Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

Moreover, if the Liyue authorities learned that Gu Sanqiu was involved with the Ten Pull Society, they might view it as him "supervising" the operation, which would actually put their minds at ease. It'd also make his mischief easier to carry out.

"Still, those channels you mentioned were previously tied to the Sanxuan Society. Would switching to another organization cause any issues?" Childe asked, his tone uncertain. "Your so-called gray forces in Liyue don't seem to have much in the way of honor or commercial trustworthiness, right?"

"You said it yourself—they're gray forces. For them, 'honor' and 'trust' translate to Mora, silver notes, gems, and other valuable resources," Gu Sanqiu replied, shaking his head. "Don't worry about that. We're not raiding their bases—if the price is fair, deals can be made."

"As long as we grow steadily, they'll realize the value of maintaining good relations with us."

"And when they show up to pay respects, we capture them all in one fell swoop?"

"Shhh, no need to be so honest about it."

Gu Sanqiu's face reverted to a blank expression. "At first, we'll take a financial hit when dealing with them—it's the cost of establishing a new organization. But later, once we've grown stronger, we can either absorb them or take them down completely. That's just sound business strategy. Understand?"

Childe chuckled, shaking his head. "You really have a knack for cloaking shady deeds in justifiable reasoning. Still, it's an interesting plan. How many people are you bringing in on your end?"

...

Childe noticed Gu Sanqiu's sudden silence and immediately sensed something was amiss.

Secret Technique—Psyduck's Awareness!

"Wait a second—you're not about to tell me you don't have a single person lined up, are you?"

"I do. Me."

Gu Sanqiu pointed at himself. "Think of me as the boss who does nothing but rake in profits, bully innocent maidens, and leave the mess for others to clean up."

"In other words, someone who contributes absolutely nothing, drags their own organization down, and inevitably stirs up trouble with dangerous entities—a textbook rich scion."

"And how exactly are you planning to get this operation off the ground!?"

Childe's exasperated shout echoed through the room. Every time he thought Gu Sanqiu's incompetence had hit rock bottom, the man found a way to dig deeper. Clearly, Childe had underestimated him yet again.

"Relax, no need to panic. Trust me, alright? I'll introduce you to a friend—you met him during that whole Everflame Seed fiasco."

"You mean Feiyun Commerce Guild's second young master, Xingqiu?"

"Exactly," Gu Sanqiu replied. "At the start, we can operate the Ten Pull Society under the Feiyun Commerce Guild's banner. With their reputation and connections, reviving the Sanxuan Society's old channels will be much easier."

"Plus, people will likely assume it's just a training project for the guild's second young master. No one would dare stir up trouble with us."

"Another key advantage is that the guild's experienced personnel can help us quickly establish the framework for the Ten Pull Society."

Childe considered this and nodded. "That's a fair point, but the fact that you didn't prepare a single member still irks me."

Rolling his eyes, Gu Sanqiu retorted, "What do you expect me to do? My family's lineage is all single descendants—this isn't what I wanted."

"If I had brothers or sisters, I'd just rope them into managing different parts of the operation. Then I could laze around all day without a care in the world. That's the life I dream of."

"Ha."

Childe's laughter was dry. "Even if you had siblings, knowing your personality, don't you think they'd just push all the hard work onto you while they enjoyed life instead?"

"Hmm, an interesting proposition. Worth considering," Gu Sanqiu admitted with a thoughtful nod. "By the way, you've got the list of Treasure Hoarder leaders who took in the remaining Sanxuan Society members, right? Hand it over."

"What for? Don't tell me you're planning to kill them all. Damaging the Fatui's reputation like that isn't a good look."

"I'll pay extra and promise not to kill them."

"Deal."

Their swift agreement was enough to make Amir, who was serving tea on the side, roll his eyes. If these two weren't high-ranking figures—one a Harbinger, the other his immediate superior—he'd be mentally roasting them nonstop.

Such shameless, underhanded tactics were disgraceful, yes, but undeniably effective.

The remarkable thing was how quickly and seamlessly these two hit rock bottom together, plunging ever deeper into the abyss with a mutual understanding.

Amir decided that both the Fatui and Liyue's workforce could use some serious moral training.

...Then again, wouldn't suggesting this make Lord Childe think he was mocking him?

Better not. Self-preservation was key.

---

"What do you need them for?" Childe asked. "Those Treasure Hoarders are only good for bullying untrained commoners. Do you really find them useful?"

His skepticism was clear. Considering Gu Sanqiu's resources and capabilities, recruiting competent personnel should've been a breeze.

"Oh, it's nothing major," Gu Sanqiu replied casually. "That region around the Stone Gate is practically abandoned. The Treasure Hoarders have been entrenched there for so long that they're practically running guerrilla warfare against the Millelith."

He made a throat-slitting gesture. "I plan to cultivate some auxiliary personnel to reshape the area's dynamics."

Gu Sanqiu knew that handling the situation there had two straightforward solutions:

The first involved mastering The Shaking Mountain Sutra, elevating his cultivation to rival that of seasoned hermits who'd trained for centuries. Then, he could withdraw the Millelith stationed there, command his Shadowhawk to evacuate all living creatures, and unleash a single earth-shattering technique to bury the Treasure Hoarders alive.

Given that the Chasm was already off-limits, expanding Liyue's safe zones this way would be a practical tradeoff.

The second option was even simpler: visit the depths of the South Tianheng Gate again, knock on the seal, and see if Lord Azhdaha would wake up. A single stomp or a breath from the Geo Lord would be more effective than anything Gu Sanqiu could muster.

But such a move might disrupt the adepti's arrangements, and it wasn't clear if Azhdaha would even help him.

The most efficient solution wasn't always the simplest.

That's why Gu Sanqiu opted for the current strategy. By the time his auxiliary forces were established, they could leverage intelligence and aerial surveillance from the Shadowhawk to eliminate the Treasure Hoarders swiftly.

It would play out like a classic scene from a heroic tale: the enemy leader wakes to find a gleaming blade at their throat.

Knock, knock. Special delivery!

---

T/N: He...hasn't met Lumine yet right? Yeah... The Dragon crisis hasn't started either...god It's hard to remember what happened (what a dumbass)

Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? got locked by webnovel (probably reported...?) so I'll have it up on the sribble hub later today with the new updates :p same username on there btw ughh should i repost on here?