If Li Sushang hadn't been so concerned about Durandal just now, her attention on the Xuanyuan Sword wouldn't have been so low. Coupled with Rita's superb skills honed over years of navigating the gray areas to obtain key props and intelligence, she was able to snatch away the Xuanyuan Sword.
Although Durandal had noticed Rita's actions the moment she made her move.
However, Durandal didn't expose Rita immediately. Instead, she asked with a half-believing, even somewhat curious expression, "Rita, was I really possessed by a ghost just now?"
Rita couldn't help but laugh. "Perhaps? After all, who can say if such things are real or not."
In fact, Durandal and Rita were thinking pretty much the same thing right now. The strange situation just now could be explained very well by ghost possession.
Hearing that neither of them denied it, Li Sushang's arms around Durandal couldn't help but tighten a little more.
"Alright, Rita, stop teasing Sushang," Durandal sighed. Rita also took out the Xuanyuan Sword from behind her back and handed it to Durandal.
This was the first time Durandal had truly touched the Xuanyuan Sword. The moment this golden longsword, which had attracted her attention from the very beginning, entered her hands, Durandal suddenly felt something coming from the sword, flowing up her arm and into her body.
It was as if something in her body had been cleared away. Her somewhat chaotic memories suddenly became crystal clear.
No... this isn't right!
Durandal lowered her head, her hidden eyes exceptionally sharp.
["I don't know if I'll have the chance to say this to you again... I'm leaving here soon, and we may have very few opportunities to meet..."]
["Forget it... I wish you could hear it... This can be considered my blessing to you in advance..."]
["Welcome to this... world worthy of being loved. And I hope we never have to say—goodbye forever."]
This was the beginning of her short life... it was the most deeply ingrained sentence in her memory... she wouldn't forget... and she shouldn't forget...
Durandal quickly composed her expression, lowered her head, and patted Li Sushang. "Alright, a great hero should be stronger. Take your weapon."
Li Sushang suddenly looked up, let go of Durandal, and did a carp flip, hugging the Xuanyuan Sword tightly. The sharp blade touched her body without any covering, a sight that was quite shocking to both Rita and Durandal.
In particular, Rita subconsciously glanced down at her own hand. There was a tiny cut on the pad of her index finger.
But she had clearly been pinching the blade just now, and her finger hadn't touched the edge at all... Perhaps she hadn't noticed her own mistake?
But Li Sushang's actions hadn't caused any damage. The blade hadn't even cut her clothes, even though it was a sharp sword that could split a hair and sheath itself upon falling when in her own hands...
With the Xuanyuan Sword by her side, Li Sushang's confidence returned. After giving the smiling Rita a resentful glare, she hugged the Xuanyuan Sword and sat silently.
"Lady Durandal, are you sure you don't need to go back to the base?" Rita showed no reaction to Li Sushang's sulking, just smiled at her.
Diverting the fire was indeed her doing. She would give some compensation later, such as making Li Sushang a delicious meal.
Durandal nodded. "Yes, I'm fine now... let's continue. Let's go complete our first S-class commission."
Seeing Durandal's determined look, Rita sighed, turned around, got out of the car, and returned to the driver's seat through the front door.
She had flipped over the seat before because she was in a hurry. Now that she wasn't, Rita regained her elegance.
"Then please fasten your seatbelts, we will continue," Rita said, turning back to the two of them. They obediently fastened their seatbelts, and Rita started the car, continuing on to Xieyang Mountain.
For the rest of the journey, Rita didn't initiate any topics. Li Sushang fell asleep after hugging the Xuanyuan Sword for a while, and Durandal stared at the constantly retreating scenery outside the window, looking at her reflection in the glass and slowly clenching her fist.
The person who gave me his blessing... where is he now?
He said he was leaving. What was he going to do?
Durandal didn't know any of this. In fact, she only remembered the words he had said. She couldn't clearly remember what he looked like, what his name was, or even his voice.
But that didn't stop Durandal from remembering him.
Life is always long. No matter how profound something is, it's just a fleeting moment in a person's life. Only those traces that span countless years are truly unforgettable.
A mayfly will firmly remember the sunrise of a single day. A young child is more likely to remember a casual promise. A sick old person can't forget their only hope...
And now, it seemed that only she could remember such a person who had suddenly appeared in her life.
Precisely because life is short, one can remember everything.
"Rita, I remember there was an S-class commission... was it to reopen the transportation between cities?" Durandal asked.
Rita nodded. "Does Lady Durandal want to take this commission?"
"Mmm..."
"This commission will take a long time. Does Lady Durandal want to resign from her position as a MOTH warrior?" Rita replied. "To complete this mission, you will need to open up an entire railway line, which will probably take two months."
Durandal was silent for a moment, then looked down at her palm.
"If I have the chance... I will do it."
I will never say that phrase... absolutely not.
---||---
"We're finally here~~" As soon as they got out of the car, Li Sushang rubbed her sleepy eyes, stretched lazily, and then moved her body around. "This is even more tiring than taking the train..."
Durandal was also stretching. She deeply agreed with Li Sushang's words. "It really is more tiring than the train..."
When taking the train, if you were uncomfortable or had been sitting for too long, you could get up and walk around, do some push-ups, or move freely. It wasn't a problem.
But in the car, you had to sit for over an hour, only able to look at the scenery outside. For the latter half of the journey, because Li Sushang was sleeping, Durandal didn't talk much.
No training, and it wasn't a real battle... Durandal felt that if she stayed like this for too long, she would definitely become withdrawn!
But it was fine now. They had finally arrived!
"Where is that scenic area?" Durandal turned to look at Rita.
"Lady Durandal, we need to go to the shelter here first to hand over the mission and get a better understanding of the situation in the scenic area," Rita said with her professional demeanor.
"And... it's mealtime now," Rita added at the end.
Grr—
Instantly, two clear sounds rang out.