What scam? Nolan could tell this Professor Faruzan had clearly misunderstood him. To be fair, in an ordinary person's mind, if someone suddenly claimed they could "take you to see the stars," the first reaction would naturally be—"That's a lie."
That was perfectly reasonable. It was just that she didn't yet know the situation.
Nolan was patient when it came to clearing up misunderstandings, and he was about to calmly explain when Layla hurriedly waved her hands and cut in ahead of him.
"No, Professor Faruzan, you've got it wrong! Mr. Adventurer and Miss Mona are both my good friends—they'd never trick me!"
Faruzan was a mentor from the Haravatat Darshan, widely known across the entire Akademiya. Layla had interacted with her a few times before and knew she was a teacher who genuinely cared for her students. That was precisely why Layla was quick to explain—she didn't want the professor to get the wrong idea.
"That's right," Mona huffed, crossing her arms beneath her half-exposed pale chest. "Layla and I are very close friends. So you can stop worrying about who's tricking whom, thank you very much—hmph!"
Faruzan's brow twitched at Mona's tone. Her voice sharpened as she snapped back,
"Even so, there are plenty of cases where friends are the ones doing the deceiving!"
"You—!"
Mona glared furiously at her, and Faruzan glared right back, neither one backing down.
Fortunately, before the argument could get out of hand, Nolan quietly released a bit of his mental energy, forming a subtle barrier so the nearby scholars wouldn't notice what was happening.
He sighed softly, rubbing his cheek before stepping in.
"Professor Faruzan, I'm sure you're only asking out of concern for your fellow Akademiya scholars."
He paused for a moment, then smiled and added,
"If you're really that worried, why not come along and see for yourself? It's no trouble at all."
If it were anyone else, he would've simply explained and moved on.
But since it was a cute, beautiful woman, he didn't mind taking the time to clear things up thoroughly—and if it also happened to raise her affection level, well, that was a welcome bonus.
"'No trouble at all'? Even if you are the so-called legendary adventurer, isn't that a bit too arrogant?"
The moment Faruzan got a good look at him, she had felt he seemed familiar. Now she remembered—this was Nolan, the famed adventurer who'd recently become a sensation across Teyvat.
If it truly was him, then perhaps he wasn't a bad person.
Still, "taking people to see the stars" sounded far too much like the sort of sweet talk men used to fool naïve girls. And the objective conditions of Teyvat simply didn't allow such a thing to be done.
"Just because you can't do it," Mona said smugly, tilting her pale chin upward, "doesn't mean we can't."
"You—!" Faruzan grit her teeth, clearly annoyed. "Fine then! I'd like to see just how you plan on 'observing celestial bodies'!"
This astrologer was far too full of herself—Faruzan would make sure to watch her make a fool of herself!
"Haah~"
Layla sighed softly. Why did it feel like both Professor Faruzan and Miss Mona were acting like children?
In comparison, Mr. Adventurer actually seemed like the most dependable one here.
Her golden eyes softly turned toward Nolan.
[Layla Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (120/900)]
Still watching the two girls silently exchange glares, Nolan blinked when the notification popped up on his character panel.
He glanced over at Layla and noticed she was looking at him—only to flinch like a startled little rabbit and quickly avert her gaze.
Nolan chuckled and said to the girls,
"Well then, since everyone's agreed, let's head out. First stop—Layla's place to pick up her Akasha Terminal."
Layla nodded lightly with a soft "mm," and neither Mona nor Faruzan voiced any objections.
Under Layla's lead, the group spent some time walking to her rented home in Sumeru City.
The neighborhood was relatively quiet, though there were quite a few scholars living nearby.
It was likely that this area offered a good balance of tranquility and affordability, which explained why so many researchers chose to stay here—it was a comfortable environment for studying and research alike.
When Layla unlocked the door, they stepped inside to find a modest little room. A bed stood by the window, a desk behind it, and against the wall behind that was a bookshelf packed with books and research notes—all related to the stars and astronomy.
The place wasn't large, and her living conditions were clearly on the modest side.
Nolan silently thought to himself that, when the opportunity came, he'd invite Layla to live in the Wonderland Space instead.
It was spacious, blessed with various beneficial properties, and would allow her to stay up all night studying without ever worrying about exhaustion the next day.
Those advantages alone should be more than enough to tempt her—though, of course, that would only work if her affection toward him was high enough.
No matter how ideal the offer, a cautious girl like Layla wouldn't easily accept otherwise.
Her affection level was already at nine, quite high indeed, but he still hadn't found the right opening yet. Better to wait until after the Celestial Observation Journey—once that was complete, her affection should rise even further, and it'd be the perfect time to ask.
Before long, Layla picked up her Akasha Terminal from the bed and looked back at him.
"Mr. Adventurer, is there anything we need to prepare before going to the starry sky?"
Faruzan turned her attention to him as well—after all, she'd studied the conditions of the cosmos herself.
There was no gravity out there; a human body would drift like a fish suspended in water, but without the ability to swim.
Worse yet, there was no oxygen—something humans absolutely needed to survive.
Without addressing those problems, talk of "traveling to the stars" was pure fantasy.
Seeing that Nolan showed no sign of preparing for any of this, Faruzan couldn't believe he truly had the means to survive in space—let alone take others with him.
Still, curiosity won out, and she decided to wait and see just how he planned to do it.
After all, to everyone in Sumeru, Nolan wasn't just a "legendary adventurer"—he was the hero who had once saved the nation, a man known for his righteousness and strength.
If he had any flaw at all, it was perhaps that he was a bit too popular with women. Since the rise of the "Akasha Interconnected Network," it was no secret that Nolan was often seen spending time with different girls.
But in Teyvat, it wasn't uncommon for powerful men to take multiple wives. No one expected a hero to be flawless, and so it had never caused much of a stir.
"Of course there are preparations to be made," Nolan said with an easy smile, "but you don't need to worry about them. I'll handle everything."
He nodded and summoned several shimmering Wholehearted Guardian Shields, casting them over himself, Mona, Layla, and Faruzan.
"These shields can block anything harmful to the body in the starry sky. I can also channel oxygen into them, so we'll be able to move freely up there without worry."
He gave a simple explanation—and then, with a wave of his hand, tore open a rift in space before them.
(End of Chapter)
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +25 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +400 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌