The next morning, the two left the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and headed to the commercial street of Liyue Harbor.
Hu Tao gave them a shopping list, which listed a long string of items, from dry food to bandages to deworming medicine to pots and pans, mostly daily necessities.
Lin En glanced at the list and handed it to Ronava, telling her to read it aloud while she carried the things.
"Hmm... let's go buy some dry food first."
Ronava glanced at the list again and continued.
"The journey to Chenyu Vale tomorrow is quite long, so make sure you bring enough food, or you'll go hungry again."
"It's only a two-day journey, no need to bring so much food."
Lin En said.
"If I don't bring enough, I'll go hungry."
Ronava spoke softly, which surprised Lin En. When did she learn that?
Do you want to watch me starve?
"Where did you learn this skill from...? Okay, then bring more dry food, I'll carry it. I can't let you go hungry."
He patted his chest, indicating that he was handing it over to him.
The two found a grocery store on the street corner. The owner, a middle-aged man with a round face, was squatting at the door, stacking canned goods on the shelves.
Lin En picked out a dozen or so packs of compressed biscuits and dried meat, and also took two jars of pickled vegetables, Ronava picked out a few boxes of matches and a small bag of salt.
That's all?
The boss stood up, dusted off his hands, looked at the things they had placed on the counter, and grinned.
"Have you two bought 5,000 Mora yet? If not, let's combine them, and we'll give you a free ring toss game if you spend 5,000."
"Ring toss?"
Lin En was a little surprised; there was an extra reward?
"Yeah, ring toss!"
The shopkeeper pointed to the side of the shop, where there were indeed several wooden stakes on the open ground, with various prizes on them, ranging from soap to mineral water to a pretty good-looking dagger, and some dolls and pendants in the far distance.
A rope was strung in front of the wooden stake, and a dozen bamboo rings were scattered on the ground.
The boss continued.
"Spend 5,000 and get three rings; whichever ring you get, you keep."
Lin En glanced at the items on the counter and calculated that it was a little over four thousand Mora.
" Ronava, is there anything else you'd like?"
Ronava looked around the shelves, picked up two sugar jars, and put them on the counter.
The boss did the math: 5,200 Mora, just a little over.
"Okay! Send three rings!"
Lin En stood behind the line with three bamboo rings, eager to try.
He took a liking to that dagger; he figured if he took it home and sharpened it a little, it would still be usable.
The first ring was thrown with a bit too much force; it flew past the dagger, slammed into the wall behind it, and bounced back.
The second ring was thrown, but it went slightly off course and landed on a bottle of water.
Water is fine too.
Lin En took the bottle of water and put it in her bag.
He handed the third lap to Ronava.
"You do it, I can't control my strength well."
Ronava took the bamboo circle and asked a question.
Which one do you want?
Lin En thought about it and realized that the dagger wasn't essential, so she might as well let her do as she pleased.
"Do it your way."
Ronava nodded, took a deep breath, and with a flick of her wrist, the bamboo ring drew a perfect arc in the air before settling securely onto a pair of backpack charms.
Wow! You're lucky!
The shopkeeper handed over the pendants, which Lin En took. They were actually two Dodoco- style pendants, making him wonder who made them.
"Hmm, it looks pretty good."
Lin En handed one to Ronava, who looked at it and seemed to have thought of something.
"This pendant looks familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."
The two continued shopping and bought two more water bags, a bundle of rope, and a small lamp oil...
When passing by a steamed bun shop, Lin En couldn't resist and bought two meat buns, sharing one with Ronava. He hadn't eaten steamed buns in a long time, and now that Hu Tao had given him the funds, he didn't mind spending a little.
Ronava took a bite and commented.
"It's better than the dry rations we brought."
I did another round of shopping in the afternoon and basically got everything on the list. There were some items that I didn't buy because they could be bought at Chenyu Vale, otherwise the package would have been much heavier.
On the way back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Lin En carried a large bundle on her back, Ronava carried two bags in her hands.
Do you think the map Hu Tao gave us is reliable?
Lin En remembered the piece of paper that Hu Tao had given them that morning, took it out and looked at it.
It was a hand-drawn route map, drawn rather abstractly. A few crooked lines represented mountain paths, marked with precise instructions like "Go this way," "Don't turn," and "Turn right when you see a large rock"—almost like a GPS navigation system. The only "map" element was a circle in the lower left corner with the words " Liyue Harbor " written next to it.
"It's better than nothing."
Ronava glanced at it and then looked away, feeling that going by instinct was more accurate than using the map.
That evening, the two of them rearranged their belongings, putting away what needed to be put away and packing up what needed to be packed.
Lin En pinned the new keychain to his bag; it was indeed quite cute. He held it in his hand and played with it for a while, Ronava watched from the side.
The next morning, the two of them went downstairs carrying their bundles.
Hu Tao had already gotten up, yawning as she stood at the doorway of the main room, clutching half a steamed bun in her hand.
"You're leaving already? Aren't you going to stay a few more days?"
Hu Tao swallowed the bun in her mouth and asked again.
Did you bring the map?
"I brought it."
Lin En waved the paper.
"Alright, when we get to Yilong Wharf, find a shop first. The key is in the crack in the bricks above the door frame. Write a letter if you need anything. I remember there's a path inside Chenyu Vale that leads to Yilong Wharf."
Hu Tao saw them to the door and added,
"Don't forget, take any business that comes your way, don't be picky."
"Knew."
The two left Liyue Harbor and headed north along the main road.
Hu Tao's map was indeed abstract. Not far out of the city, we came to a fork in the road. The map showed "left," but in reality, there was a big mountain on the left, which might take a whole day to climb. The right side was a narrow path.
Lin En had initially intended to trust Hu Tao, but after only a few steps, Ronava pulled her back.
"There's a sign here. Don't look at that map yet, it's inaccurate."
Ronava pointed to a few small characters on the mountainside beside her. "This road leads to Chenyu Vale."
Lin En folded the map neatly and stuffed it into his sleeve, muttering a complaint.
"I really can't completely trust others; I almost wasted time climbing the mountain!"
Ronava glanced at Lin En and said in a joking tone.
That's why I said you're too gullible; you might get scammed one day and still be counting the money for the scammer.
"Who would dare to lie to me if I were here with you?"
After passing Mt. Tianheng, there is a flat area with a wide view, making it easy to walk.
The two traveled for two whole days, rushing during the day and finding a sheltered place to rest at night. They ate dry rations with pickled vegetables, and occasionally picked a few wild fruit trees by the roadside to taste.
The next afternoon, a narrow path appeared ahead, with dense bamboo growing on both sides and the road surface paved with gravel, leading into the mountains.
Lin En checked the map and nodded.
"This should be it, the path leading to Chenyu Vale."
The two walked along the gravel path, the bamboo forest grew denser, the light dimmed, and the air was filled with the damp scent of moss.
After walking for about half an hour, the road ahead suddenly opened up, revealing a small town built against the mountainside. Dozens of houses were scattered on the hillside, with blue tiles and white walls, and red lanterns and dried cured meat hanging under the eaves. This should be Qiaoying Village marked on the map.
At the entrance of town, there's a small tea stall with several wooden tables set up under the shade of a tree, where an old woman is pouring tea for customers.
Lin En went over and ordered two bowls of tea, paid with Mora, and found an empty table to sit down. The tea was local green tea, and it had a faint orchid fragrance.
"Take a break."
Lin En placed the bundle at his feet.
How about we head to Yilong Wharf again tomorrow?
Ronava picked up her teacup, took a sip, and nodded.
"Yes, you must be tired too. Take a rest this afternoon."
Thank you so much to Boss Miao Shuo from Yuezhou for the amazing update! You're so generous, Boss! May you live forever!