"Anyway, there's still one set of artifacts left here. Even if you only take that set to report, the Raiden Shogun won't notice anything and might even Reward you."
Durandal saw through Kamisato Ayato's thoughts and, to test the flexibility of his moral compass, she added.
"Only we know about this. Even if it's discovered, you can say that I gave you this set of artifacts. I believe with the Raiden Shogun's intelligence, she won't trouble you."
"..."
Kamisato Ayato fell silent. Under everyone's gaze, he smiled and took the artifact (Reminiscence set).
Well, it seemed he accepted Durandal's suggestion. Although he didn't speak, he believed Durandal's idea was correct in his heart.
No matter what, strength was the most important. Although Kamisato Ayato was a Vision holder and confident in his martial prowess, he wasn't confident enough to resist the Abyss Order's attacks.
To protect what he wanted to protect, he would keep this set of artifacts, even if it meant being punished by the Raiden Shogun.
Cough! Cough! After this small interlude, the conversation should move on to the next stage.
As for the other set of artifacts (Emblem of Severed Fate) on the table, it would, of course, be handed over to the Raiden Shogun.
"What is their purpose in collecting artifacts?"
The Abyss Order's purpose in collecting artifacts needed to be thoroughly investigated, otherwise, it would be impossible to take corresponding preventive measures.
"On the surface, it's to modify artifacts and enhance the Abyss's combat power. But the true purpose is still unclear. Perhaps the person who sent them is worried about them exposing their objective and hasn't told them the real plan."
"I see."
Kamisato Ayato and Durandal discussed, while the others present... ate and watched.
Lumine had originally wanted to speak, but she felt that the current conversation was quite serious, and it might be inappropriate for her to interject casually, so she remained silent.
Paimon was busy eating, Shenhe was not in the mood to join the conversation, and Kamisato Ayaka and Thoma listened quietly, silently noting down important details.
As the meal finished, the conversation concluded. Kamisato Ayato had gained a lot of intelligence about the Abyss, and the smile on his face had considerably lessened.
He had thought that with the problems of the Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission resolved, Inazuma could enter a stable development phase, but he didn't expect there to be the troublesome force of the Abyss.
To be honest, although the Fatui were often annoying and almost kicked the Kamisato clan out of their position in the Shuumatsuban, their problems were not the biggest.
The grown-up Kamisato Ayato was confident he could handle the Fatui's problems, but the Abyss Order... Kamisato Ayato dared not be careless.
Fortunately, he had obtained a lot of information about the Abyss Order from Durandal this time. While reporting it to the Raiden Shogun, he also needed to make the soldiers under the Shuumatsuban vigilant.
"Thank you very much for your help, Miss Delezie. Your assistance to Inazuma has truly been immense."
"Don't say such useless things. I do these things because I want to, not specifically for a certain person or for Inazuma. You don't need to say these things to me."
Durandal was annoyed by people who kept thanking her, making it seem as if everything she did was to gain others' gratitude.
Undeniably, she did run to the Kanjou Commission to make a deal with Hiiragi Shinsuke because she couldn't stand the plight of Ritou's residents.
And she also ran to challenge the Raiden Shogun in an Duel Before the Throne because Lumine wanted to do something for those whose Visions were taken away.
She helped Hanachirusato reshape a body, hoping he could live freely with his own consciousness, unburdened by the mission left by Kuzuhara.
She secretly intervened to prevent the people of Inazuma from being harmed by meaningless wars, guiding both sides to peaceful negotiations.
She had indeed done many things, but she did them entirely because she wanted to, because she was willing to do them.
Once someone expressed gratitude for these things, Durandal felt that the meaning of her actions had changed.
She didn't need such gratitude. She wanted to see the people's lives develop in a good direction, children playing happily in the streets, and adults working hard for their future and families. As long as that could happen, she would be quite satisfied.
Of course, Durandal couldn't say these words, but that didn't mean others couldn't understand.
As companions, Lumine, Shenhe, and Paimon naturally understood Durandal's meaning. After some thought, the Kamisato siblings vaguely judged Durandal's intentions.
This time, the smile on Kamisato Ayato's face was no longer so formal, and his eyes held a hint of admiration.
He somewhat understood why Kamisato Ayaka, despite vaguely discerning Durandal's identity, still trusted her so much.
Such a kind adult, yet he had held such thoughts about her. His sin was great.
Now he could rest assured letting Kamisato Ayaka spend time with Durandal and her group. What could be safer than having a God protecting her, right?
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