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

The entrance to the mine in the Abyss of Layered Rocks was much busier than when Fanes last visited. The elevator cables shuttled back and forth above the shaft, and the sound of the mine carts' iron wheels rolling over the tracks came up from deep underground, creating faint echoes between the rock walls.

Fanes stood on a high platform on the outskirts of the mine, clutching a rolled-up transport route map in his hand. His gaze shifted from the new route marked in red on the map to the outline of the temporary dock under construction in the distant valley. He then glanced at the Liyue miners pushing ore carts out of the mine entrance, rolled up the map, tucked it under his arm, and turned to walk down the hillside.

After walking along a newly cleared dirt road for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, we arrived at a flat area right next to a river bend.

Several simple cranes have been set up, a row of wooden stakes have been driven into the bank, and a plank has been laid out on the water.

The dock was not yet fully completed, but the first barge was already moored at the shore, with a line of newly sprayed winter-themed numbers painted on its hull, the paint still a little damp.

Fanes walked around the dock, checking the stability of the pile foundations and the wear on the crane's load-bearing ropes. He then bent down to look at the barge's waterline and stood up to dust off his hands.

A soldier dressed in the uniform of the Fools ran over from the shore, clutching a crystal panel in his hand, which displayed the transfer records of the current batches of ore.

The soldier stopped in front of Fanes, handed him the panel, and then added something.

"Sir, the first batch of ore is already being loaded onto the ship. According to the schedule, it should depart within three hours. In addition, the evacuation work at the mine is basically complete, and the last batch of garrison personnel will be able to withdraw this afternoon."

Fanes took the panel, glanced at the data, and handed it back to him: "For subsequent supply replenishment at the docks, just report to Sandone's workshop. Have you heard anything from the border patrol in Sumeru lately?"

The soldier shook his head: "Not at the moment. The patrol frequency on the border has been low in recent months, and there are no permanent outposts in the waters we chose, so there's not much activity."

Fanes nodded, asked no further questions, and turned his gaze back to the outline of the barge slowly moving on the river.

When they returned to the camp on the outskirts of the Abyss of Laminaria, Fanes saw a dozen or so people gathered around several transport vehicles, packing up their equipment.

Those people's uniform coats were covered in mineral dust and sweat stains, and some of their armor plates had white marks worn through.

A stocky, overweight man was squatting on the edge of the carriage, stuffing the last few pieces of dry food into his backpack. When he looked up and saw Fanes approaching, he immediately put down what he was holding, stood up, and bowed.

"Young Master! The first batch of trucks is loaded, and the brothers are doing a final check before departure."

Fanes stood by the edge of the carriage, took out a stamped official letter from his coat pocket, and handed it over.

"This is the transfer order from Zhidong. After you arrive, you don't need to report back to your unit. Just go to the logistics department at the address on the transfer order to complete the formalities. For the two years you are stationed at the Layered Rock Abyss, all personnel will be on paid leave."

Water Fatty took the official letter, glanced at it, then looked up at Fanes: "...Leave? For how long?"

Fanes leaned back, his voice a little lower than before: "Two years. Salary will be paid in full, according to the original standard, without any reduction."

Fatty's hand, clutching the official document, froze in mid-air, as if to confirm he hadn't misheard. Then, several soldiers around him who were packing their equipment also heard it. Some stopped folding the tent, while others took out the water bottles they had just put in their backpacks, standing there staring in Fanes' direction, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Fanes pulled another receipt from his pocket: "In addition, I've already had the finance department at Winter's side settle the accounts. Your two years of on-duty allowances and overtime pay for the Layered Rock Abyss have all been settled in full at the highest standard, and you've also received an extra twenty months' salary as a vacation allowance. Your salaries will continue to be paid as usual during your vacation; there will be no interruption."

After reading it aloud, Fanes turned the document over and handed it to Shui Pang. "The first thing you should do when you get back is to give this to the finance department for stamping. If you encounter any delays or excuses in the process, just say my name."

The soldiers were silent for a few seconds. Then, Fatty Shui, clutching the two documents, spoke in a hoarse voice, as if he hadn't yet found the right way to express himself: "...Young Master, are you telling the truth?"

Fanes glanced at him, his gaze briefly sweeping over the faces of the people who were gathering around, still bearing traces of mineral dust.

"Really. You've been in the Laminar Fiery Abyss long enough these past few years, it's time to go back and rest. With the Liyue miners taking over, the production capacity here won't affect our supply schedule for the time being. Rather than having you waste your time here and constantly on guard against being discovered, it's better to withdraw and rest for two years. We'll notify you separately if there are any changes later."

The first to shout was a soldier carrying a long spear next to the portly man: "We swear to pursue our young master to the death!"

After he shouted, several people around him chimed in, their voices filled with varying degrees of excitement: "We swear to follow our young master to the death!"

Hearing the shouts rising and falling, Fanes raised his hand and pressed them down: "Alright, alright, stop shouting. If you keep shouting, the Liyue foreman at the mine will think we're conducting some kind of military exercise. Get in the car, let's get to the port while it's still early, the ship won't wait."

The soldiers began loading the remaining equipment onto the truck, moving much faster than before. Some tossed their ration bags into the truck bed and climbed on, while others rolled up their tents, threw them into the truck bed, and then saluted in the direction of Fanes before crawling inside.

Fatty carefully put the two documents into the inner pocket of his coat. When he climbed into the passenger seat, he glanced back at Fanes, said nothing more, and just nodded.

Fanes stood at the camp gate, watching the transport trucks disappear around the bend in the valley along the dirt road, then turned and walked toward the dock.

As he walked past the row of barges being loaded onto the ship, a foreman wearing a hard hat emerged from under the crane, clutching a whiteboard. Seeing Fanes approach, he greeted him, "Young Master, the weighing of the second batch of ore is complete. The total is about three percent more than expected. When will the next fleet arrive?"

Fanes took the record board and glanced at the numbers: "Three days later. At that time, you can directly load the ships according to the tonnage arranged. There's no need to return any excess; just put it on the bill for the next batch. Also, the construction team at the dock doesn't need to rush the schedule anymore; they can proceed at the normal pace from now on."

Fanes paused for a moment, "By the way, if anyone from the Sumeru border comes to check the dock's paperwork, just say that this is a mineral transshipment station belonging to the Layered Rock Abyss. Don't mention anything related to Winter Solstice. They might not investigate further."

Forget it, they're just treating Sumeru like an easy target. If we build the temporary dock in Liyue, we'll probably have to go through a lot of procedures and pay money.

However, if it's built within the territory of Sumeru, there's no need to go through any jokes or procedures. After all, how could Sumeru's mercenaries possibly defeat your regular army under the command of the Fool's Enforcer, especially the best-paid ones?

The young master's soldier: 30 per second isn't my limit! It's to let the young master see my attitude. After the young master leaves, I will have no limit!

Thirtieth Regiment: We're all in this together! I'm not going to risk my life.