The entire caravan sped up their pace, eager to leave the dangerous area that was neither near a village nor a shop, where Treasure Hoarders and Hilichurls frequently ambushed travelers.
Because of the danger they had just sensed, even the most pampered merchants in the caravan did not complain about the fatigue of traveling all night.
After rushing along at full speed, the caravan left the dangerous zone and arrived within the borders of Liyue's Stone Gate.
Stone Gate, being the area in Liyue closest to Mondstadt, was always heavily guarded by Liyue forces. For the passing caravans, the moment they saw the Stone Gate signpost, their worries about safety finally vanished.
The Wangshu Inn near Stone Gate is an important landmark building in Liyue.
Although it was named an inn, there was a bustling marketplace near the Wangshu Inn formed by merchants traveling from all directions, selling their goods.
The caravan rested at the Wangshu Inn for one day, sold the spices they brought from Sumeru, and exchanged them for Liyue's finest silk and porcelain. After selling these goods in Mondstadt, the shrewd merchants would then load up on Mondstadt's fine wine on their way back to Sumeru, which would earn them a massive profit in Mora upon returning.
Although this process was very dangerous due to the appearance of monsters and Treasure Hoarders, the returns were enormous.
A seemingly ordinary sweet flower in Mondstadt could be sold for ten thousand Mora in Inazuma, and people would still rush to buy it. As for goods like Sumeru's spices, Liyue's silk and porcelain, Mondstadt's wine, and Inazuma's electro crystal, they never lacked buyers.
Since Dori's caravan needed to rest for a day at the Wangshu Inn, and Arkz was quite curious about the scenery around the Wangshu Inn, he decided to stay there with the caravan and depart together the next day.
Worried that 'Junior Sister Dottore' was still pursuing him, Arkz used a fake identity the entire time; only Dori knew his true identity. Thinking that Sumeru was so far from the Wangshu Inn, Dottore surely wouldn't chase him here.
Thus, Arkz planned to relax properly at the Wangshu Inn.
After eating gruel for so long in Sumeru, Arkz was long overdue for a change of taste.
The head chef at Wangshu Inn, Yan Xiao, had his cooking skills personally approved by Xiangling, so the Liyue cuisine he made must be incredibly authentic and delicious.
Arkz ordered a table full of Liyue delicacies and ate until tears streamed down his face—this was the flavor he remembered!
The private rooms at Wangshu Inn were very expensive; the top-tier rooms cost ten thousand Mora per night—it was practically highway robbery. However, thanks to the research funds provided by the little rich girl Dori, Arkz didn't lack this bit of money.
Although the prices at Wangshu Inn were a bit steep, there were cheaper guesthouses nearby, which served as a source of income for the villagers around the inn. Moreover, those who truly wanted to save money could sleep on the floor or in tents; at least near the Wangshu Inn, there were Thousand Rock Army patrols, so there was no need to worry about safety.
Originally, Arkz hoped to have an accidental encounter with the Conqueror of Demons, but alas, he waited until midnight and still didn't see Xiao's figure on the rooftops. Extremely sleepy, Arkz chose to return to his room to rest.
Having traveled for so long, he was exhausted. He still had to travel tomorrow, so it was better to sleep early.
He currently had no way to cure the karma afflicting Xiao. Even if he met him, he could only offer a greeting to show his respect.
After resting for one night, Arkz continued his journey with the caravan. His destination was Mondstadt, and there was still a distance to cover from the Wangshu Inn to Mondstadt.
Joseph was extremely welcoming towards Arkz, an allogene.
With Arkz, the allogene, as a living advertisement for the caravan, they unknowingly avoided many troubles. For instance, some Treasure Hoarders, upon learning there was an allogene in the group, let them pass immediately.
Furthermore, some small merchants, hearing that an allogene was traveling with the caravan, even paid money to join them just for the increased safety.
Sitting in the carriage, Arkz looked regretfully at the top of the Wangshu Inn.
He had wanted to ask for an immortal affinity, to have Xiao bless him with great wealth.
Although after his successful collaboration with Dori, Arkz felt he was highly unlikely to lack money, the research and development of the smartphone still required considerable time, and the seed money Dori provided couldn't be spent carelessly.
Mora, that golden, lovely thing, was always better to have more of.
Moreover, even if the Conqueror of Demons Xiao didn't offer this service, keeping monsters from harassing his future farm would be great too.
If he erected a statue of Xiao in the farm, could it drive away monsters that might destroy the crops, much like a scarecrow drives away crows?
Sitting in the carriage, Arkz's imagination ran wild, passing the boring time.
Since revealing his identity as an allogene, Arkz's status in the caravan had skyrocketed. People even brought him a separate serving during meals.
Although Arkz's cooking skills were quite good, as a lazy person, he would rather cook instant noodles than cook for himself.
Moreover, traveling with a caravan had many inconveniences. To cook for himself, he would have to fetch pots, bowls, and build a stove—it was simply too much trouble.
When traveling before, Arkz had always subsisted on dry rations. Although they weren't tasty, they were filling.
The journey from Liyue to Mondstadt was relatively uneventful.
The Hilichurls blocking the road were either sent packing, or if they couldn't be sent away, the guard team led by Joseph could handle them.
Ordinary Treasure Hoarders wouldn't dare rob such a large caravan.
Large and disciplined Treasure Hoarder organizations like Hu Lao San's were ultimately the minority.
Most Treasure Hoarders were cowards and trash who bullied the weak and feared the strong, willing to betray their companions without hesitation for Mora. Thus, it was rare to find large groups of Treasure Hoarders gathered together.
For Treasure Hoarders, their companions were sometimes more dangerous than the police. Official forces like the Thousand Rock Army and the Knights of Favonius would, at most, lock you up if you didn't commit major crimes. But companions, one second they might be affectionately calling you brother, the next they could stab you in the back over an antique.
Since they chose to be Treasure Hoarders, only a minority could maintain any moral bottom line.
However, midway through, a wandering Ruin Guard blocked the caravan's progress.
The caravan initially decided to bypass the Ruin Guard. Although taking a detour carried risks and consumed time, it was much better than confronting the dangerous Ruin Guard directly.
Monsters in the wilderness also had their own territories; unless under special circumstances, a monster would never leave its domain in its lifetime. One of the tasks belonging to the Adventurers Guild's Adventurers was to map the distribution of monsters in the wilderness.
Using this map marked with monster distributions, the caravan could avoid many dangerous monsters, but the journey that would normally take one day to reach Mondstadt along the trade route would now take significantly longer due to the detour.
After much deliberation, they still decided to go around and then report the wandering Ruin Guard on the trade route to the Knights of Favonius for handling.
Normally, such trade routes would have official personnel patrolling, but the efficiency of the Knights of Favonius was something everyone understood—those who know, know. After the Grand Master went on an expedition, one couldn't ask too much of the remaining handful of knights; it was already an effort for them to protect Mondstadt City.
It was uncertain whether this Ruin Guard would be dealt with by the time the caravan returned.
Although the caravan had Arkz, an allogene, he was not part of the caravan's guard detail. He had no responsibility to step in and help, and Arkz was always going to leave the caravan anyway, so the caravan needed to rely on the guards when facing danger.
After hearing Joseph's explanation, Arkz decided to take action. Having used the caravan's carriage and enjoyed their food for so long, he felt a bit embarrassed not to help. After all, this was Dori's caravan, his partner's, and it wasn't a difficult problem to solve.
A Ruin Guard? Piece of cake.
Under the expectant gazes of the caravan guards and Joseph, Arkz walked up to the Ruin Guard.
Detecting an approaching life form, the Ruin Guard began to activate, and its large eye started emitting a red glow.
Ruin Guards usually entered a dormant state, remaining motionless like scrap metal. However, upon detecting an approaching threatening enemy, they would immediately activate their combat mode.
Before the Ruin Guard activated, even an allogene couldn't be certain if these Ruin Guards could still stand up.
It was just that the time required for these Ruin Guards to transition from dormant to active state was quite long—this duration was completely enough for Arkz to deal with this one-eyed little treasure (Ruin Guard).
Arkz slammed both hands onto the ground, and a three-meter-tall Wood Golem appeared in front of the Ruin Guard.
Arkz controlled the Wood Golem, which was about the same height as the Ruin Guard, to engage the Ruin Guard in close-quarters combat.
"Left hook, right hook."
"Shoryuken."
"Up, down, left, right, B, A, B, B."
The Ruin Guard was sent reeling backward by the combo unleashed by the Wood Golem controlled by Arkz. Sparks sputtered from its body as it entered a stunned state.
"Forget it, I'm done playing.", Seeing the Ruin Guard unable to even mount a decent counterattack, Arkz felt a wave of boredom.
Saying that, the Wood Golem controlled by Arkz suddenly accelerated, leaving afterimages. The Wood Golem thrust its right hand into the Ruin Guard's single eye and forcibly extracted its ruin core.
Having lost its core, the Ruin Guard immediately lost power and turned into a pile of scrap metal.
Arkz controlled the Wood Golem to move the obstructing Ruin Guard wreckage to the side of the road to avoid impeding the caravan's passage.
Recalling the Wood Golem, he took his spoils—the ruin core—and returned to the caravan. Under the adoring gazes of everyone in the caravan, Arkz hopped back onto the carriage to continue sunbathing.
Beep boop beep.
In the sunlight, Arkz curiously examined the ruin core in his hand. The black technology of Khaenri'ah allowed these Ruin Guards to still function even after 500 years, giving it significant research value.
Moreover, after researching it, he could sell it to the Adventurers Guild and exchange it for 5000 Mora.
Before sunset, the caravan finally arrived at Mondstadt's Dawn Winery.
The caravan stopped there, but Arkz couldn't stop here. To receive the farm key granted by the system, he still needed to go to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters in Mondstadt City to complete the procedures.
While the sky hadn't darkened yet, Arkz planned to hurry to Mondstadt quickly.
After bidding farewell to Joseph, Arkz left the caravan and headed for Mondstadt City alone.
After saying goodbye to this enthusiastic Liyue uncle, Arkz turned and left without hesitation. There was no excessive regret; he believed there would be times to meet again after parting. Today's parting was for a better reunion in the future.
Furthermore, the collaboration between Dori and Arkz still needed to continue. Dori wouldn't easily let go of the moneymaking project that was the smartphone.
Joseph, as Dori's confidant, would inevitably represent Dori in communications with Arkz in the future.