After a night of despair, followed by the miraculous return of her ancestral jade bangle, Yelan felt so overwhelmed with emotion that tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
"I can't appear personally," she said softly. "Take this Mora and give it to him as my reward."
Her subordinate accepted the heavy money pouch. A rough estimate told him it contained at least several hundred thousand Mora—no small sum.
"Lady Yelan truly has a kind heart," he said sincerely. "No wonder even the heavens favor you."
"The one helping me isn't the heavens," Yelan replied calmly. "It's the Fortune Die. Go take care of it—and close the door for me."
Returning to her bedroom, Yelan held the jade bangle and wiped it again and again, her joy impossible to conceal.
Only after her emotions settled did she activate the incantation and attempt to contact her ancestor once more.
Now that the Fortune Die's effects had been confirmed, she wished to learn more about her forebear.
Back then, her ancestor's death had severed the family's legacy. Since then, no renowned mystic had emerged from their lineage.
If her ancestor were still alive—even as a lingering remnant—he might be able to pass down the mystic arts and secret techniques.
"Ancestor," Yelan said respectfully, "this descendant, Yelan, greets you."
"Rise," came the reply. "There is a matter you must attend to. I have observed the stars—Liyue may soon face turmoil. To ensure safety, you must deposit all your assets into the Northland Bank."
"Northland Bank is backed by the Fatui," Yelan hesitated. "Putting everything there makes me uneasy. And why must it be Northland Bank? I'm capable of protecting my own wealth."
She didn't wish to disobey her ancestor's will—but she truly couldn't understand it.
"With the Geo Archon himself presiding over Liyue," the ancestral voice weakened,
"are you afraid the Northland Bank would dare default…?"
The voice faded further, and the connection abruptly cut off.
Yelan could tell—her ancestor's state was unstable. Long conversations were impossible.
After careful thought, she decided to follow the advice.
Depositing assets into Northland Bank would not only avert disaster, but might also earn the Snezhnayan Prince's endorsement.
A profitable move either way.
Having received her ancestor's warning in advance, she naturally wished to shield her family from risk.
That very day, she returned to her clan and urgently convened a meeting with the clan head and elders.
She recounted the manifestation of her ancestor in full.
The clan head immediately decided—
The family's hundreds of billions of Mora in assets would all be deposited into Northland Bank.
The clan head was Yelan's uncle, a well-known figure in Liyue. He had once run for a seat among the Liyue Qixing in the previous term.
Though he ultimately lost, it was proof enough of his financial strength.
And this uncle had many close associates.
Almost all of them were wealthy magnates who had also failed in past Qixing elections.
Bound together by shared defeat, they formed a tight-knit circle—
a group of so-called "quasi-Qixing."
Among them—
Some monopolized mineral resources, true tycoons of industry.
Some dominated agriculture, genuine great landlords.
Some controlled hardware, construction materials, and scrap markets—hidden billionaires.
Others monopolized jewelry, printing, or escort services.
In short, they possessed wealth second only to the Liyue Qixing themselves.
Yelan's uncle quietly passed along Boyang's warning to these friends.
They immediately grew restless.
One after another, they transferred their assets into Northland Bank.
Each of these billionaires possessed tens of billions in wealth.
Within a single day, Northland Bank received hundreds of billions more in deposits.
And with their extensive social networks, word spread rapidly—one to ten, ten to a hundred.
More and more merchants chose to deposit their assets at Northland Bank.
As for ordinary businesses that had been hesitating, seeing the major merchants act decisively pushed them to follow suit.
That very day, Northland Bank employees were forced to work through the night, processing deposits without rest.
Inside his office, Pantalone gazed at the densely packed crowds lining the streets outside.
His admiration for the Prince had reached the depths of his bones.
At this pace, he estimated that within a few months, the amount of Mora circulating in Liyue would be significantly reduced.
The reason it would take that long was simple—
Liyue maintained active trade with the other Six Nations, and in the short term, large quantities of Mora would continue flowing in from abroad.
Moreover, as domestic Mora circulation decreased, many merchants would retrieve overseas funds to invest back home.
For Northland Bank to "absorb" such a colossal volume of Mora would inevitably require time.
Still—
Judging from recent developments, as deposits continued to surge, true victory in the commercial war was no longer far off.
Pantalone was filled with anticipation for the future.
The three major problems he had asked the Prince to resolve had now all been solved:
First—absorbing massive deposits into Northland Bank.
Second—ascertaining the Golden House's strategic Mora reserves.
Third—exactly how to take revenge on Yelan.
Seeing Yelan's clan rush to deposit all their assets today, he knew—
This was undoubtedly the Prince's subtle scheme taking effect.
Though he didn't know how Severin had done it, the result was intoxicating.
It felt as though every pore in his body had opened.
Low-level revenge was hurling insults or trading blows.
High-level revenge was manipulating the enemy like a chess piece—
using their own resources to advance your plan.
As for Yelan—
After fulfilling her ancestor's instructions, she finally let out a long breath.
At the same time, a sudden thought crossed her mind.
Perhaps it's time to retire early… and live for myself.
In the past, she had roamed the nations in search of her ancestor's fate, ignoring danger, repeatedly brushing against death.
She still remembered several occasions when she had gone undercover without her Vision—nearly violated by criminals.
Even now, those memories felt like nightmares.
Once, the pursuit of truth had given her immense motivation—
a belief that carried her forward.
But now, with her ancestor's manifestation—
She suddenly lost her life's goal.
Her sense of purpose vanished.
It was as if the world no longer needed her.
Perhaps…
She should find a man to marry, settle down, and live quietly.
When she voiced this thought to Ningguang, the latter fell silent for a long while.
Yelan suddenly wanting marriage left Ningguang at a loss for words.
For Yelan, marriage might not be a bad thing.
If not for Liyue's greater good, even Ningguang herself might wish to find a good man and marry.
For women like them—
Who said career and family couldn't coexist?
"With your conditions," Ningguang finally said,
"finding someone truly well-matched will be difficult."
"There's no need to persuade me, Ningguang," Yelan replied calmly.
"My mind is made up. I want to begin a new chapter in life. Marriage is a fine path."
Ningguang asked one final question.
"Very well. Since you've thought it through, I won't stop you.
You already have someone in mind, don't you?"
Yelan paused, then smiled faintly.
"Ningguang… what do you think about the Snezhnayan Prince?"
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