In the antique-styled living room of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Lin Yide and Zhongli sat opposite each other across a table.
With a respectful tone, Lin Yide said to Zhongli, "Lord Morax, there are some matters I wish to discuss with you."
Zhongli smiled faintly and responded gracefully, "Director Yide, there's no need to be so formal. Just call me Zhongli. What is it you wish to discuss with me?"
Lin Yide gazed at Zhongli, asking with a serious expression, "Mr. Zhongli, I am deeply perplexed. Why do you intend for Liyue to transition from divine rule to human governance?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Zhongli's eyes, but he quickly connected it to Lin Yide being the Director of the West Factory, realizing it wasn't surprising for him to know such a secret.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhongli slowly began, "Thousands of years of wear and tear, even the hardest rock feels weary. Erosion is inevitable, and I cannot protect Liyue forever. Therefore, guiding Liyue from divine rule to human governance is an inevitable choice."
"Erosion?" Lin Yide repeated softly, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. He felt Zhongli's words sounded more like an excuse; that old geezer probably just wanted a reason to retire and enjoy a leisurely life.
However, he didn't dwell on the topic, instead changing the subject. "Mr. Zhongli, if you'll permit my frankness, it seems the current Liyue Qixing are not yet fully capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting Liyue."
Upon hearing this, Zhongli couldn't help but furrow his brow. He held the Liyue Qixing's abilities and character in high regard; some of them were even talents he had secretly nurtured.
He asked in a deep voice, "Director Yide, why do you think so?"
Lin Yide calmly explained, "The Liyue Qixing are all merchants."
A hint of confusion crossed Zhongli's face. "Merchants, what of it? Merchants are skilled at weighing pros and cons, capable of choosing the wisest strategies to maximize benefits for all parties."
Lin Yide gently shook his head. "Merchants are indeed adept at weighing considerations, but the problem is they often focus more on immediate gains, neglecting long-term planning. For instance, Liyue is clearly the wealthiest among the Seven Nations, yet its infrastructure development lags far behind Fontaine and Snezhnaya."
Zhongli rested his hand on his chin. "Generally speaking, merchants do have such issues. The returns from infrastructure development often take years, even over a decade, to materialize."
Lin Yide interjected, "Not only that, but merchants are also the group most likely to abandon principles for profit."
Zhongli's tone conveyed firmness: "But I believe the Liyue Qixing would never stoop to such a level. They will uphold their principles and bottom lines."
Lin Yide let out a soft chuckle. "Mr. Zhongli, the Liyue Qixing can easily obtain confidential intelligence, which is undoubtedly a significant advantage in commercial competition. With such an advantage, they don't need to violate any principles to win easily."
Upon hearing this, Zhongli fell silent. He had to admit that Lin Yide was absolutely correct.
Intelligence is the most crucial aspect of commercial activities; the party that controls information essentially holds an unassailable position.
Lin Yide continued, "Liyue's social wealth distribution has reached a highly unfair point, and the gap between rich and poor is steadily widening. On one hand, wealthy merchants are engrossed in lives of luxury and enjoyment; on the other, ordinary people not only endure arbitrary scolding and punishment from their employers but also face constantly rising living costs."
As his words faded, the living room fell silent. This conversation prompted deep reflection from Zhongli, who began to re-examine his decision: was entrusting the nation's future to merchants truly a wise choice?
Suddenly, light footsteps were heard from outside the door, breaking the silence in the living room.
Immediately after, a vibrant young girl's figure burst into the living room. She wore a black diviner's hat, playfully tilted to one side, and a black waist-length robe that appeared dignified yet stylish. Her lower body was adorned with shorts, socks, and black shoes, an overall look that was both serious and revealed the girl's charm and vivacity.
As soon as she entered, she enthusiastically pitched her services to Lin Yide: "Boss, our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is famously professional in Liyue's funeral industry, specializing in all-inclusive funeral services. And now, we're even offering a free 'Eighteen Farewells, One Dark Water' service – solemn and magnificent! The most, most, most exciting part is that a second tombstone is half price! If I weren't so young, I'd want to send myself off right now!"
Faced with the girl's passionate sales pitch, Lin Yide couldn't help but smile faintly and replied, "Director Hu, your sales pitch is truly hard to refuse. Speaking of which, there was a lot of funeral business in Inazuma last year that I should have introduced to you, but unfortunately, the circumstances at the time didn't allow it."
Upon hearing this, Hu Tao's bright, agile eyes darted around, and she immediately understood what Lin Yide was referring to. She said with some regret, "Ah, yes, the Sakoku Decree in Inazuma hadn't been lifted then. Otherwise, I would have swum there to snatch that business!"
After speaking, Hu Tao's gaze turned to Zhongli, and she said with a hint of complaint, "Consultant Zhongli, can you please stop sending your bills back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor? We haven't had any business for ages! If this keeps up, I'll have to start sneaking offerings from the graves!"
"Director Hu, even if you starve, please don't eat the offerings. I fear the deceased will crawl out and look for you," Zhongli said with a faint, somber tone.
Hu Tao stared at Zhongli, "Then you have to promise me you won't send your bills back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor anymore!"
Zhongli thought for a moment. "Director Hu, if the deceased do crawl out, just stuff them back in."
Hu Tao was furious upon hearing this, but she found herself utterly helpless against this man.
At this point, Lin Yide interjected, "Mr. Zhongli, if you don't mind, should you experience any financial inconvenience in the future, you can send your bills to the Liyue branch of the Furina Foundation for the time being."
Zhongli was about to refuse, but Hu Tao had already spoken first, "Now is a time of financial inconvenience, isn't it? Let's temporarily send his bills to the Furina Foundation!"
Seeing this, Zhongli no longer declined.
After all, the bills were only temporarily stored there; he could pay them back once he was financially comfortable. However, it seemed he had forgotten that he never actually had any Mora.
...
After leaving the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Lin Yide went directly to the Northland Bank.
As he stepped through the bank's doors, a familiar figure caught his eye. After not seeing her for many days, Rosalyne seemed to have become somewhat fuller, her chest curves taut and alluring, as if they might burst from her clothes at any moment.
"Long time no see, Rosalyne!" Lin Yide greeted her warmly.
Rosalyne wasn't pleased by his arrival. She responded coldly, "Yide, this time, we Fatui will absolutely not act according to your script again."
Lin Yide smiled slightly, "Rosalyne, look at how impatient you are. I haven't even said what it's about yet."
Rosalyne shot him an annoyed glance. "What could you possibly want? You just want to use us Fatui to play the villains while your West Factory plays the heroes, so you can seize whatever benefits you desire!"
Lin Yide regarded her with a new gaze, speaking with a touch of surprise in his tone, "Rosalyne, I didn't realize your intelligence had actually grown."