Compared with the bustle of Sumeru City, Gandharva Ville felt far more untouched and natural.
The fresh air and scenery softened the heavy mood lingering over both Dehya and Nilou.
"It's been a long time since I've come here," Dehya said, stretching as she gazed toward the treehouses clustered among the branches.
"Compared with central Sumeru, this place… honestly feels better."
The houses woven seamlessly into the forest really did resemble dwellings of woodland sprites.
"Dehya," Nilou asked quietly. "Do you think we'll be all right coming here this time?"
Dehya gave a helpless shake of her head.
"Who can say? Even if it is a trap, we can get out. Don't overthink it."
"That's not what I'm worried about…" Nilou murmured, shaking her head.
"Dunyarzad's Eleazar has gotten so much worse. If we can't resolve it this time, I don't know if she can hold on…"
A shadow crossed Dehya's eyes, but she kept her tone calm.
"Don't worry. As annoying as that Alhaitham guy is, he isn't the type to lie about something like this.
He needs us just as much as we need him. We're already here, let's at least see what's going on."
Nilou nodded, no longer arguing.
They continued forward, and soon Gandharva Ville's buildings came into view.
Just as they were deciding whom to approach first, a figure glided down gracefully on a pair of wind-gliders.
"Hello, can I help you with anything?"
It was Collei.
She had noticed them long before they reached the outskirts. Two women heading toward Gandharva Ville with a clear purpose was not something she could ignore.
Inside, Collei was tense.
A few days earlier, Tighnari had left on important business and had instructed her to watch over Gandharva Ville carefully,
especially regarding anyone arriving from Sumeru City.
It was her first time holding such responsibility, and she was determined not to make mistakes.
The moment Dehya and Nilou appeared at the boundary, her bracelet had signaled their presence.
At first she thought they were simply passing travelers.
But now… it was obvious they had come specifically here.
And that was unusual.
If it had been merchants, she wouldn't have thought twice.
But these two clearly weren't merchants.
One looked like a member of the Desert's Eremites,
and the other wore a veil that obscured most of her face.
Collei regarded them cautiously.
"If you're here to see my teacher, Tighnari… he's away on an extended trip. You'll have to come back later."
Dehya raised a brow.
"Your teacher… So you really are Collei?"
Collei instantly stiffened, fingers tightening around her bow.
Her condition, the disappearance of her Eleazar, was something Tighnari had warned her about.
If it leaked, it could bring trouble not just to her, but to Gandharva Ville, and even to Lisa and others in Sumeru.
Unless she was alone, she usually kept her arm bandaged to conceal it.
Sensing her tension, Dehya lifted her hands in a small, placating gesture.
"Relax. We're not here with bad intentions. Alhaitham told us to find you."
Collei didn't answer immediately.
Nilou took a breath, reached up, and removed her veil.
"Don't worry, Collei. It's me."
"…Nilou?"
Collei blinked, startled, then slowly lowered her weapon.
She had met Nilou only a few times, but she remembered her clearly.
When Tighnari brought Collei to Sumeru City for treatment, she had seen Nilou dancing beneath the Grand Bazaar,
the most beautiful dance Collei had ever witnessed.
They weren't close friends, but they knew each other.
Seeing Nilou's familiar face, she finally exhaled in relief.
"So it is you, Nilou… I was wondering who would wander around Sumeru dressed in full performance clothes."
"But what brings you…? Actually, let's talk inside first."
Collei turned and led them toward the treehouses.
Dehya followed, saying nothing, but watching Collei closely.
Her arm was still wrapped in the same white bandages Dunyarzad used,
bandages used to conceal the lesions.
By outward appearance, Collei did not seem cured.
But…
it was entirely possible she was faking it.
Eleazar involved too many political sensitivities.
Alhaitham knew that.
Tighnari definitely knew that.
If Collei had been cured, he would certainly have told her to keep it hidden.
So Dehya refused to make assumptions.
Soon, Collei ushered them into her modest little home.
She poured them each a cup of tea and sat down.
"Sorry about earlier," she said softly. "Things have been uneasy in Gandharva Ville lately.
Before he left, my teacher told me to stay alert."
Nilou shook her head.
"It's our fault for coming unannounced."
Collei scratched her cheek awkwardly, then glanced between them.
"Nilou… and this person is…?"
"Just call me Dehya."
Collei blinked.
"…The Flame-Mane Lioness? Dehya?"
It was an odd pairing,
one of the desert's most famed warriors,
and one of Sumeru City's most beloved dancers.
These two together…
How these two had ended up traveling together, Collei couldn't imagine. She shook off the thought and said quietly:
"If you're looking for my teacher, he isn't here. I don't know exactly when he'll return."
Nilou and Dehya exchanged a glance, then spoke without circling around the issue:
"We're not here for Tighnari.
We're here for you."
"For… me?"
Collei froze, instinctively covering her arm.
That tiny motion did not escape Dehya's eyes.
And with that, Dehya was certain.
Earlier she'd had doubts, but now…
Collei's Eleazar really had been cured.
Collei forced herself to stay calm.
"Nilou… what do you need from me? Is there something you want help with?"
Nilou pressed her lips together.
"Collei… your Eleazar is cured, isn't it?"
Collei's eyes flickered. She lowered her head with practiced sorrow.
"Eleazar… staying here in Avidya Forest helped suppress it, yes.
But cured? A disease like that… how could it possibly be cured?"
Her acting was flawless.
Clearly she had rehearsed this countless times, anticipating someone eventually questioning her recovery.
Dehya sighed.
"Collei, you don't have to hide anything from us. We're not here to demand anything."
"It was Alhaitham who sent us. He told us your Eleazar was cured.
We only want to confirm it."
Collei's expression stiffened, then she feigned confusion.
"Alhaitham? The Akademiya's scribe? Why would he say that? I've never met him…"
Dehya rubbed her temples.
She and Nilou shared a look, then Dehya pulled out a letter and handed it to Collei.
"This is the letter Alhaitham wrote for you. Read it."
Collei hesitated, then took it.
The handwriting was indeed Alhaitham's.
The letter contained no extraneous details, just confirmation that he and Cyno had recently visited Gandharva Ville, and that Dehya and Nilou had been sent to verify her recovery.
It wasn't something that could be forged.
Before leaving, Tighnari had briefed her on Alhaitham's and Cyno's writing habits for this exact purpose.
After a moment of silence, she tucked the letter away and exhaled, cheeks reddening slightly.
"…Sorry. The matter is serious. I couldn't risk disrupting my teacher's plans."
Nilou smiled gently.
"It's fine. Being cautious is a good thing.
So, Collei, your Eleazar really is gone?"
Collei nodded hesitantly.
"I don't know why Alhaitham and my teacher would reveal it, but…
Yes. My Eleazar is gone."
"Nilou, Dehya… please help me keep this secret.
I don't want my recovery to cause trouble for my teacher or for Gandharva Ville."
Seeing them nod, she drew a deep breath and unwrapped the bandages around her arm.
Underneath was skin as pale and smooth as jade,
no trace of the gray-black scales that once marked the final stages of the disease.
Nilou and Dehya exchanged a wide-eyed look.
Late-stage Eleazar, they knew exactly how terrible it was.
Nilou had seen the lesions on Collei's arm herself.
But now… everything was gone.
The disease that had plagued Sumeru for a thousand years,
that claimed countless lives every year,
had been cured.
And there were no side effects.
Nilou's eyes immediately reddened.
"This is incredible, really gone! Dunyarzad can be saved!"
Dehya's relief was obvious as well.
"So that guy Alhaitham wasn't lying. Good, means I don't have to punch him later."
Collei hurriedly rewrapped her arm and warned them again:
"Please keep this secret. If news spreads that Eleazar can be cured, Gandharva Ville will fall into chaos."
Both nodded firmly.
"Thank you, Collei. We'll keep your secret."
"And one more thing…" Nilou hesitated. "Did your cure come from… Liyue?"
Worried she sounded accusatory, Dehya quickly added:
"Alhaitham told us someone from Liyue helped cure you."
Collei pressed her lips together, then nodded.
"Yes. Lisa sent someone from the Liyue Qianyan Army to deliver something for me.
That's what cured the disease."
"What was it?"
"…A bucket of milk."
"...???"
The two women froze, staring at her as if they hadn't heard correctly.
Nilou leaned forward, voice trembling:
"Collei… we won't reveal anything, I promise. But our friend, Dunyarzad, is in late-stage Eleazar too.
We urgently need the cure.
I can sign a contract if you want. Please, just tell us honestly."
Collei spread her hands helplessly.
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it really was just a bucket of milk."
"Master said it was a special kind of milk, but I don't know the details.
If you want answers, you should ask Liyue directly."
Seeing that Collei wasn't joking, the two could only accept this absurd reality.
A bucket of milk cured Eleazar?
But Dunyarzad drank milk all the time!
Why had her disease only worsened?
Dehya scowled.
"So that Alhaitham really did plan everything from the start. Even if he hadn't told us, we'd still have gone to Liyue."
"That scheming fox is so irritating."
Nilou awkwardly tugged her sleeve.
"Dehya… don't say that. He did give us a direction to follow."
"I know," Dehya sighed. Then she looked back at Collei.
"Collei, do you know where Tighnari went?"
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20