My game of chess with Barbara continued as she tried to think of what to say. Until finally she spoke. "Sooo, are you happy here in Liyue at least?"
I paused with a chess piece as I considered that question. And after a minute I answered honestly. "Indeed I am, I have been rather busy all things told obviously, but I found love in a woman who accepted me and respects me. I am... Normally safe, but a Martial Saint teleporting into my literal house is rather excusable."
Shrugging I said easily. "It's certainly an interesting life I have been living since I came to Liyue. But its a fulfilling one."
There was a moment of silence as Barbara herself considered things as I mercilessly captured the last of her pieces and silently put the game back together to start over.
Until finally she spoke up with some sadness in her voice. "So, I am right to assume you wouldn't want to come back to Mondstadt?"
My lips twitched as I looked up and gave her an odd look. "I mean, can't you just trade for the metal? Surely the rest of the world has metal, especially Liyue now has some amount of surplus metal."
To which Barbara snorted and she exhaled saying frankly. "Not an ounce of the excess metal you send to Liyue is traded outside of it. All the materials are being used to reinforce the walls of Liyue Harbor, and likewise the fortifications at the Chasm and Depths with what remains being sold at low prices to the sects and clans of Liyue to keep them happy."
I groaned aloud before shrugging and saying honestly. "Then I don't know what to tell you. I literally have too much on my plate right now with Sneznahya breathing down my neck."
Even as I said that though... I felt a bit lightheaded as a gentle scent filled my nose that reminded me of the cherry tree I had back in my previous life and the flowers it would bloom with before the cherries would begin growing.
Shaking the thought away, I swallowed as another voice spoke quietly as a gentle wind blew through the area. "Mondstadt is not afraid of the Knave of Sneznahya. We protect our own, even if they found their fortunes elsewhere."
That cherry scent was wiped away with the soft ever ever-blowing wind that preceded Jean Gunhildr who sat down across from me beside her younger sister.
And I saw Barbara's face brighten before she smiled somewhat awkwardly as she shifted to sit more uprightly at her sister sitting beside her.
Jean was definitely Barbara's older sister, very similar appearance even though Jean's face was visibly hardened with the stress of combat and leading Mondstadt when she had too... Though actually, was she the leader of Mondstadt? Or was the real Grandmaster Varka the leader?
Either way, Jean folded her hands together on the chess set table and spoke very bluntly. "So Jake, I understand you are very busy. And you may not be willing or even able to help Mondstadt with its metal issue. But... Do you possibly have an alternative solution to our issues?"
I blinked as she asked that.
I was so used to people now just demanding I come to make them a factory that I had to process the fact that someone would ask me to just come up with a solution to their issues instead.
And after a moment I spoke slowly. "Well... I am not so knowledgeable about cultivation materials to be frank. So have you all considered making melee weapons out of treated wood?"
In that vein I even had some samples to that effect I had made with my first factories using the Maryland Process. Taking out a plank of the treated wood from my one of my three dozen spatial rings hanging from my neck to carry all the building supplies and other materials I needed.
I slid the plank of wood over to Jean who picked it up with a raised eyebrow. "Its an interesting process where you force the threads within the wood to interlace and almost tie themselves up in countless knots while also being heat and chemically treated with the wood having extraordinary strength."
Jean tilted her head to the side and then I saw her hands slowly flex on the block of wood. Then she visibly blinked as the wood audibly groaned as she hand's veins rose as she actually used some strength with the wood bending around her fingers as it refused to snap and instead only bent under her grip.
After a moment she muttered. "The wood is but mundane wood but is hardier then forged steel... But this is still something that comes from your factories, something we do not have access to." She said bluntly.
I nodded and then after a moment I said. "Correct, but it's also a method that you people could research into recreating with the sample. Or hell, for spears, and arrows there is always ceramics that could be used for blades."
Shrugging I said. "Getting away from metal is your guy's biggest concern which is definitely something to be concerned about. As if I came over there... It could be a major fucking issue if I actually made a factory there and a monster died downwind of the things and all my machines literally rusted over in the course of a night."
It sounded like it would be a major undertaking to make a factory all but hermetically sealed and everything to make sure none of the monster's blood even the tiniest dust of it got into the factories.
Basically, it would require me to quite literally go to the precautions of needing to make a microchip factory in making it clean of any possible contaminants.
"And how has Mondstadt been? Is Lisa still living in the library and Klee blowing up stuff?" I asked curiously.
With both women's faces twitching before Jean rolled her eyes and saying with some amusement. "Little Klee is indeed being a little hellion, you would both get along very well with your ability to make explosives as well even if that isn't your primary focus. As for Lisa... She is rather cross at having somehow never noticed you within the walls of Mondstadt's library."
I gave a small chuckle as I said shamelessly. "Without any cultivation or blood energy. Why would she focus on a simple civilian?"
My nose twitched as I caught another stronger whiff of that cherry scent and I raised an eyebrow as I wondered if the two ladies in front of me where wearing such perfume but I pushed the thought aside as I looked at my wrist watch that I made myself.
"Well now, I think that its time for me to be getting home. After all... I do have my big wedding tomorrow. You ladies have a good night and I wish you all the best of luck."
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