"Is this all?"
"(Nod)"
"This is what you know, not the Tianquan Star's complete plan, right?"
"(Nod)"
"I see. I thought I could at least understand her purpose in entrusting Lumine to investigate, but it turns out there's only this much content."
It was hard enough to learn a little about Ningguang from Ganyu, but it turned out that even he didn't know Ningguang's thoughts. He could only judge from Ningguang's usual words and the orders she gave.
The information Ganyu provided was still very useful. From understanding Ningguang and her words, he understood what she wanted to do. As expected of someone who had been a secretary for so long, his observation skills in this regard were truly impeccable.
Ningguang seemed to know about Lumine's collaboration with Childe, and also understood that the Fatui seemed to be carrying out some secret actions, but she did nothing, only observing in secret, as if waiting for a suitable opportunity.
What is a suitable opportunity? Perhaps only Ningguang would know. Although Ganyu is very reliable, Ningguang would not rely on him for everything.
Thinking this, Durandal looked at Ganyu, only to see him contentedly eating a sweet made from sweet flowers, with meat mixed with Qingxin placed beside it.
Desserts and meat, huh? As soon as the deal was struck, he couldn't wait to order these few things. How long had he been holding back to be so excited?
Speaking of which, do all girls worry about getting fat? The girls around her don't seem to have such worries.
Paimon, that guy, no matter how much he eats, always wants to eat more. Lumine also doesn't worry about getting fat. As for herself... she can even turn calories into energy, so how could there be a possibility of getting fat?
Xiangling doesn't either, Klee doesn't have this kind of worry, Jean, Eula, Hu Tao, she hasn't heard them talk about weight issues.
Almost all humans don't have this kind of worry, only Ganyu, who has adeptal blood, worries about this kind of problem. What... what did he go through to have such a deep obsession with weight?
For some reason, Durandal became interested in things other than Lumine and Klee. She felt that the reason why this person was so worried about getting fat must be very interesting.
Thinking this, Durandal once again absorbed the calories contained in the food in Ganyu's body, allowing him to calmly enjoy the next dish.
Speaking of which, he's eating so happily. Is eating really such a joyful thing?
Although she didn't eat with him, just watching him eat inexplicably gave her a sense of satisfaction, and even her mood improved a little.
How strange. Watching someone else eat with a happy face, does it really produce this kind of feeling? Strangely... she feels that letting him eat so satisfyingly is also a good act.
Thinking this, Durandal couldn't help but smile. Although it was a fleeting smile, she did indeed smile because of Ganyu's performance.
"Ah, I'm sorry. To let you see me in such an unseemly state."
Ganyu, who had finally stopped, noticed Durandal's gaze, and only then did he realize what he had just done, and his pretty face instantly turned pink.
Oh no, it's truly terrible. How did it come to this? There was someone in front of him, how did he lose control?
"It's nothing. You're happy eating, and what I did wasn't in vain. That's good."
"Miss Durandal..."
Ganyu, who had been shy, gradually returned to normal upon hearing Durandal's words, displaying a faint smile.
"Originally, I thought Miss Durandal was a difficult person to get along with, but it seems I was mistaken."
Her assertive refusal of Ningguang's invitation twice made Ganyu believe Durandal was a very difficult person to get along with, yet she often heard high praise for Durandal from the residents of Liyue Harbor.
She would patiently treat the injuries of those in need, especially with children, she was the most patient, even carrying candies with her as rewards for obedient children.
In short, her reputation in Liyue Harbor was very high. She had initially thought she was a lofty divine doctor, but never expected her to be so approachable.
So her first impression of Durandal was wrong; she was actually a very gentle person, just not used to expressing it.
"...I just want to get information from you, don't overthink it."
"That's true, but everything you asked was related to Miss Lumine. You asked me about Lady Ningguang because you were worried about Miss Lumine."
Actually, when Durandal first asked her about Ningguang, Ganyu was a bit resistant. Her sense of responsibility prevented her from easily disclosing information about the Liyue Qixing, even if Durandal offered tempting incentives.
However, the reason Durandal wanted to know about Ningguang was not for any personal gain, but to understand the purpose of her commission to Lumine. She did this out of concern that Lumine might be manipulated by Ningguang into doing something dangerous.
She didn't ask anything unrelated to Lumine, and precisely because of this, she was willing to share the information with Durandal.
The reason she spoke to her, the reason she revealed her ability, was all for Lumine. Her starting point was always for others, never thinking of herself.
Durandal, who thought so much for others, could not possibly be a bad person, Ganyu believed.
"Strange fellow, I don't know what you're talking about."
Durandal calmly drank her tea. Even if Ganyu spoke the truth, she would never admit it. Since she wouldn't admit it, anything Ganyu said would be useless.
"I don't know... well. Hmm, let's just say that's the case," Ganyu smiled.
As mentioned above, Ganyu had been a secretary since the first Liyue Qixing. During this time, she had met countless people, including those with personalities similar to Durandal's.
So she clearly understood that Durandal's behavior was to hide her true emotions. To avoid embarrassing Durandal, and to avoid being disliked by this helper who allowed her to eat heartily, it was better to end this topic here.
Only after Ganyu finished eating and Durandal helped her eliminate the last calories did she get up and leave.
Ganyu stretched her hands contentedly. It was normal to go for a walk tonight, but she never expected that besides relaxing, she would also have the opportunity to freely enjoy food. It was truly wonderful.
Now she felt refreshed and could go back to work overtime. Recently, due to the assassination of Rex Lapis, her workload had increased by an unknown amount, with many things to deal with every day, and so on.
"Hmm? Why... did it become so easy?"
Working late for several consecutive days should have accumulated a lot of stress, otherwise she wouldn't have unknowingly fallen asleep while sitting.
But now she felt no fatigue at all, as if she had woken up naturally, feeling completely refreshed.
This was definitely not a problem that could be solved by just eating a full meal; her fatigue had disappeared for other reasons.
[It also seems to be classified as a factor 'harmful' to the body, so my ability can absorb it.]
"Ah, factors 'harmful' to the body, harmful?"
Speaking of which, fatigue is harmful to the body to some extent. Does that mean Durandal can even absorb fatigue?
[There are many things to deal with these past few days, so after my rest, I need to quickly return to the Sea Moon Pavilion and handle the remaining matters.]
These were words Ganyu unconsciously spoke while eating earlier.
Thinking carefully, when Durandal heard this, her eyes kept examining Ganyu. Now, looking back, was she observing the fatigue on her body?
Then, when she finally helped her absorb calories, did she also absorb the fatigue on her body? The purpose was to prevent her from working while fatigued.
Understanding this, Ganyu stood up and went to the corridor, seeing Durandal below being called by a Children from above.
She seemed to be one of Durandal's patients. She was smiling as she said something to Durandal, who listened intently to her story, then patted her head and gave her a candy from her pocket.
A very simple interaction. Ganyu watched this scene with a smile. She gathered her hair, which was blown by the evening breeze, and smiled, saying,
"Indeed... you are a very gentle person, Miss Durandal."
The next day, Lumine and Paimon left the villa early, carrying the rite of banishment and preparing to leave Liyue Harbor for the abode of the adepti.
Durandal arrived at her usual consultation spot, but no one came to see her today. Occasionally, a few children would run up to chat with her, but nothing else happened.
There were no major movements from the Fatui either. The "intelligence operatives" she had dispatched also noticed no activity at the Northland Bank.
Never mind, it's just a small amount of Mora to prepare some food for them. This expense is just a drop in the ocean for her.
By the way... are there more and more small animals gathering around me lately? Are there really so many small animals here in Liyue Harbor?
Looking at the cat perched on her head, Durandal reached out and adjusted its position to prevent it from falling.
"Meow~"
"Hmm? You said that the preparations for the Rite of Descension at Yujing Terrace are almost complete? That's quite fast, Liyue Qixing. But, is doing this really okay? When the adepti come to demand an explanation from the Liyue Qixing and see the scene of Rex Lapis's Rite of Descension, won't they just directly explode?"
Zhongli asked me to act at a critical moment; he wouldn't be referring to when the adepti get angry and prepare to attack Liyue Harbor, would he?
I'm not sure about the strength of those adepti. If they're not that strong, I'll just send a clone to deal with them.
"Hmm? Is that... a lie?"
Suddenly, Durandal noticed something, placed the cat on her head on the ground, and stood up to look into the distance.
"Klee, why are you in Liyue?"
"Big Sister Durandal!"
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