Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

When Phanes returned to the Winter Palace, he was so hungry that he was in a daze.

When Xiao Hei landed on the square, Fanes practically rolled down, staggering towards the canteen as soon as his feet touched the ground.

On the way, he knocked over two soldiers carrying documents, knocked over a crystal lamp in the corridor, and when he pushed open the door to the canteen, he fell face-first onto the table, making the cutlery rattle loudly.

The chef, carrying a pot of freshly cooked stew, saw the twelfth seat master panting on the table. He instinctively took two steps back and then silently placed the entire pot of stew in front of him.

Fañez grabbed a piece with his hand and stuffed it into his mouth without even taking a spoon. The scalding hot broth made him gasp for breath, but he refused to spit it out.

Xiao Hei poked its head in from the doorway, opened its huge mouth, and swallowed the entire second bowl of meat that the chef had brought over. It didn't even chew before swallowing it, and then let out a satisfied, low growl that shook the entire cafeteria.

By the time he'd eaten the third bowl, Fanes finally recovered, leaning back in his chair and letting out a satisfied burp. He wiped the grease from his mouth, pulled out the prototype, and called Rosalin: "Sister Rosalin, I'm full. We can talk about the jade now."

Rosalind had clearly anticipated his return time, and when she answered, her tone carried an air of knowing, "I knew you'd eat first before we talk business": "Did you bring back the samples?"

Fanes took out several fist-sized jade stones from his pocket and laid them out on the table. Each stone gleamed with a rich and uniform emerald green color under the cafeteria lights.

He carved it out before leaving the island, selecting only the most uniform parts of the ore vein. The polished surface of one side was so clear that you could almost see the texture several centimeters deep inside.

He picked one out and held it up to the camera of the prototype: "I brought it. You've seen the photos; the actual product is even clearer. How's your network going?"

Rosalyn was silent for a few seconds before speaking, her tone carrying that focused, merchant-like quality that Fanes was familiar with.

"Four jewelers in Mondstadt have expressed interest, two in Fontaineble, and I haven't dared to touch Liyue, given Tianquan's extensive network of informants. But my suggestion is that we shouldn't go through traditional channels for this batch of goods."

Fanes sat up a little straighter: "What do you mean?"

"We'll sell them ourselves. We'll simultaneously stock them in seven countries: Winterfall, Mondstadt, Fontainebleau, Liyue, Sumeru, Nata, and Inazuma. I'll have people set up stalls in each location, displaying only three to five finished products in each shop, priced at more than five times the market price of similar products. If you can afford it, buy it; if you can't, leave. No bargaining, no retail. Once this batch sells out, we'll release a second batch, priced 20% higher than the first. As long as the market recognizes that this item is scarce and expensive, demand will naturally follow."

Fanes turned the jade over and looked at it again: "Can it sell for five times the price? Who would buy it?"

Rosalyn chuckled on the other end, a laugh that carried a sense of "you're still too young."

"The nobles of Winter, the wealthy tycoons of Fontaine, the rich merchants of Liyue, and the Lawrence family of Mondstadt. The more expensive something is, the more they want it; they'd rather buy it and display it without wearing it. Give me a batch of finished products first, larger in size, with fine carvings, preferably as ornaments or complete sets of accessories. The smaller the piece, the less valuable it is; the larger it is, the more impressive it is. Put the prices of pendants and bracelets aside for now."

Fanes put the rough stones into his pocket: "Okay. I'll arrange the processing, but your people will set up the sales channels. We'll split the profits 50/50."

Rosalyn paused for a moment, then said with a hint of a smile, "Deal."

For the next two months, Fanes devoted all his energy to this project. He transported the jadeite rough back to Zhidong in batches and found several skilled craftsmen to process it into various finished products—large pieces included half-person-high carved screens, ornaments, and jade vases carved from a single piece, while smaller pieces included sets of pendants and bracelets.

On the day the first batch of goods was launched simultaneously in the seven kingdoms, the pricing in Mondstadt made the eyes of the four jewelers pop out, while in Liyue, a few seasoned experts stood in front of the counter for a long time, and finally gritted their teeth and took out their money.

For the nobles of Fontainebleau, buying jadeite is not so much about buying jewelry, but rather a way to compete in status. Whoever has a larger imperial jadeite sculpture in their living room will have more to talk about at afternoon tea parties.

The first batch sold out within two weeks. The second batch, with a 20% price increase, also sold out within ten days. The third batch saw another 20% price increase, yet demand still exceeded supply.

Within just two months, the twelfth seat of the Fools' jade business turned the entire Teyvat jewelry market upside down. Several established jade merchants ran out of stock and found that top-quality raw materials seemed to have disappeared overnight when they tried to find new sources of supply.

What's even more ruthless is that just as the popularity of Imperial Green was beginning to decline, Fanes and Rosalin suddenly switched to Ice Green.

A batch of translucent, icy jadeite ornaments and pendants appeared on the markets of seven countries at the same time, and the prices were still ridiculously high. However, those customers who bought imperial green jadeite turned around and bought icy jadeite instead, saying that "the two styles do not conflict and are just right for display at home."

After the market for icy jade gradually became saturated, they launched another round of white jade – with a warm and delicate texture, priced slightly lower than the previous two rounds, but still far higher than the market average.

After a round of manipulation, three established jade merchants who hadn't kept up with the pace went bankrupt. They simply couldn't understand where the Fools got so many top-quality raw materials from.

If it were a single mine, the output couldn't be so stable and even; if it were pieced together from multiple acquisitions, there should have been word of it in the market long ago. But no matter how they investigated, they couldn't find the source.

Inside the Winter Palace, Pantaloni sat in his office, looking at the quarterly market reports, and remained silent for a long time. His deputy cautiously asked a question beside him.

"My lord...should we speak with the twelfth seat to discuss a collaboration?"

Pantalone took off his gold-rimmed glasses, wiped the lenses, and put them back on, his tone carrying a sense of suppressed frustration that said, "Not earning this money is worse than losing it."

"What are you talking about? This money originally came from his hands, and now you're going to go up to him and say, 'Give me a share'—do you want to make me a laughingstock in the entire Winter Palace?"

Pantalone shoved the report onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the ceiling. His voice was a few decibels lower than before, as if he were talking to himself or someone else: "If I were to earn this money..."

He didn't finish his sentence. Everyone could guess what the second half of his sentence was, but Pantalone ultimately didn't say it.

In the third month, Fanes did something that surprised all the citizens of Winterfell. He set up a stall on the busiest commercial street next to the Winter Palace, displaying a whole table of jade bracelets, ranging in quality from high-ice to glutinous. Each bracelet was polished smooth and delicate, and its transparency and clarity would have been priced at six figures or more in any jewelry store.

A wooden sign hung on the stall, which read: "Jadeite bracelets, only labor fee charged. 100 Mora each." Next to it, in smaller print, was a note: "Limited to two per person, no resale."

That day, the entire city of Winterfell went crazy. The queue stretched from the shopping street all the way outside the square, and it didn't dissipate even on the coldest evening.

An elderly woman bought a pair for each of her daughters in one go; a young man blushed as he picked out a pair for his favorite girl; and a mother who brought her child squatted in front of the stall to try on several sizes for her daughter before finally finding the right one.

Fanes sat behind the stall, collecting money until his hands were sore, while the clerk next to him was busy handing out bracelets, barely having time to breathe.

Little Black squatted on the open ground next to the stall, its huge body blocking the wind and snow from half the street. Its amber vertical pupils quietly watched the long queue in front of it, and its tail occasionally swept the ground, pushing the snow to the side to form a small snow mound.

A month later, the twelfth seat, "Young Master" Fanes, who was originally unknown in Winter City, had become more famous than the first seat.

Walking down the street, an old lady recognized him and smiled and nodded at him; in the tavern, when people were discussing the recently discounted jade bracelets, nine out of ten sentences would mention that "little executive officer"; even the soldiers standing guard at the Winter Palace would chat and ask, "Did you manage to snag one of those jade bracelets the other day?"

As for Pantalone, when people mention him, their tone boils down to one thing: "Oh, that old fox who keeps raising prices. Not familiar with him."

When Fanes closed the third month's accounting book, the total profit had already exceeded 10 billion Mora. He leaned on the counter, rested his chin on the cover of the book, exchanged a glance with Little Black squatting by the door, and then said, "Little Black, you've got your food expenses covered for the rest of your life."

The little black cat rested its head on its front paws, not even lifting its eyelids, and merely swept its tail lightly across the ground, as if to say, "I know, I know, you've said it eight hundred times."