Early the next morning, Qiu Nian got up and stepped out of his cabin.
He then flew toward Liyue Harbor.
The purpose of this trip was simple—he wanted to buy some furniture, pick up some tea leaves and desserts, and have a decent meal while he was at it.
However, just as Qiu Nian was thinking about this…
Halfway through flying, he suddenly stopped in midair.
"…Wait."
"…I don't think I have any Mora."
Floating there, the corner of Qiu Nian's mouth twitched slightly.
A being who had lived almost as long as Morax, yet he didn't even have any money.
Still, with the abilities he possessed now, earning Mora wouldn't be difficult.
For example—gambling on jade stones.
Thinking of this, Qiu Nian smiled faintly and continued flying toward Liyue Harbor.
Before long, he arrived at the outskirts not far from the city.
Looking at the massive, prosperous harbor in the distance, Qiu Nian couldn't help but pause, feeling both stunned and emotional.
He was stunned because this Liyue Harbor looked completely different from the one in the game.
And the emotion came from the experiences he had truly lived through in the background story he created.
The Liyue Harbor in the game wasn't even as large as a small real-world village.
But the one before him now…
It was enormous.
Although still much smaller than a modern metropolis, it was already roughly the size of a large county town.
Even the ships docked at the harbor were huge.
And the Jade Chamber floating above the city was astonishingly massive.
After entering Liyue Harbor, Qiu Nian headed straight for a stone shop.
Along the way, however, he stopped many times.
The bustling streets and the familiar architectural style gave him a strange sense of comfort.
Members of the Millelith patrolled regularly along the roads.
The cries of street vendors echoed everywhere.
Travelers from many different nations passed by.
Everything about it displayed the prosperity of this nation.
Along the way, Qiu Nian even spotted several Vision holders.
Some of them had never even appeared in the game's storyline.
And none of the pedestrians looked like generic NPC models.
Their faces, clothing, and appearances were all different.
Every single one of them was a completely real individual.
The only thing was…
He hadn't run into any familiar faces.
Like Zhongli, Xingqiu, Chongyun, Xiangling, Hu Tao, or Keqing.
But then again, Liyue Harbor was huge, and there were countless pedestrians.
Running into them would require a bit of luck.
Of course, he could go seek them out directly.
But Qiu Nian wasn't that bored.
After wandering for a while, he finally arrived at the stone shop.
On the way there, quite a few beautiful women from Liyue—and even women from other nations—had stared at him.
After all, when it came to aesthetics, people everywhere had similar tastes.
Several women had even tried to strike up conversations with him.
But Qiu Nian politely declined each of them without being rude.
The shop owner, Shi Tou, was a slightly chubby man.
He sized Qiu Nian up carefully.
From his appearance alone, this young man clearly looked like someone wealthy.
Looks like today's business would be good.
"Welcome, sir."
"Are you looking to gamble on raw stones, or would you like to purchase finished jade instead?"
Shi Tou asked with a professional smile.
"I don't have any money."
"Can I still gamble on stones?"
Qiu Nian asked calmly.
That single sentence immediately stunned Shi Tou.
No money… and you want to gamble on raw stones?
"Well… how about this."
"You must have bought these raw stones somewhere, right?"
"Let me try opening one. If I uncover a jade of exceptional quality, we split the money fifty-fifty. What do you think?"
Qiu Nian proposed.
"…Hmm."
Shi Tou looked troubled.
Anyone in his position would find it hard to believe such an offer.
Even though Qiu Nian looked confident and professional, Shi Tou still didn't want to take the risk.
If the gamble failed, he could lose a deal worth hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of Mora.
Seeing Shi Tou hesitate like that, Qiu Nian knew his plan had likely failed.
"That raw stone contains a piece of excellent ink jade."
"The color is deep and rich, the texture smooth and delicate. Black as ink, glossy and beautiful."
"It should be worth quite a lot of Mora."
Qiu Nian said, his gaze seemingly passing straight through the yellow cloth covering the raw stone.
Shi Tou froze for a moment.
He looked toward the stone Qiu Nian had mentioned.
But he still didn't dare gamble.
"…Looks like there's no other way."
Seeing Shi Tou still hesitating, Qiu Nian simply walked over to the wooden table.
He picked up the raw stone covered with yellow cloth.
Then he lightly clenched his hand.
The outer shell of the stone shattered perfectly apart.
Inside, a high-quality ink jade was revealed.
Shi Tou had just begun to reach out to stop him—
But before he could react, the handsome young man had already crushed the stone's shell with a single grip.
Shi Tou froze instantly.
At that moment, he felt as though his mind had been pierced through with shock.
He completely forgot what he was about to say.
In his mind, there was no longer the ink jade.
Only the image of Qiu Nian crushing the stone with his bare hand.
Such terrifying strength…
And with that amount of force, the jade inside hadn't been damaged at all.
"I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Qiu Nian asked as he looked at the stunned shopkeeper.
"Uh… hahaha."
"Sir, you certainly have incredible strength."
Shi Tou finally snapped out of his daze and scratched the back of his head with a laugh.
"But…"
"May I take a closer look at this piece of ink jade?"
Shi Tou asked.
Hearing this, Qiu Nian handed the jade over.
Shi Tou took it and began inspecting it carefully.
"This really is ink jade…"
"And it even looks like Qinghua jade… this is incredible…"
"Ink jade is extremely rare and valuable."
"That's because its natural structure and formation require an incredibly long time."
"Today I've not only seen ink jade, but also such a high-quality piece of Qinghua jade."
Shi Tou muttered excitedly, his face full of smiles as he examined the stone.
"How much Mora is it worth?"
Qiu Nian asked curiously.
"Judging by this quality, it's worth at least eight million Mora."
"If it's processed into ornaments or jewelry, it might be worth even more."
Shi Tou explained.
"Well then, boss…"
Qiu Nian looked at him, hesitating slightly.
"Haha, don't worry, don't worry."
"You've helped me out greatly today."
"If another customer had bought this raw stone, I would've suffered a huge loss."
"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go get the Mora."
"Four million Mora. I won't short you a single coin."
After saying that, Shi Tou went to retrieve the Mora.
But after walking halfway, he suddenly stopped.
"Oh right, I forgot to ask your name."
He turned around and looked at Qiu Nian.
"My name is Qiu Nian."
Qiu Nian replied calmly.