"Should be about time, right?"
Before Arataki Itto even finished speaking, two light footsteps came from outside. Entering together were Yanfei and Kuki Shinobu, both about the same height.
"Oh? Nolan, are you here to hear the verdict of that case?" Yanfei asked with a bright smile.
"More or less. So, how did the trial turn out?"
Seeing them return, Nolan guessed the legal dispute must have been settled by now, so he asked out of curiosity.
"Heh, after preparing for more than ten days, of course we crushed the other side completely!"
Yanfei patted her chest, clearly in a very good mood.
"All thanks to senior's help. Otherwise, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly," Shinobu added, her face half-hidden by the black mask.
"Ah, don't be so modest. With their level, you could've handled them yourself." Yanfei shook her head.
Just as Shinobu was about to respond, Nolan cut in:
"Alright, alright, you're both amazing. No need to keep deflecting compliments. Since the case is wrapped up, why don't we go celebrate a little? Lunch is on me. I also have something I'd like to ask you both about."
He explained that he wanted to learn swordsmanship skills from Shinobu and Itto.
"Eh? Someone actually interested in the boss's sword techniques? Isn't he always just swinging a club around like a maniac?" Itto's underling, Mamoru, said in surprise.
"Hah?!" Itto glared at him, displeased. "What nonsense! This is a sword style improved from my clan's Oni-heritage swordsmanship! When performed, it even channels the might of the Oni gods! How is that just mindless smashing?
"I just feel that using a club suits me better than a sword, that's all!"
"Sorry, Boss. Guess I was too short-sighted… but honestly, when you swing that spiked club around, it really does look like pure chaos…" Mamoru muttered helplessly.
"You dare keep talking?!" Itto grabbed him by the neck angrily.
"Ahh! Sorry, Boss!" Mamoru struggled for air, quickly apologizing under his leader's pressure.
Ignoring the two idiots, Shinobu turned to Nolan and nodded.
"My swordsmanship isn't anything special. If you'd like to learn, I don't mind teaching you. Now that the case is done, I've got free time."
"Appreciate it." Since it would take up her time, Nolan naturally wouldn't let her teach for nothing. He added,
"Let's treat it as a formal Arataki Gang commission. I'll pay in mora."
"…That works."
Shinobu thought for a moment before agreeing.
She had originally wanted to say it wasn't necessary—they were friends, so sharing techniques shouldn't need payment. But she realized Nolan probably thought: since she worked much like an adventurer, taking commissions to earn mora, then asking her to teach swordsmanship without paying might feel like taking advantage of a friend.
Noting his consideration, Shinobu found herself warming to him slightly.
[Kuki Shinobu Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.5 (30/500).]
Nolan was a little surprised at the panel notification. Seems he had just done something Shinobu appreciated. Smiling, he looked toward Itto, who was still "punishing" Mamoru.
"Itto, how about you? Will you take the commission? The pay is generous."
"Haha! If even a legendary adventurer like you acknowledges my genius swordsmanship, how could I refuse?!" Itto released the half-choked Mamoru, acting as though nothing had happened.
"Good. It won't take much of your time."
Nolan already knew—learning new sword techniques wasn't too difficult for him. Ordinary-level sword arts he could grasp after watching once or twice; with a bit of practice, he'd master them. Even secret-level wouldn't take too long. Only arcane- and divine-level styles would require deeper study.
Once everything was agreed, Nolan treated everyone to lunch at noon. Afterward, they returned to the Arataki Gang's base, rested briefly, and began sword lessons.
The first was Shinobu's.
Her swordsmanship was called "Shin-ryu Sword Style." It was something she created herself, combining the strengths of various schools and molding it with her own philosophy until it had its own distinct identity.
Through much testing, she had proven its effectiveness—it was practical, unique, and worthy of being called its own style. Because it incorporated so many elements and was refined with her own insight, it was classified as Secret-level.
Under Shinobu's careful explanations, Nolan took less than half an hour to get started.
[New Skill Acquired: Shin-ryu Sword Style Lv.1 (1/1000).]
He didn't plan to use Adventure EXP to level it up. With a few days of practice, he'd max it out naturally.
"You already mastered it this fast?!" Shinobu was surprised at how quickly he picked it up.
This was her hard-earned creation. But then again, considering Nolan's own extraordinary skill and his mastery of advanced techniques, perhaps it wasn't so strange that he could grasp her style so easily once he understood her philosophy.
"Well, I've studied plenty of swordsmanship before." Nolan smiled and even offered her a few precise suggestions for improvement.
From someone who already wielded two divine-level sword styles, it was clear to him that Shinobu's had room to grow. With some tweaks, it might even approach arcane-level.
[Kuki Shinobu Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.5 (390/500).]
"Thank you!" Shinobu gratefully accepted his advice.
After finishing with her style, next came Itto's.
Though Nolan wasn't very interested in Itto's heavily modified version—more tailored for his spiked club and brute-force aesthetics—he asked Itto to demonstrate the original Oni sword art it was based on.
Again, in under half an hour, Nolan had it down:
[New Skill Acquired: Oni Clan Sword Style Lv.1 (1/1000).]
This Oni Clan swordsmanship was also Secret-level. Like before, he didn't plan to spend EXP points on it. With casual practice, it wouldn't take long to reach max level.
For now, he was still collecting enough different sword styles to eventually fuse into a divine-level technique. Until then, raising these to full mastery wasn't urgent.
It would be better to practice while collecting sword techniques, that way he could save some of his EXP.
Spending them on harder-to-train Arcane-level swordsmanship would be more worthwhile.
After finishing the sword lessons, Nolan also gave Itto a few suggestions for improvement. Back and forth like that, before they knew it, dusk had already arrived.
With nothing else to do, Nolan decided to escort Yanfei back to Liyue Harbor.
Yanfei wasn't particularly interested in swordsmanship; just watching everyone exchange techniques nearly put her to sleep.
"Now that this case is wrapped up, I probably won't be back in Inazuma for a while. Before I go, come with me to buy some local specialties. I want to bring gifts back for my grandma, Yaoyao, and some friends."
After bidding farewell to her junior sister and the Arataki gang, Yanfei tugged Nolan along the streets of Inazuma City, intent on buying souvenirs before heading back.
"Of course, no problem."
Nolan replied with a smile.
[Yanfei Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.6 (20/600).]
"Mm!"
Seeing how readily he agreed, Yanfei felt a little warmer toward him.
Nolan also felt pleased by the rise in affection—making shopping with a girl not feel troublesome at all.
Thanks to his spatial teleportation, even perishables could be bought freely. Yanfei shopped without hesitation, quickly filling up her own Vision's storage. Finally, she had to ask him to help carry the rest.
Passing by Ogura Textiles, Yanfei pulled him inside, perhaps wanting some clothes. Unexpectedly, Nolan spotted a familiar figure.
Long coral-colored hair, ocean-blue eyes as clear as water, slender legs wrapped in white over-the-knee stockings—it was Sangonomiya Kokomi.
"Oh! Mr. Nolan, what a coincidence!"
The moment he stepped inside, Kokomi, who had been browsing clothes, noticed him.
"Long time no see, Kokomi." Nolan greeted, then noticed her gaze shift toward Yanfei curiously. He quickly introduced her:
"This is Yanfei, Liyue's most famous legal consultant. She came to Inazuma on a legal commission."
Then he introduced Kokomi to Yanfei:
"This is Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island."
"Wow, I've heard of you! They say you're an incredible strategist!" Yanfei looked astonished—she hadn't expected to meet the resistance leader here in Inazuma City.
"I wouldn't say incredible. I just happened to be placed in that position, so I had to think of everything thoroughly," Kokomi replied warmly.
"By the way, Kokomi, what brings you here?" Nolan asked curiously.
After all, Watatsumi's leader wouldn't normally travel this far just to shop for clothes.
"I was invited by Lady Yae Miko, to discuss comprehensive cooperation from infrastructure to economic development. For Watatsumi's sake, I had no choice but to come personally.
"My attendants and I only arrived this afternoon. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, so I was just strolling through Inazuma City, which has changed quite a lot.
"I didn't expect to run into you here."
Kokomi explained simply.
"So that's it." Nolan nodded. Yae Miko was currently the acting head of the Sweet Flower Merchant Association in Inazuma, with Ei delegating most governmental affairs to her. New engineering projects and development plans were all under her care. Considering Inazuma's development, it was natural to involve Watatsumi in cooperation.
As the three browsed clothes, they continued chatting casually. Soon, both Yanfei and Kokomi finished shopping. Just as they were about to leave, Kokomi stopped Nolan, hesitated briefly, then said:
"Recently, some problems have arisen on Watatsumi Island. I had planned to wait a few days for Captain Beidou's ship to arrive so I could ask her to find you, but since we've met now, I might as well mention it."
"Oh? Problems? What kind?" Nolan asked, intrigued.
"The land of Watatsumi has started undergoing 'Sanctification' again. If it isn't dealt with, it will slowly turn into a white desert. The details are a bit complicated—I'll explain everything tomorrow after my meeting with Lady Yae."
Seeing it was already late, Kokomi decided not to delay Nolan and Yanfei further. She would explain things thoroughly after her talks with Yae Miko.
"That's fine too."
Nolan recalled that this "Sanctification" was related to Enkanomiya. It shouldn't be too difficult to resolve, so he agreed without worry.
"Whew, then I'll thank you in advance." Kokomi's pale face curved into a smile.
[Sangonomiya Kokomi Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 350 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.7 (250/700).]
"No need. See you tomorrow, then."
Another affection prompt popped up on his panel. Smiling happily, Nolan waved goodbye to Kokomi and then used his teleportation ability to return to Liyue Harbor with Yanfei.
The evening breeze was cool.
With most people off work, the streets of Liyue Harbor were lively and bustling.
"Alright, this is my stop. Thanks for carrying everything—next time I have a commission, I'll come to you again!" Yanfei said, taking her purchases back.
"Sure." Nolan nodded. Then, remembering how high her affection already was and seeing the chance was right, he summoned a golden beacon.
"This 'Waymark' is for you. With it, you can contact me anytime, even teleport to me directly if you need."
He explained its function simply.
"Something this powerful—are you sure it's okay to give it to me?"
Even Yanfei, daughter of an adeptus, was surprised by the artifact's capability.
"Of course. I have plenty of these. Keeping them is useless. Giving one to a good friend is just right." Nolan said with a light chuckle.
"…Good friend, huh." Feeling his sincerity, Yanfei smiled happily and accepted the Waypoint. "Mm! Thank you, then!"
[Yanfei Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 480 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.6 (500/600).]
The panel popped up again—judging by the large increase, she was clearly very pleased.
He stayed a bit longer inside her home, teaching her how to fuse it and test its functions, then finally took his leave.
By now it was quite late, with the city settling in for the night. It was time for him to return to his sanctuary and begin his evening training session.
(End of Chapter)