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

Ying: Let's pay back the money we owe first!

Reporter: What about the rest?

Ying: Pay it back slowly!

-

Wendy was sitting under the old oak tree in the Wind Rises, leaning against the trunk, holding a half-empty wine glass. Autumn sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the lyre on his lap.

As Qin walked over, her footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves, Wendy glanced at her sideways, but didn't get up. She simply placed her empty glass on the grass beside her. "Not many people come to Windrise at this time of day. You must be here to see me, right?"

Qin stopped beside him and placed the two bottles of dandelion wine on the grass in front of him.

Wendy's gaze lingered on the two bottles of wine for a moment, then he sat up straighter, his tone still leisurely: "The acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, personally delivering wine, and at this time—he can't be here for more than just a drink, can he?"

Jean sat down on the rock opposite him: "There's a Statue of the Seven that was stolen by the Order of the Abyss over at the Wind Dragon Ruins. The statue disappeared about five years ago one night. The Knights of Favonius and the Church both organized searches, but they never found it. A few days ago, a traveler saw it in a ruin in northern Liyue, hanging upside down by chains, as if it were being used for some kind of ritual."

Qin reached out and patted the two bottles of wine. "That place has already been bombed by the Fools. The entrance is mostly sealed off, but the internal structure should still retain most of its original appearance. I need you to go with me to check the condition of that statue and see if we can find any clues."

Wendy reached for a bottle, unscrewed the cap, smelled it, then put it back on the grass. "Then why me? The Knights of Favonius have enough fighting power and manpower on their own. You could have just sent an elite squad to handle this."

Qin remained seated on the rock, her voice steady: "Because that statue is a sculpture of the wind god. The Abyss Order hanging it upside down is likely targeting you. If that's the case, you should have been able to glean some information from the remaining traces if you were present."

Wendy remained leaning against the old oak tree trunk, not answering immediately. He looked down at the two bottles of dandelion liqueur on the grass, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "...I haven't had a drink in days."

After Wendy finished speaking, she reached for another bottle, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and then put the bottle back on the grass: "Then go ahead."

Qin stood up: "Then let's leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Wendy remained leaning against the tree trunk: "Okay." He was still sitting under the old oak tree, holding the bottle that had been resealed.

The next morning, the Knights of Favonius had already assembled outside the gates of Mondstadt. Jean stood at the front of the column. Luminous and Paimon were also in the column, walking at the very front as guides.

Ying walked in the middle of the group, her backpack containing the Mora she hadn't yet deposited into the bank. Paimonfei was beside her, looking down at the battery indicator on his terminal to make sure it was sufficient for navigation throughout the trip.

As the group approached the entrance to the ruins, the Mondstadt knights seemed to sense something amiss. They quickened their pace; some drew their weapons, the blades gleaming coldly in the morning light, while others traced the edge of their badges with their fingertips. Then, in unison, they accelerated towards the area covered in rubble, shouting, "The wind god will protect us!"

Fanes stood on a high point in the distance, watching through his telescope the line surging toward the entrance to the ruins. His expression held a scrutinizing quality: "I don't understand what they're thinking, all of them shouting things like 'The wind god will protect me' and rushing forward without a care in the world."

The officer beside him also looked in that direction: "Sir, what they're doing will indeed increase the casualty rate. But the number of monsters in that area isn't that high to begin with, and given the Knights' equipment level, there shouldn't be any major casualties."

Fanes lowered his binoculars, his gaze still fixed in that direction: "Those abyssal monsters aren't exactly known for their head-on assaults. When faced with this kind of reckless charge, they usually choose to temporarily retreat."

The abyssal monsters at the entrance to the ruins were indeed retreating. Several abyssal mages hovered in mid-air, also retreating at a much faster pace than normal, as if rapidly readjusting their formation. One of them didn't even glance back during its retreat, as if it had already completed its internal risk assessment beforehand.

Fanes stood on the high ground, looking at the area that was gradually quieting down: "...What a bunch of geniuses. They even forced the abyssal monsters to follow the principle of 'the fortunate yield'."

The cleanup work inside the ruins lasted the entire morning. Qin led her team to dismantle the remaining Abyss Order facilities one by one, and then set up a temporary scaffold under the upside-down Statue of the Seven, preparing to lower it down.

Wendy stood in front of the statue, looking up at the chains being cut for a while without touching them. He just looked for a moment, then looked down at his palms, then at the chains being removed, and put his hands back into his sleeves.

Meanwhile, on the steps outside the side entrance of the Cathedral of Favonius in Mondstadt, Ying stood in front of a reporter. The reporter held a terminal panel in his hand, adjusting the angle of the camera, while an assistant with a notepad stood beside him.

After adjusting the angle and holding the terminal in a suitable position, the reporter asked, "Ma'am, how do you plan to use this newly acquired 100 million Mora?"

Ying stood on the steps, her clothes still dusty from the long journey. She thought for a moment, then spoke, her voice carrying a certainty that came as if she had already confirmed the information: "Of course, we should pay back the debt first."

The reporter wrote a few lines on the whiteboard: "What about the rest?"

Ying said, "I'll pay back the rest slowly."

The reporter's hand, holding the pen, paused for a moment on the paper, as if using that brief pause to confirm some information. He looked up, his gaze lingering on Ying's face for a second, then looked down at the line of text he had just written on the notepad. He then asked, his voice lower than before: "...Do you owe a lot of money?"

Ying thought for a moment, then nodded: "I do owe quite a bit. But this money can help me clear some of my debts, and the rest can be paid in installments. I've already made long-term plans; as long as my income remains stable, I won't default on payments."

The reporter stood before her, listened to her finish speaking, and then remained silent for a moment before putting away his notebook: "...Are young people under so much pressure these days? It looks like she's been in debt for a long time. The 100 million Mora seems to be just a temporary step in her life, not the end goal."