Ordinarily, when a new official took office, the first order of business was to make a bold statement.
Tingyun, however, was different.
The very first thing she did after assuming her new position was to begin establishing the Luofu's commercial shipping route to support Teyvat.
Of course, this wasn't solely her own idea.
Jing Yuan had been the main driving force behind it.
Now that Tingyun had gotten her wish, Su Ran could also be considered half a Xianzhou native.
Not long ago, Yukong's daughter, Qingni, had even volunteered to travel to Jarilo-VI to assist that world.
Hearing the name of that planet, Jing Yuan couldn't help becoming a little absent-minded.
Some things had happened many years ago, yet they still felt as vivid as yesterday.
Su Ran...had managed to make up for so many of his regrets.
Whether it was curing his master Jingliu's mara, or saving Jarilo-VI...
Even Jing Yuan no longer knew how he could ever repay everything Su Ran had done for him.
Little did he know, while he was still wondering how to return the favor, Su Ran had already begun helping Stelle and March 7th get their revenge on him.
"I should tell Benefactor this good news first."
Carrying the wonderful news with her, Tingyun headed home before anything else.
"...How enviable, the young."
Watching Tingyun leave, Jing Yuan glanced at Yukong, then at her dark green hair.
...Perhaps this is going a little too far.
Still, that really wasn't his fault.
If anyone was to blame, it was Su Ran for being a little too much of a philanderer.
"...General, why are you looking at me like that?"
"If there's something on your mind, please just say it."
This wasn't the first time.
Yukong had found Jing Yuan's expression rather strange several times already.
Surely...he wasn't actually thinking she was nearing the end of her life?
"...This is a family matter between the two of you."
"As an outsider, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to interfere."
Jing Yuan shook his head and walked away.
"...A family matter?"
Yukong immediately thought of Su Ran.
Wasn't this simply about helping another planet?
And wasn't it being done in the Luofu's name?
Why call it a family matter?
"...He probably has his own reasons."
She decided not to dwell on it.
After all, everyone knew the General loved speaking in riddles.
He had always been that way.
She was long since accustomed to it.
"Fleet detected passing through the Stargate."
"Docking request received."
On the space station,
Ningguang froze, turning toward the enormous ring-shaped structure in the distance.
This was the first time anything like this had happened.
Until now, nothing of the sort had ever occurred.
"Docking request: Approved."
"...?"
She had been preparing to investigate whoever was requesting access.
Before she could even figure anything out, ships had already begun emerging from the Stargate.
A massive transport vessel slowly docked beside the station.
Without even waiting for approval from her, the station's administrator, it had been granted entry.
The commotion immediately drew everyone out.
Compared to the space station, actual spacecraft were something none of them had ever encountered before.
And this wasn't just one ship.
There were ten of them.
Each one was far larger than the Jade Chamber.
Only when the hatch finally opened did the newly transformed Tingyun step out.
Her attire had completely changed.
Gone was much of her youthful appearance.
Instead, she now carried an unmistakable air of elegance and luxury.
In terms of presence, she was every bit Ningguang's equal.
One glance was enough to tell she was someone of immense wealth.
Seeing such a dramatically changed Tingyun, Keqing's eyes nearly popped out.
How had she transformed so completely after only a few days?
Was this really Tingyun?
"Oh?"
"Why does everyone look so surprised?"
"Could it be that my new outfit has dazzled you all?"
Tingyun gracefully spun in place, showing off her new attire from every angle.
After all, the craftsmanship behind these clothes was exceptional.
Thousands of years ahead of anything found in Teyvat.
"If it weren't for your face and your voice..."
"I honestly wouldn't have recognized you."
Looking at the simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar woman before her,
Ningguang suddenly felt that even her own clothing looked somewhat plain.
Still...there was no denying it.
The outfit was gorgeous.
And now that she knew it was Tingyun, she immediately understood how someone had bypassed her authority to access the station.
Clearly, this had been Su Ran's doing.
"Thanks to General Jing Yuan's confidence in me, I now oversee all commercial affairs on the Xianzhou Luofu."
"This visit is meant to repay Benefactor's kindness."
"I intend to establish trade between the Luofu and Teyvat."
"So..."
"Miss Ningguang."
"Will you become the first person to sign a trade agreement with the Luofu?"
The way Tingyun looked at Ningguang now was entirely different.
They were no longer rivals.
She had moved up.
Now, Ningguang was effectively beneath her.
"Of course!"
"Liyue will absolutely be first!"
The moment she heard those words, Ningguang accepted without the slightest hesitation.
Although the two had once been competitors, she knew Tingyun would never deliberately set a trap for her.
If Su Ran's interests suffered, Ningguang might lose something—but Tingyun would lose even more.
She had to secure a spot before Inazuma or Snezhnaya reacted.
If she delayed, she might end up with only scraps instead of the real profits.
"Excellent."
"It's just a pity my new official seal hasn't been carved yet."
"So for now..."
"We'll have to settle for signatures and thumbprints."
With Ningguang's agreement, the Luofu transport fleet officially gained the right to travel freely to Teyvat.
As for the Heavenly Principles' opinion?
What was that?
Wasn't all of Teyvat already under Mr. Su Ran's influence?
That day, the people of Liyue witnessed colossal steel behemoths descending from the heavens.
The spectacle left not only the Liyue Qixing in awe, but also the countless citizens of Liyue Harbor, many of whom believed they were witnessing a miracle.
As Ningguang and Tingyun descended together from the transport ship, the Qixing realized that the new era Ningguang had spoken of had truly arrived.
The only awkward part was that Liyue Harbor possessed only docks for seafaring vessels—not starships.
Fortunately, ships capable of crossing outer space were naturally waterproof.
Making use of Liyue's harbor facilities wasn't a problem.
Unloading cargo would simply be more troublesome, and only one transport ship could dock at a time.
"Zhongli?"
"How do you still have time to stand here sightseeing?"
Keqing, who had just experienced riding aboard a transport vessel for the first time, was still deeply shaken.
Only after disembarking did she notice Zhongli calmly observing everything.
There was already so much work awaiting the Yuheng.
How could he justify taking a break?
"I heard the commotion and came to investigate."
"But please don't worry, Miss Keqing."
"I'll finish my work."
Toward the person who had dragged him back into government service,
Zhongli still harbored considerable resentment.
Unfortunately, Keqing had invoked the greater good of Liyue's future.
He simply couldn't refuse.
Now,
looking at the enormous starships before him, he could only console himself.
If working a little harder allows Liyue to achieve this...
Then perhaps it's worth it.
Ningguang, as expected, had not disappointed him at all.
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