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

"Don't try to attack me."

"Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."

Rod chuckled softly, as if he knew exactly what Cole was going to do.

Still too tender.

Although I have experienced a lot.

But in front of an adult.

Her little scheme couldn't be hidden from Rod's notice.

Cole didn't stay in Aru Village willingly; she stayed because she had some unspeakable secret.

Rod knew one thing very well.

That is, you can't simply treat Cole as a simple-minded child.

Cole was young when he was captured and subjected to human experimentation. He was later tortured in the laboratory, and even his parents were killed by the group of people.

Such a painful experience.

It goes without saying that her level of mental maturity is far higher than that of her peers.

After escaping the laboratory, she, like Rhodes before her, wandered in the perilous desert for an unknown period of time.

Let's also take a look at how Harlan and the others treated Cole before.

It's easy to see what she might encounter when she passes through inhabited towns and villages.

Demon scale disease.

This was a plague that struck fear into the hearts of all who heard of it in Mount Sumeru.

In addition to her demonic scale disease, Cole also had strangely colored and distorted purple scars under her bandages, resembling other malignant diseases. Given the upbringing of the desert people, their first reaction upon seeing Cole would definitely be to drive her away.

It's even highly likely that things like throwing stones, rotten eggs, or vegetable leaves could happen.

So to think of Cole as an ordinary child is absolutely the stupidest idea.

only.

Having been locked in a laboratory since childhood and then ostracized after escaping, Cole has had too little contact with human society and doesn't know how to hide himself.

Her desires were almost entirely written on her face.

Like now.

Her intention to attack Rhodes couldn't be clearer.

Even after being warned by Rhodes.

She was like a lion baring its teeth to intimidate its enemies, her whole body radiating ferocity.

It was truly a ferocious flame.

The kind that's visible to the naked eye.

The purplish-black flames spread, twisted, and swirled around Cole's body, eventually transforming into a blurry, irregular snake-like shape, its body contorted as it silently roared at Rhodes.

The Black Flame Serpent.

This is the hidden power within Cole.

It originated from the demonic residue drug that she was injected with during human experiments.

The so-called remnants of demons and gods.

This originates from the ancient war between demons and gods.

The remnants of demon gods are the materialized resentments of those demon gods who died in battle.

This residue can instantly grant an ordinary person extraordinary demonic power.

at the same time.

Since the remnants of demon gods are all the manifestations of the demon gods' lingering resentment, these remnants all carry extremely strong resentment.

And these resentments.

It will gradually erode a person's spirit until they completely collapse, succumb to the ravings of the demon god, and ultimately become a killing machine that kills anyone it sees.

Furthermore, the power of a demon god is not something that just anyone can easily wield.

Over time...

While gaining immense power, the user's physical body will suffer extremely severe backlash, until they lose their life and become a corpse, or a puppet manipulated by resentment.

The ones that Cole is using now.

It is the demonic power hidden within her.

boom--

A blazing flash of fire suddenly appeared.

Just one strike.

Rhodes easily tore apart the black flame snakes that emerged from Cole's body.

The power of the demon god is indeed very strong.

However, if the user cannot control it at all, it cannot exert much power.

not to mention.

When using the power of the demon god's remnants, one will inevitably be affected by the demon god's resentment.

Cole clearly didn't want his consciousness to be controlled by these resentments.

Therefore, she herself is fighting against this force.

With their consciousnesses struggling against each other and their physical bodies unable to exert much power, Cole was far too weak against the current Rhodes.

After the Black Flame Serpent was shattered.

Cole collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Just as she closed her eyes, preparing to wait for death.

A plate of sliced ​​flatbread and fried meat, along with a glass of sunset fruit juice, suddenly appeared in front of her, catching the already desperate Cole off guard.

"Don't rush, eat something first, I'll wait for you to tell the truth."

After setting out the food and drinks, Rod sat back down in his chair, arms crossed, with an expression that said, "I'll keep you waiting until you tell me."

"You...you're not going to kill me?"

After hesitating for a while, Cole bit her lip and asked.

This time.

Cole's voice was no longer as timid as a kitten's yesterday, but rather closer to that of a calm and collected adult.

Judging from his voice and tone of voice alone, he is a completely different person from yesterday.

Why would I kill you?

"You only stole my vegetables and ruined my land, it's not that serious."

"But."

“You must work here for me, restore my destroyed fields, and compensate me for my losses with your labor.”

"Of course."

"before that."

"You need to explain your own situation clearly before I can trust you."

Rod chuckled: "Like I said, if you want to live a peaceful life here, openness and honesty are essential, little—Co—Lai—"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 47 Come on, let's go hoe the ground.

Cole ultimately couldn't outlast Rhodes.

Although she was very reluctant, she still confessed honestly.

From the moment she was sent to the laboratory for human experimentation, to her successful escape from the laboratory due to an accident, to her wandering in the desert all the way to Aru Village, she recounted how she was so hungry the night before last that she ran to Rod's vegetable garden to steal vegetables to eat.

Cole told almost everything she could.

They definitely didn't tell you everything.

But overall, they didn't lie; they were telling the truth.

She also revealed why she stayed in Aru Village.

It was to evade pursuers from behind.

Although Cole was sent to the doctor's laboratory from a young age, she still learned about the reputation of Aru Village, this desert paradise, from the other 'experimental subjects' in the laboratory.

The rule prohibits killing.

It didn't appear after Candice took over as the Guardian.

Rather, this rule has always been in place among the guardians of all generations.

Anyone who dared to cause trouble in Aru Village was, without exception, taken by the guardians and fed to wild beasts.

That's what Cole thought of.

That's why she readily agreed to Rod's request to take her in.

What she said.

And Rod's guess was pretty much right.

"Alright, since you've already told the truth."

"Then I'll tell you the truth too."

Rod chuckled: "I'm keeping you here not because I pity you or want to help you, but because I have my own reasons."