Wangshu Inn, on the platform outside the reception hall.
When Nolan and the others arrived, they found the area nearly empty.
It was already 10 PM, and most people were likely resting in their rooms, preparing for an early departure the next day.
However, the inn's owner, Verr Goldet, was still at the reception desk. Since she could easily notice any anomalies when activating the teleport waypoint, Lumine decided to inform her beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings.
Upon hearing that they could activate these strange devices, Verr Goldet was a bit surprised and expressed her curiosity to watch.
"Hehe, of course, no problem," said Paimon, nodding with a grin.
The group returned to the edge of the platform. Lumine stepped forward with her graceful right leg and extended her pale hand to the "teleport waypoint."
As expected, the waypoint, which was connected to its base and emitting a red glow, seemed to be infused with some kind of energy, causing it to slowly float. The melancholic red light turned into a soothing blue.
Now it would be much easier to travel to Wangshu Inn. As Nolan was thinking this, he suddenly felt someone watching him from behind.
He quickly turned around and saw a small figure standing on the rooftop under the moonlight.
The moonlight was positioned just behind the figure's head, casting their face and entire front side into shadow, making them unrecognizable.
Lumine and Paimon, noticing Nolan's sudden reaction, also saw the figure on the rooftop.
"Wah!" Paimon was startled and quickly hid behind the golden-haired girl, muttering to herself, "Don't eat me, don't eat me."
She seemed to think the figure on the roof was some kind of monster.
"Who are you?" Lumine shouted, her beautiful golden eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her soft lips parted as she called out.
"Hmph!" The figure on the rooftop, still obscured by shadow, did not respond. After a few seconds of silence, they let out a cold snort and disappeared.
"Did we scare them off?" Paimon asked, surprised.
"They just didn't want to deal with us," Lumine said, her fair face showing a hint of helplessness.
Nolan watched the figure disappear and then turned to Verr Goldet, asking, "Do you know who that was?"
"Yes, I do," Verr Goldet nodded, smiling calmly.
"Huh?!" Paimon exclaimed in surprise. "You know them?"
Lumine's amber eyes widened in slight confusion. She had thought it might have been an enemy.
"His name is Xiao. He's an adeptus known as the 'Conqueror of Demons' and 'Bane of All Evil' He appears wherever there are evil beings causing trouble," Verr Goldet explained, crossing her arms thoughtfully.
"An adeptus?!" Lumine and Paimon were both slightly taken aback by this revelation. Nolan, however, had already guessed who the figure was upon seeing him.
"Not a charlatan, but a real adeptus?" Paimon asked further.
As soon as they arrived at Stone Gate, they encountered a self-proclaimed half-immortal swindler, so Paimon found it hard to believe at the moment.
"Of course, but you shouldn't say such things in front of Xiao. He might use his adeptal arts to turn you into a turtle, hehe," Verr Goldet chuckled.
"Ah, sorry, sorry! I don't want to become a turtle!" Paimon exclaimed, thinking about how the figure had suddenly vanished earlier, making her somewhat believe he was indeed an adeptus.
"Uh, does that mean he mistook us for monsters and appeared to confront us?" Nolan subconsciously touched his forehead.
"Possibly," Verr Goldet laughed again. "But I'm really surprised you can activate these devices."
"Hehe, it's actually a device that uses the ley lines for teleportation," Paimon explained briefly to the innkeeper.
"I see. So, from now on, if you find another waypoint, you can teleport back to Wangshu Inn. That's really convenient," Verr Goldet marveled.
After lighting up the teleport waypoint, with nothing else to do, Nolan and the others returned to their guest room, basking in the warm yellow light.
"Speaking of which, Nolan, weren't you looking for an adeptus? You just saw one, but unfortunately, he left too quickly," Paimon said as she flew in last and closed the door.
"In Liyue, they say you need fate to meet an adeptus. Even though we encountered one, we didn't have enough fate, so we were just 'hmph'ed at and left," Lumine teased, her eyes curving like crescent moons as she glanced at Nolan.
"That's true. But I believe we'll meet other adepti eventually, so there's no need to worry," Nolan said, sitting down at the wooden chair by the table. He took out some paper and a quill, then continued, "Alright, since we're broke, let's discuss the design for the bicycle."
"Sure, I already have a clear idea about it," Lumine replied. She smoothed her hands down her thighs, ensuring her skirt stayed in place as she sat across from Nolan.
"Oh, please share your insights!" Nolan leaned back in his chair and made a gesture for her to proceed, accidentally kicking Lumine's feet under the table.
"Uh, sorry." Nolan quickly retracted his feet and sat up straight.
Lumine gave him a glare, then picked up the quill and began outlining her thoughts on the paper. She divided the bicycle into five parts: the main frame, braking system, chain drive system, wheels, and seat.
As long as they could design these parts, they should be able to assemble a bicycle. Since neither of them were experts, they aimed for simplicity—just something functional.
Watching them discuss the bike, Paimon tried to follow along but soon found herself completely lost. Her head started to feel dizzy.
"Ugh, my head is spinning. You guys figure it out. I'm going to sleep," Paimon said, ultimately giving in and collapsing onto the bed.
Nolan and Lumine didn't work for much longer, only managing to draft a basic design for the frame before deciding to sleep. The frame was triangular, modeled after an early, sturdy bicycle from Earth. It wasn't too difficult to copy.
(Note: The bicycle design is for plot purposes. Please don't delve too deeply into the technical details.!)
(End of chapter)
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