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

Cole.

Although his appearance was very different from that in the game, and he was thinner and shorter, Rhodes still recognized the identity of the vegetable thief.

The trainee forest ranger who was suffering from the demon scale disease.

"Rhodes, what should we do?"

The person asking the question was Candice.

The vegetable thief in front of us is truly pitiful.

However, suffering from the Demonscale Disease is not a reason for her to break the rules of Aru Village. As the upholder of the rules, Candice needs to ask Rhodes for his opinion.

Stealing within the village.

This is punishable by caning.

What's more, she also destroyed the experimental field that Rhodes had painstakingly created to such an extent.

Rod's residence was still within the village's boundaries, so according to the rules, the vegetable thief had to take those lashes.

"Never mind, leave it to me."

Rhodes shook his head and asked Desia, "Is there anything to eat?"

"what?"

"Oh, yes, there is more."

Dixia paused for a moment, then hurriedly took out a few pieces of date and coconut honey from her waist pouch.

The date and honey candies in her pocket were square blocks, similar to the shape of a glutinous rice cake, which could be eaten as a meal or as a snack.

As for the other white milk candies

This was a gift from Rod; there wasn't much of it, and she ate quite a bit of it yesterday.

She couldn't bear to give away such good candy.

After receiving the date and honey candy, Rod first untied the ropes binding Cole, and then handed the candy over.

"Come on, have something to eat, you won't be hungry after you eat."

responded to his.

It bit his hand hard.

"Rod!"

"Rod!"

"Brother Rhodes!"

That one bite really startled everyone present.

In the desert, there are various rumors about how scaly disease spreads. One of these rumors is that scaly disease is transmitted through bodily fluids such as the patient's saliva and sweat.

Harun was bitten earlier as well.

Fortunately, he has thick skin, and Cole didn't break the skin; a wash was all it took.

But now Rhodes' hand had been bitten by Cole, and bright red blood was flowing down her lip.

Out of concern, someone immediately stepped forward to pull Cole away.

"It's alright, this disease is not contagious."

Rod waved to stop them again, then forced a gentle smile and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm not here to arrest you."

The phrase "I'm not here to arrest you" seems to have some kind of magic.

As soon as Rod finished speaking, Cole loosened his grip slightly and looked up at him in confusion.

"Don't worry, I'm not one of those people who inject you with drugs, nor am I here to take you back."

"This is Aru Village."

"No one can take you away from here."

Ignoring the blood streaming down his hands, Rhodes continued to soothe the agitated Cole.

I don't know if it was because what I said earlier had an effect, or if the sweet aroma of the date and coconut honey was just too tempting.

In short.

After hesitating for a long time.

Cole finally let go of her mouth, then tentatively took a piece of candy from Rod's hand. After taking the first bite, a glint suddenly flashed in her eyes, and she began to chew it in large mouthfuls. In no time, she had finished the date and honey candy that Dixia had brought her.

"Any more? Give me some more."

Seeing that Cole was still licking the crumbs off his hands, Rod asked Desia for a few more candies.

This time.

Instead of biting people as before, Cole grabbed the candy and wolfed it down.

She ate more than a dozen pieces before patting her stomach contentedly and no longer wanting any more candy.

"what's your name?"

Only then did Rod speak to her again.

“I, I, my name is Cole.”

It seemed like she hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time, and when she suddenly had to speak, it took her a long time to finally say her name clearly.

"Colette".

After repeating Cole's name, Rod said, "Your body isn't suited for running around in the desert. Stay here for a few days, and I'll find the best doctor in the village to prescribe some medicine for you."

"No, no, I don't want to see a doctor! I don't want to see a doctor!!!"

The word 'doctor' seemed to be the biggest taboo for Cole. She reacted as if she had been stressed, jumping up and down to the corner, waving her hands frantically, her face filled with fear.

"Okay, I won't see a doctor. You can rest here for a few days."

Rod quickly went to comfort her again, adding, "I still have a lot of that kind of candy here. If you stay here, you can eat it every day."

He promised a host of benefits for those who stayed.

Ke Lai stopped trembling and asked timidly.

"Really, really?"

The temptation of candy was still very strong for a little girl who had been wandering for a long time. Even though her face still looked like a frightened kitten, there was a hint of longing in her eyes.

"Ah."

Rhodes nodded, and then secretly made a gesture to Desia.

Dixia understood and quickly handed him all the date and honey candies in her pocket.

"Look, all of these are yours."

"I have even more here. If you want to eat, you can have your fill anytime."

Rod held the candy in his left hand and waved to Cole with his right.

It feels like a wicked old man trying to lure a little girl with a lollipop.

That's a very low-level trick.

The results were surprisingly good.

Cole, tempted by the date and honey candy, slowly crawled out from the corner. Seeing that no one was coming to catch him, he rushed forward and hugged the date and honey candy tightly to his chest, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.

Rod reached out and touched her messy, bird's-nest-like hair, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

Just made contact.

Rod could clearly feel Cole's body tense up.

Fortunately.

This time she didn't resist anymore. She stood there obediently without moving, but tightened her grip on the date and honey candy.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 45 They just wanted to survive.

"Sleep?"

In the courtyard, sitting by the campfire, Dixia asked softly.

This was the first night that Cole was taken in.

This little guy, who had been wandering in the desert for a long time, caused Rhodes a lot of trouble.

For example, instead of eating rice, they must eat sugar.

For example, she was always filthy and wouldn't take a bath. In the end, Dixia had to knock her unconscious before she could take a bath. The price was that when Cole woke up, she would immediately run far away from her.

Then there's the fact that they won't sleep at night; they insist on hiding in a dark corner and won't come out no matter how much you call them.

"Yeah, I'm asleep."

Rod stretched his body after a long day of activity.

Cole was very vigilant.

She wouldn't let anyone near her except Rod, and would bite anyone who tried. It took a lot of effort to get her to sleep.

"How's your hand?" Dixia asked with concern.

"never mind."

Rhodes showed his right hand, which was completely healed from the bite he had inflicted on Cole during the day.

His fire elemental power, like his ice elemental power, has a built-in healing ability, and the healing effect is similar. The wound that was bitten by Kolai healed in the blink of an eye.

"It's okay."

"Your elemental power is truly peculiar."

After muttering something under her breath, Dixia changed the subject and said in a serious tone, "There's something wrong with this little girl; she's not staying here willingly."