Time passed gradually.
Furina puffed out her cheeks.
She wanted to stay a little longer.
But seeing Klee starting to yawn, Furina had no choice but to say, "Alright, but you have to give me the spare key!"
"You're hiring me as an employee now?" Lu Heng chuckled, handing her a key.
"Keep dreaming."
Furina huffed and carefully tucked the key away.
No salary? What kind of employment is this?
Focalors glanced at Lu Heng, then at Furina.
After dinner, Lu Heng finished cleaning up and asked, "Should I take you back to the Palais Mermonia?"
Focalors didn't mind, but she looked at Furina.
"I'm not even getting paid~"
Still, once the door was closed, the wind stopped blowing in, making it feel a bit warmer.
By then, Lu Heng had already opened the portal.
"Little Klee, we're heading out now~ See you next time!" Furina waved at her.
"Goodbye, Sister Furina! Goodbye, Sister Focalors too~"
"Klee, let's go, time for bed!"
Taking Klee to the Liyue branch, it was already quite late, so Lu Heng used his skills.
After washing up, tucking Klee in, Lu Heng also went to his room to sleep.
Meanwhile, most people in Liyue Harbor couldn't sleep.
Truthfully, Lu Heng's shop didn't even need to be locked—no one could steal from it, and no one would dare.
The portal led straight to the Palais Mermonia.
Once they stepped through, Lu Heng tapped the portal, and the destination shifted to the Liyue branch.
The terrifying aura of the Archon, the traces of battle with an unknown entity… Fortunately, the Qixing acted swiftly.
Once reassured there was no danger, the people of Liyue relaxed.
But their hearts, now at ease, grew excited again.
The main topic of discussion? The fact that the Geo Archon had sparred with someone!
Who could possibly match the Geo Archon in a fight?!
At Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli and Venti were still awake.
The two were chatting idly—though mostly it was Venti doing the talking.
Zhongli's official position at the parlor was that of a consultant, but in reality, he was the entrusted guardian of the late director's legacy.
Right now, he was reviewing the parlor's account books.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor specialized in funeral services.
Where there was life, there was death. With no competitors, the parlor enjoyed a monopoly.
After all, death was a solemn affair, and entrusting it to the meticulous Wangsheng Parlor was seen as giving a person's life a proper conclusion.
But times were changing. Many traditions were becoming less rigid, and the parlor's business had declined slightly—though not enough to cripple it.
"Last quarter's net profit was 39 million Mora?" Venti was stunned.
The parlor's prices weren't exorbitant, but they weren't cheap either.
Venti, having never dabbled in business, wasn't sure how to judge.
Zhongli, however, was deep in thought.
In the past, he'd spent lavishly, often sending bills back to the parlor for his extravagant purchases of antiques—each costing hundreds of thousands, even millions of Mora.
The parlor's services were fair and impeccable, which was why so many chose it.
I need to restrain myself from now on!
Zhongli silently vowed.
No more reckless spending. Saving Mora for the card shop is the way to go.
"We'll keep this Mora for now and decide once the director returns."
Hu Tao wasn't at the parlor at the moment—she'd taken on a sizable job and was leading a team outside.
If all went well, she'd be back in about three days.
"Let's take stock of my antiques."
Zhongli pondered. "And sell off some of the rarer pieces."
"Sounds like you're going all out," Venti remarked, slightly alarmed.
"Enough talk. Let's get to work."
If nothing else, the mere label of "once collected by the Geo Archon" would drive up the price of any item—even with the card shop's existence!
The card shop's arrival had far-reaching effects.
Zhongli wasn't the only one looking to liquidate assets—the adepti were doing the same.
In the past, the adepti saw Mora as mere dirt.
But now? Times have changed!
Most of them had lived for centuries, some even millennia.
If only they'd had even the slightest inclination to save money!
Would they be in such an awkward, penniless state now?
The adepti still possessed many valuable treasures, but that was in the past!
With the advent of the cards… the worth of those treasures was no longer guaranteed!
So, the already cash-strapped adepti suddenly found their assets devalued overnight!
The next day.
Dawn had just broken.
Ningguang rose early.
She'd worked until midnight and had only gotten two or three hours of sleep.
Though she woke with a slight headache, she ignored it.
Gathering a few secretaries and having several chests of Mora carried along, she headed to Feiyun Slope.
Ningguang's business empire was vast.
She had stakes in countless industries, even cross-border trade.
Her dealings were large-scale, and the sums of Mora involved were staggering.
Though the chests were small, their contents were anything but.
Before even reaching the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ningguang ran into Keqing!
None of the Liyue Qixing were ordinary.
Ningguang had built her fortune from nothing, amassing unimaginable wealth.
Keqing, on the other hand, wasn't a businesswoman.
But!
Keqing was a noble heiress!
Mora?
She had plenty!
"You're up this early too?" Ningguang smiled faintly.
"Of course," Keqing nodded.
She'd never paid much attention to how much wealth her family actually had.
But last night, after asking her elders, she had a clear idea.
So, at the crack of dawn, Keqing arrived with 500 million Mora.
This wasn't her family's limit, but it was all the liquid assets they could spare on short notice.
"Let's go take a look. Hopefully, we're early enough."
When the two reached the Ministry of Civil Affairs area, they realized they weren't early at all—many had arrived before them!
At the very front of the line stood a blue-haired youth.
After a moment of thought, Ningguang recognized him—Xingqiu, the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild!
"Everyone's this early?" Keqing muttered.
"The Feiyun Guild is right across from the card shop," Ningguang remarked casually.
"I wasn't talking about him."
Keqing frequented the Ministry of Civil Affairs and knew Feiyun Slope was just to its right.
"After Ganyu made arrangements, she mentioned it at the Ministry," Ningguang explained.
The employees who'd already drawn cards naturally spread the word, and their families and friends quickly followed suit.
"Fair enough."
Keqing didn't press further.
As the two approached, the murmuring crowd noticed them.
"Lady Tianquan! Lady Yuheng!"
Ningguang and Keqing nodded slightly.
Though they had no intention of cutting in line, the deeply ingrained social etiquette of Liyue's people had them yielding immediately.
Even Xingqiu stepped aside upon seeing them.
These were the Tianquan and Yuheng—figures he couldn't afford to disrespect, lest he cause trouble for his father and elder brother.
Once the two dignitaries took their places at the front, Xingqiu glanced at the still-dark sky.
As the second young master of the Feiyun Guild, his status was already lofty.
But now, he was only third in line.
And even these two, who could shake all of Liyue with a single step, could only wait outside the closed shop until business hours arrived.
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T/N:
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