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

On the day the fleet sailing from Donggang to Inazuma docked, the entire island's pier was piled high with sacks of grain. One cargo ship after another moored, and sailors carried sacks down the gangplank in single file, stacking the sacks into neat squares on the pier.

The workers at Inazuma Port had never seen anything like this before. Several old grain merchants squatted on the shore, smoking their pipes and looking at the grain sacks. Their expressions gradually changed from surprise to a sense of dread, as if they were about to lose their jobs.

Fanes stood on the edge of the dock, holding a supply and sales list in his hand, watching the last bag of rice being carried out of the hold, then closed the ledger and nodded to the warehouse manager.

"Sell at the fair price. Make it clear to the grain merchants in the city that we won't raise prices here; take it or leave it."

On the day the first batch of rice hit the shelves, the price of rice in Inazuma dropped by 30% within half a day. The next day it dropped by another 10%. On the third day, grain merchants tried to join forces to raise prices, but the supply from Fanes did not decrease at all; sacks of grain were piled up on the roofs of the warehouses and were still being hauled into the city from the port.

Local grain merchants couldn't sell their inventory, and no one was willing to buy the new rice at the original price. By the fifth day, two grain stores had already put up signs announcing their closure.

There were more people buying rice on the street than usual. Housewives lined up with baskets in hand, discussing how they wouldn't have to worry about rice prices this winter.

Fanes was sitting under the old maple tree in the side courtyard of Narukami Taisha, holding a half-full cup of cold tea and looking at the arrival time of the next batch of grain when a series of light footsteps came from the courtyard gate.

When Yae no Miko walked in from outside the courtyard gate, she was wearing light-colored casual clothes, carrying a food box in her hand, and her tail was swaying slowly behind her.

Yae no Miko walked to the maple tree and squatted down, placing the food box at Fanes' feet. When she looked up at him, the corners of her mouth had that familiar smile that Fanes was already very familiar with.

"Young master, you've really worked hard this time. The price of rice in Inazuma has dropped by almost half, and the housewives on the street haven't been complaining lately."

Fanes put down his teacup and looked at the food box: "What's inside?"

"Fried tofu. Limited edition. I made it myself using a new recipe."

Yae no Miko sat on the rock opposite him, her hands resting on her knees as she leaned slightly forward. "Thanks to you, Yae-do's profits this year are 20% higher than last year. Everyone's saved rice money has gone into buying books and entertainment. How can I possibly thank you enough?"

Yae no Miko's voice softened, and the halo in her purple pupils became gentler than before. She tilted her head slightly, placed her hand on the edge of her shoulder, and pretended to pull down her collar a crack. Her gaze fell on Fanes' face with a smile, as if she had prepared some gift that he needed to personally inspect.

When Yae no Miko spoke, her voice was deliberately softened, with a hint of probing: "Little Master, do you miss me? I can give you a reward."

Fanes sat on a rock, watching the scene unfold before him. He then picked up his cool tea, took a sip, and looked at her without changing his expression: "The lingering heat of late summer isn't over yet. Stay away from me. Aren't you hot sitting next to me?"

Yae no Miko paused in her motion to pull open her collar, her fingers hovering at the edge of the collar, and the light in her purple pupils changed from a deliberately softened allure to a surprised "You actually reacted like this."

She withdrew her hand and sat up straight, but the softness in Yae no Miko's tone lessened, replaced by a scrutinizing tone that seemed to ask, "Are you really that clueless about romance?"

"You should be secretly happy. Countless people want this kind of treatment but don't. You'll regret this someday."

Fanes put down his iced tea: "It's enough that I don't regret it now. Regret in the future is a matter for the future; let's cool off for now."

Looking at his calm and composed demeanor, Yae no Miko flicked her tail behind her and added a touch of "you're such a blockhead" to her tone: "Child, you're still too young."

After saying this, Yae no Miko turned her gaze to the dark blue, transparent gelatinous mass nestled between his arm and chest—a small ice slime, about the size of an adult's fist, with a smooth, moist surface, lying quietly in his arm, occasionally trembling slightly at its edges.

Fanes lowered his head and reached out to touch its head. The gelatinous creature melted slightly in his palm and then returned to its original shape, as if it had gotten used to the temperature of his touch.

Yae no Miko looked at the small ice slime, her gaze shifting between the familiar blue color and Fanes's hand: "By the way, where did the big ice slime go? I saw it squatting in your room using it as a mattress last time."

As Fanes gently stroked the edge of the ice slime with his fingers, he replied, "It went back to its maternity leave. This little one is its offspring, it just left the nest not long ago, so it can't be used as a bed yet. But it's quite cool to hold, which is perfect for this weather."

Yae no Miko stared at the little ice slime for two seconds, then looked up at Fanes: "These days, even monsters can take maternity leave?"

Yae no Miko stretched out her finger and gently poked the surface of the ice slime. The soft, bouncy gelatinous creature was slightly dented and bounced back, with a ring of fine ripples on its surface, as if it had been tickled.

After Yae no Miko withdrew her hand, the little ice slime slowly emerged from Fanes's arm in a hemispherical shape, as if checking if the surrounding environment was safe, before shrinking back into its original shape.

Yae no Miko withdrew her gaze, stood up, and straightened her clothes, as if to say, "Since you're not interested, I'll be leaving now." She turned and walked a few steps toward the courtyard gate, then stopped and looked back at him.

"Remember to bring the little one next time you come to Narukami Shrine. The older one is on maternity leave and we can't touch her, but the little one will do."

Fanes didn't look up, but waved to her to indicate that he understood. The little ice slime moved slightly in his arms, like a young creature getting used to the temperature of its master's palm.

The streets outside the courtyard gate were bathed in the pale gold of the afternoon sun. A few sparrows pecking at food on the wall were startled by a cat and flew to the roof of a neighboring house. At the corner of the street, there was a small food stall that had just put up its signboard, and the aroma of scallions, ginger and soy sauce wafted out, mixed with the cool air and slipped through the crack in the door.

The rustling of the wind through the courtyard mingled with the faint sounds of people in the distance, adding a few fragmented yet lingering notes to this ordinary afternoon.

Fanes finished the last sip of cold tea in his teacup, placed the stack of warehouse records he had just finished reading on the edge of the stone table, and reached out to gently gather the slightly curled-up gelatinous body of the little ice slime.

"I wonder if Yae no Miko will tear me apart when that day comes!"

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The future Yae no Miko, who discovers the truth: You really think I'm Inatsume?!