Inazuma, Kamisato Estate.
As the head of the Kamisato family, Kamisato Ayato sat in the seat of honor at the front. Kamisato Ayaka sat on a cushion to his right, her posture as proper as ever: knees folded, thighs pressing against calves, and feet tucked under her.
Unfortunately, her snow-white legs were hidden beneath her skirt, leaving no chance to admire them.
"Oh? This extraordinary gentleman must be the Yashiro Commission's Leader himself," Nolan remarked with a hint of surprise upon seeing Kamisato Ayato.
[Level: 82]
An impressive level of strength—worthy of being one of the three Commission heads.
In contrast, Kujou Takayuki and Hiiragi Shinsuke, the other heads of the Tri-Commission, were far weaker. Although they might have mastered their families' sword arts, years of inactivity had dulled their abilities, making them inferior even to regular Shogunate soldiers.
Sitting beside Ayato, Kamisato Ayaka was slightly weaker than her brother at [Level: 76].
Though her level was not as high as Ayato's, it was unexpectedly higher than that of Kujou Sara, who often led troops into battle.
Why was that? Talent, perhaps? Nolan pondered this, puzzled.
Of course, levels were rely indicators of vitality or life energy. In actual combat, soone like Kujou Sara, who had ample battlefield experience, might still outperform Ayaka in a fight. She could even surprise everyone by defeating Ayaka with ease.
After all, as the Yashiro Commission's young lady, Ayaka probably spent more ti sparring with her brother than engaging in real combat.
"Hehe, to have withstood the Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi—the entire Inazuma is abuzz with tales of your feat, Mr. Nolan."
Kamisato Ayato responded to Nolan's complint with calm and poised praise of his own.
Naturally, the Shogun had not used her full strength in delivering her Musou no Hitotachi to punish him for a minor offense like lying. However, even enduring a casual strike from the Shogun's signature technique was enough to send shockwaves through Inazuma.
To most of Inazuma's citizens, Musou no Hitotachi was synonymous with invincibility.
Surviving the technique was the lifelong dream of countless samurai. When news of Nolan's achievent spread, it might inspire admiration from many warriors eager to exchange sword techniques with him.
If it weren't for the fact that they had just t and the timing wasn't ideal, even Kamisato Ayato himself would have wanted to spar with Nolan.
"Oh, not at all, it's only because the Shogun held back," Nolan replied modestly, brushing off the praise.
Had he known Ayato wanted to exchange sword techniques, he would have readily agreed. After all, Nolan was quite intrigued by the Kamisato Swordsmanship style.
Being the Kamisato family's legacy, it had to be at least a "secret-art-level" skill, right?
"All right, enough flattery from both of you. Mr. Nolan, please have a seat. I take it you've returned so quickly because you've found sothing?" Kamisato Ayaka asked with a light chuckle.
"Indeed. These are so letters we found in the Tenryou Commission—correspondence between Kujou Takayuki and the Fatui," Nolan said, handing the letters to Ayaka before taking a seat on the cushion opposite hers, to Ayato's left.
He then recounted the events that had just occurred, including the appearance of Yae Miko and Kujou Sara's decision to deliver part of the evidence directly to the Raiden Shogun.
"…"
Hearing that so much had happened in such a short span of ti, the Kamisato siblings fell silent.
"As expected of the renowned Traveler—you seem to resolve the crises of every nation you visit," Ayato finally said, breaking the silence.
"Haha, not at all. That kind of talent belongs to Lumine. I'm just lucky enough to be by her side, doing what little I can," Nolan replied humbly.
"And where are Lumine and Paimon? Why didn't they return with you?" Kamisato Ayaka asked curiously.
"Oh, Yae Miko invited them to visit the Grand Narukami Shrine," Nolan answered.
"I see."
Ayaka nodded lightly before continuing, "Since you've completed the commission—actually, you've even exceeded expectations—beyond the promised paynt, is there anything specific you'd like as a reward?"
Initially, the request was only to retrieve evidence from the Tenryou Commission. Now, however, Kujou Sara had defected and was reporting directly to the Shogun. This saved the Yashiro Commission a great deal of effort.
"For now, let's set that aside. I've also uncovered evidence of the Kanjou Commission's dealings with the Fatui. To sever the Fatui's grasp on Inazuma, that matter must also be addressed," Nolan said, recounting the Kanjou Commission's involvent in supplying the Fatui's Delusion factory on Ritou.
"Hmm, we suspected as much. However, compared to the Tenryou Commission, which controls the Shogunate forces, the Kanjou Commission posed less of a threat, so we focused on the forr," Ayato explained with a faint smile.
"Now that Kujou Sara has taken action against the Tenryou Commission, it's ti we address the Kanjou Commission as well."
"You can work with Hiiragi Chisato on this. She disapproves of her father's actions and should be willing to cooperate to prevent him from making further mistakes," Nolan suggested after so thought.
"Oh? It seems you've already resolved much of the issue with the Kanjou Commission. Truly impressive, Traveler," Ayato remarked, surprised.
Could Nolan and his companions be so hidden oversight agency of the Shogunate? They seed to be handling everything that the Yashiro Commission was supposed to deal with. Ayato mused privately.
"Hehe, just lending a hand where I can. It's hard to stand by and watch others suffer, after all," Nolan said with a gentle smile.
"Regardless, your actions for Inazuma are sothing we deeply appreciate," Ayaka said, rising to her feet. Her skirt lifted slightly as she moved, revealing her slender, pale legs. She then gave a slight bow.
[Kamisato Ayaka Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (200/400).]
By the ti Nolan left the Kamisato Estate, he had a hefty commission paynt of ten million Mora in hand. The Yashiro Commission certainly knew how to reward generously.
In addition, he asked if the Shuumatsuban of the Yashiro Commission had any ninjutsu for stealth. As expected, they did. After all, being one of the three major commissions of Inazuma, their repertoire of ninjutsu far surpassed the techniques passed down in family traditions.
The Kamisato siblings, seeing Nolan's interest in ninjutsu, ntioned that he could visit the Yashiro Commission's library anyti to study them. Nolan wasn't in a hurry, deciding to deal with Raiden Shogun's matter in two days before considering it.
It was already late at night, so instead of teleporting to Narukami Shrine, he returned to the "Wonderland" to rest. By then, Jean, Lisa, and the others had also returned from their day's work. Fischl was bathing, while Sucrose and Mona were exchanging knowledge in the library.
As soon as Nolan arrived, he tried to lie in Lisa's arms, only to be shunned as she avoided him. Having spent the whole day outside, he was covered in dust, and freshly-bathed Lisa was understandably displeased. With no other choice, Nolan headed to the bathroom and joined little Amy in her bath.
Despite Fischl's verbal protests and complaints about him intruding, her body instinctively leaned against him.
About an hour later, Fischl leveled up from 57 to 58.
After leaving the bathroom, Nolan wasted no ti, wrapping his arms around Jean and Lisa to take them back to the bedroom. Their fair, rosy cheeks flushed slightly, but after so playful resistance, they agreed.
Once the first ti happens, the second and countless subsequent tis beco inevitable.
That night, Lisa remained at level 80, as breaking through required significantly more energy than leveling up. Jean, however, successfully reached level 84. It seed that after Nolan himself surpassed level 90, the quality of universal energy by his "Harmony" specialty had improved significantly, making it easier for others to absorb and grow.
Interestingly, after he reached level 90, his "Harmony" specialty also gained a new trait—Energy Transfer.
This trait was extrely practical. After kissing or maintaining close contact with Nolan, anyone could transfer energy like elental power, spiritual energy, or similar resources between one another.
The transfer chanism was similar to "Interstellar Travel," aning it was nearly unaffected by the constraints of ti and space.
In future battles, if Nolan ran out of energy while facing a strong enemy, he could borrow so from the girls, making it a trump card for turning the tide of battle.
Of course, this trait worked both ways. The girls could also borrow energy from him. Even outside combat, it could be used for skill training or research. With Nolan's vast reserves of energy, which he rarely depleted, he could easily support Mona, Sucrose, Lisa, and the others in their studies, adding additional value to their efforts.
---
The Next Day
The skies above the shrine were clear and sunny, with two clouds resembling little cats floating lazily. The air carried a faint scent of cherry blossoms.
Nolan got out of the warm bed, enjoyed the breakfast Jean and Sucrose prepared for everyone, and teleported to Narukami Shrine.
Narukami Shrine was located at the summit of Mt. Yougou, with a winding path stretching from the foot of the mountain to the top. The area was lined with nurous cherry blossom trees. Behind the shrine stood a massive Sacred Sakura tree. Its falling petals gathered to form clusters of Thunder Sakura Boughs, a valuable elental resource.
Whether it's for breakthroughs, alchemy, or even cooking, the Thunder Sakura Bough can be utilized. During the cooking process, most of its Electro elent dissipates, so there's no need to worry about a numbing sensation when eating it.
At this mont, Lumine and Paimon were already learning techniques to deal with Raiden Shogun from Yae Miko. Nolan joined them upon arriving.
The so-called techniques to counter Raiden Shogun began with a theoretical understanding of the types of attacks the Shogun typically used. Yae Miko then explained thods to counter them.
Ti flew by, and soon it was midday. The shrine maidens of Narukami Shrine had prepared lunch. While eating, Nolan's "Spiritual Core" had conveniently gathered enough "Spiritual Energy" again.
After so thought, he decided to use this opportunity to grant a "Spiritual Core Attribute" to Lumine.
After all, Nolan had plenty of thods to enhance his own strength, and he didn't want the girls around him to lag too far behind. The "Spiritual Core" ability, which allowed him to grant attributes to others and enhance their strength, was best used to benefit the girls.
While eating, Nolan explained the ability of "Spiritual Core" to Lumine. She was surprised that he had acquired such an extraordinary power and was even willing to use it on her. Naturally, she was delighted.
Even Paimon chid in, demanding an attribute for herself. "Paimon want to get a Spiritual Core Attribute too! Paimon's dream is to punch a Ruin Guard and send it flying!"
Having traveled with Lumine for so long, Paimon had even learned a bit of focus techniques, slightly enhancing her abilities.
From a re level 2 when they first t, she had now reached level 8.
While stronger than the average person, she was still no match for anyone with basic combat skills, let alone a typical Knight of Favonius, Millelith soldier, or Shogunate warrior.
Nolan thought it over. Just in case Paimon ever got hurt during her adventures with Lumine, it wouldn't hurt to strengthen her a bit. He agreed to give her a Spiritual Core Attribute the following afternoon, once the "Spiritual Energy" was replenished again.
"Hehe, yay!" Paimon exclaid excitedly, nodding her head in agreent.
At this point, Yae Miko's soft lavender eyes revealed a hint of curiosity. "Oh my, little one, it seems you've acquired quite the extraordinary ability. Are you really okay sharing such secrets openly in front of an 'outsider' like ?"
Nolan smiled and replied, "How could Miss Miko be an outsider? Not only have you provided us with food and shelter, but you've also given us special training to counter Raiden Shogun. At the very least, we're friends, aren't we? If Miss Miko is interested in this Spiritual Core Attribute, I'd be happy to give you one as well."
Nolan's decision to reveal this ability in front of Yae Miko was deliberate. Naturally, his goal was to earn her affection.
"Oh? As a descendant of the Raiden Shogun and a great yokai, I've seen my fair share of extraordinary abilities. But since you're so honest and don't consider an outsider, I'll reluctantly take an interest," Yae Miko said with a playful smile, brushing a strand of her pink hair aside.
Her impression of Nolan improved slightly.
[Yae Miko Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 4 (210/400)]
Seeing the prompt pop up on his character panel, Nolan silently celebrated while granting Lumine her Spiritual Core Attribute.
Being genuine with people really does help in building connections and earning their affection, he thought.
Lumine and Paimon, however, gave Nolan a look of exasperation and disdain. Given how well they knew him, it was obvious he harbored so mischievous intentions toward Yae Miko.
The corners of Yae Miko's mouth curved into a sly smile. As clever as she was, she clearly saw through him as well.
Oh, this little rascal has plenty of naughty thoughts, doesn't he? Hmm, considering you're helping save Ei and Inazuma, I suppose I'll let it slide.
Unbeknownst to her, the only reason she felt it wasn't a big deal was because she had already developed a certain level of fondness for Nolan.
She even found Lumine's jealous expression amusing, watching with great interest.
(End of Chapter)
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