When the meeting resumed, the harbor's late-afternoon light slanted through the General Affairs Department's windows and painted everything a warm gold. People shuffled papers, muttered plans, and tried to fit a future into the stack of scrolls Ningguang and Yanfei were producing.
Takumi had expected this; the excitement in the room matched the plan humming inside his head. He glanced at Klee, who was quietly doodling stick figures of trucks labeled "BFF" in her notebook, then turned back to the assembled leaders.
"First," Takumi said crisply, "thank you all. Yanfei — the traffic law draft will be foundational. Once we have a legal framework, we can regulate vehicle distribution, licensing, and safety. Keqing, I'll need you to coordinate road enforcement and training. Ningguang — funding will flow through you; specify priorities and I'll provide the technical roadmap."
Ningguang's eyes gleamed. "Allocate. Prioritize. Profit. Mr. Takumi, I approve the plan in principle — and in profit."
Yanfei, already poised with a brush and scroll, smiled with professional delight. "Give me a week and I'll have the legal skeleton. We'll fine-tune where necessary."
Keqing's fingers tapped the table like a metronome. "I'll start recruiting instructors from the Qianyan Army and set up driving schools near Wangshu Inn and the Guili Plains staging area. We'll also need practical exams: obstacle courses, emergency maneuvers, and—"
"—No explosive tests," Takumi cut in, glancing at Klee and the memory of rocket launches. Klee screwed up her nose. "But I was practicing safe detonation techniques!"
Ganyu, quiet and methodical, raised one hand. "For logistics: I'll coordinate supply lines and season schedules. If we plan to import raw materials from other regions during construction, there must be provisions for storage and perishable goods."
Zhongli sipped his tea and murmured, "And the bridge: I will reconstruct the harbor crossing with reinforced Geo anchor points. It will be stable for hundreds of years."
Klee squealed. "Can I have a seatbelt that says 'Klee Approved'?"
Zhongli inclined his head slightly and promised, "Affirmative. With tasteful Geo embroidery."
A Plan for Stone Gate and Mondstadt
Ningguang folded her hands. "Mondstadt has offered funding and manpower to build a road. Jean wishes for greater trade. If we create a stable route to Stone Gate, it will change trade routes drastically."
Takumi's expression lit. "Perfect. Stone Gate is our choke point. The terrain requires blasting and careful excavation. Klee will help with certain demolitions under supervision — precise underwater or subterranean blasts where needed."
Keqing blinked. "Again—supervised. We must formalize safety protocols and keep Jean from letting Klee run wild."
Jean's face herself did not appear in the room, but the idea of Klee working with Mondstadt's Knights made everyone grin nervously.
Takumi continued: "We'll build a transfer station at Stone Gate — both rest stop and customs hub. It will help Qingce Village by providing local commerce opportunities. We should invite Qingce's people to take part: food stalls, inns, artisan crafts. That will bring back the youth."
Klee already had plans. "I'll set up a Fry-Fish stall!" she declared, energetic as ever.
Ningguang nodded approvingly. "Qingce must be revitalized. If agriculture falters, Liyue's food security is at risk. We cannot rely on imports long-term."
Qingce Village — Food, Farms, and Sucrose's Role
A hush fell over the table when Takumi brought up agriculture.
"Qingce is currently a granary in name only," he said, voice measured. "Young people leave for the harbor; fields are under-tended. We need an agricultural revival program: high-yield seed lines, training for modernized cultivation, storage infrastructure, and incentives to keep youth in the fields."
Keqing's normally steel-blue eyes softened. "That would be ideal. But who will do the agronomy?"
Takumi turned to Sucrose, who had come in earlier but remained near the doorway, cheeks flushed from walking.
"You already have experience," he said gently. "Triple-sweet flowers were your proof. I want you to lead a research team to develop high-yield rice strains and pest-resistant crops suitable for Qingce's soil. You'll be funded. Use Keqing's authority for land access and Ningguang's funds for equipment."
Sucrose's face alternated between terror and wonder. "M-me? But—oh! I'll try my best."
Klee clapped. "Sucrose is good at plants! She can make rice extra rice-y!"
Takumi added, "And we'll introduce aquaculture along the improved river channels, using Cryo and Hydro slimes where appropriate to regulate water temperature and purification."
Keqing arched an eyebrow. "You still plan on using slimes as resources?"
Takumi smiled faintly. "Yes—containment, cultivation, and purpose. Rock slimes for aggregate, Hydro for filtration, Pyro for controlled incineration. But only under strict regulations. This is not exploitation; it's stewardship."
Ningguang tapped her fan. "If Sucrose can improve output and make Qingce profitable, we will subsidize young farmers, offer low-interest loans, and create marketplaces in the Stone Gate transfer station. Qingce could become a model agro-hub."
Takumi felt a small triumph. The plan was spreading into reality.
Blueprint Technology — The Secret, Slightly Revealed
They had reached the practicalities when Takumi paused and let his voice drop.
"There's another tool I've been using to plan all this," he said quietly. "A… system that helps simulate, optimize, and translate designs into production steps. It shows resource needs, structural stress points, and a production timeline. I've used it to lay out the new city, the pier, and the initial vehicle batches."
Heads turned.
Ningguang leaned forward. "A system? Explain."
Takumi hesitated. The system was Takumi's private advantage — a secret interface that only he could see and use. It discretely provided simulated outcomes, material lists, and efficiency recommendations. He had to protect it; if the wrong people understood it, it might upset the balance between ingenuity and control. Still, Ningguang deserved a controlled disclosure.
"Think of it as a blueprint engine," Takumi said carefully. "It can manifest a design, run stress simulations, and output exact material lists and sequence steps. It can also prioritize which regions must be supplied first for maximum efficiency. I won't hand it over, but I can use it to produce optimal blueprints and transfer the production orders in plain terms—lists, drawings, schedules."
Ningguang's eyes narrowed in thought. "So you act as the conduit. The engine remains with you."
Takumi nodded. "Exactly. I'll retain the system. I'll deliver the outputs and training materials. This keeps the intellectual property within a controlled loop while Liyue benefits."
Yanfei raised a finger. "Are there legal implications? Intellectual property, ownership, and so on? I'll draft protections. Ningguang may want rights, but we should codify how the blueprints are used."
Ningguang smiled a slow, calculating smile — the kind that had made her a fortune. "We will protect our investment. Mr. Takumi, your engine is valuable. We'll form a charter: Liyue funds the implementation; the system's outputs are used solely for Liyue's public projects for an initial period. Later we can discuss licensing."
Takumi allowed himself a small smile. "Agreed."
Comedy Interlude — Hu Tao and the Tombstone Market
The serious talk paused briefly when the door burst open and Hu Tao sauntered in, eyes gleaming.
"Did someone say fish stalls and fireworks? I bring feng shui blessings and a spicy plum cake!"
Hu Tao glanced at Klee, then at Ningguang's careful face, then at Zhongli's tea, and grinned wickedly. "Money, happiness, and a free coffin if you sign a construction contract today!"
Ningguang raised an eyebrow. "Director Hu Tao."
Hu Tao saluted like a pirate. "Business. Marketing synergy. Fun. I'll set up a festival at Stone Gate once the road is done. Fireworks by Klee, musical opera by Yun Jin — great for tourism!"
Keqing blinked. "You plan to combine funerary services and tourism."
Hu Tao shrugged. "A living economy requires a healthy afterlife sector, too."
Everyone laughed. Even Zhongli, who'd been stoic for most of the meeting, allowed a dry smile. It was good to have levity.
Assignments and a Growing Budget Shadow
With a list of assignments agreed, Ningguang summarized:
"Ningguang will provide funding for: roadwork, transfer station, driving schools, and initial vehicle production. Keqing will supervise recruitment and site enforcement. Yanfei will deliver traffic laws. Ganyu will coordinate logistics and aid requests for adepti assistance. Sucrose will lead agronomy research. Takumi will deliver technical blueprints from his system and oversee vehicle rollout."
Ningguang paused. "I'll allocate the initial tranche. However… we must be prudent. Construction and alchemical research are expensive. If this expands rapidly, we will need to re-evaluate budgets — and perhaps seek external funding or stagger the rollouts."
A soft silence followed. Ningguang's hand, though generous, did not run bottomless. The implication of cost was a shadow the group could not ignore.
Takumi nodded. "Noted. We'll prioritize. Road and harbor bridge first, vehicles for logistics second, then residential and electric infrastructure. If funds tighten, we delay non-essential luxuries."
Keqing added, "I'll draft a manpower and equipment schedule to keep resource use tight."
Final Notes — A Call to Action
As the meeting wrapped, the room felt lighter and heavier at once: lighter because plans took shape, heavier because the scale of change finally landed on each person's shoulders.
Takumi looked around at the faces — Ningguang's sharp ambition, Keqing's quiet competence, Yanfei's legal fervor, Zhongli's patient endurance, Ganyu's dutiful calm, and Sucrose's nervous excitement — and felt something like hope.
Outside, the carriage lanes were being patrolled by the Qianyan Army practicing with a few early vehicle prototypes. A worker called to another: "The dump truck hauled rock twice as fast today!" A child peeked through a gate, eyes wide, imagining the future.
Klee tugged on Takumi's sleeve. "Brother Takumi, can I help with planting? If Sucrose makes yummy rice, I'll bring the fireworks."
Takumi ruffled her hair. "You'll be my official morale officer. Fireworks for festivals — and only with permits."
Klee made a formal, serious face and saluted. "Yes! Klee will follow the new traffic laws!"
Yanfei pretended to scrawl a license application and laughed.
As dusk fell and meetings ended, Takumi slipped away for a moment, feeling the familiar hum — the quiet system notification only he could perceive, a string of efficiency metrics, projected resource burn rates, and a subtle advisory: optimize rail-to-road transfer by day 14 to avoid Mora overflow at port warehouses.
He smiled, pocketed the secret engine that guided his hands, and walked back into the bustle of Liyue Harbor, where the city was beginning to rearrange its future around an iron box, a girl with a bomb backpack, and a man with blueprints no one else quite understood.