The next day, Reisen Riou, thick-skinned, approached Raiden Ei for forging lessons.
"You still haven't given up?" she said, looking disappointed.
Reisen Riou blinked, then realized—she thought he was still chasing clone techniques.
"Ahem, not that. I want to learn forging to craft arrows and a bow," he clarified.
He showed her his broken Tempered Hunter's Bow, proof he meant forging, not clones.
"This bow's barely used, well-maintained. Normally, it'd last over half a year, but this one broke in under a month," he said.
Raiden Ei examined the wreckage. "A fine wooden bow. Your strength's growing fast."
"I can teach you blueprints for Mouun's Moon and Hamayumi. You could also forge a Messenger Bow with these methods. For bow billets, redeem merits at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Yae Miko has plenty," she said.
"Let's see your forging foundation."
"Zero?" he offered.
"Not quite zero. I read your Forging Basics thoroughly, and you explained it the other day," Reisen Riou said, grinning sheepishly.
"Ugh," Raiden Ei sighed, palming her forehead.
"How about teaching me theory first?" he suggested.
"Forging Basics is enough for beginners. Next time I'm here, have proper tools and a dedicated forge," she said, exasperated.
"Got it. I'll prepare," he nodded confidently.
No big deal. His Teyvat Common Knowledge LV6 gave him the edge—he knew more about forges than most smiths.
Raiden Ei stayed a few days, running more checks on Anko Kanno.
Beyond prior findings, she confirmed Reisen Riou's theory: his elemental-laced blood subtly strengthened his body, offsetting consumption. Anko, lacking elemental power, evolved her blood to draw faint elemental particles from breathing.
Her body struggled to process elements, so her blood ramped up oxygen and nutrient transport, boosting her appetite slightly.
Her digestive system also evolved, extracting more nutrients per bite.
Plus, during routine tasks—eating, sleeping, blade meditation—her high-energy organs auto-hibernated, cutting consumption.
Reisen Riou suspected she'd starved herself into this state days ago. Who evolves for that?
While Raiden Ei worked, Reisen Riou listed forging tools and materials, delegating purchases to Ritou's town magistrate. He gathered Flaming Flowers and Fire Slime gel—essentials for forging.
He and junior mikos planned a simple, efficient forge layout, closed to the public.
He also studied wooden bow-making. Though named bows (3-star) used composites or metal, wooden bows taught structure and had reference value.
Basic Hunter's Bows, soft and weak, could only down squirrels or rabbits—not boars or foxes.
War-grade Hunter's Bows (1-star), made of hardwood with smart design, hunted beasts and humans.
The Tempered Hunter's Bow (2-star), the best wooden bow, mixed in composites. It was the top mass-produced bow, its design brutally effective.
While procurement trudged along, Raiden Ei left—Anko's condition had stabilized (changes slowing).
She'd return monthly for a day or two until Anko's state fully settled (no changes or long-term stability).
…
Reisen Riou wanted Anko's strength, aiming to guide his digestive system to evolve.
After days of trying, he admitted Raiden Ei was right: Anko's body responded to her will, not his guided approach.
His efforts only made him hungrier, with no digestive boost. His body ignored his nudging.
Still, he gained a bit of General Willpower and Arrow Heart growth, guiding more arrows at once—an unexpected win. But deliberate training in that direction yielded little.
"Not surprised," he sighed. "This idealist power system's just absurd."
He found one trick: eating Seirai Island's Amakumo Fruit sped his growth, likely due to its rich Electro content.
But Amakumo Fruit was scarce, dangerous to harvest, and pricey. He couldn't afford it.
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