"Wuwu~ After several days of rough travel, we finally reached Stone Gate. It wasn't easy. Beyond this is Dihua Marsh, entering Liyue territory."
It had been several days since they left Mondstadt. Lumine, Paimon, and Durandal's travel speed wasn't fast, or rather, they couldn't speed up.
Lumine's old habit had returned. Whenever she saw a Hilichurl camp, she couldn't resist rushing over to loot everything, especially camps with treasure chests, which she absolutely wouldn't miss.
It was also an opportunity to familiarize herself with the weapon Durandal had given her. This weapon was countless times more powerful than her previous Dull Blade. In just a few days, she had completely come to cherish it, taking it out to maintain it every night before resting.
Because of these stops and starts, their progress was significantly delayed. It took them several extra days to reach Stone Gate, which they should have arrived at much earlier.
"The reason you left Mondstadt, could it be because you've opened all the treasure chests in Mondstadt and can't find any others to open, so you wanted to come to Liyue, rather than for some Rite of Descension?"
Durandal now seriously doubted Lumine's reason for heading to Liyue. This fellow showed no eagerness to reach Liyue quickly, always taking her time.
Considering her obsession with those treasure chests, Durandal suspected that Lumine might have run out of chests to open in Mondstadt and decided to come to Liyue to find more.
"How could that be? The Rite of Descension is very important. It's a Rite that only happens once a year. To see the Geo Archon, I must make it."
Lumine collected all the items from the treasure chest, adding: "But Venti told me there's still some time before the Rite of Descension begins, so we're not in a hurry. Isn't it nice to enjoy the scenery along the way to Liyue?"
"I don't believe you're walking this slowly just to enjoy the scenery. That's an excuse, Lumine."
"Ehe~"
Seeing that she couldn't fool Durandal, Lumine used the adorable trick she learned from Venti, only to have Durandal mercilessly rub her cheeks.
That Barbatos... he actually corrupted Lumine. Next time I see him, I'll make him reflect properly in his stomach.
However, the scenery along the way was indeed beautiful, mostly things not seen in Mondstadt. Everything here was fresh to Durandal.
Especially when approaching Stone Gate, some of the decorations here were completely different from those in Mondstadt. These must be unique Liyue decorations, right? They felt very interesting.
Lumine and Paimon saw Durandal curiously looking around, flowers constantly appearing around her, and couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle.
Their time together these past few days allowed them to see more of Durandal's adorable side. This unconscious cuteness was truly captivating.
Who would have thought such a cute person could be a terrifying God?
No, no one said a God couldn't be cute. The reason for such a stereotype was simply due to the title 'God.'
Walking on the stone bridge at Stone Gate, Lumine looked at Durandal, who was playing with a bird in her hand, and couldn't help but want to join in.
But when the bird saw Lumine approaching, it cautiously hid on Durandal's shoulder, not letting her get close.
Why? This wasn't the first time this had happened. She was clearly a beautiful Damselette, a girl as pretty as a flower, and she should also attract cute small animals like Durandal.
Why did they run so fast when they saw her? And they looked like they were avoiding her. Why?
"Because it saw everything you did before, Lumine."
Durandal released the bird into the air and revealed the answer: "All that Fowl on you, you got it from the animals you eliminated during your missions, right? I think there should be pigeons or small bird among them, right?"
"Wuwu!"
That's right! She had indeed done such things while active in Mondstadt.
Not only the small wild animals, but even the pigeons that Timmie fed in front of Mondstadt Bridge had been turned into Fowl by her Anemo element burst.
She originally thought there would be no repercussions for doing so, but she didn't expect to be disliked by small animals.
If this were an RPG, she probably would have already earned the title of [Animal Exterminator], and with that title, she would naturally be shunned by small animals.
Lumine argued, wanting to express that she had her reasons for doing so, that it was all to complete someone's quest that she collected Fowl, and it had nothing to do with her.
As she spoke, the three saw a tea stall appear not far away.
Curious that there would be a stall in such a place, Lumine led Paimon and Durandal over.
The old man, the shopkeeper, smiled kindly when he saw the three arrive.
"Greetings, guests. Would you like some tea?"
"Hello, old man. Excuse me, why do you set up a tea stall in this place? Business here certainly isn't as good as in the city, is it?"
Lumine looked at the tea stall in confusion. Besides the man and woman next to them, there was no one else to be seen.
Besides Travelers and merchants, probably no one else would come here, right? If so, why set up a stall here?
"Ahaha~ This is a small business, so I naturally don't earn much Mora. But, I do have plenty of stories."
The old man smiled gently, not embarrassed by Lumine's question. He had heard such questions many times and was long used to it.
"The most enjoyable thing about opening a tea stall here isn't earning Mora, but watching people come and go, and listening to their stories along the way."
"Stories?" Paimon asked, confused.
"Yes, stories. Compared to Mora, this old man... I prefer to hear others tell about things they encountered in other places, or for me to tell them stories."
The old man picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea into a nearby bowl: "I'm old now, and I've lived a solid enough life. Now I don't need to rush around for Mora like before, so I just want to do something relaxing."
The old man handed the tea to Lumine: "You've worked hard on your journey; take a short rest. This bowl of tea is on me, old man. Although it's not some precious tea, it's no worse than others."
Lumine took the tea and glanced at Durandal: "Another bowl for me, old man. How much is it?"
The old man took the Mora and poured them another bowl of hot tea.
It truly lived up to its name, "Big Bowl Tea." The bowl was indeed very large, and the tea's aroma emanating from it was very rich. This was a drink different from those in Mondstadt.
With curiosity, Durandal took a small sip. It was sweet upon entry, with a lingering sweetness and a rich, mellow aroma—a taste she had never experienced before.
Just one bowl of tea, yet it contained such rich flavors. It was truly amazing.
Was this a unique Liyue drink? How impressive. She grew more and more curious about what Liyue was like, and how many more novelties awaited her there.
Just then, Durandal overheard a conversation between a man and a woman nearby.
"But, I'll be a burden to you."
"Please don't say that, The Lady. Once we leave Liyue, everything will be fine."
Not just Durandal, but even Lumine noticed these two young people who had been whispering to each other since they arrived.
They seemed very wary, constantly on guard against their surroundings. When they first came over, these two had been observing them until they confirmed something, then they looked away.
Very suspicious! Extremely suspicious! But they were coming from Liyue, and their goal was also to leave Liyue.
Why? They should be from Liyue. If they are Liyue people, why are they so eager to leave Liyue? What are they trying to avoid?
Lumine looked at Durandal, who shook her head. Whatever these two wanted to do had nothing to do with them, and she wasn't very interested in their identities either.
But Lumine felt there might be some important clue here. She asked Durandal to wait a moment and then went over with Paimon to strike up a conversation with the two.
Durandal, left alone, drank her tea and observed her surroundings.
Just then, she felt a strong gaze, coming from Dihua Marsh. Someone was secretly observing her.
When she looked in that direction, the gaze disappeared, as if Durandal's feeling just now was merely an illusion.
Durandal was certain that her feeling just now was definitely not an illusion; someone was definitely watching her.
An ordinary person would not be able to observe from such a long distance. The only explanation was one of Liyue's Adepti or the Geo Archon.
The Geo Archon, ah. Although her memory was very blurry, she had heard many things about the Geo Archon during the Archon War when she was in the human tribes.
Legend has it that he was incredibly powerful, leading Liyue's Adepti to fight against the Gods, becoming the Geo Archon in the form of a War God. It could be said that he had the highest martial prowess among the Seven Archons.
He noticed her? Or did Venti inform him in advance that she would be coming to Liyue?
The Geo Archon, ah. Since he could earn the title of War God, he must be a very powerful God, far stronger than Venti, the slacking Anemo Archon.
Judging from Venti's words, this Geo Archon should be quite easy to get along with.
Based on Venti's situation, this Geo Archon should also disguise himself as a human and blend into human society. She could try to find him then, and should be able to locate the God's whereabouts.
Meanwhile, at the topmost floor of Wangshu Inn in Dihua Marsh, a Beautiful Youth stood there, watching Durandal's location.
"God..."
A God coming from Mondstadt... what was her purpose? Was she perhaps related to the Abyss?
The Beautiful Youth frowned deeply, then his expression suddenly hardened as dark aura continuously surged from within him, making him clench his teeth.
"Of all times..."
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