The cute cat paw water bottle was naturally a gift from Diona. Arkz had specially brewed a potion for Ellin's training today, and it was perfectly suited for this container.
Ellin took the cat paw water bottle, first examining it closely. After exclaiming how cute it was, she then eagerly opened the lid of the cat paw water bottle.
Recalling the taste of the tea Arkz had brewed before, Ellin couldn't help but look forward to the taste of the liquid in this adorable bottle.
Touching the exterior of the cat paw water bottle, it was surprisingly cool to the touch—an iced drink, perfect for drinking in such hot weather. As for Arkz's mention of the word "potion," Ellin decisively chose to ignore it.
With Arkz's skill, Ellin trusted that even if he brewed bitter traditional Chinese medicine, he could make it taste delicious.
As Ellin raised the cat paw water bottle to her lips, a sly thought crossed her mind: "Uncle told me to drink a little less, so drinking just one sip should satisfy the requirement, right?"
"It's just that this one sip might be a bit big."
Watching Ellin open her cute cherry mouth wide enough to fit a fist, Arkz's lips curved upward slightly.
Someone is about to have bad luck; I won't say who.
Arkz closed his eyes, turned his back, and silently counted: "Three, two, one!"
"Pfft—"
"What is this, it tastes so awful!!!"
Arkz slowly turned around and, as expected, saw Ellin holding the cat paw water bottle, wiping her mouth with a look of disgust.
"Uncle, why is what's in this bottle so disgusting? Did you grab the wrong thing?"
Arkz smiled triumphantly, "It's supposed to taste bad. I intentionally prepared the potion this way."
Ellin looked confused, "Why?"
Arkz replied, "Of course, it's because I was afraid you would secretly drink it all. I already told you this is a potion."
"The ancient saying from Liyue goes: All medicine is three parts poison. If I made this potion taste too good, you might just drink it all down in one go."
Saying this, Arkz reached out and tapped Ellin's head.
Ellin silently put away the water bottle and shot Arkz a resentful look.
Arkz said, "Alright, once you've rested enough, we'll continue training. How was your rest?"
Ellin replied full of energy, "Rested well, ready to continue training anytime."
Arkz exclaimed, "Very good! Very spirited!!!"
The scene shifted, and the two arrived again at the temporary training ground Arkz had set up for Ellin.
Arkz spoke with serious gravity, "From your attacks on the wooden dummy just now, I have grasped the general data of your body—the force, speed, and angles of your offense; I have a rough understanding of all of it."
"Next, I will adjust the wooden dummy to have combat strength equal to your level. This time, the dummy will dodge, but it will not counterattack. Your task is to hit the dodging wooden dummy."
"Do you understand?"
Ellin shouted, "Understood!!!"
Although Arkz had already reduced the speed and power of the wooden dummy to a level equivalent to Ellin's, under Arkz's control, Ellin's attacks were always just a little short of hitting the wooden dummy Arkz was controlling.
"Just a little short, just a little short, just a little short!!!"
Ellin swung the sword in her hand with all her might. The wooden dummy was clearly not stronger than her in terms of power or speed, so why couldn't she ever hit it?
Sensing that Ellin's stamina was nearly depleted, Arkz called a halt in time.
Although Ellin had enough stamina to easily run a marathon, the rate of stamina consumption during full-force combat was unusually fast.
Arkz said, "Rest for a while, drink some potion, and replenish your stamina."
Ellin wearily picked up the cat paw water bottle, her mind constantly replaying how to hit the wooden dummy. Her eyes were vacant, and she was absentminded, until she habitually gulped down a large mouthful of the potion from the cat paw water bottle. The strange taste of the potion made her face contort into a mess before she snapped back to reality.
It truly was a stamina potion developed by Arkz. In less than half a minute, Ellin, who had been utterly exhausted moments before, was already refreshed and brimming with vitality again.
Arkz asked, "Are you rested?"
Ellin replied, "Again."
Returning to the training ground, Ellin adopted an offensive stance. This time, however, Arkz shook his head. "This time, you defend. I will control the wooden dummy to attack."
Although Ellin hadn't anticipated this, she obediently followed Arkz's command, adopting a defensive posture with her sword.
Having been frustrated by the slippery, eel-like dodging style of the wooden dummy controlled by Arkz earlier, Ellin was determined to show Arkz her capabilities during this defensive drill.
However, as blades flashed, Ellin lost even more decisively this time.
The wooden dummy controlled by Arkz precisely maintained its force; it didn't even scratch Ellin's clothes, yet the moment it struck, it caused Ellin to cry out in pain. The pain from being hit created openings in Ellin's defense, and she was then battered even more miserably by the dummy's attacks.
As she dodged left and right, the defensive gaps in Ellin's guard grew more numerous until she could no longer resist. Ellin simply gave up and ran out of the wooden dummy's attack range.
Ellin cried out, "Stop for a moment, stop for a moment, let me rest a little."
Hearing this, Arkz smiled and halted the wooden dummy's attack.
Ellin shot Arkz a resentful look. She was certain her body must be covered in bruises, but when she lifted the sleeve of her arm, she found absolutely no scratches on the spot where her arm had been hit.
This time, Ellin realized that she had only felt pain at the precise moment of impact. Yet, despite being hit hundreds of times by the wooden dummy, there were no marks on her body, nor did it affect her normal movement.
It was clear how skillfully Arkz controlled the force of the wooden dummy.
Arkz beckoned Ellin over, saying, "Continue, that training session isn't over yet."
Ellin listlessly raised her sword. This training was much harder than she had anticipated. All she could do was complain, "The force is just right—a slight sting but leaves no mark."
Just as Ellin was enduring Arkz's devilish training, Siegfrieda's journey proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
Amu drove the carriage carrying Siegfrieda toward Springvale. Before they even reached the entrance of Springvale, Siegfrieda saw a large crowd of people standing at the town gate from a distance.
Siegfrieda initially thought something major had happened in Springvale and was about to take a detour, but then the crowd started shouting their names.
"Freya, Amu, over here, over here!"
Siegfrieda was completely bewildered, but then she saw Amu waving cheerfully at the crowd. She immediately understood that Amu was the reason so many people were waiting for them.
Siegfrieda urgently asked Amu for the reason. Their business hadn't even properly started yet; she desperately hoped these people weren't debt collectors.
Amu explained, "These are my friends from the Patrol Team."
Yesterday, while chatting with teammates in the Patrol Team, they learned that Amu was going to start a delivery business between Mondstadt and Springvale with Freya. They all expressed their desire to support Amu's venture by placing advance orders. Amu then arranged to meet his teammates at the entrance of Springvale.
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