Chapter 160: Lovers (2-in-1 Chapter)

Knights of Favonius Headquarters, Acting Grand Master's Office.

The sunlight outside illuminated the room brightly, while a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers and grass into the room. Sitting in the chair with a high back, the Acting Grand Master Jean, with her golden ponytail tied behind her head, swayed gently with the breeze.

"Thousand Winds brought us together. Honorary Knights, what brings you here today?" Grand Master Jean faced Nolan, a strand of hair falling onto her fair nose, visible through the sleeveless uniform of the Knights of Favonius, revealing the snow-white skin beneath.

Nolan carefully chose his words and explained in detail about the appearance of the rift monsters in the Wolvendom.

"I see." Jean rested her elbow on the desk, the crossed fingers supporting her soft chin. "I heard about this yesterday, but I never imagined they would be so dangerous."

"Huh, has Grand Master Jean already heard about it? It should be the hunters from Springvale who came to inform you."

Paimon floated in the air, swaying her body slightly from side to side with a tone of doubt.

"Yeah... At the time they brought a... Well, the carcass of the Rifthound you guys were talking about."

"The hunters said these unseen creatures are very dangerous, so I had a colleague from the Knights of Favonius take the body to the Chief Alchemist for examination. He has just come to explain the situation."

Jean nodded, then turned to the silent young man beside her.

"The Chief..Alchemist?" Lumine was not unfamiliar with this name, having heard it from the North Wind Wolf King only a short while ago.

That "Gold" Rhinedottir was also the Chief Alchemist of the fallen kingdom of Khaenri'ah.

The silent Albedo raised his hand and nodded in acknowledgment. "Greetings, everyone. I am Albedo."

"As you are also involved in investigating these Rift/Abyss creatures, why not listen to the results of my examination of the Rifthound's corpse?"

"Hehe, hello, I'm Paimon, the best guide in Teyvat," Paimon waved her hand and said with a smile.

"Could it be that there's something else strange about those monsters?" Lumine's amber eyes looked at him, a hint of confusion on her fair face.

Albedo crossed his arms and said with a somewhat confirming tone, "Indeed. They are creatures of Abyssal blood, and the black blood inside them even possesses the power to dissolve the world.

"And with such dangerous power originating from another world, they are not tolerated by the world. Before I could delve deeper into my research, that corpse was expelled from this world, leaving behind only a pair of claws.

"Technically, those claws shouldn't have been left behind either. Upon further examination, I discovered they are Alchemical creations of the 'Liquefaction Layer,' extremely rare, and can be used to upgrade weapons as a substitute for some elemental materials."

He simplified the results of his overnight research in a way that ordinary people could easily understand.

"Ah, Abyssal Blood? Liquefaction Layer? What are all these? I feel like my head's spinning," Paimon hurriedly covered her head and shook it.

"You don't need to understand. Just know that although they are very dangerous, they are also quite valuable," Albedo said briefly.

As far as he could remember, those capable of creating such life were few and far between, with the greatest likelihood being his aloof and strict master.

However, He didn't say this out loud though.

"Well then, the Knights will issue a statement in the next couple of days, warning Mondstadt citizens about the danger in the Wolfendom. The Reconnaisance Company will return today for rest, and by then, we'll have enough manpower to clear out the monsters."

Jean pondered briefly before decisively speaking.

The post-disaster reconstruction in Mondstadt and the ongoing monster cleanup in the surrounding areas were unavoidable tasks.

"If possible, please have the Reconnaisance Company collect some claws for me to study."

The light blonde haired Abedo said.

"Sure. I'll talk to Eula about it," Jean replied without hesitation.

"Then, I'll take my leave."

After finishing his business, Albedo left the Acting Grand Master's office.

Jean turned her gaze back to Nolan and the others, nodding as she spoke, "Thank you very much for bringing the news. I have a lot of work to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."

[Jean Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 200 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (210/500)]

"Hehe, we're off to submit a commission to the Adventurers' Guild next, so after sharing the intel with you, we'll be on our way too," Paimon shook her head playfully, smiling.

"Grand Master Jean, please take care of yourself amidst your duties. We'll take our leave now," Nolan expressed his concern before leaving.

"I understand, thank you for your concern."

Jean lightly brushed her fair fingers through her temple, lifting some strands of golden hair to reveal her delicate ears as she smiled.

"Hey, Katheryne, we're back!"

Passing by the Cat's Tail tavern, descending the steps from the street, Paimon waved to Katheryne, who had no one to attend to.

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome Back to the Adventurers' Guild, and I hope your missions went smoothly."

Katheryne, in her maid-style dress, clasped her hands in front of her abdomen and slightly bowed, smiling.

"Huh, why isn't it the usual 'Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild'?" Bennett felt puzzled and scratched his head.

"Hehe. There's no need to be so formal with a few 'old friends'." Katheryne maintained her smile, then continued, "I believe your commissions went well, right?"

Sunlight streamed through the eaves, casting a glow on Fischl's snowy shoulders. She stood with her arms crossed, a proud expression on her face as she said:

"With this Princess's involvement, success was inevitable."

"As expected of Miss Fischl. Please, enlighten me on the situation," Katheryne said in a gentle tone.

Fischl was very flattered as she took the volume of investigation records out of the Vision and handed it to Katheryne.

She nodded her head lightly:

"Everything from the basic details to the mission process is recorded in here. Those 'Dark Enemies' are extremely dangerous. Please ask Uncle Cyrus to raise the level of the monster cleanup commission and remind the adventuring teams not to send rookie adventurers."

"Okay, understood." Katheryne accepted it with both hands, then handed over a bulging cloth bag from behind. "This is the reward for your high-level commission. Please accept it."

"Thank you." Fischl's expression lit up with happiness.

Two million Mora, split between four people, meant each of them had five hundred thousand Mora. This made Nolan couldn't help but sigh; the commission fee from this high-level commission was worth half his fortune.

So now, with the addition of the Mora on him, totaling 1.4 million, he could be called a millionaire.

Though it would only be enough to buy a three-star one-handed sword.

After smoothly submitting the commission, there was nothing else to do. Bennett had already rushed off to the blacksmith to ask Wagner to craft four-star weapons.

With the Northlander Billet he brought along, plus some crystal ores and miscellaneous materials at most, along with the crafting costs, it shouldn't be too expensive.

"Lumine, Nolan, let's go back too. Look at your clothes, all tattered. Let's go back and change, and also I suddenly feel like eating cream cake."

Paimon watched a small child walk by on the street holding a cake, and found herself tempted as well.

Lumine lowered her head and glanced at the slit in the skirt of her dress, revealing a glimpse of her snowy white skin underneath. She could only nod helplessly.

This dress was what she had been wearing all along, and she was reluctant to part with it. She could only go back and repair it with her own excellent skills.

Nolan bid farewell to Fischl and Katheryne, Just as he was about to follow Lumine and Paimon back, Nolan suddenly felt his coat being tugged.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Nolan turned around and asked Fischl, who seemed hesitant to speak.

"You darn attendant, didn't you promise to tell me how to get the 'Eye of Judgment'!"

Fischl's hands were on her hips, and the discontent in her uncovered right eye stared at him.

"So that's it."

He hadn't expected Fischl to be so concerned about this. But then again, it made sense. After all, her claim of possessing the 'Eye of Judgment' was just her fantasy.

The black eye patch over her left eye was just a decoration and couldn't possibly seal any power.

She understood all this, so it was only natural for her to be very interested when she saw Nolan possessing what she considered her favorite imaginary ability.

Thinking this, Nolan decided to satisfy the girl's curiosity.

His pitch-black pupils slowly took on a golden hue, like a calm lake bathed in the sunset, reflecting the slightly surprised demeanor of the girl before him.

"Um, before I tell you how I awakened this ability, would you like to see if there's any difference between mine and the genuine one belonging to Her Royal Highness?" Nolan thought for a moment before saying.

"Well, that's fine."

Fischl nodded, dropped her hands from her hips, and took two steps forward, her legs clad in asymmetric black stockings. She leaned forward slightly, carefully observing his eyes.

At close range, the warm breath and gentle fragrance of the girl blew onto Nolan's face together.

His gaze lowered slightly, looking at Fischl's soft, rosy lips, then leaned forward slightly and pressed against them, warmth transferring from the small contact area.

Soft and moist, with a hint of sweetness.

The girl clearly hadn't expected this to happen, and for a moment, she froze, then a blush quickly spread across her fair face.

Fischl quickly took two steps back, wiped her lips, and stared at Nolan with wide eyes, stuttering with embarrassment:

"You, you idiot, w-what are you doing?!"

"I told you, this ability of mine is actually a gift from Her Royal Highness, from that time we kissed in the cave, so seeing your curiosity, I thought I'd demonstrate it again."

Nolan said with a smile.

"B-but you could have just said it directly, w-why did you have to k-k-kiss me?"

As Fischl spoke with her lips parted, she could still feel the pressure of their lips touching, unlike last time, her heart was beating so fast, it felt strange.

"Uh, after all, practice makes perfect, right? Since you also want to awaken the Eye of Judgment, this was the only method I could think of."

Nolan was using an excuse; he actually wanted to kiss Fischl again a long time ago. After all, after kissing Fischl last time, he still wanted to do it again.

"Y-you, how dare you, to-offend me, the p-princess like this, I-I won't let you off."

Fischl tried to cover up her inner turmoil with threatening words.

Even a fool could see that this guy was just fooling around with her. That kiss just now was obviously planned! How despicable! Damn it!

Last time, she could console herself with the emergency situation, but now she was directly confronted with it.

Sure enough, being kissed by him meant that they would become, lovers, right? If he's the one. Ugh!

Thinking of this, Fischl quickly stopped her chaotic thoughts, took a deep breath to calm herself, and glared at Nolan:

"Even if you become this princess's lover, your status will always be that of an attendant!"

With that said, Fischl didn't give Nolan a chance to retort and just snorted, then turned and ran off with her legs wrapped in black semi-transparent stockings.

"Uhh..." Nolan stared at Fischl's retreating figure for a moment, slightly dazed.

According to what she said just now, does it mean that in the future, besides the relationship of attendant, there will also be the relationship of lovers? This development is a bit unexpectedly fast.

However, her affection for him is already max, so this kind of transformation is actually just a matter of a small opportunity.

Looking at it this way, it's reasonable.

Forget it, let's not think about this matter for now, let's let Fischl calm down first in a few days. Nolan scratched his head and then followed Lumine and Paimon, who had already walked away.

"Oh my, oh my, it seems that little Fischl has reached the age to fall in love."

Katheryne, who had been watching the whole time, couldn't help but cover her mouth and smile like a lady.

"What were you talking about with Fischl? Why are you so slow?" Paimon looked at Nolan, who was slowly catching up, with a puzzled expression.

"She's a little curious about my golden eyes and just wanted to take a look."

Nolan smiled in response. Talking about kissing Fischl with another girl was something he couldn't bring himself to do.

"By the way, let's go buy some ingredients to make cake later, after all, Paimon has contributed a lot in this adventure and promised to make her some delicious treats."

Lumine's white thighs swayed alternately under her dress as she swung her high-heeled over-the-knee boots on the stone ground, emitting a faint sound.

She turned her head to look at Nolan.

"That's no problem."

Nolan was naturally willing, and at this moment, he saw a series of messages popping up on his character panel.

[This Adventure Journey Was So Amazing, You Destroyed Pack Of Rift Wolves Encroaching On The World's Borders To Summon The Golden Wolflord, And Also Passed The North Wind Wolf King's Trial With Your Companions.]

[The History You Have Experienced And Created Will Be Remembered, And Your Character SpecialtyIs Forming—]

[Please Wait...]

The memory scenes from accepting the commission two days ago appeared in Nolan's mind, finally freezing on the scene where they separated from each other.

[You Have Gained A New Character Specialty: North Wind]

Nolan slightly clicked on this specialty to look at its effects, and was surprised to find that it was able to allow his attacks to penetrate elemental shields with a small probability.

(End of Chapter)

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