Genshin Impact: I Am a Slime

On the Yermak.

Pantalone watched as the soldiers put away their weapons and nodded in satisfaction.

All the crew and Fools soldiers gathered on the flagship where Pantalone was located. Apart from the two ships sunk by the Death Star, the other four ships had obviously been abandoned by the big bankers.

Pantalone turned to Zhongli again, his face regaining the elegant smile befitting a northern banker, though the flame of obsession still burned silently deep within his eyes.

"As you can see, Mr. Zhongli, peace has arrived."

Pantalone bowed slightly, his movements impeccable, as if the recent clash and the reversal of time were merely an unpleasant misunderstanding.

"I apologize for disturbing you tonight, sir."

"As for this earring..."

The banker raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing against the warm, lustrous amber on his earlobe, his smile deepening.

“I will cherish this gift from the guest of the Hall of Rebirth. Until we meet again, Mr. Zhongli.”

Having said that, Pantalone didn't linger. He turned around, the hem of his dark executive uniform drawing a sharp arc in the night wind, his voice regaining the cold, commanding tone befitting the ninth executive of the Fools:
"Yermak, disengage and return to port."

The Fools' soldiers immediately sprang into action, quickly suppressing any remaining panic. Under command, the ships began to turn, their massive hulls cleaving through the dark blue sea, preparing to leave the area.

The sea breeze ruffled the hair on Zhongli's forehead. In the depths of his golden-amber eyes, which held the weight of time, a barely perceptible complex emotion flickered. He lowered his head and opened his palm, where the deep blue teardrop earring lay quietly, shimmering with a cold and expensive luster under the moonlight.

Just as Pantalone was about to step into the shadows of the cabin.

"Wait a minute, Mr. Pantalone."

Zhongli's steady voice rang out from behind him, clear and unmistakable, like a boulder falling into water.

Pantalone paused, but did not turn around. He merely turned his head slightly, the moonlight illuminating half of his face, which wore a formulaic smile: "Oh? Does Mr. Zhongli have any further instructions? The transaction is complete, and the conflict has ended."

Zhongli's gaze calmly swept across the direction of the Yermak's cabin, as if he could see through the thick wooden planks to the cargo piled up inside. His voice was not loud, but it carried the weight unique to contracts:
“The contract is now finalized and all debts should be settled. However, the mountain of goods piled up in the warehouse on your ship is also part of the contract.”

"Since we have agreed to leave it behind, we should abandon everything to ensure the contract is complete. Taking it back with us would be inappropriate."

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Pantalone, with his back to Zhongli, twitched almost imperceptibly on his shoulders. Then, a low, undisguised sneer, tinged with a twisted pleasure, escaped from the depths of his throat.

"Ah……"

Pantalone did not turn around, but simply raised his right hand and gave a cold and clear command to the Fools soldiers standing around him.

"Didn't you hear what Mr. Zhongli said? Execute it!"

"Throw everything on the ship, valuable and worthless, belonging to Liyue, into the sea. Don't leave a single thing behind!"

The order was brief, yet it pierced to the bone like an ice pick. Without the slightest hesitation, the soldiers immediately split off a group and rushed into the cabin.

Immediately afterwards, heavy dragging sounds, dull thuds of containers hitting the deck, and continuous splashing sounds echoed on the deck.

Under the moonlight, expensive silk brocades sank into the dark blue sea like seaweed, heavy metal ingots disappeared in the waves leaving only a whirlpool, and boxes of jewels, ores, handicrafts... all the wealth that Pantalone had carefully selected or plundered on this trip was thrown into the merciless deep sea by the soldiers of the Fools, as if dumping garbage.

The sea surface was rippled open one after another, only to be quickly smoothed out by the surging waves, as if nothing had ever fallen. Only the continuous splashing sound coldly proclaimed the instantaneous annihilation of enormous wealth.

Before long, the soldiers completed their mission and silently returned to their positions, leaving the deck much emptier, with only the howling sea breeze and the lingering echoes of the sea swallowing everything remaining. Only then did Pantalone slowly turn around, a crack appearing in the elegant mask on his face, revealing an almost ferocious provocation beneath.

He slightly raised his chin towards Zhong Li, a glaring smile curving his lips.

“Mr. Zhongli, as you can see, I have left all the valuables on the ship as you wished.”

"Not a single piece was left; they were all left on the seabed of Liyue."

"May I return now?"

Pantalone deliberately emphasized the words "stay" and "return," his eyes like poisoned ice needles, fixed on Zhong Li's face, enjoying the other's possible reaction.

Zhongli watched quietly as the last ripple on the sea disappeared.

His golden eyes, like deep pools in the moonlight, were calm and undisturbed, as if he had just confirmed something trivial. He nodded very slightly, his voice flat and emotionless.

"The contract is complete. Please proceed as you see fit."

Having received this permission, Pantalone's twisted smile deepened. He turned again, this time without pausing, and strode toward the cabin. His dark figure was quickly swallowed by the shadows, leaving only a cold command echoing in the night wind.

"Let's return to winter."

The massive engines of the Yermak roared low as it turned completely, leaving a silvery trail in its wake as it headed toward winter.

Famas crossed his arms, his crimson eyes scanning back and forth between the departing executive and the quiet guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth beside him, his face filled with a strange expression that seemed to say, "You two are really interesting."

Famas found Pantalone's almost self-destructive spending of wealth and Zhongli's bland, almost indifferent response, along with the unspoken, strange atmosphere between them—a tension that was both sharp and tacit—very intriguing.

But this destructive afterglow, created by Pantalone himself, did not last long.

Zhongli turned his gaze from the departing Yermak to Famas, who was standing by with his arms crossed.

The guest elder's amber eyes, still calm in the face of the executive officer's provocation, now held a cold, scrutinizing edge as he asked directly:

"Famas, do you want to return to Winter with Pantarone, or go back to Liyue?"

The boy whose name was called frowned slightly, clearly displeased with the question, which was almost like an expulsion.

Famas pursed his lips, his amused expression fading slightly. He didn't answer immediately, but instead, a crimson light suddenly shone around him.

The next instant, he transformed into a blazing streak of light, tearing apart the space between the two and vanishing instantly from the deck of the Yermak.

Almost simultaneously, the familiar crimson light re-condensed and landed steadily on the edge of the Death Star ship not far away.

As soon as FAMAS appeared, another, more composed and restrained golden light followed closely behind.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhongli transformed into a streak of golden light, just as he had when he arrived, precisely tearing through the night. He then landed steadily on the deck of the Death Star, his demeanor as composed as ever.

Ningguang, standing at the bow of the ship, watched the two people crossing the sea to reach the Death Star and suddenly felt a headache coming on.

As a demon god, Famas possesses the immense power to traverse oceans, which Ningguang can understand.

Mr. Zhongli, you're too lazy to even act anymore!
The Eye of God is never used like that! (End of Chapter)