As time passed, Ellin started feeling exhausted from the long, fast journey and stopped talking to conserve energy.
Arkz had initially wanted to chat a bit longer with Ellin, finding conversations with the young Damselette quite interesting, but he gave up the idea upon seeing the sweat beads on her face.
Arkz: "Ellin, should we rest for a while?"
Ellin wiped the sweat from her forehead and laughed, "Haha, is the uncle tired? But we can't rest yet."
"This stretch of road is a place frequently frequented by Hilichurls; it's very dangerous."
"Uncle, just hold on a little longer. Once we reach the place ahead where the Knights of Favonius are stationed, we can rest in peace."
Arkz opened his mouth but said nothing more, just burying his head and continuing to walk, though his favorable impression of the strong, independent, and kind young Damselette grew even stronger in his heart.
After a journey that wasn't too long, the two finally arrived at Star-Picking Cliff along the road.
At that moment, the number of people on Star-Picking Cliff was even greater than Arkz had anticipated.
There were young couples coming to Star-Picking Cliff for dates, Adventurers like Ellin and Arkz carrying out missions, and merchants selling goods. If it weren't for the lack of houses, Arkz would have almost thought it was a small marketplace.
Among the crowd, the Knights of Favonius patrolling back and forth were particularly eye-catching.
This season was exactly when the Cecilia bloomed on Star-Picking Cliff. The price of Cecilia in Mondstadt was not cheap, naturally drawing many people to come and pick them at this time.
To ensure that the sudden increase in foot traffic on Star-Picking Cliff did not cause major chaos, the Knights of Favonius had dispatched additional personnel to the Star-Picking Cliff outpost.
The stationed knights were increased from one to three.
However, even with the three Knights of Favonius coordinating tacitly, they could only barely stall the Ruin Guard; defeating it was still quite difficult.
Having run the whole way, Ellin was also panting heavily, but thankfully, her delivery mission was complete. After receiving the goods, the recipient eagerly opened the exquisitely packaged parcel in Ellin's hands.
Arkz took a closer look and saw it was actually a large bouquet of flowers; it seemed it was for a confession.
Confessing while holding flowers in a beautiful place like Star-Picking Cliff seemed quite romantic, if only there wasn't that untimely explosion sound.
A massive explosion echoed, and the previously harmonious gathering instantly turned chaotic.
The Knights of Favonius who had been stationed there maintaining order were now busy calming the panicked citizens.
"Everyone, do not panic. Run down the mountain along this road. There are Knights of Favonius stationed down below; it is very safe."
This Knight of Favonius was evacuating the populace while frequently glancing anxiously in the direction of the explosion.
Only after the crowd had been dispersed and it was confirmed that there would be no stampedes or trampling accidents did the Knight of Favonius rush frantically toward the direction of the explosion to provide support.
Just as Arkz was about to follow and help, he turned around only to find Ellin, who had been standing beside him, already running toward the direction of the explosion.
"Uncle, you should go with everyone else first. I'm going to help them."
With that said, their figures were almost gone.
Seeing this, Arkz immediately followed.
Boom—!
A huge explosion sounded. The Knight of Favonius clad in armor rolled to dodge the center of the attack, but was still a step too slow and was affected by the explosion's aftershock.
Fortunately, the armor he wore was sturdy enough to block most of the DMG.
However, the Ruin Guard, which had entered a combat state, would not let him go so easily. It immediately activated its 'Pinwheel,' its two thick iron arms spinning rapidly, easily shattering even solid rock.
This brave Knight of Favonius could only temporarily evade its sharp edge, relying on terrain advantage and agile movements to dodge the Ruin Guard's attacks.
But the Ruin Guard was, after all, a brutal machine, and its attacks, which had earned it a fearsome reputation among Adventurers, would not be so easy to evade.
Its thick arms pulverized large trees and boulders blocking its path. The originally rugged terrain became leveled under its violent destruction and bomb bombardment, truly deserving of the name 'Tiller'.
When the terrain advantage was gone, the Ruin Guard's seemingly clumsy body began to move quickly.
Making the situation even worse, constantly dodging and attempting counterattacks had consumed most of the Knight of Favonius's stamina, and his once agile movements slowed down, exposing numerous flaws.
Seemingly noticing his opponent's fatigue, the Ruin Guard pressed its advantage and unleashed its signature skill: tracking missiles.
Powerful and equipped with tracking capabilities, countless people had met their doom under this move by the Ruin Guard.
Luckily, reinforcements arrived at this critical moment.
The newly arrived Knight of Favonius shot an arrow with all his might, intending to detonate the bomb and save his comrade. However, although the arrow shot by the well-trained knight accurately hit the bomb, the weak attack failed to detonate it, only causing the bomb to deviate from its trajectory.
Judging by the power of the previous explosion, this Knight of Favonius, who was low on stamina due to constantly grappling with the Ruin Guard, did not have enough energy to escape the blast radius before the bomb detonated.
Just as everyone fell into despair, a green wooden shield quietly enveloped the Knight of Favonius who was about to be hit by the Ruin Guard's bomb, protecting him.
When the smoke cleared, the brave Knight of Favonius had successfully survived.
Everyone couldn't help but look up at the newcomer, only to see a heroic-looking Damselette staring blankly at them.
"Um, my name is Ellin, a reserve member of the Knights of Favonius. Is there anything I can help with?"
The moment the wooden shield appeared, the two Knights of Favonius knew they were saved. They had originally planned to call for backup, but now, with an allogene lending assistance, handling a mere Ruin Guard would be effortless.
Knight of Favonius: "Ellin, right? Thank you for your help. Leave this damned Ruin Guard to you. We will support you with archery from behind."
Ellin looked at the tall and ferocious Ruin Guard, then looked at her own slender arms and legs, and was stunned for a few seconds.
Ellin: "Me fighting the Ruin Guard? Seriously?"
Fortunately, Ellin, having witnessed the entire process, thought quickly during this crisis. She immediately realized that the two Knights of Favonius had misunderstood, believing that the wooden shield that helped block the Ruin Guard's bomb just now was released by her.
Therefore, there must be a powerful allogene nearby whom they could ask for help.
Thinking this, Ellin immediately looked behind her, only to find Arkz walking over at a leisurely pace, showing no fear of the Ruin Guard on his face.
As Elemental Power was infused, the Vision in Arkz's hand shone brightly, becoming dazzling.
As he passed Ellin, Arkz looked at the dazed and cute appearance of the Damselette and couldn't help but reach out and rub her head.
Arkz: "Don't worry, leave the Ruin Guard to Uncle."
Feeling her hair messy from being ruffled, Ellin finally snapped back to her senses, looking at Arkz with a puffed-out expression. Although she had many questions she wanted to ask, all her words finally condensed into one sentence: "Uncle, good luck!"