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

Phanes rolled over, buried his face in the hard pillow provided by the Nodcalai Fools' base, closed his eyes and counted three hundred sheep, then three hundred reindeer, which were unique to the winter ice fields, before finally opening his eyes.

He couldn't sleep. He dozed off at the table during a meeting during the day, and then slumped on the sofa for another nap when he had nothing to do. The two naps combined were longer than the amount of time he actually slept at night. Now he was so energetic that he could run around Nordkalley three times.

The snow was still falling outside the window, and the white moonlight shone through the frosted glass, casting a silvery sheen on the floor in front of the bed.

Fanes sat up in bed, put on the executive officer's coat, and quietly pushed open the door.

The Fools' base in Nordcale was much smaller than the Winter Palace. Only a few dim crystal lamps lit the corridors, their glow spreading in concentric circles and casting blurry shadows on the walls. The soldiers on night watch saw him emerge and bowed slightly in salute. Phanes waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be bothered, and walked towards the gate on his own.

The air outside was bitterly cold; his breath condensed instantly into a puff of white mist. Fanes walked slowly along the street, his neck hunched, the snow crunching under his feet. The night in Nordkalé was quiet; most shops were closed, with only a few windows occasionally casting a warm yellow light.

As Fanes turned a street corner, he saw a little girl.

She squatted on the steps of a closed grocery store by the roadside, her hands supporting her chin, looking up at the sky. Moonlight fell on her face, and Fanes noticed her eyes—eyes that sparkled like stars, with tiny bright spots moving in the pupils, as if they contained the entire night sky.

Her hair was light gold, gleaming softly in the moonlight. A cat-ear-shaped hat sat askew on her head, with a small pair of goggles hanging from the brim.

Fanes stopped in his tracks.

Having read many novels and game settings in my past life, my knowledge base always spins particularly fast at times like this—the one with a moon pattern in its eyes is the moon god, the one with a sun pattern in its eyes is the fire god, and the one with a star pattern in its eyes… isn’t that the star god?

Fanes had never seen a living star god in his life.

Adhering to the principle of "if you see it, you can't miss it," Fanes straightened his coat, strode over, stopped at the bottom of the steps, and looked up with what he thought was a very friendly smile: "Little sister, what's your name?"

The little girl looked down at him. Her starry eyes were even more noticeable up close, with something flickering deep within her pupils, but her expression was calm, calmer than that of a child squatting alone on the street late at night.

She looked Fanes up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment on his coat and the adorable little snow fox on his chest, before she spoke.

"Two thousand Mora."

Fanes blinked.

"……what?"

The little girl held up two fingers, speaking with an air of self-assurance as if she were selling some exclusive information, "My name is Two Thousand Mora."

Fanes remained silent for three seconds.

In this life—and in both my previous and current lives combined—I've encountered all sorts of reasons for asking for money. In my past life, a conman would say, "I lost my wallet, can I borrow some money for transportation?" Even when Vashe was threatened by him in this life, I didn't dare ask him for money.

But the little girl in front of him, who looked no more than seven or eight years old, was squatting on the street in the middle of the night, staring at him with starry eyes, and demanding two thousand Mora before she would give him her name.

There was only one word in Fanes' mind.

six.

But Fanes still reached into his coat pocket and felt around. Rosalind had slipped him a small bag of pocket money yesterday, a little over three thousand mores, saying, "A child always needs a little money for emergencies." Fanes counted out two thousand and handed it over.

The little girl took the money bag, weighed it in her hand, and then neatly stuffed it into her pocket. She stood up from the steps, patted the snow off her skirt, and cleared her throat.

"My name is Yakoda."

As Fanes looked at the little girl in front of him with light blonde hair, a cat-ear hat, and starry eyes, a string of information suddenly flashed through his mind.

Yakoda. Nordkale. The Secret Chamber. Isn't this the girl he saw in various strategy guides and fan art in his previous life... the girl who would be busy running around in the Secret Chamber in the future, and who was called a "workaholic" by the players?

He remembered that Yakoda later became the only official employee of the Secrets House, a treasure hunter who called himself a legendary bounty hunter.

Although she usually seems reckless and clumsy, spending her days chasing scammers on the rooftop or sitting dejectedly at the door letting her cat play with her hair, she is surprisingly reliable when something really happens.

Looking at the young girl in front of him, who hadn't grown up yet, a clear thought popped into his mind: turn her around.

He turned to work for himself. He's now the twelfth seat of the Fatui, and he's going to Liyue to establish a base. It would be too lonely for him to go alone.

Having more helpers is always a good thing, and Yakoda is going to be a workhorse for the Secret House in the future. If we don't take advantage of her now, she won't be around to do it when she grows up.

Fanes flashed a standard, bright smile, like a six-year-old. "Yakoda, what are you doing squatting here all alone at night?"

Yakoda tucked the bag of money further inside, her starry eyes blinking: "Waiting for business."

"What kind of business?"

"We do all kinds of business."

Yakoda counted on her fingers, "Finding people, finding things, gathering information, running errands... the boss calls this 'accumulating customer resources'."

Fanes didn't know who Sister Nai was, but she sounded like someone like her boss. He crouched down, trying to get eye to eye with Yakoda: "Then how about you consider changing jobs? Room and board included, excellent pay, no need to squat in the snow waiting for business."

Yakoda tilted her head, causing her cat-ear hat to sway slightly, and her goggles to tap softly against the brim. Her starry eyes swept over Fanes, a shrewdness beyond her years in them.

"You look younger than me," she said.

"I'm six and a half years old," Fanes said confidently.

I am eight years old.

Yakoda's tone carried a hint of superiority, as if to say, "I'm older than you, so I'm smarter." "Can you afford to hire me?"

Fanes pulled out the remaining thousand or so Mora from his vest pocket and waved it around. Akoda's eyes—those already sparkling eyes—shone even brighter.

"I can afford it."

Fanes put the money back in his pocket, clapped his hands, and said, "How about it? Work for me. From now on, I'll provide food and lodging, and even pocket money."

Yakoda thought for about two seconds, then held out a hand: "Pay a one-month deposit first."

Fanes stared at the small hand outstretched in front of him and remained silent for a moment.

Fanes suddenly felt like he was negotiating a contract with a miniature businessman. And this future workaholic with those starry eyes, at only eight years old, had already learned the "pay a deposit before you start working" trick. What will she be like when she grows up?

But Fanes still reached out and grasped Jakoda's hand.

"make a deal."

Jakoda nodded in satisfaction, then jumped down from the steps and stood next to Fanes. She was more than half a head taller than him, and her starry eyes sparkled as she looked down at him.

"Boss, where are we going now?"

Faenes looked up at the night sky over Nordcale; the moon hung behind the clouds, and snowflakes continued to fall at a leisurely pace. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and began to walk towards the Fools' base.

"Go back to sleep first. Come find me at the Fools' headquarters tomorrow morning."