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

"Hafdan..."

"I am very sorry, Lord Dainesreb, the Sword of the End, I have failed you and failed to protect the people of Kanria."

Dain clenched his fists tightly, then smiled gently and returned the salute: "No, you have fulfilled your duty for the past five hundred years, and to this day, you are still my honor."

The young man seemed a little embarrassed by the praise, unsure of what to do with his hands, so he scratched his head slightly.

“It seems I can still…” He looked down at his transparent hands, realizing he still had some time.

He looked around at the people present, first bowing respectfully to Columbia, and the girl nodded in response.

Who is this?

He looked at Qin Ye with suspicion, curious about the identity of the young man standing next to the two important figures.

Din turned his head with some concern, knowing that Hafdan couldn't recognize Qin Ye's aura like the immortals and the Seven Gods.

If he knew that Qin Ye was still alive, what an inspiring thing that would be!

Qin Ye guessed something from the other person's eyes, then straightened up, instantly exuding the aura of a high-ranking executive, but his tone was also approachable.

"Long time no see, Hafdan. It's me, Qin Ye. What? Don't you recognize me after changing my appearance?"

Chapter 208 I Have a Date with the Rock King Emperor

"Qin Ye... Lord?"

The tall, silver-haired man before me seemed somewhat unrecognizable from the figure I remembered.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't greet you even though you were standing right in front of me. I'm truly ashamed."

Hafdan looked somewhat apprehensive, which made Qin Ye realize that his former status was probably no lower than he had imagined.

"There is no distinction between you and me in the palace guards. You and Dain are good friends in private, and he and I are also very close, so there is no need to be so respectful to me."

Dain's eyes widened slightly, somewhat surprised by Qin Ye's seamless conversation. To avoid ruining the atmosphere, he deliberately leaned to the side and asked Columbia, "He... shouldn't have regained his memories?"

The girl silently moved away, keeping her distance from the other person: "No doubt about it, it's all an act."

"..."

As expected...

If I didn't know his current situation, I would really suspect that he had suddenly regained his memory.

"You're still the same as I remember you..."

Hafdan smiled and nodded.

He was hesitant at first, but seeing that Qin Ye and Daines Reeb had taken the initiative to chat with him, he quickly got into the mood.

It recounts the recent situation of the two, their current location, and some interesting events that have occurred over the past five hundred years.

Everyone seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally avoiding a certain topic.

"Ha ha..."

Hafdan's smile gradually faded, his body began to blur, and a smile appeared on his face as he asked the question that had been hidden in his heart.

"Since the three of you are standing here, it proves that Kanria has not fallen, right?"

Qin Ye gave the other person a reassuring look and nodded solemnly, but did not say anything more to put the other person at ease.

In situations like these, saying more will only make the other person more uneasy. Instead, a small detail can make it easier to gain their trust.

Hafdan let out a long breath, a sense of relief in his eyes, and looked up at the sky before slowly dissipating.

Qin Ye stood there, lost in thought.

The power he had just unleashed was somewhat sudden, but he still managed to sense the connection between the earth's veins and his own body...

This situation helped Hafdan prolong his existence, does it mean that this was also one of his backup plans?

Now that I have been to Kanria, I will not allow its people to suffer and be harmed.

If I am not much different now than I was before.

“So, there’s no need for any restoration of the kingdom…” Daines Reeb sighed from the side.

"Indeed, if we follow the Abyss's approach, we are merely exploiting the hatred of the people and dragging them forward. In the end, it will only lead to death in another way and face new suffering."

At least that's how Qin Ye sees it. Just as he cares about every soldier of the Fools, since they trust him as their executor and have traveled far away to fulfill one of his grand pronouncements, he will certainly not let them down.

"Qin..."

Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, Columbia reached out and hugged Qin Ye from behind, burying her face in his clothes.

"I'm fine. I just felt something inspired by what Din said. I won't let something like this make me confused or anything. That's not my style."

"Ah."

She didn't reply much, but gently loosened her arm and took two steps back: "I still have something important to finish, I might have to..."

Qin Ye interrupted the girl's probing words and casually patted her head: "I know your power has increased, but you still need to prioritize your own safety. You must never go and settle things with the King of the Abyss alone."

"..."

Colombia opened her mouth but didn't dare to reply, seemingly realizing that Qin Ye had guessed her thoughts correctly.

"Don't think that I was just focused on those few broken pieces in Inazuma Mondstadt and Liyue. I actually thought about a lot of things."

"I see."

Seeing that the other party's mood had calmed down, Qin Ye stopped lecturing him.

The girl turned back reluctantly and headed towards the exit of the giant abyss of layered rocks.

"What are your plans next, Dain?"

He then began to probe someone.

"Healing. This device has had some effect on me, and I need to get myself back in shape in order to see an old friend later."

"Oh?" Qin Ye looked the other person up and down, then shrugged. "Don't be nervous. I'm not the kind of person who pries into things. I just want to know, are you really absolutely neutral?"

Daines Reeb crossed his arms and pondered for a long time: "Neither the Seven Gods, nor the Heavenly Principles, nor the Abyss can gain my trust."

"I see."

So you mean deep down you're still slightly biased towards me?

"Because I have to maintain the borders of Teyvat with someone, I can't get involved in internal wars at will. Apart from the matter of Kanria, I don't care about anything else."

"..."

It seems there have been some changes after all...

Qin Ye pondered to himself.

At least the legendary Riddle King wasn't drawn into the game by me.

"I'm very grateful for everything you've done for Canria, and for Columbia... I understand how she feels..."

"To be honest, if I had asked her before the trip to Liyue ended, I doubt she would have told me that she had experienced wear and tear during the process of regaining her power, right?"

Qin Ye offered his conjecture.

Daines Reeb's silence was tantamount to an admission.

"..."

Good lad, you're quite the smooth operator. Silence means you're not revealing anything. Aren't you afraid of being held accountable later?

"Only you can keep her in a normal mental state. You could feel the violence when we were facing off with swords just now. Although I have some... I wouldn't call it hatred, just a little dislike, it's not to the point of fighting to the death."

Qin Ye tapped his fingers lightly, pondering the situation in his mind.

Dain's lips curled into a slight smile as he joked, "What, are you guessing if I'm trying to..." He paused, as if recalling a word: "Shift the blame?"

"Haha, there's no way around it. After all, with my brother and my girlfriend in front of me, it's obvious which one is more important." Qin Ye suddenly laughed heartily.

If a meticulous man can utter such words, it's quite possible that he was taught them.

"I have an appointment with the Rock King Emperor later, so I'll be leaving now."

He left Dain behind and did not intend to linger at the bottom of the Abyss of Lava. He had already completed the basic task of rescuing the Fools, and this trip even yielded some unexpected gains, which made him very satisfied.

"..." Dain frowned.

Who are you with? What kind of date do you have?

Chapter 209 The Scapegoat

"Fresh air and sunshine."

Qin Ye stood on the ground of the giant rock abyss, squinting at the blinding sunlight.

The adventurers and Liyue General Affairs staff who were exploring the area have disappeared, presumably having gone to the outer outpost. This situation is likely related to the previous earthquake.

In short, go find the general affairs staff here to find out what's going on. Maybe you'll run into that lovely Yuheng Star who's diligently conducting field research.

The Abyss's operations are proceeding at a rapid pace... or rather, they're all focused on a major undertaking.

They had to have everything, and then the king of the abyss agreed or tacitly approved.

Either he looks down on the Rock King Emperor, or he genuinely wants to have more backup plans in case he can't win against a certain old man.

The source of such an unnatural earthquake was most likely a certain Rātāra.

So the other party may really be trying to weaken Zhongli's power step by step. After all, although the immortals are very strong, they are probably still not enough in front of Tuozi.

Why has he suddenly become so composed? That shouldn't be happening; it doesn't make sense.

While Qin Ye was thinking, he arrived at the General Affairs Department's headquarters, where preparations for the disaster were being carried out in an orderly manner.

Are you there? Want to check out Mondstadt?

He strolled along the road, heading towards the most densely populated area in the distance.

"Lord Gan Yu, please allocate some tents for rest. There are too many volunteers conducting geological surveys here."

"And the chef! We've already arranged for the ingredients and suppliers. When will the staff here arrive?"

The terrain and location of the Laminar Abyss forced Liyue to take a more lenient approach, especially given the immeasurable potential repercussions of the earthquake.