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

Rock pillars grow continuously from the mountainside and then connect to form a ladder to the sky.

He took advantage of the wind to climb the stairs, and quickly reached the top of the mountain.

Thankfully... my dignity was preserved.

He silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"You've been spoiled by Tatiana."

Such behavior drew severe criticism from the girl.

"..."

Qin Ye opened and closed his mouth for a while, but ultimately did not refute.

I admit you're right.

He turned his gaze to the arena at the top of the mountain, where the enormous nail of judgment hovered in the air, giving off an indescribable sense of oppression.

Especially the ruins below, whose original appearance was no longer discernible, even Qin Ye could feel the despair and fear in the hearts of the people who once lived here when faced with a calamity from the heavens.

Most importantly, since he mastered the seven elemental forces, his perception of the earth's veins has become increasingly clear. At this moment, the disorder and conflict of the earth's veins on the mountaintop are already giving him a headache.

"What should I do..."

Although there was no complicated exploration process involving breaking the seal, it was still inevitable to send this nail back to the heavens, at least to prevent it from affecting the earth's veins again.

Only in this way can the new bud that was previously thought to be a honeysuckle tree fully grow.

He looked down at his hands.

Are you suggesting I pull it up and throw it into the sky?

Wouldn't it be an insult to my literary style for a scholar like myself to do such a thing?

Besides, I'm not good at this kind of thing.

"It's okay, I'll help you."

Columbia stepped up at the crucial moment.

She gently plucked the strings of her lute and hummed a lullaby.

This song was different from the lighthearted and soothing tunes of the past; it sounded ancient and distant, and Qin Ye couldn't even understand the meaning of the lyrics.

The sound is very penetrating; it might even cover the entire mountaintop area.

The song ended.

From a distant cave, a red fairy spirit slowly floated out.

"This is?"

Memories from Liyue instantly flooded my mind.

Qin Ye's surprised gaze suddenly turned to the girl, only to see an undisguised sorrow between her brows.

The fairy spirit first circled around Qin Ye once before flying into Columbia's arms, but Qin Ye did not feel the same intense emotion he had felt in Liyue.

"I never imagined that even you would end up like this."

Columbia shook her head, trying to calm herself down.

Qin Ye suppressed his doubts for the time being, reached out and hugged the other girl, and the girl also raised her arm and placed her hand on the back of Qin Ye's hand.

"Have you seen her in Liyue?"

"she?"

"Fairy Spirit".

"Um..."

He recounted the events of that time in detail without any concealment.

"Sure enough... I felt it then..."

The girl paused for a moment.

"You don't need to feel sad for her; your presence is a kind of salvation for her."

Even at this moment, Columbia still chose to comfort Qin Ye first.

"Although I am determined to figure everything out one day, I am more concerned about how you feel right now."

"I'm fine, I've just made up my mind about some things."

The girl hummed softly, and the fairy spirits began to dance to the melody before quickly disappearing.

Colombia's momentum subsequently increased.

As the strings were plucked, a strange feeling rose in Qin Ye's heart.

He first explained to the girl, and upon her response, he leaped off the cliff to the very bottom of the Punishment Nail.

He quickly detected the chaotic flow of the earth's veins.

His eyes closed, and his senses became clearer.

At a certain juncture, Qin Ye's palm struck the nail of judgment with lightning speed.

The powerful aftershocks spread outwards, the mountain began to tremble slightly, the snow slid to the ground, and the soil underfoot began to loosen.

The nail of judgment emitted a bright light, seemingly echoing something.

The earth seemed to welcome his arrival, and the dark doors opened silently, swallowing the man's figure whole.

Columbia strode toward the nail of judgment, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

She jumped down quickly, but her feet landed firmly on the ground.

A powerful sense of perception burst forth.

"Qin?"

No matter how hard she tried, the familiar scent had completely disappeared.

A sense of panic gripped her.

"call..."

After taking several deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down.

Neither before nor after Qin disappeared did he sense any familiar presence, which means that Qin Ye would not lose in a battle at least.

The nail of judgment did indeed undergo a series of special changes, which did not conflict with Qin Ye's actions.

In other words, he was indeed the one who caused all of this, and it is something he has to face.

All she can do for now is wait here for Qin Ye's return.

"Piero..."

If she hadn't known that the person was someone she could absolutely trust, the girl would have insisted on going to his door later to have a proper talk with him.

Thinking of this, she fell silent, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Whether it's the Clown, the Seven Gods, Kong, or Qin Ye, they are all striving to move forward. Now it seems that only she is still standing still.

How long has it been since I last played a game of chess, since I met Qin Ye?

If this continues, he won't need me to protect him anymore.

After this incident, she must make up her mind and take action.

(underground)

Qin Ye landed smoothly, first looking up at the sky to confirm that Columbia hadn't followed, and then briefly breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked around, and the surrounding mountains and sky seemed somewhat unreal, suggesting that it was not as simple as just falling into the mountains.

But the scene before me was a completely physical entity.

Is it possible that the space in this area has been hidden by some special method?

For someone like me who can only control seven elements, it's best not to make wild guesses.

Colombia did not come along, most likely because this was an unexpected situation.

In his mind, the girl was someone who knew the truth, comparable to the Seven Gods; she even knew about the snow mountain, but not about the events at the summit...

Who could it be? Piero?

It's not that I look down on the old man, but his riddle-solving skills are at best on par with the Seven Gods.

Well, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. In any case, we'll go and find out what's going on.

(One more chapter to come, see the preview first)

Chapter 175 Mask

"This is... an altar? No, that's not right."

Qin Ye walked into the depths of the space. The circular area had stairs leading up to it, and there was no damage whatsoever.

He half-squatted down and rubbed his fingers hard on the stairs, making his fingertips feel a slight pain.

I raised my hand to examine it closely, but there was no trace of dust.

It can be said to be spotless.

This further solidified Qin Ye's conjecture that this space was not directly connected to the outside world.

I cautiously observed my surroundings; the silence was terrifying, making me feel uneasy.

But it is precisely at times like these that we must be most vigilant about the potential dangers.

I slowly climbed the stairs and arrived at the venue. The outermost edge of the circular area was engraved with an incomprehensible pattern, but the symbols on it were not connected, so it was probably some kind of ancient script.

Fendnir is supposed to be a godless land, but the gods of Sky Island have also visited this place, so perhaps it was the location for some kind of ceremony.

Qin Ye had no idea about this, after all, this ancient country had been gone for many years, so long that even history could not fully recount what had happened.

As he stepped onto the field, the characters on the edge suddenly emitted specks of fluorescent light.

"A monster is about to appear, right? I know."