However, Yan'er was the first person to demand compensation from her; perhaps it was because she was a Treasure Hoarder.
"Uh, I don't have any money," Stelle said hesitantly.
She wasn't truly penniless; having apprehended Precious Baby, she had just received a substantial commission from Liyue's official channels not long ago.
She just didn't want to spend the money on Yan'er, even though she would eventually get it back.
"Don't worry, I don't want your money," Yan'er said with a smile, suddenly feeling that this person in front of her might be very easy to exploit.
"Let me briefly introduce myself. I'm a… scholar, yes, I've been researching in these ruins recently."
"..." Stelle was momentarily speechless; why did everyone like to impersonate scholars?
Do you mean your attire has a scholarly aura?
Stelle looked closely at Yan'er again, and then suddenly realized that the clothes the other party was wearing were identical to her sister's.
Both wore white shorts and a hooded top.
Could this be the standard uniform of the Treasure Hoarders?
"You, why are you looking at me like that?" Yan'er asked, frowning, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Stelle's gaze.
The other party's gaze lingered especially long on her thighs, which made her feel somewhat bewildered.
"Nothing, I was just wondering why you scholars dress like this for archaeology..."
"Cough, cough, well, that's of course for ease of movement. Don't interrupt, let me finish," Yan'er coughed a few times, then quickly added.
"You know there's Qingce Village nearby, right? But do you understand the name Qingce?"
"Uh, not really," Stelle shook her head. Although she knew about Qingce Village, she had never been there.
Let alone the origin of the name Qingce.
"Then do you know the character 'Chi' (Chi)? In Liyue's legends, 'Chi' is a dragon-shaped demonic beast that once resided in this area. After being defeated by Rex Lapis, its body curled up and turned into solid rock, its blood transformed into clear water, and its scales became terraced fields."
"A very long time ago, what was called 'Qingce' also meant 'Chi'."
"Uh, so? Isn't that just a legend?" Stelle asked confusedly.
There seemed to be many similar legends; in this world with gods and demonic beasts, these legends had always been indistinguishable from truth and falsehood.
"Hmph, what do you know? After my long-term, diligent, rigorous, and meticulous research, I believe that the remains of 'Chi' should still be in this mountain."
"...Even if the legend is true, didn't 'Chi' turn into rocks, clear water, and terraced fields? Where would there be remains? It doesn't make sense at all," Stelle couldn't help but retort.
"Besides, even if there really were remains, what good would that thing be?"
"Legends are legends after all, of course, there are elements of artistic embellishment. How could a demonic beast's corpse transform into other things... As for what use the remains have, it's an ancient demonic beast, do you know how valuable... how much research value it has?"
"But unfortunately, although I'm researching, I don't have many clues at the moment." Yan'er sighed helplessly.
"After all, it's an ancient legend. Few people know this legend now. I finally found these ruins by following various ancient texts, thinking that maybe I could find some clues here..."
"But I didn't expect that there would be a Ruin Hunter guarding these ruins."
"A Ruin Hunter?" Stelle raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, come and see," Yan'er waved to Stelle, signaling her to follow.
A moment later, they arrived behind a large rock. Yan'er peeked out her head, then turned to Stelle and said, "Look, it's right ahead."
Stelle also poked her head out, looking into the distance.
Indeed, a machine that seemed to be in a dormant state stood quietly on the ground not far away.
"So that's a Ruin Hunter..." Stelle had encountered Ruins Guards before, but this type was her first time seeing one.
"I really want to go inside and look, but I can't do anything about this thing. I originally thought of waiting for it to leave after some time, but I didn't expect it to have no intention of leaving after so long." Yan'er said with a frown.
"You said you're very strong, can you help me deal with it?"
"If you can, I'll allow you to participate in my research. When we sell it for money... cough, I mean, when we get the bonus, how about we split it fifty-fifty?"
"Hmm..." Stelle stroked her chin, observed for a moment, then looked at Yan'er beside her, and finally made a decision.
"Then it's settled."
A mere Ruin Hunter shouldn't be that powerful.
Before Yan'er could say anything more, Stelle immediately rushed out with her baseball bat.
"Hey, hey!!" Yan'er never expected Stelle to rush out so recklessly; she couldn't stop her at all.
Helpless, she could only curse Stelle under her breath, then continued to squat there and observe the situation ahead.
She didn't know if she was truly confident or simply brainless, but no matter what, she definitely wouldn't follow out and die with her.
A moment later...
Yan'er's eyes widened as she watched Stelle slowly walk towards her, holding a Chaos Core. Yan'er felt as if she must not have slept well and was hallucinating.
This person, is a bit too strong, isn't she?!
"Alright, it's done. What's next?" Stelle put away the loot she had just acquired and asked Precious Baby.
This Ruin Hunter, compared to the Ruins Guards Stelle had encountered before, was indeed more than just a little stronger.
Although it was evident that both types of machines shared the same style and likely originated from the same source, their combat capabilities were entirely different.
The one in front of her could not only fly in the air but also possessed sharp giant blades and precise long-range artillery.
And also because of its ability to fly at low altitudes, its mobility was incomparable to that of a Ruins Guard; it could rush in front of you in an instant and raise its sharp blade.
Facing such a thing, an ordinary Adventurer would probably only think of fleeing.
Fortunately, for Stelle, this thing wasn't too difficult to deal with.
After all, its DEF was just so-so; a few swings shattered it.
"I, I really didn't expect you to be so strong... Let's go, let's go see the place the Ruin Hunter was guarding." Yan'er finally came to her senses, looking at Stelle with a somewhat complex expression.
It seemed she would have to figure out a way later; she couldn't let this person leave so easily...
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