Well, it seems Lumine was indeed a bit concerned after all.
Nolan naturally withdrew his hand and crossed his arms as well, smiling inwardly as he glanced at the affection notification on his character panel.
"Hehe, it looks like the bond between you two is quite strong," Ying'er remarked, noticing their interaction with a touch of sentiment.
She then continued, "It's getting late, and making perfume is a rather intricate process. To speed things up, I'll need your help as assistants. Is that okay?"
"Hehe, of course! Helping others is our specialty!" Paimon responded enthusiastically, hands clasped behind her back as she nodded eagerly.
"Alright then, please start by boiling some water," Ying'er instructed. With Nolan and the others agreeing to help, she began assigning them tasks. These were mostly minor chores, as she handled the more complex parts herself.
By the time night had fully fallen, Nolan and the others finally received three different types of perfume from Ying'er, each neatly stored in a beautiful glass bottle.
"Phew, we've finally finished making the perfume," Paimon sighed in relief.
Although the tasks they helped with weren't physically demanding, the long hours had still left her feeling a bit tired.
"Yeah, let's head back now," Nolan agreed, nodding.
When no one was looking, he used the "Concealment Form's Domain" to conceal everyone as they made their way to the teleport waypoint and transported back to Mondstadt.
Upon returning home, they found that Fischl and Oz had only just returned as well.
As they all prepared dinner together, Nolan took the opportunity to ask Fischl about the situation in the Stormterror's Lair.
"Since that area was previously sealed off by wind barriers, it's now teeming with adventurers, almost like a newly discovered secret realm. It's become quite lively," Fischl replied while slicing a white radish, dressed in a white apron.
"Wow, so that means there are likely a lot of unopened treasure chests there, right?!" Nolan's eyes widened in surprise.
Out in the wild, it was rare for him to come across treasure chests because the easy-to-find ones had long been claimed by other adventurers. Only in dangerous and hidden places did he have a chance to discover them.
But Stormterror's Lair was different. With its previous wind barriers, most adventurers hadn't been able to explore it, making it essentially an uncharted area now.
Even if it wasn't filled with treasure chests, there were bound to be quite a few.
Unfortunately, with the preparations for the "Rite of Parting" underway, there was no time to go on an adventure in Stormterror's Lair.
Of course.
Exploring Stormterror's Lair wasn't something that could be done in just a few days, so there was no rush. They could head there a bit later.
"Yes, the Prinzessin herself ventured there today and found an exquisite treasure chest. Inside were two Primogems—This princess will gift them to you," Fischl said as she finished cutting the radish, washed her hands, dried them with a towel, and took out two Primogems she had collected earlier from her Vision.
"Thank you so much, Your Highness!" Nolan gratefully accepted the Primogems and immediately used them, obtaining 6,000 Adventure EXP.
Then, with hands still covered in glistening rice grains from washing the rice, he cupped Fischl's fair cheeks and, despite her look of disdain, pressed his lips against her soft, moist ones.
At the same time, the "Harmony" specialty activated.
The universal energy began to enhance little Amy's body, but it wasn't long before Fischl ended the kiss with Nolan and used his shirt as a towel to wipe the rice grains off her face.
"You foolish attendant, you really let yourself get carried away!" Fischl scolded, displeased, as she lifted her right leg, clad in semi-transparent black stockings under her apron, and stomped her black boot onto Nolan's foot.
"Hmph, that's what you get for messing around and smearing rice all over my face!"
Last night, Nolan achieved the feat of holding both Lumine and Fischl in his arms, taking turns kissing them until he used up all of the "Harmony" energy.
It seems he's not far from his goal of sharing a bed with them both!
If Lumine and Fischl knew what he was thinking, they would surely roll their eyes at him. If it weren't for this guy's playful antics, holding onto them and refusing to let go, they wouldn't have let him get away with it!
Now it's morning, and Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon had returned to Liyue Harbor and soon arrived at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
At that moment, Zhongli was just coming out of the parlor.
"Good morning, everyone. Are the perfumes ready?" Zhongli asked, arms crossed, his gaze calm.
"Of course, we're super reliable!" Paimon said, patting her chest with her little hands. "We've got all three perfumes, not a single one missing!"
"Good, then let's not delay. We should head to the Statue of The Seven outside the city now," Zhongli replied with a smile.
Since the journey was a bit far, Zhongli had arranged for a carriage from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, allowing them to reach the Statue of The Seven outside the city by midday.
During the trip, Zhongli shared with them various knowledge about the Silk flowers, from their growth to their maturity.
Once they arrived at the Statue of The Seven, they noticed that there was a fairly large inn nearby, providing a resting place for passing merchants.
This road seemed to be the same one they had traveled on when they followed the Feiyun Commerce Guild to Liyue Harbor.
The Statue of The Seven stood by the roadside, and it should have been easy for Nolan and the others to notice it before, especially since they had considered asking Katheryne about the location of the statues.
However, it was possible that because they were in a carriage at the time, they might have missed it due to a lack of attention.
Nolan jumped off the carriage and observed the surroundings, mulling over these thoughts.
"So this is Liyue's Statue of The Seven. It looks a bit different from Mondstadt's," Paimon commented, flying down from the carriage and gazing at the statue with a hint of surprise.
"Indeed, each nation's Statue of The Seven represents its respective deity. Liyue's is the Geo Archon, and Mondstadt's is the Anemo Archon, so they are bound to be different," Zhongli explained with a patient smile.
"But isn't the 'Geo Archon' supposed to be half-dragon, half-qilin? Why does this statue depict the 'Geo Archon' as a man?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
Although the stone statue on the pedestal wore a hood that obscured its face, the broad build and abdominal muscles clearly suggested a male figure, which the clever Paimon easily deduced.
"The 'Geo Archon' has countless forms. The half-dragon, half-qilin is him, and so is this man," Zhongli replied, looking up calmly at the statue on the pedestal.
"The passing of the Geo Archon was so sudden that we don't even have a chance to pay our respects to him during the 'Rite of Descension,'" Nolan said, also looking up at the Statue of The Seven with a sense of regret.
"Indeed, such is the impermanence of life," Zhongli remarked thoughtfully, then turned to Lumine, who was approaching. "Traveler, could you please offer the perfume to the 'Geo Archon'?"
Lumine nodded and retrieved three different perfumes from her inventory.
As she took a few steps forward, her legs wrapped in white high-heeled boots that accentuated her graceful curves, she paused and turned back to ask, "How should I offer it? Should I just open the bottle, or should I pour some out?"
"Either is fine," Zhongli replied after a few seconds of thought, lightly stroking his chin with two fingers.
Taking his advice, Lumine nodded again.
She first opened the "Golden House Bliss" perfume and placed it in front of the Statue of The Seven. A faint, dreamy floral fragrance immediately filled the air. Paimon chimed in at that moment:
"Miss Ying'er said this 'Golden House Bliss' perfume gives off a sweet and dreamy scent, making it a favorite among young girls."
The fragrance lingered for a while, but the statue did not respond.
"Is this... a sign that the Archon doesn't like it?" Nolan mused, thinking that Zhongli might not have a taste for such things.
"Try another one," Zhongli suggested.
"Alright," Lumine replied, putting away the "Golden House Bliss" perfume and opening another. She placed it in front of the statue as Paimon, with her hands behind her back, added, "This 'Mountain Shade Splendor' perfume is said to be a favorite among wealthy young ladies."
Unfortunately, this perfume also failed to elicit any reaction from the statue.
"Wow, this Geo Archon sure is picky! I thought this calming floral scent was pretty nice!" Paimon huffed, placing her hands on her hips and furrowing her brows.
Nolan smiled at her, thinking, If you want to know why the Geo Archon is so particular, maybe you should ask Zhongli.
"The last one, if I remember correctly, is called 'Ethereal Fairy Tides' or 'Ethereal Fate,' and it's more popular with mature women," Lumine said as she opened the final perfume and placed it in front of the statue.
Instantly, a soft, misty fragrance wafted through the air.
And then, suddenly, the statue began to glow.
"Huh? Does the Geo Archon have a thing for perfumes that mature ladies use?" Paimon wondered, noticing the statue's reaction and guessing that the Geo Archon preferred the 'Ethereal Fate' perfume.
"This scent is gentle and lingering, quite nice indeed," Zhongli agreed, seemingly favoring this type of perfume as well.
"Now that we've identified the perfume the 'Geo Archon' prefers, what's the next task?" Lumine asked as she packed up all the perfumes.
"Hmm, next, please go to the area near Yujing Terrace and borrow the 'Cleansing Bell' from an old friend of mine, Granny Ping," Zhongli said calmly, looking at Nolan and the others.
"The 'Cleansing Bell'? Sounds like something pretty powerful," Paimon mused, rubbing her chin with her small hand. "But are you sure it's okay for us to ask your friend for it?"
"I'm currently unable to show myself in front of my friend, so I must rely on you," Zhongli responded, gently nodding with his arms crossed.
"Alright, but you sure are mysterious and strange," Paimon sighed, spreading her hands and shaking her head.
"Okay, let's head back now," Lumine said, her floating ribbon swaying in the wind, showing no hesitation in agreeing to the task.
As Lumine was about to head towards the carriage, Nolan quickly grabbed her arm.
"You mentioned before that you awakened your Anemo abilities by touching the Statue of The Seven in Mondstadt, right? Why not try the one in Liyue and see if you can awaken Geo elements?"
"Hmm? Is it really possible to wield two elements?" Lumine asked, surprised.
It seems she doesn't fully understand her own potential yet, Nolan thought, smiling. What's the big deal about two elements? She could probably handle all seven! He then said, "Why not give it a shot? If it works, great. If not, there's nothing to lose."
"True," Lumine agreed, touching the golden strands of hair by her ear before walking over to the Statue of The Seven.
She placed her hand on the pillar at its base.
What happened next was exactly what Nolan had anticipated.
The statue seemed to be triggered by something and emitted a burst of golden light, which quickly faded.
"Oh? What's this..." Even Zhongli, who was secretly the Geo Archon, was surprised by this turn of events. The fact that this girl could cause the statue to react was remarkable.
"How do you feel? Did you manage to gain Geo abilities?" Nolan asked curiously.
Lumine, looking pleased, replied, "Just as you suggested, I really did awaken Geo abilities!"
She raised her hand, palm facing upwards, and slowly gathered dense Geo energy, forming a solid square-shaped rock.
"Wow, this is amazing! You actually gained Geo powers!" Paimon exclaimed excitedly. "Lumine, does this mean you can create jades like Ningguang now?"
She asked, her curiosity piqued, imagining the possibility of never running out of Mora.
Lumine looked at her, exasperated. "I just awakened this power. There's no way I'm at Ningguang's level yet."
"Ah, that's a shame," Paimon sighed in disappointment.
"Any other changes?" Nolan asked with interest.
"Yes, I can now use both elements simultaneously, and my inventory space has doubled," Lumine responded after carefully sensing the changes within her.
"So that means your inventory space is now 84 kilograms!" Nolan's eyes widened slightly, surprised that awakening a new element would also increase her inventory capacity.
"Exactly. It seems that gaining the ability to use two elements also doubled my inventory space," Lumine said with a smile.
Two elements equal double the capacity. So when she masters all seven elements, will her inventory space increase sevenfold? Nolan wondered. This was certainly a beneficial development, especially for future adventures.
With that, the group boarded the carriage and began their journey back to Liyue Harbor.
Zhongli briefly inquired about Lumine's ability to cause the statue to react. Upon learning it was due to her unique constitution, he nodded in understanding.
The Statue of The Seven doesn't have the ability to grant elemental powers to just anyone.
However, if someone with a special constitution uses the statue's divine power as a catalyst to awaken the corresponding element, that makes sense.
As a deity, Zhongli could tell that both Lumine and Nolan were not from Teyvat. It wasn't surprising to him that they might have unusual abilities.
After returning to Liyue Harbor, Zhongli went back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to continue preparations for the "Rite of Parting."
Meanwhile, Nolan and his group got off the carriage midway and headed towards Yujing Terrace.
After some time, they arrived at Yujing Terrace. According to Zhongli, his friend Granny Ping was somewhere nearby.
After a bit of searching, they finally spotted an elderly woman with white hair at a tea stall under a tree near the Moonlit Gate. She must be Granny Ping.
As they approached, they noticed that the tea stall was also occupied by a pink-haired girl wearing a hat and a little girl with large bells in her hair.
(End of Chapter)
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