Noon.
Under the combined efforts of Albedo and Lumine, the Shadow Bear Territory in the Beast Realm was nearly complete.
The first priority was the spatial rift. Using Geo elental energy, they constructed massive, thick walls to enclose the remaining Shadow Bears.
Just like the snowy mountain on the other side, these creatures could be used to maintain the stability of the spatial rift.
In addition, a sturdy periter wall now surrounded the entire Shadow Bear Territory, with shaded watchtowers placed at regular intervals.
The design was clearly inspired by Mondstadt's city walls.
However, the Beast Realm's scorching sunlight made uncovered watchtowers impractical. Additionally, the new walls were only about one-third the thickness of Mondstadt's, as constructing sothing on that scale—even with Lumine borrowing energy from Nolan—would have been impossible to complete smoothly.
Despite being thinner, the walls were still strong enough to block most non-flying monsters.
Inside the walls, a few temporary residential buildings had also been erected. Given the ti constraints, achieving this much in half a day was already impressive.
Any additional improvents could be made later, once more people arrived.
Most importantly, Albedo's laboratory was now set up. In the Beast Realm, he could conduct unrestricted research on its monsters without worrying about their corpses suddenly being rejected by Teyvat's natural order.
With this, research and exploration of the Beast Realm had officially entered a stable phase.
Afterward, Jean and Eula teleported back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters to arrange for reinforcents and discuss the matter of exploring the otherworld with the Adventurers' Guild.
Lumine and Paimon returned to the Wonderland for a short rest, while Nolan left his "Sword God of Lumine" avatar to oversee the Shadow Bear Territory before following Jean and Eula back.
---
Mondstadt – Knights of Favonius Headquarters
Inside the Acting Grand Master's office, Lisa, wearing her signature pointed purple witch's hat, sat with one leg crossed over the other, helping Jean review docunts.
Suddenly, three figures appeared beside her.
"My, back already? And here I was, hoping to enjoy sitting in Jean's chair a little longer~" Lisa chuckled playfully.
"If you want to sit, go ahead and keep sitting," Jean replied helplessly, casting a glance at her friend before shifting her gaze to the short-haired, ice-blue-haired girl beside her.
"Eula, your reconnaissance squad should stay in Mondstadt and rest for now. Wait a few days until Kaeya returns from the Beast Realm before taking on new missions."
The Grand Master's expedition had no clear return date, and with the current shortage of manpower, the Knights of Favonius were already stretched thin.
Even with help from the Adventurers' Guild, exploring the otherworld required a significant number of personnel.
It seed that this year's knight recruitnt drive would have to bring in more new recruits—though Jean worried about the strain on their already tight budget.
For a mont, she found herself in the sa predicant as Mona, stressing over Mora.
"Fine by . We've already cleared out the monsters threatening the villages and towns near Mondstadt, so there won't be any attacks for now," Eula said, crossing her arms over her abdon, partially covered by her semi-transparent black tights.
"By the way, Honorary Knight, regarding the energy-storing Delusions you asked Lisa to research—once there are results, I'd like you and Lisa to authorize the Knights of Favonius to manufacture and distribute them. You'll, of course, receive patent royalties in return."
Since Jean also resided in the Wonderland, she was well aware of Lisa's research.
Lisa was working on modifying Delusions—normally notorious for their dangerous side effects—into energy-storing versions, allowing users to harness elental power without sacrificing their lifespan.
Once depleted, these Delusions could simply be recharged.
Jean knew Lisa had already crafted a Pyro Delusion for Nolan in the past, but its exorbitant production cost and the rarity of required elental materials made mass production unfeasible.
Moreover, its power wasn't particularly remarkable—hardly worth the investnt of ti and resources.
Lisa's current research aid to develop energy-storing Delusions from raw materials, rather than modifying existing ones. The goal was to make them cost-effective and suitable for mass production.
If successful, the market for such Delusions would be enormous—after all, wielders of Visions were a rare minority in Teyvat.
Many ordinary people wished they could harness elental power, even if only at a modest level.
If civilians could equip themselves with these devices, even non-combatants might be able to defend themselves against monster attacks.
The demand for such a technology was undeniable.
"Oh, you should ask Lisa about that. I just provided her with a batch of Delusions—she's the one actually conducting the research," Nolan replied nonchalantly.
He had no objections to letting the Knights of Favonius handle the production and distribution of energy-storing Delusions.
After all, once the research was complete, investors would be needed to manufacture them—better to work with allies than strangers.
Since Lisa was a mber of the Knights of Favonius, it was naturally inappropriate to hand over the production of energy-storing Delusions to the Sweet Flower rchant Association.
Without a doubt, the Knights of Favonius were the best choice. Even if Jean hadn't ntioned it, once Lisa made progress in her research, Nolan would have brought up the matter with her himself.
However, the final decision would still depend on Lisa—after all, this was her achievent.
"Oh?" Lisa looked at Jean in mild surprise. "You're bringing this up so soon… Don't tell the Knights are having financial troubles?"
"Not exactly. I just want to recruit more newcors this year."
Jean was straightforward, sharing her thoughts openly.
"Alright then. Once my research is complete, I'll leave the production and distribution to the Knights of Favonius. But of course, I expect a fair share of royalties per unit sold~"
Lisa's fair face curved into a sly smile.
While Jean was her friend—and they even shared the sa lover—business was business. Personal matters could be handled casually, but when it ca to an official collaboration with the Knights, everything needed to be clearly docunted.
This wasn't just about protecting themselves but also about maintaining the integrity of the Knights of Favonius.
After all, they would be using the Knights' funds to mass-produce these Delusions. If things weren't settled in writing, any unexpected issues might lead to suspicions of abuse of power, favoritism, or even corruption.
"Of course. But the final decision still needs to be discussed and approved by the rest of the Knights."
Jean nodded, then asked, "So… Lisa, how long do you estimate before your research bears results?"
"Within three months. But… if you grant a paid vacation, I could probably finish it in a month."
Lisa was extrely confident.
The main reason was the "Focus" effect derived from the Wonderland, a phenonon triggered by Nolan's vast collection of rare treasures.
Although it could only be used for one hour per person per day, the state of absolute ntal clarity, where complex problems unraveled effortlessly as if guided by divine insight, was far more efficient than hours of traditional research.
Moreover, just a few days ago, Nolan had obtained an incredible Soul Attribute for her:
[Elental Scholar: This trait only appears on sentient beings. The bearer can comprehend elental energy more easily and gains twice the proficiency in elental control.]
With these bizarre abilities at her disposal, how could she not be confident?
Jean sighed, "I can't give you a whole month off, but I can grant you one extra day off per week."
"Oh dear, well… one day is better than none."
Lisa accepted the compromise with a smirk.
After a brief discussion about the Delusion research, the group headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Afterward, Jean and Lisa returned to work at the Knights of Favonius, while Nolan walked through the streets of Mondstadt with Eula.
Since Eula would be staying in the city until Kaeya returned, she was essentially on break.
Which ant… it was finally ti for her to fulfill her forfeit from their duel—becoming his maid for a few days!
---
"Hmph. What exactly are you thinking about, you silent scher?"
Eula folded her arms over her abdon, lifting her soft and ample chest slightly. Dressed in knee-high black leather boots that accentuated her toned, curvaceous legs, she strolled alongside Nolan, frowning as she glanced at him.
"Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking… since you're on break, isn't it about ti you fulfilled your promise to be my maid for a few days?"
Nolan said it openly, without the slightest hesitation.
"You really can't wait to have and Amber as your maids, huh?" Eula huffed, placing her hands on her hips in mild irritation. "Amber's break isn't until next week. Once she's free, we'll co find you together!"
As the eldest daughter of the Lawrence family, Eula never went back on her word.
She hadn't been deliberately postponing it—it was just that she and Amber hadn't had a break at the sa ti yet.
"Well, honestly, making you two my maids is just a bonus. What I really want is to exchange insights on swordsmanship and archery with you."
Nolan pretended to sound serious.
"Tch. A maid's duty is to obey their master's orders. When the ti cos, just treat us like real maids. No need to hold back just because we're friends."
Eula crossed her arms again, smirking. "As for swordplay? We can do that anyti. But during our ti as maids, just let us focus on actual maid duties—cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, whatever.
"Otherwise, that Gunnhildr girl might think I backed out because I couldn't accept defeat!"
She scoffed, making it clear that Nolan shouldn't hesitate—when the ti ca, a maid's role was a maid's role.
"...I don't think Jean would really care about that… but well, since you insist, we'll do it your way."
Nolan found Eula's words very much to his liking.
However, Eula's understanding of being a maid was still too superficial.
Cooking, washing dishes, and cleaning?
If she was going to be his maid, then at the very least, she should also be warming his bed!
"As long as you understand. Don't hesitate to give orders—just don't let that fool Jean think I'm an incompetent maid!"
Eula emphasized once again. Seeing Nolan pat his chest confidently in agreent, she finally nodded in satisfaction.
[Eula Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (650/700)]
---
Inazuma City, Tenshukaku
After chatting with Eula for a while, Nolan returned to Tenshukaku in the afternoon to assist Raiden Ei in researching the power of Ti.
Once that was done, he trained in swordsmanship alongside Lumine under the Shogun's guidance.
Several days passed like this, and both he and Lumine had nearly mastered the "Source Flow Swordsmanship - Chūden".
The Shogun deed them ready to begin learning the "Okuden".
Unlike the previous levels, "Source-Flow Swordsmanship" was significantly more difficult.
It was an Arcane-Level technique, incorporating advanced applications of elental energy—far beyond simple swordplay.
It took two full days for Nolan and Lumine just to reach the beginner stage.
Mastering an Arcane-Level technique wasn't sothing that could be done in a short ti, even for soone with extensive swordsmanship experience.
To speed up his progress toward "Musou no Hitotachi", Nolan decided to invest Adventure EXP into the technique.
[Source-Flow Swordsmanship: Okuden Lv.1 (1/5000)]
For Arcane-Level skills, the base experience point cost was 5,000 per level. Each ti a level increased, the cost for the next level also increased by another 5,000.
This followed the sa pattern as other skill tiers:
- Basic-Level Skills started at 100 points (increasing by 100 per level).
- Secret-Level Skills started at 1,000 points.
By this calculation, maxing out an Arcane-Level skill required a total of 275,000 Adventure EXP—an insane amount.
This was why his "Sword God of Lumine" ability was such a cheat.
By fusing traits, it had directly upgraded to Arcane-Level while inheriting its previous proficiency, saving him countless Adventure EXP.
Back then, he wasn't nearly as strong as he was now—grinding 275,000 points would have taken forever.
Now?
It was effortless.
Just a simple hunt in the Beast Realm had already netted him over 300,000 points today.
Spending 275,000 might seem like a lot, but for him, it was nothing!
[-274,999 Adventure EXP]
[Source-Flow Swordsmanship: Okuden Lv.1 (1/5000) → Lv.10 (Boundless Secrets)]
In an instant, Nolan maxed out the skill.
Countless insights into combining swordsmanship with elental power flooded his mind.
It was as if he had spent years refining his technique—his swordsmanship and elental control had skyrocketed several tis over, massively boosting his combat strength.
If he fought his previous self, he could now easily take on two or three of his past versions simultaneously.
But the biggest surprise?
The Ultimate Trait that erged from mastering "Source-Flow Swordsmanship."
Since Source-Flow Swordsmanship was the foundation of many Inazuman sword styles, its Ultimate Mastery Trait—"Boundless Secrets"—reflected this principle perfectly.
Its effect?
It enhanced the power of all other sword techniques, providing an incredible boost to any swordsmanship he used.
Even the most basic slashes now carried Arcane-Level power.
Simply put—before, using a Basic-Level sword skill would result in Basic-Level damage.
Now?
Every Basic-Level sword skill automatically beca a fusion of Arcane-Level Basic-Level—stacking imnse power onto even the simplest strikes.
And that wasn't all.
As a foundational sword style, the "Boundless Secrets" Trait also significantly reduced stamina consumption for sword techniques.
Even using Arcane Techniques felt as effortless as swinging a regular sword.
Ultimate moves at the cost of basic attacks.
Absolutely broken.
(End of Chapter)
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