Seemingly sensing a powerful enemy approaching, the Ruin Guard that had suddenly appeared at Star-Picking Cliff abandoned its attack on the Knights of Favonius and fired a barrage of homing missiles in Arkz's direction.
With Ellin behind him, Arkz didn't dodge but instead chose to summon a wooden shield to block the attack.
With Arkz's strength, these homing missiles were naturally blocked with ease.
After the smoke from the explosion cleared, everyone looked with concern at Arkz behind the wooden shield, wanting to see if he was injured, only to find that Arkz behind the wooden shield had turned into a wooden dummy.
The Ruin Guard's rigid programming didn't detect the wooden dummy behind the shield and continued to attack with missiles, hoping to blow up the wooden shield along with the enemy behind it.
Just as the two Knights of Favonius were about to launch an attack while the Ruin Guard was firing missiles and its large eye's weakness was exposed, they found that Arkz had appeared behind the Ruin Guard at some unknown point.
Arkz, with a whoosh, leapt onto the Ruin Guard's head like an agile lynx.
Backstab!
The three-star weapon, Dawnbreaker Sword, at his waist, plunged fiercely into the Ruin Guard's eye, its weak spot.
As the Ruin Guard's energy core, it immediately ceased operation after being damaged by Arkz. The Ruin Guard, which had just been so imposing and unstoppable, had now turned into a pile of scrap metal.
Out of caution, Arkz used the sword in his hand to pry out the Ruin Guard's operating energy source—the ruin core.
After Khaenri'ah's demise 500 years ago, these Ruin Guards can still operate normally, so they must have some black technology. If left unattended, this Ruin Guard might even launch a death throe counterattack, self-destructing and blowing everyone sky-high.
However, without its energy core, it definitely can't even self-destruct now.
Arkz unceremoniously pocketed the ruin core, worth 5,000 Mora. This Ruin Guard, which had managed to put two officially prepared by Knights of Favonius in a tough fight, was clearly unusual. It might even fetch a higher price on the black market.
The two Knights of Favonius, who had originally planned to provide support by firing arrows during the battle, felt a bit awkward. They hadn't expected this allogene to be so powerful, resolving such a troublesome Ruin Guard so quickly.
Coupled with their earlier mistaken identity, awkwardness was inevitable.
However, being seasoned warriors, the two Knights of Favonius quickly adjusted their mindset and stepped forward to thank Arkz.
A life-saving kindness must naturally be remembered.
No one found anything wrong with Arkz taking the Ruin Guard's core. After all, it was Arkz's spoils of war, and without Arkz, they would have all died long ago.
The Knights of Favonius would naturally thank Arkz on behalf of the two Knights of Favonius for saving their lives. According to the Knights of Favonius, this Reward was approximately 20,000 Mora, which was a pleasant surprise for Arkz.
Adding the 50,000 Mora Reward from the commission, this time's harvest was 70,000 Mora. It has to be said that the Adventurer profession is indeed profitable.
However, while becoming an Adventurer makes money fast, it also spends money fast.
If you calculate carefully, the purchase and maintenance of weapons, the investigation and collection of intelligence, the consumption during battles, the medical expenses for the injured after battles, and the subsidies and burial fees for Adventurers who died in battle—each of these is a huge money sink.
For most Adventurers, it's normal to not have a single Mora on them and to be heavily in debt.
After thanking Arkz, the two Knights of Favonius approached Ellin again.
Although Ellin didn't help in this battle, her knowing about the Ruin Guard and still daring to come to support at the risk of her life was worthy of praise.
Knights of Favonius: "Knights of Favonius Reserve — Ellin!"
Ellin replied with spirit and full of vigor: "Here!!!"
Knights of Favonius: "You also contributed to the successful resolution of the danger posed by the Ruin Guard this time. We will commend you to the Knights of Favonius."
Ellin: "Yes, thank you, seniors!!!"
After bandaging their wounds, the two Knights of Favonius bid farewell and departed.
There were still many panicked citizens down the mountain who needed their comfort, and their comrades from the Knights of Favonius should also be on their way to reinforce. They needed to rush back quickly to report the intelligence here to the high-ranking officials of the Knights of Favonius.
Although the Ruin Guard was dealt with, the follow-up work was still troublesome.
Investigating whether any citizens were injured during their escape, determining the reason why the Ruin Guard suddenly went berserk and appeared at Star-Picking Cliff, and bringing back the Ruin Guard's remains for research—all these matters had to be treated seriously.
Especially now that the Knights of Favonius are understaffed, wishing they could split one person into two, these officially prepared by Knights of Favonius are even more determined, working overtime voluntarily every day even with minor injuries.
Indeed, the current peace and quiet in Mondstadt is due to these people carrying the heavy burden.
Watching the departing figures of the two Knights of Favonius, Arkz sighed and walked towards Ellin, only to find Ellin also looking at him.
Their gazes met, and Ellin's cheeks flushed. She quickly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.
Ellin's strange reaction made Arkz's eyes light up. He stepped forward and teased:
"Beautiful Miss Ellin, are you... shy?"
"It's a pity, compared to a youthful Damselette, I prefer a more accommodating older sister like the Knights of Favonius's librarian~"
Ellin, who had been somewhat shy due to her own imagined misjudgment, immediately rolled her eyes at him in annoyance upon hearing this.
"Hmph, you narcissist. Neither Captain Kaeya nor Master Diluc are any worse than you."
"Do you think this girl has to choose you?"
Although Arkz was quite handsome and his strength was also pretty good, his unreliable personality left her speechless.
Her blush just now was mainly due to extreme embarrassment.
Mistaking someone for bragging and snatching a precious treasure like a Vision to play with.
How is that any different from asking someone to borrow their underwear the first time you meet them, huh!
And this guy Arkz...
Don't just casually throw away such a precious and important item so easily!
Just thinking about how she had been playing with his under... Vision in front of Arkz a while ago, Ellin felt an urge to dig a three-bedroom, one-living room apartment with her feet out of sheer embarrassment.
However, Ellin was, after all, an Adventurer with the courage to fight a Ruin Guard, so she quickly adjusted her emotions.
Thinking of the dazzling and charming light that Arkz's dendro vision had shone earlier, Ellin sighed and said:
"I'm sorry, I snatched your Vision without permission earlier. I was blind not to realize that your Vision was actually real."
"But you're too careless. You let me take your Vision so easily, and such a precious treasure should be properly kept, right?"
Listening to Ellin's admonition, Arkz felt no dissatisfaction or anger.
Such words of criticism and advice, unlike praise and applause, were not as pleasant to hear, but they were proof that Ellin regarded him as a true friend.
Arkz felt somewhat fortunate that although Ellin was a bit embarrassed, it did not affect their friendship.
He had been worried earlier that a Damselette like Ellin, being thin-skinned, might avoid him due to shyness and embarrassment, and their friendship might end because of it.
Facing Ellin's confusion, Arkz patiently explained: "As a treasure condensed from the gods' recognition of an allogene's wish, a Vision will not be lost so easily."
Ellin suddenly understood.
Ellin: "So that's it. A Vision automatically returns to its owner after leaving their side for a certain distance? That's a really convenient ability."
"But you don't seem to value your Vision much?"
"Other allogenes I've met all embed their Visions in beautiful decorations and hang them in prominent places on their bodies."
Arkz looked at his system panel, smiled confidently, and said:
"That's because I trust my own strength and wisdom more than a Vision." (Because I'm cheating.)