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

The sound of gunfire continued for quite some time in the valley in northern Liyue before gradually subsiding.

Fanes stood on the slope, his telescope already lowered, but he was still watching the area that was being shrouded in smoke and dust.

Fanes turned his head and asked the officer next to him who was organizing the record board, "Has Yako reached the Wind Dragon Ruins yet?"

The officer glanced down at the communications log: "The Hunter has already set off. According to the planned itinerary, she should have entered the core area of ​​the Wind Dragon Ruins by now."

Fanes nodded: "Have her find the eyeball of the original Ironclad Treasure. It's the core component from the earliest prototypes of the Relic Guardian. It should still be in that sealed storage room deep in the ruins."

The officer made a note on the whiteboard: "Understood. What if we encounter resistance?"

Fanes thought for a moment: "Let her make her own judgment. She's more reliable than you think."

Meanwhile, deep within the Wind Dragon Ruins, Yakoda walked along a corridor strewn with rubble and vines. The air here was cooler than outside, and the walls were covered with a layer of dark moss.

Yakoda stopped in front of a half-open iron gate and bent down to squeeze through the crack.

On the other side of the iron gate was a small storage room, with dust piled up in every corner and several pieces of rusted metal scattered on a shelf in the corner.

Yakoda's gaze swept across the shelf and then landed on a round object on the bottom shelf that was mostly covered in dust.

He crouched down and brushed away the dust, revealing a fist-sized mechanical eyeball with a dark golden luster.

The object's surface was covered with fine lines, and there were several wear marks along the edges. Yakoda picked it up, examined it against the light filtering through the cracks in the wall, and confirmed that it was indeed what she was looking for. Then she put it in her backpack and turned to walk back the way she came.

Meanwhile, in the side aisle of the Cathedral of Favonius in Mondstadt, Ying and Paimon were standing in front of Barbara.

Barbara was wearing a light blue priest's robe today, clutching a half-open scripture in her hand. Her expression was more serious than usual, her gaze shifting back and forth between Ying and Paimon, and her tone when she spoke carried a confirmation she had repeated many times before.

"You mean you saw an upside-down statue of the Seven in a ruin in northern Liyue?"

Ying stood before her: "Yes. The statue of the wind god is hanging upside down by chains beneath the dome of the hall."

Paimon added, "And there are members of the Abyss Order active there. They look like they're performing some kind of ritual with that idol."

Barbara's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the scripture: "...It really was the Abyss Order."

Barbara took a deep breath, then spoke, her tone carrying the certainty of recounting a complete event, "A few years ago, Mondstadt did indeed lose a Statue of the Seven. The Church of Favonius and the Knights of Favonius searched for a long time but couldn't find it, and the matter was eventually dropped. I never expected it to fall into the hands of the Order of the Abyss."

Ying stood before her, not immediately responding. Paimon, too, hovered quietly, assessing the progress and pace of the conversation in his own way.

Barbara looked up, her gaze sweeping between the two women, before she spoke: "If you can provide accurate information about the whereabouts of that idol, the Church is willing to offer a reward of one million Mora."

Ying's hand twitched slightly when she heard "one million Mora".

Paimon's wings flapped slightly faster than before. The two spoke almost simultaneously, saying in unison, "We are willing to provide intelligence."

Barbara's eyes lit up: "Really? You really know the whereabouts of that idol?"

Ying took half a step forward: "I know. We just came from that side. The statue is located in a ruin in northern Liyue. The entrance is at the foot of a hill, and it's guarded by members of the Abyss Order. We saw it with our own eyes."

Paimon added from the side, "And the statue was hanging upside down, connected to some strange energy devices, looking like it was extracting something."

Barbara stood there, her gaze fixed on Ying's face: "...You saw that statue in that ruin?"

Ying nodded: "Yes. We were originally tracking the activities of the Abyss Order, but we accidentally entered that ruin and then saw the upside-down statue of the Wind God."

Ying paused for a moment. "That place looks like it's been there for a long time; it doesn't seem like a temporary structure." Ying Barbara was silent for a moment after hearing this, then she turned and walked towards the end of the side corridor. "This matter must be reported to the Knights as soon as possible. Follow me."

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance, then followed.

In the conference room on the second floor of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Jean stood by the window, clutching a newly written operation briefing in her hand.

After listening to Barbara's account, Jean remained silent for a moment, then turned around, her gaze falling on Ying: "You said that ruin is in northern Liyue?"

Ying nodded: "Yes. The entrance is on the back of a hillside, surrounded by patrols of the Abyss Order. We stumbled in by accident."

Jean placed the briefing in her hand on the table: "Then this matter needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. The church's loss of the idol has been dragging on for a long time. If it can be recovered soon, it will be a good thing for the whole of Mondstadt."

Qin paused for a moment, then said, "However, that ruin has already been bombed by the Fools."

Barbara stood by the table: "Bombing?"

Ying sat on the chair next to him: "After we came out, Fanes's men launched a continuous artillery barrage on the entrance to the ruins. Now the entrance to the ruins should be blocked by rubble."

Qin tapped her fingers lightly twice on the edge of the table, then looked up at Ying: "Can you still find the location of that ruin?"

Ying said, "I can find it. I marked it on the terminal."

Qin nodded: "That's good. Once the Knights are ready, we'll need you to lead the way."

After finishing her sentence, Jean turned to Barbara and said, "Barbara, could you please compile this into a formal briefing and submit it to the logistics department for filing?"

Barbara nodded. "Understood."

That evening, Diluc was sitting by the window on the second floor of the Angel's Gift.

In front of me was an empty wine glass and a bottle of dandelion wine that was already half-open.

Diluc didn't look up when he heard footsteps coming from the bottom of the stairs, until the footsteps stopped at his desk, at which point he looked up.

Qin stood in front of him, holding a wine glass in her hand: "I need two bottles of dandelion wine."

Diluc put down his glass: "You're drinking it yourself?"

Jean said, "No. I want to talk to Wendy."

Diluc's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet, and took two unopened bottles, placing them on the table. "Then go find him. He should be sitting under that big tree in the Windrise Lands right now."

Qin took the two bottles of wine: "Thanks."

Qin turned and walked towards the stairwell.

Diluc's voice came from behind her: "If he goes, remember to tell him to drink less. Don't let it interfere with important business!"

Qin paused at the top of the stairs: "I'll remind him."

-

Diluc is now also a member of the Knights of Favonius.