"This is my former 'home.' No, even now, this is my haven."
Durandal brought Shenhe to her former residence at Cape Oath. When she saw that the flowers she had once cared for were all blooming beautifully, she couldn't stop smiling.
It seemed that Venti had kept his promise and taken good care of the flowers here during her absence.
Shenhe was awestruck by the vast flower field. Even though she had learned in conversation that Durandal had a field made of flowers, she hadn't felt much then.
It was only when she truly saw the area that Shenhe understood the magnificence of the flower field and felt Durandal's care for it.
Just as Durandal wanted to fully appreciate the surrounding atmosphere, one shadow after another rushed towards Durandal at an extremely fast speed.
Shenhe thought it was some kind of monster and was about to act when she saw one of the figures pounce towards Durandal. It was a very small rabbit, and it accurately landed in Durandal's arms.
Not only this rabbit, but also foxes, deer, and other cute small animals. In just a few seconds, Durandal was surrounded by these adorable little creatures, even more so than when she was at Cape Oath.
"Alright, don't be so excited. I'll be staying in Mondstadt for a while. Although I'll still leave, I'll make time to be with you all."
After Durandal's soothing, the small animals reluctantly left Durandal's side. They went to sit under Durandal's favorite tree, resting quietly there.
The small animals showed strong curiosity towards Shenhe. She came with Durandal, so she must be Durandal's friend.
First, a deer slowly approached Shenhe, sniffing her scent. After being gently petted on the head by Shenhe and sensing her goodwill, it couldn't help but want to get closer to Shenhe.
The little deer's actions caught the attention of the other animals. Before long, Shenhe also experienced the same treatment as Durandal.
Seeing so many small animals approaching her, Shenhe was a little overwhelmed at first, looking to Durandal for help.
But Durandal had no intention of helping, only nodding to her, signaling her not to be too nervous and to experience the goodwill of these little creatures.
Compared to humans, their goodwill was very pure. Although they couldn't speak, they would express their meaning vividly through their actions.
This was the first time Shenhe had been in such close contact with so many animals. After her initial bewilderment, she quickly calmed down and tried to pet these adorable little creatures like Durandal did.
When she saw them comfortably rubbing against her palm, she couldn't help but smile. Her smile was like the warm sun in winter, making people feel very warm.
The two stayed there until evening. If it were just Durandal, staying there wouldn't have been an issue.
But she didn't want Shenhe to push herself, so she went back to Mondstadt City with her, arrived at the pre-booked hotel room, and prepared to rest.
While Shenhe was bathing, a bird flew in from outside the window, landed on the table in front of Durandal, and chirped softly at her a few times.
Durandal nodded, rubbed the bird' head, and after it flew out of the room, she closed the window. Her body transformed into a black mist and vanished from the room.
In a quiet park in Mondstadt, Rosaria, whom Durandal had seen earlier in the day, was sitting on a bench, drinking from a bottle of wine.
When a black mist appeared before her, Rosaria quickly put down the bottle and stood up from the bench.
Just as she was about to bow, a hand reached out from the black mist, stopping Rosaria's movement. The next moment, Durandal's delicate face appeared before her.
"I told you, I don't care about these things. The next time we meet, there's no need for such meaningless gestures."
"I understand, Lady Durandal."
Durandal nodded and sat down on the bench where Rosaria had placed her wine.
"So, why did you invite me out so late? Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Yes. I wanted to tell you about the Fatui's movements in Mondstadt during your absence."
At the mention of the Fatui, Durandal, who had been rather uninterested, instantly perked up.
"Have they done anything else? Are they secretly plotting something again?"
"No, at least not on the surface. When I was investigating the Fatui a while ago, I didn't gather any useful information. The only thing that concerned me was their intelligence regarding Dragonspine."
"Dragonspine? Are you referring to Dragonspine?"
"Yes. They seem to have set their sights on Stormterror Durin, who fell on Dragonspine."
The giant dragon that once brought DMG to Mondstadt, Dvalin, was tormented by poisoned blood due to his battle with Durin.
Durin's resting place is on Dragonspine. If you go to Dragonspine now, you can still see a large skeleton, which is Durin's remains.
The Fatui's recent actions seem to be related to Stormterror Durin's remains. She doesn't know their specific plan yet; she is still investigating.
"Stormterror Durin..."
Durandal recalled that time she went to Dragonspine; she saw Durin's skeleton and found Durin's still-beating heart in one place.
Out of curiosity, she absorbed some of the life force from Durin's heart, allowing its abnormally vibrant life force to merge with her own body.
This stabilized Stormterror Durin's heart somewhat, but it still beat healthily. The Fatui's interest in Durin was likely also due to this continuously beating heart.
"How are the Knights of Favonius doing? Has Jean discovered the Fatui's activities?"
"Even if the Knights of Favonius were told about this, they wouldn't be able to handle it. The Fatui's actions don't violate any of Mondstadt's regulations, and Dragonspine isn't off-limits. If the Fatui truly discover something there, the Knights of Favonius have no right to interfere."
Although Dragonspine is full of dangers, many adventurers still flock there. There's an adventurer's camp built at the base of Dragonspine.
The Fatui's actions are similar to these adventurers; strictly speaking, they are not illegal. Therefore, even if the Knights of Favonius understand they are up to no good, they can't do anything.
"I see. I understand. I'll do something to make the Fatui quiet down."
"You... what are you going to do?"
Is she going to make the Fatui experience exhaustion again, like last time?
Rosaria would welcome it, but during that period, she often smelled a very foul odor in certain places, and she didn't really want that smell to reappear.
"I'll have my little helper do something for me. It completed my task perfectly before, and it can do it again this time."
With that, a distinctly unusual bird landed on Durandal's shoulder. She stroked its feathers, nodded, and with a forceful lift of her hand, the bird flew off in the direction of Dragonspine.
This was the bird Durandal had sent to wash its feet in the Fatui's pot. Its legs were covered with the Virus Durandal used against the Fatui, the kind that causes diarrhea.
Last time, she used this trick against the Fatui outside Mondstadt City, and this time she would use the same method against them.
"Just pay a little attention; there's no need to push yourself too hard. Even if you've fused with the magic orb I gave you, it doesn't mean your body won't be harmed, understand?"
"I... I understand."
Was she concerned about her body? Rosaria touched her hair, feeling a little unaccustomed to it.
She felt that Durandal had changed so much... Ah, no, it wasn't a change; the old Durandal would occasionally show some subtle tenderness, but she felt this tenderness was becoming increasingly obvious.
Could it be that something happened in Liyue Harbor that caused Durandal to change unknowingly?
A gentle Durandal... it really makes one prone to apostasy. Speaking of which, she didn't really believe in the Anemo Archon much, so even if she converted to Durandal's faith, it wouldn't count as changing her belief, right?
Durandal gave Rosaria a few more instructions, then told her to go back and rest early and not to work tonight.
Since her superior said so, what could Rosaria say? Of course, she would go back and rest well. But before going back, she would first go to Angel's Share and have a drink there.
"You can try drinking at Angel's Share, or at Cat's Tail Tavern, or somewhere else. You can see if I can find out that you didn't go back and rest properly."
Before she could be happy for long, Durandal's words were like a basin of cold water poured on her heart, making her heart turn utterly cold.
Alright, she had already drunk dandelion wine during the day, so today's quota was over; there was no need to go again.
She was worried that Durandal might use the Virus she mentioned during the day against her. She didn't want to be unable to drink alcohol in the future, as that was one of her few ways to relax.
Confirming that her deterrence had worked, Durandal turned to go back to her room. Shenhe had almost finished bathing, and Lumine and Paimon might also come to her room, so she had to hurry back.
With that, Durandal prepared to transform into black mist and disappear again, but the gaze watching her from the shadows made her stop.
"Since you're here, come out. Do you think you can hide from my eyes?"
It sounded like something one would say when encountering an enemy, but this time, Durandal truly wasn't facing an enemy.
As soon as her voice fell, the person who had been watching her from the shadows stepped out. Her tall figure and heroic face were slightly flushed, perhaps due to being discovered, so... she was shy?
"It's you, Eula. I was wondering who was hiding in the shadows observing me. It turns out to be you."
If she hadn't felt no hostility, Durandal would have launched an attack the moment she noticed the gaze.
Eula coughed lightly a few times, looking at Durandal, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and nodded.
"It has indeed been a while since we last met. Do you... do you have time now?"
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