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

His gaze involuntarily drifted to Columbia.

The old man also made arrangements on the snow-capped mountain, which I didn't expect.

"this..."

The group looked at each other, none of them daring to answer Qin Ye's question.

"I won't blame you for the lack of progress in your mission; just tell me the truth."

Given their reaction, it's highly likely that the mission is still unfinished, or they haven't even discovered it yet.

"Please follow us." The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly stood up to lead the way.

Fortunately, the Fool was as understanding as rumored.

Passing through the camp, the snowstorm in the area surrounded by the Fools was noticeably more violent than outside, and the silhouette of the Chuchu King could be vaguely seen through the snow curtain.

"My Lord Fool... the target is inside. We have sent people to investigate many times. The Hilichurls inside seem to have been affected by something and have become abnormally violent, making it difficult to approach the target. Even if we manage to get close, we cannot find a solution."

"So, what is the objective of the mission?"

"Um...it seems to be a sapling."

The Fool's men said uncertainly.

Chapter 169 Honeysuckle Tree

"King Chuchu..."

There are an unusually large number of Hilichurls in Mondstadt.

Qin Ye squinted, wanting to get a closer look at the situation inside the snow curtain.

"Qin, step back a little."

Columbia reached out to shield Qin Ye and gently plucked the strings of her lute.

An invisible force spread out, and the snowflakes in the sky seemed to be cut by a blade, instantly shrinking in size and revealing part of the Hilichurls' faces.

The girl frowned, and the strings of the zither were plucked again by her slender fingers. After several attacks, the wind and snow had only dissipated to a certain extent.

Soon the snow curtain reclaimed the sky, as if nothing had happened.

"It seems you'll have to handle this yourself." The girl shook her head helplessly, a hint of self-reproach in her voice.

"I see."

Qin Ye reached out and patted Columbia's head to comfort her.

"I can't possibly be unable to defeat a Hilichurl, can I? As for heavy snow and such, it's quite common in Winterfall, I'll be right back."

Qin Ye wrapped his coat tighter and stepped into the snowstorm, using wind elements to tear apart the snowflakes in the air to ensure clear visibility.

"Um..."

As soon as he entered this place, he felt something was wrong, which reminded him of the special area that the Rock King Emperor had created in Tianqiu Valley.

According to his later reflections, the aura at that time should have originated from the earth's veins, but the power there was quite pure, completely different from the mixed feeling here.

Rather, this place gave Qin Ye a feeling of uncertainty about his direction.

An obscure and incomprehensible voice came from afar. Qin Ye knew that it was the unique language of the Qiuqiu people.

The crunching sound of his feet on the snow was incessant and getting closer and closer to his location.

The small Hilichurls leaped up instantly and pounced straight at his face.

"As stable as a rock."

The Jade Shield instantly enveloped the Hilichurl, which crashed into the shield wall and slid down slowly. However, before it could touch the ground, it was burned to ashes by the flames.

"..."

Their aggressiveness is far greater than that of ordinary Hilichurls. What are they guarding? Or are they influenced by the ley lines or other objects?

With the protection of the Jade Shield, he had some leeway in the battle and could also think about what might happen next.

He didn't think it was all a coincidence. Columbia had just wanted to help him, but her purpose was only to quell the snowstorm, not to find the item that the Fools wanted.

Since the Clown has already intervened, it must be a very important item. Qin Ye would not believe that he and the Girl did not inform each other.

The wooden stick kept striking the shield, making clanging sounds, but it couldn't hurt the man in the slightest.

"It's a bit noisy."

He raised his arm slightly, and flames blazed up from his palm, then formed a ring of flames that expanded outwards. The Hilichurls who were touched by the flames fell silent without even a scream or a struggle.

As a result, a brief gap appeared in the snow curtain.

In that instant, Qin Ye also sensed the presence coming from behind him.

Qin Ye retreated with the wind and landed in the snow in the distance.

A loud noise rang out, and the ground they had just been on was now occupied by a huge fist. Snow flew everywhere, and for a moment, it was impossible to see anything.

"His strength has increased slightly, mainly because he has become more active and irritable, but the increase is far less than it was in Liyue before."

A word surfaced in Qin Ye's mind.

newborn.

The earth's energy here was mixed with other things, but its vigorous and life-giving spirit did not deceive him.

Although he didn't know why, he was able to sense it in this way.

The answer to everything lies in the deepest part of this region.

Before that...

Qin Ye took off running, leaving long afterimages in his wake, before leaping into the air to face the King of Chuqiu directly.

The heavy punch even created a whooshing sound, reaching Qin Ye's ears directly. However, he twisted his body, using the wind to elevate his position again, causing the opponent's punch to miss completely.

A kick imbued with wind, lightning, rock, and fire elements struck the Hilichurl King squarely in the face, driving the mask directly into its flesh and creating a dent in its face. The ice horns on its head also snapped off with a crisp sound.

The swirling snow gathered in the man's hand, forming a longsword that gleamed with a cold light. In the instant that the Chuchu King fell backward due to the impact, the blade followed closely behind, piercing its brow and killing it instantly.

The snowstorm had not yet stopped, but Qin Ye, after landing, already knew where he should be.

Even though he was filled with doubt, he still took firm steps forward.

He trusted Columbia.

Since Colombia would cooperate with Piero and agree with his next move, he chose to move forward despite being wary.

At the end of the snowstorm, something was covered by layers of solid ice.

Qin Ye reached out and touched it, and a strong feeling of wanting to break through the soil instantly surged into his heart.

However, this emotion was suppressed by other external forces.

"I see."

Qin Ye searched around and used the wind to blow away the snow, revealing the red stones.

He clenched his fist tightly, crushing the stone, the force enveloping his arm.

Feeling the power in his hand, Qin Ye turned around and stared for a long time before punching the solid ice.

The ice shattered, and shards of ice flew outwards, even scratching the man's cheek, but his expression remained unchanged.

The wind and snow gradually subsided, and as a tender bud sprouted from the ground, the weather began to resemble the snow-capped mountains we had arrived at.

Qin Ye silently turned around and walked towards the Fools' camp.

"How about it?"

Columbia frowned, clearly filled with worry.

"There's no problem, but we still need to go up there."

Qin Ye replied softly, pointing to the very top of the snow-capped mountain.

“Okay, I’ll go with you.” The girl nodded with a light laugh.

"My Lord Fool! Is there anything else you require?"

The foolish soldiers wisely waited for the two to finish their conversation.

"Yes, the snowstorm has subsided. You should completely seal off this area and protect the new buds growing from the dead tree trunk on the inside until I return from the snow mountain."

"Yes!"

Qin Ye encouraged his subordinates for a few words, and then, still somewhat worried, used rock elements to create a protective layer.

He sighed deeply, suppressing his chaotic thoughts, and looked up at the sky.

If I remember correctly, the top of the snow-capped mountain should be that nail of judgment that has not yet been put back in place.

"Oh God... I really used to make trouble for myself."

Chapter 170 Dadaupa Valley

“Servant, lady, fool…” Diluc kept repeating the code names of the executives he had seen.

If it were just a woman alone, whether she booked the Goethe Hotel or planted spies for the Fatui in Mondstadt, Mondstadt would not use the highest level of threat to judge her.

Although he viewed it all as the Knights deceiving themselves, he could indeed save a lot of time in the pursuit.

But the situation is completely different now.

Each of the executives possesses extraordinary abilities, and any one of them could be entrusted with important responsibilities in any country.

Three such individuals have appeared in Mondstadt, and this is only what he could detect with his abilities; there may be other Executors operating in the shadows.

He couldn't fully believe the Fool's previous conversation, so he conducted his own investigation.

He didn't think the executive officer was just trying to fool him with their conversation.

For the Fools, even as the owner of the winery... no, even as someone who once destroyed their strongholds, they wouldn't receive such an "honor."

After all, only he himself knows how miserable the result was when he once fought the Fools' Enforcers one-on-one.

So, reconsidering the Fool's words, it seems he deliberately wanted to expose the whereabouts of some of the Fools, whether to make them careless or to show sincerity.