In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

The next day.

Wang Yan got up early and went to Farusan's house.

Today is the day I arranged with Farusan to set off for an expedition in the desert.

Since it was his first time, Wang Yan didn't know exactly what to do, so he went to Farusan's house early.

Unexpectedly, Farusan, who is usually immersed in her research and can't get up in the morning, was also waiting at home early in the morning.

Seeing Wang Yan approach, Farusan smiled slightly: "You've been making quite a splash lately, haven't you? How much have you earned?"

Wang Yan didn't hide anything: "After the split, I took 500,000 Mora."

"Five hundred thousand...not bad, that should last for a while." Farusan wasn't greedy at all.

Despite her seemingly inability to secure funding, she can easily make money if she's willing to.

Don't underestimate a master of mechanical arts.

Skipping over the topic of Wang Yan making money, Falushan asked again, "Are you all ready to leave today?"

Wang Yan put down his backpack and opened it, saying, "Everything is ready. I consulted the 'Desert Survival Guide' published by the Order Academy."

As he spoke, Wang Yan took out the items he had prepared from his bag one by one: sand goggles, a heat-resistant cloak and water bag, dry food and emergency medicine...

Finally, Wang Yan carefully took out a long, rectangular object wrapped in cloth, revealing a delicate folding crossbow.

"I made this using mechanical arts. The crossbow body is made of light and tough catalpa wood, and the crossbow string is made of composite animal sinew, which is commonly used by the Gilded Brigade."

He pointed to several fine lines engraved on the inside of the crossbow arm: "The wind element runes [Rapid Shot] and [Pierce] are embedded here, powered by elemental fragments, which can accelerate the firing speed and penetration of the crossbow bolts."

Wang Yan handed the crossbow to Farusan: "Although its power is not as great as the moves of the Eye of God, it should be enough to deal with sand foxes, scorpions, or small monsters. The quiver can hold ten short arrows at a time, and it is rune-driven and can be automatically cocked."

Teyvat's mechanical arts are an industry that is easy to learn but becomes increasingly expensive the deeper you go.

When you're just starting out, you can make some small things by whittling some wood.

But once you delve deeper, and get involved in genuine self-regulatory mechanisms or extraordinary ingenuity, the money just flows out like water, completely unstoppable.

Take this crossbow for example. Even though he bought the parts through Kavi's channels, it still cost Wang Yan almost 10,000 Mora.

Ordinary crossbows aren't actually expensive. For example, the ones used by treasure hunters can be bought on the market for a few hundred Mora, and even the better ones only cost a few thousand Mora.

However, the one Wang Yan made used materials that could withstand elemental power, so it would be very expensive.

Farusan took the crossbow and carefully examined the rune markings, her eyes flashing with approval: "The rune arrangement is very stable, and the activation structure is also simple... It seems that I didn't waste my time learning basic mechanical arts."

She handed the crossbow back, a slight smile playing on her lips: "The equipment is quite comprehensive, but sometimes the troubles in the desert ruins can't be solved with just these things."

Wang Yan put away his belongings and smiled, "That's why I need to follow you, my mentor. If I really encounter a problem, I'll have to rely on your experience."

Farusan snorted, turned around, picked up her bag, and walked towards the door: "Stop talking nonsense. We'll set off after the inspection. The pack animals are already waiting outside the city."

"Alright, mentor." Wang Yan slung his bag over his shoulder and locked the door for Farusan.

The two continued on their way and soon left Sumeru City.

At the city gate, a group of desert people were waiting.

The group was small, with only about twenty people, but it had more than thirty pack animals.

Meanwhile, a gilded brigade was watching from the sidelines.

Wang Yan recognized the familiar figure at a glance.

"Dixia?" Wang Yan called out.

The Fiery Lion, who was chatting with his teammates, heard a familiar voice, turned around, and saw that it was Wang Yan. He smiled and said, "Wang Yan... What a coincidence, it's you who's going to Aru Village with the caravan."

Wang Yan nodded: "It's me, along with my mentor. You'll be in charge of security?"

"Yes, we received the mission from the 30-person group. It's to escort the caravan from Aru Village back. You're just passing by," Dixia explained with a smile.

Wang Yan looked at the pack animals again; it turned out that this group was a caravan from Aru Village.

Turning his gaze away, Wang Yan introduced to Farusan, "Mentor, this is Dixia, my friend."

Farusan nodded slightly: "I know, the rose of the desert, the eyes of the eagle, the soul of the lion, the free daughter of the desert."

Dixia's face froze for a moment, a hint of embarrassment appearing on her face: "Senior Farusan actually knows these things."

Dixia and Farusan didn't know each other, but they both hung out in Sumeru and had heard of each other's names to some extent.

Farusan looked at Dixia and said, "You participated in the operation to save the Grass God, and you're much more famous than me in Sumeru. How does that song go again...?"

Farusanne recalled for a moment, then sang softly:

Sing along with me, sing along with me, pick up your instrument and sing along.

Sing of my sword, sing of my crossbow, sing of my tattered headscarf.

I'm not afraid of anyone getting angry, unless I piss off Dixia.

Oh, Deshia, oh, Deshia, beautiful and powerful Deshia, our treasure Deshia.

Wang Yan looked slightly surprised: "Mentor, you can sing too!"

Before Farusan could answer, several members of the gilded guild next to Desia joined in the singing:

"Flames blazed atop the sand dunes; at the command, who dared to stand in their way?"

The daughter of the desert, with a heart brighter than gold, is the strongest in the storm.

No matter how many obstacles lie ahead, the direction the sword points is the only way.

Desia, Desia, you protect our home.

The singing spread, and the caravan from Aru Village, not far away, seemed to have heard it as well, and they joined in the singing:

"Let the song spread throughout the seven kingdoms, to the farthest corner of the earth."

Anyone who dares to invade, let him taste this burning rage!

The music resonates, our blood boils, and we stand shoulder to shoulder like a city wall.

For freedom, for our home, Dixia leads us on an adventure!

Finally, with Dixia looking like she wanted to dig her toes into the ground, everyone sang the ending together:

Sing along with me! Sing along with me!

Pick up your instrument and sing with me!

Oh~ Desia!

"You guys are really something! Don't sing this song in front of your employer!"

Dixia cursed loudly and punched her companions twice, but she didn't seem angry.

The members of the Blazing Beast Hunters laughed and dodged away, creating a joyful scene in the camp.

Wang Yan then realized just how high a reputation Dixia had among the desert people after participating in the rescue of the Grass God.

Perhaps in their view, it was precisely because heroes like Dixia, who came from the desert, participated in this matter that the desert people were able to obtain the treatment they enjoy today.

So they wrote about Dixia in a song and sang it to make everyone know her name.

After all, the level of civilization among desert people is still quite backward. In their minds, being written into a song and sung is equivalent to becoming a legend.

However, Wang Yan also knew that Dixia was worthy of him.

Even without the Grass God incident, Dixia's protection of the desert and care for the children deserve this song.

Amidst the merriment, Wang Yan and Farusan joined the caravan and set off.

A long procession of more than thirty pack animals set off towards the desert.