"Jiuli Xu: Oh? Friends, are you also here to seek the protection of the International Guild? Could it be that the Foreign Affairs Department made you bleed a lot?"
"Lumine: Hmm... not really."
"Jiuli Xu: That's good, that's good. Sigh... don't lose all your capital as soon as you arrive."
"Paimon: Is the Guild facing any difficulties recently?"
"Jiuli Xu: Difficulties? ...Being caught between a rock and a hard place, hitting walls everywhere, I've already gotten used to it."
"Paimon: The Sakoku Decree really makes things difficult for everyone coming from abroad."
"Jiuli Xu: The root of the problem isn't the Sakoku Decree. Even with restricted activity, life could originally be quite good."
"Qixuan: Is it an official Inazuma organization?"
"Jiuli Xu: This young lady is right, it's those profiteering Kanjobugyo guys."
"Paimon: Hmm... that's the one among the Three Commissions that manages Ritou, Thoma said."
"Jiuli Xu: So you were introduced by Thoma. That's right, high taxes, unreasonable regulations, these aren't even the worst things..."
"The worst thing is that during this period, a new tax law was just promulgated. The form of tax to be paid has actually changed from Mora to a commodity called Crystallized Marrow."
"Paimon: What is Crystallized Marrow?"
"Jiuli Xu: Before the law was promulgated, most merchants in the Guild had never heard of this commodity, until an old merchant from Liyue identified it as a material he had transported to Snezhnaya when he was young."
"Despite being very reluctant, everyone still went everywhere to collect Crystallized Marrow, and then paid it as tax."
"But later we found out that this was just drinking poison to quench thirst. As the demand for tax payment grew larger and larger, the price of external Crystallized Marrow also kept rising..."
"Until later, only one merchant still had stock, and it couldn't be bought anywhere else..."
"Paimon: Hmm... Generally speaking, this situation is called a monopoly, right?"
"Jiuli Xu: You know a lot, don't you? So that merchant kept raising prices, but due to the pressure of the law, we had no choice but to buy..."
"The result of this vicious cycle is that taxes are almost exceeding our profits. If this continues..."
"Lumine: This is simply too much!"
"Jiuli Xu: We also tried to communicate with the Kanjobugyo about the law... but they simply didn't want to bother with us. Who would be willing to listen to us merchants crying for help in despair?"
"Sigh... Fontaine, my hometown, I miss you so much..."
"Qixuan: Is the Guild Master from Fontaine? That makes things easier. Leave the rest to us. It's just... we will also be traveling to Fontaine in the future."
"Jiuli Xu: Sigh, if this matter can really be resolved, I will definitely sweep the floor to welcome you back in Fontaine."
"Paimon: Lumine, what do you think?"
"Lumine: I think that merchant has a problem."
"Jiuli Xu: That merchant?"
"Actually, I used to have dealings with him, but later he cut off contact with us, and I don't know where his source of goods really comes from..."
"Paimon: Hmm... That doesn't seem reasonable. How can we find him? Let's try to see if we can get some information out of him."
"Jiuli Xu: That's a good idea. As outsiders to the Guild, and new foreigners on the island, he should let his guard down."
"I remember if you want to find him, look under the tree by the sea in the residential area. That's where we usually meet him."
"Paimon: Got it, leave it to us!"
Under a tree by the sea, a person was selling something...
"Werner: Hmm? Unfamiliar faces, new here?"
"Lumine: I'm the Ritou fixer, you don't even know me?"
"Qixuan: ..."
"Werner: Haha, what a joke. Who calls themselves a fixer? You're eight hundred years too early to fool me."
"So, what do you want from me?"
"Qixuan: Where do your goods come from?"
"Werner: Are you with her? Don't you know the rules? If I tell you the source of my goods, how am I supposed to do business?"
"Qixuan: Sigh... I didn't want to do this."
Saying that, she looked at him with her eyes, and her consciousness influenced his emotions in his mind.
Werner suddenly became sad.
"Werner: Actually, I didn't want to either. Those people in the International Guild can huddle together for warmth, but I don't dare. I'm alone in a foreign land. Those guys gave me a little benefit, and I'm willing to work for them."
"Paimon: Who are those guys you're talking about?"
"Werner: Sigh, alright, I've had enough of this inner torment. It's the tax-collecting Ashigaru, Qing Ci Lang and his gang playing tricks."
"The tax rate they tell the merchants is already inflated, and the extra portion of Crystallized Marrow that replaces the tax is hoarded."
"When merchants can't find it anywhere, they tell me to sell it back to those merchants at a high price."
"Paimon: That's... a really insidious method, making a fortune out of nothing."
"Werner: Although I became their puppet, the portion they gave me was completely negligible, just enough to barely maintain a living."
"Lumine: We need more evidence."
"Werner: Evidence... evidence, yes. If there's no conclusive evidence, he won't admit it."
"Speaking of which, every time I sell goods and report to him, he goes to a certain place afterwards. I've been suspicious for a long time..."
"Qixuan: Where is it?"
"Werner: I just finished connecting with him not long ago. Why don't I take you to see where he's going?"
"Paimon: What are we waiting for? Let's go quickly."
Everyone followed Werner to find traces of Ashigaru, Qing Ci Lang.
On a street...
"Werner: It's him! Qing Ci Lang."
"Paimon: Let's follow him!"
After following all the way...
"Werner: Hmm... what is he doing in a place like this..."
"Paimon: Did he bury something over there just now? Shall we go take a look?"
"Qixuan: This is... an account book?"
"Paimon: What a pity, I thought he hid Mora here too."
Lumine looked at Paimon speechlessly...
"Paimon: Eh heh?"
"Werner: Let me see, inside is..."
"That's right, this is it, recorded clearly line by line, every single entry is his crime."
"Paimon: Now that we have the evidence, should we go tell Guild Master Jiuli Xu the good news first?"
"Werner: Th-then I won't see you off. I'll go back first."
"Paimon: Eh? Aren't you coming with us?"
"Werner: If I'm going to see the Guild Master, I... I still need some time, sorry."
He finished speaking and left first.
"Qixuan: Perhaps it's out of guilt towards Jiuli Xu, making him unable to face Jiuli Xu. Since that's the case, let's go back first."
"Lumine: Okay."