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

Back then, Piero was also a spirited young man, full of ambition and wanting to make a name for himself in Canria.

Unfortunately, even when the king was at his most arrogant, this young man still chose to speak frankly.

Although honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial, no one is completely without dissatisfaction when they hear discouraging words.

"You've worked hard to manage things all these years, Piero."

The old man quietly closed his eyes, his lips trembling slightly. To him, Qin Ye was the man who pulled him out of his deepest despair. Only this man trusted him without reservation and entrusted him with important tasks.

Normally, such a task would never be given to someone you've known for only a few months, even if that person is exceptionally talented.

Especially since Qin Ye has an even more suitable candidate by his side—Columbia.

Even if she may not be able to achieve it perfectly, no one can rival her in loyalty.

Such high regard had always flattered Piero. After being impeached by the king, he was a pariah, yet Qin Ye still befriended him without hesitation. Even five hundred years later, he remained grateful for this kindness.

If it weren't for Qin Ye, he might be like the other Kanria people today, living a dream he can never wake up from in some corner.

"Welcome back, Lord Qin Ye. I have kept the task you entrusted to me in mind for five hundred years."

Qin Ye brushed a layer of snow off the other person's shoulder: "It'll be over soon. Have you thought about what to do afterward?"

"I want to give my brain, which has been working for 500 years, a rest."

"Ha..." Qin Ye couldn't help but chuckle, not expecting Piero to make such a joke.

"The Dotore that I threw back at you before..."

"It has been received and is currently on standby. In addition, the Hearts of God for Fontaine and Nata have been brought back by [Puppet] and [Captain] respectively."

"Oh? Sandone has this ability?" This was something Qin Ye hadn't expected. He had thought that he would need to personally deal with that second-generation madman.

"Yes, the servant also went along. The situation was at a standstill, but he changed his mind for some unknown reason a few days ago."

"...Let's not worry about the reason for now, I'm going to see the Queen."

Qin Ye entered the interior of Zhidong, only to find that the atmosphere was different from usual. Even the bustling city was now tinged with a sense of iron and blood.

In front of the Queen's palace, the Fools' soldiers, fully armed and ready for battle, stood in neat square formations on both sides of the plaza.

On the palace steps, nine executives stood in their seats, bowing slightly in respect.

Why is Scaramucci back?

“I stopped his divine heart, and he gave up his idea of ​​going to Inazuma.”

"..."

As expected of you.

Piero left a single sentence in a low voice, then he and Columbia ascended the steps, and all eleven executives returned to their positions.

"Welcome, Chief."

The soldiers gripped their rifles tightly, their boots pressed together, making a deafening sound.

"..."

Qin Ye immediately understood what was going on. He shook his head slightly, met the eyes of the Empress who was walking out of the Winter Palace, and stepped onto the only path left between the formation and the executor.

(Here's an explanation of the origin of the protagonist's title. First, Phanes was a god in the Orphic religion of ancient Greece, and his reincarnation was Dionysus, which corresponds to Phanes giving power to Qin Ye.)

The Fool is represented by Dionysus in the Tarot. His character traits are generosity towards friends and cruel punishment towards those who do not believe in God.

At the same time, the name Fool and Fools have a deep connection, so the title of the protagonist was finally decided to be "The Fool".

The Fool card represents a cycle, so Qin Ye is both the leader and the last in the group.

That's about it. Just a brief explanation.

Chapter 301 Heavenly Law

Qin Ye walked in the middle of the formation, still remembering to greet the soldiers on both sides, while Tatiana silently followed behind him.

"hey-hey."

D'Artagnan felt proud to see his companion so pleased with himself.

The wealthy person, on the other hand, maintains a smiling expression, making it impossible for others to discern anything from their face.

In fact, he was also quite excited. After all, he knew from the distant past that Qin Ye's ambitions were not limited to the Winter Solstice, nor were they as simple as the Seven Kingdoms. Today, he finally got what he wanted.

Qin Ye stepped up the stairs and finally stood in front of the Ice Queen. He lowered his head slightly because of his height, but he still exuded a powerful aura.

"Qin Ye, congratulations on getting what you wanted."

She stretched out her palm, and several divine hearts rose from it: "Remember our agreement. I have already shielded you from the gaze of Heaven's justice. If you fail..."

"Don't worry, we've come this far. If I lose again, it just means that fate is not on our side."

"Heh, you never used to believe in these things." The Empress scoffed at his mystical claims.

"Doesn't this just show that I'm quite confident?"

Qin Ye accepted the Heart of God. To him, the power of the Heart of God was dispensable; its main purpose was to awaken the laws of nature and restart the operation of this continent that was on the verge of collapse.

Once the heart of God and the statue are destroyed, everything will reach an irreversible final battle.

He nodded to Piero and Columbia, looked up at the sky, his feet gradually left the ground, his body slowly rose, and he entered the clouds.

The power of the abyss surged from his body, and Qin Ye could feel that using this power now no longer had the corrosive sensation he had before; his body had completely adapted.

With a thought, he stepped into the void in front of him, and the next second he was already on Sky Island.

"Qin Ye...you really are..."

The agent of justice manifested, his gaze fixed intently on the man before him.

"You haven't changed at all over the years. Even though justice has fallen into slumber, you still diligently manage everything in the world for him."

Qin Ye shook his head, his tone somewhat mocking, but that was only from his perspective.

The mere fact that this unwavering belief has lasted for a thousand years is already worthy of praise.

"How exactly did you manage to evade surveillance?"

She was always worried about Qin Ye's resurgence because he had done something similar before. Even though she had thoroughly investigated Kanria's situation five hundred years ago, she couldn't find that familiar aura.

A few days ago, she had already sensed some unusual fluctuations in the Sumeru region, but after observation, she found that there was nothing wrong with Sumeru. Now that she thinks about it, she guesses that it was Qin Ye's doing.

"One is that there are a few of my spies in your camp, so it's normal that the intelligence is not working. But you failed to stop the power of the Abyss, and now you look so weak, which makes me feel a little sorry for you."

Qin Ye found it somewhat amusing.

Inside the Winter Solstice, the Queen diverted attention for him. Before Inazuma left, his power was not enough to be detected. It wasn't until Mondstadt and Liyue that clues appeared, but by then, the Abyss King's aura was stronger.

By the time Liyue ended, most of the Divine Hearts were already in the Empress's hands, and she once again attracted all the attention in the palace.

Qin Ye had initially thought that he might be exposed in Xumi, but who could have imagined that the final battle would be fought in a dream?

"That's enough to deal with you."

Countless black cubes surrounded the proxy, and as she swung her arm, the cubes shot towards Qin Ye like spikes.

Several gaping holes blocked the two, swallowing up all the attacks.

"abyss?"

The white-haired woman's voice gradually became serious: "Have you resorted to such despicable means to win?"

"Then you're probably overthinking it."

Black mist flowed down Qin Ye's feet and into the ground, instantly covering the entire Sky Island with a black aura.

"This is my strength, and it has nothing to do with those things that are giving you a headache."

The mist from the abyss obscured the sky, turning the entire area into a cage.

“I’m curious. You should have realized long ago that, according to what Tianli is doing now, there is no way to guarantee the safety of the Teyvat continent. Recently, this continent has become increasingly fragile, and even the power of the ley lines is being endlessly eroded and extracted.”

Qin Ye could see that there was a hint of hesitation in the opponent's attack, an emotion he had never shown in previous battles.

It wasn't that her power weakened because she was fighting the Abyss, but rather that she fell into confusion.

"If you hadn't failed to stop Kanria's expanding ambitions five hundred years ago, how could things have come to this?"

The Proxy appeared behind Qin Ye, its dark hand seemingly capable of tearing through space, heading straight for the back of Qin Ye's head.

An arm made of light suddenly gripped the woman's wrist, and she quickly tried to pull her hand to touch the figure.

A powerful force tore at the back of her neck, pulling her up like a marionette, while golden arms gripped her limbs.

"Why are you blaming me? It's true that the situation on the mainland has been declining for the past five hundred years, but what does that have to do with me? Isn't it because Tianxiang wanted to run away?"

"That's all just your imagination."

Qin Ye's face suddenly appeared in front of the woman, almost touching hers: "You're trying to convince yourself with those words, aren't you?"

"you..."

The man interrupted the other's rebuttal: "In order to protect the people, you followed what you believed to be the right path, betraying your sisters and Fanes..."

"shut up!"

Qin Ye didn't hold back: "What if you find out that all of this is actually a joke..."

He crushed the Heart of God in his hand, completely pinpointed the location of the seven divine statues on the continent, and lost contact with the power of the earth's veins.

"Now feel the power of the earth's veins again. Does it still disappear as quickly as before?"

"..."

The agent finally fell silent.

What she feared most was someone so brutally presenting the truth to her. Even though she had considered the role of the Heart of God and the idol, she dared not touch that final taboo.

Because then, everything she has done will be in vain.

The cage formed by the power of the abyss creaked as a giant hand suddenly tore the dome apart.

"I just woke up and saw you trying to persuade my most capable henchman. You really haven't changed at all, Qin Ye."

Chapter 302: The wait was worthwhile