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

"One day in the future, the Geo Archon will fall from his divine throne, and Liyue will then consist only of the Seven Stars and Eight Gates. Without the obstacle of the gods, if you are defeated by them..."

Pantalone's gaze was unusually firm.

"Hehe, don't blame me for not warning you, I won't help you when the time comes."

-

After that night, outsiders had no idea what had happened between the two; all they saw was a fool and a rich man locked in a political battle of wits, and people subconsciously assumed...

Oh, it must have ended badly, right?

That year, Dionysus the Fool was only twelve years old.

That year, a genius emerged during the winter, who single-handedly controlled all the wealthy businessmen and political figures in the country, including the legendary "Rooster" Puccinila.

That year, the reforms of Zhidong made great strides forward, establishing its unparalleled military position among the seven kingdoms.

Another person also at the center of the storm is Pantalone, the sole owner of the Northern Bank.

-

Pantarone clenched one fist in front of his abdomen, with the other hand behind his back, and walked slowly down the streets of Liyue.

Whether it's the radiant light of Tianquan or the clear skies of Yuheng...

You will never be able to see through the Fools, nor understand their purpose.

No one will understand that person's true ambition.

The wise think they know everything, but only we understand the morality behind those foolish acts.

Pantalone stepped onto the chartered car with one foot, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see his leather shoes making even strides on the ground.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, his back straight, and the thumb ring on his hand added a touch of gentleness to his appearance.

He was dressed impeccably, with what appeared to be dragon scales visible on the hem of his clothes.

("Master, it seems Mr. Fool has made some new friends in Liyue.")

("friend?")

(Picks up the portrait on the table.)

("Yes, they drink tea, listen to music, and go shopping. I think these meaningless activities are just a waste of your money.")

("Hehe, that's none of your business.")

Would Dionysus do pointless, aimless things?

Unless he resigns and quits, otherwise...

Pantalone's gaze remained fixed on the receding figure.

Guest elders of the Hall of Rebirth...

Zhongli, right?

His smiling gaze gradually turned cold, and his eyes slowly widened.

I never expected to run into you at a time like this.

It's really...nice to meet you.

Morax!

--------

[Note: The preceding text has been translated without cutting corners in the main text.]

[Starting with: "Pantaronne frowned. I wonder how you are doing in Liyue?"]

[Rich Man: How are your preparations in Liyue? I'm already struggling to manage on my own in Winter Solstice.]

[The Fool: I also want to go back, but everything is arranged with Inazuma, so I must go there first to retrieve the Heart of God.]

[Rich man: Aren't you going back to your hometown to help me out?]

[Fool: Inazuma is much simpler than Liyue. If we get the Heart of God, then as the first to achieve results, the Executors' infighting won't matter at all.]

[Rich Man: The Knights of Favonius of Karthus are about to embark on an expedition. If Rosalind obtains the Heart of the Aeolus, will your achievements be diluted?]

[The Fool: Rosalyn is useless; don't worry about her. She can't handle the Wind God.]

Chapter 47 Young... Young... Lady Columbia

"Brother Qin Ye, I still don't understand, why did you tell that story to the people of Liyue?"

Seven Stars are still watching; what if they target you...?

"Haha, it's nothing, just teasing Pantalone."

Qin Ye smiled, concealing his true intentions.

Given Keqing's personality, she'll probably have to start being wary of Pantalone from now on, right?

No matter when she realizes that this is just a scheme orchestrated by the two of us, as long as we target Pantalone, the Queen will temporarily allocate some resources to her.

Meanwhile, the other executives would temporarily restrain themselves out of consideration for their own people, enough for him to hold out until I returned from Inazuma.

As for whether our secret relationship will be discovered?

Anyway, we're going to get the Heart of God back, so it doesn't matter whether we do it openly or secretly. Let Pantalone handle it then.

He earns money to support the family, while I'm responsible for establishing a solid foundation.

Keep it up, big brother with glasses!

"That..."

Tatiana opened her mouth, as if she had other questions.

"Tell me, I'll explain anything I can to you."

"Actually... I want to know why Tianquan Ningguang didn't come in person."

"It's simple, because she's a smart person."

Does this mean you think I'm stupid?

"Actually, I met her once before, didn't I? At that time, she had already guessed that I was about to leave Liyue, but she also knew that I had not achieved my goal and dared not come to listen in."

"You don't dare?" Tatiana's mind hadn't quite caught up yet.

“If she interrupts the show that Pantalone and I have prepared, the next time it will be a private conversation, and we won’t let her know. Then she won’t be able to control what we decide.”

Who would want to openly oppose the executive officer?

As for whether she will lower her guard against me? Let's wait until the day I turn to ashes to see.

So after thinking it over, she could only let Ke Qing play the bad guy in her place. The main reason was that Ke Qing was capable and had an excellent memory.

If we could send her any information, that would be the best outcome.

But once you tell this little story about Pantalone...

She'll probably only get complaints from Keqing, right?

In addition, Zhongli continued to perform steadily as always, and even though Ningguang sent people to keep an eye on him, they couldn't find anything out.

Tatiana nodded.

I see. So, it's a big deal that Brother Qin didn't want the door locked before he left...

Is it called the Empty City Stratagem?

This could lull investigators into a false sense of security, making them vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

Yes, that must be it.

The two then went out for some fresh air on the street.

"Let's go back, or the guests will get impatient."

"guest?"

Element detection.

Could it be that they invited that Zhongli guy over... for tea?

The girl walked quickly to the door, frowned as she looked at the door, which showed signs of having been opened and closed.

She mustered her courage and pushed him away.

In case someone wants to harm Brother Qin Ye...

A familiar, sweet voice came through, soothing and delightful.

That voice... it sounds familiar?

I carefully stepped into the room and into the living room.

She saw a woman lounging lazily on the table.

"A little bit..."

Tatiana's tone became hesitant, then she suddenly realized her rudeness.

"Your Excellency Columbia, you must be tired from your long journey."

"Ok?"

The girl, who was lying on the table, slightly raised her eyelids, and the full appearance of the person in front of her gradually came into view through her blurry vision.

"Oh, it's Tatiana. Where's Qin Ye?"

"It's here."

Qin Ye walked into the room from behind unhurriedly: "I expected that the old man might send anyone, but I didn't expect you. I thought you were going to stay in Zhidong's villa for the rest of your life and never leave."

After all, his high-profile meeting with the rich man was partly intended to divert the enemy's attention for his accomplices.

But thinking about it carefully, apart from someone with extraordinary skills like the [Captain] and someone with bizarre abilities like the [Doctor], only the [Girl] could break through all the guards and get to his house.

"hehe."

Columbia wasn't annoyed. She slowly got up, then leaned back against the sofa, placing her hands obediently on her knees. Her eyes were still not fully open, and she tilted her head.