Genshin Impact: The Recorder of All Things

Zhong Gui noticed Ke Lai's gaze, turned around and smiled.

Cole: "Hmm..."

"I'll let you in on a little insider information. I heard there will be some changes to this year's Immortal Summoning Ceremony," Zhong Gui said cautiously. "This is all inside information."

Girls: "..."

This is really inside information! Are we the first to know?

"Haha~ Anyway, the Summoning Ceremony itself isn't really a festival. In Liyue Harbor, it's only related to the 'Liyue Septim,' so it's also called the 'Seven Stars Summoning Ceremony.'"

"However, because every policy issued by the Geo Archon is essentially a national policy for Liyue, and the ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring, most people in Liyue are merchants, and they all want to be that 'duck' (merchant). So, people who aren't too far away will either return on their own or send someone else to do so."

"At this time, there are even more people in Liyue Harbor than during the Lantern Festival. With more people, they come to buy things, so these few days naturally become a festival that is not a festival at all."

"There is no specific name for the festival, but you know it's that as soon as you mention the Summoning Ceremony in Liyue."

"It's going to get more and more lively these next few days, so everyone have a good time."

Then Zhong Gui took everyone shopping, buying things, and eating snacks...

……

"I didn't expect you to come here with me."

"Return to the original entrance of Liyue Harbor," Kaeya said with a smile to the people around him.

However, faced with Kaeya's smiling face, the man showed no politeness whatsoever and said coldly, "Don't misunderstand, I just came to see Liyue's Summoning Ceremony and see if there are any opportunities for cooperation in the coming year."

Diluc, the big boss of Dawn Winery, the largest winery in Mondstadt, has almost monopolized the wine industry in the land of wine and wind. Diluc is simply very rich.

In contrast to his fair skin, Kaiya is his adopted brother, and they have apparently fallen out.

But no matter what, once you've fallen out, it's impossible to give the other person a friendly look.

"Oh dear, I've told you all the secrets I know. Is Lord Diluc now burning me down after using me?"

"Wrong, it's 'discarding the millstone after it has served its purpose'!"

Diluc ignored Kaeya and strode into Liyue Harbor...

Upon entering Liyue Harbor, one is immediately struck by Liyue's bustling commerce. Although he had visited this place before when he was traveling through Teyvat for a certain reason, seeing it again still made him realize that Liyue was quite different from the other seven kingdoms.

Moreover, Liyue is more prosperous now...

"Humph~"

Diluc was furious, not at Liyue, but at his own country, the Mondstadt leadership, and the Knights of Favonius.

From the upper echelons to the residents, everyone was unambitious and living a life of decadence. Having traveled through the seven kingdoms, he could see clearly that Mondstadt was the weakest of the seven kingdoms.

Diluc felt that the power of Sumeru was too scattered and internally conflicted, but once the internal power was integrated, it would be very strong.

Excluding the gods, Sumeru should be stronger than Mondstadt and Inazuma.

"Of all the elements of heaven and earth, only the rock remains eternally solid."

The essence of solid rock lies in its orthodox origin.

Miaoxuan, the King of Rocks, is clear and well-behaved.

Judge good and evil impartially, and purify the streams and clear the sea.

It can avert all dangers and calamities, and suppress and destroy demons.

With the celestial balance established, the torrents receded slightly.

He then led the immortals and yakshas to the front.

The people were brave and strong, and the ghosts were terrified.

The emperor sculpted a rock and threw it into the ground, and it became a mountain.

……

There were five guardians, whom the Rock King dispatched.

Uproot evil and eliminate wickedness; quell resentment and stop foul talk.

The mountain collapsed and the rocks trembled, and golden light blazed wildly.

Fierce and treacherous, one of the five is still present.

Jinpeng Night 4.7 Fork, Protect the Strong Wall and Secure the Peace.

......"

Several children were in a small circle, reciting their books aloud. Many adults consciously kept their distance, not wanting to disturb them.

Diluc: "..."

Kaeya nodded gently in rhythm with the children's voices. "Is this Liyue?"

Diluc: "...These weren't here last time I came."

Liyue has developed further. He could see that the children's clothes and backpacks were all standardized. Liyue had already developed places similar to the Order of the Nation, just like Sumeru. However, unlike Sumeru, they had extended to such young children.

What about Mondstadt? The nuns in the church teach literacy and hymns... Few people go to study in the Knights' library; they'd rather drink a bottle of wine and find a place to lie down.

This has always been the case...

Chapter 80 Diluc: Let's pretend we know a lot and blend in first.

Note: I saw a comment about Chapter 79 concerning the relative strengths of Sumeru and Mondstadt. I went back and looked at it carefully, and I realized I made a mistake. The original intention was to express Diluc's thoughts; he wasn't aware of the deeper secrets of the two nations, it was just his speculation. On the other hand, from our perspective in the real world, Sumeru still has many unrevealed characters and their hidden strengths, and Abelard and Aerith's stances are uncertain. Therefore, the author couldn't say for sure. The description only showed what appeared to be high-ranking figures who had actually detached themselves from Mondstadt's core, and we don't see Diluc's thoughts from the player's omniscient perspective. I realized that part of the description did have a problem, so I revised it.

The main text: Other people's offspring receive formal education in batches, while ours are watching a bunch of alcoholics imitate them from a young age.

The gods of Liyue appear once a year to plan for Liyue's future development; the gods of Mondstadt have never appeared, and their existence is even doubted.

Diluc didn't know whether the gods were right or wrong, but if he had the chance, he wanted to ask Barbatos, the wind god: What does the future hold for Mondstadt?

"Hey~" Kaeya nudged Diluc and pointed in a direction with his chin.

04 "Look over there, do you know that person?"

Diluc looked over and saw a young man dressed in fine clothes leading a group of girls shopping.

"It's him?"

"This is incredible! I never expected that the Liyue person I only met once or twice would be so popular in Liyue."

When Zhong Gui went to Mondstadt, Kaeya encountered him. Because Zhong Gui's behavior was not that of an ordinary person, she secretly monitored him for two days. After finding that Zhong Gui was fine, she stopped monitoring him.

When Zhong Gui was in Mondstadt, he didn't have much contact with people he could talk to, and he didn't have any plans to cause trouble, so he looked ordinary, at most a bit handsome.

Diluc knew Zhong Gui because Zhong Gui had stayed overnight at the Dawn Winery when he passed by and they had a chat.

Diluc remembered him as a learned man, someone who should be a prominent figure in Liyue.

At that time, Diluc's father was still alive, and he was a passionate young man. At that time, the fire element didn't distinguish between Diluc and others.

Zhong Gui chatted with Diluc when he was young, and they discussed many issues related to systems.

Two guys often end up talking about this stuff when they're chatting, just like bragging about how awesome it is.

During the chat, Gui didn't hide it from him, jokingly calling himself an unpopular person in Liyue—a guest of the funeral industry's leading enterprise, the Hall of Resurrection, and that he had come to Mondstadt this time to visit an old friend.

In the following days, Zhong Gui often drank at "Angel's Gift" with Wendy, a Mondstadt native who had suddenly appeared, and Diluc even personally entertained them.

Although Wendy's appearance was quite abrupt, Diluc doesn't think there's anything wrong with him over the years.

And many things are a bit strange, like the amazing reviews Zhong Gui gave...

When two young people talk about things they don't like, they always say: "If it were me, I would do XXX..."

Diluc had also heard Zhong Gui mention it, but at the time he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just because he'd had too much to drink, since there were quite a few people like that in Mondstadt.

Then, in the following years, Diluc saw Zhong Guichu's ideas begin to be implemented in Liyue.

This time, he even saw large numbers of Qianyan soldiers clearing land in Guili Plain. The abandoned land there seemed usable and could already be called "barren land".

It used to be a wasteland polluted by the power of demons.

Whether by coincidence or not, Zhong Gui had once boasted to him that things would be better if he "returned to his original land in two years," that "military settlements would be adopted first," and that "we would sell him grain cheaply for brewing wine"...

When Diluc passed by Guili Plains, he thought of this and couldn't help but think that Mondstadt was going to play a trick on him. The grain grown in such a large place as Guili Plains could definitely crash Mondstadt's grain prices.

As the policies were implemented step by step, Diluc had to consider whether Zhong Gui should return to Liyue and become one of the Liyue Seven Stars.

Ever since he heard from Kaeya that the four gods were gathering in Liyue, Jean sent him with a group to see if he could meet the Anemo Archon, at least to know what he looks like, and to ask the Archon if he had any instructions on what the four nations were discussing at this gathering...

In short, it's about figuring out what happened and what Mondstadt should do.

With information about Kaeya as an "insider," Diluc also came along.

His reason was that the Liyue Summoning Ceremony was about to begin, and as a businessman, he had to see if he could gain any benefit.

Anyway, every year around this time, foreigners come to visit Liyue, since the national policy for the following year is coming up, and understanding it can make a lot of money.

Some people even wondered if they could create a monopoly in the industry.

However, outsiders, and even many merchants in Liyue, will no longer be able to monopolize the market, because some people have already received advance notice.

Tianquan and Yuheng had already received advance notice, and Tianquan, leading the Seven Stars, had taken control of many industries.

It is not operated as one of the seven stars, but as the Liyue nation.

Of course, the seven stars also drank a little bit of soup.