The tea in the General Affairs Department had long gone cold, but the air hummed with something warmer: possibility. Takumi, Ningguang, Jean, Keqing, Yanfei, Zhongli, and a small contingent from Mondstadt sat in a loose semicircle around the table, maps and sample components spread like a modern war-room of commerce.
Klee, naturally, had found a window seat and was tracing finger-craters in a pile of concrete dust. Whenever anyone looked at her, she offered a proud grin and stuck a tiny, carefully labeled "BANG" flag into the dirt. Hu Tao hovered nearby, delighted to witness youthful chaos that wasn't targeted at her funeral parlor.
Ningguang cleared her throat and fixed everyone with a look that could melt rock. "Let us proceed. We have a road proposal, an export plan for vehicles, and the subject of funding."
Jean smiled politely. "Mondstadt will contribute—materials, some labor, and funding. We're eager for cooperation."
Takumi cut in with a grin that had become familiar. "That's great. But before we tie ourselves into a yearlong tea-drinking contract—two points."
Keqing, already on edge from administering every square inch of Liyue's land, leaned forward. "Speak."
"First," Takumi said, "we need manpower and trained operators. Second, we need to explain—briefly—the function of my blueprint technology so Ningguang, and the investors she represents, know what they're buying into."
He looked at Ningguang with an almost conspiratorial smile. She considered: trust was a commodity she traded in cheaply, but she needed details before opening her ledger.
Takumi led them to a side table. With a small gesture, a translucent scroll—more like a hovering plan—materialized. The room, used to adeptal theatrics, still paused. Even Zhongli's eyes flickered with quiet interest.
Takumi's Private Demonstration — (For Investors Only)
Takumi kept his voice low. "This is not magic in the traditional Teyvat sense. It's a production blueprint interface I discovered through my ability—call it a Herrscher-like insight. It can:
• Generate detailed construction blueprints on command.
• Transform blueprints into step-by-step manufacturing instructions.
• Produce templates—modular house frames, pipe segments, wiring harness specs—that trained workers and machines can replicate quickly.
Limits: I can't conjure finished living things or infinite resources. Manufacturing modules still need real raw materials. Creating blueprints drains my energy. But the output — the plans themselves — dramatically cut error, speed up training, and standardize quality."
Ningguang folded her fan slowly. "You make plans… appear, and people follow them? My merchants will love this clarity."
Yanfei, ever the law-girl, raised her hand. "Will these blueprints be legally recognized? Intellectual property? Liability? If we mass-produce and an accident occurs—"
Takumi nodded. "You keep the legal rights. I only provide the system interface. The execution and quality control are yours." He glanced at Keqing. "Keqing, that means uniform lots, less land dispute."
Keqing's eyes gleamed. "Standardization reduces conflict. Efficient urban zoning becomes enforceable."
Jean's brows softened. "And it speeds construction. Mondstadt could adopt the practice—standard barns, bridges, even wine cellars. This could change logistics."
Ningguang's mind was already calculating profit margins. "This will reduce labor cost overruns and material waste. The initial capital outlay matters, but returns will be large."
Budget Reality — The Merchant's Interjection
The mood shifted when Baiwen returned with the latest ledger printout Ningguang had requested. He laid it on the table with theatrical solemnity.
"It's substantial," he said.
Ningguang read the numbers silently and then let out the tiniest sigh. "Construction, vehicles, power stations, slime capture facilities, training centers, the pier, export docks, safety regulation implementation… the initial budget is enormous—even for the Qixing."
Jean's posture tightened. "We will provide funds."
Ningguang's smile was polite but cold: "You will provide funds, and Mondstadt will not be the principal financier here. The scale requires Liyue's capital management. We will issue development bonds, set tax incentives for early investors, and lease prime storefronts in the new city. Merchants from Inazuma and Fontaine have already shown interest—if we can secure logistics agreements."
Takumi rubbed his chin. "Phasing helps. Build the pier and roads first, get freight moving. Sell usage rights—cargo lanes, port slots. Factories for wiring, basic electronics, and food processing come next. Agriculture improvements start in parallel—Sucrose will pilot high-yield strains."
Keqing was already forming steps in her head. "Workforce training in Guili Plains. Millelith will manage security and transport lines while local farmers receive subsidies to return to the fields. Land grants for settlers who cultivate food and start agro-businesses."
Ningguang snapped her fingers. "We will form a Development Consortium. Investors buy bonds backed by future tariffs and port fees. Keqing, coordinate with the Civil Engineering Bureau. Yanfei, draft the investor protections and construction contracts. Jean, Mondstadt will supply designates: food exports, partial funding, and logistics support."
Jean nodded, relieved. "We'll prepare a letter of intent."
The Industries — Concrete Plans
Takumi walked them through the short-list of industries he wanted to push first—simple, pragmatic, and high-impact.
Electronics & Energy — Albedo and Takumi's transformer/wiring designs will seed small electro-factories for lights, basic household appliances, and vehicle control systems. Electro Crystals from trade (Ningguang to negotiate with Beidou) will be used as storage while Albedo designs more stable element-conversion systems.
Agriculture — Sucrose would lead a high-yield rice program in Qingce Village and nearby terraces. She'd establish seed banks, teach hybridization techniques, and create incentives for youth to return to farming with mechanized tools and guaranteed purchase quotas.
Food Processing & Distribution — Xiangling would pilot a food-processing hub in Guili Plains: preserved foods, canned fish (perhaps not Klee's "fired fish"), and ready rations for caravans. This would help stabilize food prices and create export goods.
Entertainment & Cultural Industry — Yun Jin and the Yunhan Troupe were approached to build an opera and festival district — bringing tourism, employment in craft and hospitality, and value-added cultural exports.
Mechanics & Construction Equipment — Cloud Retainer and Albedo would refine excavators, road rollers, and automated assembly lines. A small factory would produce dump trucks and the modular chassis designs Takumi's blueprints specified.
Ningguang's eyes shone. "Diversified. That is smart—some industries to carry the slow ones until they grow."
Jean added, "Mondstadt can provide wine shipments for export via the new port; in return, Liyue will train our technicians and provide core components."
Takumi grinned. "And Klee can provide fireworks for the entertainment district."
Jean's expression turned half-horrified, half-wistful. "No."
A Little Comedy — Klee, Hu Tao & the Minister of Fun
Hu Tao, who had been listening, leaned in conspiratorially. "Klee—good with fireworks. Yun Jin—opera and showmanship. Imagine: a funeral-themed fireworks festival! Partners in culture!"
Ningguang's eyebrow twitched. Zhongli, who had been watching the exchange with a wry smile, added, "As long as the fireworks don't start a funeral for the opera."
Takumi laughed. "Noted. Klee will be supervised."
Klee pouted: "But explosions are pretty. They make fish jump."
Jean: "Klee."
Klee: "Yes! Klee will behave!"
The Secret Takumi Doesn't Broadcast
After the meeting had wound down and the official agenda was set, Ningguang asked a final, pointed question.
"Mr. Takumi—your blueprint interface. You said limitations exist. If we scale this, will the interface become a bottleneck?"
Takumi met her gaze, the room shrinking for a sliver of time. He could have explained the deepest mechanics—how his power interpreted structural logic, how templates were cached in something like memory nodes that resembled a 'system'—but the system had agreed to remain secret. Only he knew its internal law: creation rules, energy limits, and an uncanny adherence to practical engineering logic borrowed from a world he'd left behind.
He chose carefully: "It is scalable if we invest in training. I'll give you the outputs—the blueprints, the modules. But the core — my ability to directly generate full-plan batches — is not something I can delegate publicly. Think of it as a specialized consultancy that fast-tracks starter kits. After we boot the initial production and train machines and humans using those kits, the factories will run by themselves."
Ningguang nodded. She liked the idea of a controlled advantage—enough secrecy to preserve bargaining power, enough transparency to sell the plan.
Closing — Assignments and a Small Miracle
By late evening, assignments lay across parchment:
Ningguang would form the Development Consortium and issue bonds.
Keqing would supervise land allocation and build the driving test field.
Yanfei would finalize laws and investor protections.
Jean would secure Mondstadt's resources and wine export quotas.
Takumi, Albedo, Cloud Retainer, and Sucrose would move to industrialize the first factories.
Klee would stay on probation (with Jean as overseer).
Before the guests departed, Zhongli stood and tapped a wooden cup. "We build bridges of stone today. Tomorrow, we build bonds of trade. This is a good path for a long life of peace."
Takumi looked at the small circle of faces. The plan had weight, and the city hummed with the first chords of a new industry.
Outside, Klee set a tiny, harmless firework into a clay tester Xu Liang had made in his pottery booth. It popped once, a small bright bloom.
Hu Tao applauded wildly. "A maiden blast! The mortuary approves."
Klee beamed. Takumi glanced at the sky—Guili Plains, Liyue Harbor, the road to Mondstadt—lines that had once been rough on maps were now being redrawn.
His blueprint system had given them a head start. Ningguang's capital, Keqing's discipline, Albedo's alchemy, Cloud Retainer's mechanics, Sucrose's crops, Xiangling's kitchens, and—much to Jean's alarm—Klee's explosives made for an explosive recipe (pun intended) for accelerated growth.
Takumi let the moment sit. The system's real gift wasn't conjuring plans—it was giving people a way to believe they could build something together.
And that, he thought, would change Liyue more than any single bolt of alchemy ever could.