"We were going to knock, but the door wasn't properly closed. It opened with just a light tap."
Nolan explained as he looked at the drowsy Ganyu.
"Eh… is that so…"
Ganyu lowered her gaze to the desk, her icy-blue bangs partially covering her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassnt.
"Ganyu, you don't have to work overti every day. Delegating so of your tasks is the wiser course of action."
Most of the complex intelligence work at Yujing Terrace was handled by Ganyu alone.
The others simply didn't have the capability to do it.
But because of this, Yujing Terrace had beco overly reliant on Ganyu, which was detrintal to the growth of the rest of the staff.
However, given the heavy workload, relying on Ganyu was the only way to maintain efficiency, sothing that had been troubling Ningguang for quite so ti.
Sigh… Ganyu's abilities are simply too outstanding. The others just can't keep up.
Not only does this push Ganyu into frequent overti, but it also ans no one else is able to help her properly.
I need to think of a way to improve this.
Ningguang rested her fair chin against her hand, lost in thought.
"Alright then, I'll have so of the work reassigned."
Ganyu closed her eyes and lightly swayed the small tuft of hair on her head.
"I think Shenhe would be a great choice to help you."
After a brief mont of thought, Nolan continued,
"Once your junior sister finishes setting up the formations for the new Jade Chamber, she won't have anything left to do.
"Sending her back to train at Aocang Mountain wouldn't help her adapt to human society, either.
"This would be a perfect opportunity for her to assist you while continuing her cultivation and social integration."
Although Shenhe didn't seem like the type suited for intelligence work,
tasks like moving docunts, fetching supplies, and following simple instructions from Ganyu would definitely be sothing she could handle far more efficiently than the average person.
She could even summon her talisman spirits to help.
"Having Shenhe assist , huh… Well, I suppose that wouldn't be a bad idea. I'll ask her about it tonight and see if she's willing."
Ganyu pondered for a mont before nodding in agreent.
Then, shifting her gaze to both Nolan and Ningguang, she asked curiously,
"By the way, did you two co here specifically to find ? Is there sothing you need?"
Ningguang gave a small nod and parted her soft lips to speak.
"Yes, Ganyu. I need you and Nolan to head to The Chasm to investigate the situation there. If it's possible to resolve the problem, take care of it while you're there."
"You want to go on a mission? But I haven't finished my current workload yet…"
Ganyu's gentle voice carried a hint of surprise.
"It's fine, I'll take care of it." Ningguang crossed her arms and smiled.
After all, intelligence work was her specialty as well.
"In that case, no problem. When do we depart?"
Hearing Ningguang's response, Ganyu nodded without hesitation.
"Miss Ganyu, you look exhausted. How about you get so rest first? We can leave a little later."
Nolan smiled as he made the suggestion.
"Thank you for your concern, but there's no need. I'll pull myself together. A little drowsiness won't affect my work."
Beneath the icy-blue tips of her hair, Ganyu's fair face blossod into a warm and gentle smile.
[Ganyu Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 180 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (0/400)]
"In that case… alright, let's set off now."
Seeing that Ganyu had no objections, Nolan gave a slight nod.
---
Lisha Suburbs.
The once-busy mining carts that used to frequently traverse the roads were nowhere to be seen.
Only the wheel tracks imprinted on the dirt paths remained as silent proof of the area's forr prosperity.
"We're almost there. The Chasm is just ahead."
Flying alongside Nolan in midair, Ganyu pointed toward the vast, rugged landscape ahead.
"What strange terrain…"
Nolan had always found the inward-sloping topography of The Chasm fascinating when he saw it in the ga.
Seeing it in person was no different.
"A long ti ago, an unnad 'heavenly star' crashed from the sky, piercing the surface of the land. That impact created what we now call The Chasm."
Leaning slightly forward as she flew, Ganyu provided an explanation as they advanced.
Nolan had so knowledge of The Chasm, but it was nothing compared to Ganyu's expertise.
So he listened attentively.
After a short while, the two arrived directly above The Chasm, where a vast and ominous cavern yawned at the bottom.
"That's the Maw of The Chasm. The underground mines lie beyond that point.
"But right now, it's under lockdown. The Millelith are stationed there to prevent anyone from entering.
"Let's descend and show them our access permit first."
Ganyu instructed.
Nolan naturally complied.
Dispelling the Anemo energy that aided their flight, the two of them slowly descended toward the entrance of The Chasm.
Within less than a minute, they landed firmly on solid ground and proceeded toward the Millelith encampnt stationed at the entrance.
Handing over the access permit issued by Ningguang, they passed through without trouble and boarded a wooden lift that would take them down into the underground mining area.
Before they descended, the Millelith provided them with two Lunstone Hand Lamps, essential tools for navigating the dark tunnels below.
These are basically just flashlights, Nolan thought as he examined the device.
Unfortunately, they weren't the Lunstone Adjuvant from the ga—
the kind used to clear away the strange black mud.
Maybe it's still in developnt…
Nolan mused silently as the wooden lift steadily carried them downward into the depths of The Chasm.
Even without the "Lunstone Adjuvant," both Nolan and Ganyu possessed enough strength to cleanse the dark mud.
After all, reality didn't impose the sa rigid rules as the ga, where one required a "Lunstone Adjuvant" to affect the black mud.
As Nolan pondered this, the elevator swiftly descended and ca to a stop at the bottom.
This was the underground miners' camp. Though temporarily abandoned, the "Lunstone Lamps" left behind were still glowing.
As a result, the area wasn't as dark as one might expect.
"Let's head this way. That path should lead deeper into the mines," Ganyu said while examining a map of the underground mine under the pale blue glow of the Lunstone Lamps.
She pointed to a corner of the map with her fair, delicate finger and spoke to Nolan.
He glanced at it, then nodded slightly.
"No problem. However, even with a map, we still know too little about this place. Let's wait here and call for soone more experienced to guide us."
With that, he took out the amber-colored gemstone given to him by Ningguang and lightly struck it against the wall.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound rang out, and a ripple of golden light spread outward along the rock surface.
"Huh? Ningguang gave this to you?"
Sensing the familiar Geo energy fluctuation, Ganyu curiously gazed at Nolan with her striking, beautiful eyes.
"That's right. Ningguang said this can be used to contact Yelan. She entered The Chasm several days ago. With her leading the way, things should go much smoother for us."
After finishing the signal, Nolan put the amber gemstone back into his storage.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. Let's wait here for her then." Ganyu's fair face showed an expression of realization.
"By the way, Miss Ganyu, we don't know how long it'll take for Yelan to arrive. Instead of just waiting idly, how about we practice so archery together?"
"Speaking of which, one of the reasons I ca to The Chasm was to seek out Miss Yelan and learn stealth techniques from her."
As he spoke, Nolan casually tore open a spatial rift and retrieved his adventurer's hunting bow from his sanctuary space.
In the ga, Ganyu's archery skills were incredibly powerful—whether they were classified as a secret technique or an arcane art remained unclear.
Even though he didn't rely much on archery himself,
learning from Ganyu and integrating her exceptional archery techniques with the "Sword Foundation" ability granted by the Luminary's Power could prove to be highly beneficial.
"Eh? Archery practice? That's not a bad idea."
Ganyu had been so busy with official duties lately that she hadn't wielded a weapon or trained in archery for quite so ti.
Since combat was inevitable later on, a little warm-up to get into form wouldn't hurt.
"Alright, thank you, Miss Ganyu."
A smile appeared on Nolan's face.
And so, as they waited for Yelan, Nolan and Ganyu practiced archery together.
Having learned Venti's ultimate-level "Devine Gen Archery," Nolan wasn't entirely out of his depth when facing an archery master like Ganyu.
Thus, their "exchange" was indeed a mutual learning experience, and both gained new insights.
---
### Underground Mines – Serpent's Lair
Hidden in the shadows with her Hydro-elent concealnt ability, Yelan observed the massive Ruin Serpent slithering across the distant platform and furrowed her brows.
She hadn't expected such a terrifying ancient ruin chanism to exist deep within the underground mines—one that even wielded the power to summon black mud.
Could the abnormal changes in The Chasm be related to this thing?
She had been in The Chasm for several days now, investigating ever since the mines were first sealed off.
Thanks to her exceptional stealth abilities, she could evade many powerful monsters and conduct a thorough investigation.
Monts ago, after painstakingly navigating her way to the deepest part of the underground mines, she had finally uncovered the core issue plaguing The Chasm.
The ergence of the black mud, which enhanced monsters and made the mines dangerously unstable, was the main problem preventing normal mining operations.
Initially, Yelan assud that simply eliminating the black mud and the enhanced monsters would be enough.
However, after cleansing several patches of black mud, she suddenly noticed fresh black mud erging once again.
That was when she realized—without identifying the true source of the black mud, no amount of cleansing would make a difference.
The dark sludge would simply keep reappearing.
Thus, she pressed further into the mines to investigate, eventually arriving in this cavern—where she discovered the terrifying Ruin Serpent.
Yelan wasn't certain if the Ruin Serpent was the one producing the black mud, but it clearly possessed a summoning thod that no other monster did.
No matter what, this Ruin Serpent was highly suspicious!
However, even from a distance, Yelan could sense the creature's terrifying presence—it wasn't an opponent she could take on alone.
She would need reinforcents.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the amber gemstone hanging from her waist suddenly vibrated slightly.
Hmm? Was Ningguang trying to contact her?
Yelan picked up the gemstone and glanced at it before putting it away again.
She had just encountered a major problem, and if Ningguang was involved, perhaps they could test the Ruin Serpent's strength together.
Casting one last glance at the Ruin Serpent, she didn't hesitate and swiftly turned back toward the main mining area.
Her legs, clad in tight high-heeled leather boots, moved with incredible speed. In her concealed state, she was like a phantom shadow, undetectable by anyone.
In re monts, she had slipped out of the Serpent's Lair without making a single ripple—
Not even the air was disturbed!
---
[New Skill Acquired: Flowing Sky Shot]
Seeing the notification pop up on his character panel, Nolan let out a breath.
That was tough! After so many attempts, he had finally managed to get the basics down.
He opened his character panel to check his stats:
*Na:* Nolan Walker
*Level:* Lv91 (362/910000)
*Race:* Human
*Titles:* Honorary Knight, Distinguished Citizen of Liyue, Legendary Adventurer, Honorary General of Watatsumi Island
*Innate Talent:* Entangling Affection
*Skills:*
- Lumine's Authority · Divine Level Lv.1 (0/10,000)
- Flowing Sky Shot: Arcane Level Lv.1 (1/5000)
- Ninjutsu: Hidden Mirage Domain Lv.10 (Vanishing Presence, Lost Path, Domain)
- Anemo Manipulation Lv.10 (Max Level)
- Martial Arts Lv.10 (Subtle Mastery)
*Specialties:*
- [Descender]
- [Maiden Savior]
- [Monster Slayer]
- [Abundant Life]
- [The Gospel of the Sky]
- [North Wind]
- [Harmony]
- [Spiritual Threads]
- [Millennium Body]
- [Blue Vortex]
- [Battery Body]
- [Elental Immunity]
- [Command Seal]
- [Spiritual Core (Previous Soul Rank)]
- [Thoughtless Thunder]
Adventure EXP: 53,982
"So, it really is an Arcane Level skill," Nolan mused, nodding to himself as he examined the description on his panel.
He had sensed it earlierFlowing Sky Shot was just as refined and powerful as Devine Gen Archery.
However, perhaps due to his mastery of Divine level skills, learning Arcane-level techniques had beco significantly easier.
It had only taken him half a day to grasp the fundantals of Flowing Sky Shot!
If it had been a Secret or Basic-level skill, wouldn't he be able to max it out in just a few days of casual practice—without even spending Adventure EXP?
Nolan considered experinting with lower-level skills in the future.
If mastering them had beco that effortless, he wouldn't need to waste Adventure EXP on anything below Arcane-level.
Instead, he could save those points for stronger abilities or leveling up!
"Whew... Looks like you've successfully learned my archery technique," Ganyu said, putting away her bow as she glanced outside. "That should be enough for now—Yelan is here."
Hearing Ganyu's words, Nolan also turned to look.
A young woman with shoulder-length dark blue hair was approaching them.
She wore a white half-cape over her shoulders, giving her a cool and sophisticated look.
Who else could it be but Yelan? She had finally arrived.
"What kind of unexpected team-up is this? Did Ningguang send you two to assist ?"
Yelan stepped forward, her high-heeled, tight-fitting bodysuit accentuating her swift and confident movents.
She had expected Ningguang to be the one calling her—
But instead, it was Ganyu and Nolan.
"It's been a while, Miss Yelan," Ganyu said with a gentle nod. "As you guessed, we were sent by Miss Ningguang to investigate The Chasm with you."
She continued, "Can you fill us in on the current situation? Is there anything we can help with?"
(End of Chapter)
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