Genshin Impact, all those behind-the-scenes big shots are me

Back then, the Ji tribe, as one of the citizens of Liyue, wielded immense power. During Su Chen's tenure, a large number of Ji tribe citizens held real power in both Liyue Harbor and Guili Town.

Unexpectedly, after his death, Ji Bu also went into hiding.

In reality, although the Ji tribe had a large population, not many people actually possessed Ji tribe blood. It was only by absorbing other tribes later that the Ji tribe expanded in size.

It's likely that the reclusive Ji tribe members were the core members Su Chen brought out from Tianheng Mountain.

Why did they choose to live in seclusion?

"Lord Su Chen... seems to care a lot about the Ji tribe."

Su Chen was taken aback, then smiled and said, "After all, we are of the same clan as the Human Emperor, and I was also born in Liyue, so I will always care."

“That’s true.” Ningguang didn’t think much of it. In the hearts of the people of Liyue, they were actually more curious about the Human Emperor than the Geo Archon. After all, the Archon descended to the mortal realm every year, while the Human Emperor had fallen thousands of years ago, but his legendary story has been passed down to this day.

The fact that a human can surpass a god is unique in Teyvat and is a source of pride for the people of Liyue.

"The specific reason is unknown, but to be honest, Lord Su Chen, there is still a demon god sleeping in the Salt of the Earth. When He left, the people of the Ji tribe went with Him."

"Oh?"

Su Chen's eyelids twitched.

The sleeping demon god of the salt of the earth... Heureia?

He put down his wine glass, pondered for a moment, and suddenly felt something was wrong, so he raised his eyes.

"Miss Ningguang, shouldn't these things be considered confidential? You're just telling me this?"

"Hehe~ If Lord Su Chen is merely a diplomatic envoy of Mondstadt, I naturally cannot reveal it."

Su Chen was startled.

I gather.

Was it exposed?

As she spoke, Ningguang reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph from a phonograph machine.

The image above clearly showed Su Chen's appearance.

"Bai Xiao, could you go out for a moment?" Ning Guang said.

"Yes."

Secretary Bai Xiao went out out of curiosity.

"Miss Ningguang, what is this?" Su Chen stared at the photo, somewhat puzzled. How could someone still collect his private photos?

In the photo, Su Chen is wearing a mid-length tuxedo and looks a bit older than he does now, probably in his early thirties, at the peak of his life.

Uh-huh?

and many more.

Su Chen raised an eyebrow, suddenly remembering that this photo was...

At this moment, Ningguang said softly, "I have been in business for many years and have seen many people, big and small. In Liyue, there is no shortage of shrewd businessmen. Many of them are successful, but very few have truly taken their businesses to the top."

"There are countless merchants in Liyue, but how many are truly masters? There are very few who are truly trustworthy in the entire industry."

“But there is one person whose methods and abilities Ningguang has always admired…” Miss Tianquanxing picked up the photo, her tone more respectful. “Senior Luo Chen, you have no idea how much this photo of yours sold for on the black market. I went to great lengths to get it.”

really.

He did reveal himself, but it wasn't the Emperor's disguise that was revealed; rather, it was the disguise of the president of the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce.

"What is Miss Ningguang saying?"

“Senior Luo Chen.” Ning Guang’s eyes held a hint of resentment. “Even at this point, are you still planning to keep it a secret? Although it is indeed hard to believe, I would not have drawn conclusions so easily without a thorough investigation.”

What started as a routine personnel check of the Mondstadt delegation turned out to be a surprising discovery: a powerful figure had infiltrated the delegation.

If Ningguang hadn't been so interested in the rise of the Luo family back then, and hadn't regarded Old Master Luo as a guiding light on her business path, she wouldn't have been able to determine Su Chen's identity in such a short time.

Furthermore, to ensure her judgment was correct, she specifically sent someone to investigate the situation in Mondstadt. Upon learning of the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce's actions in Mondstadt, she became even more certain.

As expected of Senior Luo!

Ningguang's ability to thrive amidst Mondstadt's stubborn knightly orders and corrupt aristocratic system, and to allow the Yanhuang Merchant Guild to easily establish itself, is truly remarkable. After reviewing the situation in Mondstadt, one can't help but admire her. If she were in charge of this game, she probably couldn't have achieved this level of success.

Ningguang has always held true business veterans in high esteem.

"Well, Miss Ningguang, you're really amazing. No one else noticed, but you did." Su Chen shook his head helplessly.

"Just call me Ningguang." Seeing that he didn't object anymore, Ningguang smiled and said, "Senior Luo Chen is the one who should be called. So many years have passed, yet you've only gotten younger. I'm so envious of you."

"I am now Su Chen, Mondstadt's diplomatic envoy."

"Yes, I will follow your instructions."

Wow, this little woman is quite obedient.

Su Chen was somewhat surprised. Ningguang in the game always acted like a cunning old fox, making the Traveler run around in circles. He never expected to see such a well-behaved side of her.

Come here, Guangbao, call out "Grandpa," and Grandpa will show you the goldfish.

Now that his identity had been exposed, Su Chen simply stopped pretending and revealed that he was a billionaire.

"Little Ningguang, you came to see me specifically, there must be something else, right?" Su Chen asked with a smile.

Little... Ningguang?

Ningguang's expression froze for a moment, then returned to normal.

Never mind, although Su Chen doesn't look as old as her now, he should be over a hundred years old.

"You really can't hide anything from your senior." She blinked. There was nothing wrong with acting cute in front of a senior. As long as it was a factor that would benefit the negotiation, it could be fully utilized.

Besides, Senior Luo Chen has lived for so many years, what storms hasn't he seen? So there's no point in scheming now. The most important thing is 'sincerity', to connect with each other from the heart.

Thinking of this, Ningguang said, "There are two things. First, according to the latest Liyue development plan issued by the Emperor last year, the Seven Stars have discussed it together and plan to strengthen maritime construction and open up exclusive maritime routes to various countries in the next ten years."

"Oh? That's quite a generous offer."

Su Chen nodded calmly.

As we all know, although the war between the demons and gods has ended, the sea is often fraught with all sorts of dangers, and there are far more unknown factors than on land.

Even without the attack of the demon god, many of those deep-sea behemoths were no less powerful than the weak demon god.

The maritime routes that countries use today are basically based on the experience accumulated over many years by maritime escort fleets; to put it bluntly, they are unorthodox methods.

To date, no country has had the courage to open its own security channels.

However, if this can be achieved and the safety of maritime routes can be guaranteed, the number of ship merchants using this route will surge, and the resulting benefits will be unimaginable.

After all, if there are safe routes available, who would be willing to risk being attacked by sea monsters and take another route?

"Yes, so we're not in a rush right now. As agreed, we've developed a two-stage plan. The first stage is to open up sea routes to Mondstadt, Sumeru, and Inazuma. Mondstadt and Sumeru are close by, and their coastal areas are relatively safe, making it much simpler. Inazuma isn't far either, but it's been put on hold for now because of Inazuma's recent lockdown."

Su Chen responded, "Why are you telling me about such a big plan?"

"To be honest, because this project is so massive, requiring unimaginable amounts of effort, resources, and money, Seven Stars plans to join forces with other large merchant guilds in Liyue. Profits along the shipping route will be distributed according to each party's contribution... Senior, the Luo family is also within the invitation pool, but..."

"Oh, you got rejected?"

"I suppose so. Although Chairman Luo said he would consider it, we both know that it was just a polite remark."

Opening up a sea route is extremely risky, and the potential benefits are unknown.

Given the Luo family's strong foundation in Liyue, there's no need for them to take this risk.

And even if they don't contribute, they can still enjoy the benefits once the waterway is built.

Could the Seven Stars possibly impose a ban on the Luo family?

In fact, most chambers of commerce were making the same plan, but others didn't have the boldness and strength of the Luo family, so they naturally didn't dare to refuse the Seven Stars' 'invitation'.

To put it bluntly, the country doesn't have enough money, manpower, or energy, so they bring these people in to make up the difference. As for profit distribution afterward, opening up the shipping route is a good thing for the whole country. In the end, the so-called profits will still have to be fought for by the strength of their own chambers of commerce.

Su Chen took a sip of wine and began to ponder.

Ningguang didn't say anything, just waited for him quietly.

After a while, Su Chen asked, "Who's in charge of the Luo family now?"

"Luo Mingtao".

"So it really is that brat."

Su Chen didn't ask Luo Minghe, but he should have realized that there were only a few people of the same generation.

"And the second thing?" Su Chen asked.

“The second thing is actually somewhat related to the first thing.” Ningguang chuckled. “Mondstadt has just ended the Dragon Plague and everything is in ruins. Rebuilding our homeland naturally requires a lot of resources. Ningguang sincerely proposes cooperation and hopes that you can act as a go-between. In the future, all the resources needed by Mondstadt will be provided by Ningguang’s businesses.”

Su Chen said with a half-smile, "Little Ningguang, you've got a good plan, but since you know my identity, why don't I just have the Yanhuang Chamber of Commerce handle it directly?"

"You should know the reason yourself, Senior, right?" Ningguang blinked, her expression somewhat mischievous. "The Yanhuang Merchant Guild has been entrenched in Mondstadt for a short time, but its influence is considerable. If they were to take all the profits this time, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction and even retaliation from the local forces in Mondstadt. Even with you here, Senior, it would be very troublesome. So, why not leave this matter to Ningguang? Afterwards, Ningguang will split the profits 50/50 with you, Senior? How about that?"

"I've done a rough calculation. Putting aside Mondstadt's existing material reserves, to restore things to their previous state, I conservatively estimate that we can earn four billion from this deal, and then you'll net two billion."

Su Chen was genuinely surprised.

Fifty-fifty.

He only needs to act as a go-between and make a decision to reap enormous profits.

He wasn't unaware that Ningguang would offer her profits to collaborate with him, but at most, it would be a 30/70 split.

A 50/50 split, with 20% of the profits amounting to 800 million, that kind of boldness isn't something everyone has.

"Now I understand why you're the richest among the Seven Stars." Su Chen made no attempt to hide his admiration.

As a businesswoman, Ningguang's abilities are absolutely top-notch.

If the Luo family has Ningguang to support them, becoming the number one family in Liyue will be a piece of cake.

What? Luo Mingtao?

That kid is good at maintaining the country, but he's lacking in the ability to conquer it.

"This fish is good."

Su Chen tilted his head and laughed, "Let's divide it up."

Ningguang smiled, ate a few bites, then raised her glass in a toast, demonstrating impeccable manners befitting a junior.