The cultivation record of the original demon in Teyvat continent

After enjoying a steaming lunch, he said goodbye to Albedo and then went down the snow-capped mountains and returned home. The improvement in physical fitness brought by bathing in the dragon's blood made Xia Yu not feel too tired even after walking for nearly half a day.

Although Abedo had said that he needed to take care of a friend for him, he never mentioned who his 'friend' was until he left.

Forget it, let's manage the current situation first. Although the little black dragon is still in its infancy, it understands his own thoughts, but it can't express what he wants very well now.According to Abedo, this situation should last for about a week. After a week passes, the little black dragon, which has initially gained the ability to express himself, will be able to express what he wants to express accurately and quickly.

Isn't this similar to a baby learning to talk?

But this is raising a dragon after all...Xia Yu suddenly realized a very scary thing, that is the dragon's appetite.Although we have seen this little black dragon on the snowy mountain as an omnivore, its appetite is really quite big.

After satisfying myself, Sugar, Noelle, and Albedo, more than half of the large pot of food was left, but it was wiped clean by this little guy easily.With his young body, it was difficult for Xia Yu to imagine how so much food could be stuffed into this little guy's round belly.

In other words, the efficiency of earning mola must be further improved.

"Little guy, which direction are you going to develop in?" Xia Yu, who was teasing Xiaolong gently, felt a little curious. Because he had seen Du Lin's past in his dream, and added the truth that Abedo secretly told him before leaving, Xia Yu Several books have confirmed that this little dragon is the reincarnation of Du Lin.

Durin has a very special negative connotation for the entire Mondstadt region. Although a long time has passed since then, the wind god Barbatos has personally experienced the original battles and disaster-ridden scenes. When he sees Barbatos again, I guess I have to explain it to him properly...

Control, recovery, moderation, play... After receiving the intermittent information from the little black dragon with a serious look on his face, Xia Yu, who gently touched the little guy's head, gave up his intention to continue questioning.

Sure enough, these things should not be rushed. Just when Xia Yu stood up and was about to take the little guy back to the house to prepare the dishes for sale tomorrow, the sound from the door caught Xia Yu's attention.

After opening the door, Ying and Paimon appeared at the door. The smiles on the faces of the two people who came to find him seemed a little strange. "Um...Xia Yu, can I ask about the specific business hours of your store?" Paimeng asked Xia Yu with a look of anticipation on his face.

"Originally, we planned to come to your shop for lunch after finishing our work with the Knights, but we didn't expect you weren't here..." When he said this, Xia Yu finally understood. It turned out to be Paimon. The little guy is greedy.

Considering that Abedo has not finished building the refrigerator and many ingredients are not easy to store, Xia Yu said: "Because I don't have all the things I want when I open the store, so I can't fix it yet. But as long as there are no If something unexpected happens, we will definitely still have business hours from three to five days a week. After all, I make money from this craft."

"Okay!" Xia Yu couldn't help laughing as Paimon flew several times in the air because of his happiness. The cheerful atmosphere also infected the girl beside him, and the blond girl Ying who also showed a smiling face patted her gently. After patting Paimeng's little head next to her, when Ying's eyes returned to Xia Yu, the girl's expression suddenly changed dramatically.

"Xia Yu, you... behind you!" Ying pointed at the position behind him in mid-air, his eyes widened with an unbelievable look. "Xia Yu, dragon! There is a dragon behind you!" Xia Yu couldn't help laughing as Ying reminded Xia Yu crazily.

"Don't worry, there will be no problem. This little dragon is one of the gains from today's trip to the snowy mountains. And it has been inspected by Albedo and there will be no problems." Xia Yu, who thought he wanted to talk about Du Lin's identity, was here After explaining, he found that the girl shook her head crazily.

"No, that's not what I want to say." Because she had direct contact with Tewarin and Barbatos, Ying's eyes looked at Xia Yu with a look full of envy. "This is a dragon! Is such a rare creature as special to you as the monsters in your yard?"

"Ouch~" It was as if he understood what Ying was saying, or maybe he became interested in seeing Paimon floating in the air being able to fly just like him. The little black dragon flapping its wings imitated Paimon's behavior and floated. Next to Xia Yu, the little black dragon seemed to feel that floating in place was a bit too strenuous. The little black dragon stopped and stood on Xia Yu's outstretched arm. The happy look in his eyes made Ying, who had watched the whole process, extremely envious.

really!Not only ordinary monsters, but even dragons are so close to him!Why don't I have such ability?

Chapter 43 When encountering difficulties, take a good nap.jpg Du Lin

Although Ying and Paimon came to the door asking for food, the two people standing at the door seemed to have no intention of entering or leaving. They leaned on the door like door gods, each with a face. He looked quite embarrassed.

This expression... Xia Yu had seen it too many times in his original world. Xia Yu, who was familiar with the ways of the world, immediately understood. She definitely came to him because she had something unspeakable and wanted her help.

Last night in the Angel's Gift Bar, I saw Barbatos, the god of wind, as well as the acting leader of the Knights of the West Wind and Diluc, a former member of the Knights, discussing matters related to the Sky Piano, and their ultimate goal It is to save the corrupted and cursed Tevalin, so there must be something wrong in some link, and then this goal will most likely not be achieved.

Although I don’t know the purpose of the Sky Piano, the combination of this trio should be able to surpass Tvarin in terms of combat effectiveness.And it is also written in the poem of praise that the Sky Piano is an instrument that Barbatos often plays, and the beautiful and moving melody it emits is deeply loved by Tvarin.

Therefore, there is a high probability that the role of the Sky Piano is to bring back the sanity of Tevalin who was going crazy due to the curse.

And what do you have?It can be regarded as an ability that is compatible with Warcraft, but judging from Tevalin's indiscriminate attack on the day he attacked Mondstadt, his ability does not seem to have any effect on Tevalin.The second is to assimilate and absorb part of the corrosive blood belonging to the demon dragon Dulin in Tevalin...

Coupled with the awkward expressions of Ying and Paimon who couldn't say anything, Xia Yu also roughly understood their purpose of coming to him - to help Tvarin clean up the corrosive blood.

"Hey...you don't want me to go to the Wind Dragon Ruins with you, do you?" After telling his guess, Xia Yu, who felt that he had made a good guess, stared at the two of them, the guilty blond girl and her The mascot beside him was shaken all over. The sweat on his forehead kept sliding down his cheeks and fell on the grass. The beautiful face with a fake smile also began to twitch.

Obviously, I guessed correctly with a high probability...

'Snapped! Ying clasped her hands together and lowered her head suddenly. After avoiding Xia Yu's sight, Ying shouted loudly: "I'm so sorry! The Sky Piano was destroyed by Tevarin who lost his mind! So our original plan to wake up Tevarin was Failed!"

ha?Another bombshell hit, which meant that the situation was more dangerous this time. Originally, Xia Yu thought that even if he wanted to help, the most he could do was to extract the corrosive blood from Tevarin after he was awakened by them. It's just that the journey to the Wind Dragon Ruins is a bit far.

But now?What he has to face is a "semi-crazy" Tvarin.Although the three of them supported the frontal battlefield, Tevalin was a giant dragon that was over a hundred meters tall, and the battlefield was still in the ruins of ruins.

How can ordinary people find a safe place to stay in a battlefield dominated by a crazy [-]-meter dragon?I'm afraid he can be buried before they finish beating him.

"This is not possible." Xia Yu refused Ying's request without hesitation. Looking at Ying's expression that still refused to give up, Xia Yu explained extremely seriously: "Think about it, besides being able to have a slightly better relationship with monsters, , the physique is stronger than ordinary people due to the blood of the demon dragon, but not in other aspects."

"I have never participated in a battle, nor have I experienced relevant training. Even if you want me to start practicing now, how can someone who has not been here for more than a few years avoid being exposed in the ruins from Tevalin when fighting with you?" What’s the impact situation?”

"And I don't have the Eye of God, and I'm not like you who can use the power of elements even without the Eye of God. The Wind Dragon Ruins are recorded in poems and were once the territory of the lonely king of the high tower. If you step on the building Being affected by the fighting between you, falling from a height of tens of meters or even nearly a hundred meters, no matter how you think about it, it is a dead end... In short, for me, this cannot be called going to help, but it should be It’s called giving away one’s life.”

"Huh?" Paimon, floating in mid-air, looked a little dissatisfied. "Why are you like this..." Paimon was halfway through his complaint when Ying raised his hand and stopped him.

"Stop talking about Paimon, Xia Yu is right."

Yes... Ying also woke up after listening to Xia Yu's explanation.I was too concerned about Xia Yu's affinity with the monsters and the fact that the dragon's blood entangled in him did not cause any harm to him.As a result, I was so focused on it that I forgot to consider other factors.

Why do you dare to participate in this matter?In addition to wanting to find out the truth, the most critical issue is his own combat power.

Even though all the power has been lost, this does not mean that the experience and consciousness of fighting will also disappear.After accidentally touching the Seven Heavenly God Statue in the Mondstadt area and obtaining the power of wind to slightly fill the gap in power, he had the leverage to participate in solving this matter.

This is like a solid defensive fortress that was originally built and lost all its advanced weapons and equipment due to enemy infiltration from the inside. Now someone has sent a batch of equipment that is several grades worse, although it is definitely not as good as the original one. But at least the original fortifications were still there, and the weapons, even if they were a bit inferior, were at least functional.

But what about Xia Yu?He was just an ordinary person originally, even though he had this kind of affinity and stronger physique that was like a blessing, but just like what he said, he didn't know how to fight.The most he can do in battle with strong physical fitness alone is to dodge, and he will also quickly die in the battle due to his lack of combat experience and many counterproductive actions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think well..." Xia Yu replied with her arms hanging down and her head lowered. The blond girl with a depressed look let out a long sigh, but she was not in a hurry to leave.

As if he had adjusted his emotions, Ying, who had been silent for a while, raised his head, his eyes showing seriousness, and said: "If we can successfully suppress Tevarin, we will come to you for help at that time. Can you help us?"

"That's definitely no problem. To be honest, I wouldn't be able to bear it if that big guy Tevarin came to Mondstadt every now and then and caused a few storms..." Recalling the disaster Tevarin caused to Mondstad a few days ago , Xia Yu felt a very headache.

Although I was very poor at that time and did not suffer any material losses, the impact on my interpersonal relationships seemed to be a bit big.

Especially the sky-blue haired female knight with two-handed swords who left the church that day. Being able to appear in such an occasion at least shows that she has a high position in the knights.And he was 'vindicted' by such a knight!And the serious look on her face when she left didn't look like she was joking.

I was held grudge by a senior member of the Knights!What should we do if we stumble upon ourselves?Therefore, it would be better to finish Tevalin's matter completely.

"Anyway, if you can guarantee my safety, I will agree."

————————————————————————

After sending Ying and Paimon away, Xia Yu, who was leaning blankly in front of the door, also had mixed feelings in his heart.

This is a world where the law of the jungle can be practiced blatantly in the wild.Once you step out of the inner city, you are always in a dangerous environment.

It is no longer the orderly and stable society ruled by law... Although there is the Knights of the West Wind in Mondstadt to protect the security of the city, this security is not absolute. The most obvious example is yesterday's message from the Abyss Mage. sneak attack.

Although according to Abedo, when this little black dragon, which is most likely to be Dulin, matures and knows how to express its thoughts, ordinary abyss mages will not be its opponent.But after all, this is using foreign objects to protect oneself.

Do you really want to train yourself how to fight?But how could such a thing be accomplished within a few years?Devoting himself wholeheartedly to training means that there is no time to explore ingredients, practice cooking skills, and do other things... Just when Xia Yu felt confused, the sound from behind attracted Xia Yu's attention.

Turning his head to look, Noel who had packed his belongings appeared in Xia Yu's field of vision. Noel's expression changed slightly when he saw that he had turned his head. "Xia Yu, do you need to go to the West Wind Church to check your eyes?" Noel's reminder, which revealed concern in his tone, left Xia Yu confused.

Is there something wrong with your eyes?But I didn't feel there was any problem... "Noelle, what's wrong with my eyes?" Xia Yu looked particularly serious when he asked Noelle because it involved physical problems. "Did something unusual happen?"

"No, it's just that the color of Xia Yu's eyes has changed. I originally thought it was an accident." After explaining, Noelle breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Xia Yu was no different from usual. "It just changed from the original deep black to a dazzling and brilliant red... If it's okay with you, Xia Yu, that would be great."

ha?Has your eye color changed?The answer Noelle gave made Xia Yu not know what to say. "Wait a minute...I'll go take a look." After saying this to the little maid who felt relieved, Xia Yu quickly ran to the ferry on the shore of Gujiu Lake and lowered his head...

It's really...the eyes as bright as rubies made Xia Yu feel uncomfortable for a while when he saw the changes in his eyes.But so far, the good thing is that apart from just a change in color, I haven't felt any impact on my life.

Is this also the impact of the dragon's blood?Unsure of the situation, Xia Yu returned to his residence. Although he was mentally tired after running for most of the day, he still had to do what needed to be done.Although the remaining time in the afternoon is not too much, it is enough for a trip to Qingquan Town.

The last plan to go to Qingquan Town with Keli was interrupted because Tevalin attacked Mondstadt, but this did not mean that he could not go to Qingquan Town.As the best meat supply point in the surrounding areas of Mondstadt, being able to purchase excellent ingredients from the source is extremely important for the chefs who open the shop.

"Noelle, if you have time later, please accompany me to Qingquan Town." After calling the little maid who was following him, Xia Yu looked at the little black dragon who was following him and was in trouble.

Although this little black dragon that looks like Dulin looks harmless, to be honest, it is only in his own field of vision.No matter how small a dragon is, it is still a dragon. In the eyes of ordinary people, it is a dangerous creature.

Coupled with the recent impact of Tvarin's madness on the Mondstadt area, ordinary people in the Mondstadt area have almost reached the point where they are talking about it.Taking it to Qingquan Town in this environment may cause some unnecessary trouble...

"Ouch..." It seemed that his own emotions had affected the little black dragon. The little black dragon resting on his shoulder looked at him pitifully, with a look of grievance in his big moist eyes.The little guy, who was holding his collar and shaking gently, didn't seem to want to be separated from him.

This is a bit difficult...

"Little guy, it's not that I don't want to take you, but because recently everyone in Mondstadt is afraid of dragons because of the wind dragon Tevarin..." Xia Yu, who tried to communicate with the little black dragon, felt like he was coaxing Like a child who had been wronged, when Xia Yu mentioned the wind dragon Tevarin, he felt that the emotions conveyed by the little black dragon became extremely aggrieved.

"I can take you for a stroll after Tevarin's problem is completely solved... How about if I make you a delicious steak as compensation when I come back, I guarantee you like it?"

The food offensive finally had some effect. Although the little black dragon nodded and understood the meaning of his words, he still looked very aggrieved. "Urululu..." The aggrieved little guy made an unknown murmur while flying into Xia Yu's room from the window.

Looks like you agree?After feeling that the little guy got into the small nest prepared for it and began to sleep soundly, Xia Yu decided to speed up the action and asked Noelle: "Noelle, do you know the leader of the hunters in Qingquan Town? Food in the future When it comes to purchasing meat, I want to get the supply directly from the place of production.”

"Of course I know you." When it came to interpersonal relationships, Noelle nodded with a confident smile. "Mr. Durraf is the most famous hunter in Qingquan Town. And because his daughter came to work in Mondstadt, Mr. Durraf would secretly come to Mondstadt to take a look or two when he was free. He felt that Somewhat rebellious daughter.”

That's great!After finishing things earlier, come back and comfort the aggrieved little black dragon in your room.

Chapter 44 A trip to Qingquan Town, the liar and the cat-eared...middle-aged man!?

Qingquan Town is a relatively prosperous town located in the south of Mondstadt. Most of the residents in the town make a living by hunting.In this world full of monsters, even though members of the Knights of the West Wind are constantly patrolling the Mondstadt area to ensure the safety of the people in the Mondstadt area, for the hunter profession, in order to hunt, they often venture into Some relatively dangerous areas.

At this time, the role of an experienced hunter leader comes into play: planning the route and quantity of each hunting, determining the hunting ban period and reducing the amount of hunting to ensure that life will not be affected by over-hunting. These experienced professionals Hunters can basically do it, but there is only one thing that is a bit difficult:

Master the whereabouts of monsters from the safest distance.

Yes, since humans who are discovered by monsters have a high probability of being attacked by monsters, for hunters in Teyvat, the priority of judging the behavior of monsters is much higher than the first two, but wandering Monsters and hidden deceivers are not as easy to predict as ordinary beasts. Therefore, only those who can perfectly grasp these can become truly outstanding hunter leaders.

And Mr. Durav of Qingquan Town is an excellent leader. Even without the Eye of God, his hunting skills and experience that he has developed over many years have made him an excellent hunter. In addition, he belongs to the Katzlein family. With the help of this bloodline, which is like a divine help to hunters, the middle-aged Dulav became the well-deserved hunter leader of Qingquan Town.

"The bloodline of the Katzlein family?" Xia Yu was interested for the first time when he heard that it was like a special bloodline inheritance in a novel.Since coming to this world, among the people I have met and known, except for the young Keli, who has elf blood, everyone is basically an ordinary person. The accumulation of strength relies on years of training and being taught by the gods. The Eye of God obtained after being favored.

So, what unique advantages do these families with special bloodlines have?Xia Yu, who was curious, asked the little maid next to him who was popularizing news about Qingquan Town: "Noelle, can you tell me what special abilities the Katzlein family bloodline has?"

"Of course it's no problem~" Noelle had a sweet smile on his face.

"The bloodline of the Ketzlein family can be said to be one of the bloodlines most suitable for hunters and assassins. They have physical flexibility and balance that far exceed that of ordinary people, and their reflex nerves, hearing, and smell are also significantly better than ordinary people. People, when sneaking or ambushing, they can better adjust their bodies to prevent being discovered by others."

"At night, even if there is only a faint moonlight, for the people of the Ketzlein family, this is enough for them to easily distinguish the prey hidden around them just as easily as during the day. The higher the concentration of the ancient blood, the more likely they are to The stronger the ability that can be inherited..." Noel's eloquent conversation made Xia Yu feel extremely envious for a moment.

In other words, in this world, a member of the Ketzlein family will stand in front of the finish line when he is born. As long as he does not squander his talent blindly, the members of this family will be among the best among human beings. batches.

If you are lucky enough to get the unique eye of God in this world, it will simply become stronger and you will directly step into the ranks of winners in life.The power of the Katzlein family made Xia Yu even more interested in Mr. Durav who was about to meet.

Walking out of Mondstadt from the main entrance, you came to the long bridge across the lake. The long bridge was so quiet that Xia Yu took a few extra glances.

Strange, where are all the pigeons on the bridge on weekdays?In Xia Yu's impression, a child would come to the bridge every morning and afternoon to sprinkle some grains to feed the pigeons staying on the bridge, but today neither the child nor the pigeons appeared.

What happened to Mondstadt recently?Although I was a little confused, I didn't see a mission to find the missing child posted when I passed by the Adventurer's Guild reception hall, so I didn't need to worry too much about this.

Maybe the children's parents have restricted their children's movement in light of the recent Tvarin attack on Mondstadt, and the pigeons won't stay on the bridge since there is no food.After guessing the possible reasons, Xia Yu and Noelle went all the way south to the gate of Qingquan Town.

The thick but exquisite iron-wrapped wooden board clearly marked that you could reach Qingquan Town if you walked up. Next to the sign at the entrance of the town, a middle-aged man with yellow hair in a brown cotton and linen shirt was shouting loudly, seemingly speaking. It looks like something is for sale.

As if he saw himself and Noelle arriving, the man with a goatee hawked even more energetically. "Hey, this young man who is passing by, how about coming over and taking a look at the magical items I sell here?" The middle-aged man who greeted Xia Yu had a professional smile on his face.

"Brother, are you worried about your lack of strength? Do you want to have more power?" The middle-aged man who was promoting it like a fake old Chinese medicine advertisement took out a mysterious medicine from his pocket. A pretty looking glass vial. "As long as you drink three hundred molars of this bottle of spring water blessed by God, you can get revelation from God! Maybe it is also possible to directly obtain the Eye of God!"

This... looks like a bottle of drinking water, and three hundred molars is too outrageous. It must be a liar.Xia Yuwu, who originally didn't want to pay too much attention to this middle-aged man, suddenly discovered that the concentration of water elements in the bottle of pure water in his elemental vision was surprisingly high!

This is! ?Xia Yu, who was frightened by the water bottle in the middle-aged man's hand, carefully observed the glass water bottle in the middle-aged man's hand. Yes, although the activity was not very high, the strong and pure elemental power was transmitted from the 'holy water' in the bottle. from.

Seemingly realizing that Xia Yu was planning to buy, the middle-aged man began to encourage him again. "Hey, little brother, I didn't expect you to be quite knowledgeable. For three hundred molas, I'll sell you this bottle of holy water. How about it?" The eyes of the middle-aged man who was gently shaking the water bottle were filled with a treacherous look.

"Okay, three hundred molas, I want it." After taking out the molas from his pocket and paying the bill readily, the middle-aged man who received the money found an excuse and left quickly...a strange scene Noelle, who was following him, found it incomprehensible.

"Xia Yu, he..."

"Of course I know he is a liar. I have seen this kind of tactics too many times in my old world." Looking at Noel's more confused expression after listening to his explanation, Xia Yu explained with a smile: "You use magic Use the elemental vision of your eye to look at this bottle of holy water."

Elemental vision?Noelle followed the instructions with doubts and carefully observed the water bottle in Xia Yu's hand. "This..." Noelle was a little frightened by the ordinary-looking pure water in the water bottle, and he quickly raised his hands to cover his ugly appearance.

The purity and concentration of the water element in this bottle of water even exceeds that of slime, which is a water element monster!

"Right, even though he is selling fake goods, although this thing is not as mysterious as he said, it is definitely not as simple as ordinary water."

Xia Yu, who felt that he had successfully picked up the leak, was in a very good mood. Looking at the middle-aged hawker who had disappeared out of sight, Xia Yu continued: "I will study it when I get back. If you don't understand, you can also ask for advice on how to use sugar and a few days later." Albedo is coming to visit, but he really can’t afford to feed the water-element slimes he raises at home. No matter how much you think, buying such a bottle of clear water-element solution for [-] mola is a profit.”

"That's true~" Influenced by Xia Yu, Noel also had a smile on his face.If you asked Noelle what his favorite monsters were after living in the courtyard, it would have to be the slimes with silky texture and cute appearance. After finishing work, he would sit on a small bench in the courtyard and watch the little ones. The slimes rolling around on the grass are so healing!

Although the small interlude brought some surprises, business still had to be done.Although Qingquan Town, built around a semi-encircled valley and on the mountains, is much smaller than Mondstadt, its unique style huts and beautiful natural environment are a bit more tranquil and peaceful than Mondstadt. Natural farmhouse beauty.

Along the gentle stone steps, he entered Qingquan Town. Several men carrying long bows and arrows who were talking appeared in Xia Yu's field of vision. into the ears of Xia Yu and Noelle.

"Mr. Durav, all the wild boar and poultry harvested this time have been processed. Will the hunting ban this time remain the same as before?"

"Yes, we must avoid disturbing wild boars when they are giving birth. We will resume hunting after two to three months when the number of wild boars increases. We must remember to arrange for people to guard the vicinity of the hunting grounds every day. Over-hunting will only cut off our livelihood." Although there are several good hunting spots as we continue westward, there are too many monsters and it is still too dangerous for you."

"I understand, let's make arrangements now!"

Several people in the conversation made Xia Yu understand. The middle-aged man who was arranging tasks for the young hunters was the hunter leader Dulav he was looking for on this trip.

He has dark brown men's medium hair, a strong and handsome appearance, and the combination of a small mustache and goatee gives him a sense of humor.The toned body shape brought about by long-term hunting does not show a trace of fat. The experienced hunter who has just entered middle age is in the golden age of his career in terms of experience and physical fitness.

But this experienced hunter with a strong leadership temperament has a pair of small, fluffy brown cat ears on his head...

This... weird combination gave Xia Yu the feeling of letting all the tough guys at the gym participate in a children's show. Although there is nothing wrong with letting them interact with children, the huge contrast always makes people feel... I feel like something is stuck in my throat, like I can't express it.

And it’s no wonder that the bloodline of the Katzlein family that Noelle mentioned always feels inexplicably familiar. Isn’t this a characteristic of cats?

Durav, who seemed to have noticed the arrival of the two of them, turned to look at Xia Yu and Noelle, and fixed his eyes on Noelle.

"Miss Noelle, are you here today to inquire about the meat supply of the Knights during the hunting ban period? Don't worry, although wild boar hunting is banned, the scattered poultry and farmed cattle and sheep are still dried. The amount of meat and eye bacon is enough for the Knights for two to three months." Durav, with a smile on his face, skillfully told Noel the prepared plan.