After burying the Hilichurl, I lit a fire to cook and adjusted my mood.
Time to celebrate getting rich!
Ryan felt like an insatiable glutton; everything he ate was digested by his stomach and converted into energy.
After exercising, his body grew stronger.
He filled the pot with water, waited for it to boil, and then, taking his crossbow, ran into the forest.
With this ranged weapon, hunting was truly easy.
One arrow, one pigeon.
One arrow, one wild boar.
He used boiling water to remove hair, then sterilized his wu feng sword by heating it in the fire, using it as both a cleaver and a kitchen knife.
He made wild boar ribs stewed with Mushrooms.
Roasted pork.
Stewed pigeon.
Borrowing the Hilichurl's large pot, he processed the entire large wild boar.
Paired with raspberries, Sunsettia, and Mint to cleanse the palate, he ate the most sumptuous meal he'd had in Teyvat.
He practiced his boxing and sword techniques ten times each, then used regular exercises to train every muscle.
Traditional martial arts train tendons and fascia, while modern martial arts train muscles.
Combining them would not significantly change his physique, allowing a streamlined body to possess immense power.
Given the existence of Martial Forest Schools in Teyvat, practices like Qi breathing and Internal Skill were likely possible.
Ryan currently had no teacher, but through his own experimentation, he had gained some insights.
Compared to the day he underwent Transmigration, his demeanor had changed dramatically.
His breathing was deep and long, and his strength was continuous.
If he returned to modern society, he could probably be called a Martial Dao Grandmaster.
That day, he ate half of a large wild boar!
At night, carrying the Treasure Trove, he returned to the pond, and while bathing, he held his breath for over ten minutes, breaking his previous limit.
His digestive and respiratory Systems worked in tandem, with other Systems assisting in circulation.
Ryan grew stronger; his hair became even more luxuriant, shiny, and smooth.
With ample nutrition and hormone secretion, his already set height underwent a miraculous growth spurt.
Previously, he was about the same height as a certain short True Lord, but now, he was about half a head taller.
Half a month later, his body's evolution reached its limit.
He needed more nutritious substances to digest, otherwise, it would be difficult to improve.
Although he could increase the amount of food he ate, eating all day long was also very tiring!
The power gained was no longer proportional to the time wasted; the harvest was not as much as finding and fusing an artifact.
Moreover, the surrounding forest could no longer sustain his unlimited hunting.
Four days ago, to hunt, he could only run north along the main road he had discovered.
Although he encountered a few small groups of Hilichurl, he passed through them without incident.
Now, he saw familiar sights from afar.
A large lake and a towering Statue of The Seven.
High mountains, steep cliffs, and a vast canyon.
"Starfell Lake, Anemo God Statue, Windrise!"
The familiar scene made Ryan very happy.
He spent half a day swimming across the lake and touching the Statue, but nothing happened, which made Ryan very unhappy.
Sitting under the Statue, he waited for neither the blonde-haired Damselette nor the blonde-haired Little Girl.
In the Sky, Dvalin occasionally appeared, roaring with storms.
All signs indicated that Mondstadt's Dragon Calamity had not yet ended, and the Knights of Favonius's situation was not optimistic.
This point in time seemed to be even earlier than the beginning of the plot.
After eating the food that was difficult to preserve and carry, Ryan, carrying his Treasure Trove and tent, and holding his crossbow and wu feng sword, thought for a day before deciding to head south.
Calculating the Teyvat map compared to reality, the distance between Whispering Woods and Starfell Lake meant he could probably see Mondstadt City in about ten days.
A clear goal brought motivation.
Being able to count the days meant he wouldn't be lost on a journey without visible hope.
"Mondstadt, here I come!"
Ryan raised his wu feng sword, and just as he was about to leave, a mischievous idea suddenly surfaced.
He carved a piece of wood with his sword: "A Traveler from another world, was here!"
"Latercomers, when you see this wooden board, it means the surrounding Treasure Trove has already been plundered!"
"That's right, I did it!"
He inserted the wooden board next to the Statue of The Seven, covering it with grass to make it inconspicuous but still absolutely discoverable.
To fulfill the promise on the wooden board, Ryan spent a little more time running around aimlessly in the vicinity, and indeed found a few wooden boxes.
He collected the meager contents, which, in bits and pieces, amounted to one or two thousand Mora and over a dozen one-star artifacts.
These boxes were probably abandoned by merchant caravans after Dvalin appeared, and they couldn't take them away, so they had to hide them on the spot.
It turned out to be a bargain for Ryan.
Surrounded by the gentle Anemo, wind sigils were the greatest reward of adventure.
He spent more time than he did on the way there, returning to Whispering Woods, and leaning against a high slope to the west, he could see the immense Cider Lake.
The vast expanse of mist and waves reminded him of Poyang Lake before his Transmigration.
This freshwater lake in the interior of Teyvat looked very spectacular.
Looking at the mountain, horses die from exhaustion!
He saw the shadow of Mondstadt City, but halfway there, his stomach rumbled, and he needed to stop to replenish his energy.
A box full of sweet flower, Sunsettia, Mint, carrots, spinach… was enough for Ryan to ration and eat for a day or two.
He set up camp on the spot, searched for water sources in the forest, and explored ahead to see if there were any Hilichurl.
An hour later, he indeed saw a roadblock on the path.
At the exit of Whispering Woods, there were not many trees, allowing a clear view of the surroundings.
At this strategic intersection, two Hilichurl watchtowers, two Hilichurl alert platforms, and four wooden Hilichurl fences blocked several directions completely.
Hilichurl holding crossbows on top constantly watched for any disturbance in the area.
An Anemo Samachurl, a Pyro Axe Hilichurl Brute, patrolling Pyro Hilichurl, explosive barrels containing Fire Slime…
Danger! Extreme danger!
Ryan retreated.
He tentatively aimed his crossbow at the explosive barrels, but realized that many Hilichurl were far away, and even if they exploded, they wouldn't be affected, and it would only alert them.
He patiently returned to cook first.
The path by the lake had no cover and was difficult to traverse. Moreover, it was a steep slope, making it easy to fall and get injured.
Ryan had no choice but to wander around Whispering Woods, seeing if he could go east and bypass the enemy.
As he walked and stopped, he made an unexpected discovery.
Earlier, by the side of the road he had taken, under a few trees, there was a clearly man-dug pit. In the middle of several large stones, there was a bulge, with a wooden sign inserted into it.
The wooden sign consisted of a red wooden board with a cute four-leaf clover drawn on it, and two rectangular wooden strips.
On the wooden strips, there were two lines of white text.
In Mondstadtian: [My Treasure Trove].
"Klee's Treasure Trove?" Ryan didn't recognize the words, but that didn't stop him from guessing what was written and what was buried there based on the game's plot.
This kind of "here's a treasure, but it's not" operation, along with the four-leaf clover mark, could only be Klee.
"Below, it seems to be a bomb!" Thinking of this, Ryan couldn't help but retreat three meters.
"It seems I can use this to kill Hilichurl!"
Despite his fear, he couldn't help but consider using this bomb.
However, doing so, wouldn't it be too heinous?
It was even worse than stealing a Little Girl's lollipop!
Klee would be angry and cry, right?
And then, would she go to her parents?
"Klee, you wouldn't want Acting Grand Master Jean to know you bury bombs everywhere, would you!"
"Ugh!" He quickly shook his head, shaking off the strange thoughts poisoned by netizens.
"Forget it! I won't take it!"
Ryan patted his face, "Killing Hilichurl still has to rely on myself!"
Carrying the Treasure Trove and holding his crossbow, he lay in the grass, watching the Hilichurl blocking the way.
Night fell, with stars and moon in the Sky.
He thought he could find an opportunity.
Unexpectedly, the Hilichurl changed guards even when they slept!
"Jie jie—!" The characteristic pig-like cry of a major villain suddenly appeared in Ryan's ear.
An Ice Abyss Mage, enveloped in a transparent Ice Element bubble, flashed and landed in front of Ryan.
"I sensed a human presence last time, and this time I finally caught you! Knights of Favonius spy!"