The small spirit floated slowly before finally stopping in front of a Spirit Platform.
Nolan and the others, who had been following it, stopped as well.
"Is this the Sea Gazer's Domain?"
The small spirit landed on the Spirit Platform, and once it settled, a delicate treasure chest appeared.
Behind the treasure chest and the platform was a small waterfall, its flowing water forming a clear stream.
Nolan and the others stood on either side of the stream, gazing at the waterfall.
"Hmm, there's a fluctuation of adeptal energy here. It should be a teleportation array. Once we step on it, we'll be transported inside the domain," Shenhe explained, her adeptal knowledge evident.
As a disciple of the adepti, Shenhe was naturally familiar with such things. She lived in Cloud Retainer's Adeptal Domain and was accustomed to the energy fluctuations of these teleportation arrays.
"Since we're already here, we can't just stand around outside, right? Let your great Hall Master take the lead!" Hu Tao, always full of adventurous spirit, was eager to be the first to enter the adeptal domain.
But before she could, Nolan grabbed her wrist, his hand softly catching her fair, delicate arm through the wide sleeve of her outfit. He paused and said, "Wait, it's too risky to just charge in like this. We don't know if there's any danger on the other side. Let me try to scout first."
"You're right. Even if the adeptal domain's master isn't present, many of the adeptal mechanisms could still be operational.
"And because the domain has likely been abandoned for some time, the energy inside may be unstable, which could give rise to monsters or other threats," Shenhe nodded in agreement.
"Fine, fine, I'll respect your caution. But seriously, how can someone as strong as you still act so timid?" Hu Tao sighed, shaking her head. The last part was directed at Nolan.
"Ahem, this isn't being timid—it's called being mature and prudent! Adults don't call it cowardice, you know?" Nolan replied, playfully adapting a famous quote.
Meanwhile, still holding Hu Tao's soft hand, he flicked her on the forehead, leaving her with nowhere to escape.
"Darn it! I'll get my revenge one day!" Hu Tao exclaimed, covering her forehead and glaring at him in frustration. If she could take him on in a fight, she would've kicked and punched him right there!
"Hehe, you started it, Hu Tao," Yun Jin chuckled from the side. It wasn't often she saw Hu Tao getting the short end of the stick, and it reminded her of all the times Hu Tao had teased her, leaving her similarly frustrated but helpless.
"Well done, Mr. Nolan!"
[Yun Jin Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 200 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (240/300)]
Oh... Nolan didn't expect that teasing Hu Tao would earn Yun Jin's affection. Hmm, maybe he should try this more often in the future.
Shenhe, watching the exchange, couldn't help but smile faintly. After a moment, she spoke up: "As for the scouting, I can send in my talisman spirit."
"Hmm? Can you share its vision?" Nolan asked curiously.
"No, but I can still sense my connection to it. If it gets attacked or dispersed, I'll know," Shenhe replied, shaking her head.
"Since that's the case, let me handle it. I've got a method I'd like to try," Nolan said with a smile.
Under everyone's curious gaze, he summoned a golden "Sword God of Lumine," about ten centimeters long.
Since it was only for scouting, keeping it small would reduce energy consumption.
Under Nolan's control, the small "Sword God of Lumine" took tiny steps forward, walking towards the waterfall.
In the next moment, the golden sword vanished from sight.
At the same time, through the sword's vision, Nolan saw the space ahead warp and change.
It was as if time and space had reversed. Suddenly, Nolan found "himself" standing in a mystical realm where clouds formed the ground and mist swirled all around.
The most prominent feature was a massive array on the ground, with a large core in the center.
Surrounding it were various mechanical constructs.
Some were humanoid, others shaped like animals, and still others resembled demons. They had all been still, but as soon as the "Sword God of Lumine" appeared, the array detected it, and the adeptal mechanisms came to life like robots being powered on one by one!
"Whoa!"
Outside, Nolan inhaled sharply. It was a good thing they had scouted ahead—otherwise, they would've walked right into an ambush.
These adeptal mechanisms were mostly around level 60 to 70 in strength, with a few even stronger.
"What's happening inside?" Hu Tao asked, noticing his surprised reaction.
"It's a bit dangerous in there," Nolan said, giving a brief rundown of the situation.
"A lot of adeptal mechanisms? What's the big deal? You and Shenhe are here, so what's there to worry about?" Hu Tao said, spreading her hands.
"You've got a point. Let's head in and see what these adeptal mechanisms are made of," Nolan agreed after his scouting. There were only a few dozen of the mechanisms inside, and none of them could match his strength. He could clear them all by himself if needed.
However, since this was an adventure that everyone was exploring together, Nolan couldn't just "hog" all the adeptal mechanisms for himself, leaving Hu Tao and the others with no sense of involvement.
After confirming that everyone was in agreement, they all walked towards the waterfall and teleported inside. To prevent their clothes from getting soaked, Nolan used the power of "Blue Vortex" to control the water element, momentarily stopping the waterfall for a few seconds.
Nolan once again experienced the sensation of being transported by an adeptal array, which felt slightly different from using a "teleport waypoint." The waypoints allowed for super-fast travel by tapping into ley lines, while the adeptal array directly shifted space, leaving no delay.
As soon as Nolan and the others entered, the adeptal mechanisms fully activated.
"Intruders... trespassing in the land of the adepti... Exterminate!"
The adeptal mechanisms spoke in unison, their voices tinged with a mechanical tone.
"Straight to extermination, huh? As expected, these mechanisms have fallen into disrepair. Let your Hall Master do some 'maintenance' on you!" Hu Tao's pale lips curved into a mischievous smile, and a red spear appeared in her hand, with butterflies of the afterlife fluttering around her.
Dressed in brown square-toed shoes and white mid-length socks that wrapped around her snow-white calves, Hu Tao lightly tapped her right foot backward. She shot forward like a fiery streak, dashing into the midst of the adeptal mechanisms.
"Summon, Talisman Spirits!"
Seeing this, Shenhe wasn't about to let Hu Tao face all the adeptal mechanisms alone. She summoned several ice talisman spirits that resembled herself to assist Hu Tao. Then, Shenhe drew her spear and, with a single step covering ten meters, engaged the adeptal mechanisms as well, moving as though the ground itself shrank beneath her feet.
"Yun Jin, aren't you going to join the fun?" Nolan asked the girl beside him.
"Mr. Nolan, please don't tease me. While I've trained in martial arts for my opera performances, I'm still no match for Hu Tao or Shenhe. I'd just be a burden," Yun Jin replied with a smile. She wasn't the type to enjoy fighting; she preferred to display her elegance in front of others.
"I see. Well, in that case, I'll stay here and protect you!" Nolan said with a smile.
"Huh? Is that really okay? Won't they have trouble dealing with so many adeptal mechanisms?" Yun Jin's eyes, painted with crimson eyeshadow, blinked, and her pale face showed a slight blush.
"Don't worry, I'll control my Sword God to help them," Nolan reassured her, pointing to the now enlarged "Sword God of Lumine," which was about the same size as Lumine.
At this moment, the sword was already battling the strongest adeptal mechanism, an elite-level enemy with strength comparable to level 80.
"Well... alright then."
Yun Jin nodded, folding her hands in front of her as she watched the battle unfold.
[Yun Jin Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (160/400)]
It seems that actively building affection really pays off. He hadn't known Yun Jin for long, yet her affection level was already at four—this was already at the level of very close friends.
Come to think of it, many girls in Mondstadt also had favorable feelings towards him. Perhaps he should find some reasons to spend more time with them. Who knows, maybe one day their affection will reach max level, and he'll gain a some cool power!
Nolan's method of gaining strength was mainly through accumulating Adventure EXP and earning the affection of girls.
As for self-training, it wasn't really his thing. Even though his natural talents improved as his strength increased, it was nowhere near as efficient as gaining Adventure EXP. Spending time with girls was definitely the right approach.
While Nolan was lost in thought, the "Sword God of Lumine," which he had been controlling, sliced through an adeptal mechanism, cutting it cleanly in two.
The cross-section of the mechanism revealed a mess of components sparking with golden electricity.
[Defeated A Powerful Enemy. Obtained 4,912 Adventure EXP.]
Nice! Another great haul. Nolan now had nearly 140,000 Adventure EXP on his character panel.
Unfortunately, even that much experience wasn't enough to level up twice.
Still, he could use it to learn more skills, continuing to upgrade his "Sword God of Lumine" to the next level, gaining more extraordinary traits for it.
Although its "Sword Foundation" trait remained intact and could still absorb the benefits of other skills, there seemed to be no way to upgrade beyond its current level of mastery. That might require the help of his character panel.
After Nolan defeated the strongest adeptal mechanism, the rest were easily dealt with by the three of them.
As for Hu Tao, she narrowly avoided being bitten by several demon-shaped adeptal mechanisms a few times.
Although getting bitten wouldn't have caused her much harm, Nolan still intervened early, shattering the mechanisms before they could reach her.
This won Hu Tao's favor as well, bringing her affection level to [Lv.5 (200/500)].
Once the adeptal mechanisms were cleared, the core at the center of the array continued to function, but there was nothing left for it to control. Destroying the core would deactivate the defensive array.
Just as they were preparing to wrap up, the array beneath their feet suddenly disappeared.
With nowhere to stand, Nolan and the others plummeted through the clouds, falling rapidly!
(End of Chapter)
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