hotmtlnovel Chapter 119: The Fastidious Zhongli
Chapter 119: The Fastidious Zhongli
Following Zhongli, we came to the waterside market of Liyue Harbor. The location here is hidden, and if it is your first time visiting Liyue Harbor, you may not be able to find the location.
In the Wanyou shop, the owner Bo Lai saw four people coming from afar, squinted his eyes and looked at them carefully. The blond boy and the floating thing probably didn't have much money, and the one wearing luxurious black clothes was not good-looking. It was estimated that only this handsome young man could spend a lot of money.
When they came closer, Bo Lai realized how wrong he was. The man in black was Boss Mo, who was unknown in the industry but left a legend everywhere.
As for the young man who was thought to be rich, he was actually Mr. Zhongli who only knew how to buy things on credit. Although he was proficient in many classical matters, for a businessman, Mora was the first priority.
Bo Lai laughed and said, "What wind brought you here today, Boss Mo? Are you here to buy some colorful flowers? Please take a look at the colorful flowers in our shop. Every flower is fragrant and soft. They are all the best flowers."
Mo Ran waved his hand and looked at Zhongli, who understood what he meant and stepped forward and said, "Golden House Hidden Beauty, Mountain Shadow Splendor, and Misty Fairy Fate, please bring one of each of these three to see."
Bo Lai smiled with a fake smile and flattered: "Mr. Zhongli is indeed a well-read scholar. He is even an expert in selecting colorful flowers!"
"The two beside you should be your and Boss Mo's servants, right? They don't look very strong. How about I find a few strong ones for you two? I'll take it as a thank you gift for buying the colorful flowers from me!"
Bo Lai knew that Zhongli was poor, but he knew that Boss Mo was rich. He also heard that the two had close contacts, so they must have a close relationship and were most likely blood relatives.
So Bo Lai, who was good at changing his attitude according to the situation, quickly flattered them. If he could get a few people into Liuli Pavilion and Xinyue Pavilion, the business he brought would definitely increase several times.
Paimeng stamped his feet fiercely and shouted, "We are not servants. Boss Mo Ran is my friend!"
Bo saw that Boss Mo's expression did not change, which meant it was true, so he hurriedly apologized. Anyway, he was very good at this kind of thing, and then said: "Please, Mr. Zhongli, please take a look. The three kinds of colorful flowers you want are all here."
"Hmm." Zhongli stroked his chin and said with some appreciation, "Depending on the growing environment and ancestral family, the colorful flowers will show different characteristics. The ones you have here are good, and they are all kept fresh."
Zhongli put down his stroking hand, pointed at one of the plants, and said, "For example, this one has lush branches and leaves, stamens like a beautiful girl hidden in a golden house, and green leaves that last forever. It often grows in places with complex hydrological conditions."
"In the shade of the mountains or in humid areas, the colorful flowers often grow with large petals and dense stamens, and their fragrance is so fragrant that they can be called the brocade clusters of the shade of the mountains."
"As for the last type..." Mr. Zhongli folded his hands and introduced: "It is aloof and cold, with sparsely arranged branches, leaves and flowers. When the flowers bloom, the fragrance is light but lasts the longest. It was discovered by chance by ancient people when they were climbing mountains to visit immortals."
"However, today, many neon flowers have become extinct due to the geographical changes in Liyue. Most of the remaining ones are cultivated artificially."
Mo Ran suddenly asked, "Is that enough?"
Zhongli nodded and said, "It's really not a big deal. Boss, I want all these colorful flowers. Send the bill to Northland Bank."
Bo Lai was delighted and said, "Okay, okay. Thank you for your patronage. I have to say that Mr. Zhongli is really an expert! Even I didn't know there were so many details."
Zhongli said modestly, "I only know a little bit. Boss Mo and my friend, a traveler who will eventually visit all the countries in Teyvat, are the ones who should not be underestimated."
Kong shook his head and said, "Actually, I know very little about Neon Flower."
Mo Ran nodded casually and drank twice as a response.
Zhongli said: "As the saying goes, every profession has its own expertise. Just like in the aspect of Mora, the traveler is much better than me."
Paimon interrupted, "By the way, why did Zhongli come and ask for all of this again?"
Zhongli chuckled and said, "When listening to an opera, you should order the most popular Minglian, and when walking your bird, you should buy the most expensive thrush. This is life."
Mo Ran mercilessly exposed his true colors, "Then you should pay me back first before you talk about life!"
Zhongli said calmly: "I will send the bill to the Northland Bank later. The debts owed in the past few years will be considered paid off." The man in black finally stopped talking contentedly.
Zhongli, who was penniless but spoke the highest truth of life, looked at the blond boy and said, "However, this time I bought all the colorful flowers, but it was not because of my life creed."
As soon as Zhongli opened his mouth, it was time to popularize Liyue traditions. "Traveler, you may not know that according to tradition, if different varieties of colorful flowers are made into ointments and placed in front of the Seven-Day Statue, the Rock King will make his own choice."
He folded his arms and said with a little melancholy: "It's just that these ancient details and some overly complicated traditions have gradually been simplified."
“But…” Zhongli’s amber eyes lit up, and he said, “This is a unique ceremony for sending off the immortals that has belonged to one of the Seven Gods for 3,700 years. We should still follow tradition and offer these ointments one by one.”
Mo Ran covered his mouth and laughed secretly. This emperor wanted to hold a luxurious funeral for himself and had to involve tradition. If he really followed tradition, it would probably take at least ten days or half a month of preparation to hold the funeral.
Bo Lai listened for a long time, and suddenly said, "Uh, excuse me, but I want to interrupt you, my four guests. Are you going to present these colorful flowers to Prince Yan?"
Paimon nodded, "That's correct."
Bo Lai patted his chest, which was the only trace of his conscience left, and said firmly: "I won't say anything unlucky. Ever since I asked the Immortals for a discussion, I have also been worried that the news is true."
"If these colorful flowers are to be presented to Lord Yan, I won't charge you any money. Just take them!"
Paimon exclaimed, and Sora was confused by this situation. Just how deep is the obsession of the people of Liyue with the Geo King?
Bo Lai continued, "Without the protection of Lord Yan, there would be no place for common people like me to live. Besides, if it weren't for Lord Yan's poems, how could these colorful flowers be so valuable?"
"Although I am evil, I absolutely cannot make this kind of money!"
Mo Ran smiled and said, "It's good to have this intention. We still have to make the money we should make. Let's go."
Bo Lai stretched out his hand to call out, but no one stopped, leaving him alone, shaking his head and sighing, "Alas, Lord Yan..."
Even though Mora is number one for Liyue merchants, if the other option is Prince Yan, they will choose the latter without hesitation.
On the way, Paimon exclaimed, "Many of the customs and practices of Liyue that I heard about along the way were directly cared for by the gods at some point in time."
Mo Ran laughed and said, "Why do you think the people of Liyue respect the Emperor so much? If he had not appeared in the world for a thousand years and had never done anything beneficial to Liyue, the Emperor would not be called the Emperor."
"This is in a godless place where the wind god does not appear. Mondstadt cannot experience this. Although the West Wind Church over there worships the wind god, in fact, most people do not take that god seriously."
"This is the drawback of freedom. It is also the choice of the Mond people themselves. They want freedom without constraints and without being controlled by the gods." Mo Ran said to himself, "Then no one else can be blamed for what happens next."
Paimeng lowered his eyes, waved his hands, and said, "Why do I feel that you, Mo Ran, have a lot of opinions about Mond? If you have a chance, you should go and see it in person. In fact, the people in Mond are quite good!"
Kong also chimed in, "Paimon is right. The Knight of Favonius is a very good guy. He destroys monsters and protects Mondstadt. He is very responsible."
Mo Ran remained silent, as if he agreed with this statement.
Mondstadt is a bad city-state because it has greedy residents and ignorant nobles.
Mondstadt is a good city-state because Eula was born there, and Klee lives there, and those friends exist there, so it's good.