After some thought, Bai Mo picked up the giant axe from the fallen Hilichurl Berserker. Testing its weight, he nodded in satisfaction before strapping it to his back with a belt. While a longsword was decent for dealing with ordinary Hilichurls, it fell short against heavier foes. This massive axe would serve as a good interim weapon for now.
As Bai Mo collected his spoils, the robed merchant approached him respectfully and said, "Sir, thank you so much for your help! If you hadn't stopped that Hilichurl Berserker and the archers, our guards might have suffered heavy casualties."
"You're too kind," Bai Mo replied with a cupped-hand salute. "You're a merchant caravan heading to Liyue Harbor, right?"
"Indeed! I'm Wan Jinniu, the manager of the Wind Virtue Trading Company. We specialize in transporting alcohol between Liyue and Mondstadt. If these barrels had been smashed, the losses would've been devastating. Thanks to you, we're safe!"
"In that case, since you're heading to Liyue Harbor, could I hitch a ride with you?"
"Absolutely! We'd be more than happy to have you!" Wan Jinniu laughed. "With you around, the journey will be much safer!"
After introducing Bai Mo to the rest of the caravan, the other members welcomed him warmly. After all, he had just saved them and demonstrated formidable strength. No one was foolish enough to cause trouble.
Watching the caravan guards collect the masks and dropped Mora from the Hilichurls, Bai Mo couldn't help but feel like he was in a game where enemies dropped loot. But while it made sense for Hilichurls to gather Mora, what use did they have for masks?
Though he didn't want to reveal his ignorance, Bai Mo couldn't resist asking, "Manager Wan, I noticed you're collecting Hilichurl masks. What's the going rate for those?"
"The price?" Wan Jinniu thought for a moment. "The current market rate in Liyue Harbor is about 500 Mora for a Damaged Mask, 1,000 Mora for a Stained Mask, and around 3,000 Mora for an Ominous Mask."
Damn, that's pretty valuable.
"Since I killed so many Hilichurls, would you mind buying the loot from me directly? It's a bit cumbersome to carry around."
"Of course! To be honest, I'd be the one benefiting from this deal!"
Under Wan Jinniu's direction, the spoils from Bai Mo's kills—eight Hilichurls, five Hilichurl Shooters, and one Hilichurl Berserker—were quickly tallied.
"Six Damaged Masks, six Stained Masks, and two Ominous Masks, totaling 15,000 Mora. Additionally, the crude crossbows and bolts dropped by the Hilichurl Shooters, plus the Black Crystal Horn from the Berserker—I'll count it all as 10,000 Mora. Here's 25,000 Mora in total." (Teyvat's prices are about ten times lower than in the game.)
Though Bai Mo wasn't sure about the exact market rates, he could tell Wan Jinniu wasn't trying to cheat him—if anything, the merchant might have even rounded up in his favor.
"Thanks a lot. I was running low on travel funds, so this is a huge help!"
"Ah, may I ask where you're from, young master? Your attire doesn't seem typical of Mondstadt or Liyue."
"Just call me Bai Yujing. I'm merely a wandering traveler."
Bai Mo didn't give his real name—after all, when venturing into the world, a good alias was essential for survival.
"Oh, Sir Bai! May I ask which nations you've visited? We'd love to hear some stories to broaden our horizons!"
"Hahaha..."
Faced with Wan Jinniu's enthusiasm, Bai Mo reluctantly shared a few tales from his memories of the desert and rainforests of the Dendro Nation, along with a snippet or two about the Hydro Nation. Fortunately, once the caravan was ready to depart, he managed to escape further questioning by boarding one of the wagons.
Bai Mo wasn't too concerned about Wan Jinniu gathering information about him. As a merchant operating across two nations, it was hard to say whether the man had ties to any particular faction.
Still, the merchant was quite the smooth talker!
After probing for some details, Wan Jinniu promptly gifted Bai Mo a bottle of Mondstadt's specialty—Dandelion Wine, and a premium vintage at that.
Taking a sip of the one-liter bottle, Bai Mo marveled at how ingredients and dishes from another world were so much richer in energy. The Dandelion Wine had a slightly bitter taste, but the added honey lent it a sweet aftertaste, softening and mellowing the wine's aroma.
Thanks to the elemental energy of this world, Bai Mo could even taste the essence of the wind in the wine—an inexplicable sensation, like a warm, gentle breeze.
By the time he finished the bottle, Bai Mo found himself thoroughly enchanted by the first otherworldly dish he'd ever tasted. If possible, he'd love to buy eight or ten bottles to take back home.
As the last drop of wine slid down his throat, his Gourmet Cells stirred slightly, growing more active. More importantly, his system, silent for half a year, finally chimed again.
[Ding~ Congratulations, host, for tasting a Blue Three-Star Dish [Mondstadt Special Brew · Wind-Infused Dandelion Wine]! Obtained 870 Deliciousness Points! Randomly acquired skill: Gale Step (Now you can run as freely as the wind)!]
[Recipe not yet recorded~]
A Blue-tier dish?!
This was completely unexpected. Before this, the highest-rated dish Bai Mo had eaten was only Blue-tier, with most being Green, White, or even Gray-tier.
Truly, the ingredients and flavors of other worlds were the goals he should strive for in the future!
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T/N:
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