She would solve her own problems. Although she lived in Mondstadt, Durandal didn't believe she had much of a connection to Mondstadt.
Although Venti tried to find an opportunity to pull Durandal into the conversation, Durandal completely ignored him, focusing entirely on the rabbit she was playing with.
Confirming that Durandal had no intention of engaging with them, Venti could only give up and, along with Dvalin, explained their upcoming preparations to Jean.
At this point, Jean had pretty much guessed Venti's identity: he was Barbatos, the Anemo God worshipped in Mondstadt.
But she respected Venti's choice and didn't address him as Barbatos, only respectfully calling him "Lord Venti."
After understanding Dvalin's next plan, Jean left content. She also needed to go back and consider who should be chosen as the "savior" to resolve this incident.
"Your identity has been discovered, Barbatos."
"Hmm, I know. She's very smart, and with so much evidence in front of her, if she still couldn't figure it out, she'd be too unobservant."
As the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, she certainly had that much intelligence. Besides, he had no intention of hiding, so being discovered was quite normal.
"Now with the help of the Knights of Favonius's Grand Master, your plan can be implemented even better."
"Hmm, now all that's missing is the role of the hero who saves Mondstadt. Hmm~ I wonder who would be best for this task, preferably not a local of Mondstadt."
But if it were someone from the other Seven Nations, it would be somewhat inappropriate. So, could it only be a Traveler without nationality? But at this time, where would a Traveler coincidentally appear in Mondstadt?
"Why don't you do it, Durandal? Anyway, not many people know about you, you can totally do this."
"Firstly, I have no interest in being a so-called hero, and I detest that identity the most. Secondly… to save Mondstadt, one needs to defeat Dvalin. If I were to fight him, how much would I have to hold back to avoid killing him?"
Uh (⊙o⊙)… Although that sounded a bit boastful, Dvalin is the Dragon of the East Wind, and ordinary Vision holders are no match for him.
But such an existence, to Durandal, was like a common monster in a game, as if it could be killed with a few casual slashes.
(The Indestructible: For those big shots, Dvalin is indeed just a matter of a few hits. The Indestructible has seen people kill him before he even fell to the ground.)
The fact was precisely that. If Durandal were serious, Dvalin wouldn't last long, even if she held back.
Moreover, she also had to consider Dvalin's feelings. If Dvalin knew that Durandal was to be his opponent, he would probably flee Mondstadt and seek refuge in other nations.
"And, to what extent do you want me to be involved in this matter before you give up, Barbatos? Don't you think you've troubled me more recently than you have in the past thousand years combined?"
Durandal grabbed Venti's face and kneaded it repeatedly: "When are you going to repay the favor you owe me?"
...Ehe~
It's no use acting cute now, you lazy Barbatos.
What kind of strange name is 'lazy Barbatos'? Even if you don't call me Barbatos, you can call me Venti.
You're not denying being lazy, are you?
Oh my~
Venti blinked cutely, but what greeted her was Durandal's even more enthusiastic face-kneading assault.
——————
Venti endured Durandal's inhumane treatment (referring to face-kneading) for over ten minutes, finally transforming into a gentle breeze and disappearing in indignation.
Durandal, having nothing else to do, left Cape Oath, planning to explore other places and pass the time.
Through the bird' intelligence, she learned many things, including some Hilichurl bases, as well as matters concerning the Fatui stationed outside Mondstadt City.
Fatui stationed outside Mondstadt City? These guys... besides causing trouble inside the city, they don't even spare the outside?
Durandal pondered for a moment and chose an inconspicuous Bird. She used her ability to make it immune to the Virus she had created last time, then placed a tiny bit of the Virus on its claws.
This Virus only takes effect when mixed into water or food; it has no effect in the air.
Her mission for the Bird was to 'wash its feet' in the pots used by those Fatui, letting them experience what the Fatui inside Mondstadt City had gone through.
Having done this, Durandal continued on her way. She walked aimlessly, and she didn't know how long she had been walking. Standing on a cliff, she noticed something golden in the distance.
That tiny golden speck didn't fit in with the surrounding vegetation at all. Without thinking, she knew it must be a person, but... would anyone come to this place?
This wasn't the main road to a neighboring country. Besides Hilichurl and Slime, she had never seen anyone come here.
She couldn't help but go over to check the situation. The golden object turned out to be a Damselette with short golden hair. She lay motionless on the ground, and next to her, a small flying creature was anxiously pushing her body.
"Traveler? Traveler! Wake up! If you can't hold on, how am I supposed to survive in the wilderness!"
A very cute voice. This little creature looked much smaller than Klee, and her form of existence was somewhat special. She definitely wasn't human. What species was she?
With this curiosity, Durandal walked towards this strange pair.
The little creature, who was pushing the girl's body, noticed someone approaching and said anxiously: "Please help us, Traveler was walking fine, but then she suddenly collapsed on the ground. Please save her."
After a brief glance at the creature, Durandal couldn't discern her origins and shifted her gaze to the golden-haired Damselette.
She examined the Damselette's body and found no problems. She was alive and well, so why had she collapsed unconscious on the ground?
As Durandal pondered other possibilities, the golden-haired Damselette suddenly grabbed Durandal's leg, which was encased in black tights, and slowly climbed up, making Durandal's eyebrow twitch. She almost kicked her away.
Just as she was about to act, the golden-haired Damselette said weakly: "I... I'm hungry."
...
Durandal was silent for a moment, then looked at the little creature next to her.
She also heard the Damselette's statement and awkwardly scratched her head: "Hehe~ We've been in the wilderness all this time. Because we haven't found enough food, we haven't been able to eat our fill each time. We originally planned to have a good meal in the city, but..."
The little creature couldn't continue. Faced with Durandal's gaze, she shyly covered her face, wishing she could find a crack in the ground and bury herself immediately.
At this point... should she just leave? She didn't really feel like helping this girl.
Durandal originally intended to leave, but she looked at the weak Damselette and remembered her conversation with Venti just now. She suddenly realized that this Damselette in front of her seemed to be a very excellent tool.
——————
"Not ready yet? Not ready yet? It smells so good."
"Wait."
Durandal skillfully cleaned the Fish in her hand, slapped away the hand of the impatient little creature who wanted to sneak a bite, and threw the prepared Fish into the pot.
Durandal brought them to a nearby Hilichurl camp, borrowed a pot from them, and prepared to cook something for the two girls.
Originally, she only intended to borrow it, but the Hilichurl in this area didn't seem to know Durandal, so they weren't aware of her prestige.
As soon as they saw Durandal appear with two girls, they rushed over with sticks without thinking, followed by a strong Hilichurl.
In the end, they were all dealt with. What pleased Durandal was that this golden-haired Damselette, even in such a weak state, could still defeat a Hilichurl Brute. Very good.
It's just that her stamina was a bit poor; she was panting after just a short run. Did she really meet her requirements?
"You just said your name is Lumine, and you're not from this world, right?"
"Mm."
"You and your brother came to this world, and when you wanted to leave, an unknown god blocked your way and beat you up. Finally, she sealed you and took your brother away?"
"Mm. That was a long time ago. I only woke up recently."
A Traveler from beyond the world. She didn't expect that besides herself, there were others who could come from beyond the world.
Her own arrival was completely accidental, but they seemed to be able to move freely between worlds. It seemed her identity was not simple.
"I understand. Although you've awakened, you don't have much power now. What do you plan to do?"
"Now? I... I want to find my brother. No matter how much time it takes, I will find Aether."
As her closest relative, Lumine was determined to find her brother. Only where her brother was, was home. No matter how much time it took, she would find him.
"Then how will you find him? This continent is very vast, and there are seven nations, and seven gods. How will you determine which god is the one you're looking for?"
...I will travel across this continent. I believe my brother is somewhere on this continent. As for finding the god who took my brother, I can just look for them all.
That's a simple and crude method, but it's also the most effective. However, things are definitely not that simple. If she wasn't mistaken, the god who dealt with them back then should be the Heavenly Principles.
If she was looking for the Heavenly Principles, then even if she traveled all over Teyvat, she wouldn't find her, and in the end, she could only exclaim: "I've been tricked."
But compared to acting aimlessly, having a goal is a good thing, isn't it?
Durandal picked up the prepared bowl, poured Lumine a steaming bowl of Fish soup, and said.
"Since you've made up your mind, you must accomplish it, understand? Don't give up halfway."
"Mm!"