Makoto sat quietly beside Taroumaru, who was staring motionlessly at the sky, not saying a word.
Under the moonlight, one person and one dog sat in a row by the sea.
Only silence remained, occasionally broken by the sound of the tide ebbing and flowing.
After a long while, Taroumaru stood up and slowly walked towards Makoto.
Taroumaru no longer had the same hostility as before.
He gently rubbed Makoto with his head, wagging his tail to show friendliness.
Makoto found Taroumaru very cute and reached out to pet his head.
"Tomorrow, I'll have someone fence off this area so your former owner can rest peacefully, undisturbed."
"I'll bring you here to visit every year from now on, so you can rest assured, right?"
"I don't know if you can understand me, but in any case, I'll take care of you as much as possible."
As he finished speaking, Makoto noticed Taroumaru's tail wagging with greater amplitude.
He burrowed into Makoto's arms, looking very joyful and excited.
Watching Taroumaru's happy demeanor, Makoto said with a smile, "Taroumaru, you really can understand what I'm saying."
"Such a spiritual dog, given time, he might even become the God of Blade Blocking?"
Actually, thinking about it like this isn't bad at all.
Barbatos has Dvalin,
Morax has Azhdaha,
Baal has Yae Miko,
And Makoto has Taroumaru.
When you're making your way in Teyvat, who doesn't have a familiar?
In the future, if he encounters any trouble,
Makoto only needs to say, 'Crush them, Taroumaru!' and all problems will be solved.
Just thinking about it feels great.
Upon hearing the five words 'God of Blade Blocking,' Taroumaru wagged his tail and barked, seemingly liking the name.
"Taroumaru, being the 'God of Blade Blocking' isn't that easy; you'll have to work hard."
"Of course, I'll also give you all the help I can."
No sooner had he spoken than a system voice sounded in Makoto's mind.
"Taroumaru's Talents 'Blade Blocking,' current level 1."
"Do you wish to consume one intertwined fate to raise Talents 'Blade Blocking' to level 15?"
Hearing the system's prompt, Makoto instinctively raised an eyebrow.
Goodness, he can even use external power to boost Talents?
Using just one intertwined fate to max out Taroumaru's core Talents — this is definitely not a loss.
Makoto did not hesitate at all, using one intertwined fate to upgrade Taroumaru's Talents.
The system's prompt sounded: "Host chose to deduct 1 intertwined fate. Taroumaru's Talents 'Blade Blocking' successfully raised to level 15."
Makoto looked down at Taroumaru and then asked, "Taroumaru, how do you feel now?"
Taroumaru tilted his head and looked at Makoto, his eyes full of confusion.
Perhaps it was the first time in his dog's life that he had been asked such a question.
"No effect? What's going on?"
No sooner had he spoken,
Makoto saw Taroumaru quickly stand up, then he scratched his neck with his hind leg and yawned.
Other than that, there was no change whatsoever.
Makoto was stunned.
It said Talents 'Blade Blocking' was raised to level 15, so why no change?
The system said the Talents upgrade was successful, so there shouldn't be any issues.
It could only be that Taroumaru didn't understand Makoto's meaning.
"Never mind, the immediate priority should be to make a meal for Taroumaru."
"This Little One hasn't eaten in three days and three nights, he must be starving."
Makoto looked down at Taroumaru and instructed, "You sit here and don't move. I'll go catch a fish, and we'll roast it."
Hearing that he could eat roasted fish, Taroumaru's ears perked up high, and his tail wagged incessantly.
Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps echoed behind Makoto.
The sound came from far away to near, and the speed was extremely fast.
He instinctively looked up and found it was a group of Treasure Hoarders rushing towards them.
In the blink of an eye, this group of Treasure Hoarders surrounded Makoto and Taroumaru.
From their coordinated movements and experienced methods, it was not difficult to see that these people often did such things.
Makoto stood up, and Taroumaru, by his feet, also vigilantly watched the aggressive Treasure Hoarders.
If the Treasure Hoarders tried to do anything to Makoto, Taroumaru would protect Makoto without hesitation.
Then, a Treasure Hoarder member stepped out from the crowd.
He carefully sized up Makoto, then said to the tall man beside him, "Boss, that's right, it's this kid!"
"I saw him book out the entire snack shop during the day; that kind of spending isn't something an ordinary person can do, which means he definitely has a lot of Mora!"
"As long as we get our hands on the Mora, the brothers can live well for a while!"
Hearing this conversation from the Treasure Hoarders, Makoto understood.
He had been buying things for the Little Ones during the day and was unexpectedly targeted by the Treasure Hoarders.
Now, under the cover of the dark night, this group intended to rob him.
At this moment, the burly Treasure Hoarders leader strode forward.
With his hands on his hips, he looked down at Makoto and sternly said, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over all your valuables now!"
"It's best not to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit; it wouldn't be good if our weapons hurt you."
As he spoke, the Treasure Hoarders leader even brandished the iron shovel in his hand.
Feeling the hostility from the Treasure Hoarders, Taroumaru watched the group vigilantly, letting out a low growl.
For a moment, the Treasure Hoarders leader's expression turned somewhat grim.
He pointed at Taroumaru and said to his subordinates, "It'll be troublesome if this dog attracts the patrolling soldiers nearby. Quickly deal with him."
As he finished speaking, the Treasure Hoarders members swung their shovels and charged towards Taroumaru.
Seeing this, Taroumaru lowered his head and bit the katana by his feet.
When Taroumaru held the katana in his mouth, the entire dog's aura changed.
He quietly watched the approaching Treasure Hoarders, with no fear in his eyes.
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