For a while after that, Klee always came to find Durandal, taking her to various places in Mondstadt.
Although she had been in Mondstadt for a thousand years, she was still very unfamiliar with its environment.
Along the way, Klee kept telling her all sorts of things about Mondstadt, and Durandal listened beside her.
Even though she didn't answer Klee's questions much, Klee kept narrating enthusiastically, and her joyful expression constantly drew Durandal's gaze.
"Human food... grilled fish. Klee seems to really like this food."
In the early morning, Durandal came to the lakeside, looking at the fish swimming leisurely in front of her. She remembered that Klee would always eat grilled fish whenever she was with her during this time.
She didn't understand what tasted good or bad, but Klee always said it tasted good, so that taste must be good.
During this time, Klee had been taking her everywhere, and she hadn't done anything herself.
Before Klee came to find her, should she make her a grilled fish, something she liked?
Those Adventurers who initially fought against her weren't just for justice; they also took on such dangerous tasks under the temptation of various generous Rewards.
With a casual wave, a fish flew in front of her.
Before the fish could even struggle, Durandal made a hand-chop gesture with her right hand and brought it down, cutting open the fish's head and completely ending its life.
Ah... it seems this isn't how it's done. When Klee made grilled fish, the fish's head was left on. Would doing it this way affect the taste?
Durandal didn't understand cooking at all. She didn't need to eat; whether now or in the past, she never needed to eat anything.
Although she didn't understand cooking, she had watched Klee grill fish yesterday and understood the basics of how to make grilled fish.
"Hmm? Have you seen humans grill fish elsewhere? Can you tell me about it?"
The bird perched on Durandal's shoulder had seen a girl grilling fish in the Liyue region. Although her cooking was a bit strange, she seemed to be quite good at it.
At that time, it curiously observed the process. It still remembered the steps and could help Durandal make grilled fish well.
Only... "What are the seasonings?"
You can't expect someone who has never cooked before to know about seasonings and such things the first time they cook.
Regarding the Bird's statement, Durandal could be said to be completely clueless. What were these so-called seasonings? When she watched Klee make grilled fish, she clearly didn't add anything.
Fortunately, the bird had seen many people cook and knew a lot about this aspect. Plus, with the help of their other companions, everyone together educated Durandal about seasonings.
Durandal nodded. She wasn't stupid and immediately understood the importance of seasonings for cooking. It was just... "The salt and other things you mentioned... I don't have them here, and I don't know where to get them."
According to the bird, these seasonings seemed quite important. Without them, it would be impossible to make this dish well.
Hmm~ What should I do now? The bird said these seasonings could be bought in Mondstadt, but buying them required Mora, which was the thing Barbatos always talked about.
She had a little Mora, given to her by people she had helped before. The amount wasn't much, it just represented the goodwill of those she had helped. So, how could she exchange Mora for those things?
While Durandal was discussing with the animals about what to do, Durandal heard something. It... seemed to be a human crying for help.
Durandal rushed to where the cries for help came from at the fastest speed. In the middle of the road, there was a cargo delivery... balloon? It was a balloon that looked like a Wind Slime.
In front of the balloon, a person was surrounded by Hilichurls, crouching on the ground, trembling with fear.
Those Hilichurls were not interested in the man. They used their weapons to attack the goods, and it looked like the goods were about to be destroyed.
Just as the man thought that besides the goods, he might even lose his life today, he heard a sharp cutting sound, followed by the screams of the Hilichurls.
Trembling, he opened his eyes and found that the arrogant Hilichurls had already been knocked to the ground. Not far from him stood a very beautiful girl. Something had disappeared from her hand; it must have been the way a Vision wielder, whom he had seen elsewhere, put away their weapon.
"Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, besides the goods, I probably wouldn't have made it out alive."
The man patted his chest; he had truly been frightened just now, thinking he was going to kick the bucket here today.
Durandal ignored the man. She had intended to leave, but the bird that flew and landed on her shoulder chirped a few times. She looked at the goods hanging from the balloon and asked, "What's in here?"
"Ah? These? These are actually goods I transported from other places. I came from Liyue, and my purpose in Mondstadt is to do some business. I originally planned to hire Adventurers for escort, but I'm a small business, so…"
He was either short on Mora or felt lucky enough that he wouldn't encounter Hilichurls on the way here.
It wasn't his first time doing this; the previous times he was lucky not to encounter any Hilichurls, so he let his guard down.
This time was also smooth; he had already covered eighty percent of the journey. During the last leg, he was discovered by passing Hilichurls.
Durandal examined the goods, which contained things she didn't understand. According to the bird' prompt, these merchants seemed to sell seasonings.
"What are you selling in Mondstadt?"
"Eh? Just some trinkets from Liyue. If you're interested, I can give you a few."
It was a life-saving grace after all, and he wasn't a stingy person. If Durandal needed it, he could give her some things.
"…Do you have seasonings?"
"Eh? Seasonings? I do, but they're not for sale; they're for my own cooking on the road. Do you need them?"
Seasonings weren't rare anywhere, so he only brought enough for himself to cook during his journey and eat when resting.
He had thought he would need to spend some Mora to satisfy this seemingly formidable female, but he didn't expect her request to be so small, just seasonings.
The man rummaged through his personal bag and found all the seasonings, giving them to Durandal. They weren't worth much anyway; he could buy more seasonings for a few Mora in Mondstadt City.
After receiving the seasonings, Durandal had no intention of continuing the conversation with him. She turned and left without another word.
"Wait a moment, are you planning to cook?"
The man suddenly realized something and asked cautiously.
She didn't know Durandal's situation, but her general request for seasonings, without specifying what she needed, meant she was a beginner.
Durandal stopped and looked at the man, waiting for his next words.
The man rummaged through his goods and quickly found a cookbook, which recorded some cooking methods.
"This is a cookbook for beginners. Following its instructions can help avoid many mistakes. If you need it, please take this."
A cookbook… so a secret technique manual, a secret technique manual on how to cook well.
Durandal stared for a while, then walked back, took the cookbook, flipped through it briefly, and turned to leave.
The man scratched his head. She was indeed a rather temperamental adult, but her willingness to help meant she wasn't a bad person, right?
With the seasonings, Durandal returned to Cape Oath, picked up the iron pot she got from the Hilichurls, and began to boil water while preparing the fish she had caught.
Following the instructions in the cookbook, Durandal skillfully cleaned the fish's insides, carefully sprinkled salt and other seasonings, and finally placed it over the fire to grill.
Fortunately, Durandal didn't have any 'cooking idiot' attributes, and she was quite careful, unlike some people who can't cook and randomly add seasonings, turning food into biochemical weapons.
She was also cautious, checking the fish frequently to prevent overcooking.
"So… it's done, right?"
The final product was complete. It didn't emit any terrifying aura; it was just a very ordinary grilled fish.
Although the grilled fish was done, Durandal had no idea how well it was made.
Eating it herself was meaningless, and the small animals that had been observing her the whole time didn't eat meat. What should she do?
As Durandal pondered, a familiar voice came. Klee ran towards Durandal, making cute "Da da da~" sounds and spreading her arms.
"Sister Durandal! Klee is here to play with you."
"Mm."
Durandal nodded and handed the grilled fish in her hand to Klee.
"Eh? Is this for Klee?"
Klee excitedly took the grilled fish Durandal offered. She didn't expect to have grilled fish as soon as she arrived, and was this made by Durandal herself? Was it made especially for her?
Thinking of this, Klee's smile was unstoppable, even brighter than usual.
"You seem to like eating this very much. I haven't cooked before, so I tried making it. You can try it."
"Mm! Klee will enjoy it."
Klee took a bite, her eyes lit up. Regardless of whether the grilled fish was freshly grilled or not, she ate it with relish.
Durandal, who had been a little worried if there was anything wrong with her grilled fish, relaxed upon seeing this, watching Klee finish the grilled fish.
"How is it? Is it okay?"
"Mm! It's so delicious! This is the best grilled fish Klee has ever eaten! Thank you, Sister Durandal."
Durandal felt a warmth in her chest from this feeling. She reached out and patted her head to express her current mood.
She had only intended to repay Klee for her companionship during this time, but she herself was made so happy by Klee's thanks.
What should she say at this moment? "You're welcome"? "You deserve it"?
She didn't know which phrase was most appropriate now, but she was very happy, and that was enough.
She had spent time making the grilled fish, probably just for this smile.
Reaching out to touch Klee's cheek, feeling Klee's soft touch, Durandal's gaze grew even gentler.