"Thank you so much!"
Fischl thanked Aqiu emotionally.
The Ascension materials that had been troubling her for a long time were almost gathered so easily.
Fischl held Aqiu's hand, her Burning gaze seeming to look right through Aqiu's black robe into her eyes:
"It was my mistake to think you were aloof and cold before. Aqiu, you are clearly a warm-hearted and kind child!"
Hidden under the black robe and the Hilichurl mask, Aqiu's expression was about to break down.
"Fischl, isn't this person a bit too familiar?"
"It's a good thing I wore gloves today, otherwise my identity would have been exposed."
As a descendant of the royal family of Khaenri'ah, Aqiu had turned into a Hilichurl due to the Heavenly Principles' curse, but she still retained human wisdom.
For five hundred years, she had wandered the continent of Teyvat, witnessing the suffering of the Hilichurl tribe.
In Aqiu's heart, she identified more with her Hilichurl identity.
Those Khaenri'ah survivors who defected to the Abyss or the Tsaritsa had become irreconcilable enemies the moment they captured the Hilichurls—formerly Khaenri'ah commoners—as test subjects and consumables without any hesitation or sympathy.
The Khaenri'ah royalty coveted the power of the Abyss, which invited disaster from the Heavenly Principles.
Among those who could still maintain their sanity, which one was not a noble or a member of the Khaenri'ah royal family? As for the commoners who maintained their sanity, there wasn't a single one left.
The commoners of Khaenri'ah were the oppressed class even when Khaenri'ah existed. They received none of Khaenri'ah's glory, but they could not escape any of its suffering.
Restoring the nation? Heh.
A flame named rage burned in Aqiu's heart. One day, she would lead the Hilichurl army to take revenge on those lofty individuals who thought they could look down on everything.
"Oh dear, Aqiu, please don't be shy~"
Seeing Aqiu's stiff body, Fischl thought Aqiu was being shy, not realizing she was trying to prevent her Hilichurl identity from being discovered.
Just as Fischl was 'pushing her luck,' Amu timely extended a helping hand.
Amu squeezed between the two, separating Fischl and Aqiu, then grabbed Fischl's hand to stop her from continuing to 'harass' Aqiu.
"Fischl, don't you still need two more Ascension materials?"
"Is there anything we can do to help?"
Aqiu sent a grateful look toward Amu.
When she was first tricked into the farm by Arkz, it was Amu who had been taking care of her. Because Amu was an elemental construct, the bond between the two non-human beings was very strong.
Amu, who had completely transformed into a human-like green-haired beautiful girl, could deeply understand Aqiu's current feelings.
To accommodate Aqiu's mood, Amu even maintained her original outfit of sunglasses, mask, and trench coat, concealing herself completely.
Aqiu saw everything Amu did and kept it in her heart.
Seeing Amu suddenly approach, Fischl tilted her head and said:
"I still lack two materials: Everflame Seed and Thunder Clast Shard."
"Everflame Seed is a very rare material on the market. Miss Marjorie of the Knights of Favonius sells it, but the price? Even if I used all the savings I've accumulated over the years, I couldn't afford it."
"As for Thunder Clast Shard, if Arkz hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't even know such a material existed, let alone where to buy it."
Saying this, Fischl looked pitifully at Arkz.
That look clearly conveyed: Help me, my dearest friend.
How could Arkz remain unmoved by Fischl's pitiful expression?
Arkz immediately stepped forward:
"Ahem."
"These two materials don't need to be bought with money, but obtaining them will require some effort."
"The Electro Hypostasis, you all know about this God?"
"After defeating it, the reward granted by the ley lines will include the Everflame Seed and the Thunder Clast Shard."
Upon hearing the name Electro Hypostasis, Barbara exclaimed immediately:
"Electro Hypostasis!"
"That fierce God is not easy to deal with."
"I heard many experts from Mondstadt went to challenge the Electro Hypostasis, but none of them won, returning empty-handed."
"If the Electro Hypostasis didn't only stay in specific areas and stop pursuing beyond a certain range, who knows how many people would have perished under its attacks."
Arkz smiled, gently tapped Barbara's little forehead, and explained amidst her reproachful gaze:
"A mere Electro Hypostasis, why worry so much?"
Arkz surveyed the members of the Five-Color Squad. After such a long period of training, their strength had improved by leaps and bounds. Now was the time to test them.
"Everyone, after training so hard for so long, it's time to verify the results of your training."
"I think the Electro Hypostasis is a very suitable opponent."
"Therefore, today's training is temporarily suspended. Our goal today is—Subjugate the Electro Hypostasis!"
Hearing Arkz's words, everyone exclaimed one after another:
"The Electro Hypostasis, can we defeat such a powerful God?"
"Klee's improved jumpy dumpty bomb has immense power, and its blast radius is limited. It's perfect to test it out on this Electro... whatever."
"Even against the Electro Hypostasis, I will protect everyone."
"Hoo-ha-ha, Electro Hypostasis, demon that devours the power of Gods, obediently return my power to me!"
"..."
Looking at the noisy crowd, Arkz nodded.
Very good. The morale is high, and the army is ready.
As the saying goes, before the troops move, the provisions must go first.
Arkz dismissed everyone, telling them to prepare on their own and gather at the farm in the afternoon.
Of course, Arkz was not idle either.
He needed to check in advance whether the Electro Hypostasis was still in the location recorded in the game.
Otherwise, searching for a long time only to find no Electro Hypostasis would be quite awkward.
To ensure the safety of this expedition to subjugate the Electro Hypostasis, Arkz decided to lead the team personally. With his God-level combat strength present, safety was absolutely guaranteed.
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