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

"and then?"

Ying took the heavy bag of raw stones, weighed it in her hand, and put it into her backpack. "You arranged for Yakoda and the young master to go back for checkups, and Zhongli and Dainesreb flew away on their own—what about you? What are you planning to do next?"

Fañes leaned against the half-broken railing at the bow of the ship, looking at the sea in the distance that was gradually returning to calm, as if measuring that distance and the span of the battle just now in his own way.

"Me? I'll go back to Liyue Harbor first to handle the follow-up work of the summoning ceremony. Zhongli's faked death isn't completely over yet; someone has to fill in the last few pages."

Fanes turned his head to look at Ying. "What are your plans lately? Continue taking on commissions in Liyue Harbor to pay off your loan?"

"More or less."

Ying leaned against the ship's railing, her hands resting on the railing, watching the horizon being shrouded in twilight. "I just paid off my phone's down payment and bought some supplies. Now I have 80 raw stones and this bag of rewards left. That should last me a while."

"That's good."

Fanes straightened up from the railing, patted the seawater stains and salt grains off his clothes, and said, "If there are any similar requests later, I'll send you another one. The price is negotiable."

"You'd better be genuinely 'negotiable'."

Paimon flew between Luminos and Fanes, hands on his hips. "That 80 Primogems quest you gave us last time, although it was specifically sent to us, involved helping you deal with an opponent more troublesome than a god. That's fraud. We could complain to the Adventurers' Guild about your commissioning qualifications."

"The Adventurers' Guild's qualification review standards do not include a clause on 'not being able to challenge gods,' and besides, who do you think owns the Adventurers' Guild?!"

Fañez replied calmly and in a steady tone.

Paimon was taken aback. She changed direction again, circling halfway around his head, her voice carrying a serious tone that said, "I'm going to find your weakness."

"Next time you have a similar request, you need to clearly state the level of the opponent beforehand. You can no longer use vague descriptions like 'assisting in handling emergencies' to be ambiguous."

"I'll write it more clearly next time."

Fanes stood there, watching her earnest and calculating expression, a slight smile playing on his lips. "However, I think the words 'fraud' and 'complaint' you just used are a bit too strong. After all, you've already established a basic reputation with the Adventurers' Guild in Liyue Harbor. If misunderstandings arise due to differences in wording, it won't be convenient for either of you."

When Paimon heard the words "reputation record," his flight noticeably slowed: "...Are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat. It's a reminder."

Fanes turned and took two steps toward the cabin, then paused, turning to look at Ying. "By the way, did you bring any dry rations?"

Ying pulled out a piece of dried meat wrapped in paper from somewhere: "Yes. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just suddenly remembered that Daines Reeb didn't take any dry food with him when he flew away."

Fanes took the bag of dried meat and handed it to the sailor next to him. "Remember to return it to him when he flies back. People who don't know better might think that we Fools make people work and then don't feed them."

Paimon flew up to Fanes: "You just said Daines flew the wrong way? Zhongli flew north, but he flew south—how long will it take him to get back to Liyue Harbor?"

"It depends on when he realizes he's flying the wrong way. If he realizes something's wrong halfway there and turns back, he might arrive in three to five days. If he doesn't realize it and keeps flying south, he'll go around the entire Teyvat and return to Liyue Harbor from the other side."

Fanes sat down on the deck and leaned against the base of the mast, which was already leaning quite a bit. "Based on the circumference of that planet, if we fly at a constant speed, it will take about forty to fifty days."

"What if he gets hungry along the way? He doesn't seem like the type to stop by the roadside to find food. With his personality, he'll probably fly until he's completely exhausted before considering resupply."

"Then I don't know."

Fanes thought for a moment, his tone carrying a sense of "I've done my best," and said, "but with his stamina, he should be able to hold on for a while. If all else fails, he can hunt or pick wild fruits along the way to maintain his strength."

"You've thought of everything quite thoroughly."

Paimon landed on the mooring bollard at the bow, crossed his arms, and looked at him. "But why do I always feel like you're portraying Daines Reeb as some kind of not-so-bright wanderer? While his methods may seem a bit abstract at times, I think he's fundamentally quite reliable. Besides, his feud with the Five Sins of the Abyss is very clear; he won't forget what he's supposed to do just because he's flown in the wrong direction."

Fanes reached out and took the thermos cup handed to him by the person next to him, took a sip of tea, and said, "Just kidding, I also think you're not very smart."

Paimon's wings flapped noticeably faster for a moment: "What did you say?!"

"To be honest, you often fly in the wrong direction when you go out, and when someone asks you for directions, you always turn around a few times before answering. If Ying hadn't been there to correct you, you would have led her all the way to Sumeru long ago. And you can't resist delicious food, and you can squat by the roadside and eat a whole plate of grilled fish before continuing on your way."

Fanes took another sip of tea. "By this standard, the only difference between you and Dainesreb is that one is going left and the other right. You both belong to the type that have some deviations in planning your routes."

Paimon was so angry that he spun around several times above the bow of the ship, like a white sphere blown by the wind, drawing thin arcs in the air, trying to calm his surging emotions with this movement.

"I'm so angry! I'm going to give you an awful nickname! I'll call you... I'll call you... you money-grubbing middleman!"

Fanes remained leaning there, his posture unchanged by her words, as if he had anticipated her response: "This nickname does sound better than 'Little Twelve.' But if we're really going to use a nickname, at least wait until I've actually done something like a middleman."

"Haven't you done it yet?"

Paimon flew directly in front of him, pointed a finger at him, and said, "You repair outdated equipment and sell it to Mondstadt as new, you repackage obsolete communication devices and sell them to Liyue as new models. You even use your own shop's bills as bargaining chips to exchange for Hearts of Gods. Any one of these things you've done is enough to earn you this nickname."

Fañes leaned against the mast base, watching the white creature in front of him pointing and talking incessantly. He tilted his head back and finished the last sip of tea in his thermos, then placed the empty cup on the mooring post next to him.

"You can keep this nickname as a backup option. It's not too late to use it after I've actually done something worthy of the nickname."

-

Dainesreb: Let me correct you again! I actually know the way back, but I don't want to travel with this damn god! So my super wisdom tells me to go the opposite way, since we'll get to our destination anyway!