Chapter 342

Pantaruonie is a very bold person.

Luo De had to admit this.

Moreover, this guy seems quite obsessed.

His way of doing things is also very extreme.

As for those gods who disregard the lives of the common people, he does not hide his contempt at all.

Especially Leidian Ying.

He directly named and criticized.

「As the Electro Archon, you only look out for yourself, ignore the people, impose your will—you're unworthy of being a god. 」

Pantaruonie's commentary.

Leidian Zhen felt helpless again and again.

Even if he wanted to defend his sister, he really had nothing to say.

No way.

Who made Leidian Ying act as stubborn as a rock back then?

Nothing works no matter who says it.

Not to mention Yae Miko, you can't even see her.

Regarding Luo De's kidnapping.

Just as Pantaruonie said.

He had no intention of resisting, calmly watching Luo De place him in a secret room of the Pure Goodness Palace.

However, Luo De was very courteous to him.

On the surface it's called imprisonment, but any request is granted.

For any food, drink, or other entertainment request, Luo De would try his best to satisfy him as much as possible.

"My handwritten letter."

"Write another ransom letter, fill in any demands you have."

"I've told the people at the Northern Country Bank Headquarters in my letter; your demands must be met."

"This is the only chance."

"Think it over before you write."

After handing a letter to Luo De, Pantaruonie shoved him out, turned around, locked the door, shut himself in the secret room, and kept him company with the books he had specified.

"."

"Really an incomprehensible person."

Holding that handwritten letter, Luo De muttered a sentence, then went to find Leidian Zhen to discuss how to write that ransom letter.

To be honest.

Pantaruonie's move really caught Luo De off guard.

Everything went smoothly, at one point leaving him unsure how to respond.

Even this ransom letter that Pantaruonie boastfully said was casually written left him somewhat undecided.

As for Leidian Zhen,

her attitude was very firm.

"Since we can make money, let's make more."

Leidian Zhen said rather mercantilistly: "It's rare to have such a rich guy to fleece—why would we let ourselves lose out?"

"Um"

"Let me correct you: we're now getting something for nothing—whatever we ask for, we won't lose out."

Luo De's indecision lies right here.

Pantaruonie's attitude is really too good.

If I demand too much,

he would definitely give it, not breaking his promise.

But then,

this friend would have been made in vain.

No one can say how Pantaruonie's attitude toward himself will change.

But if I don't take the opportunity to ask for something back,

I always feel like I'm losing out a bit.

"I really can't get a handle on this degree."

Luo De rubbed his nose, speaking embarrassedly.

"That's simple."

"Whatever Sumeru lacks, you just ask for that."

Leidian Zhen offered a suggestion: "That guy's wealth is beyond doubt; right now Sumeru lacks money, materials, and things—if you're worried he'll be unhappy if you're too greedy, just ask for some ordinary materials."

"Ordinary materials."

Luo De suddenly had a breakthrough.

Exactly.

Precious materials cost a lot and are consumed heavily; Pantaruonie might not really be willing to part with them.

But if they are ordinary materials,

he couldn't find any fault with that.

Hope City is currently extremely short of money and supplies, with most of it relying on blood transfusions from merchants like Dolly, while the Academy has long been unable to come up with much money to push forward construction progress.

In that case.

Requesting some building materials is indeed a reasonable choice.

Although he had made a decision in his heart, Luo De still contacted Nadixa, hoping to also get some advice from her.

Soon.

Nadixa's reply came shortly after.

She and the Electro Archon share the same view.

Since we have such a rare opportunity, let's get something usable right now.

Everyone's opinion is unanimous.

Luo De then started running.

He first went to the Wonderful Discourse School to organize a materials list, then went to various construction sites to check progress and what was lacking, and finally went to Dolly's place, where he thoroughly explained that he had obtained a large amount of materials from Pantalone and might not be purchasing from Dolly's merchant guild for a while.

This matter was handled somewhat unscrupulously.

Dolly, who had lost a lot of Mora, was naturally not pleased, and directly kicked Luo De out of his home.

Fortunately.

She didn't say anything else, simply scolded Luo De for being heartless, and incidentally regretted why she had listened to Luo De back then, introducing that ungrateful wretch Pantalone.

It took about a week.

Luo De finally organized a list.

Along with the list of materials needed to make a false Vision that the Electro Archon had previously provided, all of it was handed over to Pantalone, who is nominally called 'Imprisonment' but actually on 'Vacation'.

"Oh?"

"So little?"

Pantalone closed the book in his hand, read through the list word for word, and then immediately returned it to Luo De: "You don't need to go to such lengths to please me; since I've agreed to your request, I naturally won't be annoyed by the amount you're asking for."

"Hehe."

Luo De smiled, said no more, put the list away, and prepared to send it out together with Pantalone's handwritten letter.

Just as he was about to leave.

Pantalone, who had already returned to his desk and was preparing to resume his 'prisoner' life, suddenly asked: "Mr. Luo De, I've heard you are on good terms with the Geo Archon Morax; what do you think of this deity?"

"The Geo Archon Morax?"

Luo De, who had just stepped out with one foot, paused, then drew his foot back and looked suspiciously at the earnest Pantalone.

How did we suddenly start talking about Zhongli? But he immediately thought of something.

Pantalone is a Liyue native.

If I recall correctly.

This guy was once a fervent follower of the Geo Archon, but after some incident, his feelings toward Zhongli shifted from reverence to hatred; he angrily left Liyue, and after becoming an Executive, he has constantly targeted Liyue, the bank he founded, Northland Bank, directly crushed Liyue's banking system alongside top merchants like Ningguang, making a fortune, leaving who knows how many Liyue residents going from filthy rich to destitute overnight.

Such a person, who can be said to harbor a deep hatred for both Zhongli and Liyue, suddenly asks himself what he wants to do regarding Zhongli; Luo De couldn't help but frown and ponder.

At this moment.

Pantalone tapped the table, bringing Luo De's attention back, then waved and said: "Come, sit here and talk; don't make it seem like you're interrogating me."

"."

Luo De walked over, remained silent for a while, then said: "A good god."

"A good god?"

"Pfft—hahaha—"

Pantalone burst out laughing, as if he'd heard the funniest joke; after a while he stopped his unrestrained laughter and snarled: "Does he even deserve it?"

Before Luo De could defend Zhongli,

he then went on to say: "As a mighty god, he hoards the wealth of ordinary people; even after stepping down from his divine position, he refuses to relinquish such authority to humanity—what kind of good god is that?"

"Although I don't know what you've been through,"

"I also don't know how to persuade you."

"But I can only speak from my personal experience."

Luo De made no attempt to argue with Pantalone, but instead began speaking from his own perspective about his view of Zhongli: "Let's not talk about anything else; just speaking of his contributions to Liyue, the Geo Archon, since Liyue's founding, has diligently labored for thousands of years—from the Archon War to subduing the Ruotuo dragon king, and then to quelling the darkness disaster, every crisis and battle in Liyue has seen him leading his adepti in bloody struggle."

And during Liyue's peaceful era,

he also personally devised Liyue's future development plans year after year, consistently for a thousand years without interruption.

Mr. Pantalone.

You're also a merchant; you should know how difficult it is to never make a mistake when setting a nation's policy.

So how did Morax achieve that?

This must be because he never blindly trusted his subordinates, but instead personally went to various places in Liyue to understand the actual situation before making decisions.

That's why he was so precise, never making a mistake for a thousand years.

Now, upon realizing that his governance was beginning to hinder Liyue's development, he decisively relinquished his authority over Liyue, returning divine power to the people, and promised that the succeeding Geo Archon would be merely a martial overseer.

I don't know what opinions or views you have of him.

But from the perspective of a Liyue native, Morax is simply a good god.

Luo De said a lot in one breath, and finally added: "Besides that, just speaking of Liyue's populace now living prosperously, with personal income and living standards even surpassing all of Teyvat—if Morax weren't a good god, but you harshly criticize the Electro Archon's style of governance, what do you think Liyue would be like now?"

No need to fall into a self-proof trap.

Just lay out the facts directly.

Luo De, speaking righteously, finished laying out his views on Zhongli, then poured himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat, and meanwhile waited for Pantalone's answer.

Who would have thought.

Originally I thought this Executive, who obviously held a strong bias against Zhongli, would counter Luo De's words from his own angle, or else lay out the facts he accepted, thereby refuting me outright.

But what Luo De didn't expect was.

Pantaluonie, after hearing what Luo De said, actually clapped and praised: "Exactly, from the perspective of the Liyue people, Molakesi is indeed an excellent deity; you're right about that."

"Huh?"

Luo De stared blankly for a moment, then frowned and said: "Since you accept this, why did you say that just now?"

"Hmph—"

"Because Molakesi is a good deity to the Liyue people, but to me he is an utterly wicked evil god."

Pantaluonie's gaze grew sharper, and even a hint of cold light flickered in his eyes.

"To you?"

That is indeed an angle I never imagined; Luo De stroked his chin and asked: "How so?"

Thus Pantaluonie began to tell him a story.

"Once, in Liyue Harbor, there was a child from an impoverished family."

"Like other children in Liyue, he grew up hearing the mighty renown of the Geo Archon."

"At that time, he admired and revered that lofty deity deeply."

"But his family was truly destitute."

"He could not afford to offer tribute to the Archon, so he could only keep this reverence in his heart."

"Later."

"When the child grew up, he worked at the docks alongside the slum children."

"His life remained impoverished."

"But the child never gave up his reverence for the Geo Archon."

"But no matter how he prayed day and night, just as in his childhood, he never received any response from the Geo Archon."

At this point,

Pantaluonie paused slightly, and a flash of light seemed to appear in his eyes.

After a moment.

Then he continued his story: "One day, when the child went to collect his wages, the black-hearted boss deducted them on various pretexts."

"The child objected and got into a scuffle with his coworkers."

"Soon after, the Thousand Rock Army arrested them and threw them in jail."

"Naturally, those owed wages are in the wrong."

"I didn't expect."

"In the end, when the case was decided, we lost—not only did we get no wages, not even a single Mora, but we also had to compensate the black-hearted boss for his losses."

Pantaluonie's gaze suddenly turned fierce, and his gentle, refined face was filled with killing intent.

Then, hearing him, full of rage, he gritted his teeth and said: "Such injustice occurs right under the Geo Archon's feet, yet he turns a blind eye—hah, such a hypocritical god; I might as well not believe in him."

Upon hearing that,

Luo De couldn't help but frown.

He was about to explain things for Zhongli.

Meanwhile, Pantaluonie began his story again.

"Since the deity refuses to intervene, the child decided to take matters into his own hands to uphold the justice he believed in."

"And after killing that wealthy merchant,"

"the child also realized that in this world, money can truly make the devil push the mill."

"As long as one has money,"

"he can erase all injustice in his own way."

"Thus he went to a shop to learn, starting from the lowest-ranking apprentice, and step by step became the wealthiest merchant in Liyue, even reaching a level where he could compete with the Liyue the Liyue the Liyue Qixing."

"But just then,"

"Do you know what I saw?"

Pantaluonie's story shifted from third to first person, his voice growing more ferocious: "I saw that Liyue's wealth—not just Liyue's, but the entire world's wealth—is all formed from the flesh and blood of Molakesi."

"He is a god!"

"Such worldly power should be something he discards like old shoes!"

"But he insists on clutching it tightly in his hand."

"He claims to be the god of fair contracts, yet he commits the most unjust acts in the world!"

"Therefore."

"You say."

"Molakesi, is he really a good god?"

(End of chapter)