But to say how valuable it is...
That's really hard to say.... The vast majority are useless items that fail to pique anyone's interest.
Furthermore, the salary Ron provided was more than sufficient, and Liu Er was still thinking of saving money to marry a wife, so naturally, he dared not offend his superior.
After all, this matter was indeed not difficult at all.
He greeted Liu Er, telling him that if he didn't return too late, Liu Er could close the shop directly when he finished work, as he had the keys.
Then, under Liu Er's envious gaze, he walked along the main road of Chi Hu Rock, heading out of Liyue Harbor.
In Teyvat, the dangers of the wilderness are well-known.
No one knows when a few wild monsters might jump out, and even the weakest Slimes, if their numbers are great, can be deadly.
Not to mention the larger Slimes.
If one encounters Hilichurls.
Or the unique Stonehide Lawachurls of Liyue, then one is simply gone.
Ordinary people are no match for these monsters.
Even well-trained armies pay a price when fighting these monsters... Only God's Eye holders can travel freely in the wilderness.
Chapter 4: Encountering Hu Tao at Night
Liyue's Chi Hu Rock is adjacent to one of Liyue Harbor's entrances and exits, making it very convenient to enter and exit Liyue Harbor from here. Therefore, in Ron's opinion, Chi Hu Rock has a somewhat mixed atmosphere.
Of course, the overall environment is not chaotic.
After all, the Qianyan Army is not just for show.
"I remember there's a Hilichurls tribe nearby… I hope the Qianyan Army hasn't had time to clear it out yet."
After leaving Liyue Harbor, Ron did not take the main road, which is regularly cleared and maintained by the Qianyan Army, but instead plunged into the surrounding wilderness.
A few Qianyan Army soldiers saw this but did not stop him.
After all, the God's Eye on Ron's person was quite conspicuous.
Plus, they were all from Chi Hu Rock; while not overly familiar, they certainly weren't strangers.
They knew he wasn't someone who would joke about his own safety.
In Teyvat, the wilderness is not friendly to ordinary people. Monsters like Hilichurls, evil spirits, and Whopperflowers pose great dangers to common folk.
Reality is not a game.
There is no situation where a Hilichurls tribe surrounds people, only robs them, and doesn't kill them.
If it were an ordinary person, the Qianyan Army would not recommend that they leave the main thoroughfare and venture deep into the wilderness...
After all, the monsters on the main thoroughfare are regularly cleared by the Qianyan Army; while it's not as safe as within the city, the danger is ultimately not as severe... Of course, if ordinary people insist on going into the wilderness, no one will stop them.
At most, they would be advised to bring more bodyguards.
Or go in a larger group.
At least with strength in numbers, monsters with some thinking ability, like Hilichurls, would not view them as prey, and if they truly encountered danger, their chances of survival would be greater when escaping.
"What good luck… It seems the Qianyan Army hasn't planned a major cleanup of the areas around the roads recently."
Following his memory, Ron found the location of the Hilichurls tribe he had stumbled upon last time, his tone carrying a hint of pleasant surprise. This location was already quite close to the main road.
Although a bit remote...
It was truly unpredictable when it might be eradicated by the Qianyan Army.
Originally, Ron hadn't held much hope... He had only thought that this place was the closest and came with the idea of just taking a look, whether there were monsters or not.
Reality, however, gave him a small surprise.
"Let me see… Hmm, this time isn't very favorable for me… Forget it, let's go with a simple and brutal approach."
As a Hydro God's Eye holder.
Perhaps influenced by his past life memories, or perhaps by the academic atmosphere of Sumeru.
Ron's use of Elemental Power is quite flashy; he is very skilled at using mist to create misleading illusions, and combined with his clone ability, he can easily toy with enemies in the palm of his hand.
However, relatively speaking, to unleash his maximum strength, he needs to be at specific times, such as dawn or dusk, when mist is more likely to form.
While he can still conjure mist at other times.
The affected area is limited, and the consumption is also relatively high.
But this does not mean that Ron is weak outside of these specific times.
At least, when dealing with a Hilichurls tribe where the strongest are only a few Hilichurls Brutes, he doesn't believe he needs any flashy methods.
Elemental Power glowed with a blue radiance.
The God's Eye on his belt also shimmered. At this moment, Ron not only used his newly acquired ability to manipulate Elemental Power without relying on the God's Eye.
But also, on that foundation.
He used the power of the God's Eye.
In almost the blink of an eye, a spear condensed from Elemental Power appeared in his hand. The next moment, Elemental Power flowed around him like water.
With a single stride, he charged into the Hilichurls.
Giving the opponents no time to react.
His hand moved, the spear struck, either sweeping, stabbing, or thrusting.
In the span of a single breath, seven Hilichurls turned into black mist, returning to the Ley Lines.
At this moment, the other Hilichurls had only just reacted.
The burly Hilichurls Brutes roared and charged, but in Ron's eyes, all their resistance was so powerless.
From the ambush to the end of the battle.
Overall, it only took about two minutes.
Firstly, this Hilichurls tribe was not large, with only a dozen or so Hilichurls in total. In reality, there are no HP bars like in games; those ordinary Hilichurls basically couldn't withstand a single move from Ron.
Two rounds of normal attacks, and the ordinary Hilichurls had basically all returned to the Ley Lines.
The two Hilichurls Brutes were indeed more troublesome.
But it was nothing more than a bit more effort... and it didn't take too much time...
"The consumption of Elemental Infusion is much less, and the solidity and lethality have significantly improved... Even the duration has increased astonishingly..."
The technique of condensing weapons using Elemental Power is not exclusive to 'Childe'; on the contrary, it is a relatively common and ordinary skill among God's Eye holders.
It can be considered one that has been phased out.
Firstly, Elemental Infusion consumes a lot of power, and the weapons condensed actually have limited power, making them more suitable for emergencies in special situations; using them as a regular move is quite disadvantageous.
Secondly, Elemental Enchantment can do better, with virtually no consumption and decent power, requiring only an ordinary weapon.
Ron is not Childe, someone with a perverted level of pursuit in certain aspects.
He would not deliberately weaken himself by choosing to use such a highly restrictive technique.
However, Elemental Infusion is also the easiest way to roughly understand the limits of Elemental Power changes within him.
Of course... only roughly...
For more detailed understanding, he still needs to do many experiments... It won't even be a matter of one or two days.
After all, what he's pursuing is precision; if he doesn't understand his own abilities well enough... he might have to change his fighting style...
"Hmm... it's still early, I can find a few more Hilichurls to participate in the experiment."
Looking up at the sky and estimating his current speed, Ron happily made his decision.
....
In a flash, dusk fell.
Hu Tao, the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, was walking back to Liyue Harbor. She was already very close to Liyue Harbor, although there was no sign of human habitation.
But this was normal.
After all, she was taking a shortcut, and it was already this late.
There were basically no pedestrians on the main road either.
Even on the regularly maintained main roads, traveling at night was very dangerous.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Hu Tao, who had been humming a tune, stopped.
She pricked up her ears; she seemed to have heard an explosion just now???
Her eyes shifted, and Hu Tao, bold due to her skill, decided to go and see. What if she encountered something fun!
Holding the Staff of Homa in her hand, Hu Tao was also prepared to run if things went wrong... After all, walking by the river often, accidents are very common, aren't they?
But how does that saying go??
Hmm, everyone has a death wish!
Chapter 5: Companionship
She stealthily approached the direction from which the explosion came.
Using the firelight in the forest, Hu Tao surveyed the surroundings. It was clearly a typical small Hilichurls camp... Whether it was the dilapidated straw huts or the still stubbornly glowing torches.
All of this indicated the same thing...
This made Hu Tao a bit disappointed. A Hilichurls camp... wasn't very interesting.
After all, these things were far too common.
She also roughly knew what the previous explosion was... Common gunpowder barrels in Hilichurls camps.
Those things explode with a light touch, very dangerous!
"Cough."
Just as Hu Tao was distracted and lost in thought.
Ron, who had long since noticed her presence and quietly approached Hu Tao from behind, using the thin mist brought by the night as cover, couldn't help but cough softly.
"Ah!!!"
A living person suddenly appearing behind her was far more frightening for Hu Tao, who regularly dealt with ghosts and spirits, than any ghost or spirit itself.
Subconsciously.
She swung the Staff of Homa, striking with a fierce burst of fire.
If it had been an ordinary person, they could have been buried directly with a full funeral service.
Fortunately, Ron had somewhat anticipated Hu Tao's reaction. Before the Staff of Homa struck his face, he took a step back, dodging the direct hit.
And then.
Hu Tao calmed down.
"Ron? It's you… You scared me!"
It was just a subconscious reaction earlier; after all, at that moment, whatever suddenly appeared from behind, if not a demon or ghost, was something similar.
But upon closer inspection, it was an acquaintance.
At this, Hu Tao became displeased. It was always her, Director Hu, who scared people; when did she become the one to be scared? She'd remember this grudge!
"I'm also surprised to meet you here, Hu Tao."
Ron's expression was innocent, but he was quite pleased deep down. After all, this child, Hu Tao, perhaps because she dealt with ghosts so much, hadn't learned much else.