"My heavens, is this thing forged from steel? It looks so magnificent! How many people can it pull?"
"So this is a train? What's pulling it? Could it be the divine power of Rex Lapis?"
"Tch, this is technology, you understand? Technology!"
Among the onlookers, there were those who read the Liyue newspaper every day and naturally had a rough idea of what a train was.
Just like the electric lamps, the train was also a product of technology.
However, unlike the mechanical constructs in the ancient ruins, these machines were for the benefit of humanity.
They had no intelligence, nor would they ever gain it. That made them safe.
"According to the data published in yesterday's newspaper, this train can carry three hundred passengers and pull one thousand tons of cargo! It only takes an hour to an hour and a half to reach the Guili Plains."
"And today was just a test run. The real speed of the train is much faster!"
Listening to the scholar's explanation, the common people gasped in amazement.
Three hundred passengers.
One thousand tons of cargo.
What spectacular numbers!
They knew that normally, it took almost a full day to travel to the Wangshu Inn.
If they rode a horse, it would take half a day.
But now, it only took an hour.
The merchants in the crowd did a quick calculation and were ecstatic. Transporting goods in the future would be so much simpler.
Just imagine: goods produced in Liyue Harbor could be directly handed over to the Millelith and transported to the Guili Plains.
How much effort would that save?
No need to worry about Churl-churls causing trouble.
No need to calculate for cloudy or rainy days.
Safe.
Convenient.
This was what they needed!
As the train doors opened, Hu Tao and the others were the first passengers to disembark.
"Wooooohooo! That was so fast! And so much fun! I want to ride it again later!"
The moment she hit the ground, the little girl began to chatter nonstop. Although Su Han had stopped her from sticking her head out the window several times on the way, she just wouldn't listen, saying the wind was too exhilarating.
Ningguang, on the other hand, elegantly stepped off the train and came before the public.
"This test run has been a great success. However, it is still in the testing phase. Official routes will open in a few days."
"Everyone, do not be disheartened. Although you cannot ride the train today, there is another surprise for you."
"From today onwards, Liyue will have its own bank. At the same time, those who open an account at the bank will receive a limited-purchase ticket for household electric lamps, with a limit of three per family. The price can be found at the limited-goods shop."
"Furthermore, merchants who deposit money in the Liyue Bank will enjoy priority use of the train for cargo transport. For specific details, you may inquire at Yuehai Pavilion."
Before the crowd could even react, the Millelith began to unload the electric lamps from the train.
Their designs were incredibly beautiful. Some were shaped like plants, some like flowers, and you could even choose the color.
The citizens of Liyue looked at the electric lamps with envy, as did the merchants from other nations.
Only the Fatui were suffering.
For the longest time, they had used the Northland Bank to dominate the economies of other nations. Now, Ningguang had turned the tables on them.
And most critically, her methods were even more ruthless.
Want to buy an electric lamp? Fine, go open an account at the Liyue Bank. As long as you deposit a little money, you get a purchase ticket. With the ticket, you can buy the lamp, which is safer and cheaper than candles. This was aimed at the common people.
For the merchants, the move was even more lethal.
Do you want to use Liyue's train? If so, go deposit your money.
This single move stabbed directly into the heart of the Northland Bank, ruthless and without mercy.
Ningguang watched the hastily departing figures of the Fatui, a flash of disdain in her eyes. This is just the beginning, she thought. Within three months, I will make it so there is no place for the Fatui to hide in all of Liyue!
With the strategies provided by Su Han, she had quickly established the bank's system, complete with various benefits and promotional activities. It would attract countless people. As long as she cut off their financial lifeline, what followed would be simple.
On this day, news of the train spread throughout all of Liyue. However, the train did not stop in Liyue for long. Half an hour later, it departed for The Chasm.
Inside Wanmin Restaurant.
"Hey, have you heard? That thing made entirely of steel can actually travel four times faster than a horse-drawn carriage!"
"Of course I've heard! And I also heard that the train will be opening to the public soon. I really want to try riding it. How exciting!"
"Going to Mondstadt will be so easy in the future. You'll be able to make a round trip in a single day."
"Hehe, you're right. And the wine in Mondstadt is especially good."
"Do you think that after this route opens, the price of Mondstadt's wine will also get cheaper?"
"Definitely. It used to be a long distance. Transporting it required a lot of resources and time. But now, it only takes a few hours. The price will naturally have to come down."
The crowd discussed endlessly. Today's topics were all focused on the train and the electric lamps. Of course, the birth of the Liyue Bank also became a hot topic of conversation.
"Do you think Lady Ningguang's bank is safe?"
"Nonsense! The Tianquan, Ningguang, is the wealthiest person in Liyue. If she has no credibility, who does? And didn't you notice? When Lady Ningguang was speaking today, that National Treasure was standing right beside her. I hear that both the train and the bank were his creations!"
"Really?"
"Of course! Otherwise, think about it, why was there no train before? No bank? It must have been the work of the National Treasure."
"Now that you mention it, it seems that ever since the National Treasure appeared, our Liyue has been getting better and better. The Chasm, which was sealed a year ago, was also opened today. They're even recruiting workers. The officials said that the problem of The Chasm has been completely solved."
"As expected of the National Treasure. He's simply a star of good fortune."
The crowd chuckled, agreeing completely.
Inside the Northland Bank's residence, Tartaglia was completely numb as he listened to the news. His body was covered in injuries, a side effect of using his Foul Legacy transformation.
"It's him again."
"Heh, what a troublesome guy. To make us Fatui suffer such a great loss, yet we have no opportunity to even get close to him."
"If only we had a chance to capture him."
At this moment, the Harbinger's face was filled with rage. He was grinding his teeth in hatred.
But just as he said, Su Han basically never went out, and when he did, it was only within Liyue Harbor.
Otherwise, he was always surrounded by a group of people.
How was he supposed to make a move?
That same day, the other nations also received the news from Liyue, and their reactions varied.
In Mondstadt City, Jean was overjoyed as she looked at the news published in the paper. "Lisa, their train has been developed and has made its maiden voyage! This is wonderful news! Hm? Why do you look so unhappy?"
"You're only looking at the train; you haven't noticed Ningguang's true intentions at all. This is a strategy to kill multiple birds with one stone. I originally thought that driving out the Treasure Hoarders was already a very fierce move. Now I know that was just a light slap. Look at this."
Lisa showed the back of the newspaper to Jean.
After reading it, the latter couldn't help but exclaim, "The Liyue Bank? You have to open an account to buy an electric lamp? This is a blow to the heart! The Fatui are going to go crazy, aren't they?"
Everyone knew about the Fatui's Northland Bank. It was established in all nations, serving as both a diplomatic base and a den for their spies. Although everyone hated it, there was nothing they could do about it.
But today, Ningguang had taught everyone a lesson in what true power politics was.
This combination of moves targeted not just the common people, but the entire merchant class.
And no one could resist the temptation.
"Do you think we should try to imitate them?" Jean asked tentatively. She had been tormented these past few days and had long wanted to vent her frustrations.
But Lisa shook her head. "We don't have this kind of essential product."
Their electric lamp was something the common people desperately needed. Where did they have anything like that?
"If we don't have them, we can just procure some from Ningguang! Under an official capacity, as long as we can get some, we can…"
"Jean, stop dreaming. Mondstadt is a city-state of freedom. If you do something like that, the merchants will say you are restricting their freedom. And our Knights of Favonius only have military power, not that much Mora."
"This…"
Jean's face instantly turned bitter. For the first time, she felt that the word "freedom" was incredibly disgusting.
And the Knights really didn't have that much Mora.
Jean even thought that even if they opened a Mondstadt Bank, what would they do if someone on the inside acted as a spy and stole all the Mora?
Opening a bank required a solid foundation.
Sigh, why is everything so difficult for me? Jean slumped over her desk. Her envy for Ningguang grew by another few points. Why do all the good things happen to her? Damn it all.
Inside a Fatui stronghold in Mondstadt, La Signora sat on a long bench, looking at the report her subordinate had brought her, her tone dripping with contempt. "That piece of trash, Tartaglia, can't even handle a little kid. He's even allowed our very foundation to be threatened. How laughable."
"And he still calls himself a Fatui Harbinger. Hmph, a disgrace who only knows how to bring shame upon us."
Yesterday, she had just received the news that The Chasm had been reclaimed by Liyue and was thinking of investigating it.
Now, another piece of bad news had arrived.
What in the world is that guy Tartaglia doing?
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