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

During his stroll through Mondstadt these past few days, Fanes noticed a distinct difference in the atmosphere of the streets. The lines outside bakeries were longer than before, and several newly opened shops were under renovation; the signs weren't even up yet, and workers had already erected scaffolding to paint the exteriors.

Several souvenir stalls have appeared in the square, with people selling handkerchiefs printed with the outline of the Wind Dragon Ruins and coasters printed with windmill patterns.

Fanes leaned against the old oak tree at the city gate and watched for a while. Rosalind was standing in front of the bakery next door, holding a paper bag with two freshly baked buttered breads in her hand. She was eating as she walked. When she saw Fanes standing under the tree, she went over and gave him one of the breads.

"Mondstadt's tax returns have increased significantly recently. The wine exports from Dawn Estate have also reached a new high. With the addition of tourism revenue, Jean can finally stop worrying about the books every day."

Fanes took the bread and took a bite: "That's good. It shows that the Knights have chosen the right direction; tourism can indeed bring in cash flow."

Rosalind stopped beside him, her gaze falling on the crowd queuing to buy souvenirs in the square: "However, these days probably won't last much longer."

Rosalind lowered her voice, "I received news that Dvalin has awakened. And something is wrong with it—the power of the Abyss is eroding it. The news is still under control, but at the current rate of spread, it will begin to have a visible impact on the environment around Mondstadt in a month or two at most."

Fanes slowed his chewing: "Dvalin's awake? And in the way that's been corrupted by the abyss?"

Rosalyn took a bite of bread: "According to eyewitness reports, its flight path was different from before, and it left a dark residue along the way. Some areas near its flight path have already begun to show signs of vegetation withering."

Fanes put down the bread: "That means the travelers are coming soon."

Rosalind turned to look at him: "A traveler?"

Fanes took another bite of bread: "An outsider. It's uncertain when she'll arrive, but it should be soon. She's here to resolve the Tvalin issue."

Fanes swallowed the bread in his mouth. "But before that, we need to think about how to arrange this time."

Rosalyn folded the top of the paper bag containing the bread she was holding. "What are you planning to do?"

Fanes leaned against the curve of the tree trunk: "Let's observe for a few days and see if there's a fixed pattern to Tvalin's movements. If there is, we can adjust the patrol routes and observation points in advance. We'll decide what to do when the travelers arrive."

When Fanes returned to the top floor of the Goethe Hotel, the little boy was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the balcony, with an old notebook half-read on his knees and a pen in his hand. He didn't look up when he heard Fanes push the door open and come in.

"Dvalin has appeared three times around Mondstadt. The first time was southeast of the Windrise, the second time was on the edge of Whispering Woods, and the third time was closer to the windbreak forest on the outskirts of the city."

Fanes closed the balcony door and sat down next to him: "Your information comes quickly. Rosalind just mentioned this to me, and you've already recorded the flight path for the third time."

Little Milk added another line to the notebook: "The straight-line distance between Whispering Woods and Windrise is approximately twenty-five kilometers. Based on the intervals between its first three appearances, its patrol radius has not increased with the number of times it appears; on the contrary, it is gradually shrinking. If this trend continues, its next appearance will be closer to Mondstadt."

Fañez leaned against the balcony railing: "Then Mondstadt's tourism industry will probably be affected."

The little girl closed her notebook, turned to look at Fanes, and said, "You said the traveler is coming soon. Is she the Descendant you mentioned before?"

Fañes leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant ridgeline darkening in the twilight: "Yes."

The little boy sat on the edge of the balcony, his hands resting on his knees, a speck of ink still stained the edges of his fingernails. "May I go see that descendant?" he asked.

The little milk tablet paused for a moment. "Don't worry, I'm just observing. Observing the behavior patterns and characteristics of an Invader can serve as a reference sample for subsequent research."

Fanes sat on the edge of the balcony for a while: "Alright. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to see that descendant. When she arrives, where she'll go first, whether she'll stay in Mondstadt—these are all unknowns, so I can't give you any guarantees in advance."

The little girl nodded: "We'll see. If I have the chance to see her, I'll observe her as planned. If I don't, it won't affect my current work schedule."

Fanes stood up and pushed open the balcony door, stopping before crossing the threshold: "If we have the chance to meet, how do you plan to observe her?"

The little girl stood up and followed him into the room, saying, "Keep your distance."

Fanes walked into the room and sat down on the sofa: "Then it's settled for now."

Two days later, Fanes was sitting on the stone bench at the city gate when he heard people in the square talking about things like "the ticket price at the Wind Dragon Ruins seems to have been reduced." But the sound was quickly drowned out by a commotion approaching from afar—a person was running along the street toward the city gate, his steps hurried, glancing back as he ran, as if confirming the completeness of some impression.

Fanes stood up from the stone bench and looked towards the end of the street. There was nothing unusual there yet, but he noticed that one of the windmills in the row along the street was not aligned with the wind direction. Its blades were turning slowly at an angle that did not match the wind speed, as if being pushed by an unseen hand toward the beginning of another trajectory.

A while later, news came from the square that Dvalin had appeared on the outskirts of Whispering Forest.

The flight altitude was lower than before, leaving a longer, dark contrail. Fanes stood for a moment, then walked along the street towards the Goethe Hotel. As he rounded the bakery entrance, he saw Little Milk standing there, clutching the notebook. His gaze swept over the moving crowds in the alleyways, settling on the slowly fading trail in the distance: "Its flight path is closer to Mondstadt than before."

Fanes stopped beside him: "That means we have less time to prepare than we anticipated."

Little Milk Tablet added another line to the notebook: "When the traveler arrives, I should have a chance to see her."

Fanes did not answer and continued walking along the street. Dusk was slowly sinking along the edge of the city wall. The little milk tablet followed Fanes into the Goethe Hotel. The door closed behind him with a short, deep sound that traveled along the seam of the door frame and stopped at the end of the corridor.