Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

As Fanes emerged from the valley in the twilight, he glanced up towards Mondstadt—the city lights were already on, lighting up one by one in the windows closest to the outer wall, like a slowly ignited line curving along the wall towards the city gate. He walked along the main road for a while, where he was recognized by the knights on duty at the city gate, who let him pass without asking any questions.

As the city gate slowly closed behind him, a low, grating sound of wood rubbing together, mixed with the creaking of iron components pressing against each other, echoed from near to far.

The first thing Faenes did after entering the city was to go to the Fools' temporary office in Mondstadt. The place was not as conspicuous as the official buildings of the Winter Solstice; it was more like an inconspicuous old building in some alley. The walls were light gray, the window frames were painted dark, and the signboard at the door was hung two inches lower than the shops next to it, with smaller font size, which was a deliberate choice of a low-key location.

When Fanes pushed open the door, the lights were still on inside, and several open folders and several lit terminal panels were spread out on the tabletops.

A civilian officer from the Fools was sitting behind a desk at the back, organizing documents. When he saw him come in, he immediately stood up, saluted, and handed him a few sheets of paper and a financial statement.

"Sir, this is the account summary for this quarter. We have completed the cross-checking and classification of the material purchase records and corresponding expenditure approval forms that you previously asked us to verify. This is the summary report."

Fanes took the papers and flipped through them, his gaze sweeping over the lines of numbers one by one, his fingertip lingering on the edge of one line.

"Trade revenue in Mondstadt this quarter is down by about three percent compared to last quarter. Several transport stations around Mondstadt have reported similar shortfalls, which likely originate from a secondary supply chain that is being disrupted. Once this line is cleared, we will begin reassessing the scheduling of the smaller shipping routes north of Mondstadt next week."

The officer responded and jotted down a few notes on the terminal panel. Fanes placed the report on the table and was about to turn and walk into the inner room when the door behind him was pushed open from the outside. The sound of the hinges turning was soft, but the rhythm was neither fast nor slow—Fanes knew who it was without turning around.

Rosalind leaned against the doorframe, a dark coat draped over her shoulders, the collar revealing the edge of her light-colored shirt underneath. She seemed to have been waiting nearby for his arrival. "You're much faster than I expected. You came all the way from Fontainebleau and immediately started looking at the ledgers without even stopping?"

Fanes turned to look at her: "The sooner you review the accounts, the less trouble you'll have. How's the diplomatic situation going on your end?"

Rosalyn walked into the room, pulled up a chair and sat down at the table, her posture exuding a relaxed air that she had practiced countless times in diplomatic settings.

"The communication channels between the major trading houses and knightly orders in Mondstadt are currently running smoothly. The negotiation framework for several smaller territories in the north has been established; they want to expand their trade routes, but the existing agreements are too restrictive. As for Fontaine, you should know better than I do—your relationship with the Water God has softened Fontaine's attitude towards the Fools at the grassroots level. This alone can reduce a lot of our diplomatic obstacles."

Fanes sat down opposite her: "Even if you've softened your stance, the terms still need to be discussed. Is the military's attitude still the same?"

Rosalind picked up the now-cold cup of tea on the table, took a sip, and put it down again: "The person who confronted me last time has suddenly changed his tone these past few days. He must have confirmed the current state of industrial capacity and equipment reserves in Zhidong. If the subsequent talks don't involve too many specific terms, they won't actively interrupt the negotiation process."

Fanes leaned back in his chair: "Then let's proceed at your chosen pace. You handle diplomacy, and I'll handle the economy and military. As long as the division of labor remains clear, progress won't be slow."

Rosalind stood up from her chair and walked to the window, pushing it open. The night breeze blew in, carrying the smell of cooking fires from the city at dinnertime. "I heard that your methods in Sumeru were even more ruthless than mine. Rumor has it that after you brought the aircraft carrier to the gates of Omos Port, the Order of the Church didn't dare let any merchant ships go out to sea for a month."

Fañez leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on a corner of the ceiling, as if he were measuring something back and forth on the same plane, using the missing corner trim as a reference point.

"Economic lifelines are more effective than military deterrence. Sending an aircraft carrier there might frighten them for a year at most, but if you can shut down their ports for three months, they'll remember it for ten years. The former only earns short-term compliance, while the latter will make them actively adjust their course. So now I prefer to use the former to pave the way and keep the latter as my last resort. As long as this trump card is strong enough, all the previous confrontations will become controllable."

Rosalyn stood by the window without turning around: "If you use this tactic too often, you'll be treated as a number one threat in any country you go to in the future."

Fanes adjusted his posture slightly, his gaze falling on his interlaced knuckles: "That's better than being treated like a pushover. There's no third option between these two."

There was a knock on the door. The knocking was faster than a normal announcement. Before Fanes could respond, a soldier pushed the door open and entered, standing two steps inside before speaking.

"My lord, several Fatui outposts on the outskirts of Mondstadt have just reported a situation—signs of Abyss Mage activity have been detected around a temporary base approximately 25 kilometers to the southeast. Preliminary assessments indicate that at least two mage units have appeared multiple times in the area surrounding the base. They have not yet made contact with our facilities, but their activity patterns have intentionally bypassed the coverage of regular patrol routes."

After listening, Fanes stood up from his chair and walked to the window to stand next to Rosalind. He was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Lead the way. I'll go take a look."

As he reached the door, Fanes turned back to look at Rosalyn. "Keep an eye on the accounts here, and keep track of the progress of the investigation into that broken supply chain. Write a briefing and send it to me as soon as possible."

Rosalyn nodded slightly as she leaned against the windowsill. Fanes didn't linger and turned to follow the messenger soldier out the door.

It was late at night when Fanes arrived. A thin mist hung over the woods around the outpost, and moonlight filtered through the mist, casting a soft glow on the ground.

The messenger led him around the furthest perimeter post of the base, stopping about fifty paces from the edge. He pointed to a slightly elevated, gentle slope ahead: "Our patrol found the traces here. The dryness of the ground is different from the surrounding area—it's clear that some elemental force has dried the surface moisture in the shallow layers. The height above the ground also matches the typical height at which an Abyss Mage levitates, about half a hand's width above an average adult's knee."

Fanes crouched down to examine the direction of the curled leaves along the edge of the dried ground, then walked a few steps further along the dried marks and stopped next to an old tree with drooping branches.

There is a shallow scratch on the middle of the trunk near the fork, as if something hard had accidentally rubbed against the bark.

Fanes reached out and touched the wood grain along the edge of the mark, then turned back to look at the soldier who was still waiting for his instructions.

"Notify nearby outposts to raise the alert level and recalibrate patrol routes in the surrounding area, instructing patrols to bypass this area and avoid direct contact. If they come again, you only need to determine whether they are detouring or probing. If you discover a pattern in their movement in a certain direction, just record it; there's no need to get too close."

The soldier received his instructions, turned around, and walked quickly along the forest path. His footsteps were gradually absorbed by the mist and disappeared into the distance.

Fañez didn't rush to leave. He sat down at the base of the old tree, leaning against the rough trunk, his gaze fixed on the dewdrops slowly sliding down the edges of the leaves, as if waiting for something to emerge from the mist, and confirming that he was ready to receive it before it revealed its outline.