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

As soon as Fanes stepped out of the fireworks shop in the Night Palace, he hadn't walked far along the main street of Inazuma City when he bumped into two familiar figures.

Ying, carrying a backpack that was worn and faded at the edges, was squatting in front of a roadside stall selling roasted dumplings, studying the menu. Next to her, Pai Mengfei was pointing at a string of dumplings sprinkled with soybean powder.

Fanes walked over and stopped beside them: "What are you doing here?"

Paimon turned around and saw him, paused for a moment, then put his hands on his hips and flew to eye level with him: "What? You're allowed to come to Inazuma, but we're not? Is there a problem with us developing our careers in Inazuma?"

Fanes leaned against a nearby telephone pole, his hands in his pockets. "No problem. But I don't recommend you develop here."

Paimon tilted his head: "Why?"

Faynes gazed at the rooftop of the castle tower in the distance, his tone carrying an air of certainty that said, "I've already done the math." He continued, "The profitability here is indeed low. In other countries, I can easily make a profit doing anything. Here, it's a miracle if we don't lose money. If you're going to do commissions here, the pay will probably be much lower than in Mondstadt or Liyue, and the types of missions will be more limited, mostly basic errands and finding items."

Paimon rested on Ying's shoulder: "Well, since we're already here, we can't just come for nothing, can we?"

Fanes thought for a moment and said, "This place is quite nice for a vacation. The mountains are beautiful, the water is beautiful, and the people are even more beautiful. Plus, the expenses aren't too high. It's suitable for a short stay, but not for a long one."

Paimon's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Really? Then I'll be living here from now on!"

Fanes glanced at her: "Don't jump to conclusions. You probably won't be used to many of the 'delicacies' here."

Paimon tilted his head again: "What do you mean?"

Fanes had already turned and walked to the other side of the street. After taking a couple of steps, he turned back and waved to them: "Have you heard of the most common food here—rice with tea? I'll treat you to a meal."

Upon hearing the words "treat me to a meal," Paimon practically flew to Fanes' side instantly: "Really? Thank you so much!"

Ying followed, walking on the other side of Fanes: "Are you sure you want to treat us?"

Fanes pushed open the door to the shop with the dark blue curtain hanging in front of him: "Confirmed. Since we're already here, how can we not try the local specialties?"

The interior of the shop appears more spacious than the exterior, with rows of wooden tables arranged along the walls and several ceramic vases filled with dried flowers on the windowsill.

The waiter led them to a window seat and handed them three menus. Fanes took the menu, flipped through a couple of pages, his gaze lingering on the ochazuke (rice with tea) section, then closed the menu: "Ochazuke, twenty bowls."

The waiter's hand, holding the pen, visibly paused: "...Twenty bowls? Are you sure?"

Fanes nodded: "Sure. She'll eat alone."

Fanes pointed to Paimon, who was looking down at the menu across from him.

Paimon was still studying the picture of the "Special Tempura Platter" on the menu: "What? Twenty bowls?"

Fanes turned to the waiter standing next to him: "Give me another serving of tempura sushi."

Ying handed the menu back to the waiter, then turned to look at Ying: "Order yourself. This meal is on me."

Ying looked down at the menu, but her gaze stopped after turning a page. Her fingers lingered on the edge of the page for a moment, then she looked up at Fanes, then back down at the menu, before placing it on the table.

Fanes leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the subtle changes in her expression. "Don't worry, this meal's on me. It's Inazuma's specialty; since we're here, it would be a shame not to try it."

Ying picked up the menu again and flipped through it for a while, then pointed to a picture on that page: "This salmon, and this yakitori skewer."

The waiter noted down her order and turned to walk towards the kitchen. Paimon was still waiting for her twenty bowls of ochazuke (rice with tea).

The dishes were served one after another. The ochazuke (rice with tea) was placed on a large tray in an exquisite arrangement, with each bowl small and delicate, arranged on the tray like a row of carefully arranged chess pieces.

Paimon looked down at the row of small bowls in front of her—each containing only a thin layer of rice, topped with a few pieces of seaweed and a pickled plum, the tea clear and pale amber at the rim. She poked at the rice with her chopsticks: "...This is ochazuke (rice with tea)?"

Fanes picked up a piece of tempura and dipped it in the sauce: "This is it. It looks refreshing, but the portion is a bit small."

Paimon, holding the small bowl, stared at the single pickled plum: "Are you trying to fool me? This portion isn't even enough for one bite!"

The situation on Ying's side wasn't much better. The salmon was cut into three evenly thick slices and arranged on a white porcelain plate, with a small bunch of shredded radish and a perilla leaf as garnish.

Yakitori skewers are three thin bamboo sticks, each with two small pieces of slightly charred chicken on it. She looked at the three slices of salmon and three chicken skewers in front of her, then looked up at the row of twenty small bowls in front of Paimon, then lowered her head, picked up a slice of salmon with her chopsticks, dipped it in soy sauce, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it.

"The taste is good. It's just that you'll need to eat another meal after finishing this one."

Paimon picked up the small bowl of ochazuke in front of him and took a sip of the soup: "This ochazuke is quite fragrant."

Fanes sat opposite, picked up a piece of tempura, chewed it a couple of times, and said, "At least it's fried, so it feels like a proper meal. Although the portion size is quite limited, it's still more filling than ochazuke (rice with tea). If you still have an appetite after you finish what you ordered, I can add another dessert made by Inazuma. The matcha pudding over there is pretty good. Although it's small and delicate, at least after eating it, you'll have the feeling that 'I actually ate something.'"

Paimon put down his empty teacup, turned to Fanes, and said seriously, "I think you're right now. Inazuma is indeed only suitable for tourism, not for long-term residence."

Looking at her resigned expression, Fanes said, "So I'm already considering opening a modified version of a restaurant in Inazuma. We'll adjust it to suit local tastes, but the portions and pricing will be more in line with the spending habits of tourists. The initial plan is to target tourists who have just come from Liyue and Mondstadt, and then gradually expand the product line and scale after the market stabilizes."

Paimon thought for a moment: "Then when you open your shop, don't forget to give me a long-term discount. Otherwise, I'll be eating ochazuke every day in Inazuma."

Fanes picked up the last piece of tempura, put it in his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, then pushed the empty plate aside: "I'll put 'Paimon's Exclusive Set Meal' on the menu—it'll be twice the original price, but with a small gift as compensation."

Upon hearing this, Paimon immediately flew to him: "No way! It has to be at least a 50% discount!"

Fanes put down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair: "Then I'll give you a 40% discount. And you'll get a complimentary seasonal dessert."

Paimon thought for a moment: "...Deal."

Ying finished the last bite of salmon and put down her chopsticks. The light from outside the window was slowly moving along the edge of the windowsill, gradually converging from the center of the table to near the corner, like a chapter being turned over, the edges already folded back, leaving only the last page open, waiting to be closed.

Fanes called the waiter to settle the bill, then stood up and walked towards the door. As he reached the door, he glanced at them and said, "By the way, if you're staying in Inazuma for a while, you can come and sit with the Winter Snow King. Mention my name and you'll get a 10% discount."

Paimon flew over to his side: "Then next time you treat us, could you change it to Liyue cuisine? At least the braised pork there is real braised pork."

Fanes pushed open the door, and the bell on the door jingled softly: "That depends on whether you can happen to be there when I go to Liyue next time."