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

When the boat docked at Inazuma Island, the afternoon sun made the stone slabs on the dock slightly hot.

As Fanes descended the gangway, he first glanced at the outline of the castle tower's roof in the distance, then looked down at the routine inquiry message from Winter Headquarters on his phone screen before putting the phone back in his pocket.

Yakoda followed him off the ship, clutching a cloth bag full of Liyue specialties: "Should we report to the Northern Bank first, or go to our lodgings?"

Fanes walked along the pier towards the street for a while: "First, I'll go to the Northern Bank. I need to let them know I've arrived."

Fanes turned his head and glanced at her. "Otherwise, when Zhidong asks, if there's no sign-in record, they'll say I was slacking off again."

The storefront of the Hokkoku Bank Inazuma branch had been slightly renovated since his last visit, and the frame of the sign hanging at the entrance had been changed to a darker color.

The staff behind the counter were taken aback when he walked in, then immediately stood up and bowed.

Fanes walked to the counter and placed a signed itinerary confirmation on it: "I've arrived in Inazuma. If anyone from Shifu asks, just say I'm proceeding with the search as planned, currently establishing an intelligence network and investigating potential leads."

The clerk took the confirmation form, glanced at it, and then put it in the drawer of the counter. "Understood, sir. What are your specific arrangements? Do you need accommodation arranged, or any accompanying personnel to assist with the ground survey?"

Fanes leaned against the counter: "I'll arrange my own accommodations. I don't need any accompanying personnel for now, but I'll let you know in advance if needed."

After speaking, Fanes turned and walked towards the door, but stopped after a couple of steps. "By the way, if there's any news from headquarters that needs confirmation, please contact me first. I'll reply according to the actual situation."

The employee nodded: "Okay."

After Fanes and Jakoda settled into the hotel opposite the Northern Bank, Fanes put his backpack on the table in the room, then drew back the curtains to look at the street view outside and confirm the hotel's location and surrounding environment.

Yakoda was standing in the doorway, holding her accommodation confirmation slip: "So, what are you planning to do this afternoon?"

Fanes turned around: "Take a nap first."

Yakoda looked at him: "Are you serious?"

Fanes had already sat down on the edge of the bed: "Seriously. I'm completely exhausted from sitting on the boat for the past few hours. And if Zhidong asks, just say I was analyzing intelligence until late last night and need to replenish my energy today."

After saying this, Fanes lay down and closed his eyes.

For the next few days, Fanes would appear at the North Bank branch office at the same time every day, sit for an hour or two, sometimes flipping through local news briefings, sometimes typing a few lines of notes on the terminal panel, and then leave on time.

Fanes would walk along the street towards Narukami Shrine in the evening, turn a few corners, buy a box of fried tofu at a roadside shop, and then continue up the steps. When the door at the end of the corridor was pushed open from the inside, he had already placed the box of fried tofu on the table.

Yae no Miko sat behind a low table, holding a cup of tea. "You always bring me fried tofu from the same shop. I'm getting tired of it. Could you try a different one? Like that old-established shop in Hanamizaka? Their fried tofu has a richer flavor and more sophisticated seasoning than the one you're buying now."

Fanes sat down opposite her: "Next time, try that place."

Yae no Miko put down her teacup: "What brings you to the shrine today? Did you come to see me, or to find Ayane?"

Fanes said, "Both. But since you asked, I'll tell you the truth—I'll come see you first, then I'll go find Aying."

After hearing this, Yae no Miko stood up, walked to the seat next to him, and pushed her cup of tea in front of him: "That cup of tea is already mostly cold, you'd better pour yourself a fresh cup."

Fanes picked up the cup of tea and took a sip: "It's alright, the temperature is just right."

It was already dark when Fanes left Narukami Taisha. He walked down the stone steps for a while and then turned into the passage leading to the side gate of the castle tower. The guards did not stop him when they saw him; they simply stepped aside to make way for him.

Fanes walked down the corridor for a while and stopped at the door of a side room at the back—Ray Film was sitting behind a low table, neither holding a light novel nor a skewer of dumplings. When she saw Fanes push the door open and come in, she first glanced at his empty hands, and then looked at him again.

Fanes sat down opposite her: "I didn't bring any snacks today. I'll make them up next time I come."

Lei Yingdian withdrew his gaze, picked up the cup of tea in front of him, and took a sip: "Mmm."

Lei put down his teacup. "Shouldn't you be looking for stragglers lately?"

Fanes leaned back in his chair: "We've searched. We haven't found it yet."

Lei's gaze lingered on his face for a moment: "Do you think he'll be in Inazuma?"

Fanes said, "Not necessarily."

Lei put the teacup back on the table: "So, how long do you plan to stay here?"

Fanes thought for a moment: "It's hard to say. It depends on the situation. If we can't find it, we might have to stay a few more days."

Occasionally, I would go to Qiusha Public Bath for a soak. I dreamt that Tsukimi Mizuki would sometimes be on duty behind the counter. Sometimes, when she saw Fanes walk in, she would peek halfway out from behind the counter, and after handing him the key, she would add, "The private room with the window is empty today. There's a new recliner inside, a little bigger than the old one, and it's more comfortable to lie on."

Fanes took the key: "Okay, thank you."

After finishing his bath, Fanes would walk back along the street, sometimes stopping at a street corner stall to buy a skewer of grilled dumplings, which he would then eat as he walked.

One evening, Fanes sat on the railing of the side corridor of Narukami Taisha, with the side hall behind him already lit up, and the stone steps leading to the castle tower not far away.

As Fanes was typing on his phone, having just finished typing "I'll probably be back a little late tonight," he heard a soft rustling sound of fabric next to him.

Turning his head, he saw Lei Yingdian standing next to him; Yae Shinko leaned against a pillar on the other side, holding a cup of tea and looking in his direction; at the corner at the end of the corridor, Yumezuki Mizuki was also walking over, clutching an unopened fruit basket.

Fanes sat up a little straighter on the railing, his gaze shifting between the three people in turn, before he spoke, his tone carrying an air of nonchalance that he himself didn't seem to care much: "I finally understand where the 'wife' in Inazuma's name lies."

Lei Yingdian stood beside him, as if responding to that question in his own way: "Where?"

Fanes turned to the side and reached out to pull the three people next to him over—Yae no Miko had just put down her teacup when he pulled her to his left; Rai no Ippon was pulled to his right; and Yumezuki Mizuki, who had paused two steps away, was also brought to the middle by him.

Meanwhile, deep within an underground ruin in Sumeru, a soldier stood in front of a device emitting a dark purple light.

Beside him lay an empty, opened box, one crucial component missing. He looked down at his palm, which was slowly being covered with dark patterns, then looked up at the slowly running device, and spoke: "Strange... I have a bad feeling about this."

The soldier shook his head, as if filtering out unwanted noise in his own way, then refocused his attention on the device: "Never mind. I can finally ascend to godhood."

The device's operating frequency was gradually increasing steadily, climbing along the preset scale, locking in the parameters that had been calibrated multiple times. His figure gradually became clearer in the light, his silhouette elongated and casting a slowly moving shadow on the wall.