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

Seeing his apprentice deep in thought, Skirk inexplicably felt that he had finally grown as well, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Such a good thing?"

Silky slammed the teacup onto the table and said no more.

"Young Master!"

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Please come in."

"Excuse me, Her Majesty the Queen has sent me to deliver a new mission to you."

The soldiers of the Fools took out their notebooks, a habit that had spread among the soldiers since the Twelfth Seat [Supporting Character] became an Executive Officer.

Even if you can remember it with your brain, you still need to write it down in a notebook to confirm it constantly.

"The situation in the country has gradually stabilized by winter, and Her Majesty the Queen hopes to restore close relations with the six countries. Each country will send an executive officer as a resident diplomat."

The young master shivered.

Don't make me go to that hellish place called Inazuma.

I don't want to continue being Araragi Kamo Saburo.

The main reason is that I really don't want to see foxes.

During this period, he would personally chase and slash at foxes with a dagger when hunting, abandoning even his usual hiding places. He felt a great sense of accomplishment watching the foxes dart around in front of him.

"You have been assigned to Liyue. If you have any important matters to attend to, you can directly contact the head of the funds group, Lord [Rich Man], and the chief diplomat, Lord [Servant], at the Northern Bank."

"Arecino as the chief diplomat?"

Good heavens... she might as well go to the fireplace house and spend time with the children.

Fortunately, he likes Liyue.

"Go ahead, I'll be taking up my post soon."

"Remember to give my regards to Brother Zhongli."

"No problem, partner!"

"..." The young master remained silent for a long time.

"partner?"

Only his master was calmly drinking tea at the dining table. The only difference was that a pair of black daggers were placed where he had just sat, emanating a chilling aura.

-

“You’ve been busy from morning till night lately, I really think you need to take a break.”

Colombia, feeling the busy Tatiana, helplessly hugged her legs.

Her dim eyes stared blankly at the ground, and her tone revealed the boredom she felt at that moment.

"With Brother Qin Ye away, I'll naturally take over his work. Otherwise, if he ever comes back, wouldn't he be faced with countless documents..."

She was not only worried that Qin Ye wouldn't be able to finish the task and that staying up all night would harm his health, but she was also afraid that he would simply give up and quit, which would lead to the Empress's punishment.

"Heh, he just said hello and then disappeared. You should teach him a lesson. I'll stay up all night to make sure he completes his mission."

"...Does staying up all night really mean just reviewing documents?"

"?"

The little sister recently became the twelfth seat. Is she getting a little too cocky?

Columbia looked up abruptly, but felt a wave of dizziness.

She quickly covered her forehead with her hand, and Tatiana, who was standing nearby, also noticed what was happening and rushed over to check on her.

"what happened?"

Do even fairies get sick?

"No, it's nothing."

Columbia reached out to stop her, but her hand ended up kneading a soft object.

"...This damned..."

Her words came to an abrupt halt.

A light appeared in her field of vision, and she pinched it again as if to confirm it.

"Um... Columbia, my heart still belongs to Brother Qin Ye."

"?"

The vision changed from a halo of light to black and white, and that black and white gradually regained its original color in the blink of an eye.

"My eyesight...has recovered?"

Tatiana looked up instantly, glanced around the room, and finally saw the figure she had been longing to see standing at the door.

"Qin Ye... Brother?"

"Although it's a bit late, I've definitely returned. It's been a long time, Tatiana, and Columbia..."

Before he could finish speaking, two slender white legs kicked him in the stomach.

Columbia pinned Qin Ye to the ground, turned his face towards the ground.

"Tell me, where have you been gallivanting for the past year?"

Qin Ye did not resist. He could hear a slight tremor in the girl's voice. Given her personality, she probably didn't want to cry right after Qin Ye returned.

"I've finished some important tasks, but there's still a lot left to do. I just miss you all."

"That's good." Columbia's voice became unusually gentle.

"Brother Qin Ye, now that you're back, you should get some rest. You must have been very busy over the past year."

"Yes, we'll be going to some more places later."

Seeing that the girl's strength had lessened, Qin Ye quickly escaped the blockade.

As Columbia watched Tatiana take Qin Ye's hand and sit down with him on the sofa, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears for some reason.

How long had she waited for this moment?

As she took her first small step, though she still harbored many regrets, it was precisely because of this that the happiness she felt at that moment seemed all the more precious.

Just as she was about to move forward, her eyes were covered by a pair of hands.

"Sister, guess who we are?"

-

(The main storyline ends here for now. Due to space constraints, some unresolved plot points will be addressed in side stories as individual storylines.)

(I'll say what I want to say after the series is completely finished. If there are any character storylines you'd like to see, leave a comment and I'll consider them. I've decided that Zhongli and Ying's character storylines will definitely be included.)

Chapter 305 Side Story: Return (1)

Liyue Harbor, three bowls of wine and you're done.

"Brother Zhongli, you have quite the refined taste, actually finding time to enjoy tea here?"

As soon as Qin Ye arrived in Liyue Harbor, he went straight to this place. He guessed that there was an 80% chance that Zhongli would be in the vicinity. Even if he stopped listening to the story, he might be eating at the Wanmin Hall next door.

The reason is that Mr. Yun has to go out to write a new play these two weeks and can't start the show, so Zhongli can only come here to support Tian Tiezui.

"The last time I met Brother Qin was a year ago. Liyue has recently taken on a brand new and vibrant appearance. I have nothing to do, so I am here to experience the various aspects of life."

Zhongli picked up his teacup, smiled at Qin Ye, and gestured for him to sit in the seat opposite him.

"..."

I allowed the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm to continue governing the various countries, and this is how you responded to my expectations?

What do you mean by having nothing to do? Experiencing all walks of life? The things you do every day are practically the same, okay?

"Brother Zhongli..."

Qin Ye's voice echoed in Zhong Li's mind: "You said that although the Rock King Emperor has exhausted his power and no longer governs Liyue, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. I wonder if Brother Zhong Li is willing to accept the position of Emperor?"

"Hmm..." A muffled sound came from Zhongli's throat, showing that the words had caught him off guard, and he had accidentally choked on his tea.

“Brother Qin has high expectations of me, and I naturally cannot let him down. But who is the King of Rock? How can I, a mere nobody, compare to him? No, no.”

"I am the law of nature. If I think you can do it, then you can do it."

Qin Ye had no intention of letting the other party off the hook, and his words kept coming, leaving Zhong Li speechless.

My old friend, after regaining his memory, seems even more lively... but also more difficult to deal with.

Aside from contracts, what Zhongli finds hardest to accept is the kindness of others. He still finds it difficult to repay the kindness Qin Brother has shown him and Liyue, especially when the other party makes a request in the name of the Eight Desolations, which makes it even harder for him to refuse.

It seems Brother Qin has other plans; the position of Rock God is not yet his turn.

“Brother Zhongli, I’ve always been curious about what made you look like this.”

Qin Ye paused briefly before replying, "Of course, I won't force you if you don't want to talk about it."

Before Kanria died, Qin Ye met with Zhong Li. At that time, he was still... Simply put, he didn't have the mindset of an old man. Except for Li Yue, he was just idling away.

"It's not a topic that's hard to talk about."

Zhongli slowly stood up, seemingly wanting to find another place to talk.

"Let's go." Qin Ye snapped his fingers, and the footsteps of the surrounding pedestrians slowed down as if they were frozen in ice. A door opened without warning, and the two stepped inside. Time flowed again, but no one noticed anything unusual.

A panoramic view of Liyue Harbor came into view, and in the blink of an eye, the two arrived at the top of Tianheng Mountain.

"Brother Qin's choice of location is rather subtle."

Zhongli shook his head helplessly, his gaze softening as he looked at the passersby in Liyue Harbor.

He put his hands behind his back, his tone somewhat wistful: "I used to think that with my power I could protect this land for thousands of generations. But after the Battle of Kanria, I realized that power alone cannot save everything. Not to mention the people, even my closest friends could not be helped."

"That's not quite right. If Brother Zhongli hadn't become the Rock God and become a pillar of my plan, many things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

This is definitely true. Just to subdue him during his time in Kanria, it would have taken at least two or three of the other seven gods, even if he intended to back down.