For the people of Liyue, the favor of the Rock King was a tremendous encouragement. Even though Ye Lan found the responsibility a bit troublesome, she still chose to take it on. Smith became her direct superior.
Ye Lan had previously worked with the subordinates assigned to her by Smith, and she quickly noticed something unusual. These individuals didn't seem to use elemental powers. In fact, in certain areas like intelligence gathering and assassination, they seemed to be even more capable than her. With Smith's position in mind, Ye Lan began to piece together their true identities. She was both surprised and excited. With such subordinates, her future work would become much easier, and she could better protect Liyue.
"How are those guys?" Smith asked.
"They are incredibly capable individuals. The leader, Uchiha Fugaku, surpasses me in many aspects," Ye Lan said without belittling herself. She simply acknowledged the reality of the situation.
Smith nodded. "I'm glad you're leading them. You must have figured out their origins by now, right?"
"Yes, they must be from outside the Teyvat continent, right?" Ye Lan replied, not hiding her thoughts.
Smith confirmed with a nod. "Yes, we can travel to other worlds, and the Uchiha clan was brought here from another world. I want to invite you to join us."
Although Ye Lan's combat strength wasn't on the same level as Smith's, he didn't feel the need to directly improve the combat abilities of his subordinates. Instead, Smith planned to send Ye Lan on a few tasks, allowing her to use points to practice some ninjutsu in the Sealed Book. With time, her strength would improve significantly.
At present, few people in the guild had used their points. Some were waiting for special offers in case something they wanted appeared, while others saved their points because they couldn't find a suitable option. Initially, Smith had planned to help Keqing learn the Flying Thunder God Technique. However, once she understood its usefulness and compatibility with her abilities, she used 500 points to directly begin her training.
Keqing wasn't yet proficient in the technique. Her perception ability was still developing, so she couldn't move thousands of meters like Minato Namikaze could. At the moment, she could only teleport a few hundred meters at a time. Nevertheless, even at her current level, it made her a difficult opponent in battle.
"You guys?" Ye Lan's eyes glinted with realization. "If I'm not mistaken, Ningguang and Keqing have joined this organization, right?"
Smith smiled and nodded. "Yes, both Morax and the Grass God, Xumi, are part of it as well."
Ye Lan's eyes widened slightly, but then she smiled. "No wonder Ningguang asked me to spread rumors about the Church of the Seven. It turns out the Grass God is also part of our side. In that case, I don't think I should refuse this organization. In fact, it's an honor to join."
"Ding! Welcome to join the Dimension Guild."
Guild President: Smith
Guild Level: 3 (650/1000)
Guild Members: 9/15
Personal Points: 31,000
There were still six available spots, which was more than enough for now. Smith considered recruiting more members and keeping a few spaces open for emergencies.
"Alright, if you have anything to discuss in the future, you can just speak to the guild directly. Both the Rock King and the Grass God are in it, so don't hesitate to contact me privately if needed," Smith said, offering guidance.
"The story about Naruto involves the Uchiha clan. You can go take a look when you have time. It might help you understand them better."
"I understand!" Ye Lan was now focused on the Dimension Guild. It was as Smith had said—Keqing and Ningguang were already members. Even Ganyu and Xiao, immortals, were involved. Hu Tao, the head of the Rebirth Hall, was also part of the guild. Given that Smith had mentioned the Rock King and the Grass God, Ye Lan assumed Nashida was likely the little auspicious grass king of Xumi. The big scandal in Liyue recently involving Smith's antics, which she had heard about, probably made Nashida the heroine.
As for the Rock King... Ye Lan's pupils constricted. Excluding all impossibilities, she realized the truth. She never imagined that the guest of the Rebirth Hall was actually the Rock King. However, on second thought, Zhongli was very likely the Rock King himself!
Ye Lan had previously suspected that Zhongli might be an immortal who had integrated into Liyue, much like the Ping grandmother from Yujingtai. She came from a family with a long history of cooperation with immortals, so she knew more about the Rock King than most. She quickly came to accept the fact that Zhongli was, indeed, the Rock King.
Three days later, Keqing woke Smith up early in the morning, not giving him a chance to stay in bed or do his morning exercises. She brought him to Liyue Bank to oversee the opening ceremony.
"By the way, do you need me to witness this? I'm not exactly a celebrity in Liyue," Smith asked, glancing at Keqing. She was wearing a JK sailor suit, black silk high heels, and her two ponytails were swinging with every step she took. Smith couldn't help but feel a little excited, but he knew Keqing in work mode was not someone to provoke.
"You? A celebrity?" Keqing rolled her eyes in frustration. "Because of your relationship with me, you've definitely become quite the celebrity in Liyue these past few weeks. But now, thanks to Nashida, I've received plenty of 'support,' and I can't even take it seriously anymore."
Smith laughed. "Well, if my presence here doesn't matter, then it's probably the same whether I'm here or not. But I'm happy to let you lead the way."
Keqing gave him a teasing smile. "As if you could escape, even if you wanted to."
Despite their teasing, Smith followed Keqing into the bank, ready to witness the opening of Liyue's newest financial institution. This would mark a significant moment in Liyue's history, and Smith was prepared to see how far the guild's influence could stretch from this point forward.