After Ye Xi left, Ningguang returned to the stage to deliver her summary and closing remarks.
Until at last—
"...All construction projects will officially commence tomorrow at noon!"
"The detailed recruitment plan for workers will also be announced tonight."
With those words, the Harbor-Wide Announcement Assembly had officially come to an end.
And those final few sentences from Ningguang sparked the interest of the ordinary folk.
"Recruitment? The General Affairs Office is hiring?"
"Obviously! A project this massive is bound to need tons of workers! Road-paving, house-building, carpenters, all sorts of skilled craftsmen... how else are they going to get the construction done?"
"Right! Doesn't that mean we'll have a chance to take part? We might even make a fair bit of money!"
"Whether I can land a wife from here on out depends on whether I get into the construction crew this time!"
"It's all thanks to Master Ye Xi that we even have this opportunity! Enough chatter—I'm heading home to pack my bags and get ready to apply!"
"...'One-nine-seven'..."
To the wealthy merchants of Liyue, the new city was an opportunity—a chance to expand their clans and accumulate fortunes.
To the common people, it meant work to be had and a little hard-earned coin.
Rich or poor, everyone was brimming with anticipation for this construction plan.
As the assembly concluded, the three Jade Chambers gradually rose into the sky and departed from Liyue Harbor.
The Millelith, too, organized the orderly dispersal of the crowds.
"Miss Lisa, the crowd's moving now—we can head to the General Affairs Office!"
Seeing that the people on Feiyun Slope had begun to disperse, Jiayi continued leading Lisa and Klee onward.
Coming up from Feiyun Slope, one was met head-on by the gates of the Feiyun Commerce Guild and the General Affairs Office.
"Jiayi? Why aren't you at the checkpoint registering people, you little rascal? What are you doing back here?"
"If you're slacking off, watch out—I'll tell the Instructor!"
The moment he saw Jiayi, Yicheng, the Millelith guard at the gate, started cracking jokes.
Jiayi waved his hand. "Go on, get lost—I'm here to receive Master Ye Xi's honored guests!"
"Master Ye Xi's honored guests?!"
Yicheng couldn't help but laugh. "Ever since earlier, the number of people coming to the General Affairs Office hoping to see Master Ye Xi has already hit double digits!"
"You, my friend—you're too late!"
"Huh?!"
Jiayi was slightly taken aback.
This was awkward.
He couldn't very well let these two beside him fail to even catch a glimpse of Ye Xi, could he?
Standing behind Jiayi, Lisa wasn't overly surprised. She gave a soft smile. "Master Ye Xi is so famous now—naturally, plenty of people want to see him."
"But we're different. You see, I've brought a letter written in his own hand."
Hearing this, Yicheng cast a glance at Lisa and Klee behind Jiayi.
Seeing that both of them wore an Eye of God, Yicheng instantly shrank his neck.
"S-so these are honored guests with Eyes of God! We mustn't be the least bit negligent!"
"Jiayi, I'll go report to my superiors and see what they say!"
If they were ordinary folk, they were most likely just trying to curry connections.
But for people with an Eye of God, that was another matter entirely.
In short, common people like them couldn't afford to give offense.
Yicheng wasn't gone long before he returned, bringing a female secretary with him.
"Miss, do you have a letter from Lord Ye Xi?"
"I'm one of the secretaries of the Eight Trades. The lords have all gone to the Yuehai Pavilion for a meeting."
"I'll take you to the Yuehai Pavilion to present the letter to the lords and have it conveyed on your behalf!"
"Please, you two, come with me."
Lisa nodded and followed behind the secretary.
Klee couldn't help but sigh. "Lisa... Big Sister Lisa, it feels so hard to see that Big Brother Ye Xi! It's just like an adventure—one stage after another!"
Lisa smiled. "Little Klee needn't fret. We'll see him very soon."
As they spoke, Lisa and Klee made their way up the grand staircase and onto Yujing Terrace.
At this moment, Yujing Terrace was bustling with people coming and going, and tightly guarded.
The little secretary arrived at the entrance of the Yuehai Pavilion, only to be stopped.
"Master Ye Xi is discussing important matters with the lords of the Qixing and Eight Trades. No one is permitted to enter or leave during this time."
"Instructor Feng, I've brought people to see Master Ye Xi. These two claim to have a letter written in Master Ye Xi's own hand—they've come from Mondstadt..."
After listening to the little secretary's account, Feng Yan found himself unable to make a firm call.
He spoke up. "Hand the letter to me first. I'll go see if there's a chance to pass it to Master Ye Xi."
...
Inside the Yuehai Pavilion.
The Qixing and Eight Trades were all in discussion.
"Since Master Ye Xi has the divine power to control Hilichurls, the number of workers we need to hire is greatly reduced!"
"Who would have thought Hilichurls could help with construction work too? In that case, our cost budget drops dramatically!"
"Remarkable! Truly worthy of Master Ye Xi!"
Ye Xi nodded and asked, "Any other questions?"
"Ye Xi."
At this point Ningguang spoke up. "How about giving Liyue's second-largest metropolis a name?"
Since they were going to build a new region of Liyue, it naturally needed a name, just like Liyue Harbor.
This naming was originally a matter for the Qixing and Eight Trades to handle.
But Ningguang wanted to hear Ye Xi's opinion.
This was something Ye Xi had long since prepared for.
He spoke up. "Let's call it Liyue City."
"Furthermore, Liyue City will be divided into three major districts: the Dihua Marsh District, the Guili Plains District, and the area around the transit hub of Wangshu Inn."
"I intend to rename the area near Wangshu Inn the Khaenri'ah New Economic Development Zone..."
"Khaenri'ah?"
Several of the Qixing were somewhat startled.
Although the matter of Khaenri'ah was centuries past, as the upper echelons of Liyue, they still had some understanding of this history.
They might not know the details, but they had heard a little of the basic common knowledge.
So, hearing Ye Xi say this, everyone felt rather taken aback.
Ningguang and Keqing, however, understood perfectly well—they knew that Ye Xi himself came from Khaenri'ah.
Ye Xi explained, "You all should understand that the Hilichurls were the citizens of Khaenri'ah back in those days."
"As the main force of the city's construction, they cannot be left nameless."
At these words, everyone nodded one after another.
"Makes sense! After all, when the time comes, every brick and tile will depend on the Hilichurls!"
"Who would have thought Master Ye Xi was so loyal and devoted!"
"I second Master Ye Xi's proposal!"
"Liyue City! What a fine name! One is Liyue Harbor, the other is Liyue City!"
"Let's do as Master Ye Xi says!"
The Qixing and Eight Trades nodded in agreement one after another.
Seeing this, Ningguang chimed in, "Good, then this matter is settled."
At this moment, the spokesperson of the Heji Hall spoke up. "Lady Keqing, Master Ye Xi, in planning the direction of the routes, we've found that the roads in some places are unsuitable for laying railways."
"The terrain is rugged and winding, rising and falling, with no shortage of crags and rock walls."
"If we are to force a railway through, I believe we'll have to blast the mountains and shatter the rock!"
Hearing this, Ye Xi fell into deep thought.
This was indeed a problem.
From Liyue Harbor straight to Wangshu Inn, beyond the highway, multiple additional lines had to be deployed.
This was planning for the future.
At present there were indeed dirt roads, but these dirt roads were uneven and undulating.
Bumpy was one thing, but they weren't wide enough either.
This didn't meet the conditions for laying a railway.
A way had to be found to blast the mountains.
The problem was, where to find someone so specialized?
Just as Ye Xi was pondering, there suddenly came a knock from outside the door.
Feng Yan poked his head in and reported, "My lords, there are two guests from Mondstadt outside who claim to have a letter written in Master Ye Xi's own hand and wish to see the master in person."
"Oh?"
Ye Xi's eyes instantly lit up, and he promptly said, "Show them in."
The moment he heard there were guests from Mondstadt, Ye Xi had his solution!
With Mondstadt joining in, that tiny, adorable little knight could be reached!
Wasn't that the specialist he needed, arriving right on cue?
....
____
Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 20 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on (P). with 50 advanced chapters available on (P)
👻 Join the crew by searching Leanzin on (P). You know the spot! 😉