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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 360: Arrival and Strategy (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2024-12-06 11:30:01 +0000 UTCStaring at the familiar golden rift, Nolan concluded if nothing unexpected happens, it should be "eroded" by the monsters in the beast realm.
He had encountered such phenomena before in both Mondstadt and Liyue, so it didn’t surprise him.
“Why is there another one of these things… and underwater, no less!” Paimon exclaimed in shock.
“We’ve already stumbled upon three spatial rifts purely by chance. That’s a high probability, which suggests there might be many more we haven’t encountered.
"If that’s true, then the hidden dangers in Teyvat are already significant. We need to alert everyone to stay vigilant.”
Nolan contemplated for a moment and shared his thoughts.
If Beast Realm creatures were invading Teyvat with such frequency, there could already be numerous rifts scattered across the land and seas, allowing countless monsters to slip through unnoticed.
One day, when these creatures deemed their forces strong enough, they might unleash chaos upon Teyvat.
If that scenario were to occur, it would undoubtedly pose a severe threat to humanity.
Nolan felt it necessary to warn others, especially key figures like Jean and Ningguang, who were responsible for the safety of Mondstadt and Liyue, respectively.
---
Without delay, Nolan used his Interstellar Travel ability to simultaneously share his discovery and hypothesis with all the girls connected to him.
Jean acknowledged his message, assuring him that the Knights of Favonius would remain alert during their patrols and prepare for any potential threats.
Meanwhile, Hu Tao volunteered to pass the message to Ningguang, who, Nolan trusted, would take the matter seriously.
After issuing the warnings, Nolan turned his attention back to the spatial rift.
Surprisingly, the rift wasn’t guarded by any visible monsters. Did they assume being underwater was enough protection?
Extending his spiritual senses, Nolan scanned the surrounding area within a few kilometers.
He discovered the rift wasn’t unguarded after all. Beast Realm monsters had buried themselves beneath layers of sand on the ocean floor, making them invisible to the naked eye.
These creatures differed from the hounds and ravens he’d encountered before. They resembled serpents with razor-sharp fangs, which aligned with the “fanged serpent” Mona had divined earlier.
The hidden serpents seemed to have been watching the adventurers' small boat for some time, waiting for a signal—likely from a leader—before launching an attack.
Nolan estimated their numbers to be around a hundred, with levels ranging from 40 to 50. Judging by this, the rift was relatively new.
With his current strength, he no longer felt powerless against these spatial rifts. Since he had come across it, he decided to clean it up on the spot.
---
As he strategized, Nolan summoned “Lumine's Sword God” and commanded her to exit the boat. Surrounding herself with sword energy, she conjured a swarm of golden swords—equal in number to the serpent-like monsters he had detected.
The swords, guided by intent, tracked and targeted the hidden creatures beneath the sand.
With an instant and precise strike, the swords pierced the heads of all the serpents, disregarding the physical barriers of sand and water!
---
Adventure EXP +455
Adventure EXP +561
Adventure EXP +326
Hundreds of notifications flooded Nolan’s vision. The monsters, unable to launch their planned ambush, perished before they could act.
Although their bodies flailed wildly in a final, instinctual response, their consciousness had already been extinguished.
The sudden thrashing churned up clouds of sand, muddying the surrounding waters.
In a short while, the corpses of these interdimensional creatures would be rejected by Teyvat’s natural laws and vanish entirely.
---
At that moment, a more powerful presence made itself known. From the Beast Realm side, a king-level creature extended its spiritual energy through the spatial rift to investigate the anomaly.
Before it could fully cross over, Lumine's Sword God swung her sword, severing both the spiritual energy and the golden-edged rift itself in a single slash.
A furious, serpentine hiss echoed from the other side, filled with rage and frustration. But the unstable spatial rift collapsed entirely, leaving the depths of the ocean peaceful once more.
---
“Phew! Not bad at all. You handled that so effortlessly!” Paimon sighed in relief.
She had worried it would turn into a grueling battle like the last time they dealt with such creatures.
As the system displayed a notification of gaining Paimon’s affection, Nolan didn't pay attention to it and glanced at his updated Adventure EXP:
Adventure EXP: 103,909
From 60,000 to over 100,000—he could level up again!
---
Adventure EXP -87,000
Lv87 (0/87,000) → Lv88 (0/88,000)
With the level-up came that familiar, extraordinarily comfortable sensation. Nolan’s body and mind were once again comprehensively strengthened.
The only downside was that his Adventure EXP had dwindled back to a mere 16,000.
Just as Nolan completed his enhancements, Lumine and Mona returned via teleportation with dinner, signaling the end of the little competition between Nolan and Paimon.
As expected, Paimon emerged victorious.
Of course, this was mainly because Nolan intentionally held back, allowing Paimon to finish off lower-level monsters that didn’t yield many Adventure EXP. It was his way of letting her feel involved.
After all, according to the basic principles of the biological world, the weaker creatures always outnumber the strong.
As a result, Nolan ended up defeating fewer monsters than Paimon—it was only natural. However, this loss came at the cost of owing Paimon two lavish meals. Even the little wallet Sucrose had given him seemed to be deflating.
---
Night fell, and the stars reflected beautifully off the vast ocean.
Their small adventure ship sailed through this dreamlike seascape until, faintly, a coastline appeared on the horizon.
Mona’s astrological predictions were unlikely to be wrong—this must be Yashiori Island.
After traveling for an entire day and night, they had finally reached their destination, aided by Nolan’s use of hydro-elemental energy to power their journey. It was quicker than expected.
“Whoa, we’ve arrived? That wasn’t easy!” Paimon remarked as she peered out from the cabin toward the approaching island.
---
"An hour or so until we reach the shore. Mona, can you use your astrology to locate the Fatui Delusion factory?" Nolan asked, after some brief thought.
If Mona could pinpoint the factory with her astrological abilities, they wouldn’t have to search aimlessly across such a large island.
“Hmph, of course I can! But let me make this clear first—while my astrological skills are unmatched in Teyvat, I’m not yet powerful enough to guarantee absolute accuracy.
"If someone much stronger than me is guarding the factory, their presence might interfere with my readings,” Mona admitted, crossing her arms. She started confidently, but as she considered the possibility of a Fatui Harbinger overseeing the factory, she hesitated, fearing a potential failure that might embarrass her in front of everyone.
“Oh, I see…” Nolan nodded with a hint of regret.
If his memory served him right, this Delusion factory was critical to the Fatui’s plans. It was where they secretly manufactured Delusions to arm the resistance forces, indirectly manipulating the political balance of Inazuma.
Destroying the factory would deal a significant blow to the Fatui’s ambitions. Without it, they’d be hard-pressed to influence events unless they intervened directly.
But that would mean confronting Raiden Shogun’s Musou no Hitotachi—a scenario in which even multiple Harbingers wouldn’t stand a chance.
After all, the Shogun hadn’t made any deals with the Fatui.
Considering the factory’s importance, it was likely that at least one of the Fatui Harbingers, either La Signora or Scaramouche, was stationed there. Both of them were much stronger than Mona, making accurate divination a challenge.
“Hey, what’s with that look? Even if I can’t guarantee precision, I can at least narrow down the general location, reducing the search area!” Mona said indignantly, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at Nolan.
“Ah, my bad,” Nolan chuckled. Then, as if struck by inspiration, he added, “Wait, if your current strength isn’t enough, can I lend you some of mine?”
His Battery Body Physique worked like a portable power bank. Not only could it replenish his own energy reserves, but it could also restore others’ stamina, mental energy, or elemental power.
If Mona had access to a continuous energy supply, perhaps she could perform a more detailed divination.
After hearing Nolan’s explanation, Mona shook her head. “Simply replenishing my energy won’t raise my strength ceiling. If I’m not strong enough, it still won’t work.”
“Aw, that’s a shame,” Paimon said, visibly disappointed.
Nolan sighed as well but quickly dismissed the thought with a smile. Turning to Mona, he said, “Alright, narrowing down the search area is good enough. Go ahead and start divining—it’s best to wrap this up as quickly as possible!”
“What’s the rush? Even if extra energy won’t raise my strength, it can still allow me to perform multiple divinations from different angles. I can use that to deduce the correct location,” Mona replied smugly, letting out a little “hmph.”
“Oh? That’s impressive. As expected of the great astrologist Mona!” Nolan said with genuine surprise, followed by a bit of flattery.
Girls like Mona and Fischl, with their tsundere tendencies, always seemed to respond well to compliments. Hearing his praise, Mona’s delicate lips curled into a pleased smile.
Without further delay, she summoned her Astrolabe and began her divination.
Meanwhile, Nolan’s system interface popped up a notification:
[ Mona Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained +260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (510/800) ]
---
On the shores of Yashiori Island
After their small adventure ship docked, three adults and one small figure leapt from the vessel through its canopy door, landing lightly on the beach.
In the past hour, Mona had performed over 20 Hydromancy Divinations. Using the accumulated results, she finally pinpointed the relatively precise location of the Delusion factory.
Meanwhile, Nolan provided critical support by holding Mona close to facilitate direct contact, channeling his Energy Recharge Physique energy into her. His assistance was pivotal in Mona’s success.
"It's currently 9 PM. By the time we reach the factory, it’ll likely be deep into the night," Nolan said while opening a spatial rift at the base of the ship to store their small adventure vessel into his Wonderland domain. "At that time, whether the Fatui are resting or not, they probably won’t be in their best condition, making it the perfect opportunity for an assault."
“Do we really need to be in such a hurry?” Lumine asked, resting her chin on her fair hand as she considered. “You have stealth abilities that can conceal us. Whether we attack during the day or at night shouldn’t make much of a difference.”
“The main reason,” Nolan explained, rubbing his shoulder, “is that I want to call Acting Grand Master Jean and Lisa to help us.
“This time of night is ideal—if we wait until tomorrow, it’ll be a weekday, and it’ll disrupt their work schedules.”
Given the possibility of facing a Fatui Harbinger, Nolan didn’t dare underestimate the enemy. Harbingers were inherently gifted and powerful, and their true combat strength wasn’t as straightforward as their levels suggested.
Even though Nolan had recently leveled up twice, he wanted to play it safe.
For added security, he planned to use his max affection ability, Land Of Dandelions, to enhance his allies and weaken his foes. However, this skill could only be activated within a territory governed by Jean or within a certain radius of her—roughly ten kilometers.
Thus, Jean's presence was essential.
And if Jean was coming, Lisa was naturally a must as well.
As a genius witch, Lisa’s true combat strength far exceeded her laid-back appearance. With Land Of Dandelions boosting her, Nolan was confident she could even hold her own against La Signora in a one-on-one fight.
With such a solid plan, even if two Harbingers were present at the factory, their side would have an overwhelming advantage.
Capturing a mere Delusion factory? It’d be as easy as a walk in the park!
---
“Wait a second,” Paimon interjected, her face scrunching up in thought. “If Acting Grand Master Jean personally participates in taking down the Fatui, wouldn’t that mean Mondstadt is openly declaring hostility toward them? Won’t that provoke retaliation against Mondstadt?”
Paimon’s words, though initially supportive, suddenly took a sharp turn as she realized Jean’s position wasn’t just any ordinary one. As Mondstadt’s acting leader, Jean essentially represented its citizens.
Mondstadt and Snezhnaya were still nominally allied, maintaining a fragile facade of friendship.
Boldly involving Jean in an attack on the Fatui’s Delusion factory was bound to earn their ire, and while Jean’s strength and their group’s abilities could protect themselves, it might put Mondstadt’s ordinary citizens at risk of Fatui retaliation.
Nolan’s pupils widened slightly as he glanced at Paimon, silently marveling at her sharp insight.
Amazing—Paimon was unusually clever today, analyzing the situation so thoroughly!
After a brief pause, he smiled and said, “I’ve thought of that too. Jean doesn’t need to personally fight. I just need her nearby to activate my ability. She can stay safely inside my Wonderland during the battle.”
The Wonderland was not connected to the outside world.
In theory, Jean being inside the Sanctuary wouldn’t count as being in the same space as Nolan, meaning he wouldn’t be able to meet the activation conditions for Land Of Dandelions.
However, this was easily resolved—he would simply keep the “door” to the Wonderland open during the fight, temporarily linking the two spaces.
With the door open, Jean would be considered “nearby,” satisfying the skill’s conditions.
Additionally, no one outside the Wonderland could see through its door to glimpse Jean within, perfectly addressing all concerns.
As for Lisa, her situation was much simpler.
As just a librarian, Lisa wasn’t formally tied to Mondstadt’s governance. Even if she participated in something as drastic as assassinating the Tsaritsa herself, it wouldn’t implicate Mondstadt’s citizens. There was no need to worry about exposing her identity.
Otherwise, both Nolan and Lumine, as Honorary Knights, would have to be constantly preoccupied with diplomatic implications—how would they ever manage to accomplish anything?
(End of Chapter)
