Afternoon.
The training session ended.
The members of the Five-Color Squad said their goodbyes and left one after another.
However,
Barbara did not choose to go back to the Mondstadt headquarters with her little friends to party and celebrate.
Instead, she found some excuse to stay behind at Springvale Farm.
Last night,
the Anemo Archon's maxim was deeply etched in her heart.
Mr. Arkz was the person who could help her realize her dream.
After feeling the extent of the growth in strength between herself and her friends during their time in the Underground Mine, Barbara was deeply convinced that Arkz could help her achieve her wish: to become a guardian stronger than her sister.
Knock, knock.
Barbara knocked on the wooden door of Arkz's workshop.
"Mr. Arkz, are you in?"
"Oh."
"It's Barbara. Come in."
Arkz, who was studying the Teyvat version of internet application technology in his workshop, stopped his research, stood up, and opened the door.
"Training finished? How did it feel?"
"It felt great."
Arkz looked behind Barbara and, seeing she was alone, asked:
"Where are Fischl and the others? Didn't they come with you?"
It was strange that the group, who were usually inseparable, only had Barbara coming over this time.
Barbara shook her head.
"They went back. Only I came over."
As she spoke, Barbara shyly tugged at the corner of her clothes.
She lowered her head, shifted her weight, and whispered softly:
"Mr. Arkz, I want to become stronger. Can you help me?"
"Oh?"
"To become stronger? Haven't I always been helping you?"
"Could it be that the training in the Underground Mine is no longer effective for you?"
Arkz asked curiously.
For people like Barbara, whose souls shone brightly, Arkz didn't mind spending some extra time paying attention to them.
This was partly due to the emotional attachment Arkz felt towards these characters from his time as the Traveler.
It was also due to his inherent pursuit of beauty.
For Arkz, helping Barbara and the others train and grow stronger was like playing a game.
It was like a Pokémon raising simulation game.
When he saw people who were already dazzling become even more brilliant and outstanding with his help, the sense of achievement was indescribable.
Simply put, the reason Arkz was willing to help Barbara and the others was because they could provide him with emotional value.
Facing Arkz's confusion, Barbara shook her head.
"It's not like that, Mr. Arkz."
"The training methods you designed for us have been a huge help."
"It's just..."
"It's just that I want to become stronger!"
Arkz nodded and invited Barbara to sit down.
"You want to become stronger?"
"How much stronger?"
"Do you have a specific goal?"
Barbara looked into Arkz's eyes.
Those black eyes were so deep, as if one could see the countless stars within them.
Before coming here, Barbara had prepared herself mentally for a long time.
Although she knew Arkz wouldn't mock her,
Barbara still couldn't help but imagine the awkward situation of being laughed at after stating her goal in front of Arkz.
Now,
the moment she had imagined being mocked was about to arrive.
Barbara surprisingly wasn't as nervous.
She had figured it out.
Her dream was this; was she going to give up just because others might laugh?
Barbara took a deep breath, looked directly into Arkz's eyes, and tried to speak in a calm tone:
"I do."
"Acting Grand Master Jean is my goal. I want to surpass Acting Grand Master Jean and become even stronger than her."
"Oh, that won't be easy!"
Barbara nervously watched Arkz's face, meticulously observing his expression.
Even though she knew staring directly at someone was rude,
Even though she knew she wouldn't change her dream based on Arkz's praise or ridicule,
Even though she knew expressions could be faked and she couldn't truly read a person's heart through their expression,
She still did it.
The result was:
Arkz didn't mock or praise her. He just calmly analyzed the situation, looking for a way to help her.
"Acting Grand Master Jean's strength is among the very best in all of Mondstadt."
"Moreover, while you are striving to improve yourself, Acting Grand Master Jean is also advancing. She won't stop and wait for you to catch up."
"So, if you truly want to achieve this goal, the future might be very arduous."
Gazing at the eloquent Arkz, Barbara suddenly smiled.
Her smile was so beautiful, pure like the Cecilia flowers blooming atop high mountains under the light of the rising sun.
It was also like the clear springs in the mountains, possessing a magical power to cleanse the human soul.
"Then, Mr. Arkz, will you help me?"
Barbara asked with a smile, her tone light and cheerful, completely lacking the nervousness from before.
Arkz stood up and looked out the window, smiling:
"Of course."
"If I can cultivate a disciple who is even stronger and more outstanding than Acting Grand Master Jean, my reputation will surely spread across the Seven Nations, perhaps even immortalized in history!"
Barbara smiled gracefully.
"Then I'll have to rely on you, Mr. Arkz."
"Hahaha, leave it to me, don't worry."
Arkz thumped his chest and laughed heartily.
After that, the two chatted for a while longer.
Just as Arkz was about to invite Barbara to stay for dinner, Barbara glanced at the sky outside the window and voluntarily proposed to leave.
After seeing Barbara off, Arkz let out a long sigh of relief.
When he saw the smile on Barbara's face just now, he felt his heart was about to leap out of his throat.
At that moment, Barbara wasn't conventionally beautiful in Arkz's eyes, but she possessed an indescribable charm.
Looking at the smile on her face for even a moment longer made his own face flush with heat.
That's why he stood up then to look out the window,
to conceal his awkward state.
The wise do not fall in love.
The wise do not fall in love.
Arkz repeated the phrase in his mind several times before finally managing to suppress the agitation in his heart.
Before this, Arkz had met many beautiful girls in Mondstadt.
The beautiful female characters who possessed Visions went without saying; all Travelers understood their charm.
Even looking at the NPCs in Mondstadt City—Blanche from Mondstadt Department Store, Sara from The Good Hunter Restaurant—these two characters who were standard NPC faces in the game were nonetheless rare beauties in reality.
Arkz's relationship with these beauties seemed quite good.
But he had never felt his heart stirred like he did today.
Prior to this, he had always appreciated their beauty with the mindset of looking at paper cutouts, never considering a deeper connection.
But just now, he seemed to have been truly moved.
He couldn't help but start wondering: what kind of person was he in Barbara's eyes?
Would Barbara like him?
Arkz pondered this question all night. Only when the sunlight shone into his room at dawn the next day did he suddenly wake up.
Indeed.
The wise do not fall in love!
He had spent the entire night thinking about this question like an idiot, and still hadn't figured it out.
The main quest wasn't even complete yet!
What was the point of thinking about romance?
Farming, farming!
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