"For secrecy, the Delusion factory is designed near a cliff, exactly like the "Doctor's" experimental site. Truly befitting the Fatui, even their ideas are so similar."
On the cliffside in the southwest of Yashiori Island, Durandal discovered a hidden Fatui stronghold, which should be where the Fatui manufactured Delusions.
There were no Fatui vanguard members near the entrance, probably because they thought arranging their people nearby would be equivalent to alerting enemies that there was a problem, so they put all their defensive strength inside.
This saved Durandal a lot of trouble. Since all the members were inside, her next actions would be much more convenient.
"Let's finish this quickly, Durandal."
"Mhm, let's finish this quickly."
Shenhe and Durandal each took out calamitys bane and a great scythe, charging directly into the Fatui stronghold and eliminating all the Fatui vanguard soldiers blocking their way.
Inside the Delusion factory, there was a significant amount of crystal marrow. Judging by the aura pervading the factory, this crystal marrow should be the raw material for making Delusions.
Why did the Fatui possess such a large quantity of crystal marrow? They certainly couldn't openly purchase these materials. The only possibility was collusion.
Durandal recalled that when she first arrived in Inazuma, the Tenryou Commission's taxes on foreign merchants on Ritou had changed to crystal marrow. So, was this crystal marrow obtained from the Tenryou Commission?
That Hiiragi Shinsuke fellow... after reaching a deal with everyone, he still hadn't stopped cooperating with the Fatui, continuously supplying them with crystal marrow? It seems after this incident, she'll have to go have a good talk with that old man.
The Fatui members along the way were no match for Durandal and Shenhe. In fact, Shenhe could handle them all without Durandal's help.
On the way to the depths, Durandal noticed the God's aura permeating the interior of the building. If too much of this God's aura was inhaled, one's emotions would gradually be affected, and the body would experience extreme adverse reactions.
She herself was fine, but Shenhe hadn't yet become strong enough to be immune to the God's aura.
Thinking of this, Durandal stopped her advance and observed Shenhe's condition.
Although Shenhe's Solitary Ecliptic Constellation fate had been largely dealt with by Durandal, the God's aura wouldn't cause it to relapse, but her emotions would be affected, especially when the red rope was untied, Shenhe would be even less able to resist.
Don't let her current calm fool you; she probably already had adverse reactions, but because her emotions were affected, she hadn't noticed.
Durandal led Shenhe to a nearby area that was likely a Fatui resting place.
Before Shenhe could ask Durandal what was happening, Durandal reached out and cupped her face, then sealed her lips, preventing her from uttering any words.
Shenhe was a bit surprised. This was the first time Durandal had made such an intimate gesture towards her in public. Although she was very confused, she didn't reject such behavior and quickly chose to cooperate with Durandal's actions.
Durandal had many ways to clear the God's aura from Shenhe's body. Among those many methods, she chose one she preferred, and there was no rule against using this method.
Besides, Shenhe didn't dislike her making these intimate gestures. She considered it a halftime break, and incidentally, it stabilized Shenhe's condition.
"How do you feel? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?"
"...No, thank you, Durandal."
Calmed down, Shenhe also realized her earlier abnormality. She hadn't expected to be affected unknowingly, and the onset was surprisingly fast.
If Durandal hadn't intervened in time, she might have fallen into the enemy's trap.
"I should still give you my blessing. As long as you possess the blessing I bestow upon you, you will be immune to all poisons for a short period."
This was something Durandal had just researched a while ago. Through her blessing, she could make people immune to all plagues and poisons for a certain period. She didn't understand why she couldn't make it a permanent blessing; perhaps she wasn't skilled enough.
Just as she was about to proceed, Shenhe suddenly reached out and grabbed Durandal's arm, stopping her from releasing the blessing.
"I'm fine, you don't need to give me this. If something really happens, compared to this, I prefer what you did just now."
"...So greedy."
"Mhm, I know."
Durandal looked at Shenhe helplessly. She actually admitted it so directly; couldn't she at least deny it?
Never mind, she didn't dislike such things either. Since Shenhe liked it, then so be it. It wasn't a big deal anyway.
After clearing the God's aura from Shenhe, the two continued deeper into the factory. Upon reaching a mechanism, Durandal found a note on the ground with an internal Fatui message written on it.
"The situation of the Inazuma civil war is currently unclear. The longer the war drags on, the more advantageous it is for us. To expand the Rebel Army's demand for Delusions, incite the intensity of the war, and promote the two commanders' determination for a prolonged war, we specifically request all colleagues to assist Second Class Naval Officer Nathan in his work, to cut off Sangonomiya's hope for a quick victory. If there are any unforeseen circumstances, promptly assist Nathan in escaping, and do not leave any pretext for the two sides to expose Fatui infiltration! This is a major matter to ensure the uninterrupted supply of Delusions! Remember, remember!"
These few short sentences perfectly explained the current situation. Just as they had predicted, everything before them was indeed orchestrated by the Fatui.
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