Temple of the Thousand Winds

Near the Temple of the Thousand Winds, the water in a small lake was cool and refreshing. Noelle used it to clean Ver's injured knee, applied medicinal powder, then wrapped the knee in a clean white bandage.

Li Qiuzhi had brought all these medical supplies in his adventuring backpack. They were generally considered essentials for adventures in the wilderness.

While she worked, Li Qiuzhi retrieved most of the arrows that were still usable. With his level increase strengthening his entire body and improving his memory, he also remembered who Ver was.

In the game, Ver was an information broker who claimed there was nothing in all of Mondstadt she didn't know.

Li Qiuzhi knew much of her information consisted of rumors, gossip, and amusing tidbits, such as Barbara's fondness for spicy food, or the story of how Master Diluc once drank a glass of liquor from Snezhnaya called "Fire-Water" and remained drunk for three days.

Of course, she also knew plenty of valuable information, but precisely because it was valuable, she wouldn't share it as casually as she did those amusing rumors.

All in all, Ver was certainly very good at gathering information.

Was she here to gather some kind of information, then? What could it be? Li Qiuzhi was a little curious.

Beneath the shade of a tree, the capable, meticulous, and dexterous Noelle had finished treating Ver's scrape. Ver stood up excitedly and moved her leg:

"That's Noelle for you! It doesn't hurt at all anymore!"

"Miss Ver, please avoid strenuous activity for now." A hint of helplessness showed on Noelle's fair face.

With a bandage now adorning the knee her shorts had left exposed, Ver gestured reassuringly and replied:

"It's fine, Noelle. I trust your handiwork."

As an information broker who called herself "Mondstadt's Know-It-All," Ver naturally knew Noelle. The young Adventurer with the Liyue features, however, was quite unfamiliar. Had he only recently arrived in Mondstadt?

Lately, she had been watching the Treasure Hoarders' movements. They seemed to be planning something big, so she hadn't paid much attention to someone as ordinary and unremarkable as Li Qiuzhi.

Of course, Ver was also very grateful for the young Adventurer's help. She immediately stepped forward and said:

"Thank you and Noelle for saving me. My name is Ver, and I'm an information broker. If there's anything you need to know, you can ask me. Consider it my way of repaying you!"

Li Qiuzhi had just been worrying about this. He had finally managed to invite Noelle out with him, so he couldn't simply head home after defeating a few Slimes and completing the commission.

Although monsters were absurdly plentiful in Teyvat, it was still difficult to find any on short notice without setting aside time specifically to search for them.

Returning to Mondstadt to turn in his current commission before accepting another would waste too much time. It would be much more convenient if Ver could tell him where to find some monsters in the wilderness.

Even Li Qiuzhi's familiarity with the game gave him no particular advantage in this regard. After all, monsters in the real world didn't respawn at fixed locations.

Dangerous places such as Stormterror's Lair had plenty of monsters, but he wasn't strong enough to venture there yet.

Li Qiuzhi reined in his thoughts and asked frankly:

"Miss Ver, there is something I'd like to ask you.

"Do you know of any monsters suitable for a novice Adventurer to practice on? And where exactly they can be found?"

"Oh? You're looking for monsters to practice on? Hmm..." Ver folded her arms and lowered her head slightly in thought.

The young Adventurer had hit upon a gap in her knowledge. She was an ordinary person, after all. Without great strength, she generally wouldn't go looking into where monsters appeared just to pass the time.

That was the job of the Adventurers' Guild's investigators.

But if he only wanted some practice, monsters weren't his only option.

"I don't know much about where monsters are, but if you're looking for practice, would you be interested in the Treasure Hoarders?" Ver asked with a smile.

"The Treasure Hoarders? What do you mean?"

Li Qiuzhi rotated his wrist, which was a little sore from drawing his bow for so long, and asked in confusion.

Ver thought for a moment, then explained:

"I actually came here while secretly following a group of Treasure Hoarders. While I was taking care to stay hidden, I failed to notice a group of Slimes nearby.

"As for why I was following the Treasure Hoarders, I suspect they've discovered a valuable, high-star artifact at the Temple of the Thousand Winds!"

"Huh? An artifact!"

Noelle raised her right hand, clad in a metal gauntlet, to loosely cover her soft lips, which had parted slightly in surprise.

Artifacts were, as their name suggested, relics left behind by those who came before. It was said that every artifact had witnessed an unforgettable story, transforming through the weight of history accumulated within it.

Their bearers could sense the weight of history contained in these artifacts and draw incredible power from them.

Artifacts were scarce and rarely seen. To historians, they were historical treasures of immense research value that had to be cared for with great caution.

They therefore held considerable prejudice against those brutes who took artifacts into battle.

"An artifact, huh."

Li Qiuzhi was also a little surprised. Since arriving in Teyvat, he had rarely heard anyone mention artifacts. Presumably, obtaining them wasn't as simple as it was in the game.

Artifacts were generally more common in certain domains or ruins, but the people of Teyvat had never seen the game's map. Finding a domain was no easy task.

Even if someone was lucky enough to discover a domain, it might not contain any artifacts. Even if it did, there might only be a few, and they couldn't be farmed repeatedly. That made artifacts genuinely scarce and rarely seen.

Of course, this referred to high-star artifacts. One- and two-star artifacts could be found in treasure chests.

If the Treasure Hoarders really had found traces of a high-star artifact, they had enjoyed quite a stroke of luck.

"So, what are you suggesting?" Li Qiuzhi already had a faint idea.

"If you want some practice, you could use the Treasure Hoarders as your targets. With luck, we might even get an artifact out of it."

The corners of Ver's mouth lifted as she spoke casually.

"That sounds like a good suggestion, but how strong are these Treasure Hoarders? Can the few of us handle them?"

Li Qiuzhi rubbed his chin and considered it for a moment. Rather than acting rashly, he asked cautiously.

He wasn't someone who easily lost his head at the prospect of profit. After all, with the Character Panel, he would eventually have everything he ought to have as long as he stayed alive. There was no need to take risks.

Standing there, Ver shifted her weight onto her uninjured left leg and chuckled softly, thoroughly approving of Li Qiuzhi's caution:

"Mr. Adventurer, you possess the same valuable quality I do."

As an information broker, caution was what she needed most. If she accidentally overstepped and crossed someone's bottom line while selling information, she would be in trouble.

"To avoid drawing too much attention, the Treasure Hoarders only sent six people here. They're all ordinary people, so dealing with them might not be difficult."

Ver spoke confidently.

Li Qiuzhi admitted that he was a little tempted.

"Hmm... Noelle, what do you think?" Li Qiuzhi turned slightly to look at Noelle beside him.

Noelle would be doing most of the work. If she had a different opinion, he would have to respect it.

Even with what he knew about Noelle, he wasn't quite sure whether she would be willing to help.

Monsters were one thing, after all, but the Treasure Hoarders were human. Kindhearted as she was, she might be unwilling to solve the problem through violence.

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