Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

Famas looked at Zhiyi's scrutinizing gaze, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes.

It contains both a numbness to the erased past and a clear understanding of the current predicament.

The boy's voice was deep, as if stating a self-evident fact. He tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of impatience:

"Whether it is Halpas or Famas, the names I have spoken are true; they are the marks I leave on the world, regardless of whether the records exist."

FAMAS's jawline tightened slightly, his tone carrying a detached indifference that seemed to accept the futility of the situation.

"You've searched through all of Liyue's ancient texts and still found nothing. That result is the answer in itself. Adding more names and stories would only be repeating the same answer."

"They, along with the era that carried them, have been lost to time."

Famas took a step forward, closing the distance between himself and Zhiyi. The invisible pressure did not come from divine power, but rather from a sense of oppression brought about by focused concentration.

"Zhiyi, now is not the time to dwell on who I am."

Famas's gaze was fixed on the other person, his words clear and direct, carrying a sense of urgency.

"You should be most worried about Keqing and that traveler. They are like hunting dogs that have caught their prey and will not let go easily. The deeper they investigate, the closer they get to your secret."

“If you let them investigate further, all your plans—the poisoner, framing the fools, vying for power on Tian Shu Star… all these meticulously designed steps will burn to ashes like dry tinder.”

Zhiyi's face remained as calm as ice, but his pupils contracted slightly for a moment.

Famas's words precisely struck at his deepest anxieties. Keqing's persistence and the Traveler's ability to disrupt things were indeed among the few loopholes in his plan.

The young man nodded slowly, his movement concise and powerful.

"You're absolutely right."

Zhiyi's voice remained steady, but each word carried weight. He then raised his eyes and refocused his gaze on Famas without the slightest formality.

"Then it's up to you now, Lord Famas."

Zhiyi narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile curving his lips, conveying scrutiny and urging.

"The fact that you are standing here as one of the selection examiners, regardless of whether your identity is real or fake, shows that you have connections and ways to influence the situation."

"Since it's a collaboration, you should at least show some sincerity by stopping them, interfering with their investigation, slowing them down, or simply diverting their attention."

The young man paused, letting the pressure in the air solidify for a moment, before throwing out his chip.

"I keep my word. As long as I sit in the position of Tian Shu Star and obtain the power I desire..."

"At that time, whatever you want, whatever that promise you made, whatever it may be, as long as it's within my power, I will help you achieve it!"

Zhiyi finally stood up, leaned forward slightly, and brought his face close to Famas.

The safe house was deathly silent.

The exchange of power is laid bare, cold and direct.

Zhiyi is waiting for Famas to actually step in for that vague yet tempting promise and become his tool for clearing obstacles.

Faced with Zhiyi's relentless urging and the face that was gradually approaching due to burning ambition, Famas raised an eyebrow strangely.

On that face, which leaned towards a youthful physique, a look of curiosity rather than confusion appeared.

Especially when the knowledgeable approaches, subtle differences in body shape become apparent.

FAMAS's thin shoulders were even more than half a head shorter than Zhiyi's. At this moment, being looked down at by the other party with a sense of oppression, this unprecedented perspective made FAMAS feel somewhat novel.

After all, throughout the long course of history, he had always stood atop the clouds or the abyss, looking down upon the masses below, who scurried about like ants. This experience of being pressured from above with such a strong sense of purpose was truly something he had never encountered before.

"Delaying time is not difficult."

FAMAS's voice returned to its almost indifferent calm, revealing no emotional fluctuations.

He slid back half a step with remarkable ease, like a cloud avoiding a mountain rock, widening the distance between them once more. His eyes met Zhiyi's directly, without the slightest hint of evasion or embarrassment, only a pure statement.

"But I can't guarantee I'll be able to distract them all, especially that stubborn Yuheng Keqing."

Famas's gaze was calm as still water, clearly reflecting the sharpness in Zhiyi's eyes.

"Besides, the traces and flaws you left behind cannot withstand repeated scrutiny and verification. Not to mention Keqing and the Traveler... even experienced merchants in the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor can detect the strangeness by following the clues."

Upon hearing Famas's words, Zhiyi's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

The young man ruthlessly exposed the hidden dangers he knew about but deliberately ignored, the rough edges that had to be left behind in pursuit of efficiency and could not be completely smoothed out.

He was not unaware of these problems, but time was of the essence, so he could only gamble on the time difference and the subsequent crushing power.

A brief silence spread through the safe house. Zhiyi's fingertips unconsciously twitched inside his sleeve before returning to stillness.

The young man nodded to FAMAS, a gesture that conveyed both a calm acceptance of reality and a resolute, all-or-nothing decision.

"enough."

Zhiyi's voice was resolute.

"Once Uncle Tian dies, it won't matter how far Ke Qing's investigation has progressed."

When Zhiyi uttered those words, the flame of ambition in his eyes burned with an astonishing intensity.

When he learned from Famas the truth that Tian Shu Xing had never truly trusted him from beginning to end, it was like a poisoned seed taking root and sprouting in his heart. Now it finally broke through the soil and was no longer concealed.

"As long as Uncle Tian dies suddenly, the rules and inertia of Liyue will push for the immediate filling of the position of Tian Shu Star, and the program will become my greatest cover."

Zhiyi's lips curled into a cold smile, as if he could already see himself standing on the clouds of Liyue, manipulating events and turning the world upside down. His ruthless confidence in using the rules and manipulating people's hearts was already obvious.

"In the face of established power, a few discordant noises can always be made to seem reasonable, or buried in the noise of a bigger clamor."

"There is no time to lose, Your Excellency Famas."

"We'll set off immediately."

The flames in Zhiyi's eyes did not subside; on the contrary, they burned even more intensely and focusedly because of the clear objective.

He stopped testing the waters and even gave direct orders to FAMAS, like a gambler betting his last card, clearly stating the weight of his stakes.

"If you can buy me two more days, then the promise you ask for, and the power I desire... everything will be as we wish."

Zhiyi's voice lowered, and he gave a precise time limit, which was the crucial window he needed to deliver the final, fatal blow.

Famas had already turned and left through the passageway, leaving Zhiyi only with his back and the echoing sound:
"I will try my best to help you, Zhiyi."

"I hope you won't regret your decision now."

Famas's voice gradually faded away, while Zhiyi watched Famas's departing figure with an unreadable expression.

He never regretted it. For someone like him, only by abandoning everything could he realize his ideals and ambitions. (End of Chapter)