Business as Usual

Business as Usual is a quest in .
==Steps==
# Wait until the following day (07:00–08:00)
# Wake Ningguang up
# Talk to Ningguang
# Have breakfast together with Ningguang
# Look for Lanyang to get the tailored clothes
# Give the tailored clothes to Ningguang
# Go to Liuli Pavilion for the banquet
#* Tell Ningguang not to worry about her capable secretaries. Proceed to Exchanging Intelligence.
#* Offer to go and check up on her secretaries. Proceed to Auction Games.
==Dialogue==
;(After knocking on the door)
: Ningguang: Yes, I'm already awake.
: Ningguang: I'll be out in a moment. I'm just changing.
----
;(Ningguang comes out of her room)
: Ningguang: Good morning. Did you sleep well?
: I was so excited I couldn't sleep.
:: Ningguang: Oh, how strange — me too! ...I'm joking, of course — I slept like a baby. Sorry to disappoint you.
: The same as usual.
:: Ningguang: That's good. I was worried you'd be a little uncomfortable.
: I was a little nervous.
:: Ningguang: There's nothing to worry about. We just need to go through the schedule you made and tick the items off one by one.
: Ningguang: Now then. The schedule. Let's see what you have for me today.
: Ningguang: Item 1... Lunch at Liuli Pavilion with Ms. Luo Qiao.
: Ningguang: Ah yes, I remember the invitation. I need to make sure I'm well-prepared for this.
: Is she a friend of yours?
: Ningguang: No. Someone I've never met before. Today's lunch will be our first time meeting each other.
: It's just lunch, what exactly do you need to prepare?
: Ningguang: Hehe, she's paying a high price for my time, and I intend to make sure she gets her money's worth.
: Ningguang: Otherwise... tens of millions of Mora is rather a high price for lunch, even one at Liuli Pavilion — wouldn't you say?
: ...Tens of millions!?
: Ningguang: That's right. Even at this price, there is no shortage of people willing to pay for a lunch opportunity with me.
: Ningguang: To be clear, I've never had any hand in setting the price. I, too, was rather surprised to see it become so expensive.
: Ningguang: Time is very valuable to me. So when I first came up with the idea, I made a rule that my time would go to the highest bidder.
: Ningguang: Gradually, it developed into a lucrative business.
: It's like... an investment.
: Ningguang: Yes, that sums it up very well. Most people looking to buy my time are businesspeople who believe that whatever they spend now, they will make back several times over in due course.
: Ningguang: Naturally, for anyone looking to make a profit in a complex market, the bottom line is having the requisite experience and expertise. All I can do for them is share whatever insight I may have.
: Ningguang: As for how much my insight is worth in terms of Mora, everyone has their own idea. There is no standardized way to measure something like this.
: So this is how rich people think.
: Ningguang: You are a very lucky person, you know. You get to sit in on this lunch for free.
: Ningguang: In the hands of a professional businessperson, the kind of information you will be exposed to would be worth... well, tens of millions of Mora.
: Then I will listen and learn.
: Then this could be literally the most valuable lesson I'll learn in my life.
: Ningguang: There's no need to be nervous, of course. Now, let's have some breakfast before we leave.
----
;(Talk to Ningguang)
: Ningguang: Did you organize this entire breakfast?
: I just picked the time slot.
: I think maybe Baishi arranged it yesterday...
: Ningguang: Haha. I know what's going on, then.
: Ningguang: Please, sit. Have a taste of the Jade Chamber chef's cooking. This kind of food tastes far less satisfying if left out for too long.
: Thank you.
:
: Ningguang: What do you think? Is the food to your liking?
: I ate so much more than I intended to...
: Ningguang: Hehe. Don't forget we have a lunch later. Save some space, or you might miss out on some even better food.
: Ningguang: Still, I'm happy to see that you approve of my culinary tastes.
: Do you usually eat breakfast with your secretaries?
: Ningguang: On occasion. Usually, everyone is too busy for a leisurely sit-down meal. There is an awful lot to get done most of the time.
: Ningguang: Breakfast also isn't usually so lavish. Hence my surprise when we got here.
: Ningguang: I actually thought you had cooked it all yourself...
: I mean, I'm not a terrible chef, but still...
: I don't know if my cooking is really to your tastes.
: Ningguang: Relax, I'm just joking. Baishi probably made arrangements yesterday to add a few extra dishes to the breakfast menu.
: Ningguang: You willingly took this work on, knowing that it would be tedious, and you have worked diligently. My secretaries and I are very grateful to you.
: Ningguang: Treating you to some food is but a small token of our appreciation.
: Mmm. Not bad, not bad at all.
: It was as good as Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion.
: Ningguang: Breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. You can't compromise on it.
: Ningguang: If you wake up to the same monotonous meal each day, you will start to feel fatigued even before you start working.
: Ningguang: Well, I'm done eating. We should get ready, then head off to Liuli Pavilion.
: Ningguang: I have some preparations to make first. Could you bring my clothes to my room, please?
: You need a change of clothes?
: Ningguang: I need a change of mood, and a change of clothes will facilitate that.
: Ningguang: Who knows, perhaps you will have a completely different impression of me after I change outfits.
: Ningguang: I already instructed Lanyang to have my outfit ready. You can fetch it from her.
: Understood.
: Ningguang: Thank you. I'll be in my room.
----
;(Look for Lanyang to get the tailored clothes)
: Lanyang: Hello, how may I help?
: I'm here to fetch a change of clothes for Ningguang.
: Lanyang: Ah yes, of course. Please wait a moment, I'll go and get them.
:
: Lanyang: Here you are. Please give this to Lady Ningguang.
: That seemed to take you a while.
: Lanyang: Yes, this whole room is full of Lady Ningguang's personal items. Not just clothes, either — there are all kinds of jewelry and ornaments...
: Lanyang: Lady Ningguang asked us to rearrange this room recently. We're currently right in the middle of that, so everything's in a bit of a mess. That's why it took me a little time to find this for you.
: (Sounds like Ningguang has a huge personal collection...)
: (I suppose this is a problem unique to rich people.)
: Lanyang: Anyway, you can take it now. Thanks for coming to pick it up.
:;(Obtain )
;(Talk to Lanyang again)
: Lanyang: Please take this garment to Lady Ningguang. Thank you.
----
;(Talk to Ningguang)
: Ningguang: Did you get it. ?
:;(Opens submission menu)
: Ningguang: Ah, this is the one. Please wait for a moment.
:
;(Ningguang is wearing the Orchid's Evening Gown outfit.)'''
;(If this is the first time the player encountered Ningguang wearing this outfit)
:: Ningguang: I had this specially tailored recently — and I must say, I am really rather fond of it.
:: Ningguang: What do you think? Be honest. I just want to know your first impression.
;(If the player has encountered Ningguang wear this outfit before)
:: Ningguang: I believe you've seen this outfit before. It's one of my favorites.
:: Ningguang: I don't think I asked you what you thought of it at the time, though. What do you think? Be honest.
: It suits you.
: It's stunning.
: It's classy.
: Ningguang: Phew... Thank you. I was actually a little nervous.
: Ningguang: Knowing that it has your seal of approval makes me feel much more self-confident.
: Self-confident?
:: Ningguang: If you're second-guessing how you look, you can forget about looking glamorous — even the finest garments in the world will look out of place on you.
:: Ningguang: That's why your affirmation matters so much to me.
: Really, you look great in anything.
:: Ningguang: Hah, then it's mere flattery... You pick your moments to wisecrack, don't you? Now I don't know whether to take what you said earlier seriously...
:: Ningguang: I never knew you had such a mischievous side.
: Ningguang: All right. Let's head to Liuli Pavilion.
===The Grand Banquet===
;(Talk to Hongru before the meal)
: Hongru: Everything is set, please enjoy your meal.
;(Going to Liuli Pavilion and talking to Luo Qiao)
: Luo Qiao: Lady Ningguang!
: Ningguang: Sorry to have kept you waiting.
: Luo Qiao: No, no, not at all! I know that you have a thousand different things to do each day. I'm very grateful for any amount of time you can spare for me.
: Ningguang: Great. Well, let's leave the formalities aside from now on, and make this just a friendly chat.
: Ningguang: This is . I'm assuming you've heard of .
: Ningguang: happened to be in Liyue Harbor today, so I invited to come along. It's a rare opportunity to dine with , too.
: Ningguang: Do you mind if sits with us?
: Luo Qiao: No, not at all! On the contrary, I'm honored — what a surprise to be dining with the illustrious Traveler, too!
: (Huh, I thought she'd introduce me as her temporary secretary...)
: Luo Qiao: I've always been fascinated by you and your adventures... there's so many questions I'd love to ask you!
: Luo Qiao: Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners — I forgot to introduce myself. Look at me, getting all over-excited.
: Luo Qiao: I'm Luo Qiao, a businesswoman. I work mostly in the textile business, but recently I've been considering branching out into some other markets.
: Luo Qiao: That's what I wanted to ask Lady Ningguang for some advice about. I didn't know there'd be a surprise guest involved too.
: Luo Qiao: Hehe, so the rumors are true, then...
: Ningguang: Rumors? About what, exactly?
: Luo Qiao: You know, the rumors about the two of you, Lady Ningguang and the Traveler, having a... closer-than-average relationship.
: Luo Qiao: ...You haven't heard?
: Nope.
: Are these rumors widespread?
: Luo Qiao: Come on... you must know that Lady Ningguang's every move is in the spotlight? That obviously includes her relationships.
: Luo Qiao: And if you didn't have some sort of special relationship, why would she invite you to this lunch right after finding out that you were back in Liyue Harbor?
: Um, actually...
: (I need to be very careful how I answer this...)
: Ningguang: Haha. Interesting. Yes, we have a special relationship, but I don't see anything unusual about it.
: Ningguang: The Traveler is a national hero in Liyue whose actions have directly contributed toward the prosperity we enjoy today.
: Ningguang: Even putting aside my official status as one of the Liyue Qixing, I admire on a personal level, too.
: Luo Qiao: Oh, yes, there is nothing unusual about it at all. I was just observing that Lady Ningguang now seems to have a second interesting character in her innermost circle. The first one being the captain.
: Ningguang: You're comparing Apples and Sunsettias there. Whenever Beidou returns to Liyue Harbor, all she brings me is a headache.
: Ningguang: I've missed out on a number of extremely promising investment opportunities thanks to her. In fact, the timing is always so suspiciously coincidental I can't help but wonder if she's doing it on purpose...
: Luo Qiao: Investment opportunities... Oh, do you mean the Luminescent Spine business? I hear that's been all the rage recently.
: Ningguang: No, something else. All the talk around Luminescent Spines is just empty hype.
: Luo Qiao: Oh? But isn't there some new technology from Fontaine that needs lots of Luminescent Spines to make it work?
: Ningguang: If it were really that profitable, those in the know would have kept it as quiet as possible. You have to wonder, if the news is spreading like wildfire, who's fanning the flames?
: Ningguang: I had my secretary do some analysis. The current price of Luminescent Spines far exceeds the profits that could be made on the end product.
: Ningguang: So I would advise you to be cautious.
: Luo Qiao: I see... Huh, I was planning to get your opinion on how to get started in that business.
: Ningguang: In my opinion, there are many people around with ulterior motives, making this a very risky business to enter into in the short term.
: Ningguang: Long term, it's very difficult to say. But I believe there's too much uncertainty to make it worth your investment. You worked hard to earn every Mora you own, and you should be just as careful spending it as you were making it.
: Hit the nail on the head.
: Luo Qiao: You think so too, huh?
: At least do your research before you part with any money.
: Luo Qiao: Okay, got it. If that's what both of you think, I'll take my time and not rush into anything.
: Luo Qiao: Maybe it'd be a better choice to invest this money into an industry that I'm genuinely interested in getting involved with.
:
: Luo Qiao: Lady Ningguang, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today. I didn't know how much we'd get through, but you've answered every question I wanted to ask.
: Ningguang: Good, I'm glad I could be of some help.
: Luo Qiao: Now I see why you were able to become the most successful businessperson in Liyue Harbor.
: Luo Qiao: You think clearly, you are very knowledgeable, and you keep yourself well-informed. It would take me a very long time to come anywhere close to your level.
: (This is why so many people want to pay to spend time with Ningguang...)
: Ningguang: You've been listening for a while. Are you getting bored?
: No. I'm finding it all very interesting.
: Ningguang: Has it sparked an interest in the business world for you?
: Maybe I'll give it a shot in the future.
:: Ningguang: Ah, so you want to be my competitor. Well then, I suppose I'll have to start looking over my shoulder.
:: Ningguang: Or how about this — I'll invest in you early on, before you make it big.
: I'm a novice, but I was able to follow because you explained everything so clearly.
:: Ningguang: That means you also have a good head on your shoulders and the ability to learn rapidly.
:: Ningguang: If you are in need of Mora, you should absolutely consider doing business.
: Luo Qiao: I won't take up any more of your time. Thank you — this lunch was everything I was hoping for and more. I can't wait to try out everything I've learned.
: Ningguang: See you next time. I'll look forward to hearing good news from you soon.
----
: Ningguang: Right then, lunch is over. I assume you have something planned next? Although...
: Ningguang: I'm a little concerned about the auction. I wonder how my secretarial trio is getting along.
:
:: Ningguang: Yes, you're right. Whatever happens, they can handle it.
:: Ningguang: In that case, what's next on the schedule?
:: Meeting up with the informants.
:: Ningguang: Ah, okay then. Yes, it's been some time since I last caught up with them.
:: Ningguang: Let's go to Mingxing Jewelry first, I need to pick up something before meeting them.
:;(Proceeds to Greeting Gift)
:
:: Ningguang: Good, then let's do that. There are some slippery characters among the bidders, you see.
:: Ningguang: So even though my secretaries are very capable and experienced, I still can't help worrying for them a little.
:: Ningguang: Come on. The auction is being held at Yujing Terrace.
:;(Proceeds to The Auction)
;(Talk to Hongru after the meal)
: Hongru: Thank you for your custom.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==