Chapter 24: Ningguang's Bargaining Chip
Aiden took the contract and examined it closely.
Good grief—20% equity in the New Era Chamber of Commerce!
This New Era Chamber of Commerce was a joint venture established by Ningguang and Keqing some time ago. It was said that the two had invested a total of ten million Mora into it.
Moreover, during this period, Ningguang had utilized the financial strategies she had learned from Aiden, allowing the chamber's wealth to grow at an incredible rate.
Of course, Ningguang wasn't reckless in her investments. She mainly targeted certain merchant groups known for their unscrupulous dealings. When it came to those people, she showed no mercy.
She had now personally witnessed the terrifying power of capital for the first time.
If left unchecked, this force could consume an entire nation.
"A Share of the Chamber's Profits"
"This is 20% of the shares in the New Era Chamber of Commerce.
Keqing and I have anonymously allocated 50% of the shares to Morax. The earnings from those shares will be used to help build Jade Chamber 2.0.
The remaining 30% is divided between the two of us—20% for me and 10% for Keqing.
After all, we were the ones who initially invested Mora into the venture, and Keqing has contributed both financially and strategically.
Besides, if we wanted to make Mora through other ventures, we could easily earn far more than this, so consider this our compensation for the effort." Ningguang explained seriously.
"That makes sense.
With your methods, if you were willing to abandon morality, you could easily become the force controlling the economic lifelines of Teyvat." Aiden remarked knowingly.
Without hesitation, he accepted the equity contract.
He had no doubts about Ningguang's capabilities. From this moment on, Ningguang would also be working for him!
Even though they now held equal shares, the feeling of lying back and collecting passive income was simply unbeatable.
As the Heavenly Principles, Ningguang could technically be considered one of his own people. While it was only natural for her to support him, Aiden still felt a sense of achievement in securing her investment.
"Will Zhongli Send Us the Bill?"
However… Zhongli would probably be aware of his newfound shares, right?
Would he eventually send the New Era Chamber of Commerce a fat invoice?
Hearing Aiden's remark, Ningguang's eyelid twitched slightly, but she chose not to respond to the "abandon morality" part.
If she ever dared to cross that line, she would likely end up on Morax's hit list.
She wouldn't even know how she died.
"What Do You Want from Jean?"
"So, what exactly are you trying to gain from Jean?" Aiden asked curiously.
"There's an alchemist named Albedo among the Knights of Favonius. His skills in alchemy are the finest in all of Teyvat. I need him to work for us for a while.
Many of the technologies you've shared in the chat group are beyond the capabilities of our current scholars. We need a highly skilled alchemist to make breakthroughs." Ningguang stated directly.
"The Problem with Albedo"
Aiden nodded slightly.
Albedo, huh?
Back in his previous life, he had no strong feelings about Albedo—neither positive nor negative.
He had joined the game after the Dragonspine event, so he never got to experience Albedo's personal storyline.
He also never played Geo teams, so he never pulled for Albedo's banner.
Still, he had no ill will toward him.
If anything, Albedo was a prime example of a "technical genius"—the kind of person that every nation would want to recruit.
The issue was his origin.
Albedo was a homunculus created by Rhinedottir, also known as "Gold".
And as the embodiment of Celestia's Will, Rhinedottir was one of the people Aiden had to eliminate.
That woman was a complete lunatic.
"Rhinedottir Is Worse Than the Doctor"
Was Dottore insane enough?
That man had conducted inhumane experiments across Teyvat, studied the Abyss, and even created multiple clones of himself.
He was so obsessed with knowledge that he wouldn't hesitate to experiment on his own body.
Dottore was no longer human.
But Rhinedottir?
She was far worse than Dottore.
She had started researching the Abyss long before Khaenri'ah's destruction. When Khaenri'ah fell, Rhinedottir fully embraced the darkness, creating countless monstrous abominations.
Her experiments had caused irreparable damage to the Seven Nations:
Durin, the corrupt dragon that nearly destroyed Mondstadt.
The disaster in The Chasm, which still plagues Liyue.
The death of Orobashi and the downfall of Enkanomiya.
A near-catastrophe in Fontaine, where her creations nearly shattered the Primordial Seawater barrier.
Even now, countless of Rhinedottir's creations were still lurking at the edges of Teyvat, attempting to break through the world's borders.
She was, without question, one of the greatest threats to all of Teyvat.
If given the chance, Aiden would eliminate her without hesitation.
The problem was, he had no idea where Rhinedottir was.
After a moment of thought, Aiden nodded.
"I'll persuade Albedo.
I doubt he'll refuse our offer."
"Leave It to You, Then!"
"Good. I'll leave it to you, then!" Ningguang sighed in relief.
There was really no one else they could rely on.
She and Keqing couldn't leave Liyue freely.
Zhongli, Madam Ping, and Ganyu were all adepti, but Ningguang wasn't shameless enough to ask them for help over a foreign matter.
If something happened to Liyue, she could ask them for aid. But this was Mondstadt's problem, and there were political interests at stake.
On the other hand, Keqing had praised Aiden's strength, so bringing him in was the best move.
Not only would it strengthen their relationship, but it would also increase their chances of getting valuable resources from Aiden.
At this point, Ningguang didn't believe for a second that Aiden was just an ordinary traveler.
She even suspected that the chat group itself was linked to him.
But since Aiden wouldn't admit it, she wouldn't press the issue.
"When Do You Leave?"
"When do you plan to leave?
Since we have to respect Mondstadt's sovereignty, I can't give you an official title for this mission.
However, I'll write a letter to Jean. She'll make sure you receive proper treatment when you arrive." Ningguang added.
"I'm in no rush.
Before I leave, I plan to pay Childe a visit." Aiden smirked.
"As my good friend, I'm sure Childe wouldn't mind helping me out before I head off on an adventure."
"You Want to Scam the Fatui?"
"You're trying to take advantage of the Fatui?" Ningguang raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid that won't be easy.
If Childe finds out how powerful you really are, it'll be hard to fool him in the future."
Aiden simply chuckled.
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