Ningguang took off her long sleeves and placed them on the clothing rack. Then she raised her arms to remove the hairpin securing her long, platinum-blonde hair, revealing a patch of snow-white skin beneath her armpit.
"…Hmm, it's not like there's no solution."
Nolan had an idea for how to address the scarcity of Geo Vision holders.
"Oh? What kind of solution?" Ningguang reached behind her back, preparing to undo the clasp of her undergarment.
"Didn't Lisa develop an elemental reservoir? It can store a certain amount of elemental energy, and once depleted, it can even absorb energy from the natural environment to recharge.
"This way, you can purchase a batch of Geo-elemental reservoirs and distribute them to the Millelith. Just have them help with road construction."
Nolan didn't suggest giving them to ordinary civilians, since the elemental reservoirs—even in their most basic form like the modified Pyro Delusion he once had—only allowed for storage and release of elemental energy.
But even with just those functions, it was a revolutionary tool that could allow ordinary people to wield elemental power.
Before proper regulatory measures were in place, distributing such tools widely to civilians would be no different from handing out firearms—it would be extremely dangerous.
Only when the relevant systems were ready, and when society reached a level where giving civilians access to elemental power could significantly improve productivity, would it be appropriate to let them use it.
Giving them to the Millelith, however, wasn't a problem. After all, they were trained soldiers with military discipline.
Generally speaking, the chances of them using elemental power to harm others out of anger and disrupt social order were much lower.
"To my knowledge, the elemental reservoirs Miss Lisa developed are made with relatively rare elemental materials. I wonder what the cost is?"
Ningguang had undone the clasp of her white undergarment but still held it in place with one hand.
"The quality of an elemental reservoir depends on the materials used. If it's made from ordinary elemental ore, the cost is around two million Mora each.
"Spending two million Mora for something like a weakened version of a Vision sounds worthwhile. And by supplying the materials ourselves, we might even get a better deal."
Nolan crouched down in front of Ningguang's black safety shorts, reaching out with both hands to grip the waistband, preparing to help her remove them.
"Alright, let's continue this discussion outside."
Seeing him about to pull down her shorts, Ningguang's fair cheeks flushed slightly. She gently brushed his hands away, turned around, and placed her hand on the doorknob, intending to leave the changing room.
But Nolan stepped forward, pressing against Ningguang's back, wrapping one arm around her waist from behind. His other hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her from opening the door.
"Don't rush. You have to take off your clothes before entering the hot spring. Let's finish discussing the plan while we undress."
He leaned slightly into her, pushing her back gently so that her body blocked the changing room door. Then he reached up with his left hand, moving her hand away from the undergarment.
The strapless white undergarment slipped off like a leaf, drifting softly to the floor.
Nolan brought his right hand back to her hip, gently pulling her black boyshorts down to her knees.
"You—mmph!"
Just as Ningguang turned to reprimand him for his audacious behavior, her words were cut off—her mouth was completely sealed.
Nolan and Ningguang ended up spending more than an hour in the changing room discussing the highway infrastructure project.
In the end, they decided to go with Nolan's plan.
When the others also came to soak in the hot spring, Nolan and Ningguang joined them and took the opportunity to pull Lisa aside to talk in detail about acquiring the elemental reservoirs.
After all, Lisa's development of the elemental reservoir had already entered the mass production phase.
They didn't immediately put it into commercial use to earn Mora—instead, the elemental reservoirs were first prioritized for distribution to the majority of the Knights of Favonius who didn't possess Visions.
Of course, they weren't handed out for free. The knights had to exchange them with merit.
After all, while the elemental reservoirs could be produced in batches, the scale of production hadn't yet reached the level of industrial assembly lines.
At best, other alchemists and blacksmiths could use the blueprints to craft them by following a fixed process.
In the end, they still needed to be made by trained alchemists or blacksmiths, so the output wasn't as high as one might imagine.
As such, the knights needed to present enough achievements to convincingly earn the right to exchange for a reservoir.
Given these constraints, allocating personnel from the Knights of Favonius to craft a large number of Geo-elemental reservoirs for Ningguang to purchase proved difficult.
After some discussion, Lisa suggested selling the blueprints of the elemental reservoirs to Ningguang so she could manufacture them herself, with the condition that she pay an annual licensing fee.
Technically, since they all lived under the same roof, as one family, there was no need to be so formal.
But the reality was: it wasn't Ningguang herself who needed the reservoirs—it was Liyue. Naturally, that meant a proper agreement had to be made.
Lisa could provide the reservoirs to the Knights for free—after all, she was part of the organization.
But there was no reason to give away the results of her hard work to Liyue without compensation.
And since the money used to purchase the reservoirs would come from Liyue's public funds—not Ningguang's personal wealth—she was accountable to the people.
That made it an official matter, and official matters had to be clearly laid out.
"Miss Lisa, purchasing the blueprints of such a powerful tool for a high price would place a burden on Liyue's finances.
"If the other Qixing were to find out, I'd no doubt face criticism for squandering public funds."
Soaking in the hot spring, Ningguang's platinum hair floated gently on the surface of the water. Lisa's proposal didn't quite align with Liyue's needs.
In her vision, a few hundred Geo-elemental reservoirs would be distributed to the Millelith to assist with the construction of hardened roads.
There was simply no need to purchase the full design blueprints for that purpose.
"Oh? Then what do you, Lady Ningguang, think would be appropriate?"
Lisa, who was sitting on Nolan's lap beside Ningguang, wrapped her snowy arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder—just barely above the steaming surface of the water.
Turning slightly to look at Ningguang, her fair cheeks were tinged pink from the heat.
"Hehe, Nolan, Lumine, and I have set up a business guild in Liyue called Sweet Flower Merchant Association. You could let us serve as your proxy distributor for the reservoirs.
"We'll handle production, and once they're sold, we'll only charge for the cost of materials and a modest forging fee. The remaining profits are yours—how about that?"
Ningguang ran her fingers through her hair as she laid out the proposal.
"That sounds like a good plan. What do you think, little adventurer?"
Lisa gave it a moment of thought, then brushed her chin against Nolan's shoulder and sat up slightly to look at him, seeking his opinion.
(End of Chapter)
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