In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

Desia would comfort herself by saying that a mercenary's final destination is death, but she was still very upset inside.

They are brothers who spend every day together.

No matter which one is gone, it will always leave a bad taste in my mouth.

That's exactly what Rod brought up.

Dixia simply gave herself a leave slip, planning to rest for ten days or half a month before doing anything else.

"This time, I was hired by a scholar from the Order of the Church to explore ruins deep in the desert."

"Everything was fine before."

"As a result, that guy disobeyed orders and went to touch the dormant ancient machinery on his own."

"Ugh--"

At this point, Dixia pursed her lips: "Adis and Zaid failed to escape. I always told them to practice their martial arts properly, but they just wouldn't listen. If they were as diligent as you, they wouldn't have perished in those ruins and ended up like this. They deserved it! They really deserved it!"

That's what it says.

Dixia's tone was clearly getting angrier as she spoke.

But Rod could still tell that she was actually very sad.

The mercenaries had no lofty ambitions.

There is no such thing as a "King of Mercenaries" in this world. Instead, we often hear about "XXXX Adventurers" who are famous throughout the continent, but no one ever mentions a "XXXX Mercenary Group Leader" who is famous throughout the continent.

Anyway, I'll never become famous.

Being a mercenary only allows you to make a living.

Therefore, the vast majority of mercenaries just get by.

Mercenaries like Desia are actually in the minority.

"Perhaps it's because you've been too protective of them?"

Walking through the mountains and forests, Rod said meaningfully.

Dixia didn't quite understand what he meant, and frowned as she asked, "What?"

"I mean."

“Every time the Blazing Beast goes on a mission, you always stand at the forefront, taking all the danger upon yourself. With fewer threats to the team members, they naturally become lazy.”

Rhodes pointed to a Hilichurl spying on them in the woods ahead and said, "Look, there's a Hilichurl over there. If the Blazing Hunter is on a mission, what would you do?"

"I will slay that monster with a single sword strike."

Dixia said it as a matter of course.

Then she froze.

If Rhodes hadn't said those words, things would have been fine, but now that he has, she vaguely realizes that there seems to be something wrong with what she did.

"You see, that's the problem."

"You've come to regard this as instinct."

Rhodes shrugged and said, "To be honest, I do feel very safe with you. The brothers of the Blazing Beast Hunter also like to sing those hymns praising you when they drink. But, actually, this sense of security is not a good thing for them."

Looking at Desia, who was deep in thought, Rhodes continued, "Like my job guarding the suspension bridge, I mostly did support roles."

"Only during the last great sandstorm, even with their excellent equipment, could Atia and his group withstand the attack of the Sacred Beasts with some casualties."

"Only at this moment will I go all out."

Rhodes didn't say the last half of what he said.

That means if the Attia mercenary group suffers heavy losses, then Rhodes' workload will increase significantly, unlike now, when he can still take advantage of the chaos during ordinary sandstorms.

If you work hard once, you can slack off for a long time.

why not.

Instead of refuting Rhodes's words, Dixia began to seriously consider whether she had really taken on too much responsibility.

This thought.

He didn't say a word for a full half day.

Fortunately, the beasts she and Rod rode on knew their own way and could move forward accurately without any command.

Rod didn't disturb Desia, and comfortably lay on the broad back of the pack animal, enjoying the scenery of the rainforest.

This was the first time he had ever seen so much pleasing greenery.

Honestly.

After staring at the yellow sand in the desert for so long, even setting aside whether one gets tired of it, just seeing that monotonous yellow every day can easily make one feel irritable after a while.

If it weren't for the lush greenery growing in Rhodes' yard, he probably would have gotten annoyed long ago.

We've now arrived in the rainforest area.

Rhodes felt as if his eyes were receiving the ultimate massage, and everything he saw made him feel completely comfortable. Even the monsters that were spying on him and Desia from afar seemed so pleasing to the eye.

"No wonder those who left the desert don't want to come back."

Rod muttered to himself.

There is an old saying that goes well.

I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the light.

This statement applies to all desert people.

The rainforest is rich in resources and produce. People living here, even the lowest-level workers, are much better off than those in the desert who struggle to even get enough to eat.

Therefore, many desert dwellers, after experiencing the beauty of the rainforest, are no longer willing to return to the harsh desert and would rather do manual labor for others than leave the rainforest.

at this time.

Dixia's voice interrupted, "And what about you?"

"Huh? You've figured it out?"

Instead of answering her difficult question, Rod, abandoning his previous laziness, sat up and asked her in return.

"Yes, I've figured it out."

When this matter was brought up again, Dixia's face darkened considerably: "I did protect everyone too much in the past, but if I didn't, everyone would often be in danger."

"Hey, I told you to let your brothers fight on their own, not to just stand by and watch them die."

Rhodes frowned slightly, his tone one of exasperation, and said, "If you have to handle even trivial matters like encountering Hilichurls or Slimes, what's the point of them being mercenaries? They'd be better off as pampered young masters and ladies. From now on, if they encounter something that can be killed with a single slap, don't do it for them. Let them get hurt and bleed more often. Also, don't forget, you're the leader of the Blazing Beast Hunters. A leader's authority is necessary, and there should be more rules in the guild."

Once Rod started talking, he couldn't stop.

These are all suggestions from Desia on how to improve the Blazing Light Hunter.

The core content revolves around the fact that Dixia shouldn't always take care of her group members like a nanny; she should supervise them when necessary and use some tough measures when appropriate.

However, these suggestions are basically contrary to Dixia's way of doing things.

Therefore, even though she knew that Rhodes' suggestion was useful, she only said that she would consider it carefully and did not agree immediately.

After discussing the Blazing Light Beast Hunter...

Desia had not forgotten the question she had asked Rhodes earlier.

He asked again, very seriously: "Having witnessed the beauty of the rainforest, Rhodes, what are your thoughts? I want to hear the truth."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 25 The Forest Ranger

What was Rod thinking?

What else can we think?

"If I had the chance, I would choose to go to Liyue, Mondstadt, or Fontaine. In short, I would not stay in Sumeru."

Rhodes looked very serious.

And Desia's reaction was exactly as Rod had expected.

But she didn't say anything.

He neither agreed that Rhodes' choice was correct nor said that Rhodes should not leave; he simply sighed deeply.

The desert is not a good place to live.

same.

The entire Sumeru region is hardly a good place.

Relatively speaking.

Mondstadt, the land of freedom; Liyue, the land of trade; Fontaine, the land of justice.

Any of these countries is more suitable for habitation than Mount Sumeru.

It's not a problem for Rhodes to have such thoughts.

just.

Dixia couldn't quite describe her feelings.

Disappointment? Angry? Sad? Or some other feeling?

She couldn't tell.

I just inexplicably felt a tightness in my chest.

Just as Dixia was pondering how to continue the conversation, Rhodes spoke up again: "Don't worry, I won't leave now."

"Ok?"

Dixia suddenly looked up.

Rhodes continued, "I've had a pretty good life in Aru Village. Going to other places would mean starting all over again, so even if you asked me to leave now, I wouldn't. I need to save up enough Mora to be financially independent first, right?"

This should have been good news, but Dixia still bluntly said, "With your current skills, you could earn much more by simply registering as an adventurer with the Adventurers' Guild."