In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

The name and legendary deeds of Beidou are also the topics that mercenaries and adventurers like to talk about the most.

The Dragon King of the sea and the mercenaries on land originally had no connection.

Moreover, Liyue and Sumeru are still quite far apart.

But the stories of splitting mountains and seas, drawing lightning with a sword, and slaying terrifying sea monsters with a single strike are the most popular topics of conversation among mercenaries and adventurers.

In an extraordinary world.

The strong are always admired.

Beidou is clearly a highly respected and powerful figure, and her stories of slaying sea monsters are always fascinating.

Some storytellers in Liyue have even adapted her story into narratives, using artistic techniques to recount the deeds of the uncrowned dragon king.

Rod had heard it once before.

That was very well said.

The audience responded very well, with many saying they wanted to join the Southern Cross fleet on the spot.

Rhodes looked up.

The Beidou satellite, which had been busy on the deck, was nowhere to be seen.

So he looked away and joked, "Mr. Zhongli brought me here specifically. Do you have business dealings with them too?"

"Ah."

Unexpectedly, Zhongli actually nodded: "Their first mate ordered a nautical chart from me. They're docking today, so we can complete the transaction."

Rod's smile faltered for a moment, then he said, "Your business scope is indeed quite extensive."

No wonder the Rebirth Hall could afford to support Zhongli, that big spender.

So he took on so many jobs when he had nothing to do!

In the morning, I went to work on the Rock God; in the afternoon, I went to Guili Plains to be Keqing's advisor; and in the evening, I made a deal with the Southern Cross fleet.

What a fulfilling day!

The bearded man who was fiercely bidding against the merchants was the first mate of the Southern Cross fleet that Zhongli mentioned.

Zhongli did not disturb him.

Once the bidding over there was over, Zhong Li stepped forward and handed an exquisitely packaged wooden box to the first mate named Chong Zuo.

"Mr. Zhongli is really punctual."

Chongzuo didn't check the wooden box in his hand, but instead chuckled and took out a bag of Mora and handed it to Zhongli.

Rhodes made a visual assessment.

Zhongli sold this nautical chart for around 500,000.

A fair price, not expensive at all.

It's important to know that the nautical charts hand-drawn by Zhongli are absolutely the most advanced in the entire Teyvat region in terms of accuracy, shoreline, island and reef locations, water depth, hydrological elements, and hazardous materials markings.

As a result, Zhongli simply sold it at the market price.

have to say.

The price was a bit low.

However, Zhongli obviously didn't care about these things. After completing the nautical chart transaction, he didn't leave but asked Chongzuo about the voyage.

When this is mentioned...

Chongzuo immediately became beaming and began to boast endlessly about their experiences at sea.

It's mostly about chasing down pirates and exterminating sea monsters.

Boasting about BeiDou is an unavoidable staple of the program.

In short.

In the mouth of Chongzuo.

Beidou is a legend at sea. Whenever she is around, she knows how to treat any headaches or fevers of the crew, she can read nautical charts that the navigators cannot understand, and she can resolve any dangers if the fleet accidentally enters a dangerous area. She can also observe celestial phenomena and measure water conditions. She can even identify the species of sea creatures that no one recognizes at a glance and accurately report their market prices.

"It's truly a blessing for Southern Cross to have our leader, the Dragon King, in charge."

This was Chongzuo's heartfelt sigh as the three parted ways.

After this.

Zhongli did not take Luo De anywhere else, but instead invited him to Wanmintang for dinner.

Having just received his payment from the Southern Cross team, he was very generous, sitting in a quiet private room, ordering Wanmintang's signature dishes, and this time paying in cash without keeping a tab.

After finishing the meal.

Their trip together today has officially come to an end. One returned to the Hall of Rebirth, and the other returned to the Sumeru Embassy in Liyue.

Thinking back to when we parted, Zhong Li had said he would invite me to travel again the next day.

Rhodes, with one foot inside the room, looked towards the Hall of Rebirth and muttered to himself with a clear mind, "Is this to ask me to help determine whether the people of Liyue are qualified to succeed him?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 242 Wendy's Old Friend

Rhodes wasn't quite sure if Zhongli wanted him to see how the Liyue people governed the country.

But in the following days...

He did indeed take Rod to the area managed by the Seven Stars and Eight Gates, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Of course.

It was done in the name of the mortal Zhongli.

These past few days of traveling together have also shown Rhodes just how much prestige Zhongli has in Liyue Harbor.

Nominally, he was a guest of the Hall of Rebirth, but he seemed to have no connection with many fields.

However, he relied on his extensive knowledge and talent.

From ordinary shops to wealthy and powerful families, Zhongli could reach special business deals with them wherever he went. Even at the most famous wealthy merchant guild in Liyue, Feiyun, he was a guest of honor who needed to be personally received by their head manager.

As for Rhodes, who followed Zhongli around like a little follower.

Most people responded with a friendly attitude.

In their view.

The young people who are mentored by a learned elder like Mr. Zhongli may very well be his students.

Hiring Zhongli as a consultant would be quite expensive, so theoretically hiring his students wouldn't cost as much.

Based on this idea.

Apart from a few people who knew Rhodes, the others chatted happily with Zhongli and also gave Rhodes their business cards, their words implying a desire to recruit or befriend him.

Rod accepted their offers with a smile, neither agreeing nor refusing them.

in this period.

What impressed Rod the most was...

It wasn't the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce, whose luxury rivaled that of the Qunyu Pavilion, nor was it that bankrupt merchant so poor that it couldn't afford consultant fees and even needed Zhongli to pay Mora out of his own pocket.

It is the Blackrock Depths in Liyue.

That's Liyue's military factory, specializing in the research and manufacturing of equipment for the Thousand Rock Army.

This was the first time Rhodes had seen such a well-organized and professional military factory on the continent of Teyvat.

Perhaps other countries also have similar military factories.

But the sheer scale and level of automation inside the Black Rock plant still left Rhodes speechless.

That's right.

automation.

This name, which seems completely unrelated to Liyue, actually appears at Blackrock Depths.

The mechanical arts of immortals.

This is Zhongli's explanation to Luo De.

The construction of Blackrock Depths was not only accomplished by the mortals of Liyue, but also by the immortals who provided a great deal of technical support.

Similar to a lathe, there are precision automatic mechanisms, blast furnace equipment for refining materials, and a powerful protective barrier. According to Zhongli, there is also a super-large self-destruct array beneath the entire Blackrock Factory that is powerful enough to blow half of Liyue into the sky.

With the help of these celestial mechanisms.

The production capacity of the Black Rock Plant is extremely terrifying.

Anyway, when Rhode saw those batches of armor and weapons being produced, the first thing that came to his mind was the fear of insufficient firepower.

I wonder if the Dark Calamity of that year left a lingering psychological scar on the people of Liyue.

In short.

The Blackrock Depths factory has enough stock to last Liyue for decades, yet they still seem dissatisfied with every production they make.

This is still the reserve in the ordinary production area that is open to outsiders.

According to Zhong Li's introduction.

Inside the Blackrock Plant are several research areas, which are the production sites for advanced weapons.

Those places are strictly off-limits to outsiders. Even a weapons expert like Zhongli wouldn't bring an outsider like Rhodes there for a visit.

I spent a few days traveling with Zhongli.

This allowed Rhodes to gain a deeper understanding of Liyue.

The questioning he had imagined did not occur.

After visiting various organizations, large and small, in Liyue, Zhongli left Liyue Harbor with Apep, saying, "Let Rhodes wait for their good news."

After Zhongli left.