socalfunplaces Chapter 1403 The Tragedy of the New Moon (Part 1)
Chapter 1403 The Tragedy of the New Moon (Part 1)
After hearing Shao Yun's straightforward words, Chaska couldn't help but click his tongue, a dismissive expression on his face. He shook his head slightly, feeling that Shao Yun was oversimplifying the pursuit.
She maneuvered the "Flying Revolver," slightly adjusting her posture, her words revealing the efficiency of a warrior of the Flower Feather Society.
"You don't understand. Pursuing someone is like a plesiosaur hunting. If you act hastily and are too impatient, the prey will only be frightened away."
"I will not make a move unless I am absolutely certain. Once I do make a move, I must strike with a single, decisive blow to achieve my goal."
As she said this, her eyes suddenly narrowed, making it seem less like she was discussing feelings and more like she was planning a meticulous hunt.
Upon hearing Chaska describe his pursuit in such a complicated way, even bringing up the hunting of mitten dinosaurs, Shao Yun rolled his eyes and asked further:
"Alright, alright, let's go with your hunting logic. So tell me, how's it going? Have you two even had a proper date?"
Upon hearing this, Chaska frowned, pondering the word "date," and said thoughtfully:
"Dating? If we count the time when we treat each other to dinner after a sparring match as dating, then it's probably been at least seventy times."
His tone was full of seriousness, showing no sign that this "sparring + dining" format was completely different from a regular date.
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun nearly fell off his horse. He helplessly rubbed his forehead, wondering what kind of date this was!
He patiently explained further:
"That's not what I meant! I mean, if we don't count sparring, but just simple things like inviting someone to dinner, sitting down for a chat, or going out for a walk or to see the scenery, how many times has this happened?"
After hearing Shao Yun's additional conditions, Chaska's serious expression gradually turned into confusion. She lowered her head and pondered for a while, carefully recalling her interactions with Diluc over the past year, before finally shaking her head in distress.
"Not even once...not even once."
After hearing this, Shao Yun's face showed an "I knew it" expression, and he mercilessly retorted:
"You're not pursuing someone! If I were Diluc, I'd probably just think you're a complete martial arts fanatic who spars with me every day just to improve your strength. I wouldn't even consider that you have feelings for him, and I might even find you annoying!"
But Chaska wasn't so pessimistic. She snorted and said firmly, "No way! I think Mr. Diluc should understand what I mean."
"I've already demonstrated my strength to him so many times, isn't that enough? Besides, he's very strong too, don't you want to find out how I became so strong?"
She always felt that her "hunting" pursuit was fine, and that as long as she took it slow, Diluc would eventually understand her feelings.
Listening to Chaska's insistence on the "pterosaur hunting" style of speech, Shao Yun gave a helpless bitter laugh, but did not refute it further.
"Alright, alright, that's very much your style, perfectly matching the personality of a warrior from the Flower Feather Society. Good luck, I'll silently support you in my heart, and I wish you success in 'capturing' Diluc, your 'prey', soon."
Chaska didn't catch the sarcasm in Shao Yun's words at all. Instead, he was encouraged by Shao Yun's "support," and he smiled broadly, waved to Shao Yun, and said happily:
"Thank you for your kind words! I'm sure I'll succeed!"
As he spoke, he urged the "Flying Revolver" to speed up, his eyes filled with confidence in the future.
Watching her excited figure disappear into the distance, Shao Yun shook his head helplessly and muttered to himself, "I hope so... but let's hope that in the end, we don't end up sparring and she runs away."
……
Château de la Dawn, situated on a plateau at the junction of the Natas hills and the sulphur veins, was rebuilt by Diluc in Natas.
This winery, situated on fiery land, is exactly the same as the Dawn Winery in Mondstadt; it's a copy-paste.
The Northern Continent Intelligence Network, also known as the "Secret House" of Nordkale, did not evacuate with the main group of refugees from Nordkale.
The all-powerful owner of the Secrets House, Nefer, chartered a secret speedboat in advance and, along with her only employee "Yakoda," a jet-black cat with lively eyes "Asheru," and all the intelligence data of the Secrets House, infiltrated Nata territory ahead of time, avoiding all refugees and informants.
You can't blame Nefer for being selfish.
The world is inherently cold and indifferent; couples are like birds in the same forest, yet there are countless examples of them flying away separately when disaster strikes. Moreover, the Secret House has already given its all in this Nordkal crisis.
During the evacuation, they even used their connections to obtain a batch of ships from Fontainebleau to help the surviving Nordkales evacuate.
Now that things have come to this, all Nefertari can do is protect herself and the core secrets of the Secret House. At this point, she can only save her own life.
Moreover, each piece of intelligence treasured by the Secret Archives is worth a fortune. If it were to be leaked, the resulting losses would be no less than those caused by Shao Yun's plundering of the Liyue Northern Bank.
Upon entering Nata, the first thing Nefertari did was head straight for Diluc's Dawn Winery.
She and Diluc had a long-standing partnership. Within Nata, only Diluc could provide her with protection, possess the strength and connections to help her gather intelligence on the future situation, and properly safeguard those confidential information.
Diluc was not surprised by Nefertari's arrival and welcomed her, along with her employee "Akoda" and her cat Asheru.
At this moment, in the restaurant on the first floor of the Nata Dawn Winery villa.
The table was set with steaming dishes, featuring both Mondstadt specialties and Nata roasted meats, filling the air with their aroma.
Diluc hosted a banquet for his special partner, and the two sat facing each other, eating and discussing the recent changes in Nordkalé.
Upon hearing of the destruction of Nordkal, Diluc's hand holding the knife and fork suddenly froze.
He slowly put down his knife and fork. The food on the table was still steaming hot and fragrant, but he had no desire to linger there anymore.
“I heard about the anomalies and hidden dangers of Nordkale from intelligence a year ago, and I reminded the relevant personnel to be more vigilant. I just didn’t expect things to deteriorate to this extent. In the end, we still couldn’t hold on.”
Asheru, who was standing to the side, seemed to sense the heavy atmosphere. He gently rubbed against Nefer's trouser leg and let out a soft whimper.
Nefert picked up the wine glass on the table, took a small sip, her eyes filled with complex emotions, yet devoid of any other. No amount of lamentation could bring back the free land of Nordkalley that once existed.
Nefert's slender, fair fingertips gently caressed the rim of the glass as she let out a heavy sigh.
Then, his previously calm gaze instantly turned ruthless and sharp, and he said in a chilling voice:
"If anyone's to blame, blame the second-in-command of the Fools, 'Doctor' Dottore! It was he who ruined our Nordcale!"
"Dottore..."
The moment those three words left Nefertari's lips, Diluc's grip on his knife and fork tightened abruptly. With a slight push of his thumb, two crisp "clicks" rang out, and the silver knife and fork in his hand snapped in two. The broken pieces fell softly onto the plate, making a subtle yet jarring sound.
Diluc, who was always impassive, finally showed emotion on his face. The hatred for his father's murder!
Seeing Diluc's agitated state, Neferpitou coughed lightly, signaling him to calm down.
"Mr. Diluc, calm down."
Diluc took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the anger in his heart had been forcibly suppressed, and his face returned to its usual calm and composed state.
He nodded slightly and said in a calm tone, "I apologize for my outburst. Could you share with me the specifics of the situation? Regarding Dotole!"
Nefer did not take the opportunity to bargain. She gathered her thoughts and began to recount the hidden past behind the Nordkale crisis.
"About a year ago, the wild hunt in Nordkale became increasingly severe."
"According to the Moon Singer of the Frost Moon Child, the 'Kutar' who is called the Moon Goddess, also known as the 'Girl' Columbia, the third seat of the Fools' Executive, returned to Nordkale about a year ago."
"At that time, we all thought that the Wild Hunt that swept through Nordcale was orchestrated by that guy called 'The Moon Hunter'."
"In order to fight the Wild Hunt and protect our home, we also received help from a man named Daines Reeb. At that time, we thought we had seen hope."
At this point, Nefertari's tone suddenly turned ruthless.
"But we never expected that bastard named Dottore would pretend to cooperate with us, act as if he was kind enough to help us fight the Wild Hunt, and even help us deal with that 'Moon Hunter', gradually gaining our trust."
"He acted so realistically that he even helped us and saved Miss Moon, who was on the verge of disappearing."
"He spoke with high-sounding words, saying that out of consideration for their past cooperation, he couldn't just watch the Moon Goddess disappear; he also said that the Moon Goddess still had value to the Fools and hoped that she could return to the Fools and serve them..."
"We were blinded by the crisis and deceived by his pretense, and actually believed his lies. Only in the end did we realize that it was all a carefully planned scam from beginning to end!"
At this point, Nefer's face was instantly filled with deep regret. Her hands clenched tightly, her fingertips turning white, and she said indignantly:
“We were on high alert the whole time, constantly watching out for his little tricks, but we still let our guard down! That Dotore, he's the mastermind behind all of this, even the resurrection of the Moon Hunters was his doing!”
She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, and the hatred in her eyes almost overflowing, and continued:
"He had gone to great lengths to plot for so long, and his ultimate goal was to steal the power of the three months! Fortunately, on that day, Dottore did not succeed; just when he was about to succeed, the moon goddess hid in some 'moon gate' and temporarily escaped disaster."