Just as she was about to fall, Fischl finally reacted.
She struggled with her body, trying to break free from the quilt enveloping her.
Only to discover.
She seemed to have... trapped herself!
Now, Fischl truly resembled a cocooned caterpillar.
No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't escape the restraint of the quilt.
"This is bad."
"But it's fine, the quilt should cushion the fall so it won't hurt too much."
Fischl tucked her face into the quilt, bracing for the impact.
However.
Suddenly, she felt her body lighten, and the downward momentum stopped.
"Have I landed already?"
"Why doesn't it hurt at all?"
Fischl cautiously poked her head out, only to find herself still floating in mid-air.
???
"What's going on?"
Oz, who was holding the quilt wrapped around Fischl, said helplessly:
"My Lady, I can barely... hold on anymore."
With that, Oz gently placed Fischl, who was wrapped up like a caterpillar, back onto her bed, just like a falcon returning prey to a goat.
Fischl looked at the exhausted Oz in the air, her face filled with emotion:
"Oz, you truly live up to being This Princess's most loyal companion!"
"This Princess thinks rewarding you with a strawberry shortcake, no, perhaps a matcha shortcake would taste even better."
Oz remained silent, grumbling internally:
"Is there a possibility that I don't actually like cake?"
"Furthermore, My Lady, if you truly cared about me, you would protect yourself and stop doing such dangerous things."
The next morning.
Urged by the Oz-brand alarm clock, a sleepy-eyed Fischl climbed out of her bed.
"My Lady, please hurry; we're running out of time."
Oz urged while helping Fischl pack her bag and fix her makeup.
"Haa~~~"
"Oz, I'm so sleepy~~~"
Fischl yawned, slumped over the table, and started to doze off again.
Oz sighed helplessly:
"My Lady, I told you last night."
"If you didn't sleep early, you would feel very tired today."
"But you still willfully stayed up late to secretly read novels hidden in your blanket."
Fischl guiltily turned her head away, avoiding Oz's eyes, and finally stopped lazing around and dozing on the table.
After the person and the bird were ready, they hurried towards The Good Hunter Restaurant.
During the rapid journey, Fischl was panting. After this bout of exercise, some of the fatigue and drowsiness on her face had actually diminished.
"Good morning~ everyone~"
Fischl greeted everyone, gasping for breath.
Those eating breakfast smiled and responded.
Barbara waved her hand and patted the empty seat beside her:
"Fischl, come over here."
Fischl trotted over.
It was peak breakfast time, and the counter at The Good Hunter was full of customers, leaving Sara so busy she could barely manage.
Finding a seat at this time was no easy feat.
However.
Perhaps it was the imposing aura of Barbara and Acting Grand Master Jean's table, combined with the fact that they were important figures and beautiful young ladies, that deterred anyone who might have coveted the empty seat from acting on it.
This conveniently saved Fischl the trouble of searching for a spot.
As soon as Fischl sat down, Ellin brought over the soy milk and fried dough sticks in front of her.
"Fischl, I ordered these for you. They are all your favorites."
"Eat quickly."
"Thank you, Ellin."
Fischl's thanks caused Ellin to unconsciously narrow her eyes into crescent moons.
Because Fischl arrived so late, everyone except Klee, who was still being fed, had finished breakfast. This involuntarily made Fischl speed up her own eating.
After breakfast, the group, as usual, set off towards Springvale Farm.
Along the way, the girls chatted while hurrying along.
Barbara looked at the listless Fischl and asked with concern:
"Fischl, you look so tired. Did you not rest well last night?"
The usual Fischl was vibrant and full of energy, as active in the group as Klee. Now, however, she looked as wilted as a frosted eggplant.
Fischl let out a yawn:
"Haa~~~"
"Barbara~ don't worry, I just didn't sleep well last night."
"Once we get to the farm, I'll have my dear friend get me a stamina potion, and I guarantee I'll be full of spirit."
Barbara helplessly covered her forehead and advised:
"Fischl, Mr. Arkz said that stamina potions shouldn't be drunk casually."
Ellin, who had been listening quietly nearby, nodded in agreement, also advising:
"That's right, Barbara."
"Uncle Arkz told me that stamina potions cannot be drunk carelessly!"
"Although stamina potions can quickly restore physical stamina, they cannot compensate for a deficit in spirit."
"The reason everyone feels incredibly energetic after drinking a stamina potion each time is because the strange taste of the stamina potion stimulates the drinker's spirit, making them agitated."
"In reality, stamina potions cannot replenish spiritual depletion."
"So, stamina potions shouldn't be drunk casually."
Persuaded by the two, Fischl could only nod and agree not to recklessly drink stamina potions anymore.
In truth.
Given the strange taste of stamina potions, most people wouldn't willingly drink them anyway.
Only Ellin, the training fanatic, would secretly drink an extra one when training to exhaustion and depletion of stamina. Everyone else avoided it as if it were the plague.
Kaka.
Just then, a sound of mechanical operation rang out.
Oz, flying overhead with the best view, immediately warned:
"Everyone, please be careful. A Ruin Guard is approaching our direction."
"Judging by its appearance, this Ruin Guard is of a higher level. I sense a threatening aura, though it is not fatal."
After the fall of Khaenri'ah, these combat robots named 'Ruin Guards' were abandoned in various corners of the Teyvat continent.
Analyzing the locations where these Ruin Guards appeared, and linking this to the fact that Khaenri'ah named them 'Cultivators,' the situation becomes quite intriguing.
Cultivators, meaning using force to seize land.
These land-seizing Cultivators scattered across various nations, making it hard to believe that Khaenri'ah didn't harbor the ambition of conquering the Seven Nations through war back then.
And over these five hundred years, the Ruin Guards scattered across the world have undergone significant changes under the influence of Ley Line power.
These Ruin Guards are now no different from monsters in the wild.
Even if the Khaenri'ah people from five hundred years ago were resurrected, it would be difficult to command the current Ruin Guards.
Because they were dispersed in different regions, the Ruin Guards had different experiences, and thus their strength naturally varied.
Powerful Ruin Guards can contend with a Gods Vassal, while weaker ones are like overlords in the wilderness; even Hilichurl tribes are unwilling to provoke them.
Ruin Guards have low intelligence, so determining their strength often relies solely on intuition and appearance.
The more dilapidated the appearance, the more battles that Ruin Guard has experienced, and naturally, the stronger its abilities.
The truly weak Ruin Guards were long ago dismantled into scrap metal.
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