"How was it? After all that, what are your thoughts?"
"I've fully realized how unpopular you are in Liyue. It seems your usual sales tactics aren't very well-liked."
"Oh dear~ I didn't ask you to look at that! I wanted you to see Liyue's environment. Why did you focus on me instead?"
"Because my curiosity about you is far greater than about Liyue."
"...You've left me at a loss for words."
With Hu Tao, someone who grew up in Liyue, as her guide, Durandal's trip to Liyue became much more efficient.
Due to her work, Hu Tao knew quite a few people, although some of them didn't like her because Hu Tao had tried to sell them Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services.
At the Northland Bank, Durandal searched for interesting poetry collections, while Hu Tao sat on a chair, idly swinging her legs.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in these. Do you really like these stories, Durandal?"
"Slightly interested. There isn't much I can do normally, and the stories in these books are quite interesting."
One thing wasn't mentioned: back in Mondstadt, Durandal sometimes went to the Knights of Favonius headquarters to read books in the library.
There were so many books there that even Durandal couldn't guarantee she had read them all.
Through those books, Durandal learned many interesting things, including the history of other nations and some inexplicable stories.
Yes, quite inexplicable, especially that human named Lisa. After getting a cold shoulder from her at a banquet for Jean, she seemed to want to get her own back.
She specifically picked out a few very strange books for Durandal. These books were different from other novels, but the stories inside were quite interesting. Durandal read them all with a calm expression... right in front of Lisa.
When she finally returned the books to her, Lisa's expression was very complex, and Durandal didn't understand what kind of expression she wanted to see on her face.
"Heh heh~ Reading, huh? You really have a calm personality."
"Because there's not much else to do. When I used to stay at Cape Oath, all I could do was plant flowers, interact with animals, and look at the moon."
"That monotonous? Why didn't you go see Mondstadt City? Isn't it livelier there?"
"...Because I don't want to go to crowded places."
"Oh."
Hu Tao nodded thoughtfully, watching Durandal take the chosen books to pay. There were about a dozen of them, some about Liyue's history, and some purely fictional stories.
"Besides reading, what else do you usually do when you're in Mondstadt City?"
"See patients." Durandal put away the books and said, "Occasionally, some people come to me for treatment, and some even travel from other countries to find me."
"See patients? You? Treating others? How do you do it?"
Hu Tao was astonished. How could someone who released terrifying plagues also treat people? Was it because she understood the cause of diseases that she knew better how to deal with them?
"It's not a normal treatment method. Most of those patients have some kind of 'poison' in their bodies. What I do is absorb all of that poison without leaving a trace."
As long as all the 'poison' was extracted from the body, there would be no possibility of recurrence, and the illness would be cured.
Hu Tao still found it hard to accept, but she suddenly realized something and stared intently at Durandal, scrutinizing her up and down.
"Ah! I remember now! You're that divine doctor of mondstadt who was so famous a while ago! The divine doctor who suddenly appeared, claiming to be able to cure all diseases!"
Some time ago, it was unknown how the rumor spread, but it was said that Mondstadt recently had a divine doctor, a very beautiful girl.
Although she looked incredibly young, she possessed the ability to cure all diseases, even those considered incurable. It was said that she had already cured many terminal illnesses.
Hu Tao had heard this from the staff of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. She hadn't paid much attention to it, as similar rumors were common. Storytellers loved to exaggerate things.
That so-called divine doctor probably just happened to cure a certain illness and then became increasingly deified by the rumors.
But she never expected it to be true, and that divine doctor was right in front of her, with the true identity of a God!
"Claiming? I never said I could cure all diseases."
Durandal didn't recall saying such a thing. Although what those people said wasn't wrong, she thought it was a bit exaggerated.
"Things tend to get exaggerated as they spread. You don't need to pay attention to what those people say. If it's not exaggerated, no one will listen. However, I don't think they exaggerated this time, because it's the truth."
Hu Tao felt a little emotional. Those who liked to exaggerate facts had not only not exaggerated this time but had accurately stated the truth, perhaps even understated it.
"I can already predict what will happen once those people in Liyue know about you. You'll definitely be sought out by many people in the coming days."
Those who couldn't travel to Mondstadt, upon learning that Durandal had come to Liyue, would certainly try every possible means to invite Durandal to treat their illnesses, even willing to pay any price for their treatment.
People in high positions are very afraid of death. Hu Tao understood this well, so Durandal would definitely not be idle for the next few days.
"Oh? I didn't expect to meet you here. Are you here to read, Director Hu?"
At this moment, a young master in a magnificent long robe walked over and politely greeted Hu Tao.
"Oh, hello, Xingqiu. I was wondering why you weren't here to read today, but you appeared so quickly."
"Having nothing to do, I came here to see if there were any new books to read. Hmm? This is a new face. Is she your friend?"
The young master also noticed Durandal sitting opposite Hu Tao, watching her focus on a book, and thought she was like him, feeling a little curious.
"Hehe~ She just arrived in Liyue today, you know! Her purpose is to attend the Rite of Descension in a few days."
"I see. Anyone who can be with Director Hu must be an extraordinary person. Allow me to introduce myself."
The young master smiled softly and said, "I am Xingqiu, merely a bookworm. If you ever need anything, you can come to me, and I will do my best to help."
Durandal raised her gaze, looked at the polite Xingqiu, and nodded: "Durandal, from Mondstadt. Hello."
It was a very simple introduction. Xingqiu wasn't displeased; on the contrary, he found Durandal's personality quite interesting, and since she could be with Hu Tao, she must have some outstanding qualities.
"You mustn't underestimate her, you know! She's the divine doctor of mondstadt who's been widely rumored in Liyue recently. If you underestimate her, be careful she won't treat you if you get sick later."
"Oh? The divine doctor of mondstadt? It's an honor to meet you. Not long ago, I heard my father say he wanted to visit you in Mondstadt. I didn't expect you to come to Liyue."
Xingqiu looked at Durandal with some surprise. He had to admit he had been deceived by Durandal's appearance. Who would have thought that such a beautiful girl like Durandal was connected to that divine doctor of mondstadt?
Durandal blinked, looking at Hu Tao, as if she could explain.
"He's the second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. The Feiyun Commerce Guild has some influence here in Liyue. If you need any help, you can go to him. I believe he won't refuse you."
Only a fool would refuse. That was a great opportunity to befriend Durandal. Whether it was Xingqiu or his father, they would surely eagerly help with anything.
"I understand. If I have a need, I will consider it."
Hearing this, Xingqiu showed a brilliant smile. Regardless of how much truth there was to the rumors, even if it was only half true, befriending Durandal was a good thing.
He simply stopped looking at his favorite books, found a seat nearby, and sat down, saying, "Rumor has it that you can diagnose a person's illness just by looking at them. May I ask if you see anything I should be concerned about?"
"You..." Durandal looked him up and down. "No big problems, but one small one. You're very tired. You didn't sleep last night, did you?"
"You can tell that too? Impressive. I stayed up last night because I found an interesting book and read it all. But it's fine, this kind of thing happens often. I just need to catch up on sleep when I go back."
Xingqiu smiled faintly. This small test certainly couldn't expose Durandal's deceit, but being able to observe that he had stayed up late added a few more points of credibility to the rumors for him.
Durandal sat by, watching Xingqiu and Hu Tao chat. They mostly talked about recent events, nothing worth paying attention to.
Suddenly, Durandal saw two masked individuals enter the Northland Bank, take a book from the owner, and leave.
Their attire clearly indicated they were Fatui, which made Durandal narrow her eyes, watching the direction they left in.
Hu Tao noticed Durandal's gaze, followed her line of sight, and saw the two Fatui leaving.
"They're Fatui. What's wrong? Do you have a grudge against them?"
Durandal nodded, not wanting to say too much, but from her expression, it was clear she hated the Fatui, a very, very strong hatred.
Hu Tao and Xingqiu guessed that the Fatui had done something to displease Durandal when she was in Mondstadt, which was why she felt this way.
"Although you hate the Fatui, it's best not to do anything in the city. Otherwise, if it escalates to the Liyue Qixing, things will get serious."
Hu Tao, knowing Durandal's identity, was a little worried. Fatui members were quite common in Liyue. If Durandal accidentally encountered one on the street, would she attack?
If she did, would the Liyue Qixing send people to arrest Durandal?
If that really happened, would Durandal fall out with Liyue?
Falling out with a God? Oh my goodness~ Hu Tao couldn't imagine such a scene.
Durandal also understood that she couldn't attack the Fatui in Liyue Harbor. Anyway, she had just arrived, and the Fatui would surely dispatch their vanguard to various parts of Liyue, just like in Mondstadt.
Since that was the case, there was much more she could do.