"Why do you humans like to drink this stuff? It doesn't taste as good as the Milk I've had, and it's harmful to the body. I really don't understand what you're thinking."
Durandal pushed the wine glass towards Diluc with a slight hint of disdain, completely disregarding the fact that Diluc had meticulously prepared this drink, showing no respect at all.
This was the first time Diluc had received such a review; everyone who had tasted his wine had expressed admiration, and he hadn't expected to stumble here.
His wine was inferior to Milk? It seemed this person's taste was childish; she preferred children's drinks over alcohol.
Diluc nodded to the butler behind him, who immediately understood and quickly brought a glass of Milk, placing it in front of Durandal before retreating.
"You still haven't answered my question. You should know that drinking too much of this stuff isn't good for your body, right? If so, why do you still drink it?"
"Because some people need it to numb themselves, to satisfy themselves. As long as someone needs it, it has a reason to exist."
"Numb themselves?" Durandal asked.
"Exactly, numb themselves. Life isn't as pleasant as one imagines; many people encounter various worries and pressures, especially after growing up. To temporarily forget these worries and pressures, they use alcohol to numb themselves, allowing them to briefly forget those things."
Durandal nodded blankly. She had experienced worries and pressures, but she had never drunk alcohol, so she wasn't sure if it truly helped one forget those troubles.
"Then have you ever had worries and pressures? From your demeanor, you seem to understand a lot."
Diluc was already an adult. Since he understood these principles so well, he must have experienced these things himself.
"No, I've never had such worries or pressures."
"Huh? Why haven't you? If you haven't experienced it, how do you know so much?"
Durandal was full of confusion. What was going on with this person? If he hadn't felt it, how did he understand these things?
"Most people's pressures and worries come from life; they usually struggle for their daily meals. But... I don't have such struggles."
It was a joke; he controlled the lifeblood of Mondstadt's wine industry. The money he earned daily was incomparable to what ordinary people made.
How could someone like him have the worries of ordinary people? Aside from some necessary tasks, he occasionally worked as a temporary bartender at the tavern. The rest of the time, he did his own things, living an incredibly leisurely life.
"If that's the case, then how do you know things that only ordinary people would know?"
"Haven't eaten pork, but haven't seen a pig run? Many people haven't even been in a relationship, yet they enthusiastically give all sorts of advice on others' relationships. Besides, I'm the owner of a tavern. As an owner, I naturally need to understand these matters."
Anyone who spent some time in a tavern could understand their customers' worries and pressures through their complaints.
Moreover, to gather useful intelligence, Diluc also needed to interact with those people. If he didn't clarify these things, he wouldn't be able to build good relationships.
"...I don't quite understand your human ways; I don't quite grasp your concepts. It's just... I just saw some people crying as they drank. Is that also a way to forget worries?"
"No, that's simply because the alcohol broke down their facade, making them lose control and unable to help but vent their emotions. This is also good; such customers usually like to keep their feelings to themselves, bottling everything up. When they finally explode, it can easily deal them a heavy blow. Appropriate venting is necessary, and since they don't usually express their emotions easily, using alcohol to aid in venting is the best choice."
Hmm, Durandal wasn't entirely sure what Diluc was saying, but she felt there might be some truth to it.
She hadn't expected wine to have so many benefits. No wonder Diluc, who made his fortune from it, was so wealthy; it turned out to have become an indispensable item for humans.
Venti, that fellow, loves to drink so much; could it also be because he has a lot of pressure or other problems?
Is that really possible? That guy usually just likes to slack off and avoid serious work; he should just simply like to drink.
"Anyway, let's get to our topic now. You invited me here not to chat about these things, did you, human?"
"That's right, I have many things I want to ask you. I have some conjectures I want you to answer, and some of those questions are about you."
Diluc sat down in the seat opposite Durandal, looking at the girl in front of him whose feet couldn't even touch the floor when she was sitting.
"I heard everything that Fatui said. You are the one who poisoned them. Can you tell me why you did it?"
"Why? I did it because I wanted to. What reason do I need? Do you think what I did was wrong?"
Diluc didn't answer. He couldn't actively state his opinion. If it were Kaeya, he could have used rhetoric to answer Durandal's question, but he couldn't.
"If I had to give a reason, it's probably because I found their way of doing things very annoying after understanding them. They are outsiders, yet they want to interfere in another nation's internal affairs. Relying on that Snezhnaya Queen to back them up, they swagger around, but in reality, they have no real ability themselves."
"To warn them, I found this method, wanting them to understand that there are people who can deal with them. But they don't seem to have learned their lesson at all."
Perhaps the Virus she left behind only had a one-time effect. The Fatui felt there was no longer any danger, so they stopped worrying about retaliation and focused their attention on the person who poisoned them.
Having suffered a setback once, they didn't show even a trace of fear towards the culprit; instead, they were filled with anger.
The Fatui had always acted arrogantly in the Seven Nations, and now some suicidal person wanted to deal with them. How could they tolerate this?
If they just swallowed their anger and did nothing, and this news spread to other places, causing others to have similar ideas, it could bring unnecessary trouble to the Fatui.
The Fatui were in Mondstadt on a mission, and they couldn't let such a minor issue affect their important task.
But this person was truly dangerous, capable of infecting all Fatui members under such strict surveillance.
To prevent this from happening again, they absolutely had to catch the culprit and control her.
"What will you do? To prevent this from happening again, they have implemented even stricter surveillance. Even in the dead of night, entering the Goethe Grand Hotel is unlikely."
"Who said I need to go in? Even without going in, I have ways to deal with them. It's just... I don't want to use the previous method again; it's too inefficient, and they simply don't learn their lesson."
Durandal smiled, "I wonder if you have any suggestions? A disease that isn't fatal but would inflict devastating DMG on the Fatui, have you ever heard of one?"
Diluc raised an eyebrow, took a sip of wine, and calmed himself down.
The information Durandal's words revealed was quite extensive. He had originally planned to ask about Durandal's affairs after asking about the Fatui, but she was so proactive in revealing information to him.
Was she trying to learn from him, hoping to gain his trust in this way?
"I can provide information, but I have a question. How will you prevent the methods used against the Fatui from affecting the people of Mondstadt?"
This was Diluc's most pressing concern. When the Fatui were infected again, would they try to infect other people in Mondstadt with the Virus?
Those people would truly do such a thing. If they were suffering, they wouldn't want others to have an easy time either.
"Two methods: I can design the Virus to only affect the Fatui, or I can make others develop antibodies, so there won't be any infections."
Both methods had their own difficulties, but for Durandal, neither was impossible to achieve.
Hearing that Durandal had solutions, Diluc eagerly asked, "How confident are you?"
"Confident? Hehe~"
Durandal let out a few laughs with a hint of scorn, drinking her Milk while looking at Diluc, as if mocking his previous question.
She was Durandal; as long as she wished, any Virus could be absorbed by her. There was no need to use a word like 'confident.'
Diluc was left speechless by Durandal's confidence. While it seemed risky, Durandal's confidence surely had its reasons, but... "Can both of these methods be implemented simultaneously?" Diluc asked, "How will you make people develop antibodies?"
"Food, medicine, water sources—these everyday things can achieve this goal. The question is, are you willing to take the risk of trusting me and putting something with an unknown effect into these essential things for survival?"
This move is very risky. Durandal definitely didn't mean it that way, but Diluc wasn't sure what kind of person Durandal really was. He had just seen Durandal take care of an Agent with just a small drop of water.
Is such a dangerous person really trustworthy? Diluc probably hadn't made up his mind yet, but could he stop Durandal's methods?
He probably couldn't, because he was no match for Durandal. Durandal had already decided to trip up the Fatui a second time. If he chose to stop her, it would undoubtedly mean antagonizing Durandal, which would be unwise.
"...I trust you."
It wasn't trust; Diluc was gambling. If he won, he would have a good helper to deal with the Fatui. If he lost, things would get serious.
But he felt he had a good chance of winning. That nun, Rosaria, had a very good attitude towards Durandal, and she wasn't someone who easily trusted others.
Since even Rosaria trusted Durandal, he felt he could give it a try.
Durandal also saw that Diluc didn't truly trust her, but what of it? His reaction still satisfied Durandal.
"Regarding the Fatui problem, do you have any other questions? If not, please provide me with the information. I'll get things done as quickly as possible."
"...And a question about you, The Lady."
Diluc asked, "I wonder if you could tell me a little about yourself? For example..."
"Your identity."