After a brief discussion, Zhongli sent a message to Xiao at Wangshu Inn, instructing him to go dig beneath the riverbanks of Dihua Marsh in search of the Shimmersoil ...
As for the others, they planned to split up and search around the antique shops and private collectors throughout Liyue Harbor to see if they could find any trace of Smaragdus Jadeite.
Cloud Retainer, on the other hand, stayed behind on Mt. Aocang with Xiangling, hoping to use her knowledge and expertise to try turning Xiangling from a mechanical construct back into a human.
Before leaving, Su Yuan also approached Dottore’s corpse...
Even though Dottore’s head had already been mostly destroyed, Su Yuan still couldn’t feel at ease unless he completely reduced the body to ashes—shattered and burned into nothingness.
But just before acting, Su Yuan paused to observe the reaction of the little boy version of Dottore—Youngtore—inside his mind...
Strangely, despite the signal from his left palm earlier indicating that Youngtore wanted to possess this body, there were now no signs of that at all.
Could it be that the body was too damaged, and Youngtore no longer wanted it?
Regardless, Su Yuan chopped Dottore’s body into pieces, then set it ablaze until nothing remained... The source of this content ɪs Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
But just then—something unexpected happened.
From Yanfei’s body, a burst of eerie power suddenly erupted.
Her face twisted unnaturally as she stared at Su Yuan and spoke:
"Liyue’s legal code clearly forbids the use of open flames on mountain terrain..."
"Su Yuan, do you freaking realize you’ve broken the law?!"
Looking at the eerie Yanfei, Su Yuan honestly didn’t know what to say anymore...
Just earlier, when he chopped Dottore into minced meat, Yanfei didn’t even react.
But now, the moment he set Dottore’s body on fire, suddenly it counted as a crime?
Left with no choice and trying to prevent the situation from escalating further, Su Yuan came up with a rather desperate move...
He turned to Yanfei and said,
"I’m a special appointee of the General Affairs Bureau, granted a certain level of enforcement authority..."
"I know I’ve committed a grave and unforgivable mistake, so right here and now—I am placing myself under arrest!"
Sure enough, Su Yuan had guessed right—after that little stunt, the eerie power surrounding Yanfei completely dissipated, and she returned to normal.
Following this unexpected interlude, everyone gradually left Mt. Aocang and began to dive into their respective missions...
During the search for Smaragdus Jadeite, time passed quickly, but something strange became apparent—despite everyone’s best efforts, not a single piece of Smaragdus Jadeite was found.
"Smaragdus Jadeite, huh? Someone from the Northland Bank came to my shop earlier today, offering to buy the one I had in my collection,"
said a shopkeeper of an antique store.
"At first, I refused, since I wanted to keep it as our shop’s treasure piece. But the price they offered was just... way too much to turn down."
"Oh? You mean the Smaragdus Jadeite I had?" said a collector.
"Earlier today, a fellow collector named A-Tai offered a high price for my cherished piece of Smaragdus Jadeite."
"I don’t really need money, but A-Tai offered something I’ve coveted for a long time—an actual teacup once used by the Geo Archon himself. I just couldn’t say no!"
"Looks like someone got wind of our plans and is working against us..."
Su Yuan said thoughtfully upon hearing all this.
"So it turns out that Dottore, even with most of his head blown off back then, wasn’t truly dead after all?"
"He must’ve overheard the deal we made with Madame Ping..."
"And now, to stop us from obtaining the Smaragdus Jadeite and fulfilling that agreement, he’s gone around buying up all the pieces in advance?"
"But didn’t Dottore already betray Tsaritsa and cease being one of the Fatui Harbingers? Why would the Northland Bank still help him?"
Zhongli responded calmly:
"Perhaps the Northland Bank’s collection of Smaragdus Jadeite isn’t actually meant to aid Dottore... It’s possible Dottore leaked information, claiming he needed the Smaragdus Jadeite."
"And in response, the Northland Bank began purchasing large quantities—not to help him, but to hinder him from achieving his goal."
Su Yuan nodded in agreement.
"It really does look like that’s what’s going on... Dottore truly is a master of manipulation, turning others into his unwitting pawns."
"Regardless of the intent, with the Northland Bank’s intelligence network and wealth, they’ve probably bought up every last piece of Smaragdus Jadeite in Liyue Harbor by now, haven’t they?"
"Also, based on the reports we’ve received, it seems this antique dealer named A-tai has significant ties to the Northland Bank..."
"In any case, we should head over to the Northland Bank and take a look ourselves."
"Given the urgency of the situation, if necessary, we can apply some pressure on them through the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
Shortly after, Su Yuan and his group arrived at the Liyue Harbor branch of the Northland Bank to inquire about the whereabouts of the Smaragdus Jadeite.
The branch manager spoke apologetically:
"I’m very sorry, Miss Ganyu, but those Smaragdus Jadeites were acquired under direct orders from our headquarters in Snezhnaya. In a way, they reflect the will of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa..."
"Even if the Liyue authorities exert pressure on us, we have no choice but to bear it..."
"After all, we haven’t done anything illegal. All of these Smaragdus Jadeites were purchased through legal means..."
"Surely, a country as steeped in history and cultural tradition as Liyue wouldn’t resort to the kind of tactics I’m imagining... right?"
Ganyu responded calmly:
"You have my assurance. Everything the Ministry of Civil Affairs does follows strict legal protocols. We would never do anything improper."
"However, we urgently need some of that Smaragdus Jadeite. Please name your price — the Ministry of Civil Affairs will cover the cost."
The bank manager smiled:
"I was waiting for you to say that, Miss Ganyu."
The bank manager’s face lit up with a smile as he said:
"I can sell you the Smaragdus Jadeite — the price is ten million Mora."
Upon hearing this price, Ganyu looked a little surprised.
A normal piece of Smaragdus Jadeite would usually cost several million Mora.
The Northland Bank had undoubtedly paid far more than that to acquire these jades...
So why were they selling it so cheap now? Were they doing charity?
Ganyu couldn’t help but remark:
"As expected of the Northland Bank, a major institution with branches all across Teyvat. Your business practices are certainly fair."
The bank manager chuckled, revealing the smile of a true swindler:
"Oh, it’s no trouble. We sell our Smaragdus Jadeite by the gram — ten million Mora per gram."
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