Inside the office, Jean rose in surprise and delight, setting aside all her paperwork at once to brew tea for Xia Zhi, who had just come through the door.
"Mr. Xia, please, sit."
"Captain Jean, no need to be so polite."
Xia Zhi lifted the teacup. Inside was the [Silver Dew] he himself had gifted her.
Serving him with his own tea—well, that was amusing in its own way.
He took a sip and asked, "Do you still have enough leaves left?"
Jean sat across from him with a smile. "There's still some."
"If it's only 'some,' then it's not much. Seems Captain Jean's been working hard lately, to go through so much tea in such a short time. I'll give you more."
"This…"
Jean watched as Xia Zhi took out a small jar and handed it over. She hesitated, but in the end accepted it, gratitude showing on her face.
After all, this was far better than relying on coffee.
"Mr. Xia, you've given me so much already—I really don't know how to thank you."
"Between friends, there's no need."
Friends? Having such a generous, considerate friend—well, that was wonderful.
Jean smiled faintly, saying nothing more, only quietly remembering this kindness.
The two of them chatted idly for a while.
"Mr. Xia, haven't you gone to enjoy the Windblume Festival today?"
"I've already strolled through it for several days. Today I plan to return to the Library and continue with my original business of borrowing books."
"As a headmaster, Mr. Xia clearly has the school in his heart."
"Ah, I'm just making up for my laziness. Captain Jean, you still haven't had time to properly enjoy the Windblume Festival this year, have you?"
"I'm a local. These festivals come every year—missing one or two hardly matters."
"Even so, it's a bit of a shame. I'm free right now… Captain Jean, do you still need a massage?"
"Actually, I've been sitting too long these past days, and my back and waist are sore. If it's not too much trouble, Mr. Xia…"
Once strangers, twice familiar—by now she could face it calmly.
Smiling, Jean stood and went to clear her desk, moving all the papers away.
Xia Zhi set down his teacup and joined her to help.
With the desk cleared, Jean slipped off her shoes and lay down.
The old desk was truly massive.
Never mind Jean's slender frame—there was more than enough room for both of them to lie down and still have space to roll around.
Xia Zhi placed his hands on Jean's shoulders and began massaging seriously.
Jean closed her eyes halfway, a relaxed expression spreading across her face.
This kind of relaxation was always the best time to bring up business.
"Captain Jean," Xia Zhi began, "there's actually something I wanted to discuss with you today."
"Please speak freely, Mr. Xia. If it's something I can help with, I'll do everything I can."
He chuckled. "No need to sound so solemn. It's nothing major—let's call it business."
"Business?" Jean blinked.
"Last time, I overheard you mention that Mondstadt's finances these past two years haven't been doing well."
Jean nodded. "Yes. Because of the dragon catastrophe."
"And Amber told me that last year you nearly couldn't even pay the Knights of Favonius their wages."
Jean sighed helplessly. "That's true. I was even preparing to borrow from the Northland Bank, but fortunately after scraping together what we could, we managed to weather that difficult time…"
"But you're still short on funds now, aren't you?"
"Mm. We'll have to wait until the harvest at year's end, when the new wine is brewed. Only then will Mondstadt's finances ease up."
"But it's only the beginning of the year."
"Yes, though this month, thanks to the Windblume Festival, tourism has been thriving. That helps a little."
Xia Zhi paused in thought. "Have you ever considered deeper reasons for this?"
"Deeper reasons…? Of course I've thought about it. Mondstadt's geography can't compare with Liyue's, so commerce isn't as developed. And our wine industry isn't on par with Liyue's mining industry."
"That's all?"
"The most important factor is that Liyue's Geo Archon, Morax, is also the God of Wealth."
"No, let's set the Archons aside. If we're just talking economics, Mondstadt's structure is too one-sided."
"Oh? Then I'd like to hear your thoughts, Mr. Xia."
Back when he was giving Ningguang massages in her parlor every day, Xia Zhi often discussed economics with her.
So he knew a fair bit about the pros and cons of the Seven Nations' economies.
He shared a few of his ideas—for example, supporting tourism, shifting Mondstadt's focus away from wine, and so forth.
Jean listened thoughtfully.
When he finished her shoulders and arms, Xia Zhi moved to the other side of the desk to massage her legs.
Today she was wearing black stockings—the texture was excellent.
She'd clearly bathed that morning; there was no hint of sweat, only a faint fragrance of soap and water.
Jean felt the pleasant warmth spreading from her legs, then, blushing slightly, asked, "So this 'business' you mentioned… what exactly is it, Mr. Xia?"
"I'm planning to open a little shop in Mondstadt."
"A juice shop?"
"No, an alchemy shop."
"An alchemy shop?"
"Yes. I want to collaborate with the Knights' alchemists and bring alchemical potions to market."
"That… won't be easy."
"Captain Jean has reservations?"
"Mm. First, there's the risk of consuming alchemy potions. You're skilled in alchemy, so you know most potions carry unknown side effects. When Knights are on missions facing life-or-death danger, taking a potion for massive gains—even with side effects—is worth it. But ordinary people can't be treated that way…"
"I've considered that. The solution is weakening the potions. Normal folks don't need the raw potency of a Knight's potion. By reducing their Effect, we can give them diluted versions—with equally reduced side effects."
"Weakened potions, hm…"
"Also, they should be regulated as controlled substances. Buyers must be informed of the risks in advance, so they know what they're accepting."
"That's true. But there's another problem."
"You mean alchemy materials?"
"Exactly. Even with Albedo himself, failures happen—and the more complex the formula, the higher the failure rate. For ordinary alchemists, it's even worse. And since ingredients are scarce, potions barely cover the Knights' own needs. There aren't any left over to sell."
"Potion failures are normal. Even I fail sometimes."
Xia Zhi nodded.
"But I've thought about this too. For Mondstadt right now, it's actually not such a problem."
"What do you mean, Mr. Xia?"
"The recent monster mutations that led to attacks on the city—they brought in a huge supply of alchemy materials."
"But those materials aren't suitable for potion-making."
"Oh? Who said that?"
"I already asked Lisa. She said those materials, extracted from monster corpses, are infused with volatile Electro. Using them for potions leads to explosions. She tried several times before giving up. She said they're only good for making alchemical bombs."
Xia Zhi couldn't help laughing. "So that's it."
Jean looked puzzled. "Why are you laughing, Mr. Xia?"
"Because Lisa's not wrong. But every material has its own properties, like herbs with different medicinal effects. You can't just use existing recipes. With special adjustments, I can alter the formulas so they'll brew smoothly—no explosions."
"…Ah?"
"You don't believe me, Captain Jean?"
"No, no, it's not that. I'm just… surprised."
"Well, words alone won't convince you. I'll go find Lisa later and do some tests with her. Once we have results, we'll see."
Jean fell silent for a moment, enjoying the sensation on her calves, then suddenly asked, "Mr. Xia… why do you want to open an alchemy shop all of a sudden?"
"I just felt like it."
"There must be a reason."
"To make money."
"You're not the type to care about Mora."
"Not at all—I've got a big family to feed."
"Mr. Xia, your shop in Liyue is already making Mora hand over fist. That should be plenty."
"To be honest, that little shop's income isn't enough. After all, I've now got two bottomless pits to feed—two little ones who eat like dragons."
"Mr. Xia, you're exaggerating."
Jean chuckled. She knew he meant Xia Lin and Xia Le. At lunch the other day, she'd noticed how much those two could eat. But comparing them to dragons was… a bit much.
"Want the real reason?"
"I'm curious. But if you'd rather not say, forget it."
"It's fine. I'd have to trouble you later anyway."
"Oh?"
"I'll be asking you to manage the shop's profits—use them to rebuild Mondstadt's public facilities damaged in the dragon catastrophe."
"…What?"
"But it's too soon to talk details. Once the shop's up and running, I'll come back and explain properly."
Xia Zhi lowered his gaze.
On one hand, it was for Xia Lin.
That little girl had probably been influenced by Yaoyao, unable to bear human suffering. And after bringing disaster to Mondstadt five hundred years ago, guilt surely lingered in her heart. She wanted to help its people live better lives.
As her father and teacher, he had to make that wish come true.
On the other hand, it was for Xia Le.
Last year's catastrophe had left Mondstadt devastated—most of it destroyed by her.
The financial crisis of these two years? Mostly her fault.
True, the Abyss Order was the main culprit, but she couldn't escape blame. She must feel regret and guilt.
As her big brother, he had to help her make it right.
Besides, Xia Le had told him she wanted to go to Inazuma with everyone someday, to see the Summer Festival.
Of course, with her speed, no matter where in Teyvat she was, she could return to Mondstadt the instant she heard the Holy Lyre der Himmel. But still, he had more or less lured her away.
One of Mondstadt's Four Winds had snuck off. Jean didn't know the truth yet—but he owed compensation.
And beyond all that, as Jean and Venti's close friend, he'd naturally help however he could.