In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

There was no shady deal involved; I simply stumbled upon this book on the new release list and devoured it in one go. It's truly excellent, I'm ashamed of my own incompetence. For those readers who haven't read it yet, feel free to add it to your bookshelf and check it out!

(.)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 103 I've been afraid of everything, except exams!

Sumeru City.

Rhodes, who had been away for a long time, returned here.

Like the other students who came from other regions, he came specifically to participate in the Academy's assessment.

unconsciously.

He has been in Teyvat for almost a year now.

However, apart from visiting the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival once, he spent most of his time in Aru Village.

The first thing to do upon arriving in Sumeru City.

Rod went to Huma's house.

Visiting Dina Zede was secondary.

The important thing is to let Dixia know that I've arrived.

Shortly after the large-scale development of Aru Village, Dixia returned to Sumeru City and resumed her work as a bodyguard.

The reason is that Dina Zede was almost kidnapped by robbers when she went out on her own.

That's right.

In the city of Sumeru, under the bright sunlight.

Someone actually tried to kidnap the eldest daughter of the Huma family.

If the other bodyguards in the family hadn't arrived in time, Dina Zede would probably have been killed.

This happened.

Shazaman immediately found Dixia and asked her to stay by Dinazede's side day and night to prevent such incidents from happening again.

So.

Rhodes, busy with his studies and affairs in Aru Village, hadn't seen Dixia for several months.

"The security situation in Sumeru City is still not good."

On the way to Huma's house, Rod was still complaining.

He's said this countless times.

Every time he couldn't remember that Dixia, who finally had a vacation, had been tied up at Huma's house, he would nag Naxida about it.

You said the security situation in Kawanyi is a bit bad, and it really is.

That area is, after all, the border between the desert and the rainforest, a melting pot of all sorts of people, and even with increased control, it's impossible to completely eliminate those criminal activities.

But your Sumeru City is the capital of a great nation.

It's unbelievable that there would be such audacious kidnappers who would attempt to kidnap someone in broad daylight.

Isn't this a bit too outrageous?

"Hey, are you listening?"

"I'm telling you, outsourcing military force is not an option."

Finding that Nasita was ignoring him, Rhodes spoke to her more forcefully about the matter.

This time there has been a response.

“The wise men believed that it was a waste to use precious resources to train an army, and that it would be better to save these resources for research.”

Nasita's voice sounded a little weak.

It seems that she herself doesn't quite believe this reason.

same.

Rhodes also scoffed at this reason.

"What nonsense is this?"

"Can a country's security really be entirely outsourced to unreliable mercenaries?"

"Hey, do you remember what the notices outside the city said?"

That's what Rod said.

It was a newly posted notice from the Church, which he and Nasita saw together when they entered the city.

The announcement from the Order of the Nation was actually a notice from the Thirty-Man Group, stating that the entire mercenary industry in Sumeru was contracted out to the Thirty-Man Group, with no other company in the region.

The next step involves taking on business, including hiring bodyguards and security personnel, among other things.

This is a public announcement showcasing its strength and military might.

At the same time, this is also an announcement that indicates the publisher is acting in a very irregular manner.

What is a group of thirty?

The Thirty-Man Group was a gilded brigade employed by the Church of Jesus to maintain city defenses and security.

But now, in addition to their regular patrol and order-maintaining work, they are even taking on private jobs.

This is similar to a country's military being hired by private individuals.

Rhodes found it hard to imagine what the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt or the Thousand Rock Army in Liyue would become if they accepted private employment.

Moreover, below this announcement is the same announcement that the Order of the Fathers is specifically used to refute.

Please do not carry too much money in crowded areas of the city to avoid being stolen.

If your belongings are stolen, do not seek help from the patrolling gilded troupes nearby, as they may very well be the ones who took your money.

to be frank.

After reading the two announcements, Rod smiled.

I genuinely laughed out loud.

He had only heard about the unreliability of the Thirty-Man Group from Dixia before, but he rarely had any contact with the Thirty-Man Group, so he never had any particular thoughts about it.

However, after Dina Zede was nearly kidnapped on the street and saw the announcement from the Church Council personally slapping the thirty-person group in the face.

Although it was just a few words.

But Rhodes truly saw through the true nature of these mercenaries.

It can only be said that the Order of the Church knew that the thirty-man group was unreliable, yet still chose to entrust them with all the tasks of city defense and maintaining order. They really had a big heart.

"Thankfully, there's no dark calamity yet."

"Otherwise, relying solely on these thirty-person groups, Sumeru would fall completely in just a few days."

A calamity of darkness.

This was a horrific catastrophe that swept across the entire continent of Teyvat five hundred years ago.

In this disaster.

The seven kingdoms of Teyvat suffered heavy losses, and five of the seven gods who ruled the kingdoms perished. The previous grass god of Sumeru, the Great Tree King, was among those who perished in the disaster, leaving only a wisp of his consciousness on the World Tree, using his last strength to prevent the pollution on the World Tree from continuing to spread.

Rod didn't know if Sumeru had looked like this before.

But regarding the current system of Sumeru...

The only armed force directly under the Council of the Church is the Disciplinary Committee under the leadership of Senor, and the Disciplinary Committee team and the Thirty-Man Group have a division of rights that allow them to keep to themselves and not interfere with each other.

Like last time when he sealed the remnants of the demon god for Kolai in Aru Village, Seno made it very clear that with his authority, he couldn't interfere with the group of thirty.

Such a division of rights.

If the group of thirty has any outstanding qualities that allow them to stand on their own, then that's fine.

Unfortunately, this group of mercenaries was recruited by the Order of the Church. They were not only not particularly outstanding in terms of combat skills, but also extremely unreliable in terms of their ability to get things done.

Based on the usual behavior of the group of thirty, Rhodes' impression of them was roughly that of a bunch of bandits and robbers disguised as government soldiers.

If we were to fight another devastating war like the Dark Catastrophe...

Rhodes had no doubt.

These mercenaries will not only fail to help Xumi resist the disaster, but will also turn back to their old ways and start robbing and looting, adding fuel to the already chaotic world.

Fortunately, the seven kingdoms of Teyvat have always maintained harmony.

Even if there are minor skirmishes between them, they are all carried out in secret, and there has never been a large-scale war between the two countries.

otherwise.

Unless the Church has some trump card to protect Sumeru, Rhodes really can't imagine what Sumeru could use to fight against those countries around it that are full of martial spirit.

Narcida had nothing to say about Rhodes's long string of complaints.

She, who had spent years roaming the void, knew far better than Rhodes what a group of thirty people actually looked like.

But given her current state...

Even knowing all this, there's really nothing we can do.

Everything can only be addressed once she is released from her cage.

After staying at Shazaman's house for two days.

Rhodes arrived in the upper city of Sumeru for the first time, and also saw the Sumeru Order Academy for the first time.

From the outside.

The Academy of Teachings is not particularly luxurious, but thanks to the efforts of generations of students of the Myo-ryo school, this palace, which appears quite simple and elegant on the outside, exudes a sacred aura from the inside out. No matter how unruly a person is, when they first see the Academy of Teachings, they will subconsciously restrain their temper and offer the highest respect to this academy where gods reside.

Today is the day the Order of Education is holding its open admissions ceremony.

Anyone who has received an education can apply for the exam if they have a letter of recommendation from a local authority.