Ningguang? The richest woman on the continent of Teyvat? She invited you? But you refused her invitation?
Paimon excitedly flew in front of Durandal, hands clasped in front of her, and asked.
Yes, I refused.
Why would you refuse her? It's a rare opportunity to connect with someone like that. This is something others dream of. Why would you refuse?
Ah~ Paimon couldn't understand Durandal's reason for refusing to meet Ningguang. She was the richest person on the continent of Teyvat. It was said her wealth was beyond words. If one could get involved with her, perhaps they could even get some benefits.
Why refuse? I, on the other hand, don't understand why I should accept her invitation. You are really strange, Paimon.
Durandal put away the item in her hand and said, "Those merchants want to meet the Tianquan Star Ningguang because they want to do business with her, they want to gain something. I don't need to do business with her, nor do I need to get anything from her. If that's the case, why should I go see her?"
But... but...
Don't you ever wonder why she invited me? We've only been in Liyue Harbor for a little over a day. As one of the Seven Stars, why would she notice us, a few outsiders who just entered the city?
Unless it was a chance encounter like with Keqing, given the daily affairs the Liyue Qixing have to handle, they wouldn't have time to bother with someone who had only been in Liyue for a few days.
What if Durandal had the identity of the divine doctor of mondstadt? The other party, being in a high position, would certainly not easily believe rumors. She would at least observe for a few days to confirm the credibility of the matter before sending for someone.
That's right, why would she notice you? Could it be because you helped Young Master Chen yesterday? Didn't Old Master Chen say that the bank Young Master Chen was preparing to open had Ningguang's support? Perhaps she noticed you because of this.
That's possible, but not very likely. I lean towards other reasons, for example... she had already noticed us before we even arrived in Liyue Harbor.
Durandal paused until the waiter had served all the snacks they ordered and walked to a position where he couldn't hear them, then she signaled Paimon to speak.
She noticed us before we even arrived in Liyue Harbor? How could that be? How did she notice us?
Durandal didn't answer. She looked at Lumine, watching her deep in thought, she should be close to figuring out how Ningguang knew.
Are you saying... Ningguang has people at the Wangshu Inn? She knew about us through that intelligence?
Durandal nodded: "That's most likely the case. Don't you find it strange? The scale of the Wangshu Inn is too vast; such a building doesn't seem like something an owner could construct. The only possibility is that the Wangshu Inn was built with the funding of someone. And this person is the wealthiest woman on this continent, which is the Tianquan Star Ningguang."
"Eh? Is... is that really true? How did you know?"
"It's a deduction, not something we know. However, Wangshu Inn has merchants coming and going every day who rest there. If that person sets up informants there, she can easily learn a lot of information."
For a merchant, intelligence is crucial. By mastering information, one can plan ahead, and even secretly manipulate the course of events to turn the outcome in her favor.
After listening to Durandal's explanation, Paimon trembled with fear and asked nervously, "Is she really that scary?"
"If she didn't have these methods, how could she become the wealthiest person? If she couldn't even achieve this level, how would she become the Tianquan Star?"
It's a joke. Which business person doesn't have a good head on her shoulders? If someone with a bad head goes into business, she'll probably lose even her pants, and might even pay those who sold her out.
That Ningguang is clearly a very intelligent person. The reason she invited Durandal to the Jade Chamber this time is likely not because she values her healing abilities; she most likely values something else about Durandal.
"Then will you be in any danger?"
"Danger? Are you serious?"
She would become dangerous because Ningguang is targeting her? Is she saying the opposite of what she means? The one in danger should be Ningguang.
Lumine then realized that she had forgotten Durandal also had the identity of a God.
Once strength reaches a certain level, all conspiracies and schemes become useless, and Durandal can achieve this.
No matter what Ningguang wants to do to Durandal, no matter how smart she is, Durandal will not be in any danger, unless Ningguang's abilities reach the level of that woman Hulder. Otherwise, Durandal truly doesn't put her in her eyes.
Durandal looked up at the sky. Above Liyue Harbor floated a suspended building, which was where Ningguang resided—the Jade Chamber.
At this moment, Ningguang, who was working in the Jade Chamber, also received the message from Ganyu—the news of Durandal's refusal to accept the invitation.
"Refusal? That's an expected answer. It seems such a figure is indeed not so easy to invite."
Ningguang put down the documents in her hand, pondered for a moment, and then picked up several other documents from the side, which were all about Durandal.
From Durandal's first use of her abilities to heal others in Mondstadt, to later records, she had been investigating Durandal for a while.
Initially, she was only attracted by Durandal's excellent healing abilities, but as the investigation deepened, she discovered that Durandal's abilities seemed to be more than just what was investigated.
Not only that, her relationship with the Fatui was also not good. During her time in Mondstadt City, the Fatui had encountered multiple incidents of being poisoned, and each time, no trace was found.
There was even one instance where a Fatui Harbinger, The Servant, disappeared for a period due to unknown reasons, only to return to Mondstadt City after some time.
It's hard not to connect this with Durandal. So, what kind of existence is Durandal, who can do that to the Fatui and leave no flaws?
This could not be investigated, but it was certain that she was not simple, which made Ningguang consider recruiting her.
Who wouldn't want to have someone with powerful strength and the ability to cure terminal illnesses? With her by her side, the safety factor would increase immeasurably.
But such a person is clearly not easy to recruit, and she even disdains her reputation, showing no intention of acknowledging her at all.
"What should I do to make her attend the banquet?"
Ningguang pondered, her gaze falling on another investigation report, this one about Lumine.
As the hero who saved Mondstadt, Lumine naturally caught Ningguang's eye, and her identity was also very special: a Traveler who does not belong to one of the Seven Nations.
Moreover, she used the Anemo element without a Vision. Ningguang had never seen anyone else possess such a special physique; she was a promising talent.
"To use her as an intermediary? That's a good idea, but it's very easy to cause resentment from the other party. I don't want to receive the same treatment as the Fatui."
Let's put it aside for now. The most urgent matter at hand is the Rite of Descension. Once the matters of the Rite of Descension are handled, then I'll consider how to establish a connection with them.
Speaking of which, the Fatui's report today is very strange. The Fatui, who usually do something in secret, why is there no news from them today? They are all obediently staying at the Northland Bank, or in the areas where the Fatui operate.
"Could it be... she has already made her move? Just like those Fatui in Mondstadt, she has already started targeting the Fatui in Liyue Harbor?"
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Ningguang remembered that yesterday, when Durandal went to the Chen family to treat Young Master Chen, Keqing was with them. If she were to subtly probe Keqing, she might be able to uncover some useful clues.
On the other side, at the Northland Bank, when they learned of Young Master Chen's recovery, the Fatui members were very puzzled.
They didn't expect anyone to be able to deal with the poison they secretly administered. One must know that it was the latest experimental product developed by the Doctor, and even the antidote they had couldn't completely cure it in one go. That doctor actually solved the problem directly.
These things were nothing. Their Fatui methods of dealing with people were effective; even if this trick didn't work, there were other methods they could use.
But before they could take any other action, some of them fell ill, and it was in batches.
The reason for their illness was that they were poisoned with the same "poison" they used on Young Master Chen. They initially thought it was an accidental infection, but their antidote couldn't eliminate it, which created a big problem.
The Harbinger in charge of Liyue Harbor rushed over after learning about this, and found that the situation was getting more and more serious, reaching an uncontrollable point.
What exactly is going on? This "poison" was clearly developed by the Fatui. Although the antidote was not complete, it should have been able to suppress it. Why was the effect not obvious at all?
According to the members' feedback, their "poison" was several times stronger than the original, directly sent back with a super-amplified effect, which is why the original antidote had no effect.
No, it's not that it had no effect. It could indeed play a suppressive role, but it was only suppression. To fully recover, they would need to research the latest antidote.
This was a headache. The upcoming plans still required these members. If the situation continued to worsen, things would only get worse.
Soon, he thought of Durandal. When he was active in Liyue Harbor during the day, he saw Durandal treating others. If it was her, she might be able to solve the Fatui's problem.
Wait a minute, the current situation of the Fatui, could it be caused by her? The Harbinger fell into contemplation.
Given the attitude she showed him, would she really agree to come and treat the Fatui?
If the Fatui's condition was her doing, then was the development of events as she intended?
"Oh no, I've encountered a troublesome opponent."