Helplessly, Arkz's previous performance had been too dazzling. The Sumeru Akademiya had even sent people to monitor him under the guise of protection; someone was even standing guard when he went to the restroom.
But that was Dottore!!!
The moment he realized he was being targeted by the Doctor, Arkz felt a chill run down his spine.
No, he had to escape.
Fortunately, at this moment, an "acquaintance" came knocking.
Dori, the little loli rich girl of Sumeru, was among the top tier of the many Sumeru wealthy merchants. Moreover, as his own character, Arkz believed he understood her reasonably well and wouldn't be backstabbed by her.
Thus, Arkz reached an agreement with Dori: Arkz provided the ideas, and Dori provided the Mora. They cooperated, but the condition was that Dori had to find a way to secretly send Arkz out of Sumeru.
Ever since the name of Arkz's genius spread throughout Teyvat, people repeatedly studied his paper. Many merchants saw business opportunities within it. However, Teyvat was a world with gods; stealing Arkz's ventures without his approval would truly result in death.
Although the Lesser Lord Kusanali had not shown herself in Sumeru for a long time, in the hearts of the Sumeru people, the Dendro Archon had merely changed, not died. Coupled with Arkz cunningly adding the contract of Rex Lapis to his paper, who would dare provoke the majesty of a god?
With Dori's help, Arkz was finally able to leave Sumeru and head to Mondstadt.
Taking advantage of the time for his graduation defense, Arkz claimed he needed to go into seclusion at home to study and would not receive visitors. He then had people arranged by Dori impersonate him inside the house, ultimately succeeding in escaping Sumeru.
Looking at the warm sun and the familiar architecture, this was the breath of freedom! Even the bearded Uncle Joseph in front of him looked much more pleasing to the eye.
Joseph teased, "Farm boy, I didn't realize you were from a wealthy family!"
Arkz smiled, "Not at all, Uncle Shi, you jest."
Joseph seemed to recall something and suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, Arkz, you studied in Sumeru too. Do you know that very famous Scholar from Sumeru recently?"
Arkz smiled calmly, "Haha, geniuses like that Scholar are hard to get along with. I only caught a glimpse of him from afar."
Joseph smiled and said no more. As Dori's subordinate, he was curious about this mysterious guest whom his boss had personally delivered and repeatedly instructed him to protect well. However, he wouldn't pry too deeply into others' secrets; this was the boundary of a mature man.
Moreover, Arkz seemed to have a good relationship with Boss Dori. If he accidentally offended Arkz and Arkz spoke ill of him to the boss, it would be disastrous. The hardships of a middle-aged man supporting an entire family were extraordinary. A job with good benefits and high pay like Joseph's was hard to find.
Uncle Joseph, as the captain of the escort team for this merchant caravan, possessed considerable strength and could even deal with a Mitachurl. Coupled with the dozens of strong young men he commanded, any Hilichurl or Treasure Hoarders attempting to rob them on the road would have to think twice about breaking their teeth.
Those capable of operating international merchant caravans were powerful merchants. Dori had initially spent a large sum of Mora to hire the experienced and formidable guard, Uncle Joseph.
Guards like Joseph, retired from the Thousand Rock Army, were always highly sought after among escorts. This was mainly because guards with a Thousand Rock Army background had clean records and rigorous training, making them more reliable. Therefore, Dori provided Joseph and the escort team with very high compensation.
Having run trade routes under Dori for the past few years, Joseph had saved enough money to buy a large mansion in Qiaochu Manor.
Land prices also varied in different regions. A sacred place for retirement like Qiaochu Manor was not cheap. Conversely, the location of Arkz's farm, far from the city and close to areas with monster activity, was unbelievably cheap.
For these wilderness areas, the government even offered subsidies and various preferential policies to encourage people to reclaim and develop the land. However, ordinary people lacked the ability to deal with monsters, and those who did possess such ability didn't need that small amount of Mora.
Mondstadt had vast territory and sparse population. Although there were large tracts of arable land in the wilderness, the rampant monsters made safety an issue, so vast areas suitable for cultivation lay fallow.
Buying a farm in Mondstadt, if located far from settlements like Mondstadt City and Dawn Winery, wouldn't cost much.
Joseph put on a stern face and said seriously, "Young Lu, there are some things you might not like to hear, but since you called me Uncle, I have to tell you something."
"Mondstadt City is manageable, but in the Mondstadt wilds, Hilichurls and Slimes are everywhere. It's very dangerous."
"Listen to your Uncle's advice. If you can't even defeat a Hilichurl, you should sell that farm as soon as possible and use the money to start a small business."
Just as Arkz was about to reply, an urgent whistle suddenly sounded from ahead of the caravan.
It was the caravan's warning signal!!!
"Everyone be alert! Hilichurls are coming!" the guard ahead shouted.
By the time Arkz recovered, Joseph had already jumped off the horse-drawn carriage and run quite a distance. He directed the caravan members to draw the long spears and shields hidden inside the carts and set up a formation to defend against the enemy.
"Boys, get moving!"
"Take up your weapons and guard the outermost line!"
Most of the guards in the escort team were just young, strong lads with little combat experience. Unlike well-trained soldiers who could form military arrays, being able to maintain formation stability was already a testament to Joseph's effective training.
As a former Thousand Rock Army squad leader, Joseph was quite experienced in commanding small-scale battles. Although there were many Hilichurls this time, there were no difficult Mitachurls, so there were no casualties.
The Hilichurls charged forward in a swarm, waving their wooden clubs and looking fierce, but without command, the charging Hilichurls quickly clashed with the guards. The Hilichurls holding crossbows lagged behind, sticking out their tongues as they hurried toward the battlefield.
Hilichurls' crossbows were assembled using 'I wonder' power, so it was a miracle they could shoot anything out at all. One shouldn't expect much range. Of course, if you insisted on getting close enough to take a Hilichurl's arrow, you could only wait for Director Hu to dig a pit and bury you.
Under Joseph's command, the Hilichurls were routed and fled in disarray, desperately running away with the sacks the guards had thrown on the ground.
Hilichurl carrying a sack: "Miyāmōlā (Got the stuff, retreat.)"
Then the crossbow Hilichurls that finally arrived ran back without even firing an arrow.
The caravan guards also stopped pursuing, only holding their weapons.
The entire battle could only be described as both sides being very restrained.
Joseph, being a veteran who had run trade routes for years, had his own set of methods for dealing with robbing Hilichurls.
When dealing with Hilichurls robbing a caravan, you couldn't resist, because that would make the Hilichurls think you were weak and easy to bully. Hilichurls living in the wilderness, fighting beasts for food, would show no mercy.
But you also couldn't resist excessively.
Because the Hilichurls blocking the road usually had backers. Once the Hilichurls suffered too many casualties, they would flee and report back to their 'boss' for revenge. Although Hilichurls looked simple-minded, their memories were not bad, and they held grudges fiercely.
Hilichurls capable of surviving in the wilderness all had some skills, and those who dared to rob caravans were the fierce bandits among Hilichurls. Moreover, Mitachurls and Shamans among the Hilichurls were not weak and were skilled at forming sworn brotherhoods.
Once, a caravan relied too much on its military strength and annihilated the Hilichurls they encountered. As a result, they ran into Hilichurls whose boss was a Ruin Guard. The outcome, well, those who know, know. Director Hu happily received an N-fold performance bonus.
No one knew how the Hilichurls managed to persuade a giant hunk of iron to become their boss.
Moreover, even if these Hilichurls didn't have a boss, if the guards used excessive force while protecting the caravan, the Hilichurls, pushed to desperation, would fight back madly, causing the guards' casualty rate to soar.
In such a situation, the caravan boss would have to pay a large sum in compensation. Merchants might not understand combat, but they wouldn't do things that lost money, so minimizing losses was always preferable.
If casualties were too high, not only would morale collapse, requiring the caravan to rehire guards for the next trip, but the Mora earned from a hard trip might not even cover the compensation. Caravan bosses naturally didn't want that.
When Joseph encountered Hilichurls robbing them, he would generally maintain full alert, always ready for a fight, to let the Hilichurls know they weren't easy targets. Then, he would quietly place several sacks of worthless potatoes and carrots on the path of the charging Hilichurls, allowing them to successfully intercept the goods.
After all, the Hilichurls blocked the road just for a meal; they weren't interested in Mora or treasure.
This way, the caravan's casualties were minimized, and losses were reduced to the lowest possible level.
The caravan passed safely, and the Hilichurls obtained food. Isn't that wonderful?
Arkz, who witnessed the whole process from the carriage, exclaimed how wonderful it was and how much he had learned. It seemed what he learned in the game was only a part of the real Teyvat; everyone here possessed their own wisdom and emotions, rather than being uncommunicative NPCs who only served as background scenery.
He had actually been prepared to intervene, but now it seemed he could save some effort.
Although his arrangement with Dori was an exchange of benefits, Dori had genuinely helped him a lot. Joseph had also taken good care of him. Naturally, Arkz would try to lend a hand when the caravan ran into trouble.
Even without that connection, seeing passersby attacked by Hilichurls, Arkz wouldn't mind helping drive them away.
Just as the caravan members were breathing a sigh of relief, many heads suddenly popped up from the cliffs and precipices on both sides, sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain.
The sharp-eyed Joseph recognized the familiar attire on those people, his pupils constricted, and he immediately shouted, "Alert!!! It's the Treasure Hoarders!!!"
Joseph thought things were bad. Compared to Hilichurls, Treasure Hoarders in the wilderness were much more troublesome. They were not only smarter but also more ruthless. Alchemists among the Treasure Hoarders could even concoct elemental potions. Although the quality was poor and production low, they were still deadly weapons for ordinary people.
However, as an experienced veteran, Joseph naturally understood the principle of maintaining composure even when losing ground.
Looking at the guards in the escort team, many of whom were injured and showed looks of exhaustion and despair, while the Treasure Hoarders ahead were aggressive and numerous, Joseph himself considered surrendering. But remembering the salary Boss Dori paid him, Joseph still forced himself to step forward:
"May I ask which friend is ahead? I am Joseph. Could you grant me some face?"
The one-eyed leader of the Treasure Hoarders ahead shouted, "So it's you, old fellow Joseph. You've struck lucky today."