"Ugh~" A long yawn echoed as Shajin rubbed his eyes and stepped out of the room.
By now, the sun was already high in the sky, and Ningguang had long been up, busy preparing the grilled fish she would sell today in the yard.
Hearing Shajin's movement, she looked up, her face lighting up. "Shajin Gege, you're up!"
"Mm…" Shajin replied briefly, then said, "Ningguang, I'm planning to leave."
"Eh?" Ningguang was taken aback. She hurriedly set down what she was doing and ran over to his side. "You're leaving so soon? Stay for breakfast, at least."
At that moment, Ningguang's mother slowly walked out of the house, smiling. "Yes, benefactor, please have breakfast before you go."
Ningguang tightly clung to Shajin's arm, puffing up her cheeks, showing a determination that she wouldn't let go without an answer.
Faced with such a cute little girl, Shajin could only laugh helplessly and walked back into the house to enjoy breakfast with the mother and daughter.
During the meal, Shajin curiously asked, "Ningguang, why did you decide to sell grilled fish?"
"Eh?" Ningguang blinked her eyes.
She answered, "I heard that recently, there's a popular shop in Liyue Harbor that launched a mascot, and it's based on grilled fish."
"And there are a lot of fish around our home, so I thought I'd give selling grilled fish a try. I've been practicing my skills for quite a while!"
She proudly lifted her chin as she spoke.
"My mom's illness needs a rare medicinal ingredient to treat, and it costs at least several million Mora. The doctor said if it isn't treated within five years, she won't last long, so I must quickly raise enough money for her treatment. That's why I plan to start by selling fish."
"Also, Liyue has an abundance of aquatic resources, and the prices are relatively low, so I can make a good profit."
"Moreover, people in Liyue have a special love and demand for fish products, so the market potential is huge." Ningguang explained.
"I see. But won't that be too hard?" Shajin asked.
"Yes, but as long as I can cure my mom's illness, no matter how hard it is, it's worth it."
"However, the food industry in Liyue is quite good now. I plan to enter, but I worry that by the time I raise enough capital, the trend will have already passed."
Ningguang sighed helplessly.
"Of course, I believe that as long as I keep working hard, I will overcome all difficulties. After all, my mom is my only family."
"Ah! I'm just rambling, Shajin Gege, don't mind me…" Ningguang suddenly realized she had said too much.
"No, Ningguang, would you like to make a bet with me?" Shajin smiled at Ningguang.
"Eh? A bet?"
Ningguang looked at him in confusion, unsure of his intentions.
"Yes," Shajin nodded.
He then lightly brushed his Vision, and as its light flickered, several heavy sacks appeared before them.
"Ningguang, this is probably about 100,000 Mora." Shajin said confidently.
Though he was only 18 years old, Shajin exuded an air of authority that was hard to ignore.
"I'll entrust all this money to you, but you must repay me 100 times the amount in three years, that is, 10 million Mora."
"If you can do that, then the 100,000 Mora is yours. But if you don't repay it in three years, everything you have will belong to me."
"All in, or nothing."
"Do you dare to bet?"
Ningguang's mother stood by without intervening, knowing this was a rare opportunity, so she left the decision entirely to Ningguang.
Ningguang bit her lower lip, her face serious. This was a tough decision for her, as the consequences of failure were unimaginable.
However, deep inside, the determination and courage within her led her to make a decision.
"I…" Ningguang took a deep breath, and her gaze slowly became resolute.
"I'll bet!" she answered without hesitation.
"Good!"
"Then it's up to you now. I look forward to your future, Ningguang."
"Mm, Shajin Gege, I will make you look at me in a new light!"
"Hehe, I'm looking forward to that day. Well, I'll be off now~"
"Shajin Gege, where are you going?"
"Liyue Harbor. If all goes well, I should be staying there from now on."
…
Shajin sat on a bench by the road, idly playing with a Mora coin in his hand. It was the one he won from Fang Tu, symbolizing his new life.
He placed the coin in his palm, then flicked it with his thumb, catching it every time it fell, repeating the motion.
He looked up at the streets and crowds around him, thinking, "So this is Liyue Harbor, the place they call a bustling city…"
Yet, despite being in such a prosperous city, Shajin felt out of place.
He knew that while Liyue Harbor was thriving, other areas of Liyue, especially the peripheral villages like his own, suffered greatly.
Most of the people in Liyue Harbor lived lives of indulgence, feasting and drinking. The stark contrast to the harsh conditions of the outskirts left Shajin feeling melancholic.
The god of Liyue, Morax, was revered as the God of Wealth and the God of Contracts. He was the oldest known deity in Teyvat, but this great god rarely appeared before the public. People could only catch a glimpse of him during the Rite of Descent held by the Liyue Qixing every year.
The Liyue Qixing was, In fact, the ruling class of Liyue, composed of the seven most prominent merchants in the area, with the "Tianquan" as their leader.
These merchants cared only about profits, and their existence had led to an ever-widening wealth gap in Liyue.
Shajin slowly stood up and strolled to a clothing store, mentally planning to buy himself a new outfit.
After all, having come to such a grand city like Liyue Harbor, he had to dress a little more impressively, right?
"Hehe, where did this kid come from?" A provocative young man with yellow hair walked up and said.
Shajin ignored him and continued looking for clothes inside.
"This jacket with the carving is pretty nice. 500,000 Mora, huh?"
Shajin thought to himself. He currently had less than 100,000 Mora. Buying a decent outfit here wouldn't be an issue, but he still had to be frugal—he had other plans.
"I'll wait a little."
Shajin was actually aiming for the casino across the street from the clothing store.
"Kid, do you dare ignore me?"
The yellow-haired youth became annoyed when Shajin didn't respond.
However, because there were a few members of the Millelith patrolling nearby, the youth didn't dare make a move. He could only mutter a few threatening words.
Shajin knew well that the best response to such people was to ignore them. The more attention you gave them, the more they would think they were important.
So, he chose to pay no attention to the youth, letting him leave out of boredom.
_
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