Ryan slept for a while, and blessed by the Spring Sprite, he was full of energy.
He decided to travel under the stars and moon, pushing onward.
Having unloaded the cargo from the back of the carriage, the weight was reduced, increasing the carriage's speed by thirty percent as it galloped along the Dao.
He needed to reach Dawn Winery within four days.
During meals, he allowed the horses to rest and regain their strength.
A day later, he entered the third fork in the road, leaving the Springvale area.
He drove into a wide canyon with towering stone walls on both sides.
During the day, the sun was quite hot.
Now, entering the canyon, a cool breeze swept across his face.
As he traveled through it, he could see many abandoned carriages, wagons, and broken wine barrels due to the Dragon Calamity and Hilichurl attacks.
Ryan found a spot with a pond, leaned against a giant rock that provided shelter from the wind, set up his tent, and rested for the night.
The ample space in his travel backpack allowed him to carry a room's worth of supplies, ensuring he could live comfortably anywhere.
The delivery route was a bit monotonous.
He fed the horses water and grass, then continued reading 'Fischl's Midnight Phantasmagoria' for a while.
His sword lay to his left, and his crossbow to his right.
He closed his eyes briefly.
In the dangerous wilderness, one could never relax their guard.
However, the alert horses would let out a high-pitched whinny when Hilichurls or Slimes approached.
Two days later, the post station marked on the map was almost reached.
A triangular, jutting cliff extended from one side, blocking out the sunlight and casting a deep shadow.
The sun had not yet risen, and the morning mist had not yet dispersed.
Ryan saw a figure.
A person with brown hair tied in a Horsetail, dressed in purple-black clothes, long boots, and white pants, abandoned a cargo cart full of items that was pulled by a Wind Slime, and ran towards him, clutching his head in terror.
"Help! Help!"
"Run! There's a Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute, a Samachurl, and Hilichurls behind me."
Fara shouted, the unsuppressed green light of his artifact shining like a lamp.
Ryan stopped the carriage, his gaze piercing through the morning mist.
The rumbling sound of running echoed through the canyon, and a robust, bushy-maned, sleek-skinned Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute, revealing its curved horns, holding a shield, violently crashed into the cargo cart.
The entire cart shook, its wooden frame shattered, and the huge Wind Slime bound to it panicked.
It flapped its small white wings, desperately trying to fly.
"La, La…" Amidst cheerful calls, a Hydro Samachurl, clutching a staff taller than himself, scurried over with his short legs.
His chanted Spell brought a small area of rain.
On both sides, three Shield Hilichurls carrying wooden clubs, and a Hilichurl with fiery red hair, appeared.
Fara frantically patted his damp clothes, running out of the range of the small dark cloud above his head.
Ryan raised his crossbow and shot an arrow through the Hilichurl who had dug up a Fire Slime from the ground and was preparing to throw it.
The Vaporize power born from the collision of Fire Element and Water element was a serious threat to Fara's life.
Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda.
"Since you have an artifact, then hold on for a while under the Shield Hilichurl's attack."
"I'll go kill the Samachurl and the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute!"
Ryan, holding a crossbow in one hand and a sword in the other, moved like the wind, bypassing the Shield Hilichurls and charging towards the Hydro Samachurl.
Based on game experience.
When killing enemies, one should naturally kill the healer first, who can heal monster injuries with Hydro element.
"No! Can you do it?" Fara looked anxious.
So reckless? A Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute plus a Samachurl, many Knights of Favonius find them difficult to deal with.
The Hydro Samachurl saw the human attacking.
It waved its staff.
A pillar of water rose from the ground, like a fountain with immense impact and penetrating power.
Ryan rolled, and shot another arrow.
"It hit!"
However, he didn't rejoice too soon.
The Hydro Samachurl swayed, an arrowhead embedded in its head, but it didn't fall.
More importantly, Ryan's peripheral vision caught the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute, attracted by him, throwing a Dendro Slime.
To his left, a Fire Slime also arced through the air.
Two explosions, Fire Element and Dendro element, burst into Burning.
Protected by the artifact's glow, Ryan jumped away in time, then charged towards the Samachurl with his sword.
The shielded Mitachurl blocked him, striking fiercely.
Ryan pulled back, avoiding the blow, and his heart sank.
Looking around, the situation was not good.
The throwing Hilichurl, hit by an arrow, was severely injured but not dead.
The Hilichurls in front of him seemed even stronger than those he had encountered before.
Their vitality, attack, defense, resistance to physical and element, and methods of cooperation had all qualitatively improved.
If quantified as game data, their Rank was at least five Ranks higher than before.
The Hydro Samachurl re-summoned the dark cloud and rain, covering itself and the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute.
Ryan, holding his crossbow, again swung an arrow to the left, launching it like a javelin.
The arrowhead pierced through its head.
After a finishing blow, he finally killed the sneaky throwing Hilichurl who had been tossing Fire Slime bombs.
The dirt and Shitou became damp, and three continuous water pillars surged from the ground.
The blessing of the Spring Sprite allowed Ryan to anticipate the Hydro element's traces, and by relying on slightly clumsy rolls and positioning, he narrowly avoided them at the last moment.
Lacking experience in combat against elemental Spells, his movements were like a stumbling child's, struggling and only able to learn in life-and-death battles.
The malice of water permeated the air, and more and more Hydro element gathered, causing the Hydro Samachurl's injuries to begin healing.
This was a difficult battle.
The Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute's shield, condensed from Dendro Slimes, possessed powerful physical defense and recovery capabilities.
Ryan's sword scraped against the shield's carvings, disfiguring it.
Each time, he was just short of being able to penetrate the thick shield.
"Damn it!" He saw the Samachurl hiding behind the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute, making mocking hula-hula sounds.
Ryan turned and ran directly back.
Over there, Fara was clutching his head, the light from his artifact dim, beaten black and blue by three Shield Hilichurls.
It looked dangerous, but his life wasn't in peril.
"This guy's artifact, it couldn't all be for defense, could it!" Ryan looked at the opponent who was taking hits without fighting back, and kicked away a Shield Hilichurl.
These ordinary wooden shields could not block his sword's edge.
After a few swings, cracks appeared.
"Thank you, thank you!" Fara said gratefully, then suddenly saw the ferocious Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute charging after Ryan.
"Oh no…" he shouted, and bolted to the side.
"Just in time!" Ryan, however, was delighted.
His purpose in coming back to save people and kill the Shield Hilichurls was to lure the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute to chase him, leaving the Hydro Samachurl's "Rain Call" range.
"I remember..." He held his breath, his concentration sharper than ever.
"After a charge and a strike, the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute will expose an opening, revealing its body behind the shield."
Waiting, waiting.
Constantly moving, preventing himself and the Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute from being under the Samachurl's Spell.
The wooden shield raised a fierce wind, and Ryan retreated towards the cliff face.
"Ya yika!"
"Nini zido!"
The verbal provocation led the enraged Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute to crash headfirst into the stone wall.
Dust and falling Shitou flew everywhere.
Just as it was shaking its muddled head, preparing to turn around, Ryan dropped his crossbow and gripped his sword with both hands.
He charged with all his might.
Drew the sword, plunged it in.
Pulled out the sword, plunged it in again.
The sword's edge went from buttock to intestine, from muscle to bone.
Each sword thrust brought spurting blood.
It sprayed all over Ryan.
Helpless, a dirty tactic, but very effective.
The Mitachurl was too tall, and his sword could not effectively reach its back of the head, so he could only aim at the vital points of living beings, continuously dealing damage.
He pressed his entire body against it, muscles bulging, preventing the struggling, turning, and wanting-to-leave Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute.
The sword hilt twisted, the entire blade sank in, green flowing light mixed with bright red.
It sliced horizontally.
The massive body split into two.
The Wooden-Shield Hilichurl Brute's tragic death wail made the distant Fara tremble with fear.
Too ruthless!
Truly, too ruthless!
This Liyue person must not be offended.