Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue.

"Weakness is the ultimate sin?"

Arataki Itto repeated Gu Sanqiu's words, his gaze quickly filling with awe.

"Boss, you're amazing! How did you even come up with something that profound?"

"It's not exactly some lofty revelation," Gu Sanqiu said, shaking his head as he added more fuel to the campfire.

If you thought of power as Mora, then everything Gu Sanqiu had said just now could be seen as a clear price list.

Living a life of luxury, with partners on either arm? That's one price.

Becoming the wealthiest person in a city, a top taxpayer? That's another price.

Holding immense power, with life and death in your hands? Yet another price.

Every bit of effort you put in is simply to fill your purse with more Mora.

"Or you could say life is a brutal survival game—a kind of apocalyptic simulation. If you don't follow its rules and complete tasks to earn points for survival, you'll meet a miserable end."

What is this, some post-apocalyptic death game system?!

Gu Sanqiu shook his head. Even in this life, with his prior experiences left aside, he had learned this lesson deeply.

He remembered, back in the day, family rules and his elders' guidance—strict until his coming-of-age. Before adulthood, the wild and reckless Gu Sanqiu couldn't have been described as wealthy by any stretch.

Sure, his family had vast resources, but those were tightly controlled by Ningguang. His monthly allowance was just enough to live on, nothing extravagant.

He'd hated those rules.

To improve his quality of life—or rather to satisfy the reckless impulses that ran in his blood—he and Xingqiu had engaged in all sorts of shenanigans.

The infamous incident where Ningguang exposed their scheme to sell so-called "philosophical and sensual" books? That was just one example.

Even now, though his spending habits were rather indulgent, he had a mental scale for value and a personal method of evaluating worth.

In short: Grandpa never loses.

Proud strut intensifies.

"Oh, right," he added. "Even if your abilities are limited for now, remember: don't do anything illegal. If something goes wrong, nothing you do can make up for it."

"But if we were powerful, wouldn't we avoid punishment even if we broke the law? Look at some people in the inner city and the Tri-Commission!"

"Ahem, let's just say that's not a topic we can freely discuss."

Power, huh?

Ha! If I had enough power, I'd beat up Celestia, crush the Abyss Order, unify Teyvat, and even sail beyond the Seven Archons' reach to new lands. I'd be so unstoppable, my autobiography would read like a god-tier war epic!

But that was far off. For now, he was just a somewhat reckless, occasionally troublesome outlander. Not exactly weak, not exactly pitiable, but definitely skilled in stirring up chaos.

"Isn't the idea of 'black-on-black' conflict kind of shady?"

One of the lackeys hesitated. "Since you said we're basically the same as those other gangs, wouldn't attacking them be… wrong?"

"They don't see you as equals. They see you as prey—just another target to devour in hard times. You're not allies; you're emotionless predators in a famine."

"It's either you eat them, or they eat you."

"That's the kind of relationship you have. And while you may be broke, unskilled, and socially awkward, that doesn't mean you're helpless."

The three lackeys and one ghost looked thoroughly dejected. As Gu Sanqiu's critique deepened, their expressions shifted from disheartened to outright despondent, like comic characters turned to stone in utter defeat.

"But don't worry—you've got me."

Gu Sanqiu said confidently, "If you've accepted me as your boss, then I won't abandon you. Trust me!"

"In time, all of you will become respectable figures in this city. You'll enjoy the best life has to offer—top-tier food, housing, and everything in between!"

Gu Sanqiu pulled out a bag of Mora. "Here's some start-up money. Take care of anyone you're responsible for, then come report to my house. I've got plans to discuss."

Arataki Itto opened the bag, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the glittering coins.

"This… This is so much! I can take three days off—not, wait, I could slack off for a while with this!"

"Don't waste it."

"Don't worry, Boss Longhai, I swear we won't waste a single coin!"

Itto thumped his chest loudly. "I promise you, boss!"

"Don't promise me; promise the people you're taking care of," Gu Sanqiu said, eyeing his newly recruited subordinates. "Split up and head home quietly. Plenty of people saw us leave Hanamizaka together, so if you go back openly, it'll attract attention."

"If anyone slips up and the Tenryou Commission connects the recent disturbances to us, we're done for. Got it?"

"Understood, boss!"

The group nodded firmly. When it came to sneaking home, they didn't need instructions—they were practically experts, like kids sneaking late-night gaming sessions without getting caught.

---

"Lord Longhai, I still don't understand. Just how many cursed objects did you deal with?"

Jingliang Huili glanced at Longhai Xuanzhe as they stood in the Tenryou Commission office. He had just stunned a room full of officials by pulling out an entire pile of cursed objects, casually asking Huili to arrange their exchange.

Yes, a pile.

The sheer volume of items meant that even without Huili's uncle pulling strings, the logistics personnel had handled everything meticulously, delivering precisely what Gu Sanqiu requested without any funny business.

"Years of living in the wild naturally give you experiences city-dwellers playing at adventurers can't compare to," Gu Sanqiu replied calmly, offering a reasonable explanation. He couldn't exactly tell Huili about his secret methods of compressing these items.

"Fair enough."

Huili's gaze drifted to a vast construction site ahead.

Yes, this masked man had spent an exorbitant amount of Mora to purchase an enormous plot of land—the kind that, in another world, would take ten lifetimes to afford.

In Inazuma, as long as you didn't stir up trouble and followed the rules, the Kanjou Commission was happy to see such large transactions bolster their revenue.

"Are you really planning to open a dojo here, Lord Longhai? Without a reputation, it's almost guaranteed the Mora will go to waste, no matter how skilled you are."

Though a subordinate, Huili had the right to advise. He doubted Gu Sanqiu could make the dojo profitable quickly.

"That's irrelevant. What matters is that I want to do it," Gu Sanqiu replied coolly. "Clear purpose leads to swifter strikes."

"More importantly, did you relay my construction specifications to the workers exactly as I outlined?"

"I've already told them."

"Good. Thanks for the effort."

"Just doing my duty."

Still, Huili couldn't help but ask, "But why include a maze in the dojo's interior? If people want to learn from you, wouldn't that just make things harder?"

"This maze will indeed be challenging. Once construction is done, I'll make further adjustments to ensure no one knows the correct path."

"To prevent anyone from selling shortcuts, the maze will also be periodically rearranged."

A sly grin spread across Gu Sanqiu's face. "As for why the maze is necessary, the answer is simple."

"First, it satisfies my own interests. Isn't it normal for a dojo to have a maze?"

"Second, this dojo's main purpose is to attract challengers."

"Whether they navigate the maze to reach me or smash their way through, it's all the same—they'll have proven their mettle."

"As for the unworthy, if they don't want to die, they can quietly follow the staff back out of the maze."