Keqing finally left helplessly. Before leaving, she instructed Lumine that if she encountered any problems, she could come to Sea Moon Pavilion to find her.
Even if it was about the Fatui, she could help resolve it. She told Lumine to keep an eye on Durandal, as those guys couldn't do things openly but could resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes.
Lumine accepted this mission, successfully gaining the right to visit Keqing anytime.
Soon, Durandal and the others, led by Butler Fu, arrived at their resting place. Looking at the exquisitely decorated villa in front of them, Lumine and Paimon were speechless for a moment.
"Please rest here tonight, ladies. Not just tonight, but for the duration of your stay in Liyue Harbor, you are welcome to reside here. Please rest assured, all cleaning and management issues will be handled by us. You only need to move in with peace of mind."
"This... what's going on? We can live here from now on?"
Paimon pointed at the luxurious villa, asking somewhat incredulously.
"Of course. From today onwards, this house belongs to Lady Durandal. As Lady Durandal's friends, you two naturally also have the right to move in."
"But, this... this..."
Paimon kept swallowing, unsure if this was a pleasant surprise or a shock. Although living in such a nice house was something to be happy about, moving in so easily made her feel like she was dreaming.
Butler Fu understood Paimon's feelings. He chuckled a few times, signaling Paimon not to be surprised.
"This is Master's instruction. Originally, Master had already promised various conditions to cure Young Master Chen's illness. But Lady Durandal was not interested in those Rewards, so this house was prepared as a residence for you all in Liyue Harbor."
"Wouldn't this..."
"This is Master's sincerity; please do not refuse. I believe news of Young Master Chen's recovery will spread tomorrow. Lady Durandal saved Young Master Chen's life. If people knew Master didn't give any Reward, how would they view the Chen family?"
Large families still value their reputation greatly. A seemingly insignificant small matter could be spread and exaggerated more and more.
The Chen family certainly didn't want such a thing to happen, and Durandal wasn't interested in those Rewards, so at least she had to accept this house.
"This house is just one of the Chen family's properties in Liyue; it's not a particularly important asset to the Chen family. So, you two don't need to feel anything about it. This Reward is very much worth it in Master's eyes."
A three-story villa to save the life of the Chen family's only male heir? Haha, this was the best deal he had ever made; he'd probably wake up laughing even in his dreams.
To ensure Durandal's comfortable stay, they had already arranged for a female housekeeper to manage the house's affairs. She would arrive tomorrow.
Thus, the three who originally needed to find an inn for the night suddenly became wealthy owners of a three-story villa.
Even after entering the villa and sitting on the sofa, Paimon hadn't fully processed it, feeling that all of it was so unreal.
"What's unreal about it? It's not your accomplishment. If it were just the two of us, we would indeed have to follow the original plan and dutifully find an inn."
Lumine took the hot tea Durandal handed her and took a sip: "And the reason they gave Durandal this house isn't entirely because of the Reward."
"Eh? Not because of the Reward? Is there some other reason?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
"Hmm~ For example, Paimon, you love delicious food. To get delicious food, you'll make friends with good chefs so you can ask them to cook for you. Durandal is the best chef among these people; her cooking skill is world-class, unmatched by anyone. To build a good relationship with her, don't you have to do something to gain her friendship? Even if you don't gain friendship, you should at least know her, so it'll be much easier to ask her for help later, right?"
This example was easy to understand. Simply put, if someone in the Chen family fell ill again in the future, they could ask Durandal for help with treatment. They valued Durandal's ability to cure any illness.
Now Paimon understood. So it was to curry favor with Durandal. She and Lumine were both benefiting from her.
Durandal, who was making tea, noticed Paimon's gaze and asked, "Aren't you two tired already? Go take a shower now, then come out for dinner. I'll check the kitchen to see if there are any ingredients to make you something to eat."
"Really? Then we're going to shower now! Traveler, let's go quickly."
Paimon, a little impatient, pulled Lumine's hand, searching for a place to shower. Durandal also went to the kitchen to see if there were any ingredients.
In her opinion, since no one usually lived here, there shouldn't be much food stored.
Surprisingly, the kitchen was well-stocked with ingredients, likely due to someone regularly replenishing them. She couldn't understand what those people were thinking; wasn't this wasteful?
With so many ingredients, many more dishes could be made. By the time she finished cooking, Lumine and Paimon had just finished showering and came to the dining room, wiping their hair.
"Wooow~ Delicious! So much delicious food!"
Seeing the food, Paimon couldn't resist. She rushed over and eagerly started eating.
Lumine sat down, about to use her chopsticks, when she saw Durandal walk out of the dining room.
"Where are you going, Durandal? Eat with us."
"You two eat. I want to take a shower first. Don't wait for me."
Hmm, Durandal wanted to take a shower. Why would Durandal, who had said she didn't need to shower, suddenly have the urge to do so?
It was because of Lumine. Under her persuasion, Durandal finally tried showering, and when she felt the warm water slide over her skin, she seemed to like the feeling.
Especially when soaking in hot water, this feeling of physical and mental comfort was particularly evident.
According to Lumine, bathing is a very comfortable thing, and Durandal is now a girl, so bathing would have a stronger appeal to her.
The facilities in such a villa were incomparable to those in a room at Wangshu Inn. There were many electrical appliances from Sumeru here, so there was no need for the hassle of boiling water; a single action could provide hot water.
Not only that, but there was also a bathtub! With a bathtub, one could enjoy a good soak.
As she made her clothes disappear and prepared to take a bath, Durandal noticed the iris hair ornament on her head and carefully took it off.
Gently stroking the hair ornament, Durandal really liked it, probably because Lumine had given it to her.
Lying in the bathtub, Durandal stroked the hair ornament in her hand. Her dark purple pupils gradually deepened, and a stream of power flowed from her index finger into the hair ornament, gradually transforming it from a simple ornament into a piece of equipment.
(The Indestructible: Directly from a decoration to epic-tier equipment, isn't that amazing?!)
She didn't understand what this flower represented, but it held extraordinary significance for her, so she had to protect it well.
Holding it in her hand, Durandal began to ponder the events she experienced today in Liyue Harbor.
Besides the pleasant encounters, like meeting Hu Tao, there was also the bothersome encounter with the Fatui.
These people were annoying everywhere they went. It wouldn't be an issue if they simply integrated, but the crucial point was that they wanted to dictate how others should conduct themselves, which was quite irritating.
"How exactly do they control this 'Virus'? There's… the aura of a God contained within it."
Just like the karmic debt she absorbed from Xiao, Young Master Chen's 'Virus' also contained elements of a God. How did those people utilize this power?
It seems that besides combat, the Fatui must have individuals highly skilled in research. They found a way to use the remnants of a God's power through experimentation, which is quite capable.
It's just… they didn't use this ability for good. They used it to deal with others, to eliminate competitors, and that's something she couldn't tolerate.
They're good at doing things without leaving evidence, aren't they? They don't want the bank to open and affect Snezhnaya's plans in Liyue Harbor, right?
Alright, Durandal will officially enter the fray. She won't make big moves; she'll be like the Fatui, striking them down without leaving any trace.
Poison? She was all too familiar with it. The 'Virus' they used this time had been skillfully mastered by Durandal, and she could return it to them with two hundred percent of its power.
Even without using this 'Virus,' she had too many ways to deal with them.
"I only promised not to cause destruction in Liyue Harbor; I didn't promise not to cooperate with the residents of Liyue Harbor against the Fatui. I think… you wouldn't mind me doing such a thing, right?"
Durandal smiled slightly, extending her index finger, and a deeply colored butterfly slowly appeared at her fingertip.
Don't underestimate it; it was a butterfly imbued with the 'Virus' that was just in Young Master Chen's body. To be precise, it wasn't a butterfly; it was formed from the materialized poison.
Today, she would give them a welcoming gift. Since they could do such a thing, it meant they must have an antidote.
Hehe~ This should buy them enough time to get their bank up and running.
The butterfly leisurely flew out of the window, heading towards the Northland Bank where the Fatui were located.
After spending a little more time in the bathroom, Durandal emerged, put on a set of black and purple pajamas, and saw Lumine chatting with Paimon in the living room.
"Since there are more rooms, we don't have to sleep in the same room like before. You have to get up early tomorrow, so I'll go find a room to rest first. Good night."
"..."
The moment she heard they couldn't sleep in the same room, Lumine turned monochrome, her eyes losing their luster.
She looked even sadder than when she lost her brother, and she didn't recover until Durandal left.
No!
The friendship improvement plan, which had been so hard to formulate, couldn't be interrupted like this!