Chapter 202

Takumi brought Diluc to his office.

After making him a cup of tea, Takumi asked:

"Diluc, what brings you here today?"

"Or did you come specifically to invite me for a drink?"

Hearing Takumi's words, Diluc took a sip of tea and replied:

"If you want to drink, I'll invite you later."

"The main reason I came here today is for another matter."

"You have a shipyard here—can I place an order for some ships?"

"The request might be quite large."

"I need them for exporting wine."

Hearing this, Takumi looked at him in surprise.

"Are you planning to build your own fleet?"

"And handle your own wine exports?"

So he was planning to fully expand his business—

Even taking control of transportation himself.

Diluc nodded.

"That's right."

"Most of the profit from exporting wine goes to third-party fleets."

"Since it costs so much every year, I figured it would be better to handle it myself."

"Your shipyard seems quite capable and should be able to construct large ships."

"So, I want to order a few and build my own transport fleet."

"Additionally, I'd like to import some materials from abroad."

"With regular trade routes, we can save a lot of money."

"If possible, I'd also like your help in establishing a new route."

"Specifically, one that goes directly from Guili Plains to the large lake near Dawn Winery."

"Mondstadt has a port, but that port…"

He trailed off, leaving his dissatisfaction unsaid.

Takumi nodded thoughtfully.

"That does make sense."

"However, creating a direct waterway to Dawn Winery?"

"That's not feasible at the moment."

"Expanding the river would require extensive work."

"For now, let's put that idea aside."

"We can revisit it later if the opportunity arises."

"As for ships—"

"Yes, we do have vessels available."

"And they're massive."

"But if you want to place an order, you'll have to wait."

"Production slots are currently filled, so it may take several months."

Takumi didn't refuse Diluc's request.

After all, ships from the shipyard were meant for sale anyway.

If Diluc was interested, there was no reason to turn him down.

Hearing this, Diluc's eyes lit up.

"Large ships?"

"Can you be more specific?"

The bigger, the better.

Larger ships meant more cargo per trip—

More efficiency, more profit.

A single journey could transport what used to take multiple trips.

That was a game-changer for his winery's exports.

After the previous Dragon disaster in Mondstadt, he had suffered losses.

A significant amount of wine remained in storage.

He was still waiting to ship it out.

Currently, the export process was slow due to reliance on third-party fleets.

This situation had pushed him to form his own transport network.

Seeing Diluc's interest, Takumi immediately modeled a cargo ship.

"This is what it looks like."

"Enlarge this model by a few hundred times."

A one-meter-long model appeared in Takumi's hands.

Diluc's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Takumi continued explaining:

"For loading cargo, you simply place it in containers."

"Then, the containers are loaded onto the ship."

"Unloading is also simple—just use trailers."

As he spoke, Takumi materialized a model of a container and a trailer, demonstrating how they would be loaded onto the ship.

Seeing this, Diluc's enthusiasm grew.

With such ships, he could transport dozens of times more wine in a single trip.

Even if he didn't always have enough cargo, he could transport goods for others.

Diluc stared at the model, lost in thought.

Just by establishing a fleet and transporting goods between Mondstadt and Liyue, he could generate substantial revenue.

Otherwise, a ship used solely for his own cargo would be too extravagant.

After a moment, Diluc asked:

"What's the price per ship?"

He was truly interested.

So, without hesitation, he inquired about the cost.

Takumi wasn't surprised.

Instead, he named his price.

"One billion Mora per ship."

"I'll also provide you with a number of containers."

"And ten trailers."

"I'll even help you establish a team."

Takumi made a sweeping motion, presenting all these additional items to Diluc.

Hearing the offer, Diluc immediately nodded.

After all, assembling a proper transport team required significant investment.

Buying a ship and receiving all these extras?

That was a great deal.

Although…

One billion Mora was steep.

Still, the two finalized the agreement.

A contract was signed on the spot.

After settling the deal, Diluc brought up another topic—the beverage factory.

"Regarding those drinks you mentioned before…"

"Production is ready to begin."

"I'll bring you some samples to taste."

"They're all bottled in glass."

"Once you confirm the flavor is right, I'll begin distribution."

Hearing this, Takumi nodded.

"No problem."

"Just bring them over when they're ready."

"If everything checks out, I'll stock them in the mall."

"The department stores will need a variety of products."

"As for offline distribution—"

"We can partner with restaurants and eateries."

"It would be great to have these drinks available with meals."

Takumi stroked his chin and gave his suggestion.

A Teyvat-style cola?

That should definitely be on the menu.

It was time to introduce such products.

Diluc nodded.

That was a solid plan.

And people would definitely enjoy a refreshing drink with their meals.

The two continued discussing for a while before Diluc eventually bid farewell.

He had plenty of work ahead.

His ventures in Liyue required significant attention.

With Takumi's mall opening soon—

He needed to prepare as well.

It was time for Mondstadt's winery to establish a proper headquarters in Liyue.

So many things to do.

Now, he could finally start transporting wine steadily from Mondstadt.

Fortunately, the road from Dawn Winery to Liyue was completed.

Although the route to Mondstadt City still had some distance to go…

The road had only been extended to Springvale.

There was still a long way to go.

And reportedly, more areas were being planned for future development.