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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 366: Command Seal (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 04:30:01 +0000 UTC"Sure, no problem."
Nolan nodded in response.
There wasn’t much to hide about what had happened here, so he gave Gorou and his troops a brief summary.
Destroying the Delusion Factory and driving off a Fatui Harbinger?!
Upon hearing this shocking news, the Watatsumi Army soldiers froze in disbelief. Then their expressions turned doubtful. They had searched for the Delusion Factory for so long without success.
And there had even been a Fatui Harbinger present? Those terrifying individuals—how could a mere few people deal with them?
Not only the ordinary soldiers, but even Gorou, the general, found it hard to believe. Yet, the battlefield before them told a different story. Scattered around were the remains of elemental weapons belonging to the Fatui soldiers.
Even if Nolan’s account had been exaggerated, it was clear there had been a confrontation with the Fatui.
Given the overwhelming strength radiating from these individuals, perhaps they really had driven off a Harbinger!
"General Gorou, there are indeed many broken mechanical parts scattered nearby. What they said about destroying the Delusion Factory might actually be true," one of the scouts whispered to Gorou after surveying the area.
Gorou nodded. This further supported Nolan’s claims. He let out a sigh of relief and said, "I see. Thank you all so much.
"The Fatui have been using Delusions to manipulate and harm us, leading many of our soldiers to sacrifice their lives as their lifespans were drained away.
"We’ve been trying to locate and destroy their Delusion Factory for so long without any leads. That you’ve destroyed it today is an incredible help to us!
"Please, let us express our gratitude properly."
"Gratitude?" Paimon’s eyes lit up at the word. Excitedly, she asked, "Does that mean a feast?!"
"A feast?" Gorou looked puzzled.
This strange request confused him, but he nodded nonetheless. "If you’d like to visit Watatsumi Island as our guests, we’ll certainly treat you to a grand… uh, feast."
"Hehe, you’re so nice! Let’s go to Watatsumi Island with them!" Paimon said happily to Nolan and Lumine.
"I don’t see a problem with that. But it’s late now, so we can only visit Watatsumi Island tomorrow," Lumine replied, casting a slightly disdainful glance at Paimon.
Still, exploring Watatsumi Island sounded intriguing. Beyond their goal of seeking out the Electro Archon, the journey itself was meant to be enriching.
"Of course. We’ll continue to inspect this battlefield for any remaining threats.
"You can visit our camp tomorrow morning, and we’ll head back to Watatsumi Island together to report the significant findings from tonight."
Gorou said and nodded.
"Alright," Nolan said with a smile. After traveling all the way here from Ritou and battling three Fatui Harbingers in the middle of the night, he was indeed a bit tired. This was a good chance to rest.
On a side note, due to the Sakoku Decree, their journey from Ritou to this area was technically illegal.
Returning via water routes would be too conspicuous and might draw the Shogunate’s attention. They had used the shipyard docks in Ritou to depart unnoticed, thanks to the cooperation of a master shipwright and his apprentices, who didn’t ask questions as long as they were paid handsomely in Mora.
Whether they would report this to the Kanjou Commission later was uncertain.
Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter. The eldest daughter of the Hiiragi Clan would smooth things over for them.
---
Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon moved away from the battlefield and opened a spatial rift, returning to the "Wonderland."
In the living room, Mona, who had dozed off on the sofa, was already sound asleep, likely exhausted. The "Lady," confined in the isolation chamber, had yet to wake up, perhaps due to overexertion.
Lumine and Paimon headed to bathe, as they were drenched in sweat.
The water in the "Wonderland" was condensed from water elemental energy by Nolan. As for the heat? It came from a Fire-element Delusion that Lisa had modified in the past.
Since mastering both wind and water elemental powers, that Delusion had become redundant for combat but remained invaluable for daily use. It was excellent for cooking and boiling water, consuming less energy in a day than it regenerated, allowing for near-continuous use.
And no smoke pollution, either.
Hmm… if Delusions capable of storing elemental energy could be mass-produced and their output restricted…
They could be revolutionary everyday tools, not just dangerous weapons. Who wouldn’t want the allure of controlling elemental power? Even if it’s just for mundane tasks like cooking or boiling water.
This wasn’t just a business opportunity—it was a revolutionary concept!
Such a Delusion could replace the previous steam engine designs reliant on expensive fire-element materials or unstable Pyro Slime setups.
The former was costly, and the latter, while convenient, made miniaturizing steam engines difficult.
Lisa’s modified Pyro Delusion was the perfect solution to these problems: compact in size and capable of autonomously absorbing elemental energy from the atmosphere for recovery.
Could there be a more ideal energy source?
However, creating such a device from scratch would require knowledge of the process used to craft Delusions. Lisa could only modify standard Delusions for now—she didn’t know how to make them from scratch.
After all, Delusions were the result of painstaking research by Snezhnaya. Without understanding the underlying technologies and principles, even an elemental master like Lisa would find reverse-engineering them a daunting task.
With that in mind, there was yet another question to add to the growing list for the captive La Signora.
As Nolan moved toward the sofa where Mona lay, he glanced briefly at the confinement room.
Once they returned from their visit to Watatsumi Island in a few days, he could bring up the topic of researching Delusions with Lisa. After solving her Constellation problem, she likely wouldn’t refuse a new project—especially one with massive profit potential!
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Nolan crouched beside the sleeping Mona. She lay on her side, her legs dangling off the sofa, still wearing her golden high heels.
He gently supported Mona’s stocking-clad ankle with one hand and removed her heels with the other.
Once done, Nolan lifted her legs onto the sofa, sitting down himself and resting her soft calves across his lap.
As he ran his hand gently along Mona’s calves and the top of her feet, he leaned back against the sofa, savoring the sensation of her silky tights brushing against his fingers.
While Nolan was enjoying this quiet moment, a cascade of notifications suddenly appeared on his character panel.
“Oh? This situation feels familiar,” he thought with a smirk.
Defeating three Fatui Harbingers in one go—repelling two and capturing one—was no small feat. The world’s balance had undoubtedly shifted. Not earning a new specialty from this would have been strange.
Let’s see what goodies I’ve unlocked this time!
Nolan eagerly scanned the notifications appearing on the character panel:
---
[Today, You And Your Companions Embarked From Ritou Aboard A Barely Seaworthy, Wind-powered Boat. After Sailing Day And Night, You Reached Yashiori Island, Where The Raiden Shogun Once Unleashed Her "Musou No Hitotachi" To Vanquish The Serpent God.]
[There, You Pinpointed The Location Of The Fatui's Delusion Factory, Infiltrated Its Domain, And Confronted Three Top-tier Operatives. Through Seamless Teamwork, You Emerged Victorious!]
[What An Extraordinary Day! The History You Created Will Be Remembered, And A New Character Specialty Is Forming——Please Wait.]
[You Have Gained A New Specialty: Command Seal.]
---
As the notifications concluded, the day’s events played out in his mind like a vivid movie. When the reel ended, the memories condensed and integrated seamlessly into his soul.
A wave of new information washed over him as the details of the "Command Seal" Specialty became clear:
---
[Command Seal: You can impose three absolute commands on defeated and subdued enemies. These commands cannot be disobeyed. Should a command be violated, the subject will be forcibly corrected to comply, with the corrective force drawn from a combination of their own power and yours. Additional commands beyond the first three are valid but will lose half of the corrective force for each successive command.]
---
“Command Seal? Imposing orders on defeated foes?” Nolan mused.
It was likely linked to his capture of La Signora—arguably the most impactful moment of the entire encounter.
He thoughtfully analyzed the new Specialty while idly caressing Mona’s knee.
The effect of the Command Seal was straightforward: once an enemy was defeated and rendered unable to resist, Nolan could inscribe commands into their being.
These commands had to be obeyed at all times. If violated, the subject would be forcibly corrected using their own power. If their energy was insufficient, Nolan’s own power would be used.
For example, if he imposed a Command Seal on La Signora, any violation would first drain her strength to enforce compliance. Only in rare cases, where her power was insufficient, would his energy be used to make up the difference.
The first three commands carried the combined strength of both parties, ensuring near-absolute effectiveness. However, the corrective force for additional commands would halve progressively.
For instance, the fourth command would only use 50% of their total power, the fifth 25%, and so on.
Since few individuals could surpass their own total strength, most corrections would rely solely on the subject’s energy, leaving Nolan unaffected.
All things considered, the Command Seal Specialty was an exceptionally potent and versatile ability.
With the Command Seal ability, there was no longer a need to worry about La Signora’s arrogance or stubbornness. If she refused to share intelligence about the Fatui, her defiance could easily be overcome.
Might as well use the opportunity while she was still unconscious to apply the Command Seal. It’d save him the trouble of knocking her out again if she woke up and resisted—that would be unnecessarily troublesome.
A smirk played on Nolan’s lips as he gently placed Mona’s legs back on the sofa without waking her. Then, he made his way toward the confinement room.
He pushed open the heavy stone door, revealing La Signora sprawled unceremoniously on the rock bed that Lumine had crafted with Geo energy. Her elegant dress was scorched and disheveled.
Nolan stood there, hand on his chin, contemplating.
“What commands should I inscribe with the Command Seal?” Although the commands could be modified later, doing so required knocking her out again, as changes could only be made while the subject was incapacitated.
While not difficult, it was still somewhat inconvenient.
As he mulled over his options, Lumine and Paimon emerged from the bathroom in fresh sleepwear, their hair still damp from their baths. They noticed him standing at the door of the confinement room, staring at La Signora, and immediately gave him a suspicious look.
“You’re not thinking of doing something weird to her, are you?” Paimon asked, her tone dripping with judgment.
“What kind of person do you think I am?” Nolan retorted, looking offended. He quickly added, “Actually, I’ve just unlocked an amazing new ability, and I’m trying to figure out how best to use it on her.”
He briefly explained the Command Seal’s mechanics.
“Wow, forcing enemies to obey your orders? That’s incredible!” Paimon exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“So you’re trying to decide what commands to include in the Seal, right?” Lumine asked, her expression thoughtful.
“Exactly,” Nolan confirmed with a smile.
In truth, he already had a rough idea. The Command Seal, though described as issuing commands, felt more like programming a set of behavioral rules—similar to writing base-level code for AI in movies, ensuring it couldn’t harm humans.
For this reason, Nolan’s first intended command was:
[Completely obey the orders of the one who placed the Seal.]
By inscribing this command, he could essentially gain a Harbinger-level subordinate. Later, he could release her back to the Fatui as an undercover agent—an idea rife with potential.
Lumine, hearing his plan, didn’t object. It was, after all, the most practical course of action for their goals.
“In that case, why limit her obedience to just you?” Lumine suggested, an idea suddenly striking her. “Why not expand it so Signora has to obey everyone with the power of ‘Interstellar Travel’?
“Then, we could also give her a Waymark, making her a powerful summon for all of us. Whenever anyone is in trouble, she could step in to help.”
Her proposal left Nolan momentarily stunned. It was an ingenious idea—a testament to Lumine’s experience as a well-traveled adventurer. After considering it briefly, he realized it was indeed a brilliant suggestion.
After all, they often relied on each other for assistance. Adding La Signora as a powerful ally could only be a benefit.
He couldn’t help but imagine Signora waking up to discover that she now had a dozen—or potentially even more—superiors to obey. Would she explode in anger?
“Alright, let’s make the first command: ‘Completely obey those with the power of Interstellar Travel,’” Nolan decided with a chuckle.
The trio continued brainstorming additional behavioral rules or commands to inscribe into the Command Seal. After some deliberation, they quickly settled on the remaining directives.
The second command was:
[Be a good person.]
This one was Paimon’s idea. She believed La Signora should turn over a new leaf and stop doing bad deeds for the Fatui.
---
(End of Chapter.)
Comments
Maël Breton
It does. But that's semantics. It's like how rehabilitation could be considered torture (in certain cases) if you look purely at the definition of the word. But that's up to interpretation I guess?
Skeithking
I do wonder if it counts as brainwashing if the mind is already broken?
Maël Breton
Brainwashing go! Go! GO!
