters, all lands, all peoples and all laws. Although the people who return to Liyue from Fontaine have mixed opinions about this goddess."
"Some people think that this Furnessa is too lacking in divine majesty, while others think that Furnessa is very approachable to the people and can bring joy to everyone."
"But aside from these points, I don't recommend learning from Furina's governance methods..."
Zhongli hesitated for a moment before saying these words.
While Frynn is slightly better than Venti, who is an offline monarch, the difference isn't significant.
If one lacks the ability to govern, this could be a useful method: serving as a qualified mascot and providing military support.
In his view, Bai Zhi's governing abilities far surpass those of most gods, and she could make Liyue great again.
Therefore, this kind of governance by mascots is not suitable.
What he feared most was that Bai Zhi would see this way of governing, find it easy, and then try to learn it.
After all, as gods, they cannot be truly sidelined if their power is guaranteed.
"Of course, her way of governing is not bad, but it is not suitable for every place. As far as I know, Funina is more of a symbolic figure."
Zhongli carefully considered his words before speaking.
"Yes, of course I know, but there are things to learn from Fontaine. If you want to be a qualified god, you should at least travel to different countries."
Bai Zhi said with a smile.
178 I am the Mysterious Merchant
"Villet, why do you seem a little distracted?"
On the pedestrian promenade in Fontainebleau, Funina asked Navelette with some curiosity.
"From the very beginning, you've been constantly glancing over there. What, is your Supreme Judge's intuition telling you there's a criminal over there?"
"No... there are no criminals, it's just that the child over there, there just feels a bit special about him."
Navelette pointed to a place where many people had gathered, like a job fair.
Upon hearing this, Funina looked at the place that Vilette was pointing to with some confusion. She looked for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.
"Is there anything strange over there? A child from Liyue, her clothes are quite nice, they could be a good reference for the costume of her Liyue character in the play next time. But speaking of which, what race is she, with such horns?"
Funina found it strange that there were many races in this world, such as the beastmen blood of the Katzrein family, or monsters, immortals, or even demons.
Generally speaking, common non-human bloodlines are quite common, such as cat ears and fox ears, but a race like Bai Zhi, whose two horns on their heads look more like jade, is something she, with 500 years of experience, has never seen before.
However, she didn't really care about that. After all, Teyvat is so vast, and she had never left Fontaine before. It wouldn't be strange to encounter races she had never seen before.
“I don’t know either. I’ve never seen a similar race with such characteristics.” Navelette shook her head as well.
"You don't know either? Never mind, it's not important. Let me see what these signs say. Hmm... Liyue is recruiting a large number of mechanical engineers, with excellent benefits?"
"Is this child the daughter of some merchant guild from Liyue?"
This was Fu Ningna's first thought. Because of Fontaine's prosperity, there were quite a few merchants who came here to hire manpower and engineers; it was quite common.
"Never mind, none of that matters anymore. Vilette, there are still many things to do at Moman Palace. Let's finish the cake and go back."
Funina shook her head, then picked up the small cake and stuffed it into her mouth.
"This girl... smells like a dragon."
Navelette took a sip of coffee and said thoughtfully.
"Dragon? Wait, which kind of dragon are you talking about?"
Frynn paused for a moment. Dragons weren't anything unusual. After all, there were too many creatures in the world that belonged to the dragon family. The Ancient Rock Lizard could be considered a dragon, the Deep Sea Lizard could also be considered a dragon, and the Geo Archon of Liyue could also be considered a dragon.
Even the Supreme Judge of Fontaine beside him was a dragon.
The difference in strength between different dragons can be enormous, even greater than the difference between a human and a dog.
"It's not a dragon lizard, but a real dragon. I can feel the power of fire active in her. She is definitely not an ordinary person. But... does such a being exist in Liyue? A dragon that controls fire."
"Ugh... How terrifying! A dragon that controls fire is practically our natural nemesis."
Upon hearing this, Funina trembled all over.
"Aren't you the water god? Even if she is a dragon, what are you afraid of as the water god? Fire and water are mutually restraining. As the ruler, can't you defeat her?"
"Haha, who said that? I'm just worried about a battle breaking out in the city and affecting the people. As the Queen of Waters, I have to consider the safety of the people, don't I?"
Funina remained defiant, but Vilette nodded readily, believing Funina's statement.