At this moment, Ningguang was gazing at the man before her, his face full of a roguish grin.
Since becoming the Tianquan, this was the very first man who dared to negotiate terms with her.
His face was fair and refined, handsome with a trace of unruliness. If he went to sing in a Liyue opera house, he would undoubtedly become a top star overnight.
But Ningguang was absolutely certain of one thing.
That carefree attitude of his was only skin-deep.
Inside that head was a mind of uncommon brilliance.
She lowered her gaze again, looking at the document Lin Mo had written.
As the Tianquan who governed Liyue as a whole, she dared to say that very few people understood Liyue's development better than she did.
Liyue had relied on the convenience of its harbor.
Over the past decades, it had earned enormous profits from maritime transport fees, nearly doubling its wealth in just a few decades.
But what made it prosper was also what could ruin it.
Every merchant understood this well.
Rather than gamble on other businesses that might lose money, it was far safer to save up and build a ship to run maritime trade.
As a result, in recent years, the number of ships in Liyue Harbor had nearly doubled.
Yet the number of nations that needed cheap sea transport for goods was limited to just a few.
The volume of orders from those countries would not increase simply because there were more merchant ships.
With twice as many ships but the same number of orders, the income of ship captains, sailors, and merchants naturally shrank by nearly half.
In Lin Mo's words from another world, this was called "vicious competition."
This directly led to Liyue's development grinding to a halt.
Liyue's prosperity was only skin-deep.
If this continued, the city's flourishing façade would inevitably collapse.
After all, maintaining and repairing so many ships alone was already an enormous expense.
That was why Ningguang had been troubled for so long.
But now, Lin Mo's proposal—
The moment she saw it, her eyes involuntarily lit up.
Transforming from a logistics powerhouse into a trade powerhouse.
Diverting a portion of the ships originally used to transport goods for other nations, and having them serve Liyue's own domestic trade instead.
At a glance, Ningguang could tell—
This was a truly optimal solution to break the deadlock.
And yet, Lin Mo hadn't explained in detail how the trade would actually be carried out.
He had merely skimmed over it in a few strokes.
That left Ningguang restless with curiosity.
Not to mention, there were four more proposals after this one.
If every proposal were as outstanding as the first, Liyue would break free from stagnation and usher in a new era of brilliance.
At that moment, Ningguang raised her head and looked at Lin Mo.
"If I don't hire you," she asked, "are you planning to look for work in another nation?"
"Hmm… I'll tell you after you reject me," Lin Mo replied with a faint smile.
That relaxed, carefree manner made Ningguang grind her teeth in irritation.
Yet she had no way to deal with him.
She couldn't afford to lose Liyue's future over a moment of pride.
"I… accept your terms…"
She practically forced those words out through clenched teeth.
It was obvious how unwilling she was.
Lin Mo seemed to have expected this outcome. Smiling, he said, "Lady Ningguang, here is the proposal you wanted."
As he spoke, he handed another document to her.
Ningguang didn't hesitate. She immediately took the paper and read it carefully.
Proposal Two: Develop Trade Centered on Local Specialties, Sending Liyue's Products Across the World
In recent years, Liyue's young and able-bodied population has all flocked to the harbor, leaving the mining areas nearly abandoned.
Cor Lapis and Noctilucous Jade—these two unique minerals of Liyue—are far more valuable than most people imagine.
When crafted into artworks, they can fetch exorbitant prices in foreign lands.
Even as raw ore, their value abroad far exceeds that of White Iron or Crystal Chunk.
For foreign nations, engaging in mineral trade requires bearing extremely high transportation costs.
This is their disadvantage—yet it is Liyue's advantage.
"This is their disadvantage… yet Liyue's advantage."
Ningguang stared at that line, her heart surging with excitement.
In just a few hundred words, the proposal painted a magnificent vision in her mind.
Hundreds of merchant ships departing from the harbor, loaded with Liyue's minerals.
And when they returned, their holds would be filled with Mora.
At that moment, Ningguang was fully convinced that Lin Mo was someone who could truly create Liyue's future.
But just as she eagerly flipped the page, wanting to see the remaining three proposals, she realized—
Lin Mo had only given her a single sheet of paper.
There was no second page at all.
"Where are the other three proposals?" Ningguang couldn't help but ask.
"I haven't thought of them yet," Lin Mo replied calmly, smiling.
"Didn't you say you had five proposals?" Ningguang frowned in irritation.
Wasn't he just deliberately stringing her along?
"I just scribbled something down. You actually believed me?" Lin Mo said with a wry smile, scratching his head.
Then suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, he added, "Lady Ningguang, I just thought of another idea. It seems pretty good."
"Speak!"
Hearing that there was yet another plan, the frustration in Ningguang's chest instantly vanished.
"The number of Millelith in Liyue…" Lin Mo said lightly, "seems a bit excessive."
"You mean… downsizing the army?" Ningguang's brows knit together.
To her, that was absolutely impossible.
Liyue was a land of contracts.
From the moment a citizen joined the Millelith, a binding contract was signed.
Unless someone committed a serious offense, no Millelith soldier could be dismissed.
"Downsizing? Don't be ridiculous," Lin Mo waved his hand dismissively. "Lady Ningguang, you're not a qualified capitalist at all."
"A capitalist?" Ningguang didn't understand.
"With the Geo Archon protecting Liyue, having too many Millelith actually hinders economic development," Lin Mo said calmly.
"Aside from the few hundred needed to maintain order, the remaining several thousand Millelith are basically idle in the city."
"Their salaries still have to be paid anyway."
"So why not send them to the mines?"
His suggestion left Ningguang momentarily stunned.
"You want the Millelith to work as unpaid miners?" Her expression turned strange.
"Unpaid miners?! I never said that!" Lin Mo protested. "Don't put words in my mouth! If that gets out, I'll be beaten to death by the Millelith!"
"Then what do you mean?" Ningguang asked.
"Liyue is in an economic downturn."
"What is that? That's a national crisis."
"When the nation is in crisis, the Millelith—whose duty is to protect the country—have both the obligation and the responsibility to contribute."
He smiled faintly. "Any Millelith who volunteers to work in the mines gets a 20% salary increase. Those selected as mining vanguards get double pay."
"You really are… unscrupulous," Ningguang said with a complicated expression.
She understood perfectly.
Pay only 20% more than a normal miner's wages, but use strong, disciplined Millelith to do the mining.
On top of that, create a so-called 'mining vanguard' position to stir up competition and motivation.
From Ningguang's perspective, Lin Mo left a rather dubious impression.
But he had no choice.
In this lifetime, his mission was to be a capitalist.
Because this task was extraordinarily difficult:
Within twenty years, ensure that Liyue controls 50% of all wealth on the continent of Teyvat.
For the first three years, Lin Mo could be described as a completely trustworthy subordinate in Ningguang's eyes.
At first, she had worried that the Millelith would complain endlessly.
But to her surprise, more and more of them were eager to join the mining operations.
The Millelith's base salary was already higher than Liyue's average wage.
Working in the mines increased it by another 20%.
And with enough effort, one could compete for a spot among the top 10% as mining vanguards—doubling their salary.
For Millelith soldiers who had never imagined becoming wealthy in their lives, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for financial freedom.
They scrambled over one another just to secure a place in the mines.
With minimal labor costs, Ningguang achieved maximum returns.
Through the combined efforts of the two of them, Liyue reversed its stagnant economic decline in just three years.
In those short three years, Liyue's wealth exploded at an astonishing rate.
On this particular day, Lin Mo was, as usual, lounging on the reclining chair in Ningguang's office, sipping tea and enjoying himself.
Just then, Ningguang walked in.
What surprised Lin Mo was that this time, she didn't even glance at him, heading straight to her desk and burying herself in work.
He observed her closely and noticed that she seemed to have just washed her face.
Yet her eyes were still red, as if she had just been crying.
"My Lady Ningguang~" Lin Mo asked lazily from the recliner, "In all of Liyue, who would dare bully you?"
Ningguang's body trembled slightly.
She said nothing, continuing to work with her head lowered.
Her reaction only deepened Lin Mo's confusion.
He stood up, walked over to the desk, and tried to see what was wrong.
"Ningguang, what happened?" he asked again.
This time, Lin Mo's tone was no longer playful.
The seriousness in his gaze finally made Ningguang look up, her eyes red and brimming.
"Lin Mo…"
"You… have you ever heard of Guizhong?"
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T/N:
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