Chapter 385

Keqing and Takumi parted ways after eating at Wanmintang with Xiangling.

She returned to her duties, while Takumi headed straight to the alchemy workshop.

Upon entering, he saw Albedo and Albesha working diligently.

The two resumed their work right after finishing their meal.

Inside the laboratory, Albedo had already crafted a new car.

It was entirely handmade and took the form of an SUV.

Meanwhile, Albesha was busy programming the onboard computer system.

At this point, he had practically become a programmer.

Takumi wondered if Albedo had deliberately assigned him this task.

The floor was littered with hair, though Takumi figured it must be an illusion—surely an artificial human like Albesha wouldn't shed hair?

"You're here," Albedo greeted.

"I've finished upgrading the car you requested."

"Come take a look."

Albedo led him over to the completed vehicle.

The modifications were relatively simple—just adding displays and other enhancements.

But Albedo hadn't stopped there.

He had incorporated a number of alchemy techniques into the design.

Takumi stepped forward to examine the car.

Upgrading it had been straightforward.

Most components were already available, so Albedo had merely tweaked them before assembling everything into one cohesive unit.

The car now had air conditioning, a massive display, a navigation system, and even a music player.

"A music player?"

"You made this too?"

Takumi was surprised.

Albedo nodded.

"Yes."

"Albesha developed it."

"He also designed the car's entire system himself."

"A car operates differently from a mobile phone, so he built the system from scratch."

Albedo explained everything in detail.

Takumi nodded in understanding.

The car's features closely resembled those of vehicles from his previous life.

It even had a reverse camera.

"Not bad at all."

"If we finalize the internal components, we can mass-produce it."

"If there are no issues, let's have the car factory begin production."

"The first-generation cars will be discontinued."

"We'll start selling the second-generation models now."

As for previously sold first-generation cars?

Takumi planned to allow customers to trade them in for upgrades—for a fee.

He shared his thoughts with Albedo and asked him to draft a proposal for the transition.

Once ready, it would be handed over to the car factory.

Albedo nodded.

"No problem."

"I'll handle it."

"By the way, Mondstadt also needs more cars."

"Many people might want to replace their first-generation cars, so why not sell them in Mondstadt?"

"If we lower the price, a lot of people might be interested."

"We could market them as second-hand vehicles."

Albedo shared his idea.

Many Mondstadt residents couldn't afford new cars.

Rather than upgrading the first-generation vehicles, why not sell them in Mondstadt at a reduced price?

Takumi was momentarily speechless.

He gave Albedo a peculiar look.

But after thinking it over, he realized it wasn't a bad idea.

Mondstadt had entered the electric era, and Liyue was exporting many modern technologies there.

However, cars were still too expensive for most Mondstadt residents.

A second-hand market might make them more accessible.

Even Liyue residents might be interested in purchasing them.

After considering the idea, Takumi said:

"That works."

"For the second-generation model, let's price it at 800,000 Mora."

"It has so many new features, after all."

"As for the first-generation cars?"

"We'll establish a second-hand market for them."

"Not everyone will sell their old vehicles, but those looking to upgrade will need an outlet to trade them in."

Thanks to Albedo's suggestion, Takumi realized the potential of a used-car market.

The second-generation model would be the standard moving forward, and upgrades wouldn't be necessary for a while.

After all, upgrading too frequently would feel like exploiting customers.

People needed time to adjust.

Albedo nodded.

"That works."

"There's no need to upgrade first-generation cars."

"Instead, we'll encourage owners to sell them second-hand."

"This way, I don't need to design an upgrade plan for them."

That would save significant time and effort.

The two discussed a bit more and finalized the plan.

At this moment, Albesha spoke up.

"I plan to create an online trading platform."

"A marketplace where people can buy and sell goods."

"I reviewed your payment system—it's excellent."

"This platform will be built around it."

"We can earn revenue by charging transaction fees."

Albesha explained his concept.

Takumi was stunned.

"A trading platform?"

"A general marketplace, or something more specialized?"

"Are we talking about selling clothes? Raw materials?"

"Or will it be a food delivery platform?"

"You can't handle everything at once—it'll be too complicated."

Hearing Takumi's inquiry, Albesha nodded.

"I've already thought about that."

"I'll start with a food delivery platform."

"For example, merchants can open stores, and customers can order food online."

"Once an order is placed, the merchant will send someone to deliver it."

"This might even create new job opportunities."

Food delivery?

Takumi glanced at Albesha and then at an empty food container lying nearby.

Hmm...

Was he doing this just to get more food?

Good grief.

Takumi felt like he had figured something out.

"A clothing marketplace could work too," Albesha continued.

"But let's focus on food delivery first."

He then resumed writing code.

Takumi had to admit—Albesha was well-suited for programming.

As for the hair scattered on the floor?

It must be an illusion.

Surely an artificial human wouldn't shed hair?

Albedo didn't say much more.

Instead, he copied the blueprints for the second-generation car and handed a copy to Takumi.