Chapter 164

When Takumi and the others were chatting in the private room, the door soon opened.

Several people entered from outside.

It was Keqing and Shenhe, who had been invited by Takumi.

"Sister Keqing!"

"Sister Shenhe!!"

"And Sister Xingqiu!"

"That's not necessary!"

"Klee, how many times have I told you, I'm not a sister!"

Xingqiu sighed in frustration.

Every time they met, Klee called him "sister."

It was tiring, honestly.

Could she stop calling him that?

He wasn't actually a woman!

Klee giggled mischievously.

"Klee!"

"Do you remember me?"

Keqing greeted Klee, then turned her gaze toward Qiqi.

This girl had probably forgotten about her, right?

Hearing Keqing's words, Qiqi looked a little confused.

Soon, she took out her small notebook.

"Keqing's family!"

Seeing what was written, Qiqi suddenly understood.

Keqing sighed helplessly.

But she didn't know what to say. It had been a long time.

Her eyes scanned the others in the room.

Who was this blonde-haired girl?

And what was that floating creature? A kind of fairy?

"This is Lumine."

"A traveler."

"And her traveling companion, Paimon!"

Takumi introduced them to Keqing.

Hearing Takumi's introduction, Paimon's eyes lit up.

Yes!

She wasn't emergency food!

"Sit down."

"Lumine, Paimon, Diona, this purple cat-head is Keqing."

"This is Shenhe."

"And this one is Xingqiu, and that one is Chongyun."

Takumi introduced everyone to Lumine, Paimon, and Diona one by one.

When Keqing heard Takumi's introduction, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

What did he mean by "purple cat-head"?

Although speechless and wanting to complain, Keqing was too lazy to argue with Takumi.

After finding a place to sit down, she looked at Takumi curiously and asked:

"You went to Mondstadt. What did you discuss with Acting Grand Master Jean?"

As soon as she sat down, she got straight to business.

As expected of Keqing.

Takumi immediately took out the agreement he had drafted with Jean.

"Take a look."

"Start making preparations when the time comes."

"Tomorrow, I'll return to Liyue Harbor to let Ningguang and Jean discuss the pricing."

"You can also start getting some of this ready."

"Like wiring and other supplies."

"Later, we can transport everything to Mondstadt by cart."

Keqing reviewed the document Takumi had drafted with Jean.

She frowned deeply.

"Takumi, did you sell some of our blueprints directly to Mondstadt?"

Takumi nodded.

"I know what you're thinking."

"But if we don't sell them, we won't be able to produce them ourselves."

"If that's the case, it's better to sell."

"You don't need to worry about this—I'll explain everything to Ningguang later."

Certain household items weren't worth monopolizing.

Although they could make a lot of Mora from them, it would be troublesome without enough manpower in Liyue.

In that case, it was better to invest in technology and allow Mondstadt to produce them.

Hearing Takumi's reasoning, Keqing frowned slightly.

But as she continued reading, her expression softened.

So, it was a cooperation?

If it was a collaboration, then that was acceptable.

A long-term business deal was much better than a one-time transaction.

She understood the importance of that.

Now it seemed that Takumi did too.

After reading everything, she had a clear understanding.

"Alright, I'll get the preparations started."

"We have sufficient production capacity now, and even a surplus."

"Recently, many members of the Treasure Hoarders have been arrested."

"I assigned them to work in the factories."

She said this without the slightest hesitation.

Takumi nodded.

"That works."

"Has anything been happening lately?"

"Any trouble?"

Hearing Takumi's question, Keqing thought for a moment before replying:

"A Harbinger of the Fatui came looking for you."

"But after learning that you weren't here, he stayed for a while and then left."

Hearing the mention of the Fatui, Lumine's expression darkened.

She still remembered the moment when La Signora slapped Venti.

Even she had been attacked back then.

Because of that, Lumine had no good feelings toward the Fatui.

Did Takumi have connections with them?

Noticing Lumine's tense expression, Takumi explained:

"That was Tartaglia, the Eleventh Harbinger of the Fatui."

"He's neither good nor bad."

"He's unpredictable."

"La Signora was in Mondstadt, while Tartaglia is based in Liyue."

"You'll meet him eventually."

Hearing Takumi's words, Lumine nodded slightly.

Keqing, on the other hand, was confused.

"Lumine, do you have some kind of conflict with the Fatui?"

Judging by her reaction, she clearly had a story to tell.

Hearing Keqing's question, Paimon immediately spoke up.

"They're bad guys!"

"That woman, La Signora, froze me before!"

"If I see her again, I'll beat her up!"

"None of them are good people!"

She was still furious about it.

Getting frozen was a terrible experience!

Watching Paimon's outrage, Takumi laughed.

"You can't even fight a wild boar."

"How are you going to fight the Fatui?"

"Just keep dreaming."

"Right now, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Takumi shook his head.

With her tiny body?

If a fight actually broke out, she'd probably be the first to run.

Keqing nodded thoughtfully.

Another person with a grudge against the Fatui?

But why did it feel like there was more to this story?

The Fatui were truly troublesome.

As Takumi continued discussing matters with Keqing and Shenhe, the waiters began bringing in dishes one after another.

The aroma of freshly prepared food filled the room.

Seeing the delicious dishes, Paimon couldn't sit still.

"Wow~!"

"It smells amazing!"

"Did Xiangling make all of this?"

She was astonished.

Along the way, Xiangling had only made dry food.

Now, seeing all these stir-fried dishes, she was completely shocked.

Soon, Xiangling walked in, having overheard Paimon's excitement.

She chuckled.

"Of course, I made it."

"Unfortunately, slimes are now protected creatures."

"Otherwise, I'd make you a slime stir-fry."

"It's delicious."

Paimon blinked.

Slime stir-fry?

Was that even edible?

Also, when did slimes become protected creatures?

What was going on?

Liyue was completely different from Mondstadt.

Even Paimon, the guide, was feeling lost.

"Please don't."

"I really can't eat that!"

Takumi sighed, shaking his head.