"In a non-lethal situation, make people very uncomfortable... How can this be achieved?"
Durandal continuously modified the Viruses within her, and one after another, different Viruses appeared in her hands, each with terrifying effects.
If she wished, she could imbue these Viruses with terrifying contagiousness, concealment, and lethality, but none of these met Barbatos's requirements.
Viruses that cause discomfort are not impossible to create, but such Viruses are easily lethal. Even the smallest Virus is still a Virus, and the longer it stays in the body, the greater the impact it will have on a person.
Durandal's poisons had no antidote, so these negative effects would only grow, eventually causing the body to completely collapse, bleeding from all seven orifices.
"Is there any way to prevent Viruses from accumulating in the body, allowing them to leave the host's body? And after leaving the body, they would quickly die?"
These requirements are so troublesome. Durandal felt for the first time that highly lethal Viruses were quite good, at least she didn't need to consider other messy factors.
But Barbatos had said that once a highly lethal Virus appeared in Mondstadt City, it would cause panic. She had to research a Virus that would avoid this situation.
What should she do? Durandal thought for a long time without coming to a conclusion.
To find inspiration for her creation, she left Cape Oath, preparing to visit places where humans gathered.
Besides Mondstadt City, there is another human settlement outside Mondstadt City called Springvale. Perhaps that place could provide her with inspiration.
Durandal moved quickly in the form of mist and soon arrived at the largest windmill in Springvale.
The residents living here mostly make a living by hunting. Many wild boars can be seen near the town, some wild and some raised by the town.
This town also has a characteristic: you can see people with cat ears, just like the situation in the demon realm, which is quite interesting.
Durandal observed the movements of these humans. Besides those who went out hunting, there were also some who were cooking, and some who were farming.
Even though the village mainly relies on hunting, some people choose farming to provide other food.
Occasionally, she could come here to see how people cooked, but this time she came to get inspiration for something that would make people uncomfortable but not lethal.
At this time, she should go to a place where people are treated for illnesses. There, she might get some important inspiration.
Because the houses were made of wood, and combined with Durandal's excellent hearing, she could hear conversations inside even from outside the houses.
Although it was just a town, many people were injured every day, most of them hunters injured during hunting who needed to come here for medication.
The injuries of these people had no significance. Durandal listened for a long time without finding any meaningful content.
Just as she was about to leave, a new conversation caught her attention.
"Doctor, I feel like I'm dying. Save me."
"You just have an upset stomach and severe diarrhea. I'll give you some stomach medicine. Go home and rest well. Remember, don't eat dishes with Slime again next time, or no one can save you."
"I won't again, even if you kill me. Oh my~ I... I feel like I'm about to become a 'Jet Warrior'."
Durandal watched the hunter, who was brave enough to try new dishes, leave, pondering the conversation she had just heard.
"Upset stomach, diarrhea... feeling like I'm dying."
This seemed to be a clue, but... how to create a poison that causes diarrhea? What could help her understand similar effects?
Durandal decided to stay and listen in a bit longer, perhaps there would be an unexpected gain.
Soon, Durandal got the answer she wanted. This time, someone with severe constipation came, and the doctor prescribed him a laxative, telling him to just have a little bowel movement.
Diarrhea! That medicine can achieve this effect? That's it!
Durandal walked into the pharmacy. The doctor, seeing such a beautiful girl enter and look at him expressionlessly, was momentarily flustered.
He knew almost everyone in Springvale and had never seen such a beautiful girl before; she must have come from elsewhere.
"Um, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"...A friend of mine has an upset stomach and needs a laxative."
Durandal took out a pouch of Mora from her person and placed it on the table. This was one of her few remaining Mora, and she hadn't expected to use it to buy a laxative.
"A laxative, that's no problem. Is your friend's condition serious? If it's serious, please take this instead."
The doctor handed Durandal another type of medicine. Looking at the medicine in her hand, Durandal asked, "Is there anything special about this medicine?"
"Nothing special, it's also a laxative. The difference is that its effects are quite strong; it can make someone sit for an entire day."
Durandal's eyes lit up. This sounded quite good. If it was just ordinary medicine, the effect would be too mild; it had to be a bit more potent.
"How strong are its effects? Will it kill people?"
She needed to confirm. Barbatos had explicitly stated that no one should die. If she took this back, thoroughly researched it, and created a Virus that could kill, then there would be a problem.
However, if people died from diarrhea rather than a plague, that shouldn't cause panic, right? Though the person who died would definitely be talked about.
(Mondstadt residents: "I've never heard of anyone dying from diarrhea in all my life.")
"Uh, don't worry. No matter what, it's just a laxative. At most, it will just make their bottom sore; it won't kill anyone."
The doctor somewhat suspected that the girl in front of him wasn't buying medicine for someone else, but rather to play a prank or take revenge on certain people.
He had his professional ethics and wouldn't sell any lethal medicine to others, but this kind of laxative was fine.
Moreover, she was just a Children. Even if she wanted to take revenge on others, to what extent could she go? Besides, he hadn't given her much medicine. She couldn't possibly research similar things based on that small amount, could she?
Durandal brought the items back to Cape Oath. By analyzing the laxative, she obtained some internal materials. It wasn't difficult to research new ones, but how could she create them through a Virus?
Durandal began her research. Her test subjects were wild boars; their numbers were plentiful, so it didn't matter if a few died.
Hmph! Do you know why there are no wild boars in Durandal's area? Because when they first came in, they made a mess, which made Durandal realize these rude fellows weren't suitable here, so she got rid of them.
She used to have no way to make them compensate for the damaged flowers and plants, but now she did. They would make a small sacrifice, allowing Durandal to see the effects of the new Virus she had researched.
Thus, the wild boars suffered. This period could be described as a living hell for them.
They would rather be hunted by Adventurers, rather be turned into a meal, than be treated this way.
"Hmm, this lasted for an entire day. That should be enough."
Durandal nodded in satisfaction. This level should be considered a success. She had successfully researched a non-lethal [poison].
Heh heh~ A poison that couldn't even kill wild boars. She didn't believe humans couldn't resist it. It was just diarrhea; no big deal.
"This should be fine, right, Barbatos?"
"Ah, this... it's indeed not fatal, and it can make those people very uncomfortable, but..."
Barbatos looked at the wild boars, who were resigned to their fate, with complex eyes. He didn't know whether to tell Durandal that the dosage for humans and animals was different.
After all, you wouldn't take stomach medicine meant for a horse, would you? Even if the effect was strong, something could still go wrong.
But Durandal had already conceded to this extent. If he expressed any more opinions, he was very worried that Durandal might use this against him.
As a God, she wasn't afraid of Durandal's poison, but Barbatos couldn't guarantee that he could withstand a poison that caused diarrhea. If he couldn't, he would probably end up lying on the ground like the wild boars.
"Take it easy. If you want to poison them, you can do it at the Goethe Grand Hotel. The Fatui have already booked it, and most of the people inside are theirs."
Doing it there would mean not having to worry about innocent people being implicated. He believed Durandal would handle this matter well.
"Leave it to me."
After speaking, Durandal transformed into a black mist and disappeared, leaving Barbatos alone, contemplating what kind of "fragrance" the Goethe Grand Hotel would emit next.
"I wonder if The Lady will fall victim. If she does... Heh heh heh~"
Among the Fatui, the most arrogant was undoubtedly The Lady, a Harbinger. Her strength was formidable, and it was not easy for ordinary people to deal with her.
Ordinary methods wouldn't work on her, but Durandal's poison was not ordinary. Even if it only caused stomach upset, it was still not an ordinary poison.
"I won't play my lyre for a while. I'll hide nearby and see how the Fatui react."
Late at night, Durandal arrived inside the Goethe Grand Hotel. Without anyone knowing, she secretly spread the toxin.
The toxin entered the water and food through the air. The toxin diffused in the air would disappear within a few minutes. During these few minutes, the Fatui would inadvertently inhale the toxin through breathing.
After doing all this, Durandal left, confident that a good show would begin in less than half an hour.
Early the next morning, Jean arrived at the Knights of Favonius to start her work.
However, before she could even begin, a Knight rushed in hurriedly.
"N-not good, Acting Grand Master! Something happened at the Goethe Grand Hotel."
Although he said something bad had happened, it was clear from the corners of his mouth that he was in a good mood.
"Hmm? Goethe Grand Hotel? What happened there?"
Hadn't the Fatui booked it? Fatui members usually stood guard outside the hotel, making it impossible for ordinary people to enter.
What could have happened there? Could the Fatui be doing something bad inside?
The Knight didn't know what to say for a moment. Seeing that he couldn't explain clearly, Jean immediately set off for the Goethe Grand Hotel.
Before she even got close, she saw several Fatui members collapsed in front of the Goethe Grand Hotel, looking completely exhausted.
One of them, seeing Jean, shakily raised a finger and pointed at her, saying, "You... are so malicious."
He had originally thought that what the Fatui did was already evil enough, but he hadn't expected these seemingly righteous people to be no worse than them when it came to doing bad things.
Before Jean could ask what had happened, he clutched his stomach, his face pale, and practically crawled back into the Goethe Grand Hotel, presumably to find a restroom to relieve himself.
"So... what exactly is going on?"