The Ruin Guards hadn't even gotten up before they were already scrapped.
Thanks to that, Nolan gained a substantial amount of Adventure EXP, pushing his total on the panel past 300,000.
"All right, you all can look around here if you like. I'll go seal off the ley line that's leaking miasma, then we can head back."
He said this to the group.
"Okay."
Bennett and the others couldn't be of much help at the moment anyway, so of course they had no objections.
Nolan walked past several fallen Ruin Guards and approached the ley line suppressing stone, carefully inspecting its condition.
Ley line anchor stones are used to suppress and seal anomalies in ley lines.
But this one had already fractured. The abnormal ley line could no longer be contained, which was why black smoke was now leaking out.
As for why it was black smoke—
It was mainly because anything and everything exists within ley lines. That they'd emit this miasma capable of driving monsters into a frenzy wasn't particularly surprising.
Otherwise, there would be no need to seal them with suppressing stones.
However, Nolan noticed something unusual—this particular ley line stone didn't seem to have broken due to age or wear.
Nor did it look like it had burst from the inside out due to the pressure of the leaking miasma.
Instead, it seemed more like it had been deliberately destroyed.
That's because around the edges of the cracks, the fissures clearly ran from outside to inside.
That pointed to the stone being struck—either intentionally or accidentally—by someone or something from the outside.
If it were the latter, it could be chalked up to an accident. But if someone did it on purpose, then clearly someone was plotting something dangerous here!
Nolan extended his spiritual sense outward, but didn't detect any presence other than their own.
He thought for a moment, then decided to temporarily set aside the question of who or what had destroyed the suppressing stone, and deal with the ley line anomaly first.
For Nolan, this really wasn't a difficult task.
Ley line anomalies typically stem from one of two issues: either energy gets too densely concentrated in one place and causes a blockage, or there's a rupture in the energy pathway itself.
The latter is what's known across Teyvat as a ley line breach.
These breaches can be both good and bad for people.
If what spills out is positive energy that doesn't harm the world, it might give rise to things like Blossoms of Revelation or Blossoms of Wealth.
But if the energy is harmful, it can cause things like dark mud, the Withering Zones, or even forbidden knowledge to leak out.
Clearly, the black smoke pouring out of this fractured ley line stone fell into the latter category.
Nolan just needed to assess the anomaly and use his abilities to smooth and patch up the issue.
He activated his "Blessing of the World Tree" specialty, delicately attuning himself to the flow of this ley line.
The ley lines were like the "blood vessels" of the continent of Teyvat, circulating all kinds of energies within them.
They weren't physically tangible, more like intangible energy channels.
To truly sense them, one needed to possess the ability to interact with ley lines directly.
Just as expected, the anomaly here was caused by a tiny rupture in the energy pathway.
The black smoke was slowly seeping out from that very spot.
Fortunately, it was a small problem—easy to fix. Nolan first manipulated the ley line energy to seal the crack.
Then, he diverted the surrounding black smoke away from the breach.
Afterward, he guided the more positive energies from the ley line to take over the space previously occupied by the miasma.
That way, any future leakage would be purified ley line energy. As before in The Chasm, he arranged those energies into a simple array.
And with that, the patchwork was complete. There was no more leakage for the time being, and as time passed, the ley line energy should gradually nourish the breach until it healed naturally.
At that point, even this makeshift, copycat-style sealing array of his wouldn't be needed.
With the miasma leak resolved, Nolan called everyone to prepare to leave.
Bennett and the girls also felt it was about time to head back.
Before long, they began retracing their steps, but before leaving, Nolan left behind one of his "Sword God" to continue exploring the Spiral Abyss in his stead.
Night had fallen. No moon was visible, and the stars twinkled faintly in the sky.
The storm around Musk Reef had mostly dissipated, and adventurers from nearby islands hadn't yet sailed over.
That was mainly because it was getting late—not the best time for venturing into the Spiral Abyss.
At that moment, the teleportation portal on the small central island of Musk Reef began to glow faintly.
Like ripples across water, five figures stepped out from within.
Rosaria, arms folded, looked up at the sky. Judging from the current hour, even if they flew back, they wouldn't reach Mondstadt until dawn.
Her expression darkened slightly at the thought—if she returned to the cathedral with Barbara at that hour, she'd inevitably have to endure the annoying lectures of the other nuns.
Sigh, looks like I'll have to avoid them for the next few days.
Nolan seemed to pick up on Rosaria's weary mood and gave a slight smile as he said,
"No worries. We'll use spatial teleportation to return—it'll only take a few minutes."
"Oh? Then what are we waiting for? No time like the present—let's go already. I'm off the clock,"
Rosaria replied calmly, a trace of surprise flashing across her pale face, followed by the faintest of smiles.
"Haha, all right,"
Nolan nodded lightly. The starry scene beneath their feet rippled like ink, drawing Rosaria and the others into his Wonderland.
Afterward, he himself stepped into spatial travel and headed back to Mondstadt.
The speed of spatial traversal was astonishing. Aside from the slightly higher energy cost, it was nearly flawless.
With each step covering five or six kilometers, it only took a few minutes for Nolan to see Mondstadt's city walls in the distance.
The city was still brightly lit; it was only around 7 p.m.—not too late at all.
Arriving near the Adventurers' Guild, Nolan released everyone from the Wonderland and smiled as he said,
"All right, we're here. Time to go submit the commission!"
"That was—so fast!"
They had only spent a few minutes in that unknown space, and yet they'd gone from Musk Reef, all the way across the sea, back to Mondstadt!
But then again, since it was Nolan, it wasn't all that shocking.
"Hah, figures it'd be you. Well then, Barbara and I will head out first,"
Rosaria offered a rare, if reluctant, word of praise in good spirits.
She then pulled Barbara along in the direction of the Church of Favonius.
This time, she wasn't going to let Nolan and the others use the usual excuse of "dinner first" or "dividing the loot" to keep Barbara with them.
First, she would escort Barbara safely back to the church—free from the nagging lectures of the other nuns.
After that, if Nolan and the rest wanted to drag Barbara off to party all night at Angel's Share, so be it—as long as she didn't get scolded for it.
[Rosaria Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (310/400)]
"Ah—Miss Rosaria, please don't walk so fast! I haven't said goodbye to the Honorary Knight and the others!"
Barbara protested as she was pulled along by the wrist.
But getting no reply, she could only turn her head back and say a few words of thanks to Nolan and the group for letting her experience the Spiral Abyss.
Soon after, Nolan's character panel popped up with another notification:
[Barbara Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (480/500)]
"All right, next time we'll go adventuring together again!"
he said, waving to Barbara alongside Noelle and Bennett.
A moment later, Nolan turned to look at the other two and said,
"Now, let's go submit the commissions we completed!"
"Yeah!"
Bennett nodded enthusiastically. He was looking forward to it—it was the first high-level commission he'd ever taken on.
He planned to save his share of the reward money as a pension for his dads.
Noelle, on the other hand, felt slightly undeserving, since it was really Nolan who had done most of the heavy lifting.
But she also knew that he was never stingy with his friends, so there was no need to make a fuss or refuse.
[Noelle Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (50/800)]
At the front desk of the Adventurers' Guild, Katheryne was—as always—dutifully attending to adventurers, day and night.
Seeing Nolan and the others return, she looked mildly surprised and said,
"As expected of the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius—the legendary adventurer who saved several nations. Your speed in completing commissions is nothing short of miraculous!"
"Haha, Katheryne, are you that sure we completed it? What if we failed?"
Nolan teased her with a grin.
"Please, don't joke. In all the commissions you've ever accepted from the Adventurers' Guild, there hasn't been a single failure."
Katheryne shook her head with a soft chuckle.
"Well, Miss Katheryne, your guess was spot on. Here's our commission slip and report,"
Nolan said, handing over the documents.
Katheryne took them, carefully reviewed the contents, then nodded.
"Yes, this looks correct. Once we confirm in a few days that the issue at Musk Reef has been completely resolved, the full commission reward will be issued to your party."
For commissions with large payouts, no matter what the circumstances,
the Adventurers' Guild always had to verify on-site that the issue was resolved before handing over the reward.
Otherwise, it would be far too easy to scam the guild.
After all, if the money is handed over but the commission isn't completed, wouldn't that just mean someone walked away with the Adventurers' Guild's funds for nothing?
"When the time comes, please split the reward evenly into three withdrawal slips of the same amount,"
Nolan said.
"Of course,"
Katheryne didn't object—this was the usual arrangement at the Adventurers' Guild anyway.
"All right, we'll be heading out then."
After submitting the commission, Nolan and the others waved goodbye to Katheryne. After a brief discussion, they decided to have dinner at the Good Hunter restaurant.
It was a well-earned reward for their hard work completing the commission.
Not long after sitting down, the waiter quickly brought over all the dishes they had ordered. After a relaxed dinner, Nolan decided to go ahead with his initial plan:
He would help Noelle get an attribute (a passive trait) that allowed her to discern good and evil, and while he was at it, he'd also assign one to Bennett to help smoothen his future adventures.
If he could even solve the bad luck issue—that would be perfect.
With that in mind, Nolan explained the concept of "attributes" to Bennett and Noelle in simple terms.
"What?! There's an ability that amazing?"
Bennett exclaimed in surprise.
After suffering from bad luck for so many years, if there was even a chance to resolve it, there was no reason for him to refuse. Even if it couldn't be completely fixed—
Just reducing the frequency or severity of his misfortune would be a huge relief!
Compared to Bennett's excitement and anticipation, Noelle's reaction was a bit too earnest. She hesitated for a moment and said:
"Um... If I directly gain the ability to tell whether someone is good or evil... wouldn't that count as cheating during the knight selection?"
The girl with the rose hair ornament looked visibly torn.
She knew this was one of her weaknesses, so she genuinely wanted that ability.
But as someone who had always held herself to the strictest knightly standards, Noelle didn't want to rely on shortcuts to pass the selection—it would make her feel uneasy inside.
"Uh..."
Nolan tugged awkwardly at his sleeve. Clearly, he hadn't considered this beforehand.
Given how honest Noelle was, she might not accept using any trick to pass the selection.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"How about this—once I assign you the 'good and evil discernment' attribute, just don't use it during the knight selection itself.
"But before the selection, you can walk around Mondstadt with the attribute active. Use it to help you learn to distinguish who's good and who's bad.
"After seeing enough, you should be able to pass the selection on your own experience.
"That way, it's just a learning tool—not cheating, right?"
"Eh… that might actually work…"
Noelle folded her hands on the table and looked down at her bowl and utensils, thinking it over.
She realized that, yes, this wouldn't be cheating. So she nodded happily and agreed.
"Great. Then let's start with Bennett's attribute first. There's still half a month before the knight selection, so there's no rush.
"As for Bennett, the less bad luck he has, the better."
Nolan spoke as he activated the power of "Spiritual Core"
He just hoped Bennett's misfortune wouldn't kick in right now—after all, he currently had enough spiritual energy stored for five attribute attempts.
He wasn't sure if it would be enough.
Before long, Spiritual Core returned some feedback. The attribute had been successfully assigned, and its name was—"Hot-Blooded Youth."
It was a combat-focused attribute that boosted burst abilities and enhanced Pyro damage. Overall, it suited Bennett very well.
But... it did absolutely nothing for his bad luck. Clearly not what they were aiming for.
Without hesitation, Nolan went on to assign a second attribute. This time, Bennett received "Golden Sword." From the name alone, it was obvious it wasn't what they wanted.
Third attribute: "Scorching Domain." Again, another combat enhancer.
Then came the fourth attribute:
[Spiritual Core Attribute · Tenacious Will: This attribute only appears in intelligent lifeforms. The bearer's body and mind become extremely resilient. Additionally, each time they endure a "trial," their luck will increase. The extent of the increase scales with the severity of the trial.]
(End of Chapter)
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