"What now? You blocked my path, dragged me into some fancy restaurant, and ordered several expensive dishes. You're paying, by the way." Ruben stared at the harbinger across from him. They were sitting opposite from each other, separated by a long table filled with exotic dishes.
The harbinger chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I'm glad you're enjoying the food, Ruben. I wanted to speak to you in a more private setting, and I figured the best way to get your attention was through your stomach. We are friends, are we not?"
Ruben raised an eyebrow. "And what could you possibly want to talk to me about? And you could just make an appointment through my secretary, no need to you know… block someone's path when they were walking," he said sarcastically, "i'm already full. So get on with it."
The harbinger still put on his smiley face, "Sorry-not-sorry. As to the unorthodox method of summoning you, If i make an appointment through your secretary, you would make an excuse to not meet me at all, and you'll be in some place called Cuauhcalli somewhere in Natlan."
Ruben sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Fine, I'm listening. What do you want to talk about? It's not what i think it is right?"
The harbinger smiled, "it is what you think it is."
"Oh for fucks sake. If you want my company to resume drilling and mining operations in Snezhnaya, maybe stop the constant harassment and extortion by the fatui?! You know, respect people's spaces?!" Ruben buried his head in his hands, "first, it was that prick Pantalone, and now you!?"
The harbinger across from Ruben chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I understand your frustration, Ruben. But the Fatui are simply doing what they can to protect our interests. And in this case, our interests happen to align with yours."
Ruben glared at the harbinger, "You people broke several agreements that we had! You constantly tried to dictate where my company can sell to! We're a private company, Tartaglia, not a state enterprise where the tsaritsa, let alone the fatui can control." Ruben then smiled mischievously, "Or… is the oh-so mighty and feared Snezhnaya needed a foreign company to process their minerals because they are too focused on making weapons of war?"
At this, the harbinger's smile faded, "your accusations are of no concern to us. We simply want the best for the people of Snezhnaya and to follow the Tsaritsa's orders. Rest assured, we'll promise to not disturb your operations in Snezhnaya again."
Ruben scoffed, "That's it? A promise? A promise from you people is worth about as much as a piece of paper. I guarantee you that you people will break it in record time. Come to me again when the Tsaritsa herself orders you guys to reconcile with me, or i receive an apology letter from the Tsaritsa herself. As of right now, i couldn't care less what you guys offer to me. RIC operations in Snezhnaya are frozen until further notice."
The harbinger's face grew serious, "you know we froze your assets in Snezhnaya, right? That's 400 million mora's worth of land, machinery, and capital, stuck, frozen. What's stopping us from continuing the mining ourselves?"
Ruben smiled, "because you can't. Sure, you can go ahead with the mining. But i doubt you have enough manpower to allocate to the factories to process the minerals. And i highly doubt that even if you have the manpower, you don't have the expertise."
What follows was an intense staring contest between Tartaglia and Ruben, each eyeing the other with suspicion. The waiter who had excused himself when the argument began walked in on them guiding a man to their table.
It was a tall man with a stern expression with an elegant and form-fitting attire. consisting of a beige dress shirt, a brown and amber waistcoat, slim black trousers, black dress boots, and black gloves with twin silver archer rings on the thumbs. The man also had dark brown hair in a windswept fashion with a longer fringe that hangs from the right side of his face and is pulled back in a long ponytail that falls beyond his waist.
He must be someone of great importance, one of the Qixing perhaps? Thought Ruben when he saw the man.
The harbinger's face lit up once the man appeared, "ah! Zhongli! You're here. Have a sit!" he called out to the man known as Zhongli.
"Hello, Childe." Zhongli nodded in recognition before sitting in the chair next to the harbinger.
Ruben snickered, "your real name is Childe? Wonder what your parents were thinking when they named you."
His remark earned him a glare from the harbinger, who was about to talk back before being interrupted by Zhongli.
"I believe we haven't met, i am Zhongli, a consultant for the Wangsheng funeral parlor." Zhongli introduced himself with a calm voice.
"The name's Ruben Rheine. Founder of the Rhine Industrial Corporation." he introduced himself. On the mention of the Wangsheng funeral parlor, Ruben remembered about that one incident where he was offered a 80% discount by some kid claiming to be the director of the funeral parlor. Well, he took the deal, you never knew when you'll die after all.
"Oh? What business do you have with Childe over here then?" Zhongli asked calmly with a hint of curiosity.
"A… we were having a meaningful negotiation with each other." Ruben answered as he saw Childe hiding a small laugh, "nothing that concerns you either way," he added.
"Oh? And did you both reach an agreement? Perhaps a contract of some sort?" Zhongli continued to ask as he sipped on a tea.
"Nah, nope. I'm going now, i don't like where this is going," Ruben picked up his cane and stood up, "And Childe, i'm expecting that letter," he added before storming out of the restaurant.
A faint yell of "your paying" from outside can be heard by the funeral consultant and the harbinger.
"Damn fatui and their harbingers being absolute pieces of shit" Ruben muttered to himself before sighing.
He was on his way to the ministry, as thankfully, despite the backward nature of Liyue, the Qixing had the capability to send telegraphs. So he can communicate with his company's headquarters back in Fontaine with ease. It's still a bit irritating to go to the ministry to even contact someone over long distances, but it was better than nothing.
As soon as he arrived at the ministry, he tapped out a message on the telegraph key. He had been in Liyue for 3 days now, after closing the deal with the Qixing about the land purchase, he had to go to Inazuma while he is in the area. He telegraphed his company's headquarters in Fontaine first, letting them know of the recent transaction. Then he telegraphed Carmen, his business partner in establishing the bank, Which will be named the Ruben Carmen Banking Corporation, or RCBC. He has plans on expanding the RCBC bank all over Teyvat, but Liyue is a good start.
After he finished, he got out of the ministry and stepped back into the streets of Liyue harbor.
"Right, time to ask around for some Inazuman nationals" he muttered.
He headed to the docks south of the ministry, he heard that the "entrance" to the jade chamber is also that way. As he walked through the crowded streets of Liyue harbor, he kept his eyes and ears open for some gossip or unexpected news that spread through the populace.
Sometime later, he realized that he arrived in front of a restaurant named Wanmin restaurant. He took a moment to decide that he should buy a snack. Sure, he told Tartaglia, or Childe that he was full and wasn't hungry, but that was a way to spite Childe.
Ruben approached the Chef, "Hello there," he greeted.
The Chef returned his greeting enthusiastically, "Hello there! Welcome to Wanmin restaurant! What would you order, sir?"
"I'll get… ah, three Chicken-mushroom skewers, please,"
"Coming right up!" The chef grinned and turned to the stove, where a sizzling pan of chicken and mushrooms was waiting. He quickly skewered the pieces and gave them to Ruben, "that will be 1350 mora!"
"Here you go," Ruben paid the Chef and took a bite of the skewer, "that's delicious, the best i had so far," he complimented.
The chef beamed with pride. "I'm glad you like it! We only use the freshest ingredients here at Wanmin restaurant. Anyone who eats at my restaurant becomes an instant regular!"
"My kudos to you," Ruben paused, taking another bite, "say, do you happen to know someone of Inazuman nationality?"
The chef pondered for a bit, "hmm, i know of one Inazuman, she comes here regularly to eat. Her name is Atsuko, she has been searching for a job for some time now since coming to Liyue,"
"Do you know where she is?" Ruben takes another bite and finishes the first skewer.
"She's usually in the harbor,"
"Alright, thanks. Here, a tip," Ruben gave the chef 5,000 mora and left to find this Atsuko person.
A short while later, and two eaten skewers later, he arrived at the harbor. From his observation, he concluded that Atsuko is the person who's deep in thought and paces around randomly. He went to greet her.
"Hello there, you must be Atsuko, right?" he asks, finishing his final skewer.
"Hello... Oh! I—I mean, good fortune... right? (sigh) I'm still learning to talk like a local, haha… But, yes. My name is Atsuko. Is there anything i can help you with?" Atsuko replies embarrassingly.
"The name's Ruben Rheine. Don't worry, i'm not Liyuean. I'm here to ask you about how i can get to Inazuma."
"Oh, well, there is a way… but i don't understand why you want to go there. It's a dangerous place for foreigners."
"I have… a… business interest there." Ruben masterfully tells her.
"Are you a part of the Trading association of Ritou?"
"No, i'm not." what the hell is that?!
"But still, why do you want to go to Inazuma? It's too… Restrictive over there. Even if you get there, you have to pass a rigorous and protracted approval process by the Kanjou commission. Even if you do get accepted, you can only stay in Ritou and most likely have no way out." She warns Ruben, which unfortunately for her, Ruben cared little about.
"I'll accept the consequences of my actions when i get there." he shrugs.
"(sigh) well, if you really want to go to Inazuma, you can go ask someone from the Crux fleet if they have some way of getting into Inazuma." She told him.
"The Crux fleet?"
"They're well known in Liyue. Voyaging far and wide has made them a well-traveled group with a wide range of experiences. They may just know how to break through the storm that is engulfing Inazuma." Atsuko explains, "but, well. You need to wait because i heard that the Crux fleet is on a voyage, and won't return for at least another two months." Atsuko casually throws a wrench into Ruben's plans.
"...Drats…"