"Katheryne, what commissions are available?" Cyno's arrival hadn't affected Yu Jin's daily life; he came to the Adventurers' Guild as usual today to accept a commission.
"There are, Adventurers' Guild never lacks commissions, Mr. Yu Jin, please take a look." Katheryne still wore her unchanging smile as she handed Yu Jin a few papers, which were the new commissions received today.
"Hmm, I'll take a look." Yu Jin took the commissions and read them carefully.
Nothing special; today's commissions were still trivial matters.
Yu Jin glanced over them, wondering why they were all within Mondstadt City. No, he needed to find something else; he was a bit tired of Mondstadt City.
Got it, this one! Yu Jin looked at the Springvale cleanup commission before him. He felt it was time for him to go out and see something new.
"Miss Katheryne, I'll take this one!" Yu Jin shouted, accepting the commission.
Katheryne nodded upon hearing him and said, "Then, Mr. Yu Jin, please complete the commission within the stipulated time. To the stars and the abyss!"
"To the stars and the abyss!" Yu Jin echoed playfully, then rushed out of Mondstadt City.
Springvale, adjacent to Mondstadt City, where residents have always made a living by hunting.
Due to its proximity to dense forests and the hunters' reasonable hunting plans, the game produced here has always been abundant and known for its quality and affordability, which helped Springvale prosper.
Crossing the Mondstadt Bridge and following the road to the left, Yu Jin soon saw a small town nestled by the forest and Cider Lake.
Yu Jin strode in, and soon he saw a clear spring at the very front of the town.
Crushed stones and weeds covered the spring's edge, and a few broken fences haphazardly surrounded it, offering little protection.
Yu Jin pulled out the commission, compared it carefully, and confirmed, "Yes, this is it."
Then he ran up to a hunched old man in front of the fence and asked, "Mr. Old Finch?"
"Hmm? Who are you?" Old Finch heard someone call him, turned his head, and saw an iron can staring at him.
"Adventurer, Yu Jin!" Yu Jin patted his chest and continued, "I accepted your commission. Tell me the specific requirements."
"Are all Adventurers like this nowadays?" Old Finch muttered slightly, then continued:
"Please help clean up the trash and weeds from this small pond."
Yu Jin looked at the spring before him; it wasn't large, but it certainly wasn't small either. And for some unknown reason, the vegetation on its banks was extremely lush.
"Don't worry, I still have some savings," Old Finch said, seeing Yu Jin's stunned expression.
"Leave it to me!" Although Old Finch thought Yu Jin was being greedy, Yu Jin was actually just wondering if this old man had a problem. Why clean such a large pond for no reason? Did he have too much money?
However, since Yu Jin had accepted the commission, he had to complete it no matter what. His earlier daze was purely just zoning out.
Old Finch was startled by Yu Jin. Why were young people so jumpy these days?
But seeing Yu Jin immediately get to work, he didn't say anything more.
Yu Jin's hands moved quickly. This was his first time weeding. In fact, since joining the Adventurers' Guild, he had experienced many firsts.
First time finding a cat, first time picking flowers, first time running errands... and so on. Indeed, joining the Adventurers' Guild was the right choice!
His mind wandered, but Yu Jin's hands didn't stop. Large chunks of soil, along with grass roots, were pulled up by him.
The sun set in the west, and dirt flew.
Yu Jin stood up, feigning to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and looked at his day's masterpiece.
Ugh, it's so ugly!
This was Yu Jin's first impression. The lush green on the banks of the Springvale was gone, replaced by irregular black-brown clumps of mud.
It looked as if a dog had gnawed at it.
As an undead with a slight compulsive disorder, Yu Jin felt it necessary to give the bank a "makeover."
Looking at the stars in the sky, Yu Jin started working again. The achievement of working overtime for the first time, unlocked!
Yu Jin took a pitchfork and began his task of leveling the ground.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~" Springvale fell into a deep sleep early in the night, with only Yu Jin at the pond, humming an inexplicable tune.
Yu Jin moved around the pond as if tirelessly, his singing following wherever he went.
"Ha! It really does look better when it's flat." Yu Jin leaned on the pitchfork stuck in the ground, sighing slightly at his masterpiece.
Just as Yu Jin was about to find a random spot to lie down for the night, he suddenly saw a faint blue light flash in the center of the pond.
"Wow! Is this the legendary adventure?" Yu Jin immediately threw the pitchfork aside, staring intently at the center of the spring.
Actually, the Spring Sprite didn't want to appear directly like this; she preferred to converse with children in their dreams.
Unfortunately, Yu Jin never slept, which forced her to appear this way. However, it was her first time encountering an adult with a childlike heart like Yu Jin. Out of curiosity, she didn't care about the method of their meeting anymore.
"Holy crap, a Slime turned into a spirit!" Yu Jin exclaimed as he saw a creature, entirely translucent blue and resembling a spirit, fly out of the water from the center of the spring.
"What do you mean a Slime turned into a spirit? I am a Pure Water Spirit!" Yu Jin's first words made the Spring Sprite unable to maintain her composure.
"Oh, a Pure Water Spirit, never heard of it. Why are you looking for me? Are you going to give me some treasure?" Yu Jin's mind was now full of the adventures mentioned by bards.
The Spring Sprite's mouth twitched—if she had one. But Yu Jin had guessed correctly; in a sense, she had come out this time to bestow a blessing upon Yu Jin.
A childlike heart was something she loved because it signified vitality and flow. As a Pure Water Spirit confined to a small spring, she loved this vitality and flow.
And the person before her, although speaking of wanting treasures, cared more about the process of obtaining the treasure.
"Then, pure-hearted one, what do you desire?" The Spring Sprite hadn't seen such an interesting person in a long time, so she allowed Yu Jin to state his request.
"Uh, let me think." Yu Jin hadn't expected to have to choose, so he became troubled.
But he quickly made up his mind. Yu Jin looked at the Spring Sprite who had emerged from the water and replied, "I want the same swimming skills as you!"
Undead are easily soluble in water; everyone knows this. But Yu Jin was going to break this iron rule today; he wanted to be the first undead to swim!
"Haha, with a childlike heart, I bless you, pure and flawless one!"
"Your posture will be as agile as a fish, and your strength will come from the rushing water. They will allow you to reach the depths of the water!"
The Spring Sprite was amused by Yu Jin's words. A faint blue light emanated from her, flowing into Yu Jin.
A small power flowed within his body, fresh and vibrant, like a long-rushing spring.
And after bestowing the blessing, the Spring Sprite's aura visibly diminished.
Each blessing was a drain on her, but she didn't care.
"Why?" Yu Jin asked the weakening Spring Sprite. It's not commendable to share power when strong; but to share power with the weaker when one is so weak that one's own survival is not guaranteed, that is noble.
"Pure Water Spirits are born from flowing water and should flow endlessly. I was trapped in this spring due to an early mishap and should have perished here."
"But I saw, I saw the worries of children, I heard their confidences. Their never-ending heartbeats provided me with strength, their confided worries forged my form. It turns out, the flow of life is even greater than the rush of a hundred rivers!"
"I know children will eventually leave their homeland, so let my blessing be your wings."
"Then, the wish of the Pure Water will follow you, leaping across the land!"
The Spring Sprite reminisced; no one had ever asked her why she did this, but that didn't mean she didn't love to confide.
Those who listen to secrets always have more secrets buried deep in their hearts.
Is that so? What an interesting creature.
Yu Jin smiled at the Spring Sprite and said:
"A small blessing, I bestow upon you too!"