Over the next few days, while Nolan continued his cultivation with the girls, he also kept a close eye on the progress of the Akasha Interconnected Network.
After gaining Focalors's approval, he connected her, Furina, and Nahida through the Waymark, letting them coordinate remotely. Once they'd agreed on the plan, he began expanding the Akasha system's coverage toward Fontaine.
The specific method involved using Harmonic Energy Transmission. In practice, this meant Nolan simply held Furina's hand and infused her with Harmonized Energy, strengthening her body.
That granted her all sorts of Harmonic properties—most importantly, the ability to transmit energy.
With that, Furina could use the alabaster statue given by Focalors to draw upon the Lawful Hybrid Energy born from the faith in justice, and then transmit that energy directly to Nahida.
Nahida, in turn, would funnel that energy into the Akasha system.
After some thought, Nahida determined this was the most efficient, cost-effective, and time-saving method.
Once activated, the energy transmission would proceed automatically, requiring no maintenance—a convenient, hands-off solution.
Of course, the available supply of Lawful Hybrid Energy came only from the surplus that Focalors had accumulated over centuries—everything she hadn't needed for the divine plan of striking down the Throne.
So the quantity was still quite limited. It couldn't power an entire nation like a Gnosis could, and the balance of expenditure versus collection had to be maintained.
For now, the Akasha system extended only from Sumeru as far as Lumidouce Harbor. Fully covering Fontaine would require Focalors to gather far more faith in justice.
Through Interstellar Travel, Nahida projected an interface of the Akasha Terminal directly into Furina's mind, allowing her to temporarily access the Akasha Interconnected Network.
With that, Furina could record and even livestream courtroom trials from the Opera Epiclese, uploading them to the network so that citizens in Sumeru and Liyue—both already connected—could watch.
Next, Nahida opened a power "interface" for Focalors, linking her Authority of Justice to the network.
This meant that Focalors could now collect faith in justice through the Akasha Interconnected Network itself.
Even though the people of Sumeru and Liyue were not her direct followers, their sense of justice awakened through watching trials would still generate usable faith.
And of course, the total faith gathered from two whole nations far exceeded what could ever come from the Opera Epiclese alone. The theatre could seat only so many—the Akasha Network, by contrast, had no such limit.
Before long, the Lawful Hybrid Energy converted from all that faith would be enough to expand the Akasha system's coverage across all of Fontaine.
Once the Sweet Flower Merchant Association began selling Akasha Terminals in Fontaine, letting Fontainians log on as well, the faith generated from all three nations together would dramatically accelerate the network's spread—first toward Mondstadt, and eventually beyond.
After Mondstadt came online, the expansion could continue toward the other nations.
Nolan wasn't yet familiar with the Archons of Natlan or Snezhnaya, so his plan was to link Inazuma next and then move forward gradually.
But in the end, the Akasha Interconnected Network would surely encompass all of Teyvat—perhaps even someday extend beyond the world itself.
That, of course, would take quite some time.
With the Akasha system's energy problem finally resolved, Nolan decided it was time to visit the Herta Space Station to ask Herta to introduce him to Ruan Mei of the Genius Society.
After all, the problem of Fontainian physiology remained unsolved, and he had promised Focalors he would help—he couldn't simply ignore it.
---
"Whether your world has a concept of day or night, let me greet you all the same—good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!
"I'm your dear friend, Gimi, and welcome to today's episode of Stellar Frontiers!
"Each week, we introduce a remarkable figure from somewhere in the cosmos. Today's guest is none other than the Fire Demon Emperor from the destroyed planet Topyfet—one of the greatest evils in the universe, a member of the Oblivion Gang, the Lord of the Eternal Flame Manor, the Grand Duke of Hellfire—Affrith!
"Ooooh, such an evil being! Even mentioning his misdeeds might get me noticed, but for your safety, dear viewers, I'll take that risk today. If you ever see him—run for your lives!
"Yes, Gimi is risking being hunted down by the Grand Duke of Hellfire himself! But I'll tell you all about his wicked deeds so that no one else loses their fortune—or their lives.
"Of course, if some brave hero out there learns from today's show and brings this monster to justice, even better!"
---
Walking through the main corridor of the Herta Space Station's command section, Nolan glanced up at a large holo-billboard streaming the Interstellar Peace Corporation's broadcast.
The host was—a white bird?! Truly, the universe was full of wonders.
The "guest" introduced on the show was a strange figure indeed: a fire demon in formal wear, monocle gleaming, his bull-like skull engulfed in living flames.
"Hmm?" Nolan stopped mid-step. This "Grand Duke of Hellfire"… seemed oddly familiar.
With his sharpened memory, strengthened by power, he quickly recalled: during his infiltration of that projection space, he had seen this very being's projection there.
So those projections must depict things that truly exist—perhaps fragments of history from other worlds…
Or maybe even scenes unfolding in real time—or glimpses of the future.
It wouldn't be hard to test. If he ever met this Grand Duke of Hellfire in person, he could simply ask when he had last visited a world of flame.
If it matched the day Nolan entered that projection space, it would mean those projections reflected current events in other worlds.
If it was a time long past, then they were historical snapshots.
And if the event hadn't yet happened—then the projections must be fragments of the future.
Either way, the discovery was significant for exploring the nature of the projection realm.
Still, judging from the snow owl host's description, the Grand Duke of Hellfire clearly wasn't a benevolent figure—best to wait until he was stronger before seeking him out.
Too bad the broadcast didn't display the man's power level.
Nolan shook his head, leaving the screen behind, and made his way to Herta's office.
This time, he walked right up to the door himself. The station's security system recognized him immediately and unlocked the entrance without hesitation.
He'd visited Lady Herta once before, and since she'd taken quite a liking to him—enough to consider him a respectable acquaintance—she had personally added his access clearance to the system.
Now, he could come see her anytime.
As Nolan stepped into Herta's office, he once again saw the familiar girl-shaped Herta puppet—busily tinkering with her project, the so-called Simulated Universe.
From the internal network of the Herta Space Station, Nolan had already learned that there were countless Herta puppets distributed throughout the station.
And her office, in particular, was almost always occupied by one. So whenever someone came to see her, it was rare to find the place empty.
"Oh, it's you. What is it this time?"
Herta heard the door open and turned her head slightly. Seeing it was Nolan, she gave him a glance, then turned back to continue her work.
"Miss Herta," Nolan began, "regarding the issue with the planetary 'Primordial Sea' we discussed last time—I've been thinking, and it seems I really do need to consult a specialist in the field of life sciences. Could you help me get in touch with Miss Ruan Mei?"
Herta looked up. "Sure, no problem. I can send her a message about your situation. Considering it's me asking, she probably won't mind helping you come up with a solution."
She said this with a smug little smile.
"Ahem, rather than just a solution," Nolan added, "it would be even better if she could personally help me fix the problem."
He coughed lightly, then opened a spatial rift beside him, revealing the enormous All-Devouring Narwhal within.
"Miss Herta," he asked, "do you think offering this as payment would be enough to get Miss Ruan Mei to step in herself?"
"The All-Devouring Narwhal?" Herta blinked in genuine surprise. "That's on the Interstellar Peace Corporation's Galactic Special Protection Species List! It's classified as a top-tier rare protected creature. Where in the cosmos did you get one of these?"
"Uh… top-tier rare protected species? I didn't think it was that valuable," Nolan said, a bit taken aback.
"Valuable? That's putting it lightly." Herta gave a sarcastic snort. "If the company ever found out you had one, they'd probably worship it like their ancestor."
She folded her arms and went on:
"Since the start of the Amber Era, around 2147, mysterious phenomena known as Stellaron outbreaks have caused widespread pollution across the universe, cutting off communication between civilizations.
"The company couldn't trade with other worlds anymore, and without profit, their upper management started panicking. So they teamed up with those brainy types from the Genius Society to look for ways to bypass Stellaron contamination.
"One of the simplest methods they discovered was to use a All-Devouring Narwhal.
"These creatures can detect planetary energy signatures with astonishing precision. No matter how severe the pollution, they can swim through space directly toward habitable planets.
"And if they encounter a Stellaron, they can literally eat it—completely erasing the contamination in that region.
"Sure, they digest slowly, but that just makes them the perfect natural enemy of Stellarons. Now, do you see why the company treasures them so much?"
"I see…" Nolan murmured, surprised. Who would've thought that a creature capable of causing a national catastrophe in Teyvat could be so valuable out in the cosmos?
Herta continued, "Ever since the company listed the All-Devouring Narwhal as a 'Special Rare Protected Species,' every known specimen has been placed under strict protection.
"And Ruan Mei doesn't have any collaboration agreement with the company, so even with her talent, it's nearly impossible for an outsider to get permission to study one.
"But if you're offering it as payment? There's no doubt—Ruan Mei will absolutely agree to help you."
Herta rested her hands on her hips, smiling. "Of course, if you wanted to maximize its value, the best move would be to sell it to the company.
"The issue you're dealing with isn't unsolvable—the Genius Society's other scholars could probably handle it, even if barely.
"You'd get your problem solved and receive a payout worth over ten billion credits. That's far more profitable than Ruan Mei's help—she certainly doesn't have that kind of money to pay you."
Apparently, the bounty for discovering a All-Devouring Narwhal or providing its location was five hundred million credits. But if one were captured and delivered to the company directly, the reward was a full ten billion—enough to buy a capable interstellar ship.
Nolan shook his head without much hesitation. "If I'm going to find help, I'll go to the best. You just said the others could barely manage it—meaning there's still a chance of failure. I can't afford to gamble on that."
He remembered what Herta had told him before: if a civilization's location was exposed to the company before it had enough power to protect itself, the planet could easily be exploited to ruin.
That alone made the decision easy—Ruan Mei was the safer choice.
At least she was someone Herta trusted, someone who wouldn't covet Teyvat's resources.
Still, Nolan thought, he shouldn't bring any outsiders there until he'd raised her affection level a bit—maybe to around level four or five, like Herta's.
That should be enough to safely invite her to Teyvat and help solve the Fontainians' physiological problem.
Offering the All-Devouring Narwhal as payment would also show good faith, likely increasing her goodwill as well.
[Herta Has Developed Good feelings Towards you, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (380/400)]
"Well, looks like you actually took my warnings to heart," Herta said approvingly, nodding.
She then pulled a phone out of her pocket, stepped into the Void Star Sea, and took several photos of the All-Devouring Narwhal before sending them to Ruan Mei.
Along with the photos, she briefly explained what kind of help Nolan was requesting.
Moments later, a message popped up on her screen—just one word: "Okay."
It was accompanied by a cute sticker of a cartoon Ruan Mei eating plum blossom cake.
"She says she's willing to help," Herta said, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "But she's not at the space station right now. You'll have to wait a bit until she returns."
"That's fine, it's not too urgent," Nolan nodded. "Once she's back, just send me a message."
With that, he took his leave and exited Herta's office.
Next on his agenda was to find Asta. Since the prophecy crisis was already being handled, it was time to ask her about the best places to farm Adventure EXP.
Ideally, somewhere with another giant creature like that Gaint True Stringer!
With that faint hope in mind, Nolan headed toward the observation sector of the command module—only to find no sign of Asta.
Asking a nearby technician, he learned that she'd gone out for afternoon tea.
When he inquired about where exactly, the technician—recognizing Nolan's status—assumed it was official business related to the station's safety and readily shared the location, even sending him a text with a map pin.
Following the navigation route, Nolan set off in that direction, anticipation stirring in his chest.
(End of Chapter)
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