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

As Faenes left the Coral Palace, Xin Hai stood on the pier, watching the ship sail away from the coastline of Haizhi Island. The morning mist was dissipating, and the color of the sea was gradually changing from grayish-blue to light turquoise. He stood at the stern and waved to her as a farewell, then turned and went into the cabin.

When the ship docked at the port of Inazuma Castle, Fanes first walked around the streets to check on the operation of the Shifuyuki-o ice cream shop. He confirmed that the length of the queue outside and the occupancy rate inside the shop met his expectations before walking up the stone steps toward Narukami Taisha Shrine.

The curtains at Yaedo Hall were drawn lower than usual today. When Fanes lifted the curtain and went in, Yae no Miko was sitting behind a low table by the window, flipping through an old book without a cover. She didn't look up when she heard footsteps, but spoke in a somewhat languid tone.

"Oh, isn't this the young master who just got engaged on Umijima Island? What brings you to a small place like mys? Why aren't you with your little girlfriend on Umijima Island? What are you doing here at my Yae-do Hall?"

Fanes sat down opposite her, unbuttoned one button of his coat collar, and said frankly, "Of course I'm here to mock you."

Yae no Miko raised an eyelid slightly: "What are you mocking me for?"

Fanes leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head: "Too weak. The lockdown order failed after only two months. We could stay closed off for 20,000 years until winter without any problem. Your Inazuma's physical condition needs improvement."

Yae no Miko closed the book and placed it in the center of the table, tilting her head to look at him: "Then you can give it a try."

Fanes leaned back in his chair, his posture exuding a calm confidence that seemed to say, "I've already calculated the outcome." He continued, "You're joking. If I were to actually try, you'd be the first to starve. Although it's cold in Zhidong, at least you can be self-sufficient in food. But here in Inazuma, with the sea route between the main island and the smaller islands cut off, your supply chain will be reduced to half. Once the lockdown order is issued, foreign food can't come in, and even if you have stored up food at home, it won't last long."

Yae no Miko paused for a moment. Her fingertip traced an arc along the edge of the book's cover before withdrawing, as if she were making a concession in her own way when she was at a disadvantage: "...I really can't accept that taunt. But you didn't come to Inazuma just to mock me to my face, did you?"

Phanes sat up straighter, placing his hands clasped on the edge of the table. "There's one more thing—I've come to retrieve the Heart of God. Where did you put it? Take it out; I want to take it back."

Yae no Miko looked at him and remained silent for two seconds. Then she stood up, walked to the row of cabinets by the wall, opened the top drawer, and took out a palm-sized wooden box.

Yae no Miko turned around, holding the box, but instead of handing it to him, she held it in her palm and tapped the edge of the lid lightly with her fingertips: "You don't actually think that I'll obediently hand this over to you just by talking, do you? I don't have that much influence."

Fanes sat opposite her, his gaze shifting from the wooden box to her face, then he narrowed his eyes slightly: "So, what do you want?"

Yae no Miko walked around the table and stopped beside his chair. She leaned down slightly and placed the wooden box on the table between them, less than a hand's width apart. Her voice was a little lower than before: "What do you think I want?"

Fanes remained seated, feeling the edge of her sleeve brush against the outside of his wrist; the rustling of the fabric was especially distinct in the quiet room. He leaned back in his chair, his tone steady: "Are you serious? What do I, a man, have to be afraid of?"

Yae no Miko's gaze fell on his face, her voice still carrying that languid tone, only the last syllable was slightly drawn out: "Are you sure?"

Yae no Miko leaned forward a little more, her hair brushing against the edge of his collar. The warmth on the side of his neck created a brief warm zone as she approached, which then remained there as she paused.

Fanes felt the warmth of her fingertips slowly moving along the edge of her sleeve. He tilted his head slightly. "I suddenly remembered that I seem to have something to take care of. Let's stop here for today."

Yae no Miko didn't chase after her. Instead, after the hem of her robe disappeared outside the door, she slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the figure walking quickly away on the street. A slight smile appeared on her lips: "She ran pretty fast."

Yae no Miko closed the window slightly, turned and walked back to the table. She ran her fingertip along the edge of the wooden box, then pried open the lid a crack to confirm the contents were still inside before closing it again and putting it back in the drawer. Just as she was about to push the drawer back, the curtain was suddenly flung open, and a gust of air rushed in from the doorway, causing the title page of the closed book on the table to flutter.

Fañez stood in the doorway, the hem of his coat still carrying the wind he had just brought in from outside. That wind squeezed in through the gap in the curtain, flowed along the edge of the table for a distance before dissipating.

Fanes stepped across the threshold and was already in front of Yae no Miko before she could even turn around and speak. He turned his head slightly, lowered it in the silence, and placed a light kiss on her lips. The kiss was brief.

Before the Eightfold Divine Child could react, the current of air had already slid along her jawline, like a raindrop blown off course by the wind, carried further away by a higher current before it could truly penetrate.

Yae no Miko's gaze momentarily relaxed, like a window that had been locked being pushed open halfway by a gust of wind—neither fully open nor closed, but merely hovering at an angle somewhere in between. She maintained her slightly reclining posture, her outstretched hand stopping a short distance above the table, her fingertips just touching the edge of the box lid before being abruptly interrupted, like a musical phrase paused before its final notes were completed.

Before she could finish processing that information, Fanes had already straightened up. He reached into the wooden box beside her fingertips and took the Heart of God, which shimmered with a purple light, from it with a swift and natural motion, as if he had known it was there all along.

Fanes put the Heart of God into the inside pocket of his coat, then walked to the door and glanced at her sideways. "I'll take the Heart of God back with me for now." He added, "Remember to wash it clean next time we meet."

Yae no Miko remained standing in the same spot, her hand still hovering above the table. She looked at the figure in the doorway being shrouded by the curtain again, then looked down at her empty palm, and raised it to touch the edge of her lower lip, as if using that touch to confirm the reality of what had just happened.

Yae no Miko slowly withdrew her hand and smoothed out the cover of the book.

"...When will this habit of taking food and goods without permission finally change?"