The next day, Ellin, who had been eagerly anticipating Arkz's training, woke up early to eat breakfast.
However, when she got up, she was surprised to find that her long-listless old father, Herman, was already doing physical exercises.
Ellin pushed open the window and greeted him: "Dad, why are you up so early today?"
Herman smiled, struck a muscular pose, and said: "The injury on my arm has healed. I need to exercise more to regain my condition."
Ellin teased: "Be careful, old man. You're not young anymore; don't strain your back."
Herman chuckled: "Hey, you little brat, your old man is still sharp. If you don't believe me, let's spar."
Ellin stuck out her tongue: "Forget it, I'm not fighting you."
When Herman's arm was injured, he could still easily defeat her. Now that his arm was fully recovered, dealing with Ellin would be as easy as a father disciplining his daughter.
The clever little Ellin wouldn't ask for a beating.
Ellin looked at her energetic father, who seemed like an overly energetic Husky next door with nowhere to vent his energy, and casually asked: "Where's Mom? Isn't she up yet?"
Herman's old face flushed slightly: "She was quite tired yesterday; she's still sleeping."
After returning from Arkz's place yesterday, thanks to the delicious food and the beauty-enhancing hawthorn green tea Arkz made, Ellin's already charming face regained a youthful glow. When she encountered the energetic Herman, it was naturally like dry wood meeting fierce fire—unstoppable.
Ellin made a knowing expression; she understood.
Pretending to be a pure and ignorant little child, Ellin said: "Dad, I'm going to find Uncle Arkz for training."
Herman: "You're not eating breakfast?"
Ellin: "I'll eat at a shop in town; I won't eat here."
Watching Ellin's departing back, Herman shouted: "Be careful on the road, and remember to come back before dark!"
Ellin waved her hand without looking back: "Got it."
Previously, he wanted to keep his precious daughter Ellin close by. Now that his wife and he himself felt like they had returned to youth, and he had even picked up his youthful dreams again, he felt this precious daughter was a bit of a hindrance, delaying his intimacy with his wife.
If Ellin knew what Herman was thinking, she would surely be speechless.
Given the distance between Springvale and Mondstadt, it would take Ellin about half an hour at full speed. Although the money her father Herman gave her was enough to hire a carriage, Ellin was reluctant to spend so much on one. Wouldn't it be better to save that money to buy a suitable weapon?
Besides, this journey was perfect for her morning exercise.
When Ellin arrived at Springvale Farm, she saw a girl about her age sitting outside the pavilion, which immediately made her alert.
Siegfrieda, who was resting inside the pavilion waiting for Amu, also saw Ellin and immediately became alert.
Ellin: "Could she be a competitor training with me?"
Siegfrieda: "Could she be a competitor snatching my business?"
Just as the two young women sat in the pavilion cautiously watching each other, Arkz, awakened by the wooden dummy, opened the farm gate with a yawn.
Arkz looked up at the sky speechlessly, then at the two girls, and said helplessly: "It's only six o'clock! Aren't you two sleepy?"
Ellin and Siegfrieda said in unison: "Not sleepy."
Arkz was speechless and choked up, wondering how to retort. He thought to himself, "You aren't sleepy, but I am."
Arkz beckoned: "Come in, both of you."
Ellin and Siegfrieda exchanged a look and rushed into the farm, vying to be the first, lest they fall a step behind the other. Fortunately, the farm gate was wide enough, or these two beautiful young women might have squeezed it out of shape.
Looking at Amu dozing soundly leaning against the railing of the wooden house, Arkz initially intended to wake the troublesome creature with a light kick, but seeing the two young women present, he ultimately decided to save Amu some face. He grabbed Amu by the scruff of its neck and shook it vigorously.
Arkz: "Wake up, wake up! At your age, how can you still be sleeping?"
Amu opened its eyes in confusion, filled with doubt: "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with my age? I'm still a three-day-old baby."
"You want me to stay awake at my age; how can you bear it?"
Arkz: "Siegfrieda has been waiting for you outside for a long time. If you don't wake up now, you'll be late for work."
Amu: "Hmm, Siegfrieda! Work! Mora!"
Amu instantly became spirited.
Looking at the two girls behind him, Arkz made introductions:
"This black-haired one is Siegfrieda. She is Amu's business partner, whose goal is to earn Mora."
"This brownish-yellow-haired one is Ellin. She is currently receiving training from me, and her goal is to pass the Knights of Favonius assessment."
Siegfrieda exclaimed: "You are Ellin?"
Ellin looked completely bewildered: "I am Ellin. Do you know me?"
Siegfrieda shook her head: "No, I don't know you."
Amu happily explained: "When I was driving back yesterday, I heard Freya's cry for help and mistook her for Ellin."
Ellin and Siegfrieda, upon hearing this, simultaneously shot Amu a fierce glare, scaring Amu into silence.
Ellin: "How am I like her!"
Siegfrieda: "How am I like her!"
Arkz silently complained in his heart: "They actually look quite alike. Their height and build are similar, and both have their hair tied in a single ponytail. Besides the color of their hair, even their facial structures are very similar."
"Could it be that Brother Herman was cheating?"
Arkz only thought about it; he couldn't say such things out loud, or it would cause a lot of trouble.
Arkz felt this must be the fault of the game designers for reusing a template when designing NPCs. If the game designers had been more diligent and designed a unique body data template for every NPC, this kind of trouble wouldn't exist.
Although Ellin and Siegfrieda observed each other closely and realized they were indeed quite similar, they were absolutely unwilling to admit it. Having the same outfit wasn't terrible—whoever was uglier would be embarrassed—but what about looking alike? They couldn't compare bodies, could they!
Arkz helplessly stepped in to smooth things over for Amu: "Amu just became sentient a few days ago. In its eyes, all humans look the same."
"By the way, have you eaten? Do you want to have some here?"
Ellin: "Haven't eaten!"
Siegfrieda: "Already eaten!"
Ellin's "Haven't eaten" was a lie. She had bought breakfast on the Mondstadt commercial street before leaving and eaten her fill, but upon thinking of Arkz's tempting cooking skills, Ellin immediately decided to freeload a meal.
Siegfrieda's "Already eaten" was also a lie. To leave a good impression on Arkz and Amu, she had woken up early and waited outside the pavilion at Springvale Farm.
Siegfrieda naturally had a constitution that made her hungry quickly. The money she earned running errands was usually spent on food. When she had no work, she would pick wild vegetables and trade with hunters for meat. Even Old Man Gray from the Patrol Team described her as "a little girl who can eat a lot."
Having been hungry for so long, Siegfrieda's stomach could no longer hold out.
Siegfrieda's stomach: "Gurgle~"
Siegfrieda said with a blush: "Fine! I haven't eaten breakfast!"
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