Zhongli was puzzled by Jiang Chen's thoughts.
Why would he want to settle down at Yaoguang Shoal instead of Liyue Harbor?
Seeing the old man's confused expression, Jiang Chen didn't hide anything.
Instead, he directly pointed out the shortcomings of Liyue Harbor.
"Let's be honest, with the housing prices in Liyue Harbor, most people can't afford to buy a house in their lifetime."
"Look at the people who've come from other places—how many of them have bought houses in Liyue Harbor?"
"They're all renting, okay?"
"The development of Liyue itself is unreasonable."
"Right now, almost the entire population is concentrated in Liyue Harbor."
"Even Qiaoying Village, which produces tea, is suffering from severe population loss."
"Not to mention Qingce Village, Liyue's granary."
"Now, Qingce Village is mostly left with the elderly, women, and children, right?"
"All the young and able-bodied have come to Liyue Harbor to work."
"Then look at Mingyun Village—it's practically abandoned now."
"After the mines dried up, those people had no choice but to come to Liyue Harbor to make a living."
"Basically, 80% of Liyue's population is concentrated in Liyue Harbor."
"Do you think that's reasonable?"
Jiang Chen had done his homework.
When he arrived, he had already looked into Liyue's current situation.
It was pretty much the same as in the game.
80% of the population was concentrated in Liyue Harbor.
The remaining 20% were scattered across other parts of Liyue.
Was that reasonable?
Even though many areas in Liyue were uninhabitable due to the remnants of ancient gods, there were still plenty of places where people could live.
Yet, they didn't develop those areas and instead focused solely on Liyue Harbor.
That was a bit problematic.
80% of the resources were concentrated in Liyue Harbor.
If it weren't for Qiaoying Village's tea production and Qingce Village's grain production, those places would probably be deserted too.
Hearing Jiang Chen's words, Zhongli fell into deep thought.
What Jiang Chen said wasn't without reason.
Because this was indeed the current state of Liyue.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but now that Jiang Chen mentioned it, it did seem quite unreasonable.
Having everyone concentrated in Liyue Harbor didn't seem like a good thing.
Liyue was vast, but many areas were gradually becoming deserted.
Because Liyue Harbor was so well-developed, people from other places were flocking here.
Since those areas couldn't develop or make money, most people came here instead.
Because only in Liyue Harbor could they earn Mora.
It was the same logic as people rushing to first-tier cities for work.
"It seems we need to develop other areas as well."
"The burden on Liyue Harbor is already too heavy."
"If this continues, in a few decades, the population of Liyue Harbor will reach a terrifying level."
After doing the math, Zhongli was startled.
Yes, developing other areas was urgent.
What a headache!
If they developed other areas, would that mean he couldn't retire?
Or should he leave this task to the Liyue Qixing?
But could they handle it?
At this moment, Zhongli was like an old father who wanted to let his children take over but was worried they wouldn't do a good job.
"Developing other areas is inevitable."
"And the best place is Guili Plains."
"It's close to Liyue Harbor and has plenty of space. If developed, it could rival Liyue Harbor."
"Build a dock there, and ships can reach it."
"With a bit more effort, you could even connect it to Sal Terrae."
"Wouldn't it be great to have a direct route to the Stone Gate?"
"That would be a brand-new trade route."
"After all, sometimes traveling by water is much safer than by land."
"Developing these areas would bring many benefits to Liyue."
Jiang Chen confidently shared his views.
Whether they were right or not, he was just being a keyboard warrior.
I'll say whatever I want—whether you believe it or not is up to you.
As Zhongli listened to Jiang Chen's words, he fell into deep thought.
Seeing him thinking, Jiang Chen didn't disturb him.
After taking a sip of tea, Jiang Chen turned his attention to the storyteller outside.
It sounded quite interesting.
No wonder the old man liked coming here.
The story was about the Geo Archon.
"Though I have no desire to rule, I understand the suffering of the people."
Listening to others praise you seems quite fun.
Who would've thought you were like this, Zhongli?
Using this method to reminisce about your past?
After all, during the Archon War, Zhongli was undefeated.
But now, Zhongli had the mindset of an old man.
Indeed, he must miss his unruly past, right?
Tsk tsk!
Lumine looked at Jiang Chen.
What was he doing?
Why was he suddenly talking to Zhongli about Liyue's development?
Don't tell me this guy wants to become a civil servant in Liyue?
Thinking of this, Lumine's gaze at Jiang Chen became strange.
Feeling Lumine's weird stare, Jiang Chen slowly typed out a question mark in his mind.
What is this girl thinking now?
Just as the two of them were exchanging glances, Zhongli slowly came back to his senses.
"Is this why you chose Yaoguang Shoal?"
"It's close to both Guili Plains and Mingyun Village."
"Are you betting on its future development?"
So, Jiang Chen was staking his claim early?
Taking advantage of the low prices now to buy land there.
Once the area was developed, the prices would skyrocket.
"Nope."
"I just think it's cheap and practical."
"After all, people like us have a special longing for beachfront villas."
"Right, Lumine?"
No one can resist a beachfront villa.
No one!
Whether others can resist or not, Jiang Chen certainly can't.
Now that he's traveled to another world and found such a great place, it would be a shame not to build a beachfront villa.
Hearing Jiang Chen's words, Zhongli didn't understand.
After all, he couldn't relate or empathize.
But he respected it.
Zhongli shook his head and didn't dwell on the matter.
He turned his gaze to Jiang Chen.
"Young friend, how much do you know about Liyue?"
"What do you think of Liyue's current state?"
Jiang Chen's words had made Zhongli conflicted.
He wasn't sure if he should let go now or wait a few more years.
He was worried that if he let go, Liyue might develop in an uncontrollable direction.
"I'll sit and watch."
Hearing Zhongli's question, Jiang Chen rolled his eyes.
What could he say?
Jiang Chen and the others had just arrived in this world.
They hadn't even been here for a full month.
Now you're asking him what he thinks of Liyue?
Dude, I just arrived in Liyue Harbor yesterday.
Are you seriously asking me this?
Has Zhongli's erosion made him lose his mind?
Why else would he ask such a question?
Games and reality are ultimately different!
If you asked me what I thought of the game version of you, I might have an answer.
But this clearly isn't that.
Hearing this, Lumine couldn't help but laugh.
Zhongli was left speechless by Jiang Chen's response.
Alright, that was his mistake.