"Yes, confirmed. Those individuals are all Treasure Hoarders. Thank you very much for your assistance to the residents of Liyue this time."
After defeating the Treasure Hoarders and rescuing the people, Paimon led Lumine to the patrolling Millelith she found, and they escorted the Treasure Hoarders back to Liyue's General Affairs Department.
After interrogation by the General Affairs Department, the identities of the Treasure Hoarders were largely confirmed. They also learned that one of them was a minor leader of the Treasure Hoarders who had been causing trouble recently and was being pursued by the Millelith.
The interrogation department had already begun working hard, hoping to extract information from them, learn about their secret base, and rescue the people who had been captured recently.
"Regarding these bounties, because the amount is quite large, you can deposit them in a bank. If it's inconvenient to carry, you can entrust us to store them for you, and we can provide receipts as proof. If you are still uneasy, we can draw up a contract."
Liyue is a nation of contracts, and the Geo Archon is a god who highly values the spirit of contracts. Once the terms of a contract are violated, the violator will suffer the "rock-eating" punishment.
"No need, we can keep this Mora safe ourselves."
As Lumine touched the bag containing the Mora, the bag dissolved into specks of light and vanished from the table.
The person responsible for receiving them seemed to have witnessed such a sight before, showing no great surprise at the ability Lumine displayed.
"We've already given our statements, and we've received the bounty. Can we leave now?"
Lumine subtly glanced at Durandal beside her. From the moment they entered until now, she had been sitting silently, while Lumine had done all the talking.
Does she dislike this kind of environment? To avoid making Durandal uncomfortable, it would be best to leave quickly and find temporary accommodation in Liyue.
"Yes, everything is settled. Please allow me to thank you again. If you encounter similar situations outside next time, you can seek help from the Millelith. Of course, you can also, like this time, ask the Millelith to help escort the criminals back."
"Understood. Next time, we will definitely..."
"I heard the news, those Treasure Hoarders causing trouble near Liyue recently have been arrested?"
Suddenly, a figure rushed into the General Affairs Department and excitedly asked the female receptionist who had been assisting Durandal and her companions.
"Yes, Lady Yuheng. They are the Travelers who captured the criminals this time. We just finished questioning them."
The newcomer was a very cute woman, dressed in elaborate clothes. What was striking was her unique hairstyle; if one didn't look closely, it could be mistaken for a pair of cat ears.
She looked at Durandal and Lumine, placed her right hand in front of her, and introduced herself: "Hello, welcome to Liyue. I am Keqing, the Yuheng of the Seven Stars of Liyue. Thank you very much for your help this time. As the Rite of Descension approaches, these individuals have been targeting foreign visitors coming to participate in the Rite of Descension. Because they are very cunning, they have succeeded multiple times. If not for your assistance, who knows how many more people would have been victimized."
Due to the upcoming Rite of Descension, many foreign Travelers have been arriving in Liyue recently.
The Treasure Hoarders were exploiting this, ambushing along the necessary routes, hoping to make a huge profit.
The Treasure Hoarders that Durandal and her companions eliminated this time were a particularly cunning group; the Millelith had failed to catch them on several previous attempts.
That's why Keqing rushed over so impatiently when she learned they had been captured, hoping to extract information from them about where they hid their ill-gotten gains, to at least recover some of the losses for those who had been robbed.
"Don't mention it. We only acted when we discovered they had captured people."
"Such a beautiful person! This person who calls herself one of the Liyue Qixing must hold a very high position in Liyue, right? Perhaps I can get to know her a little."
"Oh, by the way, I just heard you mention the Rite of Descension. May I ask how many days are left until the Rite of Descension begins?"
"Oh? Are you also foreign visitors coming to participate in this Rite of Descension? There are still a few days until the official start date, so you don't need to rush. You can settle down first."
Keqing looked Lumine and Durandal up and down and said, "Because there are many foreign visitors, the number of inns in Liyue has become stretched. If you don't find a room soon, there might not be any vacancies left."
"Huh? Is... is that so? Do we have to go camping outside even after reaching Liyue?"
They hadn't expected such a situation. They had thought they could settle down peacefully once they reached Liyue, but they didn't expect to face the risk of sleeping on the streets.
Seeing Paimon's adorable reaction, Keqing chuckled a few times and reassured her, "Don't worry, as the meritorious individuals who captured the Treasure Hoarders this time, I won't just stand by. How about this, I'll help you find which inn still has vacant rooms. Come find me at the Sea Moon Pavilion later, and I'll take you there."
"Huh? This... how can we trouble you so much?"
"It's no trouble. I can still help with such a small matter. Compared to what you've done this time, this little thing is nothing."
Lumine and Keqing hit it off. Keqing, who was originally anxious to go to the interrogation, couldn't help but chat with Lumine for a few more sentences. Lumine, being in the presence of a beautiful Damselette, also cooperated very well and chatted with her.
She completely failed to notice the expression of Durandal, who had been forgotten beside her. Only Paimon and the receptionist, who had been observing the whole time, noticed this scene.
As a receptionist for the General Affairs Department, the Damselette knew very well how to read people's expressions. She understood that paying too much attention to something would only bring unnecessary trouble, so she kept her eyes on the documents in front of her.
Only Paimon was startled by Durandal's expression and wanted to remind Lumine, but Lumine was chatting happily with Keqing and didn't notice Paimon's gaze at all.
This made Paimon very worried. Although Durandal usually forgave them no matter what they did, forgetting Durandal this time seemed a bit too much.
"Snap out of it! Traveler! If this continues, something big will happen!"
This person, who had often asked Durandal to share a bed with her at night during this period, completely forgot about Durandal when she saw a pretty girl.
This Traveler is scum!
——————
Leaving the General Affairs Department, Lumine, Durandal, and Paimon walked down the street.
Since Keqing had promised to help them find an inn, they decided to explore Liyue thoroughly before going to the Sea Moon Pavilion.
Liyue is so vast that even if they did that, it would take a long time to see everything. So, they decided to visit the Adventurers' Guild here first and greet the staff.
It should have been a scene of joyful strolling, but the three were unusually silent. Lumine and Paimon had sweat on their faces, secretly observing Durandal.
After finishing her chat with Keqing and watching her walk towards the interrogation room, Lumine finally noticed Durandal's darkened expression.
At that moment, she realized she was in big trouble. Before she could say anything, Durandal got up and left the General Affairs Department, leaving them behind.
Even now, Durandal showed no intention of speaking, making Lumine very anxious and unsure of what to do.
"What should we do now? Traveler. It's all your fault! You should have at least introduced Durandal to Keqing. Instead, you left both me and Durandal on the side!"
Paimon looked at Lumine indignantly. Durandal already doted on her so much, yet she treated Durandal this way. Even Paimon, her best companion, couldn't bear to watch.
"I... I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted to get along with her. Although I don't know what the Seven Stars of Liyue represents, befriending her definitely wouldn't be a problem. But as we chatted, I completely forgot about Durandal."
Lumine was very embarrassed. To abandon one friend for the sake of making another was truly a terrible thing to do.
What to do? What solution could she come up with to make amends for her mistake? What should she do?
"...Let's split up here first."
Suddenly, Durandal stopped at a crossroads and said, "Are you two planning to check out the Adventurers' Guild next? I won't go there with you. I want to walk around other parts of Liyue, and we can meet up at that place called the Sea Moon Pavilion tonight. Is that okay?"
"Eh? You're not going to stay with us?"
"I want to walk around by myself. We'll probably be spending a long time in Liyue. I want to get familiar with the surroundings, and also... I want to walk alone. With you two nearby, I can't concentrate."
Paimon wanted to say something more, but Lumine stopped him.
She was still sulking, and even though it was her own fault, if she wanted some time to calm down, Lumine would give her that space.
Anyway, she didn't say she was leaving, and Durandal didn't need to be by her side all the time. Giving her some personal space and letting her walk around alone was fine; they could also use this time to do their own things.
After they split up, Durandal wanted to go see the Wanmin Restaurant that Xiangling mentioned. She didn't know if she was back yet, or if she was still out training her cooking.
Speaking of which, Liyue is completely different from Mondstadt. Aside from the architecture, the lifestyle displayed here is also different.
This feeling is very nice; Durandal really likes this atmosphere.
As she walked, Durandal smelled a tea fragrance in the air. This scent was much better than the large bowl of tea they drank at Stone Gate; it must have been brewed from relatively high-grade tea leaves.
Following the scent of tea, Durandal slowly approached an open-air teahouse. In front of the teahouse, there was a man holding a folding fan, narrating something.
From his narration, it seemed to be a story related to Rex Lapis.
Of course, that wasn't the point. Durandal's gaze wasn't on the storyteller; her attention was on a particular guest.
He sat alone at a table, calmly drinking tea. Just sitting there, he exuded an air of authority.
Such an aura easily made one feel that he was from a prominent family, or someone of high status and power.
He took a sip of tea, his gaze falling upon Durandal, who was watching him, and said calmly, "Since you're here, why not come and have a cup of tea?"
"Geo Archon..."
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