Chapter 23: Come with me to catch slimes

Dixiya still keeps her promises just as before.

Yesterday she said she would treat Luo De to a drink, and today she came.

This time she brought a bottle of Mondstadt-produced dandelion wine.

Luo De, who had just finished tending the test field, saw the bottle, shook off the mud on his hands, and said with a smile, "This stuff isn't cheap."

"It was given by my employer."

Dixiya shrugged: "It's not strong enough; the guys don't like it. Knowing you don't like strong liquor, I brought this for you."

"That's nice; this good fortune fell on me."

Luo De chuckled, walked to the washbasin, washed his hands clean of the dirt, and then took the expensive bottle of dandelion wine from Dixiya.

Mondstadt's dandelion wine is a famous drink renowned across the Teyvat continent.

Its fame is matched by its price.

If it weren't for someone giving it to her, Dixiya would never waste money buying this liquor that nobody likes and is outrageously expensive.

"How come the things growing in your two fields aren't the same size?"

Seeing the two test fields with completely different growth, Dixiya asked doubtfully.

She knew that Luo De grew things at his home.

Only the last time she went on a mission, these two fields had not yet sprouted.

And this time she came to look again.

Dixiya discovered in surprise.

In these two fields, one field's crops are almost mature, while the other field has only just sprouted.

Dixiya knew Luo De possessed the Fertility Blessing.

With such a divine farming tool, how could he have made the fields turn out like this?

At this moment, Dixiya really wanted to say something.

If you don't know how to farm, you might as well not farm; why waste all that money for nothing!

In Sumeru.

The Fertility Blessing is truly the divine farming tool.

After adding this to the soil, as long as you water it on time, the land will yield lush crops.

This Luo De is the first person Dixiya has ever seen who uses the Fertility Blessing in such a way.

"Oh, that field—that field didn't use the Fertility Blessing."

Luo De knew what Dixiya was asking and what she had misunderstood, so he pointed to the test field that hadn't been given the Fertility Blessing and said, "It's using traditional farming methods."

"Traditional farming methods?"

Dixiya tilted her head.

She hadn't heard that term in a very long time.

Only once when she was a child had she heard her father mention it.

But that was all before the Fertility Blessing existed.

Back then, people could only rely on the weather for food; if a natural disaster struck, yields would be lightly reduced or completely lost.

Until the Fertility Blessing appeared.

As long as there is water, people can easily grow abundant grain to feed themselves and livestock.

It is precisely by relying on the Fertility Blessing that Sumeru's national strength was able to enter a period of rapid development.

"With the Fertility Blessing, why bother using traditional farming methods?"

This is another point of confusion for Dixiya.

"Because I'm currently living in A Ru Cun."

Luo De replied as if answering a different question.

Next.

He shared his views on A Ru Cun with Dixiya.

Dixiya, whose expression had been somewhat relaxed, grew increasingly serious as Luo De spoke.

In the past, she came to A Ru Cun.

Because this place truly is a pristine land, she and her brothers from the Blaze Light Beast Hunters could sleep soundly for a few days.

Her friendship with Kantisi also began then.

Dixiya never quite understood why Kantisi was so uneasy about the village, unwilling even to give herself a day off.

Could it be that A Ru Cun cannot function without Kantisi?

Until today.

Luo De's words provided a reasonable explanation for this question.

Kantisi indeed cannot easily leave A Ru Cun.

In four words to describe A Ru Cun's current state,

it is internal troubles and external threats.

The reason this place can be a pristine land in the desert is entirely built upon Kantisi's personal prestige and her overwhelming martial power capable of crushing any invaders and internal rivals.

If her successors lack such ability as Kantisi's,

then these internal troubles and external threats will all erupt in a short time.

If fortunate, A Ru Cun will revert to its former closed, backward desert village state.

If unfortunate, A Ru Cun is likely to split, with conservatives and reformers each occupying a side.

And what Luo De is currently doing.

It is enough to dispel some internal worries and part of the external threats.

People, we must eat our fill.

Although eating one's fill may lead to many pointless deeds, if you can't even eat enough, then there's nothing you can't imagine that they wouldn't do.

Luo De's summary left Dixiya silent for a long while.

Many tribespeople in the desert cannot eat their fill.

Dixiya has also seen plenty of what they do just to fill their bellies.

Thus, she truly resonates with Luo De's two sentences.

Sigh—

Is the money in your hand enough? Doing this must cost a lot, right? By the way, does Kantisi know? You can tell her; she might be able to offer some help.

Besides sighing, Dixiya began to worry about Luo De's wallet.

Last time in Kawanyi, Luo De indeed made some money selling sand pupa fat, but before his described complex experiment, that money plus his monthly guard salary is probably just a drop in the bucket.

However, contrary to Dixiya's expectations,

Just after she finished asking, Luo De said: 'During the last great sandstorm I slew over a hundred monsters, and Kantisi gave me a sum of Mora as a reward, so I still have enough money for now; I haven't told Kantisi yet about this side, wait until my experiment yields results.'

Speaking of this matter,

Luo De again sighed that it was truly timely rain.

After the last great sandstorm, Luo De's money had nearly been spent on buying books and cultivating the experimental field; just when he was short of funds, Kantisi intentionally sent him a sum of Mora as a reward to honor his contribution in guarding the suspension bridge.

A full ten thousand Mora, more than all the Mora he had seen since crossing into Teyvat combined.

Upon hearing Luo De recount how he had severely wounded a Holy Bone Beast with a single sword strike during the great sandstorm and then slain over a hundred monsters, Dixiya couldn't help but burst out laughing.

I told you, a genius like you will surely have a moment to shine.

She seemed restless with eagerness, immediately started moving her limbs, then beckoned Luo De: 'Come, let's spar; let me see just how capable you are now.'

Will Luo De refuse?

Of course.

He won't.

This spar didn't take long.

Thus it ended with Dixiya's defeat.

This is a result she had long been mentally prepared for.

Back when Luo De could silently evade her in Kawanyi to go kill people, Dixiya already realized that Luo De's martial arts now surpassed her own.

To be frank,

Back then Dixiya got an itch to spar with Luo De, wanting to see just how strong this genius really was.

Only at that time the Blazing Light Hunting Beast still had missions to carry out, and she could never find a suitable moment.

Now this result is just right, satisfying her curiosity.

The only thing she isn't satisfied with is that she lost too quickly.

Now Luo De surpasses her in strength, speed, and reaction; moreover, Luo De was taught by her, so he is extremely familiar with her fighting style.

He has the advantage everywhere, plus familiarity with her techniques.

Dixiya was almost suppressed by Luo De the moment she moved; throughout the spar they exchanged over a dozen rounds, Dixiya never got a chance to attack, and every time she initiated a move Luo De easily pressed it down.

There's no way to continue fighting.

The gap is too great.

Realizing this, she straightforwardly admitted defeat.

Dixiya is not a petty person.

Although she was the one who lost, she was even happier than the victor Luo De, and even opened that bottle of dandelion wine to have a good drink with Luo De.

How can just having wine be enough?

Luo De went to his experimental field, plucked two handfuls of edible vegetable sprouts, fried a plate of bald beans, added his own homemade spicy beef jerky, and prepared a hearty spread to accompany the drinks.

Dixiya enjoyed eating more than drinking.

After three rounds of wine,

Luo De, his cheeks slightly flushed, set down his cup and earnestly invited Dixiya: 'Any missions lately? If not, come with me to catch some slimes.'

(End of chapter)