After assigning the farm work to the Wood Clones, Arkz embarked on his journey of clearing the land.
Bang, bang bang bang, bang bang bang bang...
An impassioned symphony erupted. Pigeons flapped their wings and fled in terror, and wild boars scattered in panic. All of this seemed like a prelude to the arrival of a Demon King.
The despicable outsider has arrived on the battlefield!
The terrifying Traveler!
The descent of the Fourth Calamity!
Monsters in the wilds of Mondstadt panicked, attempting a final stand, but in the blink of an eye, they were reduced to scattered materials.
...
Not far from the great oak tree in Windrise, lived a Hilichurl tribe.
However, at this moment, that harmonious and beautiful Hilichurl tribe, where the Hilichurl citizens lived and worked in peace, had already turned into a ruin.
Upon the broken walls and ruins, a small Hilichurl sat sadly on the scorched earth that had been burned by fierce flames. Mimicking the tone of the deceased Samachurl Elder, she began to tell the story that brought sadness to the Hilichurls.
"We loved this land, and we lived in harmony with it."
"We praised and extolled everything about it; we cherished and enjoyed every moment it granted us."
"We thought this would last forever..."
It was a bright and beautiful morning, and the Hilichurls were leisurely basking in the sun.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning split the sky, dark clouds gathered, and a fierce wind swept across the land.
A terrifying man calling himself a farmer and a former Traveler descended from the sky. He was incomparably powerful, wielding formidable Dendro Elemental Power. His physical body was robust, and he transformed into a giant bear to destroy everything.
"He harmed what we cherished; he destroyed what we built; they plundered what we possessed."
"Tears and blood stained this land."
"To protect the tribe we held dear, under the leadership of the Brute Boss, we gathered all our strength and bravely charged out!"
"However, he was simply too powerful."
"The Brute Boss's axe struck the giant bear he had transformed into, unable to leave even a scratch. The vines summoned by the Samachurl Elder with all her might also failed to stop his advance toward the tribe."
"With the fall of the Brute Boss, everything ended."
"The torrential downpour extinguished the flames and washed away the bloodstains and sins from the earth, leaving only me standing alone upon the corpses of my comrades, upon the ruins of our tribe, watching the silhouette of that man departing with despair and pain."
"In that moment, I swore that no matter the cost, the Hilichurls would definitely triumph over the evil farmer and Traveler!!!"
Slap—!!!
"You Hilichurl, you sure know how to spin a yarn. If I hadn't been an eyewitness, I might have almost believed you."
Arkz munched on an Apple while listening to the story, then tossed an Apple that hit the head of this particularly clever Hilichurl.
Arkz said, "Perhaps to you Hilichurls, I am indeed the evil murderer, but from a human perspective, I consider myself a decent person. Besides, I was just passing through your tribe; you attacked first."
"For such a small tribe, there isn't even a treasure chest. I wouldn't bother fighting you."
"Besides, don't you Hilichurls resurrect from the ley lines?"
The small Hilichurl shouted angrily, "Just because we can resurrect means you can kill us wantonly? Being killed hurts a lot!"
Arkz asked curiously, "You Hilichurl are truly strange, actually fearing death!"
"With intelligence comparable to humans and the ability to speak fluent human language, you couldn't possibly be that remnant from Khaenri'ah, could you?"
"Could you be a Hilichurl from the Abyss Order?"
"No, the Abyss Order probably wouldn't bother with someone as weak as you."
When the small Hilichurl heard Arkz call her weak, she was about to retort—she could single-handedly deal with a wild boar as a Hilichurl Warrior—but recalling Arkz's terrifying strength, the retort got stuck in her throat. She mumbled quietly, "So what if my strength is weak? My weakness didn't eat your Sunsettias."
Arkz looked at the small Hilichurl before him. Compared to a normal Hilichurl, this special one was slender, and her body's curves... hmm, why did she look quite delicate and refined?
Do Hilichurls even have genders?
Suddenly, Arkz remembered a rumor from the game before he transmigrated: 'The Traveler is actually a Hilichurl that evolved intelligence.' Could this Hilichurl suddenly evolve into Lumine!
"Haha, how is that possible? Although I don't know if the one in the Abyss is a sister or a brother, the plot clearly stated that the two siblings are one in the Abyss and one in slumber."
Arkz quickly dismissed his own speculation and began brainstorming again: "However, this Hilichurl managed to retain her wisdom under the curse of the Heavenly Principles. Her background must not be simple."
Arkz looked at the small Hilichurl and called out loudly, "Hey, A Qiu, do you remember anything about your past?"
The small Hilichurl tilted her head in confusion and asked somewhat cutely, "A Qiu, are you referring to me?"
"I have a name; call me Hilichurl Warrior! A Qiu sounds like sneezing! The name you gave me is terrible."
Arkz said, "Hilichurl Warrior? From today onward, you are A Qiu. As for that silly name, we'll talk about it after you defeat me!"
Although A Qiu was very unwilling, facing Arkz's'sandbag-sized' fist, she could only submit.
Seeing this, Arkz nodded in satisfaction and took out a black robe from his backpack, saying, "Put on this black robe. From now on, you are an employee of my farm."
A Qiu forced a smile onto her face and fawned, "Big Brother—no, handsome sir, can you give me a chance and let me go? I want to be a free Hilichurl Ranger."
Arkz's face broke into a bright smile as he asked, "You want to be a Hilichurl Ranger, huh?"
A Qiu nodded vigorously, looking at Arkz with anticipation: "Mm, mm, mm."
As if changing faces, Arkz's expression shifted from gloomy to bright. He drew the Traveler's Sword from his waist with a cold face full of killing intent and said coldly, "Friend or foe, choose one."
The very sensible A Qiu picked up the black robe from the ground with a crestfallen face and put it on.
Seeing this, Arkz nodded in satisfaction again, his voice softening as he said gently, "This black robe suits you very well. If you're careful, no one will recognize your identity."
Under the black robe, A Qiu silently shed tears like noodles, constantly lamenting Arkz's crimes in her heart.
Arkz said, "Wood Clone Technique, come out, Number Four."
Lu Ming Number Four said, "Your old man is here to make an entrance!"
Lu Ming Number Four asked, "main body, why did you summon me?"
Arkz pointed at A Qiu and said, "Take her back to the farm. Be responsible for watching her, don't let her leave the farm, and don't let her destroy the farm."
Lu Ming Number Four whistled and teased, "Oh? main body, you didn't fall for her, did you? You won't even let a Hilichurl go—just how thirsty are you?"
Hearing this, A Qiu's body trembled, and she tried hard to wrap herself more securely in the black robe.
Arkz shouted with a dark face, "Shut up!!!"
"A Qiu has a special background. If I let her go, I'm worried she'll find people from the Abyss Order to get revenge on me."
Lu Ming Number Four said, "Then just kill her."
Hearing this, A Qiu quickly shook her head, "I won't take revenge. I'm not close with anyone in the tribe—Big Fool, Second Dullard, Third Simpleton—I definitely won't leave and ask my brother and sister in the Abyss to avenge me."
Arkz helplessly covered his forehead, "Do I really enjoy killing innocent people? Moreover, keeping her might allow me to establish some connection with the Prince or Princess of the Abyss."
"Alright, stop the nonsense and quickly take her back to the farm."
Lu Ming Number Four hissed, "Tsk, only knows how to boss around his own people."
After the clone and A Qiu left, Arkz continued his journey of clearing the land.
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