Noelle's eyes revealed confusion, making her look incredibly cute.
She asked softly, "Mr. Arkz, is there any special meaning behind giving our Adventurer Group this name?"
Seeing Noelle's expectant gaze, Arkz smiled slightly and said, "No!"
Noelle immediately froze, her large eyes filled with doubt.
Arkz continued, "The name Five-Color Squad doesn't have a special meaning; I just really like it and feel it suits you all perfectly."
"Look, yellow for Noelle, white for Barbara, purple for Fischl."
"Each member gets a color, how fitting."
Fischl glanced at her clothes and nodded.
"Purple does suit me quite well."
Noelle looked at her Geo Element Vision and fell into deep thought.
"Could the colors have some special hidden meaning?"
Only Barbara looked down at her white stockings, her face flushing slightly.
"White...?"
Fischl suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, there are clearly only three of us. According to what you said, shouldn't we be called the Three-Color Squad?!"
Arkz shook his finger, a mysterious expression on his face.
He beckoned, and the three beautiful girls exchanged glances before leaning over with their little heads poking out.
Arkz let out a strange laugh and delivered three sharp taps—bang, bang, bang—to their little heads.
"Idiots!"
"Isn't it perfectly normal for the Five-Color Squad to have three members! It's just like how the Four Heavenly Kings can have five!"
"Besides, who knows if more people will join your Adventurer Group in the future."
"Wuu~" The three of them covered their heads and cried out mournfully. Even the purest and kindest Noelle looked at Arkz with deep resentment.
The three exchanged a look, and a silent understanding was established at that moment.
They surrounded Arkz, using their bodies to form a barrier. Arkz could only surrender helplessly, allowing the three to administer their punishment.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Exactly three taps were returned in full.
Fortunately, this was just friendly roughhousing, and they were all holding back. If Noelle, with her divine strength, had gotten serious, tapping their heads would be like an ordinary person smashing a watermelon with a sledgehammer.
"Surrender, surrender."
Seeing that coercion wouldn't work, Arkz switched to temptation.
"As long as you use 'Five-Color Squad' as your Adventurer Group's name, I can introduce you to a place that is especially suitable for your training."
"That place is teeming with monsters, and their strength is distributed in a tiered fashion, from strong to weak. There will absolutely not be a situation where a beginner village BOSS is guarding the entrance."
"Not only are there many precious ores there, but there are also many treasure chests and rare items."
"Most importantly, that place is absolutely safe."
Rosaria, who had been eavesdropping nearby, raised an eyebrow. How did she not know Mondstadt had such a place? Arkz was indeed hiding great secrets.
Jean, the Acting Grand Master who had been pulled along by Rosaria, rushed out of the bushes with an excited expression.
"Really? Is there truly a place so suitable for them?"
"Mr. Arkz, thank you so much!"
Acting Grand Master Jean excitedly grasped Arkz's hand. She had always worried that Barbara and the other two might accidentally wander into extremely dangerous places like Domains.
Although the three of them joining forces—three Vision holders forming an Adventurer Group—was an extravagant setup, the wilderness was filled with countless monsters, and Abyss creatures were stirring restlessly within Mondstadt's borders.
Acting Grand Master Jean was genuinely concerned about the safety of these three.
However, young birds must eventually leave the nest and fly toward their own sky. All Acting Grand Master Jean could do was offer silent support from behind.
Restraining her loved ones in the name of love did not align with Acting Grand Master Jean's ideals of freedom.
Hearing Arkz's words, the three—Fischl, Noelle, and Barbara—showed moved expressions. After conferring amongst themselves, they agreed to Arkz's conditions.
Fischl: "It's a deal then."
Noelle: "The Adventurer Group's name will be changed to 'Five-Color Squad'."
Barbara: "You must introduce me to that training ground."
Arkz snapped his fingers and laughed, "No problem at all!"
...
...
The Underground Mine was undoubtedly an excellent training ground for novice Adventurers.
The terrifying environment and gloomy atmosphere were especially suitable for building courage.
Especially since the different levels of the Underground Mine had varying environments: mineral areas rich in Geo Element, Mushroom Floors filled with Dendro Element, and Frozen Layers saturated with Cryo Element. This could be said to provide field advantages for all three members of the Five-Color Squad.
It could also enrich their combat experience in different environments.
Most importantly, the monsters inside the mine increased layer by layer. The first underground level had no monsters, but as one descended deeper, strange creatures like Slimes and bats would appear.
Furthermore, the deeper they went, the richer the variety of monsters and the stronger their power became.
If they felt the monsters' strength exceeded their ability to cope, they could always return to the previous level to continue training their abilities, and only proceed deeper to challenge the monsters once they had sufficient confidence and strength.
However, before that, Arkz planned to clear out the entire Underground Mine first, ensuring it was safe before allowing the teammates of the Five-Color Squad to enter.
Since he had guaranteed their safety, he naturally could not leave behind any hidden dangers.
Arkz's clones had not been idle these past few days; they had already dug down to the 70th level of the Underground Mine. During this process, quite a few clones had been ambushed and killed by monsters lurking in the shadows. However, the varied abilities of these monsters allowed Arkz to master more countermeasures against enemies.
Moreover, Arkz had a premonition that he would soon meet the mastermind behind the scenes.
After bidding farewell to everyone, Arkz returned to the farm to begin preparations for completely resolving the hidden dangers in the Underground Mine.
Arkz used a Teleport Waypoint scroll to teleport to the entrance passage of the Underground Mine.
This time, he did not use a clone but went to the Underground Mine in person.
He intended to strike a deal with Zhongli.
Arkz walked to the location of the abandoned campsite where he had previously met Zhongli and shouted into the empty camp:
"Mr. Zhongli, are you there?"
Echoes reverberated through the empty mine, as if someone in the darkness was calling out for Zhongli along with Arkz.
Arkz was not worried about whether Zhongli could receive his message.
It was widely known that Rex Lapis was also known as the God of Contracts. He valued contracts above all else, often saying, "Even if the heavens fall, the contract must be fulfilled."
Since Arkz had already signed a contract with him, promising to protect Arkz within the Underground Mine, Zhongli certainly would not allow Arkz to truly face mortal danger. Therefore, he must be constantly monitoring the situation inside the Underground Mine.
Arkz did not wait long before a guest arrived, but the arrival was not Zhongli.
Hsssh—!
A cyan wind suddenly materialized in front of Arkz. The young immortal wearing a Yaksha mask quietly appeared before him.
The Conqueror of Demons, Xiao, had come upon hearing the summons!!!
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