Chapter 340

"You said that Dottore had already found the method to produce harmless fake Visions?"

Upon hearing the news, Raiden Shogun was utterly astonished.

But she quickly came to her senses.

"The Executor's evil eye?"

"Hmm."

Luo De's suspicion was the same, and he also had a bad feeling: "Perhaps the Fatui have already begun planning mass production of this new evil eye."

Only after communicating with Dori did he realize a problem.

Luo De then realized a problem.

That he might be too impressionistic.

After witnessing the Inazuma evil eye that could kill in an instant, and also Mondstadt's evil eye that caused Klee's backlash death,

He subconsciously thought that the evil eyes Dottore researched were all of that type with severe side effects.

But from Dori he learned that the Fatui had already begun monopolizing the materials for harmless evil eyes.

Only then did Luo De suddenly realize.

The evil eyes currently used by the Fatui are actually different from those produced in Inazuma.

Inazuma's evil eyes, and also Klee's evil eye.

It seems they all use that kind of Archon residue with extremely strong contaminating power.

Therefore, the demands on the user are very high.

If the user's physical condition and mental state fall short, the Archon residue will backlash, possibly even directly shortening the user's lifespan.

However, the evil eyes used by the Fatui soldiers are not like that.

Luo De has seen Fatui personnel use evil eyes more than once.

Not only the Executor's special evil eye of that rank, but even the evil eyes used by ordinary soldiers only have minor side effects, without the Inazuma evil eye's problem of quickly backlashing the body.

"So."

"You mean, Dottore had already researched the method to produce fake Visions, but he never carried out large-scale production, only using it small-scale on the Executor?"

Raiden Shogun asked thoughtfully.

"Could it be due to material limitations?"

Luo De rubbed his nose: "It's also possible that the materials were insufficient before, making mass production impossible."

"Dragonbone Flower?"

Combining one material from the list, Raiden Shogun silently thought of something: "Dottore helped Watatsumi Island open the passage to the Abyssal Palace!"

No wonder the Fatui were so enthusiastic back then! At that time, Raiden Shogun felt it was strange.

They clearly knew that doing this would surely attract the Thunderbolt Film's wrath, yet they not only did it, but also offered no resistance whatsoever, simply watching as the Thunderbolt Film resealed the entrance to the Abyssal Palace.

At that time, Raiden Shogun kept guessing what this group wanted to do.

Now she understands.

"They're after those raw materials that only grow in the Abyssal Palace!"

Raiden Shogun suddenly realized: "The original stock of the Dragonbone Flower was something I brought from the Abyssal Palace to plant on Narukami Island, but due to environmental issues, its growth, quality, and yield cannot compare to those in the Abyssal Palace. To prevent these precious materials from going extinct, I back then did not destroy the remaining Dragonbone Flower plants, never expecting the Fatui to get there first."

She said.

Raiden Shogun said with regret: "Even if we reopen the Abyssal Palace now, it would be useless, given the Fatui's nature of stripping everything bare; they will surely take all the Dragonbone Flowers, and destroy whatever they cannot carry."

"Turns out there's also this intermediate step."

Having never heard of these secrets, Luo De stroked his chin, then shook his head helplessly: "Then there's really nothing we can do; the material monopoly has already formed, and even if you could find the Ice Empress and have her order low‑price sales of the materials to you, Dottore would probably not agree, and might even provoke a fiercer backlash from him."

"Tsk."

"This definitely isn't Dottore's doing."

Raiden Shogun seemed to know some inside information and spoke directly.

"Not Dottore?"

"Who is it then?"

Luo De was stunned for a moment.

To control the market monopoly so precisely, besides the party involved Dottore, who else could it be—"Huh?"

"Pantalone?"

Luo De suddenly thought of that banker who could be called the Fatui's coffers, namely the Fatui's Ninth Seat Executor Pantalone.

This guy is a speculator who engages in profiteering and reckless monopolization, a despicable capitalist.

For profit.

He wouldn't feel any remorse no matter how many innocent people he killed.

But Luo De had never dealt with him before, which is why he didn't think of that name right away.

Looking at it this way.

The person who turned the Dragonbone Flower materials for producing fake Visions into a monopoly is most likely him.

"Even knowing it's him, what good does it do?"

Luo De frowned and said: "In terms of ruthlessness, this merchant is an expert; compared to him, Dottore is nothing. Trying to get the materials we want from his hands is basically impossible."

"How would you know it's impossible without trying?"

Raiden Shogun chuckled, appearing to have a plan in mind.

"Do you have a way?"

Looking at her appearance, Luo De couldn't help but ask curiously.

The era when Raiden Shogun was active.

No such fully capitalist merchant like Duotulei has appeared yet.

And even until now.

Inazuma's economic operating model is still the same as it was five hundred years ago.

So Luo De was very curious.

Leidianzhen, who has never seen Pantaruonie nor dealt with him, what good method is there to squeeze those urgently needed materials out of his hands?

"You go invite him over, I'll talk to him."

Leidianzhen didn't explain all that to Luo De, but instead volunteered to go himself.

"Are you sure you can do it?"

Luo De didn't quite believe Leidianzhen's ability, and reminded her again: "Pantaruonie is a full-blown capitalist, with an extreme, perverted desire and ability for money; even Liyue's banking industry was killed off by his Northern Kingdom Bank—do you really think you can convince him to lower the price and sell those materials?"

"Heh—"

Leidianzhen just gave a heh-heh smile: "Just watch."

Seeing her so confident.

Luo De couldn't say anything else, so he nodded and agreed: "Alright, I'll contact him right away; let's meet at the Pure Good Palace, so people won't see and gossip behind my back again."

"Sure."

Leidianzhen nodded, then smiled and waved at Luo De.

Finding Pantaruonie is very simple.

Although Luo De has never dealt with this Executive Officer of the Foolish People,

but he is after all a merchant.

Whether looking for a merchant or one who so dominates the market, naturally going through Duoli is the best way.

Thus Luo De left not even half a day later, and went straight to Duoli's chamber of commerce to request a meeting with Pantaruonie.

"You want to see that bastard?" As soon as Pantaruonie's name was mentioned, Duoli's face involuntarily showed a hint of disgust.

Duoli is a merchant.

A merchant involved in all kinds of trades.

As such a merchant, dealing with the Foolish People is inevitably unavoidable.

Then she would inevitably have had dealings with Pantaruonie.

And this Executive Officer's conduct.

Indeed, it has repeatedly made Duoli furious.

Nothing else.

Because Pantaruonie's conduct is truly overbearing, and he has an astonishing obsession with monopolizing the market.

He often relies on Snezhnaya's national strength, using various means, trying every way to short a commodity in a country's market.

Even the beets of Sumeru almost got ruined by this.

At that time, the Snezhnayan merchants led by Pantaruonie spread the word that Snezhnaya had encountered a once-in-a-century blizzard, causing that year's beet output to plummet, and they heavily promoted it, insisting that due to the drop in Snezhnaya's beet production, the beet supply across the Teyvat market would face a huge shortage.

At that time, Snezhnaya's beet output accounted for 30% of all Teyvat, even reaching 45% at one point.

Moreover, beets are an important raw material for making sugar, a necessity of life, and are also commonly used in brewing.

Therefore, when Pantaruonie released the news of Snezhnaya's beet output plummeting,

For a moment.

Beet prices on the market surged; whether it was the merchant group led by Mondstadt's Morningstar Winery or the one led by Duoli from Sumeru, all were drawn by such high profits and immediately purchased millions of tons of beets.

Then the accident came.

Just when merchants from various countries were buying up large amounts of beets, hoping to make a fortune at the moment of the 'beet output plummet'...

Pantaruonie suddenly jumped out to refute the rumor.

Saying that the earlier news of a beet output plunge was a misunderstanding, this year's beet output remains unchanged, and future beet supply prices will not see major fluctuations.

Upon saying that,

The market price of beets suddenly plummeted.

Overnight,

it dropped off a cliff, falling 30% in price.

The resulting consequences.

It was that, to get rid of these goods, Duoli alone faced breach-of-contract fines from returns amounting to billions of Mora, and her chamber of commerce's beet processing factories were thus driven en masse to the brink of closure.

This situation wasn't just limited to Sumeru; it spread across all of Teyvat, and every country that bought beets encountered this problem.

And just at this critical moment,

Pantaruonie led his negotiation team around, buying up those beets eager to recoup costs at extremely low prices, and meanwhile snapped up the beet processing factories on the verge of bankruptcy.

In order to keep Sumeru's beet industry from falling under Snezhnaya's control.

Duoli at the time risked losing her entire fortune, cooperating with the Academy to bring all the beet factories under her name, thereby successfully securing Sumeru's beet pricing rights and the industry's lifeline.

The same operation was also carried out by Mondstadt's Morningstar Winery.

They also had to bleed heavily before successfully thwarting Pantaruonie's plan to dominate the beet industry.

But Inazuma was not so fortunate.

They lacked a super-rich merchant like Duoli or Morningstar Winery, and the Finance Magistrate lacked the ability to aid those bankrupt beet factories, so they watched helplessly as their beets came under others' control, and consequently the prices of sugar and liquor became Pantaruonie's monopoly.

In this turmoil,

The only one unharmed was

Liyue.

"Although Elder Sangemahabala doesn't want to admit this, but Liyue's Heavenly Axis Star is indeed more formidable than him in vision."

After recounting Pantuoluonie's glorious past once, Duoli sighed, and for once her face showed admiration for another merchant.

"This guy is a bit troublesome."

Through Duoli's introduction, Luo De also came to understand just how troublesome Pantuoluonie really is.

Especially after Duoli later recounted several times the good deeds Pantuoluonie had done.

"This guy is really good at manipulating public opinion."

"By spreading rumors—for example, claiming that some random thing is unhealthy and can't be eaten—so that our traditional foods can't sell, they then shove their own products into our market, taking over our business and ruining our reputation."

"I've reminded the Academy more than once to debunk those rumors, so that Sumeru's market won't keep being eaten away."

"Too bad that bunch of idiots with heads full of paste just won't listen to me."

"With the excuse that 'eating someone else's stuff isn't eating,' they completely ignore Pantuoluonie's product invasion."

"I really can't take him on by myself."

"So now I'm his agent in Sumeru, specifically responsible for connecting his business between Sumeru and Snezhnaya."

Duoli spread her hands, speaking helplessly.

"Uh."

"You're his agent in Sumeru?"

Luo De's mouth twitched, inevitably feeling absurd.

Initially, the two big merchants fought to the death over market share, but in the end, because of the Academy's inaction, they arrived at this laughable cooperative relationship.

"What else?"

On the other side, Duoli lifted her eyes and said unhappily: "The Academy doesn't support me either; with my resources, going up against all of Snezhnaya, do I have to wait until he gets me killed? All I can do is, when Pantuoluonie tries to suppress the market, help debunk rumors and incidentally protect those fragile small merchants."

"A reasonable move."

Luo De certainly wouldn't say there's anything wrong with this move.

That's indeed the case.

Even Sumeru's officials don't support Duoli; frankly, as just a merchant, she really can't go up against Snezhnaya, which has the power to overturn a nation.

"Next."

Having figured things out, Luo De hesitated a moment, then decided: "Since you're his agent, help me set up a meeting with him."

"Are you sure?"

"You stupid mushroom, it's not that I look down on you—it's that even Old Master Sanggemahabai can't handle this person, and I doubt you're up to it either."

Duoli glanced at Luo De and asked again: "Besides, do you understand business? Or rather, do you think he understands business?"

"It's not that I want to see him."

Facing Duoli's skepticism, Luo De waved his hand and said: "It's a deity."

"The Dendro Archon!?"

Duoli's face showed slight surprise; suddenly she exclaimed: "Is the Dendro Archon preparing to deal with this unscrupulous merchant, making him spit out what he's swallowed?"

Dealing with this unscrupulous merchant Pantuoluonie.

A mighty deity is the best solution—just like how Natlan suffered a loss before, their hot-tempered fire god directly attacked the Snezhnaya palace, forcing Pantuoluonie to abandon his Natlan strategy and never dare to target Natlan again.

If the Dendro Archon were also preparing to do that.

Then wouldn't Sumeru's market be about to unleash a huge chunk of market share! Too bad.

Excited Duoli, but Luo De's denial met her: "It's not the Dendro Archon, but another deity, and she merely wants to buy something from Pantuoluonie, with no plan to fully strike him."

"Oh dear."

The rollercoaster of emotions left Duoli rather unenthused; instantly she said listlessly: "Alright, alright, I know—I'll help you set up the meeting. Just tell me the time and place."

(End of chapter)