Just as Cloud Retainer was about to agree, the thought of being tied down by endless paperwork like Ganyu gave her pause.
Noticing her hesitation, Lin Yide pressed on, "Rest assured, Cloud Retainer. Your work will be very relaxed. You'll work at most two days a week, with the rest of the time being your own. On top of that, you'll receive a generous monthly salary of one million Mora."
A sense of suspicion arose in Cloud Retainer's heart as she listened, feeling as though this were an elaborate trap. "Director Yide, you wouldn't be trying to deceive me, would you?"
Lin Yide simply smiled calmly and asked in return, "Cloud Retainer, do you think I have any reason to deceive you?"
His words stunned Cloud Retainer for a moment. Then, recalling Lin Yide's identity and status, she instantly felt her previous worries were unnecessary. The man before her, though young in appearance, was already a powerful figure who held sway over the mortal realm, his strength comparable to that of a god. Such a person had no need to trick her.
With her doubts dispelled, Cloud Retainer gave her consent.
In the next moment, her form shifted, and she transformed into her previous human appearance. "Since I have entered the mortal realm, I should use a mortal name," she said to Lin Yide and Ganyu. "From now on, in public, you may call me 'Xianyun'."
Lin Yide and Ganyu both nodded in agreement.
"Let us head to Liyue at once!" Xianyun's voice held a hint of urgency. "The people of Liyue are waiting for me to save them!"
Lin Yide felt a little awkward. The plea he had used to convince Xianyun to come out of seclusion had been somewhat exaggerated. He had no choice but to explain, "The people of Liyue are not in a hurry at the moment."
He then recounted the story of how Zhongli was currently testing the Liyue Qixing.
Xianyun's expression immediately turned awkward and strange. If the Liyue Qixing passed the Geo Archon's test, the burden of the people of Liyue would likely not fall to her.
"Rest assured, Cloud Retainer," Lin Yide guaranteed. "The Qixing have already thoroughly disappointed the Geo Archon. There is no way they can pass the test."
Xianyun said faintly, "If you hadn't intervened, they would have passed, wouldn't they?"
Lin Yide merely smiled without a word. Without his intervention, the story of Liyue would have concluded with a heartwarming "everyone makes dumplings together" ending. But now, the fate of Liyue was heading towards a brand-new conclusion.
...
In the main hall of the Feiyun Commerce Guild in Liyue Harbor.
At this moment, Xingyun's hair was disheveled, his face ashen. He sat slumped in a chair, exuding an air of despair and decadence.
He muttered to himself incessantly, "Why is this happening? How can there be an endless supply of grain in the Liyue market?..." His voice was filled with confusion and helplessness.
Just then, Xingqiu walked in.
Seeing his father in such a listless state, his heart was filled with a mix of emotions, and he felt deeply distressed.
He walked slowly to his father's side and comforted him softly, "Father, you must pull yourself together." His voice was full of concern and encouragement.
"Pull myself together?" Xingyun slowly raised his head, glanced at Xingqiu, and then shook his head weakly. "The Feiyun Commerce Guild is finished. There's still some money left in the family. You and your brother should divide it and flee!"
Hearing his father's words, a look of sorrow crossed Xingqiu's face. He wanted to say something, but in the end, the words wouldn't come out.
Xingyun sighed deeply, his voice filled with profound regret. "I have navigated the seas of commerce for many years and was able to lead the Feiyun Commerce Guild to become one of the top guilds in Liyue by relying on caution. But this time, I fell before greed. If I had listened to Yide's instructions back then, I wouldn't have ended up in this state."
As he spoke, a flash of resentment crossed his face. "That dog Yide, he clearly knew in advance that someone was setting a trap, but he didn't tell me. He just watched as I jumped into someone else's trap."
He suddenly gripped Xingqiu's arms tightly. "Tell me, did their West Factory deliberately set me up? Are they trying to seize my family's assets, even to the point of ruining my family?"
"That's right, it must be so! No wonder the grain in the market is endless. I spent a full five billion Mora. Logically, the price of grain should have already risen to two or three hundred Mora per catty. But now, the price has actually dropped to one hundred and fifty Mora!"
Xingqiu shook his head gently. "Father, the West Factory is not short of money. They have no need to do this. Besides, if word of this got out, no one would be willing to cooperate with the West Factory in the future."
Xingyun was not convinced. He demanded in a loud, emotional voice, "Then you tell me, where did all that grain on the market come from? Why is there so much?"
Xingqiu was speechless. He couldn't figure it out either—why there was suddenly such a massive amount of grain on the market.
Just then, a clear and pleasant voice came from the doorway, "That's because the Qixing sold off Liyue's grain reserves."
Xingqiu and Xingyun turned their heads at the sound and saw a pure and beautiful young woman standing at the door. She had a lovely face, and a pair of playful and cute cat ears on her head added a touch of liveliness to her elegant and noble temperament.
Upon seeing the young woman's arrival, Xingyun eagerly asked, "President Lynette, you just said that the Qixing sold off Liyue's grain reserves. What exactly is going on?"
Lynette patiently explained, "In the early years, the Geo Archon secretly built a granary to prevent disasters. The grain stored inside was enough to feed all the people of Liyue for half a year. Now, the Qixing have sold off these reserves."
After hearing Lynette's explanation, Xingyun seemed to lose all his strength and slumped back into his chair, muttering to himself, "No wonder I couldn't buy it all."
He quickly pieced together the entire course of events. The earlier surge in grain prices was a deliberate illusion created by the Qixing, designed to make him mistakenly believe that Liyue's grain supply was tight, thus encouraging him to buy heavily and further drive up the price. Just after he had purchased a large amount of grain at a high price, the Qixing suddenly dumped a large quantity on the market, forcing him to continue buying to maintain the price. Finally, the Qixing crashed the market again, causing him to lose everything.