Hearing Ellin's explanation, Arkz revealed a thoughtful expression and said, "I understand."
Seeing that Arkz seemed to have given up on mining, Ellin and Siegfrieda both breathed a sigh of relief. Mining in Mondstadt truly had no future; even the ores used by the blacksmiths in Mondstadt City for forging weapons were purchased from Liyue.
The local ores in Mondstadt truly could not compete with the high-quality iron ore from Liyue.
Arkz planned to first use the mine teleport waypoint to teleport inside the mine, check the quality of the ores there, and then decide whether to continue mining. However, before that, he needed to raise his Foraging level so he could unlock the farm teleport totem, preventing him from getting trapped inside the mine.
Because Siegfrieda had dug up a precious ruby, the temptation of the gem made all three of them excitedly continue searching for ancient spots on the farm, hoping to dig up another precious item like the ruby.
Arkz, on the other hand, stopped his treasure hunting. At this moment, he was contemplating how to quickly raise his Foraging level.
Once his Foraging level increased and the recipe for the teleport waypoint was unlocked, Arkz could travel back and forth between the farm and the mine using the teleport waypoint. This would give him an extra means of survival, allowing him to escape promptly using the teleport waypoint if he encountered danger.
Moreover, the probability of digging up gems while mining in the mine was much higher than the probability of getting drops from digging ancient spots.
With the drop rate of ancient spots being comparable to the touching odds of winning the lottery, Siegfrieda digging up a ruby was definitely a stroke of great luck.
However, seeing the three of them so excited, Arkz decided not to spoil their mood.
Springvale Farm was situated on the outskirts of Springvale, close to the Whispering Woods, with a small river flowing past the edge of the farm. The clear river water and lush trees meant the resources were incredibly abundant.
With the gentle flow of water and the fragrance of birds and flowers, the environment of the farm was very pleasant.
The three people currently immersed in treasure hunting, however, had no mind to appreciate this beautiful scenery.
"Amu, did you find an ancient spot?"
"No."
"Ellin, did you find anything over there?"
"Nothing either."
"Sigh! I didn't find anything here either. It seems we've dug up all the ancient spots on the farm."
Siegfrieda and the other two sighed as they looked at the small mountain of treasures they had dug up after an afternoon of hard work.
Ellin said, "I hope there will be some valuable treasures inside."
Siegfrieda comforted her, "Finding the ruby makes today's effort worthwhile."
Amu also comforted Ellin, "If there are no ancient spots today, isn't there tomorrow? New ancient spots appear on the farm every day, so digging tomorrow is the same."
At this moment, Arkz walked over, looked at the treasures the three had dug up, and smiled, "There should still be quite a few useful things in here. Sorting through them could sell for quite a bit of Mora."
Thus, under Arkz's guidance, the four of them began their treasure-sorting journey.
After organizing, the tally results were as follows:
Dried Starfish * 5
Broken Dagger * 2
teleport waypoint. Mine * 2
teleport waypoint. Desert * 1
Rusty Boot Spike * 7
Tail Skeleton * 3
...
Coal * 31
Shitou * 5
Chicken Statue * 1
Although most of these items were not valuable treasures, actually obtaining three teleport waypoints exceeded Arkz's expectations.
After putting the other miscellaneous items into storage, Arkz pointed to the three teleport waypoints and said to Ellin and the others, "These things are useful to me. I will purchase them for 5000 Mora."
Ellin and Siegfrieda exchanged a look and shook their heads, "These items were dug up from the farm in the first place. How could we possibly take Mora from Uncle Arkz (Sir)?"
Seeing this, Arkz put away the teleport waypoints and said, "The items dug up from these ancient spots are completely random. Being able to dig up these items is entirely due to your good luck. I'm just piggybacking on your luck."
When he saw Ellin and Siegfrieda still intending to refuse, Arkz took out the ruby. "This ruby can probably sell for over a hundred thousand Mora. We will divide the Mora obtained from selling the gem equally into four parts, one for each of us, about thirty to forty thousand Mora each."
"Ellin, didn't you want to exchange it for a sword?"
"Freya, doesn't your delivery business need money for advertising?"
"Amu... uh, you definitely need Mora to compete for jobs."
"So, please accept this Mora. It is what you deserve."
Arkz's words were exceptionally sincere, and Siegfrieda and Ellin no longer declined. Their favorable impression of Arkz only grew deeper.
Who wouldn't like such a generous boss?
Holding the ruby in his hand, Arkz asked Ellin and Siegfrieda, "Do you know where I can sell rubies?"
Ellin shook her head, saying she didn't know. However, Siegfrieda, who often delivered goods in Mondstadt City, did not disappoint Arkz and recommended several jewelry stores that purchased gems.
Siegfrieda said, "Miss Marjorie of 'Glory of the Wind' is particularly fond of these beautiful gems. I saw an Adventurer exchange many Mora for Windblossom Pollen there with her. Miss Marjorie offers a much higher price than other shops, but her taste is quite discerning."
Arkz understood—Marjorie of 'Glory of the Wind', an old acquaintance.
When he was young and naive, he was tricked by Marjorie into spending 4.5 million Mora on two badminton launchers and a harp, which was even more outrageous than Arataki Itto spending 80,000 Mora on a drum worth 800 Mora.
It turned out that besides recycling Windblossom Pollen, Marjorie was also a jeweler.
Coincidentally, Arkz planned to go to Blanche's general store in Mondstadt City to buy more seeds. It was on the way to sell the gem and carrots. Most importantly, the trash cans in Mondstadt City should have refreshed by now, and Arkz was already looking forward to what good things he could fish out of the trash cans.
Thinking of this, Arkz immediately decided to make a trip to Mondstadt City. Since it was getting late, Ellin was also preparing to take a ride back to Mondstadt City.
As for Amu, Arkz left him to guard the house. The scent of ripe carrots had already caused a stir among nearby wild boars and Hilichurls. If monsters snuck into the farm while Arkz was away and ate the unripe potatoes and strawberry seedlings, it would be a disaster.
Driving the carriage, the two arrived at Mondstadt City. Arkz politely declined Ellin's dinner invitation, parked the carriage outside the city gate, and headed toward Mondstadt City's commercial street.
There was still a large area of empty land on the farm. The land where the carrots were harvested also needed to be replanted with new crops, all of which had to be purchased from Blanche's Mondstadt Department Store.
It had been exactly three days since he last ordered strawberry seeds from Blanche. He hoped the strawberry seeds he ordered at the Mondstadt Department Store had arrived.
According to Arkz's game experience, among the crops that could be sown in spring, strawberries yielded the highest profit. Not only could they be harvested multiple times after planting, but strawberries could also be brewed into strawberry fruit wine.
Whether given as gifts or sold, they were excellent options.
The sun was about to set, and the golden afterglow sprinkled on the streets. The Mufeng Mushrooms under the eaves had grown out again, looking exceptionally fresh and suitable for hot pot.
Arkz strolled to the entrance of the department store but did not see Blanche's captivating figure as expected.
On the counter of the Mondstadt Department Store, there was a wooden sign that read: "Salesperson is out eating. Please wait a moment."
The streets of Mondstadt had sparse figures, with only two or three pedestrians. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the distant residences; it was dinnertime for the Mondstadters.
Seeing that it was uncertain when Blanche would return, Arkz waited for a moment but still didn't see the salesperson. He decided to wander around Mondstadt City instead.
Thinking about it, Arkz had been in Mondstadt for quite some time but had never properly seen the scenery of Mondstadt, to see it with his own eyes, and to touch the architecture of Mondstadt City with his own hands—this was something countless Travelers dreamed of. Since he had the chance now, how could he miss it?
Arkz freely weaved between the buildings along the street. Since it was mealtime, there were few pedestrians, allowing Arkz to more calmly appreciate the scenery of this ancient city.
Even when his attention was captured by the giant statue of the anemo archon, causing him to stop and gaze, he didn't have to worry about blocking the path of other pedestrians.
The Mondstadt in reality and the Mondstadt in the game had similarities but also many differences. Locations of important buildings like the Adventurers Guild, the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, or the Knights of Favonius Church were the same as in the game, but when looking at the details, the Mondstadt before him was filled with a sense of life.
A broken corner of a brick on the street, small puddles remaining on the road surface due to rain, billboards and flyers blown away by the wind...
This scene, both strange and familiar, made Arkz feel an inexplicable excitement and novelty.
With an excited heart, Arkz took a light leap. To save the distance he would have to walk by taking a detour, he chose to climb the wall.
Elemental Power gathered in his palms and the tips of his feet, increasing the friction against the wall. For an allogene, this was just a basic maneuver. If Arkz wished, he could imitate Spider-Man at any time and perform a cool stunt on a smooth wall.
Fortunately, there were no Knights of Favonius nearby, otherwise Arkz would surely have been severely reprimanded for disturbing the public order.
Even in the free Mondstadt, climbing walls like a spider was not permitted, as one could easily be mistaken for being mentally ill and sent to a psychiatric hospital.
All the way forward, Arkz's destination was the statue of the anemo archon in front of the Mondstadt Cathedral. This huge statue of the anemo archon was the most eye-catching place in all of Mondstadt, and the statue's hands were a must-visit spot for every Traveler coming to Mondstadt for photos.
Unfortunately, when Arkz arrived below the statue of the anemo archon, the square was still filled with many people strolling and chatting leisurely. Nuns from the Knights of Favonius Church were narrating the stories of the Anemo Archon beneath the statue.
In full view of the public, climbing the statue of the anemo archon would certainly be prohibited. Moreover, Arkz did not have a wind glider yet, so jumping gracefully from the statue would result in an embarrassing fall.
After carefully appreciating the beautiful scenery of the square and this exquisitely carved, ancient statue of the anemo archon, Arkz turned and left with regret. Next time he came here, he would definitely sit on the hands of the statue of the anemo archon to view the scenery of Mondstadt, and then leap down with a wind glider, feeling the freedom of Mondstadt.
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