The Jade Chamber's quiet felt fragile after Zhongli left. It was as if his footsteps had carried a little of the world's gravity away with him — ordered, patient, and oddly reassuring. Takumi remained at the table, nerves slowly unspooling into a focused energy. He had just pitched a city and convinced one of Liyue's most dangerous minds to back it. Now the real work began.
Ningguang's expression had shifted from curiosity to calculation. She tapped the cement formula Takumi had handed her, eyes moving across the characters and ratios with a practiced merchant's scrutiny.
"The procedure seems simple at a glance," she said aloud, "but practicality is everything. Lime, clay, calcination above 1300 degrees, clinker grinding, slag and gypsum additions — the steps are straightforward. The challenge is scale and logistics."
Takumi grinned, half-proud, half-worried. "Scale is solvable. Teyvat is rich in minerals — mines, quarries, stone. Liyue has the raw materials. We only need organization."
Keqing folded her arms. "And manpower, transport, and fuel for the kilns. Calcining at 1300 degrees will require a lot of consistent heat. Do you have a plan for that?"
Takumi blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Pyro slimes can help."
A beat of silence, then Ganyu's soft intake of breath and a suppressed distracted chuckle from Uncle Tian. Ningguang's lips quirked at the idea rather than laughed outright.
"You propose using slimes as resource units?" she asked, intrigued rather than horrified.
"Not exclusively, but as a supplement," Takumi explained. "They're renewable, abundant near many regions, and can be harvested via targeted expeditions. Rock slimes produce sedimentary stone chunks we can grind. Pyro slimes can supply heat. Electro slimes have potential in primitive electrical rigs. It's resource-efficient and mitigates overreliance on expensive ore."
Ningguang considered him carefully. "You offer unconventional resource utilization and new materials. That could change the cost curve." She tapped the table — her finger left a tiny ring on the lacquered wood. "If this works, the economic upside is enormous."
Zhongli had already demonstrated the cement briefly, kneading a gray lump into being — a small, impossible thing that made the room hum with the potential of practicality. Ningguang watched that token and folded the formula into a leather case with finality.
"Baishi," she said, addressing one of her secretaries, "arrange production. Begin preliminary cement production trials at the Maosheng Quarry and the warehouses near the south dock. Expand only after quality control passes." Her voice was calm, the voice of someone who signed ledgers and nations alike. "Ensure stable fuel sources and kiln supervisors."
Baishi bowed, already moving to make arrangements. The gears of Ningguang's administration turned faster than anyone outside the chamber could see.
Takumi felt a tentative elation. "Thank you. I'll draft production guidelines and help with training."
Ningguang's eyes softened just a fraction. "Good. Also—" she lifted a single gloved hand, "you shall have lodging in one of my private estates for the time being. Baiwen will show you. And... staff will be provided if you wish."
Takumi's heart did something irrational and human — a small flutter he might once have called excitement to get out of interviews.
"Thank you, Lady Ningguang," he said, voice carefully neutral. He did not want servants. He wanted to write blueprints in quiet and get his hands dirty. Still, the offer meant stability.
Baiwen — efficient, brisk, and with the demeanor of someone who had seen too many nobles attempt to be practical — stepped forward as directed. "Mr. Takumi. I will take you to the estate and arrange for keys. We will also be ready to begin logistics the moment you finalize the cement batch formulas."
Before Takumi could stand, Ningguang raised another fingertip and addressed Baishi with a quiet, almost theatrical decisiveness.
"Withdraw five million Mora from my private vault. Treat it as an allowance for Mr. Takumi's activities and to maintain his stay in Liyue Harbor."
Time seemed to slow.
Takumi's mouth opened and closed twice. "Five million… Mora?"
Keqing's eyebrows practically created new constellations.
Ganyu blinked, composed but visibly flabbergasted.
Uncle Tian whistled softly — a human sound halfway between admiration and incredulity.
Ningguang did not smile. She did not toy with the drama. She merely watched the reactions with a strategist's curiosity.
"It is not frivolous," she said. "Establishing infrastructure requires liquidity. This will cover production seed, land permits, initial wages, emergency contingencies, and, more importantly, show to the merchants and investors that the Qixing is serious."
Takumi felt his knees go soft. Five million was obscene in his mental math; it would fund entire provinces back home. He felt very small and very privileged in one breath. The system — ever calm and always present — popped an unobtrusive notice in his private HUD.
[SYSTEM — PRIVATE]
Funds Received: Allocation Pending Verification.
Issuer: Ningguang, Qixing (Private Vault).
Available Disbursement: 5,000,000 Mora.
Restriction: Subject to quarterly audits by Qixing. Expenditures above 50,000 Mora require approval.
Recommendation: Establish transparent ledgers; create separate accounting for materials, wages, research, and contingency.
Takumi: …restriction? approvals? audits?
[SYSTEM]
Affirmative. Governance layer engaged. Transparency required.
Takumi: Fine. I can do boring paperwork too.
He forced a grin. "Thank you, Lady Ningguang. I promise to keep thorough accounts."
Ningguang inclined her head. "Good. We will be watching — for the sake of Liyue."
With that settled, Takumi rose. "I should take my leave and arrange the first steps. Where shall I begin?"
Keqing answered with characteristic bluntness. "Start with the cement trial specification. Learn the local kiln capacities. Coordinate with Baishi for transport and with the Maosheng foremen for lime sources. I will set up a logistics lane for the first shipments. And visit the Adventurers' Guild — contracts for slime collection will need sponsor signatures."
Takumi did a mental checklist, then bowed. "Understood."
Baiwen escorted him out into the courtyard of Yujing Terrace. The night air hit his face — cool, smelling of salt and distant pine. She produced a small brass key and offered it with formal politeness.
"This is the key to one of Lady Ningguang's vacant estates," Baiwen said. "It has a small workshop in the back suitable for prototype work. The Qianyun militia will handle security if needed. I will arrange for two temporary assistants to unlock storage rooms and fetch supplies. More hires shall be subject to the allowances and approvals."
Takumi accepted the key like it weighed as much as his duty. "I appreciate it. I don't require servants," he added quickly. "I'll manage the initial experiments myself."
Baiwen bowed. "Very well. I will inform the staff. If you change your mind, the household will accommodate you. The estate is yours while the project is active."
When Baiwen left, Takumi turned the key over in his palm. The brass glinted in lamplight. He could feel the weight of Ningguang's trust in it — not a golden leash, but a cord meant to tie ambitions to practicality.
Back inside his new small estate, the workroom was just as Baiwen had promised: a modest space with a stone bench, a small kiln for experimental firing, a locked storeroom, and a wooden table. It smelled faintly of citrus oil and old paper. It was perfect.
He set his Vision on the table and called up the private blueprint UI. The calm system sprang to life, texting information in a neat, deliberate font only he could see.
[SYSTEM — BLUEPRINT MODULE]
Function: Convert material inputs → generate scalable cement batch schedules (kg → kiln cycles).
Immediate Objective: Produce 100 kg experimental clinker batch, validate compressive strength after 7 days.
Materials Required (initial batch):
Limestone (calcined) 60 kg
Clay 20 kg
Iron bearing powder traces 2 kg
Slag/coal ash 5 kg
Gypsum 3 kg
Kiln Temperature Profile: Ramp to 1,350°C over 6 hours; hold 2 hours; cool 8 hours.
Predicted Output: 100 kg clinker → grind to 95 kg cement.
Resource Note: Pyro-slime supplement recommended for steady heat; household charcoal as contingency.
Takumi exhaled, hands already itching to create. He mapped tasks: call Maosheng Quarry for limestone shipment, arrange smiths for grinding, place an order for a small electric-driven grinder (or rather, a human-cranked prototype since high tech was out of scope), recruit two apprentices from the harbor who had skills in kiln operation, and draft a contract for Adventurers' Guild slime collection.
He couldn't help smirking. Five million Mora and I'm still doing fieldwork. Beautiful.
At dawn he walked to the Maosheng Quarry with a list and a pocket full of small Qixing vouchers Baiwen had provided for immediate purchases. The first day was chaos and comedy in equal measure: he bargained like a merchant, argued with foremen over ore grades, learned that not all miners appreciated the word "cement" (many thought him mad), and nearly got conned by a salt seller who insisted on selling "premium kiln coal" at triple price.
Keqing's instructions echoed in his mind — coordinate, systemize, document. He set up a ledger carved on parchment, a primitive but honest start. He hired two robust youths with kiln experience who laughed at the notion of "technology" but agreed to teach him the rhythm of heat.
When the first shipment of raw limestone arrived, Takumi's hands trembled. He had watched Zhongli conjure a lump of cement like a god, but now it was his turn to sweat, measure, grind, and fire.
He set the kiln, fed in household charcoal (for now), and pitched a small volunteer team from the guild to collect rock slime samples under an Adventurer contract he'd arranged that afternoon. The first batch of stones, mixed and fired, came out gray and promising. A test block was formed and left to cure.
Night fell on his small estate. Takumi sat at the table, ledger open, a small clay cup of tea cooling in his hand. The system's soft text blinked with a modest notification.
[SYSTEM — MILESTONE CHECK]
Event: Experimental clinker batch completed.
Outcome: Visual inspection acceptable. Initial crushing strength testing scheduled (Day 7).
Upgrade: Blueprint Module efficiency +1 (due to real-world trial).
Note: Public disclosure not recommended until quality control passes.
Takumi allowed himself a tired grin. The physical reality of building — dust under nails, the smell of heated stone, the bargaining with foremen — felt good. It made the numbers and the lofty speeches real.
He imagined Guili Plains again: foundations laid, roads paved smooth with cement, workshops humming, families earning steady wages. He could practically taste the osmanthus wine awaiting celebration.
He slid onto the low couch and whispered into the quiet room, not to the system but to himself:
"Small steps. One block at a time."
Outside, the harbor's lanterns blinked like a constellation of small fires, and somewhere above them, the Jade Chamber drifted like a promise.