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

"These rainforest people are really, well, a bunch of shrewd businessmen."

After asking around about prices, Rod muttered something in dissatisfaction.

Brand new items are generally priced at least ten times higher than used items.

It is clear.

Merchants from the rainforest region know that these things are not produced in the desert region, which is why they are selling them at high prices.

Daily necessities are different from other items; even the poorest families need to buy them.

Merchants in the rainforest region have accurately grasped this point and used this condition to make a fortune from the desert region.

"Have no idea."

Dixia was also helpless about this: "The conditions in Aru Village are relatively good. You can still make money by hunting and doing business, at least enough to make ends meet. But if you go deeper into the desert, well..."

Speaking of which.

Dixia stopped talking, and her face darkened considerably.

She was born in the desert.

Unlike those who leave the desert and never return, Dixia has never felt ashamed of being a desert dweller and has always been proud of her desert origins.

Therefore, in Dixia's heart, she had always harbored a wish: to bring hope to this land of yellow sand and do something for the desert people who were struggling to survive in the desert.

Unfortunately.

"Ugh--"

Dixia sighed heavily.

Rhodes glanced at her, then shook his head, neither asking nor saying anything else.

What is Dixia troubled about?

Based on what they just said, it's already quite clear.

Still the same problem.

Order House.

This is the powerful organization that rules over Mount Sumeru.

Although the entire Sumeru region is under the rule of the Grass God, the Order of the Church has never recognized that the desert people have the right to be on equal footing with them.

Or rather.

They didn't even consider the desert people as human beings.

Take Aru Village as an example.

As the gateway between the desert and rainforest regions, the only privilege that Aru Village enjoys, occupying such an important geographical location, is the passage document issued by the Religious Council. This allows them to enter the rainforest region without having to go to the Religious Council for approval like other desert dwellers.

And this special treatment.

It was because a high-ranking official had emerged from Aru Village.

The Instruction Council, adhering to the principle of "giving face to Buddha even if not to monks," granted Aru Village this privilege as if it were a charity.

Not to mention that Aru Village was a place specifically for exiling prisoners by the Church, just like Ningguta, the bitterly cold place in Rhodes' previous life.

However, Rhodes, who was in charge of the internal affairs of the Sumeru people, could not get a word in edgewise or offer any opinions. He could only comfort Dixia by saying, "Things will always get better."

"Ugh--"

Hearing Rod's words, Dixia's mood did not improve; instead, she sighed heavily again.

The atmosphere became slightly somber.

Fortunately.

This atmosphere didn't last long. Dixia quickly cheered up and continued helping Rhodes choose essential daily necessities.

It will take a while.

Rod bought everything he needed, and when he checked out, he spent a total of over 700 Mora, using up a third of his savings.

Rhodes bought quite a lot of things, and Uncle Bud, who had made the deal, kindly offered him a cart so that Rhodes could put the things on it and push it back, and then return it later.

On the way back, Rod bought some more seasonings and ingredients.

that's it.

When Rod returned to his rented apartment, he had lost half of his money.

"Stay for lunch."

"I'll cook."

Rhodes glanced at Desia, who was wiping away sweat, and invited her with a smile.

"You can cook? I didn't know that."

Dixia looked at Rhodes with some surprise, as if she had seen something new, and chuckled, "Sure, hey, there's free food, might as well take it."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 7 Combat Tutorial

Just as Desia said during the day.

At night time.

After a busy day, Candice arrived at Rhodes' house as expected.

Desia had already told Candice about Rhodes's desire to become the village guard.

Therefore, when Candice arrived, she didn't say anything unnecessary. She simply explained the guard's job and responsibilities to Rhodes in detail, and then left after agreeing that he would start his post in three days.

the next day.

Rod had just gotten up when he heard someone knocking on his door.

Open the door and take a look.

It was Dixia, dressed in a different outfit.

Previously, she had always worn a layer of light armor, but today she took it all off and came out wearing light clothing, just like the other desert people.

"Wow, you're up pretty early. I thought you'd sleep in a bit longer."

Dixia walked in, looking around at the tidy courtyard and rooms as she went, and said, "Not bad, much better than our brothers from the Blazing Beast Hunters. At least they keep their living quarters clean."

"got used to."

"If the room is too messy, it's not comfortable to sleep."

Rod replied with a smile.

He stayed up very late last night to tidy up the little house and get it clean and tidy.

"Hmm, not bad, being clean is a good habit."

Dixia rested her chin on her hand, nodded in approval, and then pointed to the door, saying, "Shall we go have breakfast together?"

As a junction between the desert and the rainforest, Aru Village has no shortage of taverns and restaurants for merchants to rest and enjoy themselves.

Breakfast is also provided.

"Are you hungry?"

"If I'm not hungry, I'd like to cook for myself."

Without money, you can't do anything. Rod doesn't have much money on hand right now. His guard job salary won't be paid until next month at the earliest, and he still has to pay rent with his salary. Even though he has some savings, he's still struggling to make ends meet, so he has to be careful with his money.

Dixia noticed his predicament.

However, she didn't bring it up, but nodded and replied, "Okay, I'm not too hungry anyway, it doesn't matter if I wait a while."

"Okay, it'll be ready in a bit."

Rod nodded and turned to go into the kitchen.

Yesterday he bought rice, flatbread, vegetables, dried meat, and eggs.

If it were Rod himself, his breakfast would be a bowl of plain porridge with a boiled egg.

However, according to Sumeru's dietary habits, such bland food is definitely not suitable.

Rhodes had lived and eaten with the Blazing Beastmaster for several days and knew the mercenaries' eating habits very well.

I'll think about it for a moment.

He then prepared the ingredients.

Rice, noodles, peas, tomatoes, and dried crocodile meat.

After a series of clanging and banging sounds, two large plates of sweet and sour, rich and glistening Aru bibimbap were served on the table by Rod.

This was a method that Desia taught Rhodes.

Aru's mixed rice.

As you can tell from the name, this is a delicacy that originated from Aru Village.

Because it uses common ingredients, is inexpensive, tastes pretty good, and is more filling than other foods, it gradually became widely popular in Sumeru. For mercenaries like Dixia, this simple-to-make mixed rice is their most frequently eaten food.

"Sniff, sniff-"

When the bibimbap was served, Dixia twitched her nostrils, raised an eyebrow, and praised, "Not bad, it looks, smells, and tastes great. Your cooking skills are impeccable."

She had already tasted Rod's cooking yesterday.

That was her assessment at the time.

After breakfast, she went even further and invited, "Want to join our Blazing Beast Hunter? You don't have to fight, just be our cook."

Not every mercenary is as good at cooking as Desia.

Most mercenaries simply fry, grill, or boil food, without paying much attention to the ingredients. They basically just use whatever they have on hand, and most of the time the taste of what they make is hard to describe.

However, Rod's answer remained the same: "No, I've been wandering for too long, and now I just want a peaceful and stable life."

"Tsk tsk, what a waste of such good skills."