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

Fanes's large-scale grain purchases caused grain prices throughout Teyvat to fluctuate.

First, thirty boatloads of rice were transferred from Liyue Harbor, and then twenty cartloads of wheat were collected through Rosalind's channels in Mondstadt. When the spice merchants in Sumeru heard that a large buyer wanted to stock up, they gathered two batches of dried beans and grains and sent them over overnight.

After hearing the news, the farm owners sent people to inquire about prices, and Fanes bought them all at the market price plus 10%. Even Nata sent over a few bags of potatoes that could be stored for a long time; although the quantity was small, the price was cheap.

After all the grain was transported back to Zhidong, it was stored in batches in several newly built warehouses. The official in charge of the granaries was shaking as he flipped through the storage records, saying that he had never seen the granaries so full in his life.

In previous years, by this time, half the households in the city would already be counting their rice grains to prepare for winter. This year, the warehouses have enough rice to feed the entire city until next spring, with some left over.

As winter approaches, bread prices on the streets have quietly dropped by 20%, and even the cheapest street corner stalls now have several round, fermented dough balls on display.

Those jade merchants had already prepared for bankruptcy. Their cash flow had been wiped out by Fanes and Rosalin's three precise harvests, and they were worried about where they would get the rent for next month.

When news of Fanes' grain purchases spread, they saw another way—if someone was hoarding grain, then there was room for the grain to be traded.

They pooled their last bit of cash and went to the countryside to buy a batch of grain, which they then transported to the city and resold to the purchasing channels in Zhidong. They made a profit in the process, which, although not much, was enough to get them through the winter.

After a few people squatted down at the warehouse entrance and finished calculating the accounts, they looked at each other with complicated expressions, as if to say, "We were actually led around by a ten-year-old kid and a dragon twice, and in the end we still have to rely on him for food."

Upon hearing the news, Fanes merely glanced at the figures in his ledger, not giving it much thought. He was truly preoccupied with something else. The food problem was only temporarily alleviated; for most of the winter, the land was covered in ice and snow, local production was minimal, and relying on external purchases was ultimately not a long-term solution.

Moreover, the money from buying grain came from the jade business, and jade mines will eventually run out, plus the value depreciates very quickly. He can't expect that island to sustain the entire Zhidong forever. He still needs to go out to sea. He needs to find a place where things can actually be grown.

The day before their departure, Fanes prepared a lavish lunch for Xiao Hei. Calling it lunch was a stretch; the pile of meat in the square was more than just a "meal." It included a whole, cleaned adult wild boar, three thoroughly cleaned sheep, heaps of poultry and offal, several baskets of fresh fish, and a large bucket of grain porridge mixed with wheat bran.

The meat was piled up in the center of the square like a steaming mountain, and the sizzling sound of grease on the iron plate continued from morning until afternoon.

The little black dragon lay beside the pile of meat, burying its head in its food and eating voraciously. Its scales were filled with bits of meat, and its amber vertical pupils were filled with a bewildered and ecstatic expression, as if asking, "Is today New Year's Day?"

After swallowing a large piece of meat, Little Black would raise its head and glance at Fanes, as if trying to confirm whether these were truly prepared for it.

Fanes squatted on the steps beside it, chin in hand, watching it eat, and said, "Eat up. Once you've had your fill, you'll be going on a long trip tomorrow."

Little Black paused its chewing. It swallowed the half-eaten piece of mutton in its mouth, turned its head and touched the back of Fanes' hand with its still greasy nose, making a series of low and confused whimpers.

Translated into human language, it roughly means "Aren't you coming with me?"

Fanes reached out and patted the warm scale on its nose, his tone calm but with a seriousness he himself didn't quite notice.

"I'm going to Inazuma to develop a new market. The new equipment in Sandone is about to go into mass production, but the communication network in Inazuma hasn't been set up yet. You know Sanbing's personality; it's better for me to go myself than to rely on him to promote it. You find land where you can grow things, and I'll handle the sales channels. Let's have a clear division of labor."

Little Black let out an even longer whimper, its tail slowly sweeping across the ground twice. It probably understood, but it wasn't very happy about it. Fanes patted its scales again, stood up from the steps, and stretched.

"You're so big, and you have wings, finding land should be much easier for you than for me. Once you find it, remember the location and come back to tell me. If you encounter any danger, just run away. Your scales should be able to withstand most attacks."

Little Black swallowed the last few pieces of meat, licked its mouth clean, stood up, and shook its scales. It lowered its head and gently touched Fanes' chest with its forehead, controlling the force perfectly so that it didn't even give him a jolt to take a step back. It just touched Fanes' chest with a warm touch for two seconds before pulling away.

The next morning, Fanes stood in the Winter Palace Square and watched the little black dragon take off. The huge black dragon spread its wings and flapped them twice, a gust of wind swirling the surrounding snow into a whirlwind, and then it flew towards the eastern horizon, higher and higher, farther and farther, until it became a black dot and melted into the gray-white clouds of the morning light.

Fanes stood in the square, looking up for a long time, until he could no longer see them before turning his gaze away. He turned and went back to the Winter Palace to pack his belongings. He didn't take much: a few changes of clothes, a prototype, a stack of general drafts issued by the Northern Bank, and a note with the contact information of the skirmishers.

Fanes stuffed the items into a lightweight backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and opened the door to his room.

As for what expression the skirmishers on Inazuma's side would have when they saw him, Fanes had thought of a few versions on the way. The most likely version was still that expressionless face paired with a "What are you doing here again?", but anyway, he would have plenty of time to deal with it when he got there.

He has a long list of things to do, including installing communication equipment and opening internet cafes.