Chapter 298: Treasures!

Shenhe and Yun Jin quickly dodged aside, watching Nolan in his awkward state as Hu Tao pinned him down, biting his ear, and they couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.

"Alright, alright, I surrender! Sorry! Please, no more biting!"

The warmth and softness on his ear lasted only a moment, replaced by the sharp pressure of Hu Tao's teeth digging in.

"Ouch… that really hurts."

Regretting having provoked her, Nolan had no choice but to keep pleading.

"Hmph!"

Even though he surrendered, Hu Tao wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. As the Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she'd never been disrespected like this!

"Actually… I was lying. I already defeated that demon earlier. I was just joking around!"

Nolan held Hu Tao's face in both hands, trying to gently push her back while he explained.

"Really?"

Suddenly, Nolan felt her grip loosen on his ear, her hands softening, as she looked up at him, eyes skeptical.

Her expression seemed to say, If you dare lie again, your other ear won't be spared.

"Absolutely. We can head down now; it's completely safe there." Nolan exhaled, finally lying back.

The searing pain in his ear slowly subsided, and when he reached up to touch it, he felt uneven tooth marks and the dampness from her bite.

Holding his hand up, he noticed faint blood droplets mixed with clear moisture on his fingers.

Wow, she really bit down hard.

Nolan cast a wounded look at Hu Tao, who was still sitting on his stomach.

"That's what you get for making a joke out of me, dummy!"

Hu Tao's fair face flushed, and perhaps realizing she'd gone a bit far, she averted her eyes. Instinctively, she ran her tongue over her lips, tasting the faint metallic tang of blood.

She frowned at the taste and was about to spit it out when she felt the blood begin to seep into her being, turning into energy and strengthening her slightly, even easing the exhaustion from her continuous use of elemental power.

That's when she noticed a new, subtle connection between herself and Nolan.

This bond was like a "star path"—a link allowing anyone connected to it to share their pain whenever one of them was hurt.

What's more, they could choose whether or not to activate it.

It seemed like a very unique and powerful ability.

"What… what is this? And why would you give it to me?"

Crossing her arms, Hu Tao pondered, frowning as she looked at him.

Nolan also sensed this "Negative Balance" link. Alongside Lumine, Fischl, and Sucrose, Hu Tao had mysteriously been added to his connections.

"…"

He thought briefly. I haven't even kissed Hu Tao yet, so how did this ability transfer over to her?

After some thought, he figured it out—it must have been Hu Tao accidentally licking his blood, which triggered the "Harmony" effect.

Guess I'd better watch it and avoid bleeding randomly. No telling who'll end up with this ability next.

But since harmonic energy doesn't last long outside the body, it typically only activates in cases like Hu Tao's, where someone accidentally consumes it right away. There wasn't much need to worry.

"This is an ability of mine called 'Harmony.' You accidentally ingested my blood, and it activated."

Naturally, Nolan wouldn't keep it a secret and explained simply.

Of course, he skipped over the fact that this ability usually took effect only through kissing or close contact, especially with Lumine and Fischl. Activating it through blood ingestion was new to him as well.

"So, if Hu Tao gets hurt in the future, it will also harm you, won't it?"

Yun Jin looked on with wide eyes, clearly intrigued by this strange ability. It reminded her of old folklore curses.

"I see," Hu Tao said with a mischievous grin after understanding his explanation. She curved her lips slyly and added, "Alright, then! Share this ability with Shenhe and Yun Jin as well, and we'll forgive you for your lies and the liberties you took."

Hah, let's see you bleed a little more!

"There's really no need for such a precious ability just to apologize," Yun Jin protested, waving her hands. She hadn't expected Hu Tao's suggestion.

"Oh, it's not that valuable an ability," Nolan chuckled, "and the more people connected, the stronger the effect."

Though surprised by Hu Tao's suggestion, Nolan had no issue linking Shenhe and Yun Jin to this connection. This bond would also bring them closer.

In the future, winning their trust would be that much easier.

"Shenhe, what do you think?" Nolan asked, looking at her intently.

Shenhe lowered her head thoughtfully. The idea of sharing in his injuries seemed… pleasant, almost romantic by mortal standards. So, she nodded in agreement.

Seeing both Shenhe and Yun Jin interested, Nolan dispersed the lingering "Lumine's Sword God" still in the sealed chamber, summoning her to their side. She poked his finger with her golden blade, drawing two drops of blood.

After Shenhe and Yun Jin received the ability, Hu Tao finally nodded, standing up from where she had been sitting on Nolan and announced:

"Hmph, that's more like it. I'll let you off this time… for now!"

[Hu Tao Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained +270 Affection Points, current Affection Level Lv.6 (190/600)]

[Shenhe Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained +320 Affection Points, current Affection Level Lv.6 (210/600)]

[Yun Jin Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained +290 Affection Points, current Affection Level Lv.5 (250/500)]

"For now"? Does that mean she'll still hold this over my head later? Just great… Nolan couldn't help but silently grumble.

Still, glancing at the string of affection alerts on his character panel, he had to admit he'd gained quite a lot from this.

With that settled, Nolan and his group continued exploring the caves of Sea Gazer. First, they visited the sealed chamber to inspect the demon.

When Hu Tao and the others finally saw the monstrous demon up close, they realized Nolan's earlier description had been far too modest. Even the residual energy from the demon's corpse was enough to silence their breaths in awe.

It was hard to imagine what the battle between that golden figure, Lumine, and the demon must have looked like. As for Nolan? He was just a rascal who delighted in teasing them!

The sealed chamber held nothing else of note. As usual, Nolan collected some of the demon's toxic blood for Sucrose to study, and they left the area, heading out to seek True Lord Sea Gazer's treasures.

Aside from that powerful demon, none of the other creatures they encountered required Nolan's involvement. Hu Tao handled them all with ease.

During their search, Nolan also used his psychic threads to scan the rest of the cave, allowing them to explore the area with remarkable speed.

In total, they uncovered seven regular treasure chests, five exquisite treasure chests, two valuable precious treasure chests, and one luxurious treasure chest. They also found numerous high-grade elemental enhancement materials.

Most importantly, they discovered a massive "Sunset Vermillionite" valued at a staggering five hundred million Mora!

Unfortunately, it was far too large and heavy to store in his Vision, so they decided to leave it behind and return for it another time.

There was no immediate use for it, anyway.

When Shenhe offered to carry it herself, Nolan declined. It would be too cumbersome, and with a rock of that size, they'd be forced to walk all the way back to Liyue Harbor, likely not arriving until midnight.

They could always return for it later, perhaps when Ningguang rebuilt the Jade Chamber, since no one else knew of its location.

With their mission complete, they left the Sea Gazer's cave and began their journey back to Liyue Harbor.

By the time they exited, it was dusk, and they landed by a lake in the southern part of Tianheng Mountain.

With all their adventure goals accomplished, including the unexpected discovery of an adeptus cave, it was a successful day indeed.

Back in Liyue Harbor, their first stop was the Adventurer's Guild to submit their commissions.

They earned a total of 2.5 million Mora, mostly due to the formidable monsters that had attacked the merchant caravans. The other two commissions were less rewarding.

Once they submitted the quests, they gathered at Heyu Teahouse, a subsidiary of Yun-Han Opera Troupe, where they rented a private room to divide their earnings.

Nolan, who was most interested in Primogems and Mora, took all 23 Primogems and three million Mora.

The girls also needed elemental materials and other resources to increase their power, so they took a fair share of Mora, elemental breakthrough materials, and artifacts.

They insisted that Nolan, who had done the most work, should get more, but he insisted that safety and enjoyment were their top priorities in any exploration. Sticking to his principles, he divided the resources evenly, despite their protests.

Taking advantage of cute girls was one thing, but when it came to splitting rewards, he'd never let them come up short.

Maybe it was his honorable character; Nolan couldn't help but feel proud of his own principles.

Little did he know, Hu Tao was standing there, hands on her hips, shaking her head at him in exasperation, while Yun Jin watched him, a smirk on her fair face.

What a silly, incorrigible fool!

Still, fool or not, Nolan was powerful, kindhearted, and attentive to others' feelings, making him a wonderful friend.

After dividing their loot, the group went to enjoy a feast at Liuli Pavilion, then parted ways for the night.

As Yun Jin prepared to leave, Nolan, on a sudden impulse, stopped her and gave her a "WaymarH" for future communication.

With such a legitimate reason, Yun Jin unexpectedly accepted it readily.

Just before she left, Nolan thought he saw a slight blush on her face, though it was hard to tell under the night's veil.

[Yun Jin Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained +260 Affection Points, Current Affection Level Lv.6 (10/600)]

(End of Chapter)

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