According to Grand Master Jean's explanation, the knights had already spread word of the planned undertaking to the public through official announcements.
After all, with so many Ruin Guards appearing within the city, it was impossible for the citizens not to panic.
While explaining these Ruin Guards, they also passed along Mondstadt's trade plan at the same time.
Now the whole city was abuzz with talk. The Knights of Favonius were currently arranging the financial resources, materials, and manpower—and once all of that was in place, work could begin very soon.
Ye Xi nodded and reminded her, "I hope Mondstadt can move a little faster. Sumeru's Railway has already been fully laid, and Liyue has cleared its roads and begun laying track too."
"I believe it won't be long before the trade routes between Sumeru and Liyue can start their trial operation."
"The sooner Mondstadt catches up with the rhythm, the better it is for everyone."
The night before, he had gone specifically to ask Nahida about it.
The Hilichurls she controlled were all working hard, so if one wanted to describe the pace of the railway construction with a bit of exaggeration, it could be called a thousand li a day.
The road construction, however, wasn't quite that fast.
At this rate, once the railway was running, Liyue's ore and Sumeru's fruit would become far more convenient and quick to transport.
Hearing this, Grand Master Jean hurriedly nodded.
Seeing that everything was more or less arranged, and with the sky growing dark, Ye Xi was about to prepare to return to the Serenitea Pot.
But then a voice came from behind him.
"Master Ye Xi, please wait a moment!"
"Actually, after the citizens of Mondstadt heard about all this, they're all very eager to meet you."
"So, could you come stroll along the streets with me?"
The people of the city were thrilled about the wonderful life soon to come, and naturally they wanted to catch a glimpse of the mysterious Master Ye Xi.
Ye Xi glanced at the sky outside; it hadn't yet gone dark.
So he nodded. "Alright then, let's take a little stroll."
Grand Master Jean led Ye Xi out of the building and headed toward the bustling streets.
Watching the two of them from behind, the knights standing guard at the entrance were all baffled.
Naturally, they had all learned Ye Xi's identity. A man Eula had brought back had actually made such an enormous contribution to Mondstadt.
But why, at this hour of the evening, would Ye Xi be out strolling the streets together with Grand Master Jean?
"Hey, could it be that Grand Master Jean is..."
"I was just saying, why is this Master Ye Xi so good to our Mondstadt—could it be he's taken a liking to Grand Master Jean?"
"The mood between those two does seem pretty good?"
"You lot, why do you get suspicious about everyone you see? It's obviously just Grand Master Jean taking Master Ye Xi out on an inspection!"
"If you ask me, you're the one with the high emotional intelligence."
Arriving at the entrance of Mondstadt's market street, the place was in an uproar, lively beyond measure.
The City of Freedom remained just as free at night. The night market saw a constant stream of people coming and going, even surpassing the daytime crowds.
The moment Jean and Ye Xi appeared on the street, the surrounding people couldn't help but cast their gazes over.
"It's Grand Master Jean!"
"To see the Grand Master at the night market at this hour—now that's a rare sight!"
"Huh? Who's that beside her? A foreigner!"
"Could it be Master Ye Xi?!"
"It's him, it must be him!"
Just as everyone was whispering and discussing among themselves, some of the vendors stepped forward on their own to greet the Grand Master.
Jean warmly introduced Ye Xi's identity.
"Everyone, this is Master Ye Xi."
"I'm sure you've all heard about the plans for Mondstadt's future—they were all put forward by this very man, Master Ye Xi."
The moment these words were spoken, a burst of cheers erupted from all around.
After a brief moment of astonishment, the surrounding merchants immediately surrounded Ye Xi, beaming with delight.
"Master Ye Xi! Thank you for putting forward such a magnificent plan! These little gifts aren't much—please, you simply must accept them!"
"Oh my, just thinking about how the goods in our shop can be sold to other nations from now on makes me so happy! This is just a small token of my regard!"
"I hear that once the Train starts running, lots of foreigners will come to Mondstadt as guests, and by then our business will be even more booming. These gifts are a mere trifle!"
These merchants were all sharp ones.
After hearing about such a formidable means of transport as the Train, they immediately guessed at the benefits it could bring.
First, the volume of goods transported would be larger, and the speed faster.
Second, there was the flow of customers.
As things stood now, there weren't many foreigners in the city of Mondstadt.
But once the Train started running, Mondstadt would welcome many guests from Inazuma, Liyue, and Sumeru.
And foot traffic was Mora!
And so, merchants from all corners came one after another before Ye Xi to present their gifts.
For one, it was to express their thanks; for another, it was to get on familiar terms.
With a smile on his face, Ye Xi accepted the flattery coming from every direction.
This feeling reminded him of the Grand Bazaar.
Back then, he had likewise received quite a bit of hospitality from the merchants of the Grand Bazaar.
"Many thanks for everyone's kindness. In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."
Seeing that Ye Xi was so easy to talk to and put on no airs, more and more people gathered around.
This resulted in the spacious street becoming congested.
The knights on patrol nearby all hurried over to keep order.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Amber and Eula arrived at the night market.
They had wanted to go find Ye Xi, but after hearing from their colleagues at the entrance that Ye Xi and Grand Master Jean had headed toward the market street, they came chasing after.
When they caught up, they saw Ye Xi surrounded by a throng of people.
"Come on, Eula~ Let's go find Ye Xi! Perfect timing to take him out for some good food!"
Amber eagerly went over toward Ye Xi.
Eula, however, came to a halt.
She glanced around at her surroundings. Under the gazes of so many people, if she—a sinner of the Lawrence Clan—went to Ye Xi's side, it would only stir up unpleasant gossip, wouldn't it?
By this point, quite a few people nearby had already noticed Eula.
Seeing her appear, they whispered quietly among themselves without letting it show.
"The daughter of the Lawrence Clan—what's she doing here? How unlucky!"
"How can a sinner like that show up before Master Ye Xi!"
"Honestly, can't this person have a bit of self-awareness? If she offends Master Ye Xi, the Lawrence Clan might as well just get out of Mondstadt City!"
All these voices fell upon Eula's ears.
She let out a helpless sigh.
This was an outcome she had long foreseen.
Right now, Ye Xi shone so brightly in everyone's eyes—why should she go over and cast a shadow on him?
With that thought, she lowered her head and turned back the way she had come.
And yet, at that very moment, her hand was suddenly grasped.
Before she could react, a familiar voice came by her ear.
"Everyone, this is one of the few dear friends I have in Mondstadt."
"I hear her reputation here isn't very good. I wonder—is that really true?"
Eula turned around in shock and saw, right before her, that familiar face.
In that moment, she felt as though she had met the prince who had saved her!
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