Ningguang

The "Liyue Qixing" controls all of the commerce that takes place in Liyue Harbor. Its highly-revered position is also coveted by many. Their primary ruling is to play things safe and keep a low profile.

The "Tianquan" of the Qixing, Ningguang, is the only exception.

She is seen as an excellent merchant in the eyes of her rivals, a friendly elder sister to kids, a socialite at the banquets of Yujing Terrace, and a connoisseur of desserts... Ningguang is the talk of the town, and everyone seems to know everything about her. However, they all seem to tell a different story of Ningguang, with great discrepancies between the versions.

Still, if there's one thing all the rumors about her agree on, it's that Ningguang is someone truly extraordinary.

Up above Liyue Harbor, there is a floating palace held up by Plaustrite. It is known as the "Jade Chamber," and it belongs to Ningguang.

On a clear day, one can see almost all of Liyue Harbor from the decks outside the palace gates.

Whenever Ningguang has important business matters to handle, she invariably comes to this floating palace. She strictly forbids anyone from accessing the premises except for her three trusted confidants. Her confidants sort through the relevant information, summarize it and hang the summaries on the wall, while Ningguang rests against the railings, enjoying the view of Liyue and quietly mulling everything over.

She is certain to arrive at the perfect solution before her confidants have finished adding everything to the wall. Once she has made her decision she shreds everything and throws it out of the window, creating something of a snowstorm of paper.

The handwriting on the shredded pieces of paper stands out like ink in the snow to all of the merchants in Liyue Harbor.

For they know that whenever Ningguang's shredded snow falls, a huge change is about to descend on the business community.

"Ningguang knows everything," foreigners will often find the Liyue locals warning them.

Loophole-hunting guilds, market-manipulating hoarders, smugglers coming ashore with their illicit goods... The Tianquan knows all the details, good, bad, and ugly.

Once, an alchemist from Sumeru was traveling in Liyue and unwittingly happened across the records of a certain noctilucous jade transaction involving the Blackcliff Forge ten years prior. That night, someone from Ningguang's inner circle knocked on his window and invited him to join Ningguang in the Jade Chamber for a talk.

Rumor has it that Ningguang has enchanted the Jade Chamber in such a way that allows her to eavesdrop on everyone in the city's private conversations...

The truth is that Ningguang's eyes and ears are in fact the children who play on the streets in Liyue Harbor.

Between them, they are aware of every confidential meeting, every private conversation, and every new visitor to the city. When Ningguang gathers them around, her promise of delicious treats proves to be an irresistible incentive, and so they tell her everything they know.

Once she has finished carefully cross-referencing everything she has learned from the children against other sources, there is no secret hidden from her in Liyue Harbor.

She understands the value of reciprocity more than anyone, which is why she is more than willing to invest time in mingling with the common folk.

On top of that, she does actually like seeing the children smile.

Ningguang's attitude to making money is largely the same as anyone else's: You can never have enough.

But money to her is more than just a sign of wealth — each Mora is a trophy of a hard-won victory.

Ningguang is kind and friendly toward the common folk, but this is a side of her that none of her business associates could ever hope to see.

To her, the business world is a playground, and the zero-sum games are the most exciting. Each round she wins against a wealthy merchant brings a gleeful smile to her face as they sigh and reluctantly hand over the Mora, and nothing makes her happier than seeing the guilds bow to her wishes.

Every victory in this game adds to the wealth of the Liyue Qixing. Liyue Harbor prospers as a result, and this in turn creates more business opportunities and more profit for Ningguang. Every member of the Liyue Qixing is more than happy with this perfect cycle of interlocking interests.

People often ask Ningguang why she is still doing business in Liyue Harbor when she has already acquired such vast wealth.

"Vast wealth is a wonderful thing."

Ningguang patiently replies, never able to understand why people would ask such foolish questions.

"Adding another Mora to the pot can hardly make it any less wonderful, now, can it?"

Everyone living in Liyue Harbor has to abide by the rules. Those who do so will see their interests protected, while those who violate the rules will be punished accordingly.

The rules are rooted in ancient laws set down by Morax, Liyue Harbor's divine protector, and they are absolute. Over the millennia, each Tianquan has introduced amendments to the rules to ensure they are well aligned with current societal needs.

The laws are compiled and published along with a 279-page commentary, and a copy is given to each citizen of Liyue.

Ningguang likes it this way: Law and order is good for business, and she understands the intricacies of the laws that forge the order better than anyone else.

However, there was a certain ship captain by the name of Beidou who acted with flagrant disregard for the rules, smuggling contraband goods by leveraging her exotic cargo and exclusive business intelligence. To Ningguang, captain Beidou was the black sheep of Liyue Harbor's business community.

As Tianquan, it fell to Ningguang to impose heavy fines on Beidou each time she transgressed the rules. But much to her consternation, Beidou seemed to take these fines in her stride, like water off a duck's back.

Outside of the official channels, too, Ningguang tried to find ways to implore Beidou to change her ways and stop putting the Qixing in such a difficult position. In response, Beidou simply explained away her actions as "enacting justice," "helping the poor" and "keeping the sailors in their jobs." As a firm believer in the principle of live and let live, Beidou had no time for Ningguang's advice.

In the end, Ningguang agreed to disagree and gave up trying to convince the stubborn Beidou to change.

Being the charming and wealthy woman that she is, Ningguang has never had a shortage of suitors.

It seems that every eligible bachelor, from the young esquires of Yujing Terrace, to accomplished young businessmen, to renowned sea captains, has at some point invested substantial energy into trying to win Ningguang's affection. One rumor even has it that a wealthy businessman from the Court of Fontaine signed a major trade deal with Liyue Harbor for the sole reason that it would mean he could see Ningguang more often.

Ningguang treats all her suitors with an equal measure of kindness and grace, but also keeps them at distance — enough to keep them interested but not push them away. Curiosity got the better of everyone in town, and now everyone wants to know: Who is Ningguang's lover?

Little do they know, Ningguang has no love for finite things, and will certainly not be bound by something that is finite.

The Jade Chamber, a floating palace above Liyue Harbor, belongs to Ningguang alone. It started out about the size of a room, but has since grown so large that in the moonlight it casts its shadow over the whole of Liyue.

A portion of Ningguang's seemingly limitless wealth goes towards hiring skilled craftsmen to continue the expansion and refurbishment of the Jade Chamber, ensuring that it becomes ever more extravagant as time goes by.

To Ningguang, the Jade Chamber is a symbol of her wealth and power, and a sign that her business is flourishing.

Save for Mora, it is the thing Ningguang loves most in the world — because it is infinite.

One day, she insists, it will cast its shadow over all the seven nations of Teyvat.

Ningguang invented a form of chess to pass the time.

This chessboard not only contains to-scale reproductions of Liyue Harbor's natural and urban geography, vendors, tea houses, shops, hotels and miscellaneous stores, but it also contains six, ten and twelve-sided dice (among others). Players use the dice to determine how far their chess pieces move, and landing on various locations will trigger different events. Victory in-game is decided by the number of counters in each player's hands.

The rules can change at any time according to Ningguang's fancies, and when playing with others, she will always follow the newest rule set that she has on hand.

When she's truly feeling the spirit, she will even design new rules on the spot — no one has yet beaten her at this game, and she has now reached the 32.6th edition of her rulebook.

She marketed the 8th edition of the game to the general public, believing it to be the easiest to understand, but it proved to still be far too complicated for ordinary folk.

Nonetheless, people flock to purchase sets on account of the beauty and intricacy of the model pieces.

In truth, more people buy it for the models than for the game.

No one knows how Visions are created — they have always seemed to just appear out of thin air, leaving the countless unacknowledged in the lurch without a clue as to how to get one.

As for Visions left behind after their users die, they are masterless husks without any elemental power, nor is any method of reawakening them known, save for a tiny chance that it may resonate with another — and only one such "other" at a time...

Ningguang's first thought upon seeing such an object a subconscious "oh, look, a new business opportunity."

Putting this up for sale would surely have the rich shelling out for it. And if they can't resonate with it, why, they'll just use it to keep up appearances. A sound call either way...

And if there should be a way to collect such empty shells, could this not become a long term business?

Playing with the jewel in one hand, Ningguang began writing plans for an auction in the other, her smile widening as she thought about the riches to be had — and at that moment, the Vision shone forth its light.

Ningguang's smile froze as the Vision activated.

Her attendants, coming upon the sight of their mistress, awakened Vision in hand, began to congratulate her on having obtained a priceless treasure.

Ningguang, for her part, seemed annoyed instead.

"What's there to be happy about? Once broken, considered sold!"