Genshin Impact: I, the Winter's Executor, am forced to work.

"Sister, what time is it now?"

"Brother Qin Ye, it's 12:25 PM."

"Understood. I'll be there on time the day after tomorrow. Goodbye."

"..."

The head maid stood there stunned for nearly five minutes, seeing that the three of them had turned and left without giving her a chance to explain.

Well, I should probably tell Lord Diluc.

She strode into the winery.

-

"Qin, what are you doing..." Columbia asked, puzzled, seeing that Qin Ye had no intention of taking any further action.

"Don't rush. That head maid is clearly a master of playing the game of tai chi. If you go straight to the point, she'll most likely refuse, and she might refuse you several times. That will only make her less and less interested."

"I understand. So you just make it so that she can't understand what you're doing. That way, she'll feel that she can't solve it on her own, and she'll at least give a simple report."

The girl nodded knowingly: "But can't I just reveal that you're an executive officer?"

“I’d like to…” Qin Ye shrugged helplessly: “But the doctor’s madman slices have some past grievances with him. Telling him that I’m an executive officer is one way, but I don’t want him to be prepared before he even meets me.”

What I always want is to take the initiative.

"I see...it's the PhD again..."

Colombia muttered something under her breath, calculating something in her mind.

"Brother Qin Ye, shall we go to Mondstadt to find a place to stay next?"

"...Is it possible to set up camp briefly?" Qin Ye asked tentatively.

Tatiana showed no sign of panic and nodded quickly: "Of course, you can tell me the location. I've already prepared all the camping gear."

Chapter 144 A Worthy Opponent?

Southern part of Dawn Winery

Wearing a straw raincoat, Qin Ye sat on a boulder by the river, quietly watching the fish fry frolicking happily beneath the fishing hook, his anxiety growing stronger.

Tatiana gently lifted the rod, removed the fish from the hook, and threw it into the third spare bucket that had already been taken out.

"Tatiana, impressive." Columbia squatted beside the buckets, sensing that each one was almost full of fish, and there was a hint of admiration in her tone.

In comparison...

She could sense that someone's composure was about to vanish.

"As expected of Brother Qin Ye..." Tatiana said softly.

"?" The girl looked up abruptly.

"Since Mondstadt's strategy is called 'willing to take the bait,' I suppose Brother Qin Ye has already begun to lay a tight net for this grand plan. Even when fishing, he is setting an example by constantly refining the plan, no matter when or where."

Tatiana's admiration was palpable as she looked at the fish underwater that were not getting any closer to the fishing rod.

That's amazing! I only know how to hook fish, but I don't know how to make the person, the fish, the fishing rod, and the water blend together like a natural painting.

I'm afraid I'll never be able to catch up to or reach that level in my lifetime.

She frowned, quickly lifted the rod, and caught another fish.

"Tonight's dinner will be very sumptuous. It's perfect for making a nutritious meal for Brother Qin Ye after a long day of thinking."

"..."

"..."

Qin Ye and Columbia were both lost in confusion.

"Hmm...as expected...perfectly suits my taste."

Qin Ye nodded inscrutably, showing no sign of blushing or shyness.

He picked up his fishing rod, turned around and asked, "Is this enough to catch?"

"Hmm, that's enough for dinner."

"Okay, then let's put the fishing rod away."

"..." Columbia already understood what the other party might do next, and silently took Tatiana's hand, leading her away from the lakeside.

Elemental power condensed in Qin Ye's hand, quickly transforming into a sphere of rock element.

He had just thought about it, and based on the maid's reaction, Diluc was probably at the winery, or if he wasn't, he probably wouldn't be too far away.

The sphere was tossed around in his hands. Although the internal workings were not visible to outsiders, the lightning and fire elements were actually in a certain balance under Qin Ye's skillful control.

The ball was then thrown into the lake...

-

"Lord Diluc, here is your drink."

A boy with bright red hair sat on the second floor of the winery and accepted a wine glass from the head maid.

A ray of twilight sunlight streamed into the room through the window, making the dust particles inside glitter. Combined with Mr. Lu's melancholy eyes and thoughtful expression, the scene was exceptionally charming.

"Liyue people..."

When the head maid reported to him, he was checking the winery's revenue for the quarter. Although he was puzzled upon hearing the news, he immediately went to search outside the winery, but had already completely lost track of her.

His intuition told him that something was wrong. The Fatui had been acting more and more aggressively lately, and he was always worried that they were targeting Mondstadt again.

Although I've heard that the twelfth seat of the Fatui sect does not approve of deliberately creating orphans or conducting human experiments on innocent people.

However... other methods are probably similar, the only difference being whether or not one possesses basic humanity and is not human.

The eighth seat is currently in Mondstadt and there has been no unusual activity for the time being. It is highly likely that they are waiting for reinforcements.

Boom!

The loud noise pulled him back to reality. He opened the window and looked south. He saw the water in the lake shoot straight into the sky and then spray out several jets like a fountain.

"Lord Diluc..." Adeline rushed over.

"Don't panic, I'll go check it out myself."

He put on a golden mask, covering only the area around his eyes, slung a fiery red greatsword over his shoulder, and leaped from the second floor of the winery.

“…” Adeline looked helpless.

Master, please leave through the main entrance next time, otherwise you'll frighten the new maids.

Diluc's speed increased continuously, and seeing that it was getting dark, he leaped between the trees and soon arrived at the lake.

At this moment, the campfire that had been set up by the lake was still burning brightly, and the items and traces of human activity near the tents proved that people lived here.

He would often patrol the area and was very clear that these things had only appeared recently.

Diluc carefully hid behind the tree, wanting to observe closely.

He had just peeked out when the melodious sound of the piano reached his ears, making him tense up instantly.

Following the sound of the zither, Diluc's gaze fell upon a man sitting on a distant boulder. A fishing rod was set up in front of him, but he didn't seem to be fishing at all.

and...

The other person's clothing...

It was familiar; Diluc knew that mark on the badge all too well.

Master Lu took a deep breath, slowly walked forward, looked at the other person's back, and silently stood behind Qin Ye.

Qin Ye heard the noise but wasn't in a hurry. He stared at the lake water, which was now devoid of fish, and was in a good mood.

The two remained silent, neither speaking first.

Qin Ye reached out and touched the plate of grilled fish next to him. The aroma was irresistible. He put it directly to his mouth and tore it apart in small bites, then picked up the glass and gulped down the juice.

"...What brings you to Mondstadt, Executor of the Fatui?" Diluc finally couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm?" Qin Ye turned his head with a look of realization and met the red-haired man's eyes: "Oh~ so you're a guest. I'm sorry, I was too focused on fishing and didn't notice you in time. I'm so ashamed."

He quickly stood up, as if showing exceptional respect to the man before him, with a kind smile and his eyes narrowed into crescents.

Diluc remained calm and composed, adjusting his tone to normal: "I was unaware of your presence, Executor. May I ask who you are?"

"So you mean you've met my colleague?"

"I once met the [Doctor]."

Qin Ye nodded emphatically: "Then you must be some important figure in Mondstadt, oh dear..."

He looked somewhat embarrassed: "To be honest, I'm ranked last among the Executors, twelfth, Dionysus the Fool, just a young man responsible for running errands. I'm new to Mondstadt..."

Before Qin Ye could finish speaking, Diluc ruthlessly interrupted him.

“I know the Fools better than you think. And the Fools have been so high-profile lately. If you think you can use the same tricks you use to deceive others to deal with me, you’ll be disappointed.”

"Oh dear, what you're saying..."

Qin Ye's voice gradually deepened and turned cold, taking on an indescribable meaning.

"That's really interesting."

(Note: I reread the comics today and looked at Mondstadt's history and map. It was quite boring. There's really not much about this place in the game's present tense, so it's hard to write about...)

Chapter 145 A Slap and a Sweet Treat

Diluc quickly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, leaped backward to steady himself, and instinctively assumed a fighting stance.

Qin Ye leaped down from the boulder, steadied himself on one foot, and then stood sideways to face his opponent.

The two stared at each other, making the atmosphere gradually become oppressive and somber.

Diluc's fingers gripped the hilt of his sword repeatedly...relaxed...and gripped it again, somewhat confused by Qin Ye's intentions.

Is it a threat... or something else?

His suspicions and his past understanding of the Fools made him increasingly nervous.