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

Dixia shook her head regretfully, then stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "With your skills, you would be good at opening a restaurant. Oh dear, if I had known you had such good cooking skills, I wouldn't have recommended that you become a guard."

"hehe."

Rod smiled and said, "I'm already quite happy with this kind of life. I don't expect to make a lot of money."

"They're really easy to please."

Desia muttered something to herself, then looked at Rhodes and asked, "By the way, where did Candice assign you to guard duty?"

"The suspension bridge to the north."

Rod, his mouth full, mumbled a reply.

"The suspension bridge to the north."

Upon hearing the name, Dixia nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take you to see it in a bit and familiarize you with the place."

"it is good."

Rhodes responded and then continued his battle with breakfast.

I spent the whole morning shopping.

After becoming familiar with the workplace.

Desia then took Rod to the Blazing Beasts' encampment in Aru Village.

This is a courtyard similar to a traditional Chinese courtyard house. It's not large, but it's big enough for all the members of the Blazing Beast Hunters to live in.

The encampment was rather deserted at the moment. Apart from a few mercenaries who were still fast asleep from a hangover and two mercenaries guarding the gate, there was no one else in sight.

"The brothers have been working hard for a month, and it's a rare opportunity for them to relax in Aru Village, so I'll let them do as they please."

Dixia explained as she walked.

Rod also expressed his understanding of the matter.

It was impossible to expect these scattered mercenaries to have the discipline of a regular army. In addition, with Candice protecting Aru Village, it would be hard to find another place in the entire Sumeru region where the mercenaries of the Blazing Beast Hunters could feel so at ease, let alone in the desert.

Having spent more than a month eating sand in the desert, they finally had a chance to rest and relax, so they naturally wanted to indulge themselves.

Following in Desia's footsteps, Rod and she arrived at a training ground.

"Hey, like I said before, I'll teach you how to fight properly when I have time. Since we're resting these two days, I'll teach you a few self-defense techniques."

As she spoke, Dixia took a wooden stick wrapped in sponge and cotton cloth from the shelf and threw it over.

Before we arrived at Aru Village.

Because the team urgently needed rest and the desert region was fraught with danger, no one could guarantee when they might encounter danger.

Therefore, although Desia wanted to teach Rhode some self-defense skills, she simply didn't have the time.

Now is the perfect time.

Rhodes took the stick and then imitated Desia's posture, striking a pose.

Given that Rhodes had never learned any martial arts in his two lives, this fighting stance, which was merely an imitation, still looked rather clumsy.

Dixia chuckled and casually flicked the wooden stick in her hand twice.

"Watch out, I'm coming!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 8 Parting Gifts

night.

Exhausted after being beaten all day, Rod returned home.

Dixia had already shown as much mercy as possible.

However, the gap between the two was simply too great.

Without either of them using elemental power, Rhodes' movements were as clumsy as a toddler learning to walk.

These are Dixia's original words.

She didn't mean to mock Rhodes; she was just stating the facts.

Rod knew she was straightforward and wouldn't say nice things to appease others.

So he wasn't angry at all, and spent the whole day diligently learning combat techniques from Dixia.

He just got beaten up a lot.

Although there is a medicated ointment specifically for treating bruises from the Blazing Beast Hunter, there should be nothing to worry about tomorrow.

But fatigue is still inevitable.

Dinner was eaten at the Blazing Beast Hunter's camp.

They were eating the food that the mercenaries were best at making: roasted meat rolls.

Honestly.

The taste was just average.

Fortunately, the portions were large and filling, and it was also a rare treat to have fresh meat.

After obtaining the Eye of God, Rhode's appetite had already increased significantly. Today, after being beaten up by Desia all day, his appetite was even greater. He ate the equivalent of five or six people's worth of food before he could barely feel full.

A good night's sleep.

When Rod opened his eyes again, it was not yet fully light.

He didn't sleep anymore, but stared at the mottled ceiling, the events of the past month flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern.

a long time.

He sighed, got out of bed, and poured himself a glass of cold water.

If the Blazing Light Hunter hadn't found him, he didn't know what he would be like now.

Perhaps they have already become the excrement of monsters, perhaps they will become colder and colder, and eventually live out the most typical life of desert people.

The window is not closed.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and the temperature inside the room dropped a few degrees.

The desert night is cold.

When Rhodes first arrived, he was genuinely afraid that he would freeze to death in the icy desert.

Fortunately, he later obtained the Eye of God of Ice.

The sudden affinity with ice elemental power meant that Rhode would no longer fear the cold desert nights.

in contrast.

He is still enjoying the sudden drop in temperature.

I can't fall asleep.

After finishing his water, Rod went out into the yard, picked up a stick, and began practicing what Dixia had taught him during the day.

have to say.

The ointment that Dixia gave to Rhodes is really effective.

My body, which was still aching slightly before I went to sleep, had all the bruises gone after a good night's rest. Apart from a slight tingling sensation in the injured area, I felt no pain at all.

This made Rhodes realize once again that it was true that the Blazing Beastmaster had no spare money.

It's not just because of their high daily expenses; the medicines, armor, and weapons they use are among the best in the entire Sumeru region.

Under the quiet night sky.

The courtyard was filled with the whooshing sound of Rod swinging his long staff.

Desia is skilled in using fist techniques and a greatsword.

She naturally taught Rod what she herself had taught him.

However, before teaching Rhodes her martial arts, Desia gave him a special reminder.

"My martial arts skills are all honed through daily battles with monsters and beasts."

"In the language of Sumeru City..."

"That's called unorthodox methods."

"So I'm sorry, I can't teach you much. And even if you learn everything I teach you, it will only be enough for self-defense at most. You won't become a master. Don't have too high expectations."

That being said.

But would Rhodes mind such a thing?

The answer is naturally no.

To use Desia's evaluation of Rhodes as an example.

Right now, Rhodes is just a brute who only knows how to use brute force. If it weren't for his ability to manipulate elemental power, giving him a natural advantage against other brutes, he would be easily beaten up by a true master, even if they didn't use elemental power.

to this end.

Dixia even gave a special demonstration.

Then Rod got a thorough beating from her.

This also made Rhodes realize just how big the gap was between him and the expert that Desia had mentioned.

strictly speaking.

Dixia herself is not even considered a top expert.

She could only carve out a niche for herself in the barren desert; once she entered the rainforest, teeming with talent, her martial prowess seemed insufficient.

But even so.

Rhodes was still utterly humiliated.

His proud manipulation of ice elements was so weak that he couldn't even touch the hem of Dixia's clothes.

This inevitably made Rhodes, who was originally quite confident in himself, feel somewhat disappointed.