Ningguang sat on Jiang Xuan's other side, her expression somewhat worried.
"What's wrong? Did someone upset you? Liyue will help you deal with it!"
The others also looked at Jiang Xuan seriously.
Since their cooperation got on track, everyone had witnessed Liyue's development.
A continuous stream of Mora filled the Golden House.
Port material handling provided countless job opportunities, and the lives of Liyue's citizens had also greatly improved.
The deal finalized last night allowed Ningguang to start planning actions to control the Fatui.
The Millelith's armor and weapons had been replaced again and again, and with the aid of the wolf packs, their combat power greatly increased, and their lives were safeguarded.
Xiao's Karma had also mostly healed.
Everything was moving upwards and for the better, developing towards the future everyone most anticipated. Jiang Xuan's importance to Liyue was self-evident.
If someone had truly upset Jiang Xuan, Zhongli wouldn't mind stepping in to vent his friend's anger.
Everyone looked at Jiang Xuan, waiting for him to name a name, ready to handle it.
But Jiang Xuan shook his head, his tone extremely cold.
"Have you finished negotiating the cooperation with the Sumeru Akademiya?"
Ningguang had some suspicions in her heart and shook her head.
"It's just a verbal agreement, no formal contract has been signed yet."
"Good..."
Jiang Xuan replied calmly, then said:
"The price for resources from my world, specifically for the Sumeru Akademiya, will be universally increased by two times."
Hearing this, everyone was a little surprised.
For the Fatui, the price was only increased by five percent.
How had the Akademiya offended Jiang Xuan to make him want to cut them so deeply?
One must know that the Akademiya, for unknown reasons, had dramatically increased its external resource collection, almost by more than tenfold.
And especially those refined iron ores.
The specific type of iron they needed could only be obtained from Liyue.
To be precise, it was the iron ingots from the Xuanjie.
Basically, no matter how much was released, the Sumeru Akademiya would consume it all.
If the price was doubled, the Akademiya would be slaughtered.
It wouldn't completely cripple them, but it would be a severe blow.
But Ningguang didn't care about these things. She merely frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Is it the Akademiya people? I understand. Effective immediately, all resources purchased by the Akademiya in Liyue—including, but not limited to, resources from your world—will have their prices universally doubled.
Merchants associated with the Akademiya will be thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, alongside the Millelith."
"Any issues found will result in immediate arrest and punishment."
"I'll have Yanfei assist with this matter."
Having deployed Liyue Harbor's Chief Legal Officer, Ningguang's intent was clear.
She wanted those affiliated with the Sumeru Akademiya to be severely dealt with.
Making them endure the humiliation and offer up Mora.
As for the relations between the two nations...
Ningguang didn't believe that the entire Sumeru could be dictated by the Akademiya.
If that were the case, then their exploitation wouldn't be in vain.
Liyue wouldn't fear the Akademiya's retaliation, unless the Dendro Archon herself came to negotiate.
With the God of War still active, and Rex Lapis having signed such a pact with Jiang Xuan.
Coupled with Xiao and Cloud Retainer now firmly on Liyue Harbor's side.
Liyue truly had nothing to fear.
Their lower-tier combat power might be slightly inferior to Snezhnaya, but in terms of overall strength, Liyue was definitely number one in Teyvat.
Considering the current state of Sumeru, with its rainforest and desert divided.
Aside from Mondstadt, whose national strength was depleted due to its main forces being on an expedition.
Even the currently war-torn Inazuma had significantly stronger actual combat power than Sumeru.
"Who from the Akademiya? I can make a trip to Sumeru."
Xiao said calmly.
While Liyue disliked war, it didn't mean it would sit idly by while others caused trouble.
Xiao himself was a battle-hardened Yaksha and never shied away from combat.
Jiang Xuan had helped him remove his Karma, allowing Xiao to accompany Zhongli longer and watch over Liyue for a greater duration.
To Xiao, this was a great kindness.
Moreover, Zhongli had also said that he wouldn't let Jiang Xuan suffer even a sliver of injustice in Liyue.
His trip to Sumeru would only be aimed at individuals, not the nation.
Xiao would have no reservations.
With his Karma largely eliminated and equipped with enchanted weapons, Xiao's combat power had sharply increased.
While he couldn't compare to the Seven Archons, weaker Gods were certainly no match for Xiao.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be known as the strongest among Liyue's Adepti.
"Although this Adeptus does not quite comprehend why the distant Akademiya would provoke you, if need be, this Adeptus can also make a journey."
Cloud Retainer calmly preened her feathers, her words exuding extreme confidence.
Although the Adepti appeared to be detached and unconcerned with worldly affairs.
In essence, they were incredibly proud beings.
Having followed Zhongli through the most arduous of Liyue's Archon War battles.
Their superior held the prestigious title of God of War, the strongest Archon in Teyvat.
The Adepti naturally held a certain arrogance, belonging to the strongest's subordinates.
Simply put, it was, "I can choose not to cause trouble, but don't overstep your bounds."
Otherwise, they would deal with you in a heartbeat.
Looking at everyone's indignant expressions, Jiang Xuan felt a pang of emotion, but still shook his head:
"No need, just commercial suppression will suffice."
Since Jiang Xuan had said so, the others naturally wouldn't say anything more.
After nodding, Ningguang rose to write a letter. Before leaving, she had to transmit this information back to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
After that, the Ministry of Civil Affairs would know what to do.
The people of the Ministry of Civil Affairs would likely be very happy to suddenly have a fat sheep to exploit.
The others also dispersed, chatting about their plans in the Minecraft world.
No one bothered Jiang Xuan; he was in a bad mood and just needed some time alone.
Not long after, Zhongli finally arrived, fashionably late.
However, as soon as he entered the room, he frowned.
Looking at Jiang Xuan, Zhongli quickly approached, and a faint glow lit up around the two of them, quickly disappearing without a trace.
"You have the Dendro Archon's power on you. Did you meet her?"
Jiang Xuan nodded slightly. He knew Zhongli would notice.
"Last night, I dreamed, and she entered my dream."
"I see..."
Zhongli nodded slightly and softly said:
"The one I was familiar with was the first Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. I'm not very familiar with the current Lesser Lord Kusanali."
"She does seem to possess authority over dreams."
"Lesser Lord Kusanali appeared five hundred years ago, just after the Cataclysm. But actually, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata did not appear in that battle."
"It seems she was summoned by the Heavenly Principles to guard Irminsul, but what she went through, and how Lesser Lord Kusanali was born, I do not know."
"Originally, I thought Lesser Lord Kusanali was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but now seeing the divine power on you, there's a subtle difference within the similarity."
"But regardless, Lesser Lord Kusanali would not be an evil Archon. I trust Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's judgment."
Jiang Xuan nodded at this.
It was clear that Zhongli held Greater Lord Rukkhadevata in high regard.
After a moment of silence, Zhongli seemed to have heard about the situation from the others.
He asked with a touch of surprise:
"You want Ningguang to suppress the Akademiya? What did the Akademiya do? Do I need to communicate with Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
"If it is the Akademiya's fault, I believe Lesser Lord Kusanali will grant me face and hand those people over for you to deal with."
Jiang Xuan sighed softly.
"Zhongli, do you know Lesser Lord Kusanali's current predicament?"
Zhongli shook his head.
"I don't. Five hundred years ago, I too was injured and took several centuries to recover. I couldn't even fully attend to Liyue, so naturally, I had no mind for Sumeru's affairs."
"No wonder..."
Jiang Xuan nodded slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Lesser Lord Kusanali has been imprisoned by the Akademiya's Sages."
"???"
"Moreover, for five hundred years, the Akademiya has continuously weakened Lesser Lord Kusanali's existence. Most Sumeru citizens now only revere Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and pay no attention to Lesser Lord Kusanali."
"..."
Zhongli fell silent, and after a while, his face seemed to show a hint of indignation.
"This is outrageous! Absolutely preposterous!"
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, a God of such wisdom and erudition, would certainly not have misjudged. Since she allowed Lesser Lord Kusanali to succeed, then Lesser Lord Kusanali is capable of leading Sumeru in her stead."
"As the protected, how dare they treat the Archon who protects them in such a manner!"
"How is this not a betrayal of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! The Akademiya deserves the punishment of being devoured by the earth."
Seeing Zhongli's furious expression, Jiang Xuan understood his reaction.
To Zhongli, this was a betrayal.
Just like Havria, the God of Salt, in the past.
Zhongli had unleashed divine punishment in anger back then, which showed his attitude towards such betrayal.
Unfortunately, if it were Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Zhongli wouldn't mind personally intervening.
His relationship with Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was good, and Zhongli highly respected her dedication to Irminsul.
But Lesser Lord Kusanali, he truly wasn't familiar with her, making it inconvenient to act.
This made Zhongli even more sullen.
With a cold glint in his eyes, Zhongli said in a deep voice:
"No wonder I only heard faint rumors of Lesser Lord Kusanali's whereabouts in the earliest years of the past five centuries. So that's how it is..."
"Truly a group of audacious rebels!"
Jiang Xuan sneered.
"That's audacious? If you knew the reason and plan behind their imprisonment of Lesser Lord Kusanali, you'd probably be even more furious."
Zhongli felt a bad premonition and calmed himself, looking at Jiang Xuan.
The latter sighed, thinking of Nahida's joyful smile in the dream, and said with a hint of sorrow:
"The Akademiya's Sages went mad because Lesser Lord Kusanali, having just been born, couldn't provide them with the guidance of divine knowledge like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"Thus, those giant babies who only knew how to beg for knowledge from an Archon went mad. They went mad."
"They imprisoned Lesser Lord Kusanali, blocked any news of her, and weakened her existence."
"For five hundred years, Lesser Lord Kusanali had five hundred years of nightmares, and the naive Archon always thought she was inadequate."
"She silently endured this unfair treatment, willingly imprisoned in the Sanctuary of Surasthana."
"And even that didn't satisfy those beasts in the Akademiya. Their quest for knowledge yielded no results, and they completely succumbed to madness."
"They took Lesser Lord Kusanali's Gnosis, used the Akasha Terminal to steal the dreams of Sumeru's citizens, and usurped the divine knowledge of Irminsul."
"They are madly exploiting Lesser Lord Kusanali and the citizens of Sumeru."
"Can you guess what they're trying to do?"
Zhongli had an unpleasant thought, but before he could voice it, Jiang Xuan stated firmly:
"They're trying to create an Archon!"
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