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

However, this disappointment quickly turned into motivation, igniting his burning passion for learning martial arts.

In the empty courtyard, Rod's long staff moved faster and faster, and his moves became more and more skillful. He practiced the sword techniques taught by Desia more than a dozen times without feeling tired.

"Drink-ah!"

When he reached a point of great enjoyment in his practice, Rod shouted, and his long staff slammed into the ground with tremendous force, like a heavy sword pressing down.

Snapped--

There was a loud bang.

The long stick and the floor tiles shattered into pieces that flew everywhere.

"call--"

Looking at the mess he had made of the ground, Rod exhaled a breath of hot air.

After obtaining the Eye of God, his physique improved day by day.

His body, which used to be so out of breath after running 400 meters, can now easily race against the best running beasts. He can also wield Dixia's greatsword, which weighs dozens of kilograms, without any effort.

"This is a world with extraordinary powers."

Rhodes, his breathing perfectly steady, sat on a stone bench in the courtyard. He raised his hand and grabbed, and the diffused ice elemental power burst forth, instantly condensing into the outline of a flower. Without even taking a breath, he held a flawless and exquisite ice flower in his hand.

Looking at the ice flower in my hand.

Rhodes' expression shifted slightly.

In fact, he had long ago been able to manipulate ice elemental power with such exquisite skill.

But he didn't tell Dixia about it.

According to Desia, even if Rhode is a genius, it would take him at least several years to master the manipulation of elemental power.

However, Rhodes was able to do it in less than a week.

A genius is a good thing.

Being too talented might not be a good thing.

Therefore, Rhodes decided to keep this a secret and never reveal his talent in using elemental power unless absolutely necessary.

The next two days.

Rhodes was doing the same thing over and over again.

He learns martial arts from Dixia during the day and practices diligently at night.

He is making rapid progress.

From being clumsy at the beginning to doing a decent job on the second day.

Three days later, his swordsmanship was already on par with that of Dixia when she was not in a serious state.

Such a rapid pace of progress prompted Dixia to sigh once again.

He randomly picked up someone in the desert and unexpectedly found a genius.

It was the day before Rod was scheduled to start his job.

The Blazing Beast Hunter's rest period is over, and it's time to return to Sumeru City to complete the quest and take on new tasks.

On the eve of parting.

The mercenaries of the Blazing Beast Hunters prepared a special feast to bid farewell to Rhodes.

We've spent so many days together.

They genuinely considered Rhodes their closest friend.

During the banquet, glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged, and even Rod, who never drinks, was persuaded to have a few drinks.

Fortunately.

He wasn't drunk, he was just a little dizzy.

After the banquet ended, Dixia found the dizzy Rod.

Upon meeting, she handed over a long strip of something wrapped in a thick cloth.

"This is a sword I used to practice with."

"I don't have anything good to give you."

After thinking it over, I'll go with this one.

"Just don't mind that it's an old sword."

A hint of apology crossed Dixia's face.

Anyway.

It's just an old weapon after all.

Giving away old weapons is not a very presentable thing to do.

Rhodes didn't mind, grabbed the longsword in his hand, and grinned, "How could that be? I'm thanking you right now."

"Hehe, that's good."

Dixia laughed heartily and patted Rhodes on the shoulder, saying, "I'll come see you again next time I pass through Aru Village. I hope you'll get used to life here by then."

"Well, it will definitely happen."

Rhodes responded solemnly.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 9 The First Day on the Job

The next morning.

After seeing off Desia and the Blazing Beast, Rhode, led by Candice, went to his post.

This was the first time Rhodes had come into close contact with the guardian of Aru Village since their last conversation about the guards.

Unlike the fiery and passionate Dixia.

Although Candice's tone wasn't harsh, and could even be described as gentle, she gave Rhodes a feeling of icy coldness that kept people at a distance from head to toe.

This stark contrast made Rhodes, who was used to dealing with the boisterous mercenaries, quite uncomfortable.

"The duties of the guards of Aru Village are twofold: to protect the village from being plundered by bandits and to clear out the monsters and beasts hiding in the sandstorms."

As they walked, Candice reiterated the duties of the guards in Aru Village.

After going through the routine introduction, she said to Rhodes with a warning tone, "The guard's job is usually quite relaxed, but even though it's relaxed, you can't let your guard down. If something happens because of your negligence, even if you are Dixia's friend, you will not be exempt from the punishment you deserve."

"okay, I get it."

Rhodes nodded, showing no objection.

This is a reasonable request, there's nothing to say about it.

The place has arrived.

Rod was responsible for guarding the suspension bridge in the north of Aru Village.

Unlike flat plains.

Aru Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and its connection to the rainforest area is limited to the path on the east side where a statue of the Seven Gods stands. The rest of the village is connected to the outside world by suspension bridges.

Such an arrangement seems like a very dangerous act at first glance, as if it puts oneself in a desperate and perilous situation.

That was Rhodes's opinion from the beginning.

However, after carefully observing the topography of Aru Village, his opinion changed.

Aru Village is a very unique desert village.

It has no shortage of water.

In the arid and rain-scarce environment of desert regions, this can almost be described as an invincible asset.

The abundance of water means that even if Aru Village were completely cut off from the outside world, as long as there is sunshine, they can be self-sufficient and will not be trapped in the isolated mountains.

It is precisely because of this environment where water is not scarce.

Despite being an isolated mountain, Aru Village has built an extremely wide moat at its foot.

That's right.

In the desert, a place severely lacking in water, the defensive fortifications of Aru Village surprisingly include a wide moat.

Whenever he thinks about this, Rod can't help but sigh.

The wealth of Aru Village was far more astonishing than he had imagined.

Because of the existence of this moat.

Attacking Aru Village, located halfway up the mountain, from below or underground would become extremely difficult.

If the idea of ​​attacking from the foot of the mountain is abandoned, then at this point, the only connection between Aru Village and the outside world will be those five suspension bridges.

Rhodes only did a brief deduction.

This led to the conclusion that 'unless it is a flying person or a monster that launches a direct attack from the wilderness, Aru Village can be transformed into a self-sufficient and sturdy fortress by cutting the suspension bridge in a critical moment.'

This conclusion serves as a premise.

Looking at the post I was responsible for guarding at that moment, a faint sense of pressure washed over me.

The suspension bridge is arguably the most important part of the protective system in Aru Village.

Those who are able to stand guard here are all the strongest and most robust soldiers.

After dropping Rhodes off, Candice gave a few instructions to the leading soldier in the guard squad and then quickly left.

"Rhodes, is that your name?"

“My name is Atia. I am a mercenary who has been hired by the village of Aru to guard the village.”

The person speaking to Rhodes was a robust young man of medium build with a muscular physique.

Mercenaries came to help defend the village.