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

He had no interest in things like the restoration of Kanria; as long as his plans weren't disrupted, everyone could get along peacefully.

After all, Barbatos is the highest-ranking partner right now; as long as the others are kept in check, that's enough.

Qin Ye very kindly explained to Kaeya the recent events that had occurred in Mondstadt.

"So, what I was discussing with Captain Jean was just this. Don't misunderstand. I made a promise with someone to help him protect Mondstadt, which is why I acted this way. For details, ask your captain... hiss..."

The man's words were interrupted by an external force. He gritted his teeth, rubbed his waist, and turned to look.

Columbia's fingers gripped Qin Ye's waist tightly.

"what happened?"

This punishment left him feeling somewhat bewildered.

"nothing."

"..."

Qin Ye couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Generally speaking, a certain level of awareness is needed in such situations to quickly quell the situation.

A certain possibility emerged in my mind.

That's not what I meant... You misunderstood, I didn't say that...

I didn't imply that you interrupted my conversation with Qin, nor did I say that you were petty!

This is a huge misunderstanding...

“I know,” the girl nodded in response.

Qin Ye breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the other person's upturned lips.

Thankfully, we're safe now.

wrong?

Was I being flirted with?

"Um...you two?"

Kaiya asked the question weakly, already eager to leave this place.

"Ah, I'm sorry you had to see this funny, Mr. Kaia."

Qin Ye switched gears with remarkable ease, his embarrassed expression vanishing instantly.

"In short, I'll keep an eye on things with the Knights, but I still hope... you won't have too many lingering thoughts about Mondstadt."

The probing tone and wariness had been completely concealed, but Kaiya's words still revealed his absolute unwillingness to back down.

This is precisely the untouchable line that leads to a fight to the death.

"I assure you of that; in fact, I have almost no interest in Mondstadt itself."

Whether it's the statues in Windrise, the ruins of Winddragon, or the Dragonspine Mountains, in Qin Ye's eyes, the value they could obtain would surpass that of Mondstadt.

However, as a descendant of the Kanrija bloodline, Kaeya now completely resembles a Mondstadt citizen...

"In that case, I shall take my leave now. I hope you have a pleasant time in Mondstadt."

Kaeya gave a knightly salute, then strode quickly toward the Knights.

If what [The Fool] said is true, then Qin will probably have to investigate on her own before she's willing to ask these good friends for help.

"Are you relieved now?" Columbia smiled and leaned on Qin Ye's arm.

"Well, after all, the forces behind him could be a threat in the future, but since Mondstadt has become his shackle, I don't need to worry about it."

Chapter 168 Seedlings

"This... adventurer, please stop for now. Dragonspine Snow Mountain lies ahead. Please be careful."

Qin Ye and Columbia traveled together along the main road to the foot of Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain, but were stopped by adventurers at the camp there.

"you are?"

Qin Ye remained calm in the face of such polite objections; at least in Mondstadt, encountering a normal person was already quite an achievement.

"Hello, let me introduce myself. I am Yuxia, an adventurer in charge of the exploration of the Dragonspine Mountains, and also the sister of Serius, the branch president of the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild."

"Nice to meet you. I am Qin Ye, a traveler from the depths of winter."

As Qin Ye extended his hand and shook hands with the other person, his memories gradually surfaced.

Seleucus?

Oh, it's the alternate account of the Rock King.

Since the Adventurers' Guild was practically their own business, Qin Ye had met the branch presidents and others once before, and could vaguely remember their appearances.

but...

Doesn't this older sister look a full decade younger than her younger brother?

"Mr. Qin Ye, is there something important you need to do to climb Dragonspine Mountain, or did you simply happen to come here while sightseeing in Mondstadt?"

Yuxia asked the questions very seriously. Although she was more focused on exploring the snow mountain, she couldn't let other guests die for no reason.

"Let's go up the mountain to enjoy the snow scenery." Qin Ye's eyes were sincere.

"?"

Where did this hero come from?

"The environment here is more dangerous than anywhere in Mondstadt. You could easily fall into hypothermia. Your first priority here is to maintain your body temperature. I don't mean to doubt you, but with your current attire, reaching the top of the snow mountain might be... difficult."

Yu Xia carefully chose her words, avoiding saying anything that might anger Qin Ye.

Qin Ye looked down at his Fools' coat, having concealed the emblem on it to prevent any misunderstanding.

"Thank you for your explanation. I personally have no problem with it; it's not cold today."

Yu Xia's lips twitched. Seeing that Qin Ye was unyielding, she could only look to the girl beside her for help.

"Madam...please advise your boyfriend that we won't let him approach even familiar adventurers here."

"Columbia, are you okay?" Qin Ye smiled and looked at the girl beside him, asking for her opinion.

"Yes, it's actually quite warm here."

"?"

What's going on with these two?

Although she was in charge of guarding this pass, the two people in front of her were not like other crazy people who tried to force their way in, and could not be dealt with by force. Since they seemed to be mentally sound, their freedom of action had to be protected.

"In short, you two should not go too deep. You may encounter temporary camps set up by other adventurers along the way. If you encounter danger, please rest at a temporary camp and send out a distress signal. We will send people up to search when the snow stops."

"Understood, I wish you success in your work."

Qin Ye took Columbia's hand; such a temperature was still rather ordinary for someone who was in the depths of winter.

With Yu Xia's helpless expression, the two stepped into the territory of the Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain.

"So, what are you looking for by bringing me here?"

Unlike her usual shopping and dating invitations, Qin Ye could tell that the girl had a personal purpose in coming to the snow mountain, and it was very likely related to him.

"Well, you'll find out when the time comes. Go and finish your business first, as it's directly related to what I want to tell you."

"My business?"

Qin Ye frowned. His side mission in coming here was to meet with Teacher Abedo and ask him why he was somewhat surprised when he first saw him.

After all, as a creation of "Golden" Rheindorf, Aberdo's connection to everything is undeniable.

Even the smallest bit of information that you can get out of the other person is useful.

I never imagined that Columbia had a connection with him.

"Well, I don't know the specifics, but you'll probably understand when you meet him."

I didn't expect even you to play the riddle game with me...

"Sigh~ When will I ever get rich?"

As Qin Ye was pondering, he suddenly made eye contact with some people after crossing the stone bridge.

"..."

Have the treasure-hunting gang expanded their operations to the snow-capped mountains?

What happened to the Adventurers' Guild's promise to stop them? Are they just going to slack off? Or will they ensure the treasure-hunting group's freedom isn't violated?

"Try this trick!"

Seeing that their comrades were being discovered digging for treasure, the enemy quickly launched an attack.

"Think of a way to kill them silently..."

Qin Ye shook his head helplessly. If these opportunistic forces could not be taught a lesson once and for all, they would likely face endless harassment, surveillance, and retaliation in the future.

Especially for a disorganized group like this, the Winter's Treasure Hunters might have already knelt down and begged for mercy the moment they met him, but the Mondstadt Treasure Hunters probably hadn't even heard of him.

"Stand still!" The angry roar interrupted Qin Ye's movements.

The heavy hammer, gleaming with purple light, charged directly into the group of treasure hunters.

In just a few rounds, the enemy was completely defeated and scattered.

"Master [Fool]! Master [Girl]!"

Several soldiers of the Fools ran out of the distant camp in neat formation and stood at attention, their excited expressions revealing their inner turmoil.

The sudden change caught Qin Ye off guard, but he still naturally put one hand behind his back with a serious expression.

"When did your team arrive here? Why didn't I receive any prior intelligence?"

Qin Ye felt that it was related to his dereliction of duty... no, it was related to his busyness with Mondstadt affairs. This team was probably sent by other executives to complete an important mission, and he hadn't had time to get the news.

"We are the team that set off after you returned to Winter Solstice. We were personally appointed by Lord [Clown] and have been waiting for this moment to reunite with you."

"I see. Tell me about your mission."