Going to negotiate in Snezhnaya now would be like throwing lambs to the slaughter. Ronava decided to go to Liyue first and observe the situation. With the Lord of Geo Planet Befall guarding there, it wouldn't be too dangerous.
The two walked east along the dirt road in Natlan, with Lin En following behind Ronava, pondering the matter the whole way.
It seems Teyvat is about to change drastically. What should I do then? At the very least, I need to protect Ronava! System! Give me more quests!
The sun in Natlan was still scorching, making the gravel on the ground scorching hot, but Lin En had a lot on her mind and didn't even have time to complain about the heat.
Ronava walked half a step ahead of him, her silver hair fluttering gently in the wind. From behind, she looked no different than usual, but Lin En noticed that her right hand was slightly clenched as she walked, as if she was calculating something.
" Ronava."
"Um?"
"You said to wait and see, so what exactly will we do after we return to Liyue?"
"Wait, there's no other way. We can't go to Snezhnaya right now."
Ronava continued.
"We'll make our plans after the Tsaritsa and Phanes take action, after Asmoday's device is activated, and after Natlan gets results. Until then, there's nothing we can do."
"When will Asmoday's device be activated? We can't just keep waiting."
She won't have to wait long.
Ronava glanced back at the scenery of Natlan.
"News of Phanes ' predicament will soon spread, and the Tsaritsa will not let this opportunity pass. When the time is right, Asmoday will detonate Natlan's device, forcing Phanes to reveal himself. At that time, the entire Teyvat will be thrown into chaos."
Lin En nodded, going over the information in his mind: Snezhnaya was attacking Celestia, Natlan's Ley Lines were exploding into the Abyss, and Phanes had to fight Snezhnaya and the Abyss.
All they can do is wait, wait for the situation to become clearer before deciding where to start.
The two crossed the border waters of Natlan, beyond which lay the desert region of Sumeru, where the air became dry.
The two followed the path they had taken, passing through the Vourukasha Oasis, bypassing Mount Damavand, and heading southeast.
After walking for two days, Ronava sat down on a rock by the roadside, took out her money pouch from her bundle, and rummaged through it.
Lin En leaned over and took a look; there was only a few Mora left in the purse, probably only a Mora or so. This adventure was too expensive.
"We're almost out of money."
Ronava turned the bag over and emptied it, and the last few Mora coins clattered onto the stone.
Lin En took out her wallet, opened the compartments and counted the money, her expression freezing for a moment.
"Me too. I spent quite a bit in Fontaine, on Kamera, hotels, food..."
"Um."
Ronava carefully put away the money pouch.
"After arriving in Liyue, take on a few quests."
"Accept the commission?"
Lin En paused for a moment.
I don't know if I can earn enough for food and lodging in a day.
"Too."
Ronava thought about it. There weren't any big commissions in Liyue right now. Most of them were just delivering items and clearing out Hilichurl, which cost a few hundred Mora each time and took a lot of time.
"Perhaps we could go find the God of Geo..."
Upon hearing this, Lin En almost spat out his water. Looking for Zhongli?
He imagined Ronava going to Zhongli to borrow money. With that penniless Zhongli, it would be a miracle if he didn't say, "Put it on the account of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
But we really don't have any money right now. It will take several days to travel from Natlan to Liyue, and we'll need to pay for food and lodging along the way.
"Okay."
He carefully put his wallet away.
"I did odd jobs when I was on Earth, so taking on commissions shouldn't be difficult."
The two continued their journey, and after entering the edge of the Sumeru Rainforest and joining the mountain path of Liyue, the terrain became flatter, and the trees and bamboo groves along the roadside gradually increased.
Lin En walked along the mountain path, breathing in the moist scent of grass and trees. The tension that had been building for days finally eased a little, though he was a bit hungry since he hadn't eaten much in the past few days.
By the time we reached the northern foot of Mt. Tianheng, it was already the fifth day.
After the two crossed the last ridge, the entire view of Liyue Harbor suddenly unfolded beneath their feet.
The port is still the same port, with fishing boats coming and going and caravans coming and going. In the distance, the eaves of Yujing Terrace gleam in the setting sun, and the red lanterns of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor stand out on the street corner.
Lin En stood on the mountain path for a while, then suddenly felt his legs go weak.
"Finally back."
He leaned on his knees, catching his breath. He was so hungry he was almost too weak to breathe. He was even poorer than Zhongli now.
Ronava stood beside him, looking down at Liyue Harbor at the foot of the mountain, her expression more relaxed than a few days ago. She glanced at Lin En, her lips twitching slightly.
"Go down. Tomorrow, go find the Geo Archon. He should know someone he can introduce you to."
The two descended the mountain and entered Liyue Harbor through the north gate; it was already dark by then.
The lanterns on the street lit up one by one, and the aroma of food wafted from the restaurants. Lin En's stomach, quite uncooperatively, growled.
Ronava took out her last few hundred Mora from her purse, bought two flatbreads from a street vendor, and handed one to him.
"I'll make do for tonight, and go find the Geo Archon tomorrow."
Lin En took the flatbread and took a bite; it was so delicious!
He followed Ronava into a small alley.
There was a cheap little hotel in the alley. The storefront was small, and the landlady behind the counter was yawning and doing the accounts.
Ronava asked for the cheapest room, paid Mora, and the two went upstairs.
The room was much smaller than the one I stayed in in Liyue; it had a bed, a window, and not even a table.
Lin En put his bundle in the corner and sat on the edge of the bed eating a biscuit. Ronava sat on the windowsill, leaning against the window frame, his silver hair cascading over his shoulders.
"If the Geo Archon doesn't help tomorrow, let's check the Adventurers' Guild again. The two of us should be able to earn some money."
She said.
"There should be quite a few commissions in Liyue Harbor. Let's pick a few with higher pay and lower difficulty."
"You choose or I choose?"
You choose.
Ronava glanced at him sideways.
You've always been lucky.
Lin En chuckled.
What if I pick a difficult one?
"Then let's fight."
Ronava took a bite of the biscuit and said.
"Your current skill level is sufficient for handling difficult requests."
Lin En leaned against the headboard, finished the last bite of his biscuit, stared at the ceiling, and thought for a moment. Names like Phanes, Tsaritsa, Abyss, Asmoday swirled in his mind, but he temporarily put them aside.
The most important thing right now is to take on tomorrow's commissions, make some money, and establish a foothold in Liyue. As for those bigger matters, we'll deal with them when we get news from Natlan.
At this moment, the system screen popped up.
"Host detected to be in financial crisis. System Mora Loan activated: Borrow one million, only need to repay two million!"
Lin En initially thought the system was giving out freebies, but instead, a loan ad popped up. Anyone who takes out a loan is a fool.
Suddenly, an older man appeared out of nowhere next to the system, startling Lin En.
"Holy crap, it's a ghost!"
Ronava looked back at him, thinking he had gone crazy again.
"Where are the ghosts?"
Lin En was certain there was someone in front of her, Ronava couldn't see them?
The man moved; he grabbed the system screen directly.
"Young man, do you not have enough money? Come on, system, lend me some!"
Lin En felt this sounded familiar; wasn't this the Loan Hero?! No way!
Without thinking twice, he rushed over to grab the system, but found that he couldn't touch it.
Here, for you.
The man returned the system, which showed that Lin En had borrowed one million Mora.
Lin En clenched his fist, wanting to kill the old man in front of him, to make him burdened with two million in debt at such a young age, but the old man waved his hand and disappeared.
"It's over!"
Ronava watched Lin En gesturing wildly at thin air and wondered if he was mentally unstable. She thought she'd have to take him to see a doctor tomorrow.