Two full months had passed since the Vision Hunt Decree was lifted. Although the repeal of the Sakoku Decree had not yet been officially announced, the thunderstorm barriers over the seas surrounding Inazuma had quietly subsided.
Many had already noticed this sign of change. Unfortunately, the policy restricting entry into and exit from Inazuma had yet to be altered. The only ships allowed to traverse the once-familiar yet distant routes were those belonging to the official Shogunate fleet.
The Shogun was testing the waters for the repeal of the Sakoku Decree.
Under the efforts of the Tri-Commission, Inazuma's stagnant commerce was preparing itself to face the incoming waves of foreign trade.
Of course, such restrictions could never restrain those "gray-area" fleets like the Crux Fleet. With the thunderstorms gone, it was easy to predict that those who had no intention of docking legitimately would now travel freely and comfortably.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Victor Wang made a trip back to Liyue.
After Sangonomiya Kokomi finished reading The Art of War, Thirty-Six Stratagems, Military Tactics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Empire of the Great Qin, those books were returned to Victor Wang's hands. Now, he brought them back to Liyue, intending to have them published by a local press.
While the manuscripts were under review, he sought out Xiangling for professional guidance and personally crafted a brand-new beverage.
Then, the time for his appointment with Ningguang arrived.
The Jade Chamber was vast, demanding immense manpower and resources to build. Even though reconstructing it was now far easier for Ningguang than before, it still required considerable time. Thus, they met at the Yuehai Pavilion instead.
"You said you have a major business proposal you wish to collaborate on with me?" Ningguang propped her right hand on the table, turning her slender white jade pipe between her fingers. Her gaze shifted toward the two drinks Victor Wang had brought. "We first discussed the chewing gum and bubblegum partnership here, didn't we? Sales have been quite good. Even as we speak, those products continue to bring us a steady stream of Mora."
"I promise this new collaboration will bring us even more Mora. Try this one first."
The first drink he slid forward was pearl milk tea.
Its appearance and aroma led Ningguang to make the initial judgment of 'this is just ordinary milk tea'. She took a careful sip out of curiosity—only to feel something sliding up through the straw. When the chewy, bouncy pearls touched her tongue, she instantly realized: "This is bubblegum... But why does it feel so different when added to milk tea?"
"I don't know," Victor Wang answered honestly.
Before the invention of pearl milk tea, who would've thought that adding just one simple ingredient could transform the entire drink?
"What's this milk tea called?"
"Pearl Milk Tea."
Swirling the straw through the invisible pearls at the bottom of the cup, Ningguang nodded approvingly. "It will make money."
Her gaze then shifted to the other drink still sitting on Victor Wang's side. Since he had pushed the pearl milk tea forward first, that meant this second drink must be something even more impressive.
"What about that one?" she asked.
"Oh, that one's called Mango Pomelo Sago."
Mango Pomelo Sago—its main ingredients were pomelo, mango, sago, and Qiqi's favorite coconut milk. If memory served, sago was made from the sago palm. Too lazy to search Teyvat for matching raw materials, Victor Wang figured that as long as it was chewy and smooth, the readily available bubblegum would do just fine.
And thus, another bestselling beverage was born in Teyvat.
Also topped with pearls, Mango Pomelo Sago offered a rich texture and unique flavor—unlike anything ever tasted before in Teyvat, even surpassing pearl milk tea.
Feeling the interplay of pomelo pulp and pearls, the thick smoothness of mango purée mingling with coconut milk, and the natural sweetness spreading across her palate—then biting into a pearl to release a sudden burst of sunsettia flavor—Ningguang, despite her refined tastes, found herself a little entranced.
"These two drink combinations... you created both of them?"
"I... suppose so." Victor Wang rubbed his nose sheepishly. He had originally planned to make an upgraded version of Dango Milk to win favor with the Raiden Shogun—but the more he experimented with milk tea, the more he realized its tremendous potential.
"Perhaps you should change careers into the food industry. You'd have limitless potential." Ningguang half-joked, then added more seriously, "So what's your proposal? Since both drinks contain bubblegum, you must have your reasons for seeking me out."
"Exactly. You hold the exclusive rights to bubblegum. The raw materials must come through you. I plan to sell the trademarks and recipes for both Pearl Milk Tea and Mango Pomelo Sago. The partnership I propose is this: you can only sell bubblegum to those who've purchased my trademarks. That way, my trademarks maintain exclusivity. This will widen the market for bubblegum, earning you more Mora—and I'm willing to share a portion of my trademark profits with you as well."
As soon as Victor Wang finished speaking, Ningguang immediately understood. In this setup, all Pearl Milk Tea and Mango Pomelo Sago shops would be monopolistically tied to her bubblegum sales—undeniably profitable. However...
"Why bother with all that? Wouldn't it be simpler if you licensed the drinks to me, just like with bubblegum, and let me handle everything while you collect your money?"
"This is milk tea—it can't just be mass-produced in a factory like bubblegum and distributed to wholesalers. It must be freshly made and sold on-site, meaning shops need to open everywhere."
"If you licensed it to me, those would be my concerns. For you, there's no difference between milk tea and bubblegum... or are you trying to negotiate for more this time?"
"This isn't just bargaining. If I use the trademarks and recipes for franchising, all the profits are mine. The only problem is the supply chain."
"That's true."
Ningguang tapped her fingers lightly on the table, thinking aloud. "Bubblegum is already licensed to Wanmin Restaurant... I never thought I'd become their competitor one day. So, if I refuse to cooperate, will you build your own bubblegum factory?"
"I've no experience in business, and I dislike troublesome work. I'd much rather be a hands-off owner quietly collecting profits. Partnering with you is obviously the best option."
"I can see your determination to earn more Mora. But is that enough? Why give up running the milk tea shops yourself? That's where the real money lies."
"You mean...?"
"Let's open the stores together. I'll give you thirty percent of the profits. It may sound smaller, but I guarantee your thirty percent will exceed the total you'd get from franchising."
"If you let me handle the operations, I can legally expand our business influence across all seven nations. That's worth far more than you realize."
"Heh, using that to bargain with me? Such tactics are overused. I have no need to exploit this opportunity. I care only for Mora. Speak plainly—how much control do you want?"
"...Profit isn't the only thing I want. I want a say in decision-making."
Ningguang hesitated at that. After some thought, she asked, "You mean, in a store that I invest in and run—while also giving you profits—I still have to let you make decisions? That's quite the audacious demand, especially since you're not investing a single Mora."
"If I were opening the store myself—"
"If you were opening it yourself, you wouldn't have come to me," Ningguang interrupted sharply.
In both Shenzhou and Liyue, people loved compromise. Bargaining was no different. Victor Wang only smiled, conceding slightly. "I don't mean full control. I just want some say in the matter."
"You're already getting thirty percent of the profits. Why bother meddling?"
"Because I already promised someone back in Inazuma. The Pearl Milk Tea shop in Inazuma City will be under his management."
He had no desire to micromanage the milk tea shops himself, yet he wanted higher profit shares and needed to secure the Arataki Gang's livelihood. His final objective had neatly fallen into place.
"Inazuma... Inazuma City, you say?"
"If that's too much, just the Hanamizaka district will do."
"...Fine. I accept."
Two days later, the first Pearl Bubble Tea shop opened for trial business on Feiyun Slope in Liyue Harbor. Its main offerings were Pearl Milk Tea and Mango Pomelo Sago, along with several new milk tea and fruit tea flavors unavailable elsewhere.
Without anyone realizing, Slime Condensate prices soared again. Merchants who tasted the new drinks and only then noticed the price hike were beside themselves with regret, dubbing the unseen culprit "The Slime Slayer."
Victor Wang knew nothing of this. Having concluded his affairs in Liyue, he returned once more to Mondstadt.
With him traveled Wilbur Cobb—a face long thought missing, whose hollow, zombie-like state lent much credibility to the story of his ordeal.
The Knights of Favonius were unable to heal him. Yet, before everyone's eyes, a reverse wind blew through, and light returned to Wilbur's gaze.
"It's the Anemo Archon!"
Most rejoiced, and Ellin's eyes sparkled—but her gaze fell not on the Archon, but on Victor Wang.
By the time Sidney remembered Victor Wang, he was already gone.
At the Cat's Tail Tavern, Victor Wang handed Venti the drink he had exchanged for—the Summer Sea Breeze, ranked seventh on the Custom Cocktail Leaderboard—and asked, "How did you do that?"
When that gust appeared, the sand inside [The Two Ends of Beginning and End] had grown unusually active. The last time that happened was when Isshin had frozen time.
Venti blinked mischievously and answered with a grin, "Maybe I just helped him shed a few unnecessary memories?"
Victor Wang wisely chose not to ask further.