"Hello, hello, Miss Durandal. It's an honor to meet you. I am Hiiragi Shinsuke, the head of the Shuushin Family, the Tenryou Commission. It's a pleasure to meet you."
As soon as Durandal met Hiiragi Shinsuke, he enthusiastically served her a good cup of tea, looking as if he wished he could directly come over and massage her back, showing extreme politeness.
To avoid being disturbed by others, he even sent all the guards away, not wanting them to interrupt his conversation with Durandal.
Durandal nodded, picked up the cup, and took a sip of hot tea. Inazuma's tea was very different from Liyue Harbor's, but it wasn't unacceptable.
"Aren't you celebrating too early? My trip to Inazuma this time hasn't been as pleasant as I imagined."
Durandal unceremoniously interrupted Hiiragi Shinsuke, who wanted to continue speaking, and pulled out a Mora from her bosom, placing it in front of her.
"As soon as I arrived, a member of the Tenryou Commission demanded a one million Mora processing fee from me. At that moment, I really wanted to turn around and leave Inazuma immediately. You know, one million Mora isn't something everyone can afford."
Looking at Hiiragi Shinsuke, whose forehead was sweating cold, Durandal continued, "I didn't expect foreigners coming to Inazuma to incur a cost of one million Mora before even doing anything. It seems this place can't be visited again in the future. After all, just walking on the street, soldiers might try to detain me because I'm a foreigner. I don't feel safe at all."
"This... I think there must be some misunderstanding here. This is just the behavior of a small number of subordinates. I assure you, I will investigate this matter immediately and absolutely prevent it from happening again."
"Oh? Just a small number? I have another question: what about the taxes for foreign merchants living here? Instead of collecting Mora, you collect something called crystal marrow. The price of that item is getting higher and higher. Is there... any member of your Tenryou Commission secretly manipulating this?"
"Hmm? I am aware that the recent tax has been changed to crystal marrow, but I am not clear about its price getting higher and higher. Wait a moment..."
Hiiragi Shinsuke was also an old hand; he quickly understood what was happening and his face instantly became very ugly.
Durandal saw that he wasn't lying. It was probably one of his subordinates who wanted to make a fortune through this, so he blocked the supply channel for crystal marrow, then arranged for a puppet to monopolize the business in his stead.
This way, he wouldn't have to worry about being discovered, and he could secretly earn a large sum of money without the higher-ups knowing.
"Hehe~ It seems even you aren't very clear about what your subordinates are doing, Shuushin Family's Tenryou Commission."
Hiiragi Shinsuke took a deep breath. Although he seemed glorious on the surface, compared to the management in Inazuma City, he was just a small fry.
He was partly responsible for the situation in Ritou, but... there was nothing he could do. To protect himself, he could only choose to be assimilated.
"Miss Durandal, I..."
"Shuushin Family's Tenryou Commission, you're getting on in years, your body must not be what it used to, right?"
Durandal got up and went behind Hiiragi Shinsuke, placing her hand on his back, using a bit of healing power to temporarily alleviate the ailments in his body.
When Hiiragi Shinsuke was younger, he was also a soldier, with many old injuries and some diseases in his body. Although they weren't incurable terminal illnesses, they had significantly worsened his physical condition.
Under Durandal's treatment, the pains that usually plagued him were instantly relieved, and his aged face showed a relaxed expression.
The rumors were true; Durandal could indeed cure all diseases. Besides terminal illnesses, even the strange ailments on his body and the old injuries accumulated in his youth were relieved at this moment.
Just as he was about to continue savoring the feeling, Durandal took her hand away. When she removed her hand, the original pain returned to his body.
The pain, which he had become accustomed to, was now unbearable, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.
"Miss Durandal?"
"You have already experienced my ability and know my importance. If you want your body to recover its health, you need to discuss your price."
Transactions were not unfamiliar to Hiiragi Shinsuke. He understood that he could only get Durandal's help if he offered a Reward that satisfied her.
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