RedX43
patreon
[Genshin Impact] Chapter 408: Soul Nurturing (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-01-27 18:14:42 +0000 UTC[Successfully collected the rare treasure "Havria's Divine Salt." Acquired spatial characteristic: Soul Nurturing. The "Golden Vault" space can gradually strengthen the soul's essence and rapidly recover various injuries related to the soul, consciousness, and spirit.]
So, those pristine white salt crystals are called "Divine Salt"? But why do they have a connection with souls and come with a spatial characteristic like "Soul Nurturing"?
Usually, spatial characteristics gained from rare treasures are more or less related to the nature of the treasure.
Could it be that this "Divine Salt" still harbors faint traces of the consciousness of Havria, the Salt God? Similar to how Raiden Ei’s "Musou Isshin" contains a portion of her sister Raiden Makoto’s consciousness.
The difference is that Raiden Makoto left hers intentionally, while the Salt God’s remnants might just be a case of not being completely wiped out after death.
After all, the Geo Archon defeated countless gods, but most of them were sealed rather than entirely annihilated.
This might have been done to prevent any residual essence from these gods from affecting weaker mortals in undesirable ways—much like the salt plague that erupted after the death of the Salt God.
It's clear that entities as powerful as gods leave behind remnants even after death—things like "godly residue," "godly resentment," or "godly remains."
In short, they don’t completely vanish.
Even if the Salt God wasn’t as powerful as other gods, she was still a god by nature. To make matters worse, she was slain by ordinary humans. Even if she willingly faced death, it’s unlikely she was completely erased.
Perhaps this is just an inherent quality of gods.
Though it’s uncertain if this assumption is correct, it seems plausible that the "Divine Salt" is indeed connected to souls.
Especially since it was formed from the body of the Salt God herself.
This raises a strong suspicion that the "Divine Salt" contains fragments of the Salt God’s soul or consciousness.
At the moment, Nolan’s spiritual perception doesn’t detect anything unusual—likely because those fragments have been eroded over time to a nearly imperceptible degree.
Still, the newly acquired "Soul Nurturing" characteristic of his Wonderland should benefit her as well.
When that remnant consciousness grows stronger, perhaps Nolan’s spiritual perception will be able to detect it.
If things are as he suspects, would this mean he’s on the path to resurrecting a god?
Even if it’s just the soul?
The possibility is significant, and Nolan suddenly feels that this might be a little dangerous...
After all, even if it’s only the soul, it’s still a god wielding divine authority. If it recovers and turns hostile, the consequences could be disastrous.
Yet, he’s reluctant to give up the "Divine Salt"—it’s over thirty square meters worth!
After careful thought, Nolan realizes he has a solution.
He can simply monitor the "Divine Salt" daily, and the moment he detects the presence of consciousness, he can impose a loyalty-command spell to bind her.
This way, not only does he keep his thirty square meters of "Divine Salt," but he also gains a god-level enforcer!
Genius! Absolutely perfect! Nolan thought gleefully.
---
“Foolish attendant, what did you bring back this time? Why has this space expanded so much?”
In the living room, a few girls were chatting after dinner when Fischl noticed Nolan’s return and curiously asked.
“Hmm, just a few powerful divine relics that expanded the Wonderland by seventy square meters. It’s now about 205 square meters in total.”
Nolan made his way to the sofa, sat down beside Fischl, and leaned over to rest his head on her lap, wrapped in black tights. The softness and fragrance of the girl were utterly comforting.
“Hmph, scoundrel!”
Fischl blushed slightly and pinched Nolan’s cheek.
“Well... I want to build a small farm in the research area to cultivate plants from different nations for study!”
Sucrose, sitting next to Amy, spoke excitedly.
“Of course, that’s fine. With all this extra space, everyone can reorganize things. Once Lumine gets back, she can use Geo elements to remodel the area—it’ll be easy.”
Nolan responded while caressing Fischl’s hand.
“Ugh, remodeling again? Can’t we just finish it in one go? So troublesome!”
Mona leaned against the sofa, raising her right hand to rest the back of it on her forehead, exposing the fair skin of her underarm. Her expression carried a hint of melodramatic distress.
“There’s no helping it. For now, the space isn’t large enough. Once it’s sufficiently big, we can turn it into a luxurious villa—with a garden and a plaza!”
Nolan smiled warmly.
“And how many divine relics would you need to expand the space to that extent?” Mona seemed doubtful, thinking it was a long-term goal.
“Well, it’s only a matter of time. It doesn’t hurt to dream a little, right?”
As Nolan spoke, his hand stealthily reached for the zipper at the back of Amy’s dress. With a quick pull, her tight-fitting skirt slipped down.
“Ah!”
Fischl instinctively let out a startled cry and quickly covered her upper body, clad only in a camisole.
Seeing Nolan’s mischief, Mona clicked her tongue in disdain and hurriedly left the room to avoid getting caught in his antics.
Sucrose, blushing furiously, thought about leaving too, but it was too late. Nolan’s arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.
---
Morning.
Fischl and Sucrose were nestled on either side of Nolan, resting their heads on his arms. Exhausted from the previous night, they hadn’t yet woken up, even with the help of the "Delight" characteristic.
After being strengthened by "Harmony Energy," their levels increased by two.
Amy successfully reached level 60, while Sucrose climbed to level 43. The expansion of the Wonderland due to Sucrose’s advancement added another two square meters, bringing the total area to 207 square meters.
This space was already significantly larger than many commercial apartments on Earth, and it wasn’t even limited to a single floor. For now, it was more than sufficient.
Since Nolan had promised to buy Mona some instruments for her astrological research today, he got up without disturbing the two still-sleeping women beside him.
When he entered the living room, he found Mona had already enthusiastically prepared breakfast.
"Hurry up and wash up, then come eat! Otherwise, that new stellar trajectory calculator might get bought by someone else!"
Mona nudged his back, urging him toward the bathroom.
"Got it." Nolan yawned. "Astrologers aren't exactly a hot profession. What are the chances that instrument would just happen to be sold before we arrive?
"Besides, the store probably has enough stock. There's no need to rush."
As he spoke, he suddenly turned and pressed Mona against the wall, kissing her soft lips without warning.
"Hmm, what are you doing?!"
Mona pushed against Nolan’s shoulders and stomped on him with her golden high heels, trying to resist this audacious bully.
But as always, her resistance was futile.
After more than ten minutes, Nolan finally let go of Mona, who was now so weak she could barely stand and slowly slid down the wall to crouch.
She gasped softly, shooting him a dazed, reproachful glance.
"All right, I feel refreshed now—no more drowsiness. Let’s eat breakfast and then head out to buy your research instruments!"
Nolan smiled cheerfully.
"Scoundrel!" Mona gritted her teeth and leapt at him.
Nolan naturally welcomed the embrace of a beautiful woman. He held her close and carried her toward the dining table.
After breakfast, the two used "Interstellar Travel" to teleport to Lisa, who was in Mondstadt.
Lisa was at work in the library, and Nolan took the chance to steal a quick kiss before leaving the Knights of Favonius headquarters with Mona and heading toward the city center.
As Mondstadt’s capital, the city offered a wide variety of goods.
Though the market for astrological research instruments wasn’t particularly large, the instruments were expensive and still profitable, so there were always merchants willing to cater to this niche demand.
This time, Mona took Nolan to a relatively large shop in Mondstadt that specialized in selling astrological instruments. It was called the "Astral Instrument Shop" and was run by a Fontaine merchant.
According to Mona, this shop sourced its goods directly from Fontaine's workshops, making its prices more affordable than stores with intermediary channels.
"Shopkeeper, we’re here for business!"
As soon as Mona stepped into the shop, which had a simple yet elegant Fontaine-style decor, she eagerly called out.
The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man wearing a distinctive black top hat and sporting a sharp mustache, was engrossed in the latest issue of the Steambird Gazette. However, being a seasoned businessman, he immediately perked up at the mention of "business."
Realizing it was Mona, though, he sighed in disappointment, sat back down, and resumed reading his paper.
"Ah, it’s you again, young lady. Just look around if you want. I know you won’t buy anything."
"What do you mean by that?!" Mona retorted, clearly upset. "I’ve only been here a few times to compare prices and assess the quality of your instruments. How does that make me someone who can’t afford them?"
"Come on, every time you’re here, you stare at those astrological instruments like you’re dying to buy them but leave with a defeated expression. If that’s not being broke, what is?"
The shopkeeper spread his hands, looking exasperated.
"Hmph! I’ve been carefully evaluating your merchandise. I’m not broke. In fact, I’ve decided to buy something today because your goods are actually pretty decent!" Mona crossed her arms, trying to defend her dignity.
"Oh?" The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by her determination, before shifting his gaze to the young man behind her.
Realizing the situation, he nodded knowingly and said, "Ah, I see. No wonder you’re so confident today—you’ve found yourself the famous Honorary Knight!"
"What do you mean I’ve found him? If anything, it’s he who’s lucky enough to have the world’s greatest astrologist! Providing me with research funds is his privilege!" Mona lifted her fair chin with a haughty expression.
"Exactly! Supporting Miss Mona’s research is indeed my honor."
Nolan wasn’t about to embarrass Mona in front of others and played along, adding, "We’re looking to buy the latest model and best-performing Stellar Trajectory Calculator. What would you recommend, shopkeeper?"
"Ah, certainly! Please, follow me. I’ll personally introduce you to our best options!"
Now convinced that they were serious customers, the shopkeeper’s attitude immediately became much more enthusiastic.
"Hmph!"
Mona nodded in satisfaction. This was how customers should be treated.
After regaining some dignity, Mona’s opinion of Nolan improved slightly for his minor assistance:
[Mona Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 200 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (700/900)]
Nolan looked at the affection notification on his character panel and smiled faintly.
Only 200 more affection points until max level!
He’d soon unlock another affection ability. Secretly, he decided to go all out this time—whatever Mona wanted to buy, he’d pay for it.
Given how considerate he was being, earning those final 200 points shouldn’t be too hard, right?
Next, under the enthusiastic guidance of the shopkeeper, Mona ended up purchasing the "Stellar Trajectory Calculator," which she had been eyeing for a while.
Originally priced at 5 million Mora, it was discounted but still cost a hefty 4.66 million Mora—a truly expensive item.
No wonder the original Mona, despite earning a steady income from her writing, was always fretting over Mora.
However, to Nolan, who had a net worth in the hundreds of millions, this amount was nothing but pocket change. He paid without hesitation, feeling quite pleased with himself.
But Mona immediately stomped on his foot and called him an idiot in her mind. Why didn’t he even try to haggle before paying?
Nolan felt a little embarrassed. It seemed he had gotten a bit carried away again. Thankfully, Mona reminded him—otherwise, he would have wasted hundreds of thousands of Mora for no reason.
Just like on Earth, expensive items here were often priced with an inflated margin, leaving room for bargaining.
If you didn’t haggle and paid the asking price outright, the shopkeeper would, of course, be thrilled, while the customer would become the proverbial sucker.
But with a successful bargain, the shopkeeper wouldn’t lose out, and the customer would feel like they got a good deal—a win-win situation. It’s fair to say that doing business requires a sharp mind.
After leaving the shop, Mona said she needed to buy some astrological research materials.
Nolan followed her lead as she guided him to a bookstore that provided a service for ordering official academic materials.
For these materials, customers had to pay a deposit and a shipping fee upfront before the store would place the order on their behalf. Many of the latest academic publications were scattered across different nations.
Since this world didn’t have the internet, you had to visit the respective countries to purchase such materials.
But personally traveling to buy them was a huge waste of time, so it was quite reasonable for bookstores to offer a proxy purchasing service.
After all, bookstores had to restock regularly, and handling a few extra orders on the side could add to their income.
By the time Nolan and Mona left the bookstore, the deposit and shipping fees for purchasing academic materials had already cost them 2 million Mora!
It was truly terrifying.
It seemed that without money, pursuing academic research was impossible.
(End of Chapter)
