A white hood concealed his face.
His posture was tall and straight, and a dull, ancient aura emanated as he walked.
Behind him followed a short young adeptus.
His body was covered with large areas of adepti markings.
The loyal attendant of Rex Lapis, the Yaksha, the Vigilant Yaksha, the Conqueror of Demons, Alatus, Xiao.
Just now, Zhongli saw Keqing and Ganyu hurriedly ascend the Jade Chamber.
Considering Jiang Xuan, whom he saw last night, he inferred that it must be related to him.
So, he decided to secretly observe.
He hadn't expected to hear such astonishing news.
Even though Zhongli was already set on retirement, he knew that this matter was something he had to do.
Moreover, it had to be done immediately!
It concerned Liyue, the Liyue ruled by humans, and whether it could go further, whether it could be more glorious.
He didn't mind doing his utmost to give Liyue one last push.
Furthermore, if the resources of that world were indeed incredibly abundant, the mining of The Chasm could also be relaxed.
This would reduce the pressure on Liyue's ley lines.
The pressure on that old friend would also be considerably lighter. Moreover, that world was so magical, perhaps a way to cure Azhdaha could be found.
This was also why Zhongli had to agree.
Moreover, signing a contract with a world lord.
Ningguang would absolutely not dare to make such a decision on her own.
Simply put, throughout Liyue, only he had the qualifications to sign this contract.
So, without another word, he called for Xiao. As for why he called for him...
Of course, Zhongli had his own reasons.
"Lord Geo, you already know?"
Keqing looked at Zhongli with a complex expression. The white hood concealed his appearance completely.
"I am aware of this matter."
Zhongli nodded slightly, examining the blocks before him.
Subconsciously, he used his divine power, only to find that he couldn't establish any connection with the round stone blocks here.
In other words...
It truly was another world, a product of different rules.
Having confirmed this, Zhongli felt a great sense of calm in his heart.
"Lord Geo, what do you think?"
Ningguang didn't mind Zhongli's sudden appearance; she just asked softly.
Zhongli was silent for a moment.
"From a universally rational perspective, we have no reason to refuse the goodwill of a world lord. Liyue needs such an opportunity."
"But it must be remembered that this is a mutually beneficial cooperation, not a shared ownership. Ultimately, the world belongs to the other party."
"By cooperating with the other party, Liyue's development will advance by leaps and bounds. From every perspective, we must cooperate."
With Zhongli's affirmation, Ningguang's heart relaxed.
She nodded, then said:
"Then, when shall we go to sign the contract with Lord Jiang Xuan?"
Ningguang didn't suggest having Jiang Xuan come to the Jade Chamber.
Although it was a mutually beneficial cooperation, Jiang Xuan was still the one in charge.
She wasn't so foolish as to invite him to her residence.
The necessary courtesies still had to be observed.
"I will personally go to sign the contract later."
Zhongli replied, then stepped forward to the blocks.
He carefully examined them, praising:
"Truly the wonders of creation... In over six millennia, I have never seen such a miraculous product."
Xiao was somewhat bewildered, not knowing why his Archon had suddenly called for him.
He then saw the strange blocks praised immensely.
They clearly looked like ordinary stones and wood, at most, a bit more regular.
However...
Xiao looked at Zhongli's back with a hint of admiration.
The Archon doing this must have his reasons!
"Although it's very magical, it doesn't quite harmonize with this place. It's better to remove it. Yuheng, where are the tools?"
Keqing immediately took out an axe and a pickaxe.
She didn't remind Zhongli that these things were heavy, after all, he was Rex Lapis.
This amount of weight wouldn't trouble him, given his ability to casually move mountains.
However, Xiao frowned.
"Why does the Archon personally undertake such strenuous labor? This subordinate can serve."
With that, he stepped forward and directly took the axe and pickaxe.
The moment the tools were in his hand, Xiao's face changed, and his waist involuntarily bent.
He almost fell to the ground.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao used his adepti power, only then managing to wield these two tools.
"This... it's too heavy! Why is it so heavy?!"
Xiao frowned, looking at Keqing.
The latter pursed her lips and whispered:
"The manufacturing materials for these tools are very special..."
"But..."
Xiao swung the axe in confusion. The whistling sound of the wind stung the ears of those present.
This was Xiao merely swinging it based on the axe's weight.
"What kind of material is this, that it weighs several tons?"
"This matter, Great Saint, you will understand later. These two tools: the axe for wood, the pickaxe for stone."
Keqing pointed at the pile of blocks before her:
"You don't need much strength; you just need to continuously strike the blocks."
Hearing this, Xiao temporarily set aside his questions.
First, he took the axe and began chopping wood.
After about a dozen swings, the wood suddenly burst, transforming into a small crystal that floated to the ground.
Xiao was greatly astonished, subconsciously reaching out to grab it.
The moment it was in his hand, Xiao's face darkened again.
"Such a small piece of wood... why does it also weigh several hundred kilograms?"
Ganyu covered her mouth and chuckled, her voice soft:
"It only looks small; ultimately, it's still a cubic meter in size."
"But..."
Xiao still wanted to ask something, but Zhongli said in a deep voice:
"First, remove these, Xiao. I will explain the rest to you slowly."
Zhongli's words always worked for Xiao.
He immediately nodded solemnly.
He fell silent, chopping the blocks one by one.
Seeing that her Jade Chamber was finally about to be restored, Ningguang also breathed a sigh of relief.
She then began to consider iron.
Unlike coal, which was a resource needed in large quantities only in a few places.
Iron, however, was desperately scarce throughout Teyvat.
The Chasm's largest output, iron, was one of them.
This was also why the Millelith's weapons had always been excellent.
But seeing the axe and pickaxe just now, Ningguang felt that the iron from Jiang Xuan's world seemed to be of even higher quality.
Coupled with a single iron ingot weighing nearly a ton, and convenient resource gathering.
If this was handled well, Liyue's assets could double.
After thinking for a moment, Ningguang spoke:
"Secretary Ganyu, may I see your iron sword?"
Hearing this, Ganyu nodded hesitantly.
She reluctantly took out her iron sword and handed it to Ningguang.
"Be careful, this is a gift from Jiang Xuan to me..."
Hearing this, Ningguang smiled bitterly.
From the first half of the sentence, she thought Ganyu was warning her not to get cut.
However, Zhongli gave Ganyu an extra look.
This child, whom he had watched grow up, seemed to have reached the age of romance...
"Secretary Ganyu, just place it on the table. I can't carry something so heavy."
Ningguang hadn't forgotten Xiao's discomfiture just now. Even an adeptus was like that; she didn't think she was strong.
Ganyu nodded, gently placing the sword on the table in front of Ningguang.
Before she could even glance at it, with a crack, the table instantly splintered into four.
Fortunately, there was nothing else on the table.
But the iron sword fell to the ground, causing some vibrations and sinking several centimeters into the ground.
"..."
Ningguang pursed her lips, looking at Ganyu with a complex expression.
"Secretary Ganyu, how much iron did this sword use?"
"The sword used little; only two iron ingots."
Ganyu looked at Ningguang with a bewildered expression.
The latter smiled bitterly and whispered:
"So... nearly two tons in weight..."
"Secretary Ganyu... you have great strength..."
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