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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 599: The Giant Lantern (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-09-18 15:51:00 +0000 UTCJust as Keqing was about to speak, Nolan suddenly pressed his lips against her soft, rosy ones.
“Mm!”
Surprisingly, Keqing’s heart calmed instead of panicking.
Though they had shared many intimate moments before, they had never kissed. Now her mind grew hot, thought scattering into a blank haze.
As her body went slack in his arms, offering no resistance, Nolan gently lifted her and carried her upstairs.
Her legs, draped over his arm, dangled weakly, the heels on her feet swaying with every step as though drifting into slumber.
Before long, they arrived at the hot spring bathhouse.
At this time of night, the girls were usually bathing.
Indeed, Lumine, Fischl, Barbara, Yoimiya, Kokomi, and Nilou were soaking in the steaming pool, laughing and chatting together.
Nolan first carried Keqing into the changing room, setting her down in a chair with a backrest.
Crouching slightly, he took her feet into his hands and slipped off her heels, revealing her feet wrapped in black stockings.
He guided her to rest her feet upon his knee, his hands softly stroking her ankles.
“Hmph…” Keqing turned her flushed face aside with a small, indignant sound, pressing her skirt down between her thighs to cover her pale hips.
What a shameless man… doesn’t even let me prepare myself first…
After caressing her ankles for a moment, his palms drifted upward, kneading her supple calves through the stockings.
“Mm—”
A shiver of numbness made Keqing bite her lip, a soft hum escaping her. Struggling to find her voice, she whispered, “E-enough… stop fooling around. Someone might come in any moment!”
“You’re right,” Nolan replied with a smile. “Then let’s get to business. How about I help you increase your strength?”
As he spoke, he tugged the stockings that had slipped to her knees further down.
“Wh-what do you mean, increase my strength…?” Keqing asked in confusion, but by then her tights had been completely pulled away.
Her snow-white thighs were laid bare before his eyes.
Without answering, he pressed closer, kissing the smooth skin of her calves, his hands pushing her knees apart ever so slightly.
His lips trailed slowly up the inside of her legs.
When her skirt was lifted again, Keqing’s face was crimson. Instinctively, she pressed his head down with trembling hands.
---
Half an hour later.
Keqing straddled Nolan, collapsed weakly against his chest, her short dress clinging damply to her skin.
Her cheeks were flushed, her breaths uneven, and she shot him a reproachful glare.
He only chuckled, helping her out of her soaked clothing, then carried her into the hot spring pool to wash.
At that moment, Lumine and the others had just finished bathing and were preparing to leave—running right into them.
“Ah!” Keqing squeaked, burying her burning face against Nolan’s chest.
“You again… always preying on some poor girl,” Lumine said scornfully, rising from the pool with water trickling down her pale skin as she covered her chest.
Yoimiya, Kokomi, and Barbara—newer to the Wonderland Space—clutched at themselves nervously, cheeks tinged pink as they glanced at him.
“Keqing’s exhausted. Now, why don’t I help you all with your cultivation?” Nolan coughed lightly, not a hint of shame in his tone.
He set Keqing down, then drew Lumine into the pool, seating her upon his lap.
“This princess demands the same!” Fischl declared, swooping forward and stealing a kiss from his lips.
“M-my apologies, I’ve soaked too long already. I feel a bit dizzy, so I’ll take my leave,” Kokomi murmured, face faintly red. She found it too embarrassing to “train” so closely with others watching.
Barbara and Yoimiya shared the same thought and started to rise.
But before they could leave, translucent spiritual threads coiled from the water, wrapping around their legs and creeping upward.
“Ah!” The girls cried out in flustered shock, sitting back down immediately.
“Nilou,” Nolan turned to the red-haired dancer. “Would you mind giving us a little performance?”
“…Fine, fine,” Nilou sighed helplessly, beginning to dance in the water.
Thanks to a special ability he had gained through her, Nolan always asked her to dance during these cultivation sessions.
At first she had been shy, but by now she was used to it.
With her graceful steps, the effect of the training instantly soared—the hot spring’s warmth refined their energies all the more efficiently.
After more than ten minutes with Lumine, he moved on to Fischl, then to Yoimiya, and finally to Kokomi and Barbara in turn.
By midnight, everyone’s strength had increased significantly. All of them had surpassed level 90—while Lumine and Fischl had reached 95.
This was the fruit of Nolan’s constant efforts. His own panel now showed hundreds of thousands more EXP points:
【Lv.105 (453,188 / 15,000,000)】
Though still far from the next level, at this pace—farming the cosmic behemoth’s stomach every day or two—it wouldn’t take long.
After the hot spring training, he prepared a room for Keqing to stay in.
Recently, the girls had been helping him collect treasures and elemental materials.
Many of these, when entrusted to Raiden Ei, had been forged into powerful weapons and tools.
Among them were even two artifacts of divine grade.
Thanks to this, the Wonderland Space had expanded rapidly—from just over 700 square meters to 930.
As the space grew, it was renovated more and more luxuriously, resembling a high-class hotel. There were plenty of rooms for everyone.
So giving Keqing her own room was no problem at all.
Naturally, he slipped in beside her that night, holding her close as they slept.
---
The Next Morning
The bedding was so comfortable it was nearly impossible to get up.
Even Keqing, who was usually diligent, found herself reluctant to rise. The Wonderland Space’s special properties made the quality of rest incomparable to the outside world.
No matter how exhausting the day, after a single night’s sleep here one awoke refreshed, without the slightest trace of fatigue.
In such comfort, it was only natural that Keqing wanted to sleep a little longer—especially with Nolan pressing warmly against her, entwined in their cultivation embrace.
Though at first she had resisted, embarrassed, the truth was… after experiencing it, she couldn’t deny how addictive it felt.
But Keqing’s sense of duty toward her work overcame her desire to sink deeper into indulgence.
She pinched Nolan’s waist, urging him to get up and take her back.
Naturally, Nolan wouldn’t interfere with Keqing’s work. He sealed it with a kiss on her lips, then eagerly helped her into her clothes.
Of course, he couldn’t resist teasing along the way—earning him a flustered kick to the face from Keqing’s foot, clad in black tights.
That finally made him behave.
Once they were dressed, they joined Noelle, Lumine, Barbara, and the others for breakfast before teleporting back to Liyue Harbor.
“…I’m off to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to arrange today’s duties.”
Keqing turned as if to leave, glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, then quickly leaned back and planted a shy kiss on Nolan’s cheek. Her face flushed red as she hurried away.
Nolan’s smile spread.
“Oh? Wasn’t that the Yuheng Star? Why is she rushing off in such a hurry?”
The familiar voice behind him made him turn.
There stood Cloud Retainer in her human guise—black dress, red half-framed glasses, and a generous chest covered in black silk.
“Huh? What are you doing here?” Nolan smoothly sidestepped her question.
“Hmph. This Adeptus was scouring the markets for lantern materials, yet none of the stalls carried what I required. A most disappointing outcome.”
She shook her head with a sigh.
“That’s strange. With the Lantern Rite approaching, the shops should be well stocked for lantern-making.” Nolan was a little surprised.
“Hmph. This Adeptus intends to craft a lantern as a gift for Ganyu and Shenhe. They are too busy to make one for themselves like ordinary folk.
“Of course, I will not let my disciples fall behind. If others have lanterns, then so must they.
“So before the Lantern Rite tomorrow, I will make them a lantern unlike any other.
“But the city has none of the materials I require. Truly regrettable.”
She pressed her fingers to her forehead, her tone carrying a trace of disappointment.
“A lantern unlike any other? How so?” Nolan asked curiously.
“The lanterns in the city are all alike. At best they differ in pattern, but the size and shape remain the same.
“The lantern I gift must be different. First, it must be large—at least the size of the lakeside pavilion behind Yuehai Pavilion.
“And its shape must be novel. What do you think of my crane form as inspiration?”
“Uh… I think that may need reconsideration.” Nolan thought to himself, Truly fitting of Cloud Retainer—such eccentric ideas.
He spoke after a moment:
“If you want one that big, naturally the shops won’t have the right materials. It’ll have to be made from scratch.
“As for the size, that’s fine. But if the shape strays too far—if it no longer looks like a lantern—it can’t really be called one. At best it would be… a crane-shaped hot air balloon.
“That wouldn’t quite capture the festive meaning of the Lantern Rite.”
Cloud Retainer lowered her head, pondering, then gave a small nod.
“Your words are not without reason. A lantern must still look like a lantern. But it must also be large. Will you aid me?”
She adjusted her red glasses, gazing at the young adventurer.
“Of course. I’m interested in seeing such a grand lantern built.”
Naturally, Nolan could not refuse a lady’s request.
“Good. Then tell me—what ideas do you have?” Cloud Retainer asked as they walked, her opinion of him quietly improving.
【Cloud Retainer Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points, Current Affection Level Lv.8 (60/800).】
Nolan smiled at the panel’s prompt.
“It’s not too difficult. For a lantern the size of a pavilion, first we need a sturdy frame.
“Second, the outer paper must be thick enough. And finally, we’ll need fragments of floating stone to provide lift.
“With all that, lighting the lantern should be enough to make it rise. The first two are easy—the trouble is finding floating stone fragments.”
He frowned slightly.
He had found a large piece of floating stone once in Mount Hulao with Shenhe, but that had already gone to Ningguang for rebuilding the Jade Chamber.
They didn’t need anything that big, even fist-sized fragments would do. But at the moment, he had none to spare.
There was a cubic meter chunk of stone stored inside the Wonderland Realm Space, but it was part of its foundations—removing it would erase its spatial property.
“Hmph. That is a trifling matter. Floating stone, this Adeptus has aplenty. The question is—where do we find lantern paper of sufficient size?”
Indeed, the main materials were the lantern paper, the wick, and a bit of floating stone.
While wax alone could make a lantern rise, it was dangerous—lanterns drifting into the forests risked wildfires, so it was officially forbidden.
Since Cloud Retainer had floating stone covered, the rest was manageable.
“Lantern paper that large won’t be for sale. But we could gather wood and use an alchemy station to synthesize sheets.
“As for the frame, we can simply buy timber at the docks.”
As he spoke, Nolan realized: Cloud Retainer had lived for millennia. She must have countless treasures tucked away.
No wonder she so casually claimed to have floating stones.
He suddenly wondered if he could invite her to live in the Wonderland Space—imagine how much its growth would benefit from her collection of relics.
Her affection with him was already at level 8. With the right opportunity, she might not refuse.
But now was too soon.
“Alchemy synthesis… a fine idea. Since both the paper and the frame require wood, let us head to the docks.”
Cloud Retainer nodded, turning toward the harbor.
【Cloud Retainer Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points, Current Affection Level Lv.8 (360/800).】
Another prompt brought a pleased smile to Nolan’s face as he followed her.
The hem of her black dress swayed as her long legs—wrapped in black silk tights, heels clicking crisply—carried her forward.
Together, they discussed the details of the lantern as they walked, soon reaching the docks.
(End of Chapter)
