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

Fanes: They don't really see me as a free babysitter!

Alice: Bringing one is the same as bringing two! Bringing one more won't be a problem. I'm going to play now.

-

Fañez sat at an outdoor table in the Deer Hunter's Restaurant, with a plate of freshly served scones and a steaming glass of milk in front of him.

As Fanes was drizzling honey over a pancake, he caught a glimpse of a small red figure beside him.

Claire, carrying her small backpack, pulled out the chair opposite him, climbed up on all fours, sat down, placed the backpack on her lap, put her hands on the edge of the table, and looked up at him.

Phanes' honey jar hung in mid-air for a few seconds before being lowered.

"No...where's your mom?"

Fanes put down the honey jar and looked at her.

Keli took a half-eaten apple out of the side pocket of her backpack and placed it on the table: "Mom said I can just follow behind you."

Claire took a bite of the apple, chewed it twice, and swallowed it. "She said you would take good care of me."

Fanes leaned back in his chair, watching her as his gaze swept over her backpack, the apple in her hand, and the table: "...I'm speechless."

Keli continued munching on the apple, then placed the core on the corner of the table. She took out a sketchbook from her backpack, flipped to a certain page, and looked down at it, as if she had already confirmed her schedule for the day.

Fañes sat opposite him, cut the waffle, took a sip of milk, thought for a moment, and then asked, "So, what are your plans for today?"

Claire looked up from the picture book: "There's no special plan. Mom said I can just go with you, and you'll definitely take me to fun places."

Fanes thought for a moment and said, "Then you stay close to me. Don't be alone with that person next to you."

Klee followed his gaze and glanced at the little milkman sitting at a table away. He was looking down, adjusting the tension of his folding knife's axis with a thin wire.

Upon hearing Fanes's words, he put the wire back in his pocket, closed the folding knife, and put it back in his pocket: "I have no interest in children's toys."

Keli closed the picture book and looked at the little girl: "How old are you?"

The little girl tilted her head slightly: "Eight years old."

Klee nodded. "I'm eight too. Then why are you sitting over there by yourself? Aren't you going to come and sit with me?"

The little girl leaned back in her chair: "Because I'm used to sitting in a spot where I can see both the doorway and the kitchen entrance at the same time."

Claire thought for a moment: "That's a good habit. I also like to sit where I can see all the doors, so if someone wants to come in, I can prepare in advance and hide things."

Fanes interrupted her: "There is nothing to hide."

After they finished eating, they walked along the street for about ten minutes and stopped in front of a newly built children's water park.

The sign at the entrance has a light blue background with the words "Mondstadt Summer Park" written in white lettering. Several strings of colorful windmills, swaying gently in the wind, hang on either side of the wooden frame below the sign.

A small line had already formed at the entrance, mostly families with children and groups of young adventurers. The line moved at a moderate pace.

Keli leaned on the railing next to the ticket window and peered inside for a while: "The water inside is blue, just like the pictures I've seen in books."

The little milk tablet stood next to Fanes: "The water in this park uses a circulating filtration system, drawing water from the river next door and then returning it. If it were a completely closed circulation system, its maintenance costs would be higher than they appear."

Fanes glanced at him: "Your main task today is to play in the water. Don't do the water quality analysis at the ticket office."

The little milk tablet turned its gaze away from the water: "Understood. Today we'll only be doing water activities. The water quality analysis will be postponed until tomorrow."

After they entered the park, Klee immediately rushed to the shallow water area near the entrance.

There weren't many people there. Several inflatable, colorful rings floated on the water, with slides and water spray devices around the edges. Claire tentatively put one foot into the water, then squatted down, the water reaching above her knees.

Klee stood up, shook the water off her legs, and gave a satisfied look: "The water temperature is just right. Unlike the stream near my house, where I have to wait half a minute to get used to it before I can stand up."

Fanes stood at the edge of the shallow water, his gaze shifting back and forth between Klee and the little milk tablet—the little milk tablet was squatting in a calmer area on the outer edge of the shallow water, using a thin twig to poke at the pebbles beneath the surface.

Klee had already run from the shallow end to the entrance of the water slide, and turned back to call out to Fanes, "Big brother! Can I play on this?"

Fanes stood up from the water's edge: "Sure. Just keep your balance while sliding down."

Klee climbed to the top of the slide, sat at the entrance of the slide, adjusted her posture, gripped the handrails on both sides, and then relaxed and slid down.

The slide wasn't very curved. She bounced at the bottom of the slide and landed in the shallow water below, splashing a small amount of water.

Klee floated to the surface, wiped the water off her face, and gave Fanes a thumbs-up: "Fun!"

As Fanes stood on the shore, about to respond, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a figure beside the circular fountain in the center of the park.

The figure, dressed in a huge, round, dark blue mascot costume and wearing a round headdress with a smiling face on it, was squatting on the edge of the pool, using gloves to adjust the direction of a rubber duck that was floating by.

When it turned around, the fabric on the side wrinkled slightly, revealing the outline of a small section of scales below its tail.

Fanes took a few steps in that direction, stopped a few steps away, tilted his head for a couple of seconds, and then said, "Little Black?"

The mascot raised its head, its expression hidden behind the thick hood, but it clearly paused for a moment. Then it raised a huge glove and pointed to the nameplate hanging on its chest, which read "Mascot Little Blue".

Fanes continued looking at it: "When did you start working here?"

The mascot paused for a moment, then turned around, facing the fountain, like a program silently executing its final instructions, tucking its bent tail into the seam of the fabric behind it, no longer responding to any questions.

Klee, still dripping wet, ran over from the edge of the pool and stopped next to Fanes, looking up at the large, round ball dressed as a mascot: "It moves! What kind of animal is it?"

Fanes glanced down at her: "It's a dragon."

Klee's eyes lit up: "A dragon? Like the kind that breathes fire?"

As Klee spoke, she approached the mascot and poked its round belly.

After feeling the touch of that finger through the thick cloth, Black hesitated for a moment, then raised a huge blue glove and gently touched the top of Klee's head, controlling the force even more gently than when it was shrunk.

Klee froze in place after being touched, only regaining her footing after a short while. She looked up at Fanes and asked, "Does it have a name?"

Fanes said, "Its name is Little Black."

Klee's expression was as if she were confirming a detail: "But it's not black. It's blue now. The name doesn't match its current state."

Fanes: "It's black. Just wearing blue overalls."

Klee thought for a moment, "Then is it very good at breathing fire? Can it breathe out colored flames?"

Xiao Hei tilted its headgear slightly, as if confirming information at that subtle angle, and then shook its head.

Little Milk Tablet also walked over at this moment. He stopped three steps away from the mascot and observed its outline.

"The design of this outfit has openings at the joints, presumably to allow the wearer to perform basic movements inside."

Fanes turned and glanced at him: "It's working now, don't discuss its costume design. Don't turn this vacation into a field trip."

The little girl looked away: "Understood. We won't discuss clothing design today. Nor will we discuss water quality monitoring."

Klee looked up at Blackie: "How long have you been working here? Are you paid by the hour?"

Little Black didn't make a sound through the thick hood, but it stretched out a blue glove and gestured a number—three.

After thinking for a moment, Keli concluded, "Then you're doing it part-time."

Fanes sat down on a bench by the fountain: "Your main task is to enjoy the operation and opening schedule of the water facilities here, not to check a little black man's schedule on the shore."