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

Three years is neither a long nor a short time, but for a child who has grown from six to ten years old, it is enough to change three sets of clothes, grow a head taller, and become a familiar face to everyone in Liyue Harbor.

Fanes sat on a small stool at a roadside barbecue stall, holding a skewer of freshly grilled rock squid in his hand. To his left sat Xiangling, who was brushing the third layer of secret sauce onto the grill. To his right sat Hutao, who was counting how many Mora he had earned that day. Xingqiu held a bowl of cold tea and flipped through a newly acquired storybook across from him. Chongyun sat on the outermost side, looking at the skewers from left to right, seemingly studying which skewer had the least amount of chili.

Wendy was squatting in the corner, holding a glass of dandelion wine, her hat pulled low, but the smile on her lips was exactly the same as it had been years ago.

This is Faynes' third year living in Liyue Harbor. Back then, he spent a whole month on Jueyun Mountain, facing the meager green leafy vegetables and kudzu root chunks served by Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun every day, feeling that his soul and body had become severely separated.

On the morning of the thirty-first day, he packed his luggage, stood at the entrance of his cave to say goodbye to True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng, tucked a corner of Yakoda's blanket while she was still asleep, and left a crooked note: "I'm going down the mountain to handle worldly affairs. You study immortal arts well, you have a bright future. Signed: Your Boss."

Jakoda later wrote him a three-page letter scolding him, and Fanes replied with a single line: "When you've finished your studies and come down the mountain, I'll treat you to a whole roasted lamb."

Yakoda's reply was noticeably more illegible than the previous one, ending with the sentence, "I will choose the restaurant for the whole roasted lamb myself."

For the past three years, Fanes has been thriving in Liyue Harbor. The Fatui's stronghold, the Northern Bank, is still open, but Fanes has long since stopped caring about the day-to-day operations. He just makes a brief appearance each month to let the Seven Stars know that he is still alive.

He spent the rest of his time wandering the streets and alleys of Liyue Harbor, making all sorts of friends. Xiangling was Master Mao's daughter, and her cooking skills were unparalleled. After becoming familiar with her, Fanes could often get his hands on freshly cooked creative dishes.

Walnut is the head of the funeral parlor. She spends her days laughing and joking as she goes around selling coffin packages. When Fanes first met her, she pulled him aside and sold him a "buy one get one half price" funeral package.

Xingqiu is a young man who is always reading. On the surface, he is gentle and refined, but the martial arts novels he writes are selling better in Liyue Harbor than the web novels that Fanes wrote in Fontaine back then.

Chongyun is a young man dressed as a Taoist priest. He always breaks out in a cold sweat when he eats spicy food, but every time Xiangling makes a new dish, he has to come over and take a bite, and then, with a red face, he gulps down half a pot of cold tea.

As Fanes stuffed the last bite of rock squid into his mouth, a figure in a blue and white short jacket emerged from around the street corner.

The man walked with a rhythm that Fanes was very familiar with, neither too fast nor too slow, each step firm and steady.

Her light golden hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head. The cat-ear hat was replaced with a narrow-brimmed conical hat for easy movement, and the goggles were upgraded to a portable telescope inlaid with a crystal, hanging on her belt and swaying with her steps.

A finely crafted short bow hung at his waist, and a dozen or so arrows, each painted with runes, were neatly inserted into his quiver. The patterns on the arrow shafts shimmered with a fine golden halo in the afternoon sunlight.

His starry eyes lit up when they landed on the barbecue stall, and his gaze precisely locked onto the figure squatting on a small stool in the crowd. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile in an instant.

Yakoda walked to the stall, stood with her hands on her hips, and looked down at Fanes: "Boss, where's the whole roasted lamb?"

Fanes looked up at the girl in front of him, who was a head taller than him and had a magical aura about her. Three years ago, she was an eight-year-old girl who was squatting on the side of the street waiting for customers. Now she was a magical archer who could carry a bow and arrows and walk down the mountain alone.

He grinned, dragged an empty small stool over from the side, and patted the cushion: "Sit down first. Xiangling said the whole roasted lamb won't be served for another incense stick's time, so have a few skewers of squid to tide you over first."

After Yakoda sat down, her gaze swept over the people at the table. Hu Tao leaned over to look her up, Xingqiu raised his eyes from above the storybook, and Chongyun was still hesitating whether to take the skewer that was clearly loaded with chili peppers.

Xiangling peeked out from behind the grill and smiled at Yakoda: "Yakoda, you've grown so much taller! Your boss keeps saying when you're going to come down the mountain, it's driving me crazy."

Yakoda took the skewer from Fanes, took a bite, chewed a couple of times, and then squinted her starry eyes with satisfaction: "Xiangling's grilled food is still the best. Those three years on the mountain, I ate grass until my face turned green."

Fanes, with his legs crossed, said, "Then the information I gave you about the whole roasted lamb was correct, wasn't it? Xiangling's whole roasted lamb is absolutely amazing since her new shop opened, so I specially saved one for you."

Wendy peeked out from the corner, holding up a bottle and waving it at Yakoda: "Long time no see, little girl! I heard your archery skills have become unparalleled, even the True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng praised your extraordinary talent."

Wendy's tone sounded incredibly sincere, but Fanes noticed that the hand holding the bottle unconsciously shifted two inches away from Jakoda.

Yakoda glanced at him between bites of her kebab and replied with a smile, "Don't worry, Lord Wind God, I didn't bring that Heavenly Nail with me. It's on the mountain for worship."

Wendy's shoulders slumped noticeably, and her whole demeanor visibly relaxed: "That's good, that's good..."

Fanes chewed on a squid tentacle and mumbled, "By the way, Yakoda, I told you about Xiao Hei before you came back. I put it in the clearing next to that bamboo forest in the suburbs, and I have three whole pigs sent there every day. It's grown into a small mountain now and can't go into the city anymore. Do you want to go see it this afternoon? If it knows you're back, it'll be so happy it'll tear the bamboo forest apart."

Yakoda put down her skewers, her starry eyes shining with excitement: "Of course we're going! How old is Xiao Hei now? You only said in your letter that you wanted to prepare a bigger yard for it, but you didn't specify the exact size."

Fanes held up both hands and made an exaggerated circle: "It weighs over 10,000 jin. When it stands up, it's taller than a city gate, and when it's curled up on the ground, it's about half the size of a room. When its wings are spread out, they can cover an area about half the size of a basketball court. Every time it flaps its wings, it can create a gust of wind that makes the surrounding bamboo forest rustle. You would never recognize it if you saw it."

Yakoda's mouth gaped open: "...When I left, it was still the size I could hold in one hand."

"You've been gone for three years, and I've been feeding it for three years. It ate at least three pigs every day, and occasionally a whole sheep as a treat. Now if you touch its head, you can feel that the scales are elastic again."

Hu Tao chimed in from the side, her tone tinged with regret that she hadn't been able to land this kind of business: "A dragon weighing over ten thousand catties! If the Rebirth Hall could ever get an order that big, I could retire right away."

Fanes gestured with a skewer at her: "Master Hu, don't even think about it. Little Black can live for at least tens of thousands more years."

Xiangling walked over from behind the grill carrying a huge copper platter. The golden and crispy skin of the whole roasted lamb was brushed with glistening honey and spices, and its aroma instantly overpowered the smells of all the other stalls on the street.

He placed the copper plate in the center of the table, put his hands on his hips, glanced around at everyone at the table, and finally fixed his gaze on Yakoda: "The first bite is for you! After sitting on the mountain for three years, you've finally come down. Eat your fill today!"

Yakoda didn't stand on ceremony. She took the first piece of meat that Xiangling had cut off and took a bite. The crispy skin cracked in her mouth, and the hot meat juice overflowed from between her teeth. Her starry eyes narrowed into two crescent moons: "This is even more delicious than the one I dreamed of."

Venti leaned over and offered Yakoda a glass of dandelion liqueur: "Welcome down from the mountain! Liyue Harbor has gained another formidable fighter!"

Yakoda raised her lamb chop and clinked glasses with him: "Lord Anemo, next time you come to Liyue, remember to let me know in advance, and I'll bring the nails for you to see."

Wendy paused for a moment in mid-air, the glass of wine she had raised to her lips, before silently putting it down: "Let's talk about this after I finish this drink."

Fanes, watching this scene, almost choked on his mutton while laughing. Hu Tao had already started putting a second piece of meat into Yakoda's bowl, Xiangling brought over a dish of freshly prepared dipping sauce from behind the grill, and Xingqiu closed his storybook and began discussing with Chongyun whether the sword moves used by the protagonist in the martial arts passage they had just read were reasonable.

The table was steaming, and plates were piled high with roasted meat and various side dishes. The voices of everyone mingled together like a pot of boiling stew, noisy yet warm and cozy.