Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

Before long, Li'an led Qianwei into the side room.

Qianwei wore a light gray robe, and his belly was round, which perfectly matched the stereotypes that travelers and Paimon had about wealthy people in Liyue.

As soon as he stepped into the room, his gaze swept over the four people standing behind the desk. He raised an eyebrow and spoke with undisguised surprise and scrutiny.

"Oh? It's Miss Keqing in charge? And... um, you gentlemen are the examiners for this trip?"

Qianwei emphasized the word "you all" slightly, deliberately drawing out the last syllable, his gaze sweeping over the Traveler, Paimon, and Famas, clearly surprised by the lineup of those being assessed.

"I thought that Lady Ningguang would personally preside over such an important selection."

"I never expected that there would be faces I didn't recognize among those attending."

With his hands casually behind his back, Qian Wei strolled a couple of steps with the arrogance typical of a merchant. His gaze finally landed on the unfamiliar face of Famas, and he gave a slight nod as a greeting, but it conveyed a sense of aloofness from above.

He recognized the traveler's distinctive exotic attire, but couldn't immediately place the name on his mind. As for Ke Qing, although they were both from aristocratic families and he knew her, he didn't think much of her.

Qian Wei stopped, slightly raised his chin, and looked directly at the planning document on his desk. His tone was firm, filled with strong confidence, as he got straight to the point:

"I'm sure you've all read my plans."

"If there are any difficult or obscure points that you do not fully understand, please feel free to ask, and I will be happy to answer them for you personally."

He spoke as if it were a matter of course, as if answering questions was an extra favor he was doing for everyone.

"Wow!" Paimon stomped his little foot in anger, hands on his hips. "What a big mouth!"

Qian Wei merely glanced at her indifferently, his expression unchanged, his demeanor composed:
"Excuse me, I was not targeting anyone in particular, I was just stating an obvious fact."

The traveler looked at Qian Wei, whose words were full of pride, and first looked at Ke Qing in shock, then turned to look at Famas, his eyes clearly saying something.

Is this the temperament of the next candidate for Tian Shu Star?

"Your chatting skills, are they learned from the True Lord Liuyun Borrowing Wind?"

Yingmei, of course, wouldn't let Paimon suffer a loss of face. Before Keqing and Famas could speak, the girl retorted with a nonchalant remark.

"The True Lord Who Retains Clouds and Borrows Wind?"

Qian Wei was taken aback upon hearing this, and finally looked at the traveler with a look of realization.

“Oh… I remember now, you are the stranger who has made a name for himself in Liyue Harbor.”

"Since you have some reputation, you must be quite capable. Perhaps you can understand a little bit of the true meaning behind my grand plan."

Qian Wei slightly toned down his arrogance, but the sense of superiority stemming from his background remained deeply ingrained. He added with a cryptic smile, "...Hmph, although I don't have high hopes for it."

With just a few words, Qianwei, who was both narrow-minded and overweight, successfully made the atmosphere in the room cold and stiff.

Keqing rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache, but her eyes remained fixed on Famas beside her.

She was afraid that FAMAS would not be able to stand Qian Wei's arrogant attitude and would lose his temper on the spot.

With the boy's power as a demon god, he is probably unstoppable among those present.

But Keqing clearly underestimated Famas's magnanimity.

During Munatha's reign, Famas had seen people a hundred times more arrogant than Ganwei. At that time, some people even dared to ask Famas by name to sit on his throne when they first came to the royal court to pay homage to him.

Busy with state affairs, Famas didn't even bother to lift his eyelids. He simply waved his hand, ordering the palace guards to throw the man out, just to have some peace and quiet. Apart from that, he did not take any action to persecute the eccentric genius.

The young man was not a monarch without tolerance.

Facing the arrogant Qian Wei, FAMAS remained relaxed, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the edge of the table, as if the other's words were merely the sound of wind brushing past his ear.

His thoughts had already drifted far away, landing on Zhiyi, who was about to appear.

Zhiyi probably still mistakenly believes him to be from the Liyue Asgard family. If he suddenly finds himself not only in Liyue Harbor, but also standing side by side with Keqing, becoming an examiner for the selection of the Celestial Star.

A slight smile curved at the corner of FAMAS's lips.

Zhiyi's expression must have been absolutely priceless.

Ke Qing noticed out of the corner of her eye that FAMAS was lost in thought, which put her at ease. She decisively abandoned the pointless small talk and went straight to the point, raising sharp questions about livelihood policies.

Qian Wei, on the other hand, fully embodied the arrogance of a powerful aristocratic family, his words revealing undisguised contempt and indifference towards the suffering and needs of the common people. Ke Qing had to admit to herself that Famas was right; Qian Wei was indeed a profit-driven pragmatist, with only gains and losses in his eyes.

Yuhengxing tapped her fingertips on the desk, ending this unpleasant examination.

"Thank you for your answer, Qianwei. Please wait outside for a moment."

She turned her gaze toward the doorway and succinctly instructed Li'an outside:

"Li'an, go and invite the next candidate in."

Qian Wei could easily see Ke Qing's impatience and urgency. He stood up expressionlessly, his sleeves billowing in the wind, and turned to leave.

Shortly after Qian Wei left, the door to the private room was gently pushed open, and a slightly uneasy face peeked in.

Mingbo stood at the door, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes, his voice trembling slightly.

"Ah...is it...my turn?"

Ke Qing suppressed her lingering displeasure with Qian Wei, her gaze falling on the new candidate. Her tone was steady, with an efficient, businesslike quality: "Well, please give a brief introduction of yourself."

Mingbo took a deep breath and walked in with slightly stiff steps. He stood straight with his hands neatly placed at his sides.

“My name is Mingbo…I belong to the General Affairs Department.”

He began to recite as if reciting from memory, speaking slowly, each word as if it had been precisely measured.

“I worked in the General Affairs Department for nine years… five months… and three days, and handled… two thousand three hundred and forty-seven incidents.”

When Mingbo recited this huge number, his eyes were still somewhat unfocused, as if he was checking the data in his mind.

"There are still twelve cases being processed... It is estimated that they will all be resolved in about sixteen days."

He continued, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the side of his thigh, the pauses between sentences so long that the air seemed to freeze in a subtle tension.

"My current work is related to urban planning, and I am also responsible for account acceptance and verification. To be precise, there are three parts to the accounts, namely..."

Mingbo seemed to remember something, and his speech quickened slightly, but he soon stopped speaking.

He began to try to list examples, but his words became hesitant, and his eyes grew increasingly blank, as if he were trapped in a maze of numbers.

Paimon, who had been hovering beside Keqing, finally couldn't hold back any longer. She leaned close to Keqing's ear, cupped her small hands around her mouth, and whispered in what she thought was a very soft voice:
"Hey, Keqing, he seems to be stuttering a bit when he speaks. Is it just my imagination? It's so hard to understand him..."

Ke Qing naturally noticed it as well. Looking at the senior clerk in front of her, who was as reserved as if he were reporting to his superior for the first time, she felt a sense of helplessness.

This overly meticulous yet sluggish approach is clearly not the kind of quality one would expect from someone in a position like Tian Shu Xing, which requires extensive social skills and the ability to coordinate with all sides.

She decisively raised her hand, making a stop gesture, her movements clean and efficient, interrupting Mingbo's impending vortex of detailed accounting.

"Alright, let's stop with the self-introductions for now, I'll just ask the questions directly."

Ke Qing's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible fatigue, but it remained clear and crisp.

"Ah... okay."

Mingbo seemed to have been interrupted from his spellcasting, snapping back to reality. An embarrassed blush rose to his face, and he hurriedly lowered his head, 'I-I'm sorry...'

Ke Qing restrained herself and asked several rounds of questions focusing on practical government affairs handling and emergency coordination.

Mingbo's answer, like his self-introduction, had a clear logical framework and detailed data support, but his expression was hesitant and lacked confidence and charisma. Keqing had to frequently guide him to get him to fully express his point of view.

After a somewhat difficult examination, Ke Qing had already formed her judgment, so she stopped thinking about it and nodded slightly.

"Alright, Mingbo, thank you for your explanation."

Ke Qing's gaze immediately turned to the doorway, her voice returning to its usual businesslike calm, but seemingly afraid of startling Mingbo, her tone unconsciously softened.

"Thank you for your trouble, Mingbo. Please call in the next candidate, Zhiyi."

Mingbo felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly stood up, his movements somewhat flustered. He hurriedly bowed, then turned and left the room almost as if he were fleeing, leaving behind a lingering tension in the air and Keqing's silent sigh.

Uncle Tian is really getting old; what kind of people is he recommending?! (End of Chapter)