"The body is complete; all that's left is for the soul to integrate into it. This process will take some time; she won't awaken so quickly."
Inside the villa, Durandal was explaining some important things to Morax and Azhdaha, emphasizing that no one should disturb the process.
The soul-state Guizhong curiously floated in front of the body Durandal had made for her, observing it from all angles, marveling at it.
If she hadn't been certain that her body had disappeared during the Archon War, Guizhong would have suspected that Morax had secretly preserved her body through some means.
This was no longer just creation; it was a perfect, one-to-one restoration. Even she, the original owner, felt like she was looking in a mirror the moment she saw the body. Durandal's skill was simply too incredible.
"I will place her in a Geo Element coffin made of Geo Element and obtain a magical artifact for containing items from Grandma Ping. That way, there will be no need to worry about disturbances."
As soon as Guizhong shows signs of awakening, he can sense the anomaly of the Geo coffin. He believes Grandma Ping will not be too stingy about this matter; a small blessed land can be created in a blink of an eye with her abilities.
"Don't think it's foolproof just because of this. You must check it every day. If you find any anomalies, come to me immediately, understand?"
"...Are you worried the Abyss Order will target Guizhong's body?"
This is the body of a God, and with Durandal's careful modifications, its strength is beyond what ordinary Gods can compare to. If the Abyss Order knew there was such a perfect body, they would definitely try every means to get their hands on it, right?
Of course, this is something ordinary people need to worry about. The two in front of them are the retired Geo Archon and Azhdaha, whose erode has been eliminated and whose power is at its peak. For the Abyss Order to try and snatch something from them... that's a tough one.
"I've said what needed to be said; the rest is up to you. Once she's fully revived, think about how to arrange her life in Liyue. If you arrange her at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor like Azhdaha, Hu Tao will overthink things."
Imagining Hu Tao's internal monologue: "Oh, this old fogy actually brought back such a beautiful girl. Could it be that he's finally come to his senses? Love at first sight? Hehe~ How can I miss such an interesting thing? She must stay!"
In short, she just loves to watch the drama unfold, and at the same time, other colleagues at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor would have similar thoughts. By then, everyone would look at him with knowing smiles, and even Zhongli probably couldn't bear such gazes.
"If not, you can arrange for me to go to Ganyu. Her work seems very tough; I can go help out and relieve some of her pressure."
Having governed the Guili Plains, her ability to handle affairs would certainly not be inferior to Ganyu's. Besides, she and Ganyu already knew each other, so working under an acquaintance wouldn't cause any worries.
It's just that Ganyu's psychological pressure might be quite high. It's like a respected elder suddenly becoming an employee in your company, becoming your subordinate.
You can be strict with others, but can you be strict with this senior? It's probably impossible to even work.
But Zhongli and Azhdaha didn't understand what Ganyu might face and thought this arrangement was good. They believed Ganyu could handle Guizhong's affairs well.
"You two go outside and wait for a bit. I have something to say to her. Once I'm done, the final step should begin."
"Hmm?" Guizhong looked at Durandal in confusion.
Want to chat with herself? Is it about precautions? She didn't expect there to be so many things involved; it seems this matter is not as simple as she imagined.
Zhongli and Azhdaha trusted Durandal very much. Without another word, they left the room, preparing to brew tea while they waited.
Upon entering, Zhongli had noticed a variety of fine teas on the tea table, all sent by wealthy families Durandal had treated.
He wondered how they knew Durandal enjoyed tea, as there were also black teas and other varieties besides these.
These were varieties that couldn't be tasted in outside teahouses, and even Zhongli couldn't often enjoy them. This time, he could have a good taste.
After the two "elders" left, Durandal first took some protective measures for Guizhong's body to prevent any unexpected situations.
While helping Guizhong stabilize her soul, Durandal suddenly spoke, "It's not easy to welcome new life. Is there anything you want to do? Do you want to make up for past regrets, Guizhong?"
"Regrets? Which one are you referring to?"
"What do you think I'm referring to? Miss Guizhong, God of Dust, who handed over her keepsake to the Geo Archon the moment you met him."
Ugh! Sure enough... she still had to face this question. Guizhong thought no one would ask her this, but unexpectedly, her good friend didn't ask, and instead, Durandal, an outsider, asked this most embarrassing question.
"Um, actually, you misunderstood. I'm not..."
"You don't like him? Do you think I'd believe that? When you died in battle, leaning in his arms, did you not have any regrets? Did you feel you should have said those words sooner?"
"Yes... yes, I did. Um, I'll handle these matters myself. You don't need to worry about me."
Matters of the heart are not as simple as they seem. Although Guizhong usually got along well with Morax, they were both complete novices in this area.
The reason Morax could offer so much advice was simply that he had lived a long time and seen a lot. If you asked him to practice it himself, he definitely wouldn't be able to do it well.
"By the way, why are you suddenly talking to me about this? Could it be that strong emotions during soul fusion would cause problems with the fusion?"
"No, there's no such thing. I just purely want to know what you two plan to do. After I get an answer from you, I'll go ask Zhongli. Given his personality, he should answer me well. Even if it costs me a favor, I must make him tell the truth."
Zhongli owed her so many favors. Asking him to express his true feelings shouldn't be too much, right?
She believed Azhdaha would also be curious about this and might even side with her, helping her question Zhongli.
"As for why I want to know, I just feel that your two regrets can't continue like this. If it weren't for me, your last meeting would have been when the chisel-lock of the dust was opened. Do you really want Zhongli to live with regret his entire life? Do you want him to remain single forever?"
"Um... I just feel like your emotions are a bit strange. Please calm down."
Guizhong was a little scared. She didn't understand if Durandal had been stimulated somehow and, with nowhere to vent, had fixated on her relationship.
Look, her eyes are even red. Does this mean she won't stop until she achieves her goal?! No, this can't go on. She must find a way to divert her attention.
"Is it Lumine's matter? Or Shenhe's? If you want to know about Lumine's situation, I can tell you. When we chatted earlier, I asked her how she viewed you. I can tell you the content of that conversation."
"Lumine? View me? What did she tell you?"
It worked. Seeing Durandal return to normal, Guizhong quickly recounted the conversation she had with Lumine.
"She cares about you very much and considers you an indispensable partner."
"Hmm, and then?"
Huh? Why does that ominous aura feel like it's returning? Did she say something wrong?
"Also, she's very troubled. She's always wanted to get along well with you, but she missed the best timing. Now she doesn't know what to do. Every time she tries to do something, she gets interrupted by another girl."
"If possible, she really wishes she could go back to before. That was her happiest time."
Is that really true? Durandal felt that Lumine was happy with any girl, especially when she was with newly met friends, her smile was absolutely unstoppable.
"Liar, what 'happiest time'? With a personality like mine, how could I compare to that Demoiselle of the Kamisato Clan? She's so considerate, and her affection for Lumine is so high. Lumine's favorite time should be when she's with her."
Huh? Why is she angry again? Who is the Demoiselle of the Kamisato Clan? Did Lumine not tell her some important inside information when they were chatting?
Guizhong understood now. Durandal cared deeply about Lumine, always watching her, hoping she would change a little and pay more attention to her.
But Lumine always distributed her attention equally among other girls, and her smile when interacting with other girls even surpassed that when she was with Durandal, making Durandal quite jealous.
Wait a minute... cares about her? Could it be that Durandal's intense targeting of her was because Lumine often came to see her recently?
The reason she asked so many questions related to Morax, besides understanding her feelings for Morax, was also to understand her relationship with Lumine.
Whoa! Guizhong was a little startled.
She never would have thought, Lumine, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, ignoring such a cute person like Durandal and running off to care about other girls. Now she's almost been turned into a yandere by you. Aren't you worried about your future, that you might be locked in a basement?
Durandal quickly regained her composure. She thought carefully and noticed something was off.
"...Did she really say such things to you?"
Is that something you can just casually tell anyone? Even Lumine, who is usually friendly, wouldn't likely do that, would she?
"You're not lying, that's what she told me."
"Anything else? If so, tell me everything."
"Yes, I'll tell you everything."
Sorry, Lumine. She is my savior, after all. I hope she won't do anything to you. May you live well.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"