Shaking his head, he stepped in without further thought.
It felt like entering a realm not unlike the teapot space.
And just like that, he appeared before Takumi.
Both the Holy Empress and Kisara were taken aback by the dashing man who appeared.
"Old master, welcome, welcome!"
Takumi's eyes sparkled at the sight. Zhongli really was handsomejust three degrees less so than himself, he mused.
"Takumi. Miss Shiba. Ladies. A pleasure."
Zhongli nodded politely to them all, then took out the teapot.
Space distorted.
Several figures appeared.
Even Cloud Retainer had taken on human form.
Madame Ping appeared as a youthful Ping'er.
Xiao stood nearby, still only about 160 cm tall.
Takumi's eyes widened with joy.
That daughter-like elder!!
And Ganyu!!
"Lord Zhongli, is this... the other world?"
Ganyu looked around, taking in the unfamiliar architecture and environment.
She was shocked by how different it felt.
"There's barely any elemental energy in the air... but instead, a very wild, violent force."
Cloud Retainer, after sensing the atmosphere, commented immediately.
Indeed, elemental energy was scarce.
"This is indeed another world," Zhongli confirmed. "And he is the ruler of it."
"Ganyu, I'll be counting on you for support."
He gently nudged her forward.
Zhongli had already explained Ganyu's role prior to their departure.
She nodded in understanding.
She had helped establish Liyue Harbor in the pastshe knew the drill.
The world might be different, but the principles wouldn't change too much. She could even learn a thing or two from others.
With that, she turned to Takumi and asked:
"Mr. Takumi, when shall we begin?"
Takumi nodded toward the rest.
"You all go ahead and talk. I'll be showing your Lord Zhongli around for now."
He gestured for Zhongli to follow, then the two of them walked off together.
Chapter 36: When Out and About, It's Always Aunt Ping
Takumi temporarily left things in the hands of the Holy Empress and the others.
He took Zhongli for a stroll outside. This completely different world intrigued Zhongli greatly.
Cloud Retainer was particularly fascinated by the robots.
"Are these puppets? They look quite interesting," she remarked curiously while observing them.
"They're quite similar to the ones in Fontaine," Zhongli noted, giving his approval.
"I made these robots myself," Takumi explained. "Everyone in this world is someone I brought over from the neighboring one. Since there are no administrators, I had to use robots to maintain order."
Zhongli, already aware of this, wandered the city with Takumi.
As they observed the children, Zhongli suddenly frowned.
"Are you aware of these children's physical conditions?"
He had noticed many of the children were in poor healthsome were even in life-threatening condition. Not only Zhongli, but Madame Ping also picked up on their deteriorated states.
"I know," Takumi nodded. "But it's not a big issue. I'll take care of it."
Takumi, who wielded the Authority of Life and Death, was confident in restoring the children's bodies. It was just that he hadn't had the time.
Hearing this, Zhongli no longer pursued the issue. He trusted Takumi's judgment.
After wandering a bit more, Zhongli spoke up:
"You go ahead and take care of your tasks. If anything comes up, I'll contact you in the group. We'll continue exploring on our own."
He could tell Takumi had plenty to do.
Takumi nodded and chuckled.
"While you're at it, why not pick a spot in this world for Liyue's backup location?"
Zhongli raised an eyebrow.
The other immortals were equally surprised. Did the Geo Archon really have thoughts of relocating?
Zhongli calmly nodded.
"Very well."
Though he hadn't made a firm decision, selecting a potential location wasn't a bad idea.
"Let me know which place catches your eye. If needed, I can bring the whole of Liyue here. It wouldn't be hard for me."
Of course, such a move could cause problems elsewhere, so Zhongli wouldn't do that lightly. It would be like ripping Liyue right out of Teyvat.
If it ever did come to that, he'd likely inform the other Archons and ask if any of them wanted to come along.
After all, this world was massivemuch larger than Teyvat. It could easily accommodate all seven nations.
After their talk, Takumi left them to explore and issued instructions to the robots to meet any of their needs.
Back at the city hall, Ganyu and the Holy Empress were examining the current state of the city via AI.
Ganyu had been astonished at her first encounter with artificial intelligence. With this aid, managing the city suddenly seemed much simpler.
"How's your understanding so far? If everything's good, let's begin."
Takumi took a seat upon entering the room.
Miori Shiba spoke first.
"I think we should call in the othersMuroto Sumire and Natsuyo Chitose."
One was one of the Four Sages, and the other, a brilliant Initiator.
Takumi nodded.
"No problem. While we're at it, let's call in your company's upper management too."
He instructed the AI to summon everyone needed.
Perhaps it was also time to distribute some tech.
With that thought, Takumi quietly gave orders to start manufacturing smartphones at the factory.
"I've reviewed the situation here. From now on, you'll be building an entirely new system from scratch. A lot of your setups differ from those in Teyvat."
"So I might not be able to offer much advice. What I can provide should only be taken as reference. Please forgive me if anything seems off."
Having finished her explanation, Ganyu bowed slightly.
She felt she wouldn't be of much help since the two worlds were vastly different.
But Takumi smiled warmly.
"Miss Ganyu was specifically requested by me and Zhongli. To be honest, if Ningguang weren't so busy, I'd have liked to invite all the Liyue Qixing."
He sighed a little.
Ganyu was speechless. All seven Qixing? That would be a disaster. Liyue would collapse without them.
As they chatted leisurely, everyone was fairly relaxed since the rest had yet to arrive.
Tendou Kisara and the Holy Empress were especially curious about Ganyu's world.
They weren't part of the group chat and knew little about Teyvat.
Now that they had time, the Holy Empress wanted to learn more.
Ganyu, seeing their interest, shared basic knowledge about Teyvat. Since they were trusted by the Geo Archon, she saw no issue.
Most of what she shared was about work, though.
Listening to her, the Holy Empress grew suspicious.
Was Ganyu... a corporate slave?
Why was everything she talked about job-related?
Everyone had similar questions but chose not to ask.
Soon enough, Miori Shiba's father and the summoned personnel arrived.
Escorted by robots, they were shown into the room.
Takumi immediately asked everyone to take their seats.
Everyone quickly understood why they had been called.
But they were all a bit stunned by Ganyu.
She had a horn on her head.
Chitose Natsuyo stared at Ganyu curiously.
This lady... she seemed a bit off.
Was this what people from another world looked like?
Chapter 37: In the Future, We Might Have Non-Human Residents Here
It was clear that Ganyu wasn't from their world. No one in this world had horns like hers. There were cursed children, yesbut Ganyu clearly wasn't one of them. And those weren't decorative accessories, either.
Her clothing alone was proof enough. Nothing about her appearance fit the norms of this world.
Once everyone was seated, Takumi began the introductions.
"This is Ganyu. She's from another world. She's an immortaland a high-ranking official in her nation over there. In fact, when that country was founded, she helped design the entire governing system. That's why I brought her here."
Everyone was stunned by Takumi's explanation.
An immortal from another world? Amazing!
"Hello, everyone," Ganyu greeted them gently. She felt a little shy about Takumi's praise.
"Nice to meet you, Ganyu-oneesan!"
"Ganyu-san, welcome!"
"Hello, Ganyu-san~!"
Greetings poured in. Muroto Sumire was especially curious.
An immortal? Was she even human? She didn't look it. The thought made Sumire want to study her immediately.
But this wasn't the time.
After the greetings, Takumi began the day's agenda.
First and foremost: building a functioning system. Every area needed oversightlogistics, governance, even military organization.
They spent the entire morning discussing it. Takumi shared his vision, everyone contributed ideas, and Ganyu gave objective advice. Slowly, a framework took shape.
Takumi would oversee general policy.
The Holy Empress would manage the city.
Miori Shiba and her father would handle logistics.
Education would be managed by a former Simashiro Industries executive, someone highly capable.
Takumi handed her the role directly.
As for medical affairs, Muroto Sumire would take chargeespecially in dealing with the cursed children. Takumi would assist as needed.
He assigned people to nearly every department.
Chitose Natsuyo, aside from her studies, would assist the Holy Empress.
If more suitable people were found, they'd be brought in. For now, this was the best they could do.
"That settles things for now," Takumi declared. "The first matter we must handle is ID issuance."
"From now on, everyone's ID will follow this template."
"Your ID will also function as your bank card."
"I'll have the robots handle distribution."
With that, he raised his hand and projected a 3D imageMiori Shiba's ID.
Name: Miori Shiba
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Birthdate: XXXX-XX-XX
Address: XXXX
ID No.: XXXX
Origin: The World of Gothic Lolis
Everyone was shocked by the template.
"Race? Origin?"
"Will our world have other races too?" Miori wondered aloud as she looked at her ID.
The term "origin" referred to the world one came from.
And if her race was labeled as human, did that mean others would come from different worlds?
Everyone was curious.
Would Takumi be inviting more people from other worlds in the future?
"Of course," Takumi replied cheerfully. "That's why these distinctions are necessary. Who knowsmaybe Ganyu's world will migrate here eventually. Lord Zhongli is already considering it."
Miori nodded.
Alright then.
Ganyu, however, looked puzzled.
Lord Zhongli was considering moving Liyue here?
Why hadn't she heard about this?
Noticing her confusion, Takumi explained:
"Your world is actually quite dangerous. Think of it like thisyour world is a single leaf on a massive tree. Below that tree is an endless ocean. But that leaf... is starting to wither and fall."
"Do you understand what I mean?"
It was a simple analogy, but Ganyu's face immediately changed.
"Is it really that serious?!"
She couldn't stay calm after that.
"It is," Takumi confirmed. "And who knows? You might end up working here as colleagues someday."
He chuckled and moved on.
"Let's talk about currency. Those metals you broughtI can exchange them for credits."
Takumi planned to use digital credits as this world's main currency.
With AI surveillance in place, he had little to worry about.
There would also be physical coins, created with his own powers.
He had full control of the mint. The amount in circulation was simply a matter of will.
Everyone nodded. They had no objections.
After all, trade only occurred among the few hundred thousand here for now.
After discussing economics, Takumi brought up the next point.
"As the first residents of this world, each of you will be given a home. Everyone gets one."
"You'll also receive some starter funds. Not much, but enough to live on."
"If you want more money, you'll have to trade something for itgold, silver, diamonds, precious metals, etc."
"If you don't have any of that... then you'll have to work."
"But don't worry, this is mostly for the average citizens."
"Eventually, resource distribution will stop and currency will take over."
"Everything will gradually settle into place."
"Live well in this world. If you have suggestions, talk to the Holy Empress."
"Once we evaluate them and confirm there are no issues, they'll be implemented."
Takumi said a lot during that meeting. He shared much of his vision.
The others diligently took notes on their new phones.
After all, they were now part of this city's administration.
For now, it was just this citybut once more people arrived, more cities would surely follow.
Chapter 38: Achievement — [Loli no Tomo]
After Takumi's meeting ended, a flurry of tasks was promptly arranged.
First on the list was the matter of identity cards. Takumi had the robots use the database to produce ID cards for everyone on-site.
Each person also received a mobile terminal. These smartphones were directly linked to the ID cards and came with tutorials on how to use the currency in this world.
Everyone received a starting amount of money. Takumi calculated the exchange rate based on his previous world, giving each person roughly 5,000 unitsenough for two to three months of basic living expenses.
If they wanted more, they'd have to earn it themselves. This applied even to the cursed children.
Some of the kids cried upon receiving their own IDs and money. After all, before coming here, they didn't even exist in any official system. Now they had names, identity, and financial means.
With just an ID card, Takumi had gained the recognition of all the lolis. If the chat group had achievements, he might have unlocked one titled [Loli no Tomo]Friend of Lolis.
With robotic assistance, the city quickly began functioning. Those assigned to jobs swiftly entered their roles.
The banks opened next, fully operated by robots.
All the metals brought by Miori Shiba were converted into Takumi's currency, instantly making her the richest person in this world. However, with nothing to spend it on yet, she began investing and circulating funds to kickstart the city's economy.
Takumi had said from the startonce things stabilized, robot-made goods would cease. Humans would need to work and earn.
So, Miori bought out several factories from Takumi and took over their operations.
Takumi had no intention of raising freeloaders. If robots did everything, civilization would stagnate. For now, with few people, it was manageable. But what about when the population grew?
