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

Fanes: It's not anyone talking badly about me behind my back!

-

Walking at night for a long time lowers one's alertness. Fanes himself admitted this. After leaving the Nata border, they bypassed a rolling hilly area and walked for most of the night along a path that was almost impossible to find on a map, not even noticing when a vegetable garden suddenly appeared by the roadside.

The vegetable garden wasn't big, just three or four rows, surrounded by a low fence made of branches and vines, with a few dried gourds, whitened by the wind, hanging on the fence.

Several neat rows of green vegetables and beans were planted in the field, with a layer of fine water droplets still clinging to the leaves, as if they had just been watered. A tall, thin figure was squatting on the edge of one of the rows, holding a small shovel in his hand, carefully clearing away the weeds next to a vegetable root.

As the night wind blew through the gaps in the fence, it made the brim of his old straw hat flutter slightly, but he didn't stop.

Yakoda stopped, bent down even lower, turned her head and whispered to Fanes, "Boss, someone's stealing vegetables over there."

Fanes also squatted down, squinted at him for a while, and said, "...It shouldn't be that bad. Besides, look at his movements, he's pulling weeds, not picking vegetables."

Yakoda watched for a while longer: "...That does look like weeding. But who would stay up in the middle of the night to weed a vegetable garden? It's not like they don't have time during the day."

Fanes said, "Let's go take a look."

The two crouched down and circled around from behind the roadside bushes to the side of the vegetable garden, where they squatted down and peeked out from behind a crooked tree outside the fence.

The figure remained crouched, intently using a small shovel to dig out a weed by the roots, then gently shook off the soil and placed it in a half-full bamboo basket beside him. After finishing, he looked up and saw two figures peeking out from outside the fence.

He was tall and thin, wearing a faded old short-sleeved shirt, with his trousers rolled up above his knees, revealing a section of his calves that had been tanned to a light brown color.

His eyes gleamed with a deep light in the moonlight. His gaze lingered on Fanes and Yakoda for a moment before he spoke, his voice earnest as if confirming information: "...Are you from another tribe, uncles and aunts?"

Yakoda's expression paused briefly. Her gaze lingered on O'Loren's face for a moment, then she spoke, her tone carrying a scrutinizing quality as if she were being confirmed: "No, what's wrong with your eyes? If they're useless, you can donate them."

O'Loren was taken aback by her words, then looked more closely at the two faces before speaking again, his tone more cautious: "I'm sorry, I know I was wrong... And who are these two grandpas and grandmas?"

Yakoda crouched outside the fence, remained silent for a moment, then stood up: "...Oh no, I've run into an idiot."

Fanes stood up as well, brushing the grass and twigs off his trousers: "We're not from a tribe, we're just passing through. We saw a vegetable garden here, so we came to take a look."

Orlan squatted down on the ground and nodded: "I see. So where are you going?"

Phanes said, "Let's go back to winter."

Just as Orlan was about to ask something else, a voice came from the darkness at the other end of the vegetable garden, neither loud nor soft, carrying a calm "I've been looking for you for a long time" tone: "What are you doing in the vegetable garden in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

A figure emerged from around the corner of the fence, walking lightly, like a leaf pushed by the wind, silently landing at the edge of the vegetable garden.

The man looked very young, with delicate features, about the same age as Fanes and Jakoda. He was slender, wearing a light-colored short jacket with a thin rope tied around his waist, and carrying a small, unlit lamp in his hand.

Sitale walked over and stood next to Orloren, looked down at the half-full bamboo basket, then looked up at Orloren squatting on the ground: "Didn't I tell you? The dew is heavy at night. You're still young now, but you'll know how painful it is when you get old and develop health problems."

Orlan was still squatting in the vegetable garden, looking up at her: "Grandma, I'm weeding the vegetable garden."

Cetalli stood at the edge of the fence and sighed.

Akoda's gaze lingered on the "grandmother's" face for a moment, then she looked down at Orloren, and then at Citrari. She felt that her understanding of the term "grandmother" was flawed. She turned to Fanes and said in a low voice, "Isn't this grandma a little too young?"

Fanes also looked in that direction: "They are indeed quite young. But it was expected!"

Cetalli then turned around and looked at the two people standing outside the fence. Her gaze shifted between Fanes and Akoda, then she nodded slightly, her tone carrying a calmness that came with the habit of protecting her children.

"I'm so sorry, both of you. This is my grandson, Orlan. He's always like this, single-minded, doing whatever comes to mind without considering the time or place. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Yakoda stood outside the fence, paused for a moment after hearing the word "grandson," then looked at Cetalli's young face before speaking, her tone carrying a subtle sense of confirmation.

"...I think I know where the child's grandfather went. The grandmother is so young, the grandfather is probably electrocuted by now."

Fanes was standing next to her, about to reply, when he suddenly sneezed loudly without warning.

Fanes rubbed his nose and turned to look at Yakoda: "No, who's been talking about me behind my back?"

Yakoda had already looked away and was now looking at Sitrali again: "You probably caught a cold. The night air here is definitely much more humid than in Sumeru, and the temperature difference between day and night is also greater. If you didn't put on more clothes on the way here, you could have caught a cold."

After finishing her sentence, Akoda turned to Sitraly, "Oh, right, this... young grandmother, your eldest grandson..."

Sitale waved her hand: "Just call me Sitale."

Cetalli turned her head to look at Orloren. "His name is Orloren, and he's my eldest grandson whom I've raised since he was a child. Although he can be a bit stubborn at times, he's not a bad person. He just doesn't always consider the situation when he does things."

Akoda nodded. "Ms. Setrali... looks very young."

Seth Lariel's lips curved slightly: "It must be because I take good care of myself."

Yakoda stood there and glanced at her again: "She's definitely taken good care of herself."

Orloren had already stood up from the vegetable garden, still carrying the bamboo basket, which was half full of weeds. He walked to the edge of the fence, looked at Fanes and Jakoda, and said in his still earnest tone, "So, are you going to stay here for the night? My grandmother's cooking is still very good."

Cetalli stood next to him and patted the back of his head: "Alright, stop inviting people randomly. It's the middle of the night, and they still have to get on their way."

O'Loren wasn't annoyed by the tap; he simply switched the bamboo basket to his other hand and said, "Next time you pass by, you can come during the day. The vegetable garden looks even better during the day." After saying that, he turned and walked deeper into the garden.

Sitalee stood at the edge of the fence, watching his figure disappear behind the bean trellis, then she turned to look at Fanes: "Are you from the Fools?"

Fanes said, "Yes."

Sitale nodded, as if she already knew the answer: "Then be careful when you travel at night. That area ahead has been rather unsettled lately; some abyssal rifts are spreading outwards. If you encounter any trouble, you can mention my name."

After saying that, Sitella turned and walked into the depths of the vegetable garden. Her steps were light, and she quickly caught up with Orloren's back.

The vegetable garden returned to quiet. The night breeze blew through the gaps in the fence, causing the dried gourds to gently collide and make a series of soft rustling sounds.

Yakoda withdrew her gaze and glanced at Fanes. "Was someone talking about you behind your back when you sneezed just now?"

Fanes rubbed his nose: "Possibly. But we're not sure who it is right now. Let's go, before it gets too dark."