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

When Fanes returned to Winter's residence, it was already dark. Without turning on the lights, he walked to the bedroom by the moonlight streaming through the window, squatted down, and gently pushed the black spear under the bed to the innermost spot. After making sure it was completely hidden in shadow, he stood up and dusted off his hands.

Something about this thing didn't look right. The dark patterns on the gun seemed to flow slightly in the moonlight—though the movement was extremely subtle. Fanes squatted down by the bed and checked again to make sure it wouldn't pop out on its own. Then he changed his shoes, pushed open the door, and went out.

The next morning, he bought a box of the new chestnut cake from Fontainebleau, packed it in an insulated bag, and boarded a ship heading south. When the ship docked in Fontainebleau harbor, the afternoon sun made the stone steps of the harbor slightly hot.

When Fanes walked along the familiar route to the side gate of the Moman Palace, the guards recognized him and simply nodded to him before stepping aside to let him pass.

Fanes walked down the corridor, around two staircases, and stopped at the door of Funina's room. He didn't knock, but simply pressed the doorknob down gently and opened it a crack.

Funina was lying on her side on the bed, clutching a lit terminal panel in her hand. The images on the screen were slowly changing, like a slow-paced drama series. Her eyes were half-closed, and her posture was much more relaxed than usual. She didn't even look up when he pushed the door open and entered.

Fanes stood at the door for a moment, then strode over, sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulled her into his embrace, and kissed her on the cheek.

The panel in Furness's hand tilted slightly for a moment, then she steadied herself. She remained lying on her side, not breaking free from his embrace, but simply turned her head to glance at him: "...You walk without making a sound?"

Fanes maintained the same posture of embracing him from behind: "You're too focused. What are you looking at?"

"A new stage play was recorded and broadcast."

Furnessa tilted the panel slightly in his direction, and the image on the screen froze on a figure turning around under the spotlight in the center of the stage. "The script is adapted from an ancient Fontaine legend, which tells the story of a siren and a captain."

Fanes leaned closer to the screen and glanced at it: "He looks a bit like the type you would normally like."

Furina put the panel back on her pillow: "There's a formal performance of this play at the Opizley Opera tonight."

Fanes released her and sat up straighter: "Okay. I don't have anything else to do, I'll go with you tonight."

Funina sat up and straightened the corner of the blanket: "It's settled then. The show starts at 7:30 pm, so we'll leave at 6:30 pm. We can even have dinner on the way, which is just enough time."

Fanes remained seated on the edge of the bed: "By the way, where did Little Black go? I didn't see it when I came in."

Funina got up from the bed, walked to the dressing table, and took out a folded program from the drawer. It listed the names of the shows to be performed that evening and the cast and crew.

Funina unfolded the program and pointed to a line towards the end: "I borrowed it to the drama troupe. There's a scene in today's performance that requires a dragon-like creature to appear, and the troupe leader asked me if I knew how to get a prop dragon that looked realistic enough. Since Xiao Hei didn't have much to do lately, I sent it. It should be backstage waiting for tonight's official performance. I heard they even did an extra rehearsal of its entrance timing this afternoon."

Fanes took the program and glanced at it, his gaze lingering on the line marked "Special Appearance: Little Black": "I didn't expect Little Black to have so many side jobs. Besides being a mascot and working part-time at the water park, now it's performing on stage at the theater?"

Fu Ningna folded the program and put it in her coat pocket: "The play it was performing didn't require any lines. It just needed to fly over the stage at specific lighting moments, land in a designated spot, and stay still for a while. Moreover, the company paid it per performance, which was more than I had expected. It also really enjoyed the atmosphere and would go to the backstage dressing room after each rehearsal to interact with the other actors."

Fanes stood by the window: "Its schedule is quite full."

Fu Ningna walked over to him: "It's now the most popular crew member. During every rehearsal break, someone feeds it, and the makeup artist even wants to design a special stage look for it."

Fañes leaned against the windowsill: "It takes on more work than I do."

Funina looked at him: "Are you jealous?"

Fanes thought for a moment: "No. It's more sociable than I am, and has earned the trust and goodwill of its peers through its own efforts."

The sunlight outside the window was slowly moving along the edge of the windowsill, spreading a thin, warm band of light in the gap between them. Funina reached out and gently touched his cuff. "Then let's go."

Fanes straightened up: "Good."

They walked along the streets of Fontaine toward the opera house for a while.

The roadside stalls were gradually setting up; freshly baked croissants were displayed in the bakery window, and a small line had already formed in front of the ice cream truck on the street corner. The evening breeze carried the sounds of violin tuning and faint singing from an open window in the distance. Fanes stopped in front of his usual dessert shop by the roadside, bought a box of crème brûlée and a box of lemon tarts, and then continued walking.

Funina walked beside him, occasionally stopping to glance at the old books and handmade jewelry displayed at the roadside stalls. Fanes stood a few steps away, waiting for her to finish looking at the row of handmade earrings before continuing on his way.

The side door of the opera house was already open, and you could hear the sounds of testing and intermittent resetting of the background music coming from inside. Occasionally, you could also hear actors reciting their lines outside the stage, and you could still hear the repetition and rehearsal of that particular line through the wall.

When they went around to the side door, the backstage corridor was darker than the front hall, with only a few crystal lamps embedded in the walls lighting up overhead.

Fanes saw Little Black crouching on the edge of the half-open door at the end of the corridor. It was a size larger than usual, and the edge of its back was coated with a silver-blue layer that glowed slightly in the twilight. It was slowly folding its wings in front of several staff members, matching their movements.

When Xiao Hei saw Fanes and Funinna, it turned its head slightly, as if confirming its identity with that brief glance. Then it looked back at the staff and adjusted the angle and height of its wings to meet their requirements, confirming that its posture and positioning were accurate. The staff nodded in satisfaction after checking.

Fanes stood in the corridor, watching Xiao Hei complete the movement from a short distance, then turned to Funina: "Did you enroll it in acting lessons or physical training?"

Funina also looked in that direction: "It's said to be a combination of physical training and improvisation. It has a strong learning ability and adapts very quickly. The rehearsal progress has exceeded expectations, and it might even be able to go on stage ahead of schedule."

Fanes stood in the corridor for a while longer, then looked away, placed the box of caramel pudding on the box next to him, and turned to walk towards the front hall: "Let's go, we should find seats."

Funina walked over to him: "Let's go in first, or the good seats will be full. We can come back for it after the show."