Lu Bu, the Thunder General, is my adoptive father in Genshin Impact.

A smile involuntarily appeared on Xiao Yi's face beneath the mask.

Liyue boasts Teyvat's largest trading port and is also the most economically developed region. Inazuma, having endured hardship after the war, is in dire need of rebuilding. If a good relationship can be established with Liyue, its backward commerce and economy will experience rapid growth.

Whether it was the godfather or Miss Shadow who came up with the plan, it was indeed a brilliant move. Thor, whose thinking had been rigid, finally became flexible and clever.

Xiao Yi felt very gratified.

However, this so-called marriage alliance... is it just about sending a nobleman's son to marry a wealthy woman from Liyue?

The rulers of Liyue are seven merchants known as the Seven Stars, and among the Seven Stars are two beauties: the elegant and graceful Ningguang of Tianquan and the hardworking and capable Keqing of Yuheng.

But in any case, the marriage partners could never be them, after all, what kind of business agreement would involve sending state officials abroad?

Not to mention the premise that the two countries are of equal strength.

Xiao Yi couldn't help but feel sorry for the chosen noblewoman, Inazuma. Arranged marriages are like opening a blind box; the quality of the partner depends entirely on luck, making the wedding process extremely tense and exciting...

After much deliberation, he decided to stop this political marriage, which was based solely on interests and devoid of love. Otherwise, the bride and groom would become sacrifices to the goodwill between the two countries, losing the happiness that should have been theirs, which would be too tragic.

Commercial agreements are fine; but marriage between the two countries is not!

Xiao Yi planned to gather more information and use the chat room to explain to Ying that he wanted her to make an exception and dissolve the marriage agreement between the two countries, and to establish business channels through other means.

As he pushed his way forward, he asked the crowd around him, "Which family's child is the general planning to send to take on this important task? The Kujo family, the Takatsukasa family, the Kamisato family, or the Hiiragi family?"

"Whose child will the general send?" The crowd enthusiastically replied, "Of course, our own child!"

Xiao Yi froze on the spot, and then a complex discussion entered his ears in an orderly fashion.

"Thank you so much, Narukami-sama! You've done so much for Inazuma!"

"Not only does he charge at the forefront of the battlefield, but he is also willing to sacrifice his body for the development of the country. He truly deserves to be the adopted son that the general has chosen!"

"I heard that in a few days, Lady Narukami will be setting off for Liyue to get married. The head of the Kamisato family and Princess Shiraga will be going together to oversee the grand wedding. Yae no Kōji will also be accompanying them to offer his blessings to the newlyweds with the Inazuma ceremony."

"The magistrate of the shrine and the representative of Narukami Taisha went together; it was truly a star-studded lineup!"

……

Chapter 87 Xiao Yi's Fiancée

"My adopted son is ill?" General Raiden asked calmly, kneeling in the castle tower room. "What are the specifics? Is his life in danger?"

“Rather than saying he’s sick, it’s more like…” The Ottomans, who were kneeling and reporting, hesitated before continuing.

"Please feel free to speak."

"Excuse my bluntness, but it seems that Lord Narukami has gone mad," said Okuzawa, carefully choosing his words. "When I came back from the street this morning, he was talking nonsense all day long. What's even more outrageous is that he was wrapped in a blanket and sitting in front of the stove eating watermelon."

"You ate fifty watermelons, General! These were Inazuma's watermelons..."

The reporter noticed that the general had suddenly closed his eyes and was deep in thought. In order not to disturb the general's contemplation, he immediately shut up.

Not long after, the general opened his eyes again, his tone becoming gentler and more emotional: "Where is Xiao Yi now? I want to see him."

When Xiao Yi saw the announcement this morning and then pretended to be crazy, Ying already sensed something was wrong. At first, she thought that this guy would stop after playing for a few hours and didn't take it to heart.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yi not only did not stop, but intensified his actions. So Thor took over the general's control and planned to find him personally and solve the problem.

Ying did this not for Xiao Yi's sake, after all, she knew that he was pretending to be crazy.

She replaced the general and took the lead herself to protect the watermelons in the castle tower. She loved the sweet watermelon juice, and if Xiao Yi kept eating like this, there wouldn't be any left to drink.

……

Xiao Yi lay on the bed in the room, his mouth full of watermelon seeds, staring blankly at the ceiling.

His reason for feigning madness was simple: according to known information, his adoptive father was about to sell him to Liyue to marry a rich woman, and he didn't even know the woman.

Putting aside whether his fiancée is pretty or has a good personality, as a transmigrator influenced by modern culture, he would definitely oppose this kind of feudal arranged marriage.

Upon seeing the announcement, he immediately inquired with Ying and discovered that the marriage had nothing to do with Ying. The entire plan was orchestrated by the General, and his execution was quite astonishing.

The general, with his back to Xiao Yi, first contacted Liyue, then arranged for the magistrate to begin preparations. At the same time, he sent Xiao Yi to Haiqi Island for diplomacy. By the time Xiao Yi returned and noticed something amiss, the bride had already been chosen in Liyue, and they were just waiting for Inazuma to send Naruko over.

Yae no Kamiko seems to know the whole story, but the funny fox didn't tell Xiao Yi and his best friend.

Xiao Yi knew that reasoning with the puppet general was pointless, so he resorted to feigning madness to try and make the farce disappear.

Ying pushed open the door, ordered Ao Jiezhong to wait at the door, and went to Xiao Yi's bedside alone.

She was also somewhat at a loss.

Unlike before when he always stayed at home, the evil spirit disaster promoted the growth of the shadow, and the thunder god no longer relied on the general but took the initiative to participate in the affairs of Inazuma.

The specific process is as follows: the Shadow makes major directional decisions and has the General execute them, then observes the results and makes minor adjustments to achieve the best governance effect.

The main direction she proposed this time was to lift the isolation order and sign agreements with trading nations to allow Inazuma's economy to recover and improve.

The marriage alliance was indeed not wrong, but the problem was that such a large-scale operation should not have been carried out from the beginning, directly sending the second-in-command abroad—the puppet general thought that this would maximize the benefits.

Unbeknownst to him, the general had gotten himself into a huge mess.

Ying was surprised that Liyue agreed to the conditions so quickly, and that they did not disgrace Ming Shenzi by sending a heavyweight figure to participate in the marriage alliance...

That's right, Liyue is very sincere and has sent a person of second-in-command level.

This completely baffled Ying. It was one thing for the general to be prepared, but Li Yue also seemed to be well-prepared. The two sides reached a consensus in no time.

According to the contract, Xiao Yi will stay in Liyue for five years, then take his bride back to Inazuma for another five years, and then return to Liyue again after five years... and so on indefinitely. Since both husband and wife have long lifespans, it's no problem for them to continue for thousands of generations.

As for official duties, both parties work for whichever country they are in, which in a sense can be considered a permanent and long-term contract.

Since the contract has already been signed and there's no going back, Ying can only sacrifice her good friend Xiao Yi and try to persuade him to go to Liyue.

And incidentally, preserve the watermelons at the castle tower.

"Don't worry, Xiao Yi," Ying said, appealing to his emotions and reasoning. "Five years will pass in the blink of an eye. Don't pretend to be crazy because you're still attached to your wife."

"Ah-ba ah-ba ah-ba..." Xiao Yi continued his performance.

He wasn't clinging to Inazuma; he was setting an example by rebelling against the feudal system. Presumably, that girl from Liyue wouldn't want to marry a stranger from a foreign land either.

Xiao Yi suddenly remembered the question about "happiness" that Ayaka Kamisato had asked him that morning.

So that's what it meant. The young lady thought she knew, so she was pitying her!

Ayaka-chan, I solemnly answer you: arranged marriages are indeed unhappy!

Although his mind was filled with complicated thoughts, Xiao Yi remained meticulous and, while lost in reverie, did not forget to feign madness.

Suddenly, Okuzume's voice came from outside the door: "Lord Yae no Kamiji, this is Lord Narukami's bedroom, please do not..."

"Let her in," Thor said.

The fox, her face beaming with delight, entered the room and looked down at Xiao Yi from the bedside, her smile growing even more joyful.

Shadow complained, "If you had told me what the general had done, this wouldn't have happened..."

“No need to rush, Shadow.” The fox raised his hand playfully, holding up three fingers. “Three sentences. I only need three sentences to make the young man willingly go to Liyue.”

Thor looked at the fox curiously, but Xiao Yi, skeptical, continued to pretend to be stupid by making "ah-ba-ah-ba" noises.

"I remember you said you were from Liyue, right? I think you were from the Xiao family, a big clan. You must have been well-traveled and had interacted with many important people."

Xiao Yi ignored the fox; it was a fabricated identity, and even if it were exposed, it wouldn't be a big problem.

After all, Ying already knew the truth about the time travelers.

"Young man, according to the news from Liyue, the bride is marrying you willingly; she signed the marriage certificate herself. So don't worry about your fiancée not accepting you. Besides, you are the renowned adopted son of Narukami; what girl would refuse you!"

Xiao Yi continued pausing, thinking to himself: Even if my fiancée agrees, it won't work; I don't agree at all!

Having already said two of the three confident sentences, Xiao Yi didn't think the Divine Child could convince him. Could she possibly defeat him with a single sentence?

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do if you don't want to go to Liyue." The Divine Child gave up trying to persuade her, feigning sorrow. "It's just a pity for my dear sister Ganyu, with such a sincere heart..."

A medical miracle has occurred.

Just moments before, Xiao Yi was delirious, paralyzed, and bedridden. In five seconds, he completed a series of complex actions, including getting up, getting out of bed, and wiping the melon seeds from the corner of his mouth.

His eyes shone brightly, and he said with righteous indignation, "Trade is very important for the development of Inazuma, and for this reason I am willing to sacrifice myself to marry into Liyue."

Volume Two: Selling Justice

Chapter 88 Target: Liyue Harbor, Mission: Marry Coconut Sheep

A few days later, Xiao Yi happily boarded the large sailboat and left Daoqi, where he had lived for several months.

The shogunate and even the entire Inazuma region attached great importance to the marriage alliance between the two countries. Xiao Yi's main ship was surrounded by more than ten escort ships, some of which were supported by Haizhi Island, which is enough to demonstrate the importance of cooperating with Liyue.

Although Xiao Yi was initially somewhat resistant, with the help of Yae Fox's talk therapy, he has now completely come to terms with it and accepted it.

On second thought, Liyue is a vast and resource-rich land with a huge port that holds all the wealth of Teyvat. If I settle here for five years, I can basically eat and drink whatever I want. There are all kinds of delicacies available. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

In contrast, Inazuma, being an isolated archipelago, was significantly less resource-rich.

Although they can barely manage to produce and consume their own produce, there are still many things that are difficult to obtain—for example, the watermelon that Miss Ying longs for.

Because the terrain of Inazuma is not suitable for growing melons and fruits, the price has risen again and again to an absurdly high level, and often it is difficult to obtain them even if you have the money.

Xiao Yi vowed that once he arrived in Liyue, he would indulge in coconut milk to his heart's content, making up for the regret of not being able to eat fresh fruit in Inazuma.

He stood at the edge of the deck, gazing at the distant sky. The clear blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see, and the refreshing sea breeze caressed his face, bringing a sense of exhilaration and comfort.

The last time he traveled by boat like this was when Xin Hai sent him to Naruto Island as an undercover agent. Things are unpredictable. Now he is about to head to the richest region of Teyvat to marry the half-immortal girl.

Xiao Yi looked down at the azure sea and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the "Eye of God" on his chest.

To be precise, this is his energy release device.

He was filled with emotion and summoned the system panel to view the data.

(Lord: General Thunder; Trust Value: 77)

After the incident with the evil spirit ended, Miss Shadow's trust increased by 11, and her power increased significantly.

However, due to his lack of self-control, he injured his body and could no longer release elemental power at will. Xiao Yi always felt regretful whenever he thought about this.

He suddenly wondered if his trust level would decrease if he did something to anger Miss Ying.

After all, the trust value has been increasing since the time travel, and there hasn't been an unfortunate situation where it decreased instead of increasing.

He opened a chat room and told Thor about his idea.