After Ningguang and Ganyu finished explaining the history of the Jade Chamber, everyone set off toward the harbor as Ye Xi had suggested.
Along the way, Keqing kept close to Ye Xi's ear, chattering about Liyue's best food, drink, entertainment, and all manner of street gossip.
Yae Miko, for her part, was feeling rather uninspired.
Back at the Grand Narukami Shrine, being Guuji had been dreadfully dull — so she'd founded Yae Publishing House specifically to produce light novels. Whenever she had nothing better to do, she'd go pester her authors for overdue manuscripts and delight in watching them scramble to cook up excuses. It was her favorite pastime.
But being shooed out of Inazuma by Raiden Ei to go discuss some matter of 「infrastructure」 had left her thoroughly unenthusiastic.
She needed a little entertainment if she was going to get any work done.
Turning the situation over in her mind, she suddenly realized — Keqing seemed like she might be quite fun to tease.
Since her goal was to bring Ye Xi back to Inazuma anyway, a bit of mischief at Keqing's expense could serve as a pleasant diversion along the way.
The thought lit up her eyes. A plan came together in an instant.
She waited for a lull in the conversation, then smoothly changed the subject.
"Master Ye Xi, look at how prosperously Liyue Harbor has developed — surely you could spare some of that brilliance to help our Inazuma as well."
Hearing the plaintive note in Yae Miko's voice, Ye Xi found it a little odd. "What's wrong with Inazuma?"
As far as he knew, Inazuma should have been fully liberated by now.
Lumine had dragged Raiden Ei out of the Plane of Euthymia, the Fatui had withdrawn from Inazuma — wasn't that a happy ending all around? So why did Yae Miko sound as though Inazuma were teetering on the brink of collapse?
Yae Miko let out a sigh so pitifully crafted it could wring tears from a stone, then explained: "Inazuma is still struggling with food shortages."
"Perhaps you aren't aware, Master, but although Inazuma has many islands, the land suitable for habitation is vanishingly scarce."
"Most of the population is concentrated on Narukami Island."
"Too many people, too little farmland — so food production has always been low. In the past, we depended almost entirely on imports from Liyue and Sumeru."
"Then my oh-so-reliable Electro Archon, bless her heart, decided to implement the Sakoku Decree — and kept everyone's belly empty for a full year."
"Now the new harvest hasn't come in yet, and the old reserves are nearly gone. Life is genuinely hard for people right now."
Listening to Yae Miko's account, Ye Xi fell into quiet thought.
It did seem to be the case.
Over the past year or two, Raiden Ei had pushed through the Sakoku Decree and the Vision Hunt Decree, throwing the populace into panic. Fewer farmers were working the land, and what merchant ships still came and went survived only by smuggling. Add in the rampant corruption of the Kanjou Commission, and the international trade guilds had been left in utter disarray.
Even now that both Decrees had been lifted, Inazuma would need considerable time to recover.
This was a real opportunity.
People only remember forever the kindness shown to them at their lowest point.
If he went to Inazuma and helped turn things around, the people would sing his praises. Once next year's harvest was in and things had stabilized, it would be too late — the moment would have passed.
Seeing that her words were having an effect, Yae Miko pressed her advantage and piled on the misery.
This time, she leaned directly in toward Ye Xi, heaving a long-suffering sigh. "Master Ye Xi, and that isn't even the worst of it."
"There is an island in Inazuma called Watatsumi Island."
"Its people were not originally Inazuma subjects — they were taken under the protection of a previous Electro Archon."
"For the people of Watatsumi Island, the food shortage is even more severe."
"Over this past year under the Sakoku Decree, they have been so hungry that armed conflict with Narukami Island nearly broke out."
"It is truly a crisis on all fronts — troubles within and threats from without."
Ye Xi gave a slow nod.
She wasn't wrong.
Watatsumi Island had long suffered from the sacralization of its soil, which made farming all but impossible even where land existed. The islanders had originally followed Orobashi, and only bent the knee under the overwhelming authority of the Electro Archon.
Now, with Inazuma barely keeping itself afloat, Watatsumi Island was in a state of genuine misery — it would have been strange if tensions hadn't boiled over. Even with Lumine's mediation and the Tenryou Commission in negotiations with Watatsumi Island, the results were likely nothing to write home about.
If he went to Inazuma under these circumstances, he wouldn't merely be rescuing Inazuma's own people from hardship — he'd be the savior of Watatsumi Island as well.
Keqing, watching Ye Xi drift into contemplation beside her, felt her heart sink.
Liyue's construction projects hadn't even gotten fully off the ground yet!
If Yae Miko dragged Ye Xi off to Inazuma right now, everything would have to stop.
How could that possibly be acceptable?
She thought it over for a moment, then spoke up. "Lady Miko, are you sure this is information you ought to be sharing so freely?"
"With Liyue's Qixing present, details like these are extremely significant intelligence for us."
Ningguang nodded in agreement from the side. "The value of Inazuma's situation lies in its ambiguity — a mix of what is known and what isn't. That's what makes trade negotiations favorable."
"By laying everything bare, you run the risk of giving unscrupulous merchants an opening to adjust their prices and exploit the situation for profit."
"Now that we know about Inazuma's food shortage and internal unrest, any merchant could inflate grain prices — which would only make Inazuma's position even more desperate."
"Frankly, I myself am already considering playing the unscrupulous merchant."
As Liyue's wealthiest magnate, Ningguang had an almost preternatural nose for commercial opportunity. She never let a profitable opening slip through her fingers.
Though not without her limits, of course.
If she adjusted her prices, she would only raise them by a modest margin — enough to pocket a little extra, but not enough to push the other party into a corner. The other unscrupulous merchants of Liyue Harbor, however, could not be counted upon for the same restraint.
Upon hearing Keqing and Ningguang's words, Yae Miko performed a theatrical sigh, her eyes brimming with affected grievance. "There's nothing to be done about it — I'm truly at my wit's end. All I can do is throw myself on Master Ye Xi's mercy."
[Author's Note: Requesting flowers~]
"Master, you wouldn't refuse to help, would you?"
"If you did, I'd be utterly ruined — and I'd surely be punished by the gods when I returned home."
Watching this pink-haired fox put on her most pitiful, whimpering performance, Ye Xi nearly caved then and there.
This woman was terrifying.
Whether she was seducing and baiting, or playing the helpless victim — every glance, every inflection, every word landed precisely on the softest spot in a man's heart.
One moment of inattention and you'd fallen straight into this rotten little fox's trap, completely at her mercy.
He hurriedly steadied himself.
In truth, Yae Miko didn't treat everyone this way.
She was simply at a loss with Ye Xi.
To truly have someone in the palm of your hand, you needed to be at least a cut above them in every dimension. She was the owner of Yae Publishing House — her writers depended on her for their livelihood, so she could toy with them at will.
As for Lumine, she had grasped what Lumine wanted, so she could maneuver accordingly.
But with Ye Xi — she had no idea what his goals were, what he desired.
She knew, frankly, that she couldn't hold a candle to him.
In that situation, the one thing she did know was this: Ye Xi had a weakness for beautiful women.
And so, this was the only approach left to her — find a way to attach herself to him through charm and proximity.
Ganyu had already told her everything.
Ye Xi had gone to Sumeru and defeated a Fatui Harbinger — then one-shotted the God of Righteousness. In Liyue, he had crushed Azhdaha. He had married the current Dendro Archon, revived the previous one and brought her into his fold. He had also become the key figure entrusted by Rex Lapis to watch over Liyue.
So many momentous events, every single one of them revolving around Ye Xi alone.
Of course she was going to plaster her warm face right up against his cold — well, whatever was available.
Inazuma right now was, to put it plainly, running entirely on her efforts alone.
That good-for-nothing shut-in Electro Archon was obviously not going to be of any use.
If Inazuma was going to move forward and thrive, Ye Xi was her only hope.
The alternative was to inch forward inch by inch, dragging the Three Commissioners along with her at a glacial pace.
At that rate, Inazuma probably wouldn't see any real change for a century or two.
And when the commissioners changed generations, who knew what the situation would become? Nobody.
Just thinking about that towering pile of headaches waiting for her made her vision go dark.
Now that Ye Xi had appeared, she had to seize this chance with both hands.
Ye Xi settled his wandering thoughts and gave a nod. "I can help you."
"But what do I get out of it?"
"What you get~?"
Yae Miko raised a hand to her lips in a dainty half-concealing gesture and smiled — a smile threaded through with playful provocation. "If you're willing to help Inazuma, then whatever you want, Master... I'll agree to it."
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