Inazuma, Ritou.
As Inazuma's largest trading port, after the Sakoku Decree was lifted, this artificial island experienced a wave of escapes. Countless foreigners stranded in Inazuma rushed to leave Ritou, causing a significant population drain that quickly led to the decline of this already not-so-prosperous island.
However, since Sangonomiya Kokomi, the secretary of the Regent's Office, took over the responsibilities of the Kanjou Commission, she has successively issued a series of policies for investment promotion, capital attraction, and tax reduction. Coupled with the official establishment of diplomatic relations between Inazuma and Liyue, this attracted many merchant ships for trade, and the city gradually recovered its vitality, even showing vigorous life.
Merchants are, by nature, a group of profit-seekers; wherever there is profit, they will appear.
In the eyes of these merchants, Inazuma, having just lifted its isolation, was an unmined goldmine, containing immense profits.
Never underestimate the purchasing power of Inazuma's residents, who had been blockaded for several years. They collectively fell into a frenzy of retaliatory consumption for fresh goods from other countries.
After some bold pioneers tasted success a few times, all the merchants who received the news could no longer sit still. In today's Inazuma, as long as goods can be delivered, it's practically making money with your eyes closed.
Anything Inazuma lacked or had in scarcity, such as jewelry, silk, Fabric, toys, and rouge from Liyue, was pre-ordered and snapped up by major Inazuman merchants even before the goods arrived.
Indeed, no matter where, it's always women and children whose money is easiest to earn.
Thanks to such an excellent trading environment, even countries that had not yet officially established diplomatic relations with Inazuma had merchants who chose to take risks, transporting goods to Inazuma to earn high profits.
As for the Foreign Affairs Bureau under the Kanjou Commission, as long as they could pay taxes to Inazuma according to the law, all was accepted. Whether these smuggling ships would be investigated by their own country's agencies on their return journey was not Inazuma's concern.
Ritou, too, quickly developed and prospered due to the influx of these merchants. Today, Ritou's docks are packed with merchant ships waiting for customs inspection. To meet the enormous demand, the Kanjou Commission urgently dispatched personnel to expand the docks, presenting a bustling and vibrant scene.
Even many foreign citizens who had previously fled Ritou eventually returned. There was no other way; after being stranded in Inazuma for several years, many had started families and careers in Inazuma, which were not easy to abandon.
After visiting their relatives at home and reporting their safety to their families, they eventually boarded passenger ships returning to Inazuma.
What's more, they offered too much!
Making money isn't shameful! Where isn't money made, after all!
At this moment, in the lighthouse high above Ritou's dock, a patrolman named Zecun was diligently on duty. His job was to observe ships coming and going from Inazuma, notify his colleagues in the Foreign Affairs Bureau in advance, and also provide basic positioning services for the passing ships.
Originally, this position was a very leisurely job, as during the Sakoku Decree period, all ships traveling to and from Inazuma were smuggling vessels, and very few could safely pass through the turbulent thunderstorms.
Good pay, little work, close to home, and a civil servant's job. Although there weren't many opportunities for meritorious service, it was safe, stable, and uneventful. Zecun himself was very satisfied.
Back then, when Zecun successfully passed the civil service exam and became a civil servant of the Kanjou Commission, he was also a young man with great ambitions. He was quite dissatisfied with being assigned to this godforsaken post.
However, when he heard that some friends who joined at the same time as him were transferred to the Shogunate Army, after several major battles, some died, some were maimed, and some couldn't even find their complete bodies. The grass on their graves was probably already a meter high.
And among his friends, not a single one managed to stand out from the war!
The saying 'one general's success is built upon ten thousand bones' perfectly illustrates this point.
Since then, he no longer harbored such thoughts. Wasn't it better to honestly guard his lighthouse, with his wife and children by his side?
However, since the Regent took office, first abolishing the Vision Hunt Decree and then the Sakoku Decree, the number of ships traveling to and from Inazuma increased significantly. Especially after Lady Sangonomiya issued a series of measures, his workload has been increasing day by day. The leisurely days of sitting all day with a newspaper and a cup of tea were long gone.
Nevertheless, as Zecun became busier, he gradually began to be taken seriously. His superiors not only assigned him more personnel for rotating shifts but also gave him a promotion and a raise.
Sometimes, sailors from certain ships would even come specifically to offer him small gifts, saying they were grateful for his help with their sea voyages.
Just as Zecun, on the lighthouse, finished guiding a batch of merchant ships and was about to relax and get a drink, a massive fleet appeared on the distant sea.
Zecun's first reaction was not surprise, as he had grown accustomed to such sights recently. A while ago, Ritou had even received a batch of official ships from Liyue; their ships were truly ancient and magnificent. This current fleet, in terms of grandeur, was still slightly inferior.
Zecun casually picked up the binoculars from the table, preparing to see where this fleet was from. However, when he saw the conspicuous white and red fan emblem on the lead ship, he froze, his body beginning to tremble slightly.
The next moment, Zecun quickly yelled down to his colleagues below the lighthouse: "The Regent is back!"
These five words instantly threw the originally peaceful, tense, and orderly Ritou into chaos.
"Hey! You! Yes, you! What are you standing there for? Go report to Lady Sangonomiya immediately!"
"And you! Quickly direct those ships to leave and clear the dock!"
"What? The merchant ships already queuing at the dock? Don't you have any sense? Who cares about them at a time like this?"
"If you block the dock and prevent the Regent's ship from landing smoothly, you can jump into the river and apologize to me!"
"Assemble immediately! Get the prepared banners and everyone to the dock to welcome the Regent!"
"All of you, perk up! Show some spirit!"
At once, this news spread throughout Inazuma's Ritou. Residents of Ritou rushed to watch, jostling for position. This was the Regent of their country, a great figure not easily seen. Missing this opportunity meant who knew how long they'd have to wait.
As for the merchants queuing at the dock, their joys and sorrows varied. Just as it was finally about to be their turn, this incident occurred, and they could only slowly steer their ships away from the dock at the urging of the staff, making way for the official ships.
And after those merchants learned the identity of the arriving party, they could only force smiles, daring not to voice their anger.
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