Chapter 217

Barbara followed Yun Jin and Xinyan away.

Klee was busy with Diona and the others.

Noelle followed as well.

In the end, only Takumi and Shenhe remained.

Takumi glanced at Shenhe and immediately said:

"I'm heading to the shipyard next."

"You should get to work first."

Hearing Takumi's words, Shenhe nodded.

"Alright."

Without another word, she turned and left.

The two parted ways, and Takumi headed straight for the shipyard.

For the rest of the day, Takumi stayed at the shipyard, overseeing the construction of warships.

Meanwhile, Barbara successfully joined the radio station.

That very night, Takumi heard Barbara's voice on air.

The idol from Mondstadt quickly piqued the curiosity of many listeners.

Her sweet voice captivated the hearts of many, and her songs became an instant hit.

She gained quite a following.

As for Lumine, she had traveled to Mondstadt and posted a mission at the Adventurers' Guild to capture slimes—offering half the price that Liyue paid.

When adventurers in Mondstadt saw this request, they were bewildered.

"People actually want these things?"

The mission was simple:

Mission: Capture Slimes

Requirements: Must be Pyro, Electro, or Geo slimes. Must be captured alive. Bring your own cages.

Reward: 20000 Mora per slime.

Many adventurers were stunned by this bizarre request.

However, despite their confusion, many took action.

Bennett and Razor immediately ventured into Wolvendom to hunt slimes.

They never expected that these creatures could be exchanged for money.

And at a good price, too.

Although they didn't fully understand why, more and more adventurers joined in the effort.

Lumine leveraged the price difference and hired drivers to transport the slimes.

Within just a few days, she had earned nearly a million Mora.

Paimon was utterly shocked by the speed at which Lumine was making money.

Yet, Lumine herself was still dissatisfied, thinking it was too slow.

So, after returning to Liyue, she invested in more vehicles.

She began making constant trips between Mondstadt and Liyue.

She also knew that others would soon catch on and start doing the same.

Lumine's goal was to earn as much as possible before that happened.

This wasn't a long-term business.

Once she made enough, she would stop.

Not only that, but she even spent some money to remove her brother's missing person notices.

She had completely given up searching for him.

After settling that matter, Lumine happily focused on making money.

Meanwhile, Beidou, who had set sail for Inazuma, successfully navigated through the stormy waters of the Sea of Thunder and arrived in Inazuma.

There, Kamisato Ayaka met with Beidou and immediately sought her out.

The two were now sitting in a teahouse, engaged in conversation.

Ayaka had a request—she wanted Beidou to take her to Liyue.

Hearing this, Beidou stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"You want to go to Liyue, huh?"

"It's not impossible."

"But can you tell me why you want to go there?"

"You're the eldest daughter of the Kamisato Clan. Leaving Inazuma is a serious matter."

"If there's any misunderstanding between the two nations, things could get complicated."

Beidou needed to understand Ayaka's intentions before agreeing.

Otherwise, it could be considered illegal smuggling.

Hearing this, Ayaka didn't hesitate.

"Don't worry, Captain Beidou."

"I will prepare the necessary travel documents."

"I'm going to Liyue to study."

"And I'm also visiting Miss Ganyu on behalf of the Yashiro Commission."

Upon hearing Ganyu's name, Beidou nodded.

"Visiting Ganyu?"

"That's not a problem. Since you have the proper documents, I can take you."

"However, I'll be making some stops in other nations before returning to Liyue."

"Are you sure you want to come along?"

She wouldn't be heading back to Liyue immediately.

Ayaka nodded.

"That's fine!"

"As long as my final destination is Liyue, I don't mind."

"Our clan can also help provide the Electro Crystals you need."

She knew what Beidou was looking for.

So she offered assistance.

Though she didn't know why Beidou needed so many Electro Crystals, they were plentiful in Inazuma.

Their family had an abundance of them.

Hearing this, Beidou's eyes lit up.

"Then I appreciate the help, Miss Kamisato."

"That would be a great help."

"With your assistance, I'll be able to return to Liyue even faster."

With the Kamisato Clan's support, Beidou's collection of Electro Crystals would be expedited.

Her stay in Inazuma would be significantly shortened.

The two quickly reached an agreement.

After confirming the details, Ayaka had her people begin preparing the shipment.

Soon, Beidou received confirmation.

In two days, the Electro Crystals would be ready for transport.

Then, Beidou could resume her journey.

Beidou even suggested a long-term partnership.

After all, Liyue had a growing demand for Electro Crystals.

Hearing this, Ayaka looked puzzled.

"Miss Beidou, why do you need so many Electro Crystals?"

"Electro Crystals are mostly used for alchemy, right?"

"There aren't many other uses for them."

This confused her.

Even though Inazuma had plenty of Electro Crystals, they weren't considered valuable.

Their price was so low that they were practically worthless.

Hearing Ayaka's question, Beidou didn't keep it a secret.

Since Ayaka was heading to Liyue, she would find out sooner or later.

"Liyue has developed a lot of new technology."

"Electro Crystals are used in various appliances and storage power stations."

"Come to my ship later, and I'll show you."

"Then you'll understand."

"Both Liyue and Mondstadt need large amounts of Electro Crystals now."

"Liyue doesn't have many, so we have to import them from Inazuma."

"I brought an entire shipload before, but it was sold out in no time."

"There's still a high demand for them."

She paused, then looked at Ayaka with a sly smile.

"If you want to make money, you should consider keeping all of Inazuma's Electro Crystals in your hands."

"Liyue's development will depend on them for a while."

"At least until an alternative is discovered."

Hearing this, a glint of realization flashed in Ayaka's eyes.