In the end, the xian zhu hai huang (pearl-bearing sea emperor - a special salted fish) never met Diluc.
Although it was just a well-intentioned joke, he was the richest man in Mondstadt, with so many weapons in his home. How could he possibly care for a salted fish?
Even someone with the most bizarre personality probably wouldn't use this weapon to fight enemies.
After much consideration, Lumine finally decided to release it. Of course, she didn't personally run to the beach to release it, but instead asked Shenhe to throw it into the sea.
Shenhe grabbed the fish by its tail, swung it around a few times in her hand, and then threw it with force towards the ocean.
The xian zhu hai huang (pearl-bearing sea emperor - a special salted fish) flew into the sky at an incredibly fast speed, turning into a speck of light and completely disappearing.
Paimon put her hand to her forehead, trying to see the location of the xian zhu hai huang (pearl-bearing sea emperor - a special salted fish), but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see it.
"Shenhe is really strong. No wonder the Traveler asked you to do this; she must have known beforehand that Shenhe had great strength."
"No, I didn't expect Shenhe's strength to be this great either."
Lumine shook her head. She had seen Shenhe lift very heavy things before, but those were within the realm of understanding.
Noelle was also very strong. Lumine had only been joking earlier, but she didn't expect Shenhe to take it seriously, and it really was possible for her to throw the xian zhu hai huang (pearl-bearing sea emperor - a special salted fish) into the sea from here.
"It's probably the first salted fish to experience flight."
Aside from fish caught by bird, the xian zhu hai huang (pearl-bearing sea emperor - a special salted fish) was probably the first salted fish to experience the feeling of soaring through the air, even if it could only go in one direction and would surely hurt when it hit the water.
"Speaking of which, the xian zhu hai huang (pearl-bearing sea emperor - a special salted fish) already had special abilities before Durandal enhanced it. Does that mean there are other special animals out there?"
Paimon was a little curious. Although she was Lumine's guide, there were many things she didn't understand, and these anomalous creatures were beyond her knowledge.
There weren't many special creatures in Liyue and Mondstadt, but in other nations, they might find more peculiar creatures.
"There should be, like talking cats or flying dogs. We'll experience those when we go on future adventures. Those are all things for the future."
"Oh! Talking cats must be very interesting. Hmm? Wait a minute, can you make an animal talk, Durandal?"
Paimon suddenly realized that if Durandal enhanced a creature to a certain extent, could she give an ordinary animal human-like abilities? Like speaking.
"Yes, but the life form must evolve little by little, otherwise it won't be able to withstand it."
Even she had to gradually increase a creature's 'capacity'. Only when the creature could adapt to that 'capacity' would Durandal allow it to proceed to the next stage.
Otherwise, giving too much vitality at once would be like a balloon, eventually bursting because it couldn't bear the pressure.
"Oh, so that's why you're rewarding the Bird named Agalu little by little?"
Durandal nodded. It was indeed for that reason. Of course… there was also the factor of planning the rewards, as it's impossible to give too many rewards at once, otherwise, how would she motivate it?
"In that case, will we be able to hear Agalu speak in the future?"
"Yes, probably after one or two more times. When it gains enough Humus Power, it will undergo evolution."
"Evolution?"
"It's the transformation from 'Beast' to 'Human'. It can freely switch between 'Beast' and 'Human' forms, like an adeptus. I call this process 'evolution'."
Humus Power combined with Durandal's vitality could achieve this. Although the stability of this form hadn't been confirmed yet, no one could refute calling it 'evolution', could they?
Paimon looked at Durandal in shock. Although she already knew Durandal was very powerful, extremely powerful, she never expected that she could give even the most ordinary bird and beasts the chance to become 'Human'.
Wait a minute, if that's the case, then all the Fowl Lumine usually hunts… No, no! I can't think about these things. If I keep thinking like this, how will I face Fowl dishes?
"However, if Agalu becomes human, how will she react when she sees the Traveler? You know, the Traveler has never been very friendly towards bird."
This untimely remark made Durandal and Shenhe recall the large amount of Fowl Lumine had pulled out of her backpack while organizing it earlier.
In a sense, Agalu and Lumine were indeed at odds. Perhaps when Lumine was collecting Fowl, Agalu was her target, but she just happened to escape.
"This kind of thing… this kind of thing… this kind of thing, whatever, it's Durandal's subordinate, it has nothing to do with me."
Lumine expressed that she wasn't worried at all. Even if Agalu became human, so what? She was just Durandal's subordinate, it had nothing to do with her, and she didn't care if she was disliked.
Paimon: "Really? What if Agalu is a very beautiful Damselette when she transforms?"
Lumine: "…"
Paimon: "You know Agalu received energy from Durandal. With Durandal's abilities, she can definitely make Agalu very beautiful."
Lumine: "…"
Paimon: "The reason Durandal gave her the name 'Agalu' is also because her gender is female. Since that's the case, then…"
Lumine: "Shut up!"
It was rare to see Lumine get defensive during Paimon's verbal barrage. After Paimon's words, Shenhe also couldn't help but imagine what Agalu would look like as a human.
Compared to other common bird, Agalu's red feathers were very beautiful, and she wasn't too big. As a human, she should be a relatively petite type.
If she was petite, she shouldn't pose any threat. The girl named Klee was treated like a daughter by Durandal.
Besides, Agalu was just a subordinate, a tool for Durandal. She wouldn't invest too much emotion into a tool.
So Shenhe didn't need to worry about another existence similar to Venti appearing again, nor did she need to worry about a future Bird competing with her.
"Have you… given Humus Power to other animals, Durandal?" Shenhe couldn't help but ask.
"Many, because I need to enhance their intelligence so they can better understand my commands. However, Agalu's situation is special; besides Humus Power, I also imbued her with my vitality."
Durandal's vitality was very special. Merely imbuing other life forms with vitality would at most help heal their injuries, but if combined with Humus Power, it could achieve the effect of 'evolution'.
Therefore, imbuing with 'Humus Power' wouldn't cause too much change; at most, it would make creatures smarter. To become a beast-girl, Durandal's vitality was also needed.
"Vitality? Life… I see." Shenhe murmured softly.
As a human, she had a huge gap in this regard compared to Durandal. Just like adepti such as her master, they could exist for hundreds of years while maintaining their original appearance, but humans only had a lifespan of a few decades, at most a century.
Although she regretted not being able to accompany Durandal for more time, she was only in her early twenties. At this age, she was still very young and hadn't reached the point of considering such matters.
"What are you thinking about?"
Durandal pulled Shenhe's hand and asked, "You're not thinking about matters of life, are you?"
"I…"
"Don't lie to me, Shenhe. I can tell if you're lying, and… I can read your expressions."
Durandal poked Shenhe's cheek, a beautiful curve forming on her lips.
"Not only can you read my mood, but I can also read yours, Shenhe. You can't hide anything from me."
Hmph~ Did she think she would keep getting the short end of the stick in this matter? Not a chance. She was Durandal, and she couldn't let Shenhe take advantage of her in this matter. She had to win back a round.
She understood that even if Shenhe learned adeptal arts, she was still just a human. Her lifespan certainly couldn't compare to hers and Venti's.
"Humans indeed cannot control life, but this is not a difficult task for me. Although in the past I constantly took lives, if I want someone to live, she cannot escape from my grasp."
Durandal never worried about such issues; she was more concerned about Shenhe's feelings.
While eternal life is a dream for some, for those who have truly experienced it, they know it is a torment.
But... that's when you're alone. If you have someone to accompany you through the long years, isn't that a blessing?
"You... shouldn't have any thoughts of escaping from my side, right?"
"Never. I've never had such a thought."
"Hmph, good. Don't think you have a chance to regret it at this point; you're the one who let things develop to this stage. Now, it's impossible for you to escape from my grasp."
Although Shenhe didn't scheme against her like Venti, she was coercing her into accepting her through semi-threatening means.
She had gone to such lengths; if she were to go back on her word and leave her, Durandal wouldn't allow it. Even if she had to lock her up, Durandal would keep her by her side.
Her words were very firm, but Shenhe felt no aversion. The slight unease that had arisen earlier vanished with Durandal's statement.
"I'm looking forward to it," Shenhe said, grasping Durandal's hand. "I'm looking forward to you keeping me by your side, whether it's for a few years, a dozen, decades, or even a hundred years. You absolutely can't let me escape."
"You can't escape, Shenhe."
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