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

Fanes: I'm innocent! I really didn't do it! They were just idiots!

Young Master: I still have my doubts about this.

-

Fanes' original plan was to handle the fake death of the Rock God smoothly and steadily. After all, Zhongli had already made arrangements, the Traveler was proceeding according to plan, and all storylines were on track.

But the arrival of the Evil Knight disrupted his rhythm—he had to pack up his things in Liyue before that madman who had been fighting in the Star Sea for five hundred years arrived in Teyvat.

So Phanes sped up the process.

On the day the immortals gathered in Liyue Harbor, Farnes stood by the window on the second floor of the Northern Bank, looking towards Yujing Terrace. Ningguang was talking with several immortals, the Traveler stood beside her, and Paimon flew on her shoulder; the scene seemed relatively stable.

Then a muffled thud came from the direction of Lonely Cloud Pavilion. The sound wasn't loud, but it lasted a long time, as if something had been pushed up from the deepest part of the sea. Immediately afterward, the sea began to churn.

The vortex demon Oser, sealed beneath the Lonely Cloud Pavilion, briefly broke free of its restraints due to a malfunction in Liyue's experiment with weapons of mass destruction.

Giant tentacles rose from beneath the sea surface, coiling around several stone pillars and churning the nearby seawater into white foam.

That ancient and enormous body is emerging from the deep sea, as if it is rediscovering the place where it was suppressed years ago.

The silhouette rising from the water could be seen throughout Liyue Harbor—it was taller than the tallest building in the harbor, and the waves whipped up by its tentacles crashed against the dock, splashing up sprays of salty, fishy mist.

D'Artagnan leaned against the window, gazing in that direction, the coin twirling between his fingers. "Little Twelve, isn't this a bit too much? You actually went so far as to let Oser break the seal?"

Fanes remained standing by the window: "I'm innocent! I didn't do it. It was clearly their own experimental error that created a living father for themselves."

D'Artagnan's gaze remained fixed on the massive silhouette rising from the sea outside the window, as if reassessing the credibility of the matter based on that distance: "...You say it's not true, but I still feel like you're capable of doing something like this."

Fanes turned his head and glanced at him: "It really wasn't me. I may like to cause trouble, but I wouldn't go so far as to let an Ancient Demon wander out for a stroll at the entrance of Liyue Harbor. I've already received Ningguang's request for help, and I'm ready to assist her now."

D'Artagnan put the coin in his pocket. "Alright, I'll leave this to you. I'll contact my master first to ask how things are going on her end and confirm how long it will take for the Evil Knights to arrive."

D'Artagnan turned and walked towards the door, then paused. "If you can't beat them, remember to call me. I'll go get the captain for help!"

Fanes had already picked up the terminal panel without turning his head: "Don't worry, if we really can't beat them, I'll definitely call you first."

Fanes dialed a short number and said into the microphone, "Move all the fleets in Liyue Harbor to the direction of Guyun Pavilion."

Fanes hung up the phone, pulled his coat collar tighter, and turned to go downstairs. Standing at the dock, he gazed at the enormous creature churning in the distance, thinking to himself—it would indeed be unreasonable to be forced to reveal all one's cards by an ancient relic that had been stirring up waves in the ocean for thousands of years.

On the distant sea, warships were adjusting their formation. Their hulls were painted in a dark color, reflecting a unique and calm metallic sheen in the afternoon light.

The first salvo was launched almost simultaneously. Countless streams of fire erupted from the bow's launchers, tracing parallel arcs across the sea before landing on Oser's body. They exploded upon contact with the tentacles, spraying up a cloud of luminous water mist mixed with the smell of burning.

Then came the second and third rounds. Under the continuous barrage of fire, the enormous body began to slowly retreat. The tentacles that had just stretched out were constantly being broken and retracted in the artillery fire. Broken tentacle fragments floated on the sea, some slowly sinking, and some being pushed far away by the waves.

Oser seems to be reassessing its current situation. It had initially thought the battle was a sure thing—it broke the seal, it stirred up the waves, and it turned the port into ruins.

But the shells flying from afar didn't just hit it with ordinary splashes of water and rocks; they had real, continuous penetrating power that could cut through its outer skin.

Fanes stood on the edge of the dock, watching the barrage of long-range missiles and artillery fire alternate. He took the control panel from the technician beside him and pressed a button. On the deck of a distant warship, a projectile thicker and longer than any of the previous shells rose up, leaving a straight trail as it streaked across the sky. It flew at incredible speed toward Osel, striking him precisely in the center of his head.

The shockwave exploded at the point of impact, creating a white wall of waves that spread outwards.

Ausel's movements stopped completely at that moment. Its entire body began to lean backward as if all support had been removed, and its tentacles, which had been waving just moments before, drooped down, floating on the surface of the sea like a giant tree that had been cut down slowly sinking into the mud, deeper and deeper.

The waves crashed against the edge of the dock, and the splashes of water landed on Fanes' boots before sliding back down.

The seal automatically restored itself the moment Oser completely lost consciousness. The seal itself remained intact; only a thin outer layer had been briefly breached. The damage did not affect the core structure. After the pressure was released, the automatic repair mechanism activated, locking it back into the deep sea.

Fanes stood on the edge of the dock, watching the sea gradually calm down, the massive body having sunk completely.

Only a few slowly spreading ripples remained on the sea surface, the fragments of the tentacles shattered by artillery fire floating on the water, being pushed away from the harbor by the tide. He handed the control panel back to the technician and turned to walk towards the Northern Bank.

He paused at the door, glancing sideways at the now-calm Guyun Pavilion in the distance: "Remember to send the bill to Liyue Seven Stars. Tell them it's a friendly discount, 20% off."