"The Pyro ore used as the main material for Quenched Arrows is hard to find, so they cost two thousand Mora each," answered the blacksmith's apprentice, Schutz.
Even ordinary Ironhead Arrows cost three hundred Mora each. Since Quenched Arrows have a Pyro-imbued effect, the price was reasonable.
"What about armor-piercing arrows?" Li Qiuzhi continued.
"Six hundred."
"I'll take twenty Quenched Arrows and fifty armor-piercing arrows." After some thought, Li Qiuzhi made his decision.
Just seventy arrows cost him seventy thousand Mora. Fortunately, arrows weren't necessarily ruined after a single use. With a little luck, he could retrieve them after shooting and use them again.
"All right, I'll get them ready for you."
Schutz nodded. Master Wagner usually made a large batch of high-demand items like arrows every so often and stored them in the warehouse.
Watching Schutz leave, Li Qiuzhi turned to Wagner and asked:
"Mr. Wagner, now that I've bought the arrows, do you have any good bows to recommend? As you know, my Wooden Hunting Bow isn't quite keeping up anymore."
Seeing that the young adventurer also wanted to buy a bow, Wagner nodded in agreement.
"Mm, that hunting bow Draff passed down to you is just an ordinary one-star weapon. It's fine for hunting, but since you've chosen to become an adventurer, you really do need a stronger bow!"
He continued:
"For two-star bows, I have the Seasoned Hunter's Bow. Its strengths are sturdiness and durability, and it handles so well you'd almost think it was working with you!
"There's also the Adventurer's Hunting Bow. Its strength is power-at least three times that of your Wooden Hunting Bow. What do you think? Interested?"
These were all works Wagner took pride in, so naturally, he hoped his customer would appreciate them.
"Three times?!"
Li Qiuzhi was pleasantly surprised. If the Adventurer's Hunting Bow really had three times the power of his Wooden Hunting Bow, could he shatter a Ruin Guard's core with a single arrow, given his archery skills?
By comparison, the Seasoned Hunter's Bow seemed rather lackluster.
"How much is it?" Li Qiuzhi asked the most important question.
Wagner raised a hand to indicate the amount. "Eighty thousand Mora. That's my lowest price. No haggling!"
I haven't even said anything, and you already know I want to haggle? Li Qiuzhi felt a little helpless.
Still, eighty thousand Mora was within his budget, so he could buy it. That reminded him-he was going to the Knights of Favonius that afternoon to learn swordsmanship from Eula. He couldn't very well turn up with a scimitar, so he needed to buy a Dull Blade too.
The Dull Blade was a one-star weapon and wasn't expensive, costing only ten thousand Mora.
Adding it all up, the arrows cost seventy thousand, the Adventurer's Hunting Bow eighty thousand, and the Dull Blade ten thousand. Of the more than two hundred thousand Mora he'd originally had, little remained.
Earlier, he'd been thinking that carrying so much Mora around was inconvenient and that he ought to find a bank to deposit it in. Looking back, that seemed a little funny. Once he started spending Mora, it simply wouldn't stay in his hands.
After waiting a while, Li Qiuzhi collected everything he'd bought and left the smithy.
He first returned to the little courtyard on Valberry Street, put his purchases away, and then practiced with his new Adventurer's Hunting Bow to get used to it.
Even with ordinary Ironhead Arrows, it was indeed far more powerful than the Wooden Hunting Bow. An arrow shot into the courtyard's dirt ground buried itself two-thirds of the way in. It truly lived up to its two-star quality.
It was hard to imagine just how powerful the legendary five-star weapons were.
Back when he'd been a dedicated grinder who only paid for the monthly pass, he hadn't pulled many golden five-star weapons even in the game. Now that he was actually in Teyvat, obtaining such legendary things would take more than money.
Seeing that it was nearly noon, Li Qiuzhi went out to buy some ingredients and casually cooked noodles for lunch. He made quite a large portion; otherwise, he wouldn't have been full.
At one in the afternoon, Li Qiuzhi arrived punctually at the Training Ground behind the Knights of Favonius headquarters, carrying his newly purchased Dull Blade.
Sure enough, Eula was already there waiting for him. To Li Qiuzhi's surprise, there was also a girl with orange hair.
Her hair was the same color as Ver's. If he wasn't mistaken, she must be Ellin, the young girl who admired the dashing Acting Grand Master Jean and often practiced swordsmanship here.
Eula seemed to be correcting Ellin's sword swings, and she noticed Li Qiuzhi's arrival too.
"Good. You're not late."
Eula folded her arms across her chest, a satisfied smile appearing on her fair face.
"That's only proper." Li Qiuzhi walked over, then took out his Dull Blade and asked, "Um, Eula, are we starting practice now?"
"Wait a moment." Eula shook her head, making her ice-blue hair sway slightly, then addressed Ellin. "Ellin, you've already become quite proficient in Favonius Swordsmanship. Go practice your combat techniques against the wooden dummies."
"Yes, Captain Eula."
Ellin nodded. Before running off, she gave Li Qiuzhi a curious glance, then went to one side to practice against the wooden dummies.
She had come to the Training Ground to practice swordsmanship as usual that day, never expecting to meet the renowned Spindrift Knight, Miss Eula, captain of the Reconnaissance Company.
Eula was said to be a match for Acting Grand Master Jean. Although Ellin still thought Jean was a little stronger, perhaps learning swordsmanship from Captain Eula, who was only slightly weaker, would bring her own strength closer to Jean's.
That was why she had asked Eula for advice on swordsmanship.
Looking at Ellin, Li Qiuzhi couldn't help remembering how he would occasionally receive daily commissions from her in the game.
Perhaps before long, she would start pondering how to destroy five wooden dummies at once, then learn countless impressive sword techniques from the Traveler, eventually exclaiming, "So that's how you do it!"
"Her name is Ellin. Apparently, she's planning to take next year's knight selection exam, so she's been practicing swordsmanship hard lately."
Eula spoke as she watched Ellin.
"Is the knight selection exam difficult?" Li Qiuzhi nodded and asked with some curiosity.
"With her current ability, she should have no trouble." Eula raised her right hand to brush aside the hair by her ear, then continued, "Before I start teaching you Favonius Swordsmanship, perform the whole sequence for me so I can see how much you've mastered."
After speaking, Eula lowered her hand and folded her arms over her upper abdomen again, propping up the full curves beneath her clothing.
Li Qiuzhi answered with a "Mm," then stood in the center of the Training Ground and performed the Favonius Swordsmanship: Fundamentals he had only just begun learning, using his Dull Blade.
Since he hadn't invested any experience points into it, its level hadn't risen, and his movements looked extremely awkward. He truly only just managed to get through the sequence.
After all, hadn't he agreed to come to the Training Ground so he could gain Eula's affection by spending time with her? What if he raised its level too high and she decided he was already good enough and stopped teaching him?
"I can tell you've put some effort into this, managing to grasp the basics just by practicing from a book."
Once Li Qiuzhi finished the sequence, Eula spoke with a fair amount of approval.
She took two steps forward in the over-the-knee boots encasing her legs. The straps along her inner thighs that kept the boots from slipping dug slightly into her soft, snow-white flesh.
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