Chapter 47, Herta: Oh ho! Something fresh.

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Ye Yun and Zhongli were chatting when suddenly a phone rang.

“Ring ring~ ring ring~”

Ye Yun took out his phone and saw that the caller ID read “Black Tower.”

He answered, and Black Tower’s voice came through.

“Send me your location. I’m coming to buy something from you.”

After saying that, Black Tower hung up.

Ye Yun glanced at the screen showing the call had ended and raised an eyebrow.

Black Tower really does as he pleases, but then again, genius is often eccentric, isn’t it?

Ye Yun sent Black Tower his location and resumed his conversation with Zhongli.

Zhongli set down his teacup.

“If you have something to do, I can come back tomorrow.”

Ye Yun put down his phone.

“It’s nothing urgent. A client will be coming later, so no rush. By the way, where were we in our conversation?”

Zhongli asked.

“We were talking about governance by individuals.”

Ye Yun recalled Zhongli’s prompt.

“Oh yes, governance by individuals.”

Zhongli inquired,

“What do you think about governance by individuals?”

Ye Yun pondered, recalling the world he once lived in.

“Governance by individuals does have merits; it allows humanity to develop freely without constraints.

But it also risks people losing themselves and forgetting their original intentions. You must have encountered such people.”

Zhongli nodded.

“Yes, I have. Teyvat once had such a nation, but in the end, they brought about a colossal disaster to the world.”

Ye Yun nodded and continued.

“Exactly. In my view, governance by individuals is acceptable, but not absolute.

If humanity is left to develop unchecked, it is likely to cause immeasurable catastrophes because human nature is inherently greedy.

In my homeland, two such disasters swept across the entire world, each claiming tens of millions of lives.”

“Only after humanity developed a weapon capable of mutually assured destruction did the world stabilize somewhat.

That ‘somewhat’ only applies to countries that possess such weapons.

Those without remain as helpless as fish on a chopping board, at others’ mercy.

In your Teyvat, the gods must hold a similar position in a nation, right?”

After hearing Ye Yun’s words, Zhongli had already made up his mind.

It seemed his previous thoughts were mistaken.

He had relinquished his divine position; for nearly a century, Liyue had been safe, especially since the last two generations of the Liyue Qixing were selected by himself and other immortals.

But what about the generations after that? Who could guarantee those future Qixing would have pure hearts?

Ye Yun took a gentle sip of tea.

“There’s a saying: don’t place your hope in the hands of others.”

Zhongli nodded in agreement.

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“I understand now. Thank you for enlightening me.”

Ye Yun smiled.

“No problem, no problem. It’s boring being alone in this shop. It’s nice to have you here to chat.”

At that moment, the shop door was pushed open, and Ye Yun looked up.

Black Tower entered, accompanied by a girl with pink hair.

“Shopping! Shopping! Shopping! Shopping!”

Black Tower headed straight for the small bar, plopped down on a high stool, operating a touchscreen with one hand and placing a Star Quartz on the exchange scale with the other.

He busied himself with shopping, completely ignoring the pink-haired girl he brought along.

Ji Zi immediately recognized the pink-haired girl — it was Astha, the director of Black Tower’s space station.

“Astha.”

Astha smiled at Ji Zi.

“Long time no see, Ji Zi.”

Ji Zi smiled and nodded.

“You’re here to shop too?”

Astha nodded.

“Yes, Black Tower said you can buy anything I want here, so I came.”

Ji Zi said,

“That’s true, what Black Tower says isn’t a lie.”

At this moment, Ye Yun approached.

“Ji Zi, did you bring a new friend?”

Astha looked at Ye Yun.

“Hello, I’m Astha.”

Ye Yun smiled politely.

“Hello, I’m Ye Yun, the owner of this shop.”

Ji Zi added from the side,

“Astha, tell Ye Yun what you want to buy. He can recommend things to you.”

Astha thought for a moment and asked,

“Do you sell warships here?”

Astha looked at Ye Yun with anticipation.

Ye Yun chuckled heartily.

“Yes, of course. Come, let me show you the details.”

With that, Ye Yun led Astha to the small bar and sat beside Black Tower.

Ye Yun typed “warship” on the touchscreen, which instantly transformed, displaying information on a dozen different warships.

The page selector at the bottom showed a maximum of 99+.

“Here, take a look.”

Astha browsed through the warship listings, examining each one.

The more she looked, the more excited she became, wanting to buy every single one.

There were spirit boats from a world of martial arts and fantasy, doomsday warships from apocalyptic realms, fairy-tale style ships from storybook worlds, and even star destroyers from sci-fi universes.

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As a warship collector fanatic, Astha couldn’t stop looking, wishing she could buy them all.

Seeing that Astha would take some time to decide, Ye Yun glanced over at Black Tower.

“So, what are you buying this time? How’s your research on that Kirin blood you brought back?”

Black Tower glanced at Ye Yun.

“It’s still in progress. The components in that blood are very complex; I haven’t fully deciphered it yet.”

Then Black Tower shifted the topic.

“However, I did extract some and diluted it. The effect is quite good—it improves the function of various human organs and can extend a normal person’s lifespan by nearly a hundred years.”

Ye Yun was not surprised; after all, it was the blood of a Kirin, a potent tonic.

“What are you looking for now?”

Black Tower’s fingers scrolled rapidly across the screen, scanning items at a glance.

“I don’t know. I buy whatever catches my interest.”

Ye Yun crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Take your time selecting. You know the process. I’ll go attend to Astha.”

Black Tower waved dismissively.

“Go on, go on. Don’t bother me while I shop.”

Just then, Zhongli suddenly approached.

“Excuse me, madam. I overheard you mention you’ve developed something that can extend human life?”

Black Tower turned her head, scanning Zhongli from head to toe, her eyes lighting up.

“Well, well, you’re quite interesting! Let me see.”

She jumped down from the stool and circled around Zhongli.

Interesting, very interesting—a long-lived one, a living example of an immortal who’s lived for thousands of years!

“Do you want that vial of the potion?”

Zhongli nodded.

“Hmm, what’s the price?”

A sly smile curled on Black Tower’s lips.

“No charge. Talking about money spoils the mood. How about cooperating with me on some research?”

Black Tower looked mischievously at Zhongli. Ye Yun watched and thought Black Tower resembled a dealer.

Ye Yun interrupted.

“Black Tower, Zhongli is my client. Don’t get any ideas.”

Black Tower rolled her eyes at Ye Yun, annoyed he spoiled her fun.

“Tch—I’m not one to force others. I’m just asking.”

She glanced at Zhongli and had to settle for a compromise.

“Give me some of your hair, blood, and skin tissue, and I’ll give you ten bottles of that potion. Deal?”

Zhongli nodded immediately.

To him, the trade was fair.

“The contract is sealed. Those who break their word shall suffer the punishment of the Geo Archon.”