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

The gates of the Northern Bank were heavier than travelers expected.

When Ying pushed open the heavy wooden door, the hinges made a deep, clear turning sound that was particularly distinct in the quiet hall.

Behind the counter sat a teller flipping through an account book. He glanced up at her, then looked down and continued turning the pages. He didn't ask why she was there, nor did he get up to greet her, as if he already knew she was coming.

D'Artagnan was leaning back on the sofa in the corner of the hall, the coin twirling between his fingers. When he saw Ying walk in, he put it in his pocket, stood up, and waved to her: "You're here? A little faster than I expected."

Ying walked to the sofa area and stood still: "You said you have information about the Rock King Emperor."

D'Artagnan gestured for her to sit down: "Sit down first. This is a long story, and it's not convenient to talk about it standing up."

Ying sat down on the sofa, with Paimon perched on her shoulder. D'Artagnan sat down opposite her, about to speak, when the door on the inner side of the hall was pushed open.

Fanes came out carrying a steaming teacup. Seeing the traveler and Paimon sitting in the sofa area, he didn't stop, but naturally walked over and sat down on the single sofa next to him.

Fañes' coat was dark, the collar not fastened too tightly, his posture relaxed, his gaze fixed on Paimon's face: "You can ask that question again."

Paimon flew to a height slightly away from Fanes: "You're the executor who beat up the wind god?"

Fanes leaned back on the sofa: "Yes, I did it."

After finishing his sentence, Fanes calmly took a sip of tea, his tone as steady as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather. "Who told him to be such a deadbeat? He owes money and doesn't pay it back, yet he goes around eating and drinking for free. If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll think the Winter Solstice's financial system is a charity."

Paimon blinked. "...Could I ask how much money he actually owes?"

Fanes placed the teacup on his lap: "Not counting interest, it's 560 million Mora."

Paimon's expression froze for a moment. Her mouth was slightly open, as if she were estimating the actual meaning behind that number based on the length of that blank period, and then she slowly leaned back onto Ying's shoulder: "...Then he really deserves to be beaten a few more times."

Ying shifted her gaze from Paimon to Fanes and D'Artagnan: "Isn't that the point? Shouldn't we ask about the Rock King first?"

Paimon snapped out of his daze: "Oh right, right! Did you assassinate the Rock King?"

Tartaglia leaned back on the sofa, hands behind her head: "If we had that kind of ability, would we be wasting our time talking to you here? If the Fatui were truly capable of assassinating the Geo Archon on Liyue's territory without leaving a trace, we would have already taken over the entire Liyue Harbor. Why would we need to sit across the negotiating table and spend weeks waiting for approval?"

Paimon: "I remember that the lowest-ranking executor of the Fatui also possesses Demon God-level strength. If we assess strength on paper, you are entirely capable of achieving that."

Fanes picked up his teacup and took another sip: "There are differences even among demon gods. Zhongli, a legendary elimination king, has personally ended countless beings of the same level during the Demon God War. If we really calculate based on paper strength, none of our current personnel could withstand his first round of attacks in a one-on-one situation."

Paimon thought for a moment, as if reassessing his earlier judgment over that interval: "...It does seem to make a lot of sense. If he were really that easy to deal with, he wouldn't have survived until now."

Ying thought for a moment and said, "So, you don't know who did it?"

D'Artagnan took the coin out of his pocket and flipped it between his fingers: "I don't know. But we have a way to find clues."

Ying looked at him: "What method?"

D'Artagnan put the coins in his pocket, stood up, walked behind the counter, bent down, opened a locked drawer, took out a flat wooden box, and walked back to place it on the table: "This is for you."

Ying opened the box, and inside lay a roll of yellowed paper, the edges of which were somewhat worn, but the paper itself was still relatively intact. The cover had the words "Record of No Taboos" written in neat characters.

Paimon leaned closer to the scroll: "What's this?" Tartaglia leaned back in his chair: "The Book of No Taboos. It's said to be a fragment of the contractual rules personally written by the Geo Archon, recording some important contractual clauses from the early days of Liyue Harbor. This should be able to help you find those immortals now, tell them about the Archon's passing, and then you'll naturally learn more details."

Ying closed the box: "Why are you helping us?"

D'Artagnan thought for a moment, as if organizing a suitable explanation: "Because I also want to know the truth. If the Rock King was indeed assassinated, then the person who did it must possess extremely powerful strength. If it was caused by internal strife or other reasons, then all parties need a reasonable explanation. As those carrying out official duties, we must first understand the situation before deciding on the next course of action."

Paimon flew to the doorway, turned back, and waved to Ying: "Let's go! Let's go to Jueyun Pavilion and ask the immortals!"

Ying also stood up, put the scroll of "No Taboos" into her backpack, and glanced at Fanes and Datalia, who were still sitting on the sofa: "...Thank you."

Fanes raised his teacup at her in response, but D'Artagnan simply waved his hand.

Ying pushed open the door, and the afternoon sun shone in, casting a warm patch of light on the floor in front of her. She walked down the steps and merged into the crowd flowing along the main street.

Fanes sat on the sofa, teacup in hand, watching the door close, and took another sip. D'Artagnan walked to the window, watching the figure moving towards the edge of the city on the street: "Do you think she can find those immortals?"

Fanes placed the empty teacup on the table: "Yes. That white creature next to her is more reliable than we thought."

Fanes stood up, placed the teacup back on the counter, and said, "Besides, even if she can't find it, someone will guide her to the right place."

D'Artagnan turned to look at him: "You arranged for people?"

Fanes had already reached the top of the stairs, and his voice came from above: "No. But arranging such things doesn't necessarily have to be done by people."

Fanes continued upstairs, his footsteps growing fainter as he ascended the stairs, eventually disappearing at the end of the corridor.

In the hall, only the coin remained, spinning between D'Artagnan's fingers, turning along the back of his finger before falling back into his palm, accompanied by a barely audible metallic scraping sound. It hovered in the gradually narrowing shadow along the edge of the windowsill, as if waiting for a conversation about to be reopened to move from the shadows into the light.