Chapter 321: The Tracking Compass (2-in-1 Chapter)[Bonus Chapter]

An additional 10% Adventure EXP!

This title was impressive. If just being an "Outstanding Adventurer" granted a 10% boost, what kind of increased benefits might come with the title of "Legendary Adventurer"?

However, it probably wouldn't be that simple. After all, he had been an adventurer for quite some time now.

It took today's rescue mission to accumulate enough reputation among adventurers to earn this title.

Becoming a "Legendary Adventurer" would undoubtedly be harder, requiring significant accomplishments as an adventurer that would spread widely enough to be known.

It seemed like something to leave to fate.

After briefly checking the effects of his new title, Nolan set it aside for now, as there weren't any monsters around to test its effectiveness.

"How did it go?"

Albedo noticed that Nolan's expression had relaxed, so he asked.

"It was alright, not too bad. The Doctor lost interest in fighting my avatar and left with the Cryo Hypostasis."

Nolan shrugged.

"…It seems your strength is considerable. When we find his base later, our chances of defeating him should be good," Albedo said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

Knowing that The Doctor was behind the disturbance, they had to plan to expel him to prevent any potential threat to Mondstadt.

At the very least, they couldn't let him stay in Dragonspine, researching Durin's power.

His summoned creatures were already posing dangers to adventurers exploring the mountain, so they had to be stopped.

"Hmph, you did well. It's a pity we couldn't reach the Wyrmrest Valley in time; otherwise, we might've managed to keep him here," Eula said with her arms crossed, giving Nolan an approving look.

[Eula Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 230 Affection Points.. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (435/500)]

"Yeah, his actions are a threat to Mondstadt, and even Snezhnaya won't be able to defend him!"

Amber nodded emphatically, also gaining some fondness for Nolan, who managed to trouble The Doctor.

[Amber Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 240 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (200/600)]

"Heh, if everyone dislikes The Doctor so much, then once I'm stronger, I'll make sure he never dares step into Mondstadt again," Nolan said with a light laugh.

He wasn't joking; he genuinely planned to do so when he was strong enough.

Nolan also didn't like The Doctor. Judging from the game's story, The Doctor seemed to be a thorough villain.

If he found the right opportunity, he'd gladly send The Doctor to the afterlife.

If needed, Nolan could even ask Hu Tao to prepare a funeral service, offering him a 9.9% discount.

Ahem, maybe he was thinking too far ahead—currently, his strength wasn't quite enough to pull it off.

"Yeah, that would be great if you could!" Amber said, wholeheartedly agreeing.

[Amber Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 210 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (410/600)]

Seeing the notifications pop up on his character panel again, it seemed Amber really didn't like The Doctor, which made sense since he had once targeted the citizens of Mondstadt.

The group continued walking through the tunnels of the Starglow Cavern, heading toward Albedo's camp on the mountain.

They encountered several monsters along the way.

Cryo slimes were particularly common in the snow-covered region, alongside hilichurls and other creatures adapted to cold climates.

Nolan eagerly fought them, taking the opportunity to test the effects of his "Outstanding Adventurer" title.

After defeating more than a dozen monsters, he gained a total of over 7,800 Adventure EXP, with more than 700 of those coming from the title's bonus. It was a small amount for now.

It would take defeating stronger foes to truly see its value.

After walking through the Starglow Cavern for over an hour, they emerged outside and reached Albedo's camp.

It was an open cave sheltered from the wind and snow due to its strategic location nestled between mountain faces.

This location provided natural protection against the elements, though it could be risky if an avalanche occurred on either side, potentially burying the spot.

For an ordinary adventurer, that could be troublesome, but for someone like Albedo, an adept user of alchemy and elemental power, an avalanche was a simple matter to deal with.

"Rest for a while here. I'm going to prepare the equipment needed for the experiment," Albedo said to the group.

"Alright. By the way, we haven't had lunch yet. Let's make something to warm ourselves up," Amber suggested with a smile.

"That works. I agree," Eula said, placing her hands on her hips and nodding her fair chin.

Nolan, with no immediate tasks at hand, joined the two girls in their work since he couldn't be of assistance to Albedo at the moment.

While the main body helped Amber and the others prepare lunch, "Sword God" was far from idle.

Since she couldn't locate The Doctor and the Cryo Hypostasis for the time being, she flew upwards, remembering that the artifact domain of Dragonspine was at the mountain's peak.

It should be relatively easy to find.

Nolan wondered if any adventurers had discovered it yet. Even if they had, there should still be opportunities to reap some benefits from it, considering how vast the domain was and how difficult it would be to explore completely.

"Sword God" didn't fly straight up to the summit but rather ascended along the mountain path.

Nolan hoped to encounter some monsters along the way and defeat them for Adventure EXP.

Dragonspine was vast, so it shouldn't be lacking in monsters.

This proved true as "Sword God" saw numerous wandering monsters on the way to the peak, as well as a few adventurers exploring the mountain.

Whenever she saw them in danger, Nolan would control "Sword God" to immediately intervene.

Defeating monsters while helping others increased his reputation among adventurers, potentially speeding up the process of acquiring a title beyond "Outstanding Adventurer."

Extra Adventure EXP were worth the effort.

Nolan even thought about asking reporters from the press to interview him about his feats if he accomplished anything big in the future. It seemed like a decent idea, though perhaps a bit too flashy. Maybe he could try it once he reached a level of power comparable to an Archon.

That way, he wouldn't attract the attention of deranged villains.

Otherwise, if they needed a strong individual for some nefarious plan, they might randomly set their sights on him.

That would be too troublesome.

He preferred a peaceful life.

- Dragonspine Camp -

Two hours had passed since they arrived at the camp. After Nolan and the others had lunch and warmed themselves with hot soup, it was already past 2 p.m.

By that time, Albedo had completed his preparations for the experiment.

He needed help for the initial steps, which involved using a large dose of alchemical agents to put a Pyro Whopperflower, which could emit purple-white flames, to sleep. This would ensure it wouldn't resist during the procedures.

The process of making this alchemical agent was complex, involving the brewing of ingredients and a final mixing stage that would take quite some time.

To help with this, Albedo used Geo elements to create a stone slate inscribed with dense, detailed instructions.

The instructions outlined the steps for creating the agent. As long as one could read and follow them precisely, even a layperson could manage the task.

He assigned this job to Amber. Given her ability to perfectly control heat and her quick thinking, she was unlikely to fail such a simple task.

Eula and Nolan were tasked with finding Starsilver Ore and Scarlet Quartz.

Albedo's plan was to extract the power of Durin from the Whopperflower and create a tracking compass to find the area with the highest concentration of Durin's power.

Considering that The Doctor had experimented on so many creatures infused with Durin's power, his base likely contained a significant amount of it, making it easy for the compass to detect.

Starsilver Ore and Scarlet Quartz were essential materials for crafting the tracking compass.

"I've marked potential locations for Starsilver Ore and Scarlet Quartz on this map. You can set out now and return once you've gathered enough," Albedo said, handing the map to Nolan.

"Got it. No problem, we'll head out now," Nolan nodded.

He examined the map carefully and noticed that it marked several possible sites for the ores.

These sites were likely places Albedo, who had been in Dragonspine for a long time, had found and noted during his explorations.

However, as time had passed, some sites might have already been discovered and mined by other adventurers, so there was no guarantee that the ores would still be there.

A route needed to be planned to check these locations efficiently without wandering aimlessly, which would waste time if no ores were found.

Selling a map with ore locations like this would probably fetch a fair amount of Mora.

After all, finding these materials in Dragonspine wasn't easy for the average person, and there were certain dangers involved.

"Let's start with the nearest spot and move to the next closest one if we find nothing. This way, we can return more quickly once we have all the materials," Eula suggested, tracing a route with her finger on the map in Nolan's hands.

The route connected the camp to the closest ore site, then moved to the next-nearest location, and so on.

Following this path would be the most efficient, avoiding unnecessary backtracking and time loss.

"Alright, let's go," Nolan said.

He and Eula left Albedo's camp in Dragonspine and glided toward the first marked location using their wind gliders.

Not long after, about five minutes later, they arrived at the first potential location for the materials by flying.

This spot was on a cliffside covered with thick snow.

They were quite fortunate.

As soon as they reached the first location, they spotted several silver-gray, spiky mineral deposits emerging from the snow.

Indeed, these were Starsilver Ores, exactly like the ones seen in the game.

"These Starsilver Ores should be enough. Let's collect them!" Nolan said with a sigh of relief.

So far, the mission seemed to be going smoothly, and they should be able to finish it soon.

"Yes, collecting Starsilver is easy. A light tap with a greatsword will do," Eula said with a smile. She took out her weapon and gently swung it from afar. A wave of invisible sword energy swiftly struck the minerals.

The Starsilver Ores sticking out of the snow were effortlessly broken apart.

Now, they only needed to go over and collect them, storing them either in Eula's Vision or Nolan's "Wonderland."

"Your sword strikes are powerful yet controlled, very impressive," Nolan commented.

"Hmph, of course," Eula said, lifting her fair chin proudly.

[Eula Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 170 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (105/600)]

Just as they reached the snowbank and were about to pick up the ores, three Cryo Slimes — one large and two small — suddenly emerged from the ground.

"Oh? Even collecting ore has monsters appearing as obstacles? Hah, what luck!" Nolan said, cracking his neck and looking at them with interest. His golden, discerning eyes noticed that the slimes had quite high levels.

[Level: 62]

[Level: 43]

[Level: 45]

The highest level was, naturally, the large Cryo Slime, while the two smaller ones were weaker.

As expected of Dragonspine, where the abundance of Cryo energy could even make common slimes grow strong.

However, they were no match for Nolan and Eula.

A few translucent threads suddenly stretched out from the void and, before the slimes could react, struck them with a resounding "bang," defeating them instantly.

Adventure EXP +1878

Adventure EXP +913

Adventure EXP +992

"All done, problem solved," Nolan said with a smile.

Eula nodded and joined Nolan in gathering all the Starsilver Ores. Then, they set off to search for the Scarlet Quartz.

Perhaps their luck had run out.

They didn't find any Scarlet Quartz at the next location and had to search two more places before finally discovering what they needed at the fourth site.

The Scarlet Quartz was found near a leafless, barren tree.

This time, they couldn't use forceful sword strikes to extract it, as the stone was infused with fire elements and could easily explode.

They had to carefully dig it out.

Thankfully, the entire process went smoothly without any mishaps.

With the materials in hand, Nolan and Eula used their wind gliders to fly quickly back to Albedo's camp on Dragonspine.

By then, Amber had already completed the potion, which Albedo used on the Pyro Whopperflower, successfully extracting part of the dragon Durin's power from its body with alchemy.

The two returned just in time with the materials.

Albedo took the Starsilver Ore and Scarlet Quartz and placed them on the alchemy table.

He added other pre-prepared materials and, finally, infused Durin's power to activate the alchemy table.

With Albedo's skillful alchemy, the tracking compass was successfully created in less than five minutes.

Now, they could use it to search for The Doctor and the creatures tainted by Durin's power!

(End of Chapter)

❇❇❇

Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 45+ Advanced Chapters There!

patreon.com/RedX43

❇❇❇