In the Void Star Sea,
Countless stars shimmered in every direction—above, below, front, and back—brighter even than a normal night sky.
Golden windwheel asters bloomed across the ground where the All-Devouring Narwhal lay, faint specks of golden light drifting toward its wounds.
The next moment, as if parched earth had met a spring rain, flesh began to regenerate; the deep gashes visibly knit together and grew slightly.
That should do it. The rest could heal naturally.
When Nolan finished the treatment, Furina—her little blue hat perched slightly askew, eyes still red from tears—walked toward him, wiping the corner of her eye with a fingertip, her tone a bit shy.
"Um… thank you, for bringing me news about Focalors."
[Furina Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 380 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (200/600)]
It had been five hundred years since Focalors had told her she must ascend as the Hydro Archon to prepare for the prophesied crisis. From that day onward, Furina had never received any news of her.
Nor had Focalors ever come to see her again.
And since revealing her deception—pretending to be the Hydro Archon—could ruin Focalors's plan, Furina had never dared to speak of it to anyone.
For centuries, she bore the secret alone.
If it were something trivial, perhaps she would have forgotten it over time, but this concerned the survival of all Fontaine.
So she carried the truth about Focalors and her own false identity deep in her heart.
That kind of loneliness was excruciating.
Even if Focalors could meet her just once in a while, it would at least remind her she wasn't alone.
But Focalors, for the sake of absolute secrecy, chose instead to trust her completely—leaving Furina to shoulder an endless solitude that might last forever.
And yet, she never faltered. For centuries, she endured, her willpower unimaginable.
Perhaps what sustained her all this time was her sense of duty to the people of Fontaine.
Furina knew that if she slipped up even once, Focalors's entire plan would be exposed to Celestia. Then everything they had done—all their suffering—would be in vain.
Fontaine would lose its one and only chance to hide from the "Heavenly Principles." If Celestia discovered their attempt to erase Fontaine's "sins" this way...
Who knew what punishment might follow?
So when Furina heard from Nolan that Focalors was still alive and striving, that she wasn't playing her part as the Hydro Archon for nothing—she couldn't help but cry.
"There's no need to thank me," Nolan said with a shake of his head. "Actually, I do have a way for you two to stay in contact—without anyone finding out."
He understood her situation well. If loneliness was her burden, then he could at least give her a means to reach Focalors whenever she needed.
Whenever the pain of solitude grew too heavy, she could confide in Focalors directly.
And surely, Focalors wouldn't refuse something so harmless to her plan.
Furina's damp eyes widened slightly. "What way?"
"This is how I stay connected with Lumine and the others at any time."
Nolan summoned a golden orb of light, shimmering like a miniature galaxy, and began to explain the ability called Interstellar Travel—a power that combined telepathy and teleportation.
"As long as both you and Focalors possess this ability, you'll be able to communicate with each other in your minds in real time."
"Really?!"
Furina clenched her pale little fists, eyes sparkling with excitement. Her pure white hair and skirt hem swayed lightly with her movements.
A private link of thought meant there was no risk of Celestia discovering them—otherwise, all her memories would have been exposed long ago.
And with the added teleportation function, it would even grant her a kind of extraordinary power!
After all, though she bore the persona of a god, all true divinity rested with Focalors. Aside from a bit of swordplay, she didn't even have a Vision.
For years, she'd had to bluff her way through situations where divine power was expected. Without clever excuses, her masquerade as the Hydro Archon would have been exposed ages ago.
But with teleportation, she could even perform miraculous feats before the citizens of Fontaine—convincing them even more deeply that she was their god!
The thought alone made her eyes brighten with excitement. "Please, give it to me quickly—I really need it!"
"Of course."
Nolan nodded, handing the golden light to her and teaching her how to use it.
After successfully fusing with the Waymark, Furina tested it with him briefly before turning to him eagerly.
"Hurry back and give Focalors the same ability! Oh—and also Clorinde, if you can."
"That way, she can rush to protect me anytime!"
She paused, then added hastily, as if to explain.
For centuries, Furina had never traveled—or even left her quarters—without the protection of the Champion Duelist.
Normally, people treated the Hydro Archon with great respect, but over the years there were always fools who sought to challenge divine authority.
If she ever found herself alone, she might slip up and reveal something she shouldn't. And if anyone with ill intent caught her off guard, the consequences could be disastrous.
With this link, Clorinde could appear instantly at her side—an invaluable safeguard.
Given Clorinde's already high regard for her, and considering the request came directly from the "Hydro Archon" herself, Nolan saw no reason to refuse.
He smiled. "I can do that. But you'd better explain it to Clorinde first—if I just hand her something out of nowhere, she might get suspicious."
"Mm, I understand." Furina patted her not-so-impressive chest with a little "thump," promising confidently, "Leave it to me."
[Furina Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (560/600)]
Watching yet another affection notification appear before his eyes, Nolan smiled faintly.
"Alright then. Let me tell you about what I found in the Primordial Sea—and the origin of this whale."
He spent a while recounting his discoveries to Furina.
When the explanation was over, he quietly departed the Void Star Sea, returning to the reception hall outside.
Furina immediately pulled Clorinde aside, saying there was something she needed to discuss, and began explaining the matter of Interstellar Travel.
Clorinde herself didn't particularly care whether she had such an ability or not, but since Furina wanted it, she was happy enough to accept this new power.
Seeing her agree, Nolan summoned another golden Waymark and handed it to her.
Clorinde took it from him, followed his instructions to fuse it, and after briefly testing its effects, found it rather impressive—enough that her opinion of him rose a little.
[Clorinde Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (280/600)]
Once that was settled, Furina immediately used her new marker to contact Nolan telepathically, urging him to hurry and visit Focalors.
Given that he had not only given away such precious "Waymarkers," but also subdued the All-Devouring Narwhal—the very creature causing the rise of the Primordial Sea—Furina decided she should reward him generously.
Of course, the exact nature of that reward… she hadn't yet thought of. She'd decide later and summon him when the time came.
Hearing there would be a reward, Nolan perked up at once, subtly hinting that he had a fondness for "shiny gemstones."
Seeing that Furina seemed to understand his hint, he left with a satisfied smile.
Naturally, he teleported back to the Opera Epiclese, where Lumine and Paimon were waiting. By now, the props for the upcoming performance were almost ready.
Nolan told Lyney and Lynette that he had already discovered some leads regarding the Fortress of Meropide.
He would head back with them later to the House of the Hearth to report to "The Knave," Arlecchino.
The twins were pleasantly surprised—neither expected him to find clues so quickly—and both felt a spark of admiration for him.
[Lynette Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (300/500)]
(Only Lynette, being a girl, triggered the affection prompt on his status panel.)
Finding the right moment, Nolan once again entered the room of the Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale, where he met Focalors and explained Furina's request.
For Focalors, entrusting such a heavy burden to Furina had always filled her with guilt.
Now that there was a way for Furina to reach out, to unburden her heart and share that pain, Focalors naturally didn't refuse.
[Focalors Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 350 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (50/700)]
After receiving her own Waymark, she too felt some goodwill toward him.
After all, in the eyes of others, something that could grant someone a powerful new ability was a precious gift beyond compare.
So her gratitude was only natural.
He had captured the All-Devouring Narwhal, delayed the arrival of the Fontaine prophecy crisis, and earned the goodwill of several remarkable women—Nolan couldn't help but feel today had been quite fruitful indeed.
Perhaps it was because of his roll on the "Exquisite Dice of Fate." He had rolled "Blessed by Fortune" today.
He rolled the dice every day—yesterday had been a five, today a six—granting him a full day under the effects of that blessed luck.
Meanwhile, Furina had apparently been paying close attention to when Focalors would finish merging with her own marker. The moment she did, Furina began speaking to her through it.
Hearing the trembling, tearful voice on the other end, even Focalors seemed momentarily overwhelmed.
Watching the two silently exchange heartfelt words through their connection, Nolan quietly excused himself.
Back in the Opera's prop room, Lyney and his crew had finished preparing all the magical equipment for the performance a few days away.
Once everything was packed up, they brought Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon back to the House of the Hearth.
Their "father," Arlecchino, hadn't gone out today. She was instead teaching the children of the House of the Hearth some basic spycraft and covert techniques.
After all, their orphanage gathered children from all over Teyvat to train them into skilled agents who could one day serve the Fatui.
Seeing Nolan and the others return so soon, Arlecchino was visibly surprised.
Having already gone over his findings two or three times before, Nolan easily explained his discoveries again, adding a few more details for her—such as the nature of the Primordial Sea, and how Fontainians dissolved upon contact with its waters.
Arlecchino hadn't known about such a secret of Fontaine, and was even more astonished to learn that Nolan had personally subdued the All-Devouring Narwhal responsible for the rising tides!
Although the prophecy crisis wasn't yet resolved, knowing it had at least been delayed brought her some relief.
[Arlecchino Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (20/500)]
While she now viewed Nolan with newfound respect, she also invited him to cooperate further in handling the prophecy crisis—and offered payment for his efforts.
Arlecchino looked over the group, then reached into her Vision's pocket-space and took out a single glittering Primogem, turning it over in her fingers.
"I'm aware that you've posted commissions with the Adventurers' Guilds across every nation to collect Primogems," she said smoothly. "These will be your payment."
With a flick of her wrist, that one Primogem became a pile!
"Wow, so many shiny ones!" Paimon cried, darting forward to scoop one in each hand.
"Haha, you really do know how to please me," Nolan said with a grin.
A quick scan with his spiritual sense told him the exact number—three hundred Primogems.
That was roughly equivalent to thirty million Mora. A bit high for a single investigation commission, but given his status as a legendary adventurer, it wasn't unreasonable.
More importantly, that amount translated to around nine hundred thousand Adventure EXP. Which—well—was about two or three days of cultivation progress. Not that much, actually.
Still, with help from the Adventurers' Guild, Ningguang, Nahida, and Acting Grand Master Jean, he'd probably amassed another five to six million Adventure EXP total by now—roughly a quarter of what he needed. Not bad at all.
Without hesitation, Nolan accepted the Primogems and agreed to continue cooperating.
Watching Arlecchino casually pull out so many Primogems, he guessed the Fatui must have quite a vast reserve of them.
So he used his Waymark to contact another of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers—the "Lady"—asking her to quietly help gather more Primogems without drawing attention.
After all, since he hadn't yet found any good places to farm EXP, they'd just have to work a bit harder for him.
By the time they left the House of the Hearth, night had already fallen.
Before returning to his Wonderland Space to rest, Nolan stopped by Sumeru to meet with Nahida.
He told her that he had successfully invited the Hydro Archon to join their efforts in developing the Akasha Interconnected Network, and that Furina now possessed a Waymark as well—meaning they could communicate at any time to coordinate plans.
Since Nahida was the true expert in such matters, Nolan left the technical details entirely in her hands.
And thus, a few days quietly passed.
(End of Chapter)
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