"My lord eagerly awaits your response." The man said, dressed in some of the finest armor one could get in Guili. It was clear he wasn't a mere soldier of the militia, but a personal guard of some noble.
I laughed, doing my best to mask a sigh. "It's my honor to be called." I began. "But as of now, my heart belongs to Guili itself." Just to make sure, I gave the guard a wink as I leaned forward. "Perhaps when I have time? I could even play some songs for you if you'd like?"
"...there's no need." The guard said eventually, and though his face was masked by his helmet, I could tell my little display had embarrassed him. Especially with how he quickly left after that. I continued smiling as he left, and once he was far enough, I closed the door to my room and sighed.
A new day had come, and this was the sixth personal invite I've gotten. It was clear that they were all itching to get their hands on me, but my stance remained the same; I wouldn't become someone else's possession. I wouldn't stop them from listening to my songs if they wanted to, but no more than that. Some personal distance between artists and fans is needed!
I leaned my back on the door. It was clear I needed to let everyone cool their heads a little. And since my little jaunt as a dragon-fisherman was over for the time being, that meant it was time to return to the wilderness!
Which meant confronting the demons that were outside the city's walls.
I sighed. There really was no easy way out. But after some thought, the idea of escaping to the wilderness still sounded more appealing than getting personal invites every dozen minutes or so.
With that plan made, I discreetly began my escape. Donning my usual gender-neutral robes, I went out of my room and down to the streets. A few people recognized me as I went—some even came and asked if I could play a song—but I rebuffed them and pointed to the hunting bow slung over my back.
After what felt like hours, I finally made it to the city gates. The guardsmen attempted to stop me, worried over me encountering the encroaching hordes of demons, but I assured them I'd be fine. I even assured them that I'd mostly be circling the plains around Guili. They relented after that.
And once I got far enough away, I immediately broke my promise and headed straight for the Qingyun Peaks. I was searching for treasure chests, after all!
Strangely, I didn't face any conflict on my way. I encountered a few fragments of the demon horde—I'd even locked eyes with a few monsters—but they all let me pass as if I wasn't there. If anything, it almost seemed as if they refused to see me, as if seeing me was something that caused them pain.
Well, whatever the case, it was a good thing for me.
I arrived at the foot of one of the peaks soon enough. I glanced up at the towering mountains, and for a moment I contemplated climbing up. My Body was far higher now; I could probably hang on if I wanted to. But did I want to? Going so high up without an easy way of getting back down?
Hiss, that was terrible. I at least needed a Wing Glider or something!
…Wing Glider? That-, what is…hmm.
I shook my head to clear those odd thoughts. I set aside the idea of climbing up the mountains and began exploring the areas that haven't been added to my Minimap. My increased Body really helped in that regard; I didn't have to stop as much to catch my breath.
It didn't take long before I found a treasure chest. Unfortunately, the chest was locked, and there were three elemental pillars surrounding it, with the Geo symbol carved onto them. Considering the fact that I couldn't even create an elemental effect without severely injuring myself, I could do little but abandon the treasure chest for next time.
I found another treasure chest not long after, and this one was unlocked! But as I approached, a sense of caution rose in my mind, and I immediately brought out my Hamayumi. I looked around for any enemies, but couldn't find any. I eventually approached, but I still had an arrow notched onto the strings as I began opening the treasure chest.
Then-
My instincts rang, and I barely jumped away as a pair of Geovishap Hatchlings erupted from the earth, spinning across the air like gears before landing onto the ruined soil. They glared at me, their engorged claw held threateningly towards me.
A moment later, one of the hatchlings dropped onto the earth, a hole blown through their skull. The other hatchling's eyes went comically wide as it saw its brethren fall, and it turned to me just in time to see me aiming another arrow straight between its eyes. It quickly brought up its engorged claw to block as I let the arrow loose.
It didn't do much. My arrow, empowered by my bow and my Body, tore right through its claw and blasted past its skull.
Smiling, I skipped back to the treasure chest and opened it. And just like before a shower of light exploded from within, before its contents spilled out onto the earth. After I tallied up my earnings, I was more than satisfied.
80 Primogems! That was more Primogems than I could earn from a day of fishing! Assuming I didn't catch a Golden Koi, that was.
Another [Teachings of Diligence]! Sadly, my archery was already 2★, and I didn't have any other Talents to use it on. Nevertheless, the option was there.
I got some Mora too, but that was a nonfactor by this point. A day of fishing netted me 600,000 Mora—that was already way more than what I could get more treasure chests alone.
Grinning at my rewards, I shoved them all into my Inventory before I continued on my journey.
I found a few more treasure chests after that. Some were locked behind elemental puzzles, and were sadly left for a future me. But those that simply needed me to eliminate a group of monsters were swiftly dealt with, granting me a good haul of treasure chests.
By the end of the day, I'd raided half a dozen treasure chests, and I could only grin as I saw my Primogem wallet. I was halfway to getting that elusive 10-pull, and it wouldn't be long before I got another chance at rolling the Gacha.
Once night fell, I found shelter in one of the hilichurl camps I'd cleared out earlier during the day. Sleeping in a house of monsters might make some uneasy, but a house was still a house. And it wasn't as if any new tenants had appeared to stake their claim. Their empty camps were practically free real estate!
So, snuffing out my campfire, I went into one of the empty tents and fell asleep.
…
A few hours before sunrise, I found myself woken by an odd sound.
My eyes immediately snapped open, and my bow appeared in my hands with a flash as I aimed an arrow at the tent's opening. But my bow lowered as I saw what it was that'd caused the sound.
"A child?" I whispered, staring at the boy that'd entered my tent, an oversized spear slung across his back.
The boy glared at me. "I'm far older than you would ever be, mortal." The boy hissed, his snake-like eyes glowing. He calmed down right after as he sighed. "It is good to see that you still live. I feared I would find a demon from all the karma that wafts from the earth."
I blinked. Karma? What was that? "Well, I'm clearly not a monster. So you don't have to worry." I flashed the boy a smile. "Still, thanks for checking up on me."
The boy huffed as he turned to leave. "Return to sleep, mortal."
"Wait!" The boy stopped and turned back at my call. I frowned, slightly confused. "You're heading out again? But it's still night!"
"The demons care not for night." He answered simply.
"But you do." I said in return. And I must've said something wrong, because he suddenly appeared before me. I yelped as I hopped back, but the boy knocked my bow aside as came inches before me, growling. "Uh-?"
"And how would you know that, foolish mortal?" He said, practically hissing the last two words. "Lord Morax entrusted me to clean the lands of demons, so that mortals like you don't fall prey to your own idiocy."
"Hey!" I frowned at him. "That was rude. You shouldn't say that." The rest of his words registered in my head right after, and I blinked. "Wait, are you an adepti or something?" He huffed at my words, confirming. "Ah, so that's why." I cleared my throat as I clasped my hands and bowed. "It's good to meet you, sir."
He nodded. "Good."
I narrowed my eyes. "Doesn't change my point. Being rude like that will get you into trouble, you know?"
"You-!"
"I know you're an adepti and all, but at the end, we're all still mortals at the end." My words silenced him, and swept up by a feeling I couldn't describe, I continued. "Beneath the gaze of Celestia, we're all the same. We all struggle in some way to await the next sunrise." I smiled at him, stifling the urge to pat his head. He'd probably stab me if I tried. "Being rude will only isolate you, and no one is immune to the pain that brings."
The boy was silent, and I began feeling nervous as the silence stretched on. But he eventually sighed. "Your words hold merit, mortal." He said as he turned to leave. "I thank you for your advice."
"Wait!"
He turned back again, visibly annoyed. "What?"
I smiled. "My name's Venti. I like looking for treasure, fishing, and singing." I held out my hand to him. "What's yours?"
He stared at me in surprise. It was the first time a mortal had so daringly asked for his name. But the one before him was nothing but genuine, and he found himself wavering. Lord Morax had instructed him to protect Guili in secrecy, but…
He gazed at the mortal whose soul smelled of springs and sang of freedom, and he found himself wavering. He could see why Lady Guizhong had asked him to watch over him. He was unlike any mortal he'd ever seen—a being with a soul that seemed to repel the demonic karma that'd infused the lands.
"A blessed child of spring." Were his Lord's words, and he found himself agreeing.
"Alatus." He eventually whispered.
When I heard his name, I felt my breath stop. There was something achingly familiar about it. My heart thrummed with joy and anguish all at once, and I had to physically stop myself from reaching forward and pulling the boy close. I instead grinned as I took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Alatus!"
The boy's cheeks went red, and he growled as he shook my hand off. "I am off." He said, and before I could say anything he vanished in a swirl of wind. I laughed at his quick departure, and I left my tent and took a breath of the night air. The moon still hung in the sky, but it wouldn't long before it descended past the horizons.
I should return and rest, but I didn't feel tired in the slightest. If anything, I felt more energized to explore more than ever. Besides, more time meant more potential treasure chests to find. And that meant more Primogems for me to find!
So, strapping my quiver back onto the belt around my waist, I left the camp behind as I continued into the night.