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

Fanes was sitting in the chair by the window in the front hall of the Hall of Rebirth, holding a cup of freshly poured hot tea in his hand, with the terminal panel across his lap, looking through the market price fluctuation records of Liyue Harbor that day.

There was a knock on the door. The knocking was more urgent than usual for Fanes. He put down his teacup, and before he could even say "Come in," a messenger dressed in the uniform of the Fools pushed the door open and entered, clutching a wax-sealed letter tube in his hand.

He stopped before Fanes and handed him the letter: "My lord, urgent report from Winter Headquarters. The Skirmisher Executor stole the Heart of Thor and has left Winter's territory; his whereabouts are unknown. Her Majesty the Queen orders you to go and retrieve the Heart of God."

Fanes paused in his act of taking the letter when he heard the word "skirmisher." He looked down at the intact letter, then looked up at the messenger: "...Who? Skirmisher?"

The messenger stood at attention: "Reporting, it is indeed him. According to the Winter Palace's internal records, he entered the facility storing the Heart of God three nights ago, confirmed its location and the guard shift change time, created a brief energy fluctuation, and then left Winter Palace with the Heart of God. No alarm systems were triggered during the entire process, and no physical traces were left. The logistics department only discovered the anomaly during a routine inspection the following day. After inventory and confirmation, they found that the Heart of God was no longer in its original location."

Fanes still clutched the letter tube: "How could the security at Winter's End be so poor? That's the Heart of Thor, just taken away right under our noses?"

The messenger stood still, his tone steady: "According to internal reports, the skirmisher accumulated sufficient privileges and system access records during his tenure as an executive officer, and was familiar with security procedures and the distribution of blind spots in surveillance. He used this information to evade all routine checks. The logistics department has begun a reassessment and adjustment of the existing security system, and a comprehensive system upgrade is expected to be completed next quarter."

Fanes sat in his chair, placing the letterbox on his lap, staring at the edge of its wax seal, and paused for a moment: "...Any clues about his exact whereabouts or whereabouts?"

The messenger shook his head slightly: "We haven't received any clear leads yet. According to existing records, the skirmisher was last seen within the surveillance area near the logistics transfer station north of Winterfell. After that, he changed his mode of transport and direction of travel, and his whereabouts were lost. The tracking is still ongoing, but there has been no verifiable progress yet."

Fanes placed the mailbox on the table, then took a sip of his tea. "Understood. You can go back now. Tell headquarters I've received the message and will proceed as planned."

The messenger responded, turned, and walked out, the door closing softly behind him.

Fanes sat in his chair, still holding the half-cold cup of tea in his hand. His gaze fell on the mailbox on the table. He thought for a moment, then put down the teacup: "...The real trouble with this matter is not that the Heart of God is lost, but that the organization actually asked me to bring the Heart of God back."

Faenes leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. "The Skirmisher was indeed quite good to me before. When I first joined the Fools, I knew nothing of the rules and acted recklessly. He, the lady, and the servants helped me avoid a lot of trouble. If they hadn't been watching over me during that time, I probably would have been dealt with by some executor long ago. Now you want me to chase after him? How can I even bring myself to do that? And there's another problem—I'm no match for the Skirmisher. If he really starts fighting, I probably won't last two rounds against him. If we really run into each other, I'll only be able to talk my way out of it."

Fanes looked down at his empty hands. "The problem is, with the temperament of skirmishers, talking won't do much good."

Just as Fanes was thinking this, the door was pushed open from the outside. Yakoda stood in the doorway, her backpack still slung over her shoulder. Her gaze swept around the room before landing on Fanes: "Boss, I've received the message."

Fanes looked at her: "You're here to tell me about this too?"

Yakoda walked in and sat down on a chair next to her. "Yes. I just came back from the Wind Dragon Ruins. Before I even got to Mondstadt, I received an encrypted communication from Winter's End, informing me that you have been designated as the main person in charge of this recovery operation."

Fanes leaned back in his chair: "Did they also tell you who the target of this operation is?"

Yakoda said, "I told you. Skirmishers."

Fanes looked at her: "So where do you think we should start our investigation? Or do you have any better suggestions?"

Yakoda thought for a moment: "After the skirmishers leave Winter, if they want to find a safe place to settle down, there are roughly two possible routes. One is to go west, cross the border of Fontainebleau and enter Sumeru; the other is to go south, cross the southwestern border of Winter and enter the area around Nata. He will probably choose a relatively remote route, avoiding the major towns and outposts along the way. If he creates enough disturbances along the way, the difficulty of tracking will increase significantly."

Fanes leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on her: "So, based on your analysis, what are the chances that we'll catch up with him?"

"If he's still moving and not staying in one place for long," Yakoda said. "Our window of opportunity to catch up with him is limited. But as soon as he stops, even just briefly, I can pinpoint his location."

Fanes stood up: "Then let's set off."

Fanes straightened his coat collar and glanced at Jakoda as he walked to the door: "At least the organization didn't send me alone."