Chapter 31

After our meditation session after the events that previously happened today, it was already a late lunch period so I was certainly hungry and I wouldn't mind an early dinner depending on the serving sizes of the dishes served at the Wanmin restaurant.

The actual Wanmnin restaurant however was stuck right between the ultra-wealthy cultivator/martial artists district and the more middle-class business and merchant district so it was a good walk through Liyue to get there.

We walked through the city hand in hand without issue thankfully. My hand intertwined within Keqing's own hand as we spoke of lighter easy topics such as what we wanted to order from the restaurant and how the restaurant has been working to make more interesting dishes.

"So the owner's daughter wants to make elixer dishes? That's pretty interesting I guess but... Not exactly that viable." I muttered as I tried to imagine how to do that and from the inherited knowledge I had of technology... That was in my view at least a bit of a dead end as Alchemy was based off of burning away herbs and other mystical ingredients to take the medicinal energies and compounds to mix them together in making a pill or elixer.

A dish wouldn't exactly work... Unless it was something like blended up maybe? 

I shook the thought away as Keqing gave me a wry smile and said. "Well Xiangling is already an alchemist and a phenomenal chef. And her desires was enough to grant herself a Vision and she is known for commonly working with the Stove God Guoba in the Depths to the North." 

Blinking at the knowledge that Guoba wasn't a husk of his former self, I followed Keqing into the Wanmin restaurant and although we didn't see Xiangling we still got some phenomenal food for a fair price.

And the restaurant was a more relaxed affair with the building being made out of a heavy sort of stone with the trim done in darkly stained woods and bright lights that brought out a nice relaxed atmosphere. Which was also filled with the smells of damned good cooking.

We shared a pleasant relaxing early lunch before I asked curiously "Keqing, I want to head to the second location for my next factory more towards the middle of Liyue where I will build the pills and array factory. When do you think you will be ready?" 

At hearing my question Keqing who was stirring some kind of beef into her rice raised up an eyebrow before asking. "Are you in a rush? I mean wouldn't waiting for Ningguang to respond to the Pelican be a good idea?" 

I shook my head and quietly I spoke frankly. "No. I think the better I get out of Liyue the better things will be, especially if I can get back to my work away from all the external and internal power struggles that occur from within Liyue." 

Keqing slowly nodded in understanding and after taking a bite to eat she asked curiously. "Then we can leave after this lunch. You after all, aren't an official employee of the Liyue Qixing nor has Lady Ningguang given me any duties besides well... Keeping you alive." She finished with a wry smile that made my lips twitch at the irresponsible way she said that.

With a grunt of amusement, I continued on. "Anyway, we can use the spare Pelican I have in my own spatial ring to get back to the first Factory, grab a bunch of materials, and spirit stones, put them into another storage ring, and then we can take some guards and helpers to help build the next factory!"

But as I mentioned grabbing guards Keqing's face tightened before she said quietly. "There aren't any guards at your old factory." 

I froze hearing that and I looked at her like she was crazy before I asked quickly in confusion. "What do you mean there isn't any guards or workers? There needs to be guards and workers to put the monster corpses into the bioburners. There needs to be workers to hook up the storage containers to move them so new ones can be filled up with materials?"

A hand was raised to silence me and Keqing grimaced before she took a deep breath and answered plainly. "Half of them are dead due to selling off information of your factory and even taking missions to steal spirit stones or even to sabotage your factory by evil sects and clans that don't want Liyue further prosper and grow stronger." 

She shrugged and then said wryly. "The other half basically... Well, Yelan sent them back to Liyue as although she considered pulling out the roots, she decided not to leave more blood to feed that Golden Core spirit that lives there in that factory." 

I facepalmed hearing that... As that meant that without workers there to at least keep the Biofuel burners working that meant that all my production was probably going to be halted if not already halted completely by this point.

"Keqing!!!" I groaned through my facepalm as this had obviously overtaken all my thoughts now so I grunted and said. "Fine, then who can we use for manpower at least in the short term? There needs to be monster corpses shoved into the biofuel generators to fuel the production plants, which with the amount of hellbats that are killed in Liyue and around the factory. Monster flesh isn't an issue we just need people to throw them into the furnaces." 

The purple-haired beauty rolled her eyes and said flatly. "Can't you magic up some kind of automaton to do that for you?" To which I gave her a bit of a dirty look.

As I replied equally flatly. "Let's say I completely automate the factory, what happens when a Golden Core or tier three martial artist who excels in stealth comes in and steals all the spirit stones... Who is at my fault in that situation? The thief or the dumbass who left a quarter million medium-tier spirit stones in the open without living and reactive protection?"

Keqing's face twitched and twisted at the reminder that in the course of a month just from my main factory I was going to pull up a good half million spirit stones and even with my Pelican flying to Liyue from my factory was a two-hour flight.

So if I had a factory way in the north of Liyue near the Depths where the Adepti fought the Abyss, that would be at least a six-hour flight itself... And there was no way in hell I was going to fly for twelve hours straight just to pick up some base materials due to my fucking production halting due to having hit its storage capacity of finished products!

There literally needed to be someone there working to keep things orderly just to keep things running over a longer period of time!

With a grunt I knew that making actual robots wouldn't work as well as there still needed to be someone to move around the storage units for materials as over time they would fill up and machines wouldn't so easily have the parameters to move stuff around. Due to the simple reality of myself not wanting to spend a few weeks actually making a whole damned computer system to automate everything and be intelligent enough to problem solve.

But then Keqing spoke up with a small smile crossing her face at a realization. "Ah. You could use a puppet? Based on their grade they have certain levels of intelligence and can do some minor problem solving. Plus the puppets could be supplied by the spirit stones you mine up?" 

And my lips twitched as I realized all too damned quick where I would get such a puppet or automaton. "I would need to get it from the Cloud Refining Sect though."

To which Keqing nodded and said with a wry smile. "It's a good thing that Lady Cloud Retainer the Sect's Mistress is currently in Liyue and staying in Ningguang's Jade Chamber."

Silently I played with my drink as I swirled it around before I shook my head and said with some annoyance. "Alright, then lets get going to see her if she is willing to see us. Plus it gives us the chance to meet with Ningguang herself.

-

After finishing our food we went to the southern part of Liyue City and took the floating lift for the Liyue Qixing that would take us up to the Jade Chamber and with Keqing's status as one of the leaders of Liyue even if she was rather free due to her being in charge of the ground-based part of Liyue cities guards we got up to the Jade Chamber without issue.

Once we got into the Jade Chamber we went and talked to one of one Ningguang's apprentices/secretaries and she promised to go speak and see if Ningguang was available while Keqing took me to sit down on a nice comfy bench while we watched some fishes swim around in a large pond that was built into the center of the Jade Chamber.

And after a couple of minutes that same secretary came back and spoke quietly. "Lady Ningguang is speaking with Lady Cloud Retainer. They have invited you to join in on their conversation Jake Bariss." 

I blinked at the clear way she said that Keqing was to be excluded and for a moment I considered demanding she come with me. But that would make me sound dependent on Keqing so I gave a small nod and then squeezed Keqing's hand that was still within my own as I spoke calmly. "Please be patient. I will be back when I can."

The secretary then led me up a circular staircase up to the second level of the Jade Chamber where the private meetings took place while the first floor was for record-keeping and the control portion for the Jade Chamber apparently.

She then led me to a room and after knocking on the door I could hear Ningguang's voice reach our forms as though she was speaking directly in front of us without any form off muffling as Ningguang said. "Thank you for leading him up Xia, Jake please come in." 

The secretary bowed respectfully towards me and without a look back she retreated with her front aimed at the door as though the person within was the Emperor themselves. 

I opened the door on my own with the door sliding almost silently open and as I came into the room I saw that Ningguang was relaxing on a long couch laid out atop while smoking from her pipe while sitting across from her was another woman. This one was regal with dark black hair that had light green natural highlights running through her hair and she was also wearing red glasses across her face that gave her a librarian look with how her hair was done also in a formal ponytail.

Though her form was clad in a regal and very well-made dress that hugged her curvaceous form with a sort of cape that trailed behind her. 

"Ningguang." I greeted my patron and supporter first out of respect and then I looked to who I knew was Cloud Retainer and said somewhat more formally. "Lady Cloud Retainer, its an honor to meet another intellectual and inventor."

Cloud Retainer gave a small smile as she looked me up and down and said softly. "One sees that you are not without talent in martial arts and cultivation even if you have that... The physique requires some more work to get the best progress. But seeing the Pelican you called it? What a marvelous feat of mechanical mastery that is, young man." 

My face went pink slightly at the awkward tone she used as my physique was... Yeah anyway but there was no hiding the interest in joy in speaking to me in terms of mechanical engineering even though our own methods did clash due to her own mechanics being cultivation-based.

I bowed my head slightly to the compliment as I responded calmly. "Coming from a woman with wisdom accrued from ages long past, your compliments make me proud." 

To which Cloud Retainer gave a soft chuckle before I looked back over at Ningguang who lazily waved her smoking pipe to the couch across from her so I would be to the right of Cloud Retainer who was sitting on her own seat.

"So Jake, what has brought you to me in particular?" Ningguang started off with and I chewed on my thoughts before I began speaking. 

"Due to your cleansing of the corrupt guards in the Mililith and the workers that were at my factory along with sending away the survivors. My factory has obviously ran out of fuel now and has stopped production seeing as no one is throwing monster corpses into the biofuel burners." 

Ningguang actually smiled and tittered with amusement as she spoke. "Oh I know already. Yelan is rather cross with me as she is now having to do that as you did leave the notes on how the monster furnaces needed to be fed... And having a Nascent Soul having to tend to the fires of a furnace is almost certainly the first haha!"

Looking at how amused she was at that I said bluntly. "Yeah... And who wants to bet that Yelan is helping herself to a Nascent Soul's proper wages from the spirit stones that are being mined up?" 

And at my retort, Ningguang's amusement died instantly with her getting flushed as she groaned and muttered. "No wonder that witch offered to be so helpful! Hmph wait for me to catch hold of her."

But seeing as we were on the topic I looked over at Cloud Retainer to begin asking about the puppets but instead she asked with curiosity before I could speak. "So you used monster and demon beast flesh to fuel your machines? Hmm so you are tapping into the blood energy remaining in the flesh similar to a martial artist's blood energy and using them to run your machines how interesting." 

I shook my head as that wasn't really the case but either way I spoke to Cloud Retainer. "It's sorta in that vein of thought but not really... Anyway Lady Cloud Retainer, I was curious if you had any puppets I could buy or trade for that would be able to do odd jobs like grabbing corpses and shoving them into a furnace slide?"

She didn't even blink and instead smiled arrogantly as she pushed up her glasses with one of her gloved hands. "One is certain that her puppets can do far more than that in fact! But yes this One's puppets can replace the workers and guards that have been removed or purged. Truth be told this is what Ningguang and this One have been discussing previously."

'Huh well that is convenient.' I thought before I smiled hearing that and I looked over at Ningguang and spoke more seriously. "Ningguang, in order to further expand my operations I need some more... Complicated materials I will need to make over time so in that vein I am planning to make a second factory in the southern part of the Guili Plains." 

Hearing my words Ningguang raised an eyebrow and asked seriously. "What materials do you need to expand your first factory's basic production? If you need help in acquiring resources Jake, do no falter in asking me as I will do everything I can to help expand your factory." 

But I had to shake my head as I spoke wryly. "It's not a matter of specialized resources, I need a separate facility basically to mine up the resources to make the machines that will upgrade my prior machines along with making specialized mechanical parts... Anyway beyond that I had something also very important to discuss with you." 

I took a breath and then continued to speak as Cloud Retainer and Ningguang listened and I didn't hide anything knowing that Cloud Retainer was basically intrinsically linked to Liyue.

"So the first factory I am planning to leave it as a war production plant, having it divert its resources into making weapons, gunships like the Pelican and the Titan mechs you guys like call puppets for some reason." Before they could speak I held up a hand making Cloud Retainer's lips twitch at me cutting her off but I continued as I was on a roll.

"Anyway in my tinkering, I found out how to forcibly age up spiritual herbs and such with my spirit stone reclamation project in turning empty spirit stones back into their refueled state, and with that I am planning on creating an Alchemy factory section that will forcibly age herbs up to a very specific age. That way I can fully automate the production of elixirs up to tier two at least for now." 

After a long moment, Cloud Retainer spoke casually. "Young man, what is your current marital status? One has two disciples of great beauty and poise that remain unattached and I could play matchmaker between the three of you."