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

"You adapted very quickly."

Qin Ye smiled helplessly and gestured for the other person not to stray too far from him.

"Well, this black mud will slow down my movements and reactions, but once you get used to this kind of battle, it can be ignored. However, I still suggest that you don't step on it, my partner."

Even in such a bizarre place, he still finds time to hone himself by utilizing the environment. Truly worthy of being called Tartaglia.

Qin Ye shrugged, reached out and touched the rock wall in front of him, compared it with the map, and quickly walked towards the fork in the road ahead.

"Don't worry, I don't need to hone myself this way anymore. Just tell me if you can't beat me."

"?"

The young master tilted his head.

Something feels off. Is my partner showing off how strong he is?

Or was he mocking me for being incompetent?

No, no, no, how could such a good person as my partner treat his brother like this? I must be overthinking it.

The two moved swiftly below, easily overcoming all difficulties in the route, various ingenious puzzles, and sudden attacks from enemies, as if they were in an empty field.

"There are signs that this place has been used for temporary accommodation."

"Huh? Partner, how did you figure that out?" [Young Master] asked in confusion.

A handful of soot from the bottom of a pot was smeared on Dadalia's face.

"...Okay, I understand now."

He gave an awkward smile.

I was so focused on my partner that I didn't even notice such a simple detail.

"But this abyss of rock is truly outrageous. How did the Liyue people manage to mine it and turn this place into what it is now?"

Because the top is not completely sealed, the ever-flowing breeze blows into the interior of the layered rock abyss, passing through the voids and making a mournful sound like weeping.

"That's why I sometimes go down into the mines to inspect things during the winter months. But that's also why ancient humans didn't learn their lesson."

Despite his explanation, Qin Ye still revealed a hint of helplessness when he said this.

"However, the ultimate consequences will still have to be borne by humanity itself. Not repeating the same mistakes in trivial matters is something I, as the executive officer, must do."

Qin Ye didn't try to hide anything about it; guiding his people was one of his essential lessons.

"Let's go, they've headed in this direction."

Tadalia looked in the direction Qin Ye was pointing and nodded emphatically, agreeing with what he had said.

As expected of a partner, although he can be arrogant and domineering at times, showing the demeanor of an executive officer, he mostly acts as a glue that holds things together. It's hard to imagine what Zhi Dong would be like without him.

"..."

Okay, okay, at least I can't really get anything done without partners. Being constantly fooled isn't a pleasant experience.

As they continued forward towards their goal, the camp of the Fools finally came into view. The gaunt-faced Fool soldiers huddled around a fire, seemingly singing a song for the winter solstice.

"Under the noble Ice Queen, we see a bright future for our motherland; our struggles influence the fate of our people..."

His voice was not loud due to hunger, but it was exceptionally firm.

"..."

They've already fallen into such a miserable state.

Qin Ye clapped his hands, the sound echoing loudly in the empty cave.

The singing stopped abruptly.

"Fool...Fool!"

The Fool's soldier in the corner suddenly stood up. The dizziness from hunger made him stagger a few steps, but he still managed to steady himself and gave a standard military salute.

“I remember you, Sergeant Anton Melnikov. There’s no need for such formality, everyone. Your health comes first.” Qin Ye smiled and waved his hand, gesturing for the other man to sit back down.

"My Lord Fool... you actually remember the name of one of my sergeants, sob sob sob..." The tall man, over six feet tall, suddenly burst into tears: "You, some of you, come and punch me! Tell me this isn't an illusion!"

"I'll satisfy you!"

"...You really are my good brother."

"And Young Master?" The soldiers around them finally recovered from their low morale.

"Why would you two come to such a... godforsaken place?"

Qin Ye casually sat down among the soldiers: "I have completed the mission I was assigned before and have now returned to Liyue. The situation up here is... well, it's complicated. I heard that you are still down here, and I was a little worried, so I came down to check on things myself."

"My Lord Fool..."

"My lord..."

Hearing such undisguised concern, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed, and they began to report to Qin Ye in one go.

Unlike the formal and affected language in writing, Qin Ye listened to all the complaints and grievances the soldiers had, and comforted them one by one until they fully recovered.

"By the way," Qin Ye could finally ask his own question, "I haven't seen Katarina and Nikolai. Where are they?"

"..."

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Chapter 203 CP Fans

"Sister, don't go any further..."

Katarina and Nikolai have left the main mining area of ​​the Layered Rock Abyss very, very far away.

"No, I have a feeling there's some big secret here. Let's explore further; what if we find it?"

"Hey..."

Nikolai sighed. Although he appeared timid and submissive in front of his sister, he was actually a man with a strong sense of the big picture and a meticulous mind.

"Sister, brother... to be honest, more than getting any so-called secrets or accomplishing great things, he should care about your and my safety."

That's right, it's not cowardice. Even though the surrounding environment is getting darker and darker, and the terrifying black mud is increasing, and even the sound of the wind blowing in his ears can make his hair stand on end, the retreat is all for the sake of "brother".

Most importantly, in such an environment, even with a simple map distributed by the "Rooster" lord, losing one's sense of direction is only a matter of time.

“You’re right. My brother always puts our safety first, which is why I want to do something for him to prove myself and that I have never let him down.”

He saved us from living aimlessly, preventing us from fighting with stray dogs for food day after day, and from working until our arms were too sore to lift for our unscrupulous bosses, only to earn enough Mora to buy a single steamed bun.

We are no longer homeless, no longer ridiculed by children our age passing through towns because we lost our parents, and no longer have to face the cold stares and mockery of those richly dressed adults.

I used to think that my younger brother was my only family in this life, and that I could never have any more ties with him or trust anyone else.

Until one day, the siblings, dressed in tattered clothes, their skin raw and red from the cold wind, numb and disoriented, saw a helping hand extended without hesitation when the wind and snow blurred their vision.

Katarina also possessed her own stubbornness; to her, the debt of gratitude she owed him could probably never be repaid in a lifetime. But if she were to become complacent and neglect her duties, failing to strive for improvement and repay his kindness...

So what's the difference between me, my brother, and all the adults I've met?

"My dear sister..."

Nikolai scratched his head vigorously and walked in front of his sister with a forced smile: "Let's go then."

He gave her a slightly teasing look: "At least so that my sister can meet the man she loves, right?"

I said...

Katarina, however, showed no embarrassment whatsoever, and instead looked down on her brother's statement.

"It's fine if others think that way, but you're my own brother. To me, an older brother is like a teacher, a father, a friend, and my benefactor. Our statuses are completely different, so it's very difficult for feelings of love to develop, okay?"

She shrugged. Although she did admire the Fool, even to the point of fanaticism that the man could replace the Jester, it didn't mean she had to become his woman, did it?

"Huh?" Nikolai thought that his sister was just embarrassed to admit it and was still being stubborn in front of him.

"Then why are you arguing with Tatiana? Are you just bored and have nothing better to do?"

"Are you itching for a beating?" The girl raised the weapon in her hand, and lightning bolts instantly flew around her.

"No, no, no!" Nikolai frantically waved his arms and took two steps back in terror: "Getting on the road is the priority, getting on the road is the priority."

"Coward." Katarina gave her brother a short but powerful assessment.

Just to be on the safe side, she continued to explain: "Tatiana is different from me. I was inferior to my brother in status from the beginning, but she lowered herself. I hate her submissive and trashy personality. It's so annoying."

"..."

Nikolai roughly understood what the other party meant: the older sister didn't want to play a game of herself x the older brother, but rather Tatiana x the Fool's Lover.

It was because Tatiana had the advantage of being close to him, yet she didn't show it at all. Even a straight man like him could see that she had feelings for his brother, but she still kept it to herself.

"You understand, I was just frustrated with her and wanted her to realize her feelings, after all..."

She sighed, but a gentle smile appeared on her face: "We used to be the closest people, didn't we?"

“Ha…” Nikolai shook his head helplessly.

Honestly, why did they have to make the relationship so awkward?

Ok?

He grabbed his sister, who was still striding forward, and quickly dragged her behind the rock.

What are you doing?

"Shh..." The man put his index finger to his lips, signaling the other person not to speak loudly: "Look ahead."

Following her brother's pointing finger, she saw dilapidated mining equipment, including cranes, lying scattered on the ground, and in the center of the machinery, a huge crater appeared before her eyes.

"?"

I remember when I went down to the Laminar Fissure, the Liyue people helped me by taking me down in an elevator. At the time, I thought this place was bottomless, and it took me several minutes to finally step onto solid ground.

And now you're telling me there's a big hole here?

and...

Several abyss mages were having a heated discussion.

"What are those little dwarfs chattering about?" She grabbed her brother's ear, hoping he could give her a satisfactory answer.