Morax is dead, Liyue will fall into my hands.

My bank is different. Customers who deposit or withdraw Mora through me not only don't have to pay any fees, but they actually receive double the fees.

Upon hearing Li Ye's explanation, Ning Guang's pupils constricted slightly. She tried her best to hide her shocked expression. Depositing and withdrawing Mora not only didn't require any handling fees, but also earned her extra Mora? Wouldn't everyone be more willing to deposit their money in the bank?

Forget about making money, you'd lose everything!

and many more!

Ningguang suddenly realized something and said, "Loan sharking!? Boss Li plans to use this money for loan sharking? To make money through lending?"

Li Ye managed to amass a massive amount of Mora in a short time using this method. Ningguang's first thought was naturally to lend it out. In Teyvat, "nine out and thirteen back" is not a rare occurrence.

But her keen business sense told her that Li Ye's considerations were far from simple.

Chapter Seven: Isn't Boss Li afraid of being sidelined?

There are lending businesses in Liyue, but the overall returns are so-so, and it's easy to damage one's reputation. Apart from the Northern Bank, it's usually run by small merchants, and large merchants don't even bother with it.

The reason is that there are too many bad debts.

Bad debts refer to accounts receivable that a company has not yet collected.

Because of the high number of bad debts, interest rates are generally high when lending to cover these risks, and usury and compound interest are commonplace.

Because the interest rates are so high, people who borrow money are often desperate and have no other choice but to gamble.

If you win the gamble, you'll get a hostess model; if you lose, you'll be forced into prostitution, and the loan will naturally become a dead debt.

High bad debts lead to high interest rates, which in turn lead to more bad debts, creating a snowball effect.

Furthermore, the methods used to collect debts are usually not harmonious, and over time ordinary people easily associate lending with evil forces. Large merchants, protecting their own interests, naturally disdain to engage in such activities.

In this respect, Northern Bank has a unique advantage and has no reputation burden at all, since they do not rely on word of mouth or reputation to make a living.

Li Ye certainly wouldn't be aiming to make money through loan sharking and collecting interest; he hadn't stooped to such a despicable level.

Furthermore, this way of making money is too slow and does not meet Li Ye's expectations.

"Loan sharking? Boss Ji underestimates me. How much money can you make from that? What I want to do is invest!"

After Li Ye finished speaking, he looked at Ning Guang, who was stunned, and continued to explain: "The income of ordinary people in Liyue is not high, but most of them still have some money in their pockets to save their lives. They usually keep it at home and dare not use it. If that's the case, why don't they keep it in the bank? It's not only safe, but it also provides extra income."

The reason why Northern Bank is so fixated on lending as a means of short-term returns is that merchants often deposit money today and withdraw it tomorrow, and Northern Bank simply cannot use this money for long-term investment.

But ordinary people save money differently than merchants. If they don't need the money urgently, they can keep it in the bank indefinitely. Therefore, we can freely dispose of this money, such as through long-term investments.

Long-term savings? Or investing?

The moment Ningguang heard those two words, a door in her mind was opened.

Lending and investment may both appear to be lending relationships, but they are actually fundamentally different.

Lending is driven by borrowers, while investment is driven by investors.

Investors can proactively seek out projects that are in a growth phase or have potential but need funds to expand their businesses or implement operations. In other words, as long as investors have good foresight, they can fundamentally solve the problem of high bad debts.

They could even go further and directly buy shares of promising projects or shops through investment, taking on the risks while also reaping higher returns.

Ningguang sighed once again, thinking how lucky Li Ye really was.

If he had approached someone else, they might not have been able to grasp the intricacies of the matter, but what he relied on to get to where he is today from scratch was his investment ability.

Because of her rich investment experience, Ningguang clearly knows that the difficulty Liyue faces in investing today has never been the lack of suitable projects, but the lack of investment funds.

Li Ye simply changed his approach, which completely transformed the nature of the bank.

Ningguang listened as Li Ye continued to speak eloquently: "In the future, when we have money, we will open banks all over the seven kingdoms of Teyvat. As long as the local people have enough Mora in their bank savings, we can basically avoid the situation of insufficient Mora savings during the off-season and peak season of business."

This would eliminate the need for Mora to frequently transport goods between multiple countries. Even if the Fools wanted to rob him... would they really plan to just rob a local bank?

Ningguang stared at Li Ye, her heart surging with another tumultuous wave of emotion.

If banks shift from lending to investing, solving the problem of making money with money, and encouraging ordinary people to deposit their money in banks, then that directly solves the problem of...

Although Li Ye only proposed a concept, how to implement it, such as how much interest will be given for savings and how to make money through investment, will require subsequent systematic analysis and formulation.

But Ningguang was still able to clearly realize that these were actually minor issues, and it was simply a matter of finding the most correct result through continuous trial and error.

The problem that had plagued the Liyue Seven Stars for generations was actually solved so easily by Li Ye!

Also, why did Li Ye specifically choose to open a bank in Liyue Harbor?

Is it because they want to directly compete with Northern Bank?

of course not!

Because Li Ye has an excellent reputation in Liyue Harbor, people in other parts of Liyue might not buy into this and might think it's a trap.

However, the people of Liyue Harbor, based on their trust and respect for Li Ye, and considering that Liyue is the city of contracts and that violating contracts would incur the punishment of being devoured by rocks, are very likely to accept this arrangement!

When he first opened Jiaxuan Teahouse, he deliberately left those empty seats. Was he preparing for today?

At this moment, Ningguang felt an impulse and wanted to take action right now to tie Li Ye up and take him back to Yujingtai.

However, considering Li Ye's attitude towards the Seven Stars and Eight Gates of Liyue, he had to suppress this impulse. If he were to forcibly take Li Ye back, he would probably keep all those business tactics he hadn't yet used hidden until his death.

Now is not the time!

Seeing Ningguang's brows gradually relax and even a hint of a smile appear on her face, Li Ye knew that things were halfway done. He decided to strike while the iron was hot and said, "Regarding the issue of business investment, I hope Boss Ji has some confidence in me."

I currently have several projects in hand. Whether I do them myself or find someone to cooperate with, it wouldn't be difficult to make a fortune every day. However, these are all still small-scale operations.

The real money-making method, I'll keep you in suspense until we officially reach an agreement. It's not that I don't trust Boss Ji, it's just that if the bank can't be opened, then there's no way to make money.

Ningguang smiled too. Whether Li Ye was keeping her in suspense or just putting on airs didn't matter. The bank project alone was enough for her to make a huge investment: "Eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time, I understand."

"As for the bank project... I'm very optimistic about it."

Upon hearing this, Li Ye's eyes lit up, and then he asked calmly, "How much does Boss Ji plan to invest?"

Ningguang didn't answer but asked instead, "Is Mr. Li just short of money?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ye's expression changed slightly. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed helplessly and said, "We not only lack money, but also manpower. We have enough senior executives in charge of planning, but we still need a lot of people to handle the work below. Boss Ji has many businesses under his control. I wonder if we can transfer some suitable personnel over?"

Ningguang was waiting for Li Ye to say this, but she wasn't in a hurry to agree. Instead, she asked, "I'll provide the money and manpower. Aren't you worried about being sidelined later, Mr. Li?"

Chapter 8: Poor Countries Don't Produce World's Richest People

In response to Ningguang's question, Li Ye shook his head with absolute confidence, then pointed to his chest and said, "Boss Ji, you're overthinking it. This isn't the first time we've dealt with each other. I, Li Ye, am quite confident about this."

Furthermore, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. Since it's a partnership, the shareholding percentage and the degree of influence should be clearly stated in the contract beforehand.

If they want to sideline me, they can only try to poach the key talents from my team and start a new organization.

But the core members of my team will never be bought off by anyone; I have complete confidence in them.

Seeing that Li Ye had said this, Ningguang stopped dwelling on the issue. She casually shifted to a more comfortable position and said, "So, every core member of Boss Li's team is utterly loyal."

"Alright, thank you for your trust, Mr. Li. I'll figure out the funding and manpower. But before that, we need to discuss the specific articles of association for opening the bank, as well as the drafting of subsequent contracts..."

Li Ye said confidently, "Boss Ji, don't worry about that. I've already had my capable team members start drafting the specific rules, and I estimate they'll be ready in the next couple of days."

Hearing that it was one of the team's capable members who would draft the rules, Ningguang was somewhat uneasy.

She believed in Li Ye's business acumen, but drafting rules, especially when there was no prior experience to draw upon, often required continuous trial and error to perfect.

Li Ye's strong abilities do not necessarily mean that the core members of his team are also highly capable. Ningguang has serious doubts about whether they can produce an excellent plan.

Forget it, once Li Ye brings the detailed regulations, I'll ask Yuheng Star to make some corrections to them.

Since the assassination of the Rock King Emperor, all the affairs that were originally under the Emperor's full supervision have been distributed to the Seven Stars and Eight Gates.

Theocracy has become a remnant of the past, and the old rules that remain cannot be copied entirely.

However, the difficulty of redefining the rules for Liyue, a region with a history spanning thousands of years, is immeasurable.

Unlike Ningguang, who excels in investing, Keqing of Yuheng Star possesses extensive practical experience, making her unparalleled among the Liyue Seven Stars in both judgment and execution.

In order to reformulate rules suitable for Liyue, she immersed herself in various books, learning all the necessary knowledge, and then combined this with practical experience to continuously improve Liyue's new rules.

It was precisely because of this hard work that Liyue was able to regain stability in a short period of time.

Drafting a set of articles of association for opening a bank might be incredibly difficult for others, but it's a piece of cake for Yuheng Star!

Thinking of this, Ningguang nodded and said, "Then I'll wait and see."

After we finished discussing business, a knock came at the door at just the right moment.

The door opened, and the waiters filed in.

The food is served; finally, it's time to eat!

The waiters filled the entire table with bowls and plates, and the dishes made from expensive ingredients, stewed and stir-fried by top chefs, exuded a rich aroma.

Li Ye wasn't picky about food; as long as it filled his stomach, he was satisfied. If the taste could be better, he wouldn't ask for anything more.

Holding chopsticks in one hand and rice in the other, you'd think he came to Xinyuexuan specifically to eat, since who would order rice as soon as they come to Xinyuexuan?

Li Ye was only focused on shoveling rice into his mouth and didn't even offer Ningguang any food.

As for urging someone to drink... since the wine at Xinyuexuan was too expensive, Li Ye didn't order any and just had a bowl of egg drop soup instead.

Ningguang had eaten with Li Ye before and knew his dining style.

In Ningguang's memory, Li Ye was completely different from the young men from the business associations she had met at banquets in the past. He neither put on airs of being very cultured, nor did he pretend to be elegant at the dinner table and chat about romantic topics. He was the type who would just pick up his chopsticks and start eating.

Perhaps in Li Ye's eyes, he himself is not necessarily more attractive than the food on the table.

He's a man who doesn't know how to appreciate things, but he's also an interesting man; at least he's more interesting than the likes of the second young master of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce.

After finishing a bowl of rice, Li Ye was about to get himself another when he looked up and saw that Ning Guang hadn't touched her chopsticks at all, just quietly watching him eat from beginning to end. He was a little puzzled: "Boss Ji, is this food not to your liking?"

Ningguang smiled and shook her head, then elegantly picked up her chopsticks and said, "No, it's just that every time I see Mr. Li eating, I always think of some interesting things and it's easy for me to get distracted."

“So…” Li Ye finished speaking and was about to continue eating his rice when he seemed to remember something. He looked up at Ning Guang across from him and said, “Boss Ji, there’s something I’ve wanted to say to you for a long time, but we haven’t had any cooperation before, so it’s not quite appropriate.”

Ningguang: "Please speak, Mr. Li."

Li Ye said meaningfully, "Merchants pursue profit, and it is certainly true that doing business is to make money. However, Liyue merchants, from the bottom-level stall vendors to the top-level Liyue Seven Stars and Eight Gates, always like to look up when they are making money. In their eyes, there is no profit to be made from these poor people below."

However, in any country, the wealthy are always a minority; the working class at the bottom is the foundation upon which a nation is built.

If you want to have wealth that rivals that of a nation, you have to make money from the rich and you have to make money from the poor. But if you want to make money from the pockets of ordinary people, you first have to make money in their pockets, right?

I know Boss Ji only cares about making Mora, but please remember, the richest person in Teyvat will never be from a poor country.

The richest person in the world will never be from a poor country.

Ningguang seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Li Ye's words.