"Excellent! With this, the Northland Bank is finished."
"Finally! They've been a plague on our economy for too long. Issuing their own currency, demanding exchange rates that undermine the Mora... the audacity! I don't know where they got the nerve."
"If their currency wasn't restricted to use within the bank, Lady Ningguang would have kicked them out ages ago."
...
Watching Ningguang and Keqing draft policy after policy, the three secretaries whispered excitedly as they organized the documents.
They looked at the papers filled with black ink and saw not words, but weapons.
They knew that Liyue was about to experience an earthquake.
One strong enough to bring the Northland Bank crashing down.
Time ticked by.
When Ningguang and Keqing finally put down their pens, the plan was complete.
"The preliminary framework is done. Tonight, secure a plot of land. Preferably an existing building we can repurpose immediately."
Ningguang gave orders to Baishi as she walked towards the balcony of the Jade Chamber.
"Yes, Lady Ningguang!"
Baishi didn't dare delay and ran to execute the command.
While she was gone, Ningguang stood by the railing, looking down at the miniature world of Liyue Harbor below.
"Liyue must never fall into chaos."
She murmured the words like a vow. Then, she took the stack of drafted papers and tossed them into the air.
Unlike before, she didn't shred them.
Usually, she would tear her notes into confetti, creating a "snowfall" of fragmented secrets for the merchants below to scramble over.
This time, she threw the papers whole.
She let them drift down like white leaves, carrying the full weight of the new law.
At the same time, she ordered the Millelith to post notices across the entire city. Every citizen had to know.
"Liyue is about to wake up."
Keqing walked up beside her, tossing her own stack of documents into the wind. "The Northland Bank won't be sleeping tonight. With the Fatui Elites stationed there, I wonder if they'll try any dirty tricks in the dark."
She knew that when these papers hit the streets, it would cause a tsunami.
In the past, Ningguang's "paper snow" was a signal for merchants to scramble for scraps of insider info.
Today, it wasn't just business. It was a revolution of the entire economic system.
"This is Liyue. If they dare to cause trouble here, I will lead the Millelith personally to crush them."
Ningguang's expression was ice-cold. "Besides, they signed a contract. They wouldn't dare violate it openly. If they try anything in the shadows... I won't be polite. I've tolerated their petty moves for years only because of that contract and the stability of our merchants."
"Too many of our merchants travel to Snezhnaya. The shipping lanes to the north are a huge part of our economy. If we cut them off, Liyue bleeds. We had no choice but to turn a blind eye."
"But now we have a way. Even if we have to tear down the current economy and rebuild it, we will. Liyue is the most prosperous city in Teyvat. We will recover faster than anyone expects."
Ningguang spoke with absolute confidence.
Before, she had been helpless against the Northland Bank.
They had branches in every city, protected by Fatui diplomacy. They offered security for merchants traveling dangerous roads—security that Liyue couldn't provide beyond its borders.
Merchants had to deposit their money with the Northland Bank to avoid being robbed (often by the Fatui themselves, allegedly). It was a protection racket disguised as banking.
This allowed the Northland Bank to parasitically drain Liyue's wealth, using local deposits to issue predatory loans.
And because of the contracts, Ningguang couldn't touch them.
But now?
Now she had the book.
Even incomplete, the Economics & Management manual from the jar was a weapon of mass destruction against primitive banking practices.