After performing the kneeling bow of gratitude, the villagers all rejoiced at having survived the great disaster.
Amidst their joy, the villagers' expressions also held a hint of melancholy.
Their village, where they had lived, had been completely destroyed by the Ancient Geovishap.
Now, the villagers had no place to live.
Buying a house in Liyue Harbor was clearly unrealistic.
Liyue's prices were too high; it was not a place where poor common folk like them could afford to live.
Rebuilding their houses was also not an easy task for the villagers.
Not to mention the time and effort it would consume,
the most important thing was the lack of a large amount of timber.
Even if all the surrounding trees were cut down, it wouldn't be enough to rebuild the entire village.
Without timber, they would have to buy it on the market,
which led back to the initial problem:
no money.
Thinking of this, the villagers couldn't help but sigh in sorrow.
Losing their homes also meant they would have to endure the elements, and even the simplest living became a problem.
Ningguang watched this scene, feeling very uneasy inside.
Because many families in the village had helped her and her mother before.
The doctor who treated them didn't charge for consultations.
The neighbors often brought fresh vegetables to ensure the mother and daughter wouldn't go hungry.
And there were many, many more people.
They all, in their own ways, silently looked after Ningguang's family.
Now, seeing everyone homeless and looking worried,
Ningguang felt an indescribable sense of loss and sadness.
She really wanted to help everyone, but she was powerless.
After all, she still owed Makoto a lot of Mora and hadn't paid him back.
She simply couldn't produce any Mora.
Makoto also noticed Ningguang's low spirits.
He immediately knew that Ningguang was sad about the villagers' plight.
To this, Makoto gently stroked Ningguang's forehead and softly said, "Little girl, I have a task for you now."
"Mr. Fang Xun, what kind of task is it?"
Ningguang put away her sadness, blinking her clear, watery eyes, looking at Makoto with immense curiosity.
"Your friends here are all homeless now. I can provide two million Mora to help them build houses, but I have one condition,"
"That is, they must work for me, and the Reward they earn will offset the cost of repairing the houses."
"As for what work they should do once they become my employees, that will be entirely up to you to arrange. I will only look at the final results. Do you understand?"
This was an excellent opportunity to make money, and Makoto naturally wouldn't let it slip away.
He would pay for these villagers to build their houses,
which could trigger the Talents 'A Thousand Gold Scattered, Yet It Returns' (Even if I spend all my money, I will get it back),
and also improve Ningguang's favorability.
It was a guaranteed profit, no matter how he looked at it.
Furthermore, Ningguang possessed an excellent business mind, but she had never had the opportunity to display it before.
Makoto naturally wanted to gradually cultivate the little girl's business acumen,
so that he could comfortably be a hands-off boss in the future.
Ningguang's beautiful eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Makoto's words.
"Eh?? Mr. Fang Xun is willing to pay for everyone to build houses?"
"That's truly wonderful! I'm sure everyone will be happy to accept this work."
"However, what kind of work should Ningguang arrange for everyone?"
Amidst her joy, the little girl became a little worried.
Arranging for so many villagers was not an easy task.
The task Mr. Fang Xun gave her was arduous.
"What? Is there a problem?" Makoto asked with a smile.
"No problem! Ningguang promises to complete the task!"
The little girl spoke in a soft, childish voice, but her expression was very serious.
Soon,
Ningguang walked to the center of the crowd, looked at the villagers, and said seriously, "Aunties and Uncles, please quiet down. I have something to say on behalf of Mr. Fang Xun!"
The little girl already looked a bit like a secretary now,
at least she wasn't nervous at all when it came to work.
As soon as the villagers heard Ningguang speak, they all simultaneously quieted down.
Because Ningguang was usually obedient and sensible, everyone liked her very much.
Furthermore, Ningguang had just saved them, and the villagers remembered this kindness.
What's more, Ningguang was delivering a message for Makoto,
so everyone dared not disrespect the Immortal Master even more.
Once the surroundings quieted down, Ningguang continued, "Mr. Fang Xun said that he is willing to provide two million Mora to rebuild our village,"
"But there's a condition: everyone must become Mr. Fang Xun's employees, and the Reward earned will be used to offset the cost of building the houses."
"Are you all willing to sign this contract?"
The villagers were originally still worried about being homeless,
but upon hearing that Makoto was willing to pay for the reconstruction, everyone was overjoyed.
"I don't know what others think, but I'm willing!"
"Thank you, Immortal! The Immortal is truly a good person. Not only did he save us, but he's also willing to pay to repair this place."
"We are also willing to follow the Immortal!"
Without any surprise, almost all the villagers agreed to sign the contract with Makoto.
After all, they didn't even have a place to live now, so who could think about the future?
Moreover, Makoto was kind-hearted and immensely powerful,
so everyone was willing to work with him.
And Ningguang's words also reached the ears of Cloud Retainer in the distance.
Cloud Retainer was a little surprised; she hadn't expected Makoto to be willing to pay for the village's repairs.
"I didn't expect Makoto to have such a good deed in his heart. It truly exceeds this Immortal's expectations."
"In Liyue today, there are not many merchants willing to do this for the people anymore."
"This young man, Makoto, the more this Immortal observes him, the more she finds him to be excellent."
Soon, Cloud Retainer spread her wings and left the area.
She turned and flew towards Liyue Harbor,
directly heading to Ganyu's office.
Hearing movement outside the window, Ganyu subconsciously looked up.
Seeing Cloud Retainer's arrival, Ganyu was very surprised.
"Master, why have you come?"
Cloud Retainer gave an arrogant huff, then said, "Ganyu, it's a shame you're constantly rushing around, with Liyue on your mind,"
"You didn't even know that an Ancient Geovishap appeared in Guili Plains. Do you know that an entire village of people almost perished?"
"W-what?" Ganyu immediately stood up from her chair, her expression very tense.
That Ancient Geovishap was no ordinary monster.
If it were to cause chaos, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Ganyu asked, "Master, what's the situation now?"
Cloud Retainer huffed and slowly said, "Fortunately, that young man Makoto was there. This Immortal saw him save the entire village's people, and he even eliminated the Ancient Geovishap in the end."
"Speaking of which, he has done you all a great favor this time."
"Mr. Fang Xun..." Ganyu was first stunned, then showed a surprised expression.
She knew that Ancient Geovishaps were extremely difficult to deal with.
Even Ganyu herself would feel troubled when facing such a fierce beast.
She had thought it was her Master, Cloud Retainer, who had dealt with the monster,
but she hadn't expected it to be Makoto.
Cloud Retainer paused, then continued, "Ganyu, during this period, houses in Guili Plains need to be repaired."
"You need to go there and help out a lot, understand?"
Listening to her Master's command, Ganyu immediately became serious: "Y-yes, I understand!"
"Alright, you go about your work. This Immortal will take her leave first." Cloud Retainer left these words and then departed from Ganyu's workplace.
While flying, Cloud Retainer softly murmured, "Young man Makoto, this Immortal can only help you this much."
"Whether you can seize the opportunity is up to you."