Buying a shop in the newly built city of Guili Plains naturally requires a substantial amount of money.
An ordinary shop here costs as much as several shops in Liyue Harbor.
The businessmen who came here today were all financially capable.
Naturally, they could afford the price.
To make more money, they had to spend money first.
This move allowed Ningguang to recover a significant portion of her investment.
She had poured a large amount of resources into Guili Plains.
Now, with the sale of these shops, she had already recouped a large sum.
Although the price was high, the businessmen believed it was worth it because they were investing in entire buildings.
If they were to buy similar properties in Liyue Harbor, the price would be even steeper.
After signing the contracts and making full payments, the real estate certificates would be issued to them.
Eighty percent of the merchants present had already made up their minds.
The remaining few were still hesitant, waiting to see how things played out.
The cost had exceeded their initial expectations.
Those who lacked sufficient financial strength decided to observe the situation first.
Ningguang was in no rush.
Once the transactions with the current merchants were completed, she instructed the Qianyan Army to escort them back.
After sending off the group of merchants, Jean and Lisa arrived.
The two of them had just inspected the construction site.
They had also chosen their preferred locations.
Now, they were here to discuss those selections with Ningguang.
Klee suddenly rushed in.
Upon entering, she ran directly toward Takumi.
"Brother Takumi!"
Seeing Klee, Takumi couldn't help but smile.
"Klee."
Klee grinned upon seeing Takumi.
She quickly spoke up, "Brother Takumi, Brother Albedo asked me to tell you that the power generation device you asked him to develop has been completed."
"He wants you to come over."
Hearing Klee's message, Takumi was surprised.
"Is that so?"
"Got it, I'll head there right away."
"I'll leave things here to you, Ningguang."
After saying this, Takumi stood up and walked outside.
Seeing this, Klee quickly followed him.
As the two of them left, Jean sighed helplessly.
It was clear that Klee liked Takumi a lot.
Perhaps it was because he had taken her to fish with explosives?
However, she didn't dwell on it.
Instead, she turned to Ningguang to discuss the warehouse matter.
Jean would soon be returning to Mondstadt, and her time here was running out.
She needed to finalize these matters before heading back.
Meanwhile, Takumi arrived at Albedo's alchemy workshop with Klee.
As soon as they stepped inside, Takumi saw Albedo working on an engine-powered alchemy device.
The machine continuously generated Electro elements.
Seeing this, Takumi was momentarily stunned.
"Come take a look."
"Is this what you were looking for?"
"It functions the same way when placed in water and driven by flowing currents."
"It can even be powered by wind."
"The generated Electro element is stored in energy crystals."
"I've already figured out how to harness the stored power."
Saying this, Albedo pointed to a nearby structure.
Rows of crystals were neatly arranged, continuously absorbing the generated Electro energy.
The process was similar to how a battery functions.
Observing everything, Takumi nodded in approval.
"Mr. Albedo, this is incredible."
"This is exactly what I needed."
"Now we just need to scale it up."
"But there's one issue—what is the storage capacity limit of these energy crystals?"
"If they reach full capacity, won't they explode?"
The generator was functional, but a new problem had arisen.
If excess energy was generated, where would it go?
Even energy crystals had their limits.
Hearing this, Albedo nodded.
"I've already considered this."
"The solution is to construct a facility composed of numerous energy crystals."
"We can store all excess Electro energy there."
"If one crystal isn't enough, we build multiple storage units."
"We could also construct elevated storage centers."
"This way, surplus energy is safely stored, and excess power isn't wasted."
"Energy consumption will be balanced, and any overflow can be managed simply by shutting down the generators."
Albedo had already accounted for this scenario.
Hearing his explanation, Takumi nodded.
That was indeed a viable solution.
However, another issue remained.
"There's still one more concern."
"If an energy crystal is exposed to fire, will it overload?"
"Won't it explode in that case?"
Takumi looked at the carefully contained energy crystals and asked curiously.
Albedo nodded again.
"Yes, but I've accounted for that as well."
"The materials used to contain these energy crystals are resistant to Pyro elements."
"Even if thrown into a fire, they won't overheat or overload."
He was highly confident in his creation.
He had factored in multiple risk scenarios.
After confirming there were no major issues, Takumi nodded in satisfaction.
"Then everything should be fine."
"Thank you, Mr. Albedo."
Takumi expressed his appreciation.
Albedo shook his head.
"No need to thank me."
"Your ideas have given me plenty of inspiration."
"Now that this is completed, what's the next project?"
"Let me know."
There was ample funding available for research.
Money was no concern.
For Albedo, this was an ideal situation.
Hearing this, Takumi thought for a moment before responding.
"Now that power generation is settled, the next step is expanding the applications of electricity."
"Currently, alchemy has led to many technological breakthroughs."
"We have cars, elemental crystals, electrical wiring, lighting systems, and generators."
"With all these advancements, the next goal is research into electrical appliances."
"For example, using electricity to create induction cookers."
"We can also develop machines powered by electricity."
"Weaving machines, for instance, can be equipped with electric motors."
"What do you think about researching these fields, Mr. Albedo?"
The applications of electricity were vast.
Takumi had only just achieved the foundational step of generating power.
Further research and development were necessary.
Naturally, he couldn't do everything alone.
Thus, he turned to Albedo and the other alchemists for assistance.