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

When Akoda entered the reception room, Nefer was already inside.

The reception room wasn't large, and the radiator in the corner was humming softly, keeping the room at a comfortable temperature.

Nefert sat in the chair by the window, a cup of tea on the table that hadn't been touched yet, with a thin wisp of almost invisible steam rising from the rim.

Nefer was wearing a dark gray coat, the collar of which wasn't tied too tightly, revealing a small section of the edge of her lighter-colored inner layer, as if she had deliberately let it show a little more.

Her hair was green, draped over her shoulders, with a few strands reaching the edge of the chair back. The ends of her hair shone with a natural sheen in the light, falling onto the fabric of the cushion and spreading out along the grain. She didn't deliberately tuck it behind her ears; it just hung there.

When she looked up at the sound of the door opening, Nefer's gaze first fell on the doorway before shifting to the figure walking towards her.

Yakoda entered at a leisurely pace. She wasn't wearing the Fatui's standard overcoat, but instead a dark short jacket that allowed for easy movement. A short bow and several spare quivers hung at her waist. The bow's arm was made of a matte material that didn't reflect much light in the reception room.

Yakoda walked over and sat down opposite Nefer, pushed the clean teacup on the table toward herself, poured herself a cup, took a sip, and placed the cup on the coaster. The whole process was as natural as if she were entertaining a guest in her own living room.

Yakoda turned to look at Nefer: "You chose the location and the time. That's fine, but the rest of the process will follow our rules."

Nefer leaned back in her chair, not touching the half-cold tea, but looking at Akoda and speaking.

"When you say 'rules,' do you mean the ones that are already written in the documents and have been reviewed by both parties, or the ones that haven't been written in the documents and need to be confirmed in person?"

Yakoda placed the teacup back on the coaster, her fingertips still on the rim: "Both. The documents are to let you know there's a framework to follow. The face-to-face confirmation is to let you know who will implement that framework."

Yakoda raised her gaze slightly. "When will your Secret Archives be operational next to the training facilities?"

Nefert sat by the window, still leaning back in her chair: "The site has been selected. Site leveling and equipment installation will take about two weeks. Connecting with information sources and initial verification will take another week."

Yakoda nodded, as if verifying a pre-estimated timeframe: "Three weeks. Okay. Have you confirmed the protocol for the monitoring network's data synchronization interface?"

Nefer reached for the now-cold teacup, then put it down without drinking. "The interface protocol has been confirmed. The specifications your technical department sent are compatible with the core data structure of the system I'm using, but the format of a few fields needs adjustment. I've already fixed it and will send an updated version to your people later."

Yakoda picked up the teapot and poured herself another half cup, then put the teapot back in its place. "Alright. There's one more question—do you have any sources who can access Liyue's intelligence channels?"

As she asked the question, Nefert lightly pressed her finger on the armrest of the chair, a very small movement, as if she were using the slender edge of the armrest as a fulcrum to place a piece of text that had not yet been placed in her sequence: "There are some channels. But we need to confirm the specific type of information and the entry point before we can determine whether it can be initiated."

Yakoda held the half-full cup of tea without drinking, her gaze lingering on the shadowy figure slowly moving along the rim of the cup. She paused for a moment and said, "The type is not limited. Anyone who has access to Liyue's intelligence channels is within our consideration. You just need to confirm who is on that line and where that line originates."

Nefert sat opposite her, still leaning back in her chair: "Then you should know that this level of intervention is not cheap."

Yakoda placed the teacup back on the coaster: "The land has already been given to you. That was part of the cost anyway. If you think it's not enough, you can make another request."

Nefer tilted her head slightly, as if to re-examine the person sitting in front of her from this subtle angle.

Nefer remained seated with her back to the window, her shoulders slightly sloping, like a tree branch bent by the wind slowly springing back: "I heard you came from Nordkare. The weather there should be colder than in winter."

Yakoda's facial expression didn't change, but she slightly adjusted the position of her fingers on the table: "Cold is relative. If you stay there for too long, you'll find it too warm to go anywhere else."

Nefert moved slightly: "I lived there for a while too. In winter, the windows would be covered with a thick layer of frost, and you had to water them with warm water every morning before you could open them."

Yakoda leaned back in her chair, her gaze fixed on her face. "You just said you went to Nordkare. When you lived there, did you encounter a large, greyish-white bird? It often perches on the rooftops and molts in the spring. If you lived there for a while, you should have seen it."

Nefer's smile froze at the corner of her mouth: "...I have indeed seen it before."

Yakoda picked up the cup of tea that had been refilled and took a sip: "That's good. I thought you were going in the wrong direction."

Yakoda placed the cup back on the table with steady movements, her fingertips completing a full circle around the rim of the cup, as if using it as the conclusion of a sentence.

Nefert sat opposite her, her tea still untouched. She looked at Yakoda, as if using this moment of silence to assess whether her information hierarchy and tracking precision matched her rank: "You mean, you already know where I came from?"

Yakoda put down her teacup and leaned back in her chair. "Not all of them, but I know the general location. You just mentioned the ice flowers forming on the windows of Nordkale in winter. I saw a similar description in the Fools' internal files—but not as a climate record, but as part of a filed personnel profile. That profile said 'Confirmed to have left the organization, no longer under investigation.' But since you remember what the ice flowers looked like, it means that the filed version of that document might not be entirely accurate."

Nefer didn't adjust her posture, nor did she touch the now-cold teacup. A moment of silence fell over the reception room.

Yakoda remained leaning back in her chair, her gaze never leaving Nefer's face, as if waiting for a signal from a known direction that had already been scheduled. Then she nodded slightly.

"Okay, let's proceed at this pace. The land is yours, and you're in charge of the monitoring network, but data synchronization must be done according to my standards. If you encounter any issues requiring coordination during the information source integration process, contact me directly via my private contact number; do not go through intermediaries. This rule only applies between you and me."

Nefer picked up the now-cold teacup, took a sip, and then put it back on the table: "Okay."

Yakoda stood up. She didn't stand up quickly, but she was taller than Nefertari when she was sitting, and the light from the window was completely blocked behind her, making the area where Nefertari was half a degree darker than before.

Yakoda glanced down at her, her gaze neither adding anything nor lingering for any longer, more like confirming that the last item on their task lists had been checked: "Then it's settled."

Yakoda turned and walked towards the door. When she reached the door, she pushed it open, paused as she stepped over the threshold, and glanced at Nefer.

"Oh, by the way. If you see those birds next time you go back to Nordkale, please give them my regards. But I still hope I can go there and see them in person."

(Subtext: If you don't mind, I can come find you myself!)

-

In the original storyline, Yakoda was Nefer's underling and a workaholic in the Secret Chamber.

The current Yakoda is an executor of the Fatui, and a member of the Fatui who has undergone epic-level enhancement. She possesses power comparable to a demon god, and in her unleashed state, she can defeat Oser at his peak. She also has room for future growth.