Morax is dead, Liyue will fall into my hands.

One step leads to another; Li Ye, using methods that seem foolish to outsiders, managed to elevate Jiaxuan Teahouse to become the undisputed leader among teahouses in Liyue City.

Ningguang would never believe that Jiaxuan Teahouse's success was due to luck.

In addition, Jiaxuan Teahouse did something else that made Ningguang even more interested in Li Ye.

Now a renowned teahouse, it still reserves some seats every day for free for the low-level laborers of Liyue Harbor.

If too many rough men come to Liyue Harbor to show their support and there aren't enough reserved seats, Li Ye might even simply vacate his private room for them.

Or is it because of a kind heart?

Perhaps, but probably not absolutely.

As far as Ningguang knew, Li Ye had firmly established himself in Liyue Harbor with just this one move.

Even because "Ye" and "Master" are homophones, rough men struggling to make a living at the bottom of society would sincerely address him as "Master Li" when they saw him.

Business owners in Liyue Harbor are willing to do business with him, and even Beidou, the leader of the "Southern Cross" fleet, mentioned him three times in one night when she came to talk business with him.

Beidou's assessment of Li Ye can be summed up in one sentence: This guy is capable! He's someone you can get along with!

If anyone knows Beidou best, it's definitely Ningguang. Beidou is a straightforward and easygoing person who speaks her mind directly, but she rarely praises someone in front of her, let alone praises them three times in a row.

This made Ningguang keenly realize that while Li Ye was taking care of his former comrades, he was also constantly accumulating strength and reputation. He seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to unleash his power!

So Ningguang, who originally planned to find Li Ye's weaknesses and force him to work for her, suddenly changed her mind after learning about Li Ye's ambitions and plans.

She decided to continue working with Li Ye's team as the behind-the-scenes proprietress of Wangshu Inn. Ningguang's intuition told her that this decision would bring her unexpected gains!

Chapter 5: Ningguang? Long hair, short wits!

Ningguang didn't have to wait long. As the door to the Accord opened, Li Ye strode in, led by a friendly waiter.

As soon as he entered, Li Ye cupped his hands and smiled apologetically, saying, "Sorry, sorry to have kept Boss Ji waiting."

Jihengyi is Ningguang's pseudonym.

"Mr. Li, you're too kind. I just arrived too. It seems this is your first time visiting Xinyuexuan?" Ningguang's elegant and gentle voice rang out, making everyone who heard it feel much more relaxed.

After Li Ye sat down, he picked up the menu and looked at the prices of the dishes. His lips twitched involuntarily. If it weren't for the fact that he was discussing a big business deal with Boss Ji today, he would have thrown down the menu and left right now.

He flipped through the menu several times, and finally gritted his teeth and ordered a few main dishes that looked somewhat "affordable" before handing the menu to Ningguang.

Ningguang wasn't going to take the menu. She already knew Xinyuexuan's dishes very well. Just as she was about to refuse, she heard Li Ye, who was sitting opposite her, say, "This is indeed my first time at Xinyuexuan. I usually like to eat at Wanmintang in Huyan."

The food there is cheap and affordable, unlike Xinyuexuan which only rips off rich people.

Ningguang didn't know what "dog big spender" meant, but she decisively pretended that it was also her first time eating at Xinyuexuan, and carefully ordered a few dishes from the menu.

After the waiter left, Ningguang took a closer look at Li Ye.

Although the two had met many times in the past year, Ningguang always felt that they both started from scratch, both had great ambitions in their youth, and both possessed business talents that were difficult for ordinary people to match. It was hard not to see her own shadow in Li Ye.

"Mr. Li, we've always communicated via Mora mobile phones. Why did you specifically choose such a grand place as Xinyuexuan this time? Is there something important to discuss?"

Upon hearing Ningguang's question, Li Ye immediately snapped his fingers and said, "Boss Ji hit the nail on the head. The reason I specifically chose New Moon Pavilion as the meeting place today is because I have a big business deal to discuss with you."

When Li Ye founded the team, the owner of Jiheng Instrument held a very special position.

People like Wang Xiaomei, Shen He, and Grandma Ping are more like team employees, mainly responsible for some important tasks, while the boss of Jihengyi is more like a partner that Li Ye found for himself, simply put, someone to "attract investment"!

No matter what you do, you need sufficient initial capital, also known as angel investment.

However, because Li Ye has grand ambitions, the Angel Rounds cannot target large merchant guilds or conglomerates in Liyue, nor can they be associated with the Seven Stars and Eight Gates of Liyue, as this would make it too easy for traitors to emerge from within the organization.

Li Ye had specifically investigated and found that this little-known owner of Jihengyi was neither a member of any chamber of commerce or conglomerate, nor a relative of the Seven Stars and Eight Gates of Liyue!

Furthermore, during their frequent interactions, it was clear that she showed no reverence whatsoever for the Seven Stars and Eight Gates of Liyue or the Three-Eyed Five Manifestations Immortal.

Even when discussing one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, a disdainful expression would inadvertently appear, a disdain that came from the bottom of their hearts.

Considering that she also has abundant funds and a wealth of talent, she is simply the best partner!

So when Li Ye came here today, he gave himself a death order: the Jiheng Instrument must be taken!

Thinking of this, Li Ye continued, "Boss Ji once said that his favorite thing is Mora, and what he is most interested in is how to earn Mora. So, Boss Ji, what do you think is the fastest and most effective way to earn Mora?"

Ningguang raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, her long and fair legs casually crossed. She didn't know what Li Ye was planning, but she still thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "Ningguang of Tianquan in the Liyue Seven Stars once said that the most profitable methods are written in Liyue's laws. So, the fastest and most profitable way to earn Mora should be to rob a Golden House, right?"

Li Ye laughed at this answer, his eyes filled with disdain: "How much money can you make by robbing a golden house? What kind of fastest and most profitable method is that?"

So let me tell you, Ningguang of Tianquan is a typical example of someone with long hair but short brains, only good at bullying the Liyue people, who are idiots whose business acumen is on par with the Hilichurls.

Ah, I'm sorry, Boss Ji, please don't misunderstand. I was simply saying that Tianquan Ningguang lacks knowledge; I didn't mean to imply anything against you, Boss Ji.

Ningguang: "..."

Her slender fingers began to tap rhythmically on the table, and her ruby-like eyes gave Li Ye a meaningful look. This was the first time someone had said she was "long-haired but short-sighted."

"Does Mr. Li mean there's a faster way to make money than robbing the Golden House?" Ningguang decided to put this matter aside for now. If Li Ye couldn't give her a satisfactory answer today, she wouldn't mind letting him experience firsthand just how far her knowledge really was!

"Of course," Li Ye said confidently, patting his chest. "Right now, there just happens to be such a lucrative project, waiting for us to take it over."

What project?

When Li Ye got to the key point, he became excited again. He placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and stared intently at Ning Guang across from him, saying, "Open a bank!"

Ningguang was immediately disappointed when she heard Li Ye's suggestion: "Open a bank? Last year, Dartalia, the executor of the Fools of Winterland, caused a series of disasters in Liyue for certain purposes, which made the relationship between Winterland and Liyue precarious, and also affected the business of the Northern Bank in Liyue."

Mr. Li means that we should take this opportunity to open a new bank and replace the Northern Bank? If that's the case, then I can only say that Mr. Li is overthinking things.

Tianquan Ningguang has inflicted heavy losses on the Zhidong Kingdom through diplomacy, but she has conspicuously avoided targeting the Northern Bank. Does Mr. Li know why?

Li Ye rolled his eyes and said, "What else could it be? Stupidity!"

Ningguang: "..."

Li Ye explained, "I know. It's precisely because of the Northern Bank, which is spread throughout the entire Teyvat continent, that merchants on Teyvat can do business more conveniently and safely. Without the Northern Bank, Liyue's commercial operations would suffer a huge blow."

The Northern Bank was less a bank and more like a money shop in the early days of ancient China.

Although it also had two main businesses, savings and lending, it was fundamentally different from banks in later generations.

The most typical example is that the Northern Bank not only does not offer interest, but also requires a deposit when depositing money and a handling fee when withdrawing money.

So why is it that the Northern Bank can still spread throughout the entire Teyvat continent and make a fortune?

The reason is simple: Teyvat has never been safe, and the Northern Bank primarily targets merchants who travel all over Teyvat.

Chapter Six: I Buy More When Others Are Fearful

Mora can be consumed as an alchemical catalyst, and in a sense, it can be considered an industrial material. However, in the mainstream view of Teyvat, it is a universal currency.

Furthermore, all Mora are manufactured in the Golden House of Liyue and have uniform appearance and specifications, so there is no situation where different countries have different exchange rates.

Merchants from Liyue bring their goods to Winterland to sell and receive Mora of equal value. If they then bring a large amount of Mora back to Liyue, it will not only affect their return speed but also be unsafe and make them easy targets for bandits and thieves in Teyvat.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Winter established Northern Banks in various places. Merchants only needed to deposit their Mora in the Kingdom of Winter and then withdraw their money from the Northern Banks after returning to Liyue.

While this is convenient for merchants, considering that commercial trade also has peak and off-peak seasons, and that most of those who conduct deposit business at the Northern Kingdom Bank are merchants, it often happens that merchants deposit a large amount of Mora in the Winter Kingdom in a short period of time, and then when they return to Liyue to retrieve their Mora, they withdraw an amount far exceeding the amount of their savings at the Liyue Northern Kingdom Bank.

At this point, the only solution for the Northern Bank was to draw funds from other areas.

Winterfell is rich in martial virtue, and its Fools are scattered throughout the land, even stationing troops in other countries. This makes it easy to assist in the transfer of massive amounts of Mora, which is one of the reasons why Winterfell has been able to establish Northern Banks all over the Teyvat continent.

The Northern Bank provided convenience for merchants while also bearing the risks and labor involved in transporting Mora. Therefore, it is perfectly normal for the Northern Bank to charge fees for deposits and withdrawals.

In a sense, the Northern Bank does belong to the service industry, but it also undertakes some of the tasks of the escort agency.

Ningguang believed that Li Ye's proposal to "open a bank" was a pipe dream, because according to the Northern Bank's thinking, creating a new bank that could replace the Northern Bank was simply not something that a few businessmen could accomplish by pooling some money.

Furthermore, while it's true that Northern Bank makes a fortune every day, its expenses are also huge. It's impossible for it to be more profitable than robbing a golden house, right?

Ningguang's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze sharpened: "Opening a bank is not as simple as it sounds. The Liyue Seven Stars also considered creating a bank of their own, but ultimately gave up. Do you know why?"

"He's just stupid, what other reason could there be?"

After finishing his sentence, Li Ye scratched his head and said with a puzzled look, "Didn't I already say that Tianquan Ningguang is reckless, Yuheng Keqing is short of wisdom, and Liyue Qixing is just a name without substance, they don't have any real skills, so isn't it normal for them to be clueless when they encounter trouble?"

Looking into Li Ye's sincere eyes, Ning Guang smiled even more happily. She now realized that Li Ye was really lucky to have met her.

If it were Yuheng Star Keqing instead, the two would probably already be fighting.

To be precise, it was Ke Qing who was attacking, and Li Ye was running away with his head in his hands.

Ningguang wasn't annoyed; instead, Li Ye piqued her interest.

Now two voices are in her mind.

A voice told her that this problem, which had plagued generations of Liyue, was not something Li Ye could solve on his own! That would be an insult to the current Liyue Seven Stars!

One voice said that since Li Ye dared to make such a boast, he must have a solution.

"Since Mr. Li plans to open a bank, he should know that during the peak and off-peak seasons of business, Mora needs to be transported back and forth between different banks."

At this time, the fools of the Winter Kingdom can protect the transport Mora of the Northern Bank, and they can also trip up other competitors, or even directly turn into bandits to rob them on the road.

Liyue is in its own little territory, and with the Thousand Rock Army, it naturally doesn't need to worry about the Fatui causing trouble. The problem is, what if they leave Liyue?

We can't just follow the example of the Winter Kingdom and keep stationing Thousand Rock Army troops in various places, can we?

If this critical issue cannot be resolved, banking will remain the exclusive domain of Winterfell, and even Liyue will be unable to gain a foothold.

After Ningguang finished her simple analysis, her captivating eyes stared intently at Li Ye.

She was increasingly looking forward to seeing what magical methods Li Ye might possess that could not only help Liyue solve this century-old problem in one fell swoop, but also make opening a bank more profitable than robbing a golden house.

"I thought to myself, what kind of problem is this?" Li Ye's eyebrows were beaming as he spoke, a smug smile on his lips, exuding an air of arrogance: "It's just that the transportation of Mora is difficult, that's easy to solve, just stop transporting it."

"???" Ningguang almost crashed on the spot when she heard Li Ye's solution.

She had imagined various solutions proposed by Li Ye, such as recruiting a powerful mercenary force in the local area where the bank is located;

Alternatively, one could exchange Mora for other resources, transport them to the appropriate cities, and then exchange them back for Mora—a possible emergency measure during such special times.

But to her utter surprise, Li Ye solved the problem at its root...

Indeed, if there is no transportation, there is no possibility of being hijacked.

Li Ye knew that this explanation was not enough to satisfy Boss Ji, so he quickly added: "Boss Ji, first of all, I only plan to open a bank in Liyue City, or rather Liyue Harbor. I have no intention of opening banks in various countries. Besides, we don't have the strength to do so."

Since there is only one bank, there is naturally no transportation issue.

So, Boss Ji will definitely have a second question: if we only have one bank in Liyue, why would any merchants come here to do business?

Ningguang nodded calmly. Opening only one bank means you can't provide the projects that merchants need, so who would be willing to do business with you? If no one does business, how can you make money?

Soon, Li Ye's answer greatly exceeded her expectations once again. She heard Li Ye say, "Actually, it's very simple. You need to pay two handling fees when depositing or withdrawing Mora at the Northern Bank."