The hoofbeats of the horses on the stone path were like a symphony of unexpected beats, waking me up instantly.
I inhaled and exhaled hastily.
Waking up in such an unexpected way, I tilted my head in confusion.
My personality took over? What's going on.
As I was lost in thought and thinking about the previous ambush, my head suddenly became dizzy from Li Wei's praise. That made me turn my head to him.
I squinted my eyes.
On the horse-drawn carriage, Li Wei blinked his eyes repeatedly at me in admiration.
"Master, you're really amazing, master!
"You killed all those Hilichurls in an instant. The swing of your sword was beautiful, following the sound of blood splashing everywhere.
"You're like a hero in a fairy tale my mum once told me!"
I put on a flat face, it felt embarrassing to hear me praised so much.
I can't respond to that!
"Also how you killed those 27 Hilichurls, when you only used a sword. Not many people can do that without using Vision."
He paused for a moment. thinking about what happened earlier, he hugged his body due to goosebumps. "I thought we were going to die anyway... when you killed those five Hilichurls, others came. However, you silently looked up to the starry sky.
"I thought you had given up, sir!
"But before I knew it... you saved us by killing all those Hilichurls!
"27, that's 27, master!"
Being praised too much, I couldn't help but smile stiffly in return.
Even though it wasn't me who did it!
That was my other personality!
So why did he keep repeating the word twenty-seven?
What's so special about that?
I furrowed my brows. "Do you like counting?"
Li Wei nodded. "I counted all the Hilichurls you killed, master!"
Then that explained why he always mentioned those numbers. It was his hobby... Satisfied by that answer, I thought of something else.
Something was nagging at my mind.
I was confused as to why so many Hilichurls were coming to us.
Does this thing inside attract those Hilichurls like a magnet?
"Did you bring anything that would attract monsters to come here, Mr Edward?" Before Edward could answer, I added, "I apologise if I seem to be accusing you. I hope you'll answer honestly, so that I can analyse the worst case scenario."
Edward shook his head. "I don't mind being accused like that. But it's a pity that I didn't bring anything capable of attracting monsters—especially Hilichurl here."
Receiving that answer, I no longer responded.
And Edward seemed to notice my silence as a sign that I understood—no longer suspicious of him.
He exhaled. "This is the first time we've been attacked when we started our journey.
"And it looks like there will be more during the long journey. I hope you'll protect us."
Remembering the scene of Hilichurl's death and murder, I was reminded of the plot twist in the game Genshin Impact which mentioned that Hilichurl was once a cursed human.
Sighing helplessly, I could not help but say. "Alright."
After saying that, I opened the sword from its sheath to confirm whether my sword was fine.
Since waking up and sitting up, I had always held it as if it were my own body.
Eyeing the sword, I let out a long breath.
The sword was already covered in blood and smelled badly, and when I tested the blade against my finger, it was already dull.
After doing this, I looked at their eyes in turn. Then exhaled another long breath.
Perhaps because observing my exhale made the atmosphere awkward, Li Wei suddenly chuckled.
"We have many high-quality swords. I would be happy to have a skilled user like you use and promote them!"
I looked at Edward who did not say anything.
It was a quiet agreement.
Li Wei picked up a sword from a pile of things. When he found it, he handed it to me with a smile.
Taking the sword, I looked at Edward first. I wondered how he would react when I got the sword from Li Wei without his permission.
He still locked his mouth.
Knowing that it was authorised, I opened the sword from its sheath. There was a subtle scraping sound, like a secret whispered by the wind.
The new sword was drawn from its scabbard with a graceful motion, like the dance of a silver dragon coming out of hiding.
The blade glistened in the gaslight, reflecting the light with an orange sheen.
The steel lines looked so sharp, like a razor ready to cut through anything in its path.
The handle was made of smooth, sturdy wood, providing a comfortable and secure grip.
My eyes widened, mesmerised.
A few seconds later, I sheathed the sword again. Then, I placed it beside me.
"Thank you," I said sincerely. "This is a good sword."
I put on a smile.
So did they.
After this, my stomach suddenly began to feel uncomfortable, as if something was churning inside.
This was a side effect of the Information Imagination skill!
That night... I couldn't sleep at all.
And so, we continued travelling until we reached our destination: Liyue Harbor.
***
Mr. Edward wore a fresh, calm face, Li Wei was in good spirits as usual, while Henri and I felt like we were the only two who felt stressed and tired.
Our faces were wrinkled and completely pale, with bags under our eyes.
This wasn't fair. They rested during the trip while we couldn't sleep because of our responsibilities.
And the biggest cause was the incessant stomach pain.
After that, with a very long and agonizing journey, we arrived at Liyue Harbor safely.
Getting off the horse-drawn carriage, I went straight to see Katheryne to receive the payment.
After that, I said goodbye to the three people.
I watched as the carriage walked farther and farther away from my sight.
A wave of the hand from Li Wei indicated that it was farewell.
I exhaled a long breath with relief.
"It's over."
Because last night I was focused on one thing, namely guarding, I couldn't help but check the Quest that appeared today.
I watched the people of Liyue, they had different characteristics from Fontaine, from clothes, food, tradition, and culture.
But slowly I didn't care about any of that anymore.
I was no longer enthusiastic about any of it, not even the women walking around, although many of them were pretty.
I just wanted to go find an inn and rent one for the week.
"What about the Treasure Hoarders. Will they look for me in the city for disappearing for one Sunday? I don't know, let me in the future take care of it. I don't care if they'll do something to me when I return.
"Right now I just want to close my eyes to the world that is cruel and unforgiving to me.
"Oh, God. Grant Your servant peace for just a moment."
***
Please throw a power stone to keep me motivated!
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