"Primogems? You mean those shiny little stones?
"I remember when I was a kid, my dad gave me a whole pile of those to play with like toys. I thought they looked like twinkling stars—really pretty."
Yanfei pressed her finger against her lips and thought for a moment.
"I'll take a look when I get back. They're useless to me anyway, so I might as well give them all to you."
"Hold on, each Primogem is worth at least 100,000 Mora. I can't just take them like that," Nolan quickly shook his head. "If you really don't need them, I'll buy them from you instead."
He wasn't short on Mora these days. Buying dozens or even hundreds of Primogems was hardly an issue for him.
"Mm, I guess you've got a point... But there's no need for Mora. Just treat it as travel expenses. Next time I need to go far, I'll come find you to teleport me again."
Yanfei's father was an adeptus, her mother a merchant. Mora had never been a concern. Not to mention, she herself was one of Liyue's top legal consultants.
But since Nolan insisted, it would be awkward not to accept anything at all. So instead of Mora, she'd consider it a future travel fare.
After experiencing the convenience of spatial teleportation, Yanfei suddenly found things like stagecoaches and sailing ships terribly inconvenient.
"Oh? That works too."
Nolan was more than happy with her decision. After all, the more contact he had with someone, the more likely he was to gain affection points.
It was already near noon. Kuki Shinobu suggested they all go out for a proper meal as a gesture of hospitality. Naturally, they accepted out of courtesy.
As they stepped outside, they saw Arataki Itto and his two underlings playing bug battles with a few of the kids who had led Nolan's group there.
The bugs were Onikabuto, a species native to Inazuma. Most of them were purple, though rare ones came in red or white. Their horned, beetle-like appearance made them resemble Earth's rhinoceros beetles, which made them quite popular among children for bug battles due to their impressive looks.
Kuki Shinobu called them all along to eat together at a street restaurant.
As the sun drifted westward, time slipped quietly by. After lunch, Kuki Shinobu planned to take Yanfei on a walk around Inazuma City.
Nolan, meanwhile, headed to the Adventurers' Guild to check on the Primogem procurement, and also to drop Yoimiya off at her firework shop.
The two of them strolled through the streets, basking in the warm midday sun.
Yoimiya hummed a cheerful tune, the large red ribbon tied behind her swaying gently with her steps.
Her fair legs peeked out from beneath her kimono, shaded faintly by the hem.
Nolan took her hand, the two of them walking slowly hand-in-hand toward the Adventurers' Guild like a couple on a date. Since it was still noon, the front counter was quiet with no adventurers coming or going.
As always, Katheryne stood behind the counter like a refined lady, calmly poised at her post.
Noticing their approach, she offered a polite smile and greeted them:
"Welcome back, both of you."
"Hehe, hello, Miss Katheryne!" Yoimiya waved cheerfully.
Nolan smiled as well and said, "Miss Katheryne, I came to check on the status of my Primogem procurement request."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Katheryne nodded and turned to retrieve the records. She flipped through the logbook and soon found the page for Nolan's commission:
"According to the records, over the past month, thirty adventurers have accepted and completed your request. In total, they've submitted fifty-six Primogems."
"Fifty-six…"
That was quite a bit less than what he got from Mondstadt, but it made sense. After all, Inazuma's adventurers didn't have access to the Beast Realm, so the supply was naturally more limited.
Fifty-six Primogems at 120,000 Mora each totaled a bit over six million Mora. Since he had originally left ten million with the Guild, there was no need to pay extra just yet.
Katheryne handed him the collected Primogems. Nolan paid the service fee and replenished the remaining advance to keep it at ten million so the Guild could continue procuring more.
With that handled, he and Yoimiya continued toward the firework shop. As they passed by Yae Publishing House, they spotted Yae Miko outside, speaking with a young woman.
"I've told you already, when recommending light novels to customers, you have to highlight the selling points."
Ah, she was coaching one of her employees. Nolan and Yoimiya curiously walked closer.
Yae Miko noticed them too. Her lovely eyes sparkled as she waved the clerk back inside and smiled slyly at Nolan:
"Well, well, if it isn't the famous Traveler himself. I see you've been busy charming girls lately—no wonder you haven't had time to visit me."
Her teasing made Yoimiya blush and glance away. Since her words weren't exactly wrong, Nolan had no excuse—so he quickly changed the subject:
"Now that you mention it, I've visited Yae Publishing House a few times but never actually bought any light novels. Miko, why don't you recommend me a few?"
"My, that topic shift was awfully clumsy."
Yae Miko let out a sigh, amused by the awkwardness on her usually composed face. Still, since he was willing to buy books, she was quite pleased.
"In that case, let me give you some personal recommendations. But you'd better buy more than a few—or I won't forgive you for wasting my time."
With that, she led the two of them inside.
"…This is basically forced buying, you know," Nolan muttered helplessly.
He liked light novels anyway, and buying more could help stock the library with different genres, so it wasn't a bad idea.
"Hmph." Yae Miko crossed her arms and gave a proud "hmph," as if to say she was forcing him to buy, before continuing:
"By the way, do you two have anything else to do today? Why not come with me to Konda Village later? I heard rumors of a strange shrine maiden wearing a fox mask appearing there. The villagers even came to Narukami Shrine to ask about it."
"Eh? But can't you go check it out yourself, Lady Guuji? You're so powerful—you don't need our help, right?"
Yoimiya looked at her with surprise.
"I'm just a delicate young woman, you know~ I'd be terrified if I went all by myself. You wouldn't be so heartless as to let me walk into danger, would you?"
Yae Miko put on a fragile act, then glanced mischievously at Yoimiya:
"Or… does Miss Yoimiya want to head back to her shop and leave me alone with Nolan?"
Her expression was sly and playful. Nolan could tell she was just messing with them again.
"Ugh… Lady Guuji, there are tons of capable shrine maidens at Narukami Shrine! Can't you take one of them with you?" Yoimiya pouted, clearly a little jealous.
"The shrine maidens are just ordinary folk. They wouldn't be of much help," Yae Miko said with a smile.
Nolan rubbed his forehead, sighing inwardly. Yep, Miko was as mischievous as ever.
"Well, it's not like it'll take much time. I don't mind going."
If memory served, that shrine maiden in Konda Village with the fox mask should be Hanachirusato, the one from the Sacred Sakura questline.
Nolan, having completed the related quest, knew that Hanachirusato was actually formed from the memories and lingering thoughts of Kitsune Saiguu, fused with the corruption polluting the Sacred Sakura Tree.
Back then, during the climax of the story, when the Traveler cleansed the corruption from the Sacred Sakura, Hanachirusato disappeared along with it—leaving only her mask behind. It was rather heart-wrenching.
Now, having encountered this again by chance, he couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to change her fate this time.
"Then I'm going too!" Yoimiya stood with hands on her hips, glaring at Yae Miko in dissatisfaction.
She normally didn't mind who Nolan went with or where, but something about Yae Miko's behavior had set off alarm bells.
"Mm-hmm, that's more like it!" Yae Miko said with a cheerful smile. "Of course, I won't make you help me for nothing... Hm, I'll give you the most popular light novels from Yae Publishing House as thanks."
[Yae Miko Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (150/700)]
Seeing the affection notification pop up on his character panel, Nolan grinned. Level 7 already—was max level still far off?
"What are you smiling about? Is getting a few light novels really that exciting?" Yae Miko eyed him suspiciously.
Was it that obvious? Nolan rubbed his cheek and cleared his throat before replying:
"I do like light novels. And since they're from you, I like them even more. Isn't it normal to be happy?"
"My, my... Flirting so openly now, are we?"
Yae Miko blinked in surprise at first, then gave a graceful chuckle—and even threw a smug glance at Yoimiya.
[Yae Miko Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 350 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (500/700)]
…Huh. That worked? Nolan was a little surprised. Miko always seemed calm and composed, but apparently, she really had been a little flustered.
"Hmph!"
Yoimiya didn't want to talk to Yae Miko anymore. She looked away and reached over to pinch Nolan's waist.
"Ow—ouch! That hurts!" Nolan immediately gave in, wrapping an apologetic arm around her shoulder.
Seeing the two of them acting so close, it was now Yae Miko's turn to get annoyed. She reminded them, "Please refrain from public displays of affection inside Yae Publishing House. It affects the atmosphere."
Nolan awkwardly withdrew his arm.
After that, they spent some time browsing the light novels under Miko's guidance. Nolan found most of them to be lighthearted and humorous.
Among the recent bestsellers were Reincarnated as the Raiden Shogun: Now I'm Unstoppable and Please, My Fox Spirit Guuji!.
The former leaned into comedy, while the latter told a sweet and funny story of a clumsy general and a charming fox spirit shrine maiden—a surprisingly engaging read.
Nolan became fully immersed, only snapping out of it when Yae Miko reminded them it was time to head for Konda Village.
Before leaving, she handed him one copy of each bestseller and said,
"Lately, that fool Ei dumped the task of preparing the Inazuma branch of the 'Sweet Flower Merchant Association' on me. I've been so swamped I barely have time to read novels.
"She said this Merchant Association was your idea, right? It does sound interesting. Go see what's going on with that mysterious shrine maiden in Konda Village and tell me about the Merchant Association when you're back.
"Ei was babbling nonsense when she told me—didn't make any sense at all. I can't tell if she's been duped by you or what."
Yae Miko pressed her finger to her snowy chin and gave Nolan a suspicious look.
So Ei entrusted the Inazuma branch to Miko, huh? Well, it made sense—she was a perfect fit. Nolan nodded thoughtfully, then said,
"This is a great opportunity for Inazuma. How could you call that deception?"
"Hmph. That idiot Ei gave out the Mora first and then told me. If that doesn't look like getting swindled, what does?"
Miko's flawless face showed obvious displeasure.
Now Nolan understood—she was jealous that Ei trusted him so much. That was all.
He chuckled inwardly but didn't say it out loud for fear she'd get flustered and lash out. Instead, he softened his tone:
"Perfect. On the way to Konda Village, I'll explain everything to you in detail."
Yoimiya looked between the two, completely lost. She had no idea what they were talking about.
"Hmph. It better be a good explanation."
Yae Miko clapped her hands together, and with a faint release of demonic power, space shifted with a crisp "pop."
Nolan immediately felt the familiar sensation of spatial warping. In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed—from the cozy interior of a light novel bookstore to a vast, sunlit open field.
Up ahead, they could see a village—it was clearly Konda Village!
"Amazing... As expected of the Guuji-sama," Yoimiya exclaimed, caught off guard by the sudden change in surroundings.
And her teleportation didn't even need an anchor point like someone waiting at Konda Village!
Hearing Yoimiya's admiration, Nolan smiled and said, "Well, all things considered, our 'Interstellar Travel' is still more powerful—it can teleport across any distance or barrier."
"Hmm… now that you mention it, you're right," Yoimiya nodded after some thought.
"Are you a kid or something? What's the point of comparing that?" Yae Miko rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Come on, let's go check the spot where the villagers saw that shrine maiden."
She didn't head into the village itself—one of the villagers had already told her the exact location, so there was no need.
"Alright," Nolan replied, taking Yoimiya's soft hand as they followed behind Yae Miko.
Her silky pink hair cascaded down her back, the ends loosely tied. The amethyst earrings on her pink fox ears gently swayed.
Through the flowing red and white hem of her sleeveless shrine maiden robes, one could faintly glimpse her flawless white thighs.
Soon, they reached the location where the mysterious shrine maiden had last been seen—at the northwest edge of Konda Village, near Narukami Island.
There stood a stone fox statue.
(End of Chapter)
Author's Note:
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