"Thank you very much for your help. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid we would all be left here today."
Unexpectedly, besides a few small ones, there were also large ones hiding in the shadows. They had such difficulty dealing with even the small ones; they couldn't imagine what their fate would be if those large ones appeared.
"Why are you here? Although this area is within Mondstadt's borders, it's not a patrol zone."
When Lumine was helping the Knights of Favonius with some tasks, she learned about their patrol areas. Although there were patrol members stationed near Dragonspine, this particular border was not covered.
They were clearly supposed to be arranged that way before, so why did they end up here now? And they were even cornered by these monsters from the Abyss Order.
"We recently received intelligence from traveling merchants who reported encountering attacking wolf packs in this vicinity. Because Acting Grand Master Jean is still busy with the Windblume Festival, she asked us to handle this matter."
With the Windblume Festival approaching, members of the Knights of Favonius were all very busy, as were the sisters of the Cathedral of Favonius.
Jean couldn't personally attend to every matter as she used to, so she had to let them handle this. But she thought it was just some foreign wolf packs, and since some of these knights even possessed a Vision, it shouldn't be a big problem.
It turned out that these wolf packs were not ordinary wolves at all; they were several, even dozens, of times more dangerous than Hilichurls.
"Wolf pack attacks… are there other wolf packs here besides the ones we just dealt with, Durandal?"
"There are a few scattered ones not far from here. We're not yet clear on the situation in other areas, but the number we've sensed isn't large, so it's not a big problem."
Under Durandal's perception, the number of these Abyssal creatures was not large; they could be counted on two hands.
If such creatures were to appear on a large scale within Mondstadt, it would be an extremely terrifying event. However, their numbers were few, and they hadn't been here for long, so everything was within a controllable range.
Understanding Durandal's subconscious, Lumine nodded: "Then, please go back and report the situation here first. We'll handle the remaining black wolves."
The knights exchanged glances, then looked at the member still being bandaged by Durandal, and nodded.
"Then… we'll trouble you with the rest, honorary knight. Please be very careful and don't get hurt."
The knights bowed to Durandal and her group. Durandal injected a bit of vitality into the most severely injured person, alleviating his condition so he could recover his mobility after resting for a while.
Everyone helped make a simple stretcher, and the two knights carried the injured person away.
Only after they had completely left did Lumine frown, seriously pondering the reason for these Abyssal creatures appearing here.
"It could be that they wandered here, or it could be that Mondstadt is gradually being affected by the Abyss."
Regardless, the most urgent task now was to eliminate the remaining black wolves, preventing them from calling over other companions.
The attacks from these Abyssal wolves could not only cause physical DMG but also corrode the body, which was why shields couldn't completely block the DMG.
Geo Element shields had always provided effective protection, and Zhongli's shield was the thickest she had ever seen.
With such a solid shield, even if a large group of Abyssal Apostles surrounded Zhongli, as long as he deployed his shield, he could wander the mortal realm unscathed by the Abyss Order's attacks.
Even if the shield was about to break, simply reactivating it would solve the problem; it was that reliable.
But now such a reliable shield had met its match. If the Abyss Order could command such creatures and unleash them in widespread attacks across the Seven Nations, even Zhongli might suffer at their hands.
However, the Abyss Order hadn't done so. On one hand, it might be that the Abyss Order couldn't command them, or perhaps their numbers were very small and scattered in other places, which is why such a danger hadn't appeared until now.
"The information about these monsters must be properly recorded and shared with Jean and Ningguang so they can prepare accordingly."
They couldn't wait until casualties occurred to take action; that would be too late. She believed they would understand the seriousness of the situation.
Due to the appearance of these Abyssal creatures, Durandal and her companions were no longer in the mood for a leisurely journey.
After dealing with all the black wolves in the vicinity, they rushed towards Mondstadt City at their fastest speed.
Although dangerous creatures had appeared within Mondstadt, most people were unaware of it.
They were still in the joyous preparations for the Windblume Festival, smiles gracing every face, and these smiles somewhat eased Lumine's mood.
"HiHi ~ o(*￣▽￣*)ブ, I didn't expect you to return so soon. I thought you were planning to come back on the day of the Windblume Festival."
A gust of wind blew, and Venti appeared beside Durandal, intimately putting his arm around her shoulder and saying.
"You seem to be in a great hurry. Before that, could you allow me to borrow Durandal for a while? I have something I'd like to talk to her about."
"Venti, are you already impatient?"
Lumine thought Venti couldn't hold back and wanted to take Durandal somewhere else, so she said with some displeasure.
"This time I can tell you directly, it has nothing to do with that. It's truly a very important matter, and I hope you can trust me, Lumine."
Venti's unhesitating reply left Lumine in a state of skepticism. She suspected Venti was lying, but his attitude was so sincere, completely devoid of his usual 'hee-hee' slacking demeanor.
"You're really not doing that kind of thing? If you are, then you won't be allowed to be alone with Durandal for the next few days."
"Don't worry, I'm really not. Besides, if I were truly planning to do that kind of thing, do you think I'd appear so brazenly in front of you? That would be far too arrogant."
Aren't you always arrogant? Lumine frowned, wondering which fellow had once admitted his 'crimes' by saying he was actually very happy laughing.
If it weren't for the need to report about those Abyssal creatures to Jean, Lumine would never have so easily allowed Venti to take Durandal away.
Durandal's presence wasn't needed for this meeting with Jean. After a brief consideration, Lumine agreed to let Venti take Durandal, only requesting that Durandal return early in the evening and not linger outside.
"I can't guarantee that. I don't know how long they'll talk."
Venti shrugged, took Durandal's arm, and started walking towards Cape Oath.
He didn't rush Durandal there quickly but walked, hoping to do some psychological preparation during the journey so that Durandal wouldn't be too emotional later.
"Where are you taking me? To Cape Oath?"
"Hmm, someone is waiting for you there. A very interesting person. She made a great decision to meet you this time. I hope… you won't be too emotional when you meet her."
"Who is it? Who is important enough for you to come and take me to meet her?"
Durandal looked at Venti in confusion. Even though his usual identity was a Bard, he was still the Anemo Archon.
How could the dignified Anemo Archon act as a mere guide? Could it be that the person he was meeting this time was very powerful, or someone Venti was very afraid of?
"Her name is Ashtal. She and I… um? You could probably say we're friends. She's a very uninteresting person. I once tried to joke with her, hoping to improve her way of treating people. But she chased me down and beat me; it was truly terrifying."
"To be chased and beaten by someone, you must have done something unforgivable."
This person's tendency to court disaster was not much lower than Lumine's. To be hated to that extent, it must have been something like drafting a contract with someone in the name of the Geo Archon, right?
However… Ashtal? A completely unheard-of name, combined with Venti's words. Could she be a deity from another nation?
Interesting. A deity from another nation coming to find her, perhaps to ask for her help with something?
Recalling Venti's situation, was she perhaps trying to eliminate the 'erode' within her? Hmph, she wouldn't agree to such a request so easily; she was no kind person.
"That, arranging the meeting place at Cape Oath was my decision. When you see her later, please don't get angry. I know that place is very important to you, and there you will consider the flower field, which can suppress the anger in your heart, that's why I made this choice."
...Why do you think I would definitely fight her?
Durandal looked at Venti in confusion. She had thought it would be a simple meeting, but Venti's strange behavior made Durandal realize something was amiss.
Suddenly, Durandal thought of something, her pupils widened, and she broke free from Venti's hand, quickly walking towards Cape Oath.
"Wait, wait a minute, Durandal. Calm down, calm down."
Realizing that Durandal might have guessed the other party's identity, Venti rushed over, grabbed Durandal's hand, and tried to soothe her.
But Durandal was like a volcano about to erupt; although she didn't speak, the emotions in her eyes made Venti understand that she couldn't calm down.
Facing such a Durandal, the only thing Venti could do was try to comfort her.
She gently put her arms around Durandal's neck, pulled them closer, and sealed her mouth, making Durandal's attention completely focused on herself.
[I'm sorry, Lumine. I might have to break my promise to you slightly.]
Venti's intense emotions gradually brought Durandal back to her senses. After an unknown period, Venti finally separated from Durandal, gently stroking her cheek.
"Calm down, okay? For my sake, talk to her properly."
"...I understand." Durandal finally agreed.
Meanwhile, at the flower field in Cape Oath, Ashtal, who was waiting there for Durandal and Venti, looked at the cold black tea and frowned.
"When are they going to get here?"
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