A single sentence from Yae Miko nearly shattered Ye Xi's composure.
As expected — a man with no women on his mind draws his blade like a god!
If it weren't for [Forced Calm] triggering automatically, he might have turned into a second Blonde Idiot.
[I can do whatever you want]
Coming from Yae Miko's lips, those words carried two very different meanings.
Whatever you want, I can do.
In other words: any request he made, Yae Miko would find a way to fulfill it. Power, status, treasures — anything.
But flip it around to the other reading — Whatever you want to do to me, I'm fine with it.
Now the nature of the whole thing changed entirely!
With a figure like hers, what man could possibly hold out?
And that was exactly Yae Miko's trap — leaving it deliberately ambiguous, impossible to pin down which meaning she actually intended!
The two watching from the side, Keqing and Ningguang, had caught on immediately!
Watching Yae Miko wear that soul-snaring expression, sending sparks in Ye Xi's direction one after another, Keqing grew a little anxious.
She couldn't help leaning over and whispering softly into Ganyu's ear.
"Ganyu, is this Yae Miko a good friend of yours?"
"Because I'm getting the feeling..."
"She's like a... a fox... a fox spirit..."
It was a bit vinegary of her to say it, she knew, but she couldn't help herself — that was simply the word that fit.
She wouldn't try to stop more pretty girls from joining the family. But Yae Miko was really something else!
If she came along, wouldn't she have Ye Xi utterly bewitched in no time?
And then what — what if Ye Xi got so caught up with Yae Miko that he stopped paying attention to the rest of them?
Hearing Keqing's whisper, Ganyu blinked in surprise: "How did you know? Keqing!"
"Huh!?"
The question left Keqing completely thrown.
Ganyu said, "Little Miko is... well, she's Inazuma's fox youkai..."
"Ehh——!?"
"A-a youkai!?"
Both Keqing and Ningguang were taken aback.
Keqing stared at Yae Miko walking alongside Ye Xi not far ahead, her heart brimming with curiosity.
She had heard tales of youkai in Inazuma, of course. Just as Liyue had its Adepti, Inazuma had all manner of strange legends — ghost stories and monster tales passed around by the common folk.
She had always assumed it was nothing more than rumor and folklore. She never expected youkai to actually be real.
And yet here, right in front of her, was this bewitchingly beautiful woman — a fox spirit in the flesh!
No wonder Yae Miko was so naturally gifted at seduction. For a fox youkai, it was probably an innate talent she'd been born with!
"So then... Miss Miko isn't exactly a young maiden in terms of age, is she?"
Ganyu gave a small nod. "Mm, Little Miko should be over five hundred years old by now. Come to think of it, isn't her birthday coming up soon?"
"F-five hundred years!?"
Keqing's beautiful eyes went wide with disbelief.
She did the math instinctively — she herself had only just come of age, twenty at most rounding up.
Yae Miko was twenty-five times her age and then some!
Compared to this pink-haired fox, she was practically a newborn baby!
A fox youkai who had lived for five centuries — how could a little kid like herself possibly compete?
Just as Keqing was secretly sizing Yae Miko up, she suddenly noticed Yae Miko glance back at her.
Those beautiful eyes were full of sly amusement.
'She did it on purpose!'
Keqing understood immediately.
This fox youkai had been deliberately cozying up to Ye Xi right in front of her — just to make her jealous. To laugh at her!
Terrifying!
Come to think of it, the two Dendro Archon Ladies back home were no short-lived beings either.
But those two were both Gods of Wisdom — dignified and measured in all things. They would never do anything so outrageous.
Yae Miko, on the other hand, was obviously a troublemaker at a glance. She'd need to keep her distance!
On the other side.
Watching Keqing's flustered expression, Yae Miko couldn't suppress a private laugh.
Just then, Ye Xi's reply reached her ears.
"There's only one thing I want. All of Inazuma."
"Huh!?"
Yae Miko spun around sharply, a flash of genuine surprise crossing her eyes.
She had anticipated that Ye Xi would ask for something significant. But she hadn't expected this.
Not her.
Not any of the other girls.
All of Inazuma.
That was essentially asking to take everything a god possessed.
What ordinary person would have the audacity?
Before she could respond, Ye Xi continued with his elaboration.
"In Sumeru, Lesser Lord Kusanali entrusted Sumeru to me and asked me to govern it."
"In Liyue, Rex Lapis placed Liyue in my care."
"That pattern won't be broken in Inazuma."
Yae Miko found herself at a loss.
She hadn't heard any of this from Ganyu!
To think that Sumeru's god had actually handed her own nation over to Ye Xi — she truly hadn't seen that coming.
Though her mind was briefly in turmoil, Yae Miko composed herself quickly.
She let out a soft sigh. "A matter this grand is beyond the authority of a mere Guuji like me, Master~"
"I'll need to return and report this to Her Excellency the Shogun first."
Ye Xi knew perfectly well what this fox was up to — nothing more than playing a wait-and-see game.
He gave a nod. "There's no rush."
Yae Miko hesitated inwardly.
The situation in Sumeru, in truth, didn't directly apply to Inazuma. The new Lesser Lord Kusanali didn't possess power strong enough to compare with Raiden Ei — turning to Ye Xi in a moment of crisis had been the obvious correct choice for her.
Inazuma, for now, was relatively stable. And Raiden Ei's power was formidable.
If Ye Xi could bring Inazuma a sufficiently meaningful improvement, that was naturally a good thing. But handing over all of Inazuma — the price was simply too steep.
Most critically, she still didn't fully understand what substantive change Ye Xi could actually deliver. A discussion was needed at the very least before any decision could be made.
From what she had observed over the past two days, what Ye Xi had brought to Liyue were more convenient modes of transport, the construction of new cities, more practical Slime energy sources, and so on — knowledge, technology, mechanical engineering.
Those things were genuinely beneficial to both Liyue and Sumeru.
But what about Inazuma?
A Train required laying railway tracks — reaching Inazuma that way was simply impossible.
Aerial machines were more convenient, but their carrying capacity was far too limited — a drop in the ocean against what was needed.
What Inazuma urgently needed right now was food.
A demand that large could only be reliably met by cargo ships — bulk transport was the only answer.
Once the new harvest came in, the pressure would ease considerably. But small-capacity aerial machines simply couldn't meet the immediate, pressing need.
For Inazuma, that kind of help wasn't enough.
Beyond the food shortage, what Inazuma lacked was a means of defense.
Liyue had its many Adepti to watch over the entire nation. But Inazuma had been gravely wounded in the catastrophe five hundred years ago — human strength there was weak.
If any danger arose, they could only rely on Raiden Ei and herself. That was clearly not sustainable.
She hoped Ye Xi could produce some powerful defensive machines.
So before making any decision, she needed to find more compelling qualities in Ye Xi first.
Otherwise, even if she agreed, Raiden Ei likely wouldn't.
Listening from the side, Keqing felt a quiet wave of relief wash over her at Yae Miko's answer.
At least Ye Xi wasn't planning to leave any time soon.
As they mulled it over, the group arrived at the busiest part of Liyue Harbor.
The docks.
Here, every single second was alive with trade and exchange — a scene of prosperity that filled both Ningguang and Keqing with quiet pride.
While everyone was admiring the vibrant scene, Ye Xi was quietly running the numbers in his head.
Could this harbor actually accommodate his cruiser?
Escorted by the Millelith, Ye Xi stood at the water's edge, surveying the cargo ships docked nearby.
The harbor was full of sailors, and a fair number of dockworkers were busy loading and unloading goods. Everyone was coming and going in a constant, bustling flow.
"Ye Xi, what are we here for?"
Keqing was puzzled.
If they were here to discuss trade relations with Inazuma, the conference room at Yuehai Pavilion would have been far more appropriate. Why come all the way to the docks?
It was crowded, chaotic, and noisy here — hardly ideal for planning and negotiation.
And as Keqing had suspected, their arrival had already drawn quite a bit of attention.
"Look, isn't that Lady Ningguang and Lady Keqing?"
"What are two VIPs like them doing here? And with so many Millelith!"
"Hey, look at that woman with the pink hair over there — she's gorgeous. Doesn't look like she's from Liyue, does she?"
"Wait — why is there a man walking alongside the Qixing?"
"Must be someone important?"
The passing dockworkers couldn't help stopping to stare, and the speculation about Ye Xi spread quickly.
But soon a sailor's shout cut through the noise.
"Don't just stand there, everyone, get moving!"
"The boss lady's ship is nearly back! Clear a berth for the Alcor!"
At the call, the dockworkers snapped into action.
The reputation of the Crux Fleet rang loud and clear throughout Liyue Harbor. Every seafarer knew to give the Crux Fleet their due respect.
Hearing that the Alcor was about to make port, everyone put in that extra bit of effort, their movements noticeably more brisk.
Across the way, Ningguang felt a small flutter in her chest at the distant shout.
'That woman Beidou is coming back?'
It had been nearly a month since she'd last seen Beidou.
When that woman returned and saw how dramatically Liyue had changed, she was sure to be astonished.
Ningguang was rather looking forward to seeing her expression.
At that moment, Ye Xi turned and asked, "Ningguang — how long does it typically take for a merchant vessel sailing from Liyue to reach Inazuma?"
"Hmm, that depends on the wind."
Ningguang thought briefly, then answered: "Wind direction changes with the seasons, but for a round trip, the fastest is around twenty-five days."
Twenty-five days!
That was a remarkably long stretch of time.
The distance from Liyue Harbor to the outlying islands of Inazuma was more than twice the distance from Liyue Harbor to Sumeru City. Add to that the slow pace of ships crossing open sea — the duration was entirely unsurprising.
And without wind, ships moved entirely on human power. Human rowers weren't tireless — most voyages were a stop-and-go affair, which stretched the journey out even further.
Ye Xi gazed out across the surface of the Sea of Clouds and smiled. "What if I told you I could get our cargo ships from Liyue Harbor to Inazuma within a single day? What would you all think of that?"
"What!? One day!?"
The girls all turned to him in wide-eyed astonishment.
"If it really only takes one day, then I could actually get fresh Sea Ganoderma!" Ganyu exclaimed, her eyes shining with barely-contained longing.
Yae Miko, standing nearby, smiled sweetly. "Hasn't Ganyu-nee-san put on just a tiny bit of weight lately? You really ought to be careful not to eat too much~"
"Huh!? Me... have I!?"
Watching Ganyu's pained expression, Yae Miko's face curled into a sly grin. "Just teasing you, Ganyu-nee-san."
Inwardly, Yae Miko was genuinely curious — she couldn't fathom why Ye Xi was asking this.
If such a ship truly existed, one that could sail from Liyue to Inazuma in a single day, the difficulties Inazuma currently faced would become dramatically simpler to solve.
Rapid food transport — enough to fill every belly, enough to settle the restless people of Watatsumi Island.
And then, using those same cargo ships, Inazuma's specialty products could be sold to nations all across the world!
Inazuma had no shortage of unique goods, but most of them — like Sea Ganoderma — were perishable products that needed to stay fresh. With a one-way trip taking over ten days, fresh specialties spoiled before they could be exported.
But with fast cargo ships, those very products could be added to the export ledger. Cutting trade costs while expanding the product range — it would push Inazuma forward by a significant leap!
What a shame, though, that the idea wasn't feasible.
Where would you even find a ship that fast?
Ningguang explained, "I know someone who makes her living at sea. She often tells me stories about the ocean."
"According to her, even with perfect wind conditions — a tailwind all the way — it simply couldn't be done that quickly."
"You're not wrong, Ningguang."
"But don't forget — Ye Xi's capabilities aren't something you can measure by ordinary experience."
Keqing placed her hands on her hips. "So, Master — you have some kind of amazing method in mind, don't you? Like building an incredibly fast cargo ship!"
"Still as sharp as ever."
Ye Xi smiled with a nod, then noticed that a ship had already departed from the harbor, leaving an open berth.
He said, "Then let me show you what this ship looks like."
He summoned the Abyss Core.
In an instant, a jet-black cube materialized behind him.
The constantly shifting core radiated a dark light, and in that moment, Ye Xi became the focal point of the entire harbor.
....
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