Liyue – Bishui Plain.
After inviting Barbara, Nolan brought her and Noelle via spatial travel. In just a few minutes, they arrived near the location marked by Havria on the map.
They now stood on a main road south of Qingce Village and west of Stone Gate.
Before them stretched a vast lake—so vast that even gazing far into the distance, one could only vaguely make out the opposite shore.
The lake's upstream was directly connected to Fontaine, the origin of all waters, while the downstream flowed straight into the sea.
Even when Nolan unleashed his full spiritual power, he couldn't sense the lake's source.
Such an immense body of water seemed almost like a plain made of water. That must be how the name "Bishui Plain" came about.
A cool breeze drifting over the water lightly lifted the hems of Barbara's and Noelle's skirts, revealing the white and black tights snugly wrapping their soft, slender legs.
"So this is Liyue? What a breathtaking view!"
A look of awe appeared on Noelle's fair face.
"You've never been to Liyue before, Noelle?" Barbara asked as her short, light-blonde ponytail swayed gently. She stepped forward a bit while speaking.
"Mhm. Even though Liyue and Mondstadt are neighboring nations, the journey takes over a month on foot—it's just too far. So I've never been here before," Noelle said as she touched the silver-gray hair beside her cheek, looking a little bashful.
"It's my first time in Liyue too," Barbara said sweetly, then turned to look at Nolan.
"Unlike you, Mr. Honorary Knight, who's already traveled through several countries!"
Nolan confirmed the location, put away the map, and smiled.
"When you're free next time, I'll take you both to visit other nations.
"But for now, let's get ready to enter the domain."
"Where is the domain?"
Noelle and Barbara looked around with a hint of confusion.
There wasn't anything unusual nearby.
"The domain is underwater. Come closer, I'll take you both down with me."
Nolan didn't keep them in suspense. He manipulated the Hydro element to form a large, transparent water bubble that enclosed himself inside.
He then gestured for Noelle and Barbara to come over quickly.
"Mm-hmm!"
They exchanged a glance, guessing that Nolan probably intended to use the bubble like a submersible to take them underwater.
The image of a fairytale-like adventure stirred their excitement, and they jogged happily toward the giant bubble.
Both girls gently reached out to touch the thin membrane of the bubble's surface, a cool sensation passing through their fingertips.
Their shapely legs, encased in tights, stepped forward—and the next moment, both passed through the water's surface.
It felt like being slowly submerged in cool water from the front, yet their clothes remained completely dry.
"A-Amazing Hydro control... If I could do this too, I'd be able to cast healing spells on several injured people at once using Hydro magic!"
Barbara's pale face flushed slightly with excitement.
Even though Noelle didn't have a Hydro Vision, she could still feel the mastery Nolan had over elemental energy.
So she too looked at him with admiration.
Once both girls were standing beside him inside the bubble, Nolan began guiding it slowly downward into the lake and said,
"By the way, the domain is indeed somewhere under this lake, but finding the entrance might still take a little time.
"So instead of just waiting around, how about I teach you both how to practice controlling elemental energy?"
Nolan, who could command several types of elemental and other energy forces, understood that the methods of manipulating energy were fundamentally similar across types.
But whether one could freely control the elemental energy within them—or guide the energy around them—depended on long-term practice and focused training.
Nolan, having a solid grasp of the basics, had no problem giving Noelle and Barbara a simple but effective lesson.
"Really?!"
Both girls exclaimed with surprise and delight. To receive personal guidance from such a powerful Honorary Knight was incredibly valuable to them.
"Of course," Nolan replied, as he slowly sank the large water bubble below the surface. The scenery outside rose gently as they descended together.
Soon, the giant water bubble was completely submerged, and the view outside looked as if a camera lens had been fitted with an underwater filter—beautiful and surreal.
"Mm, thank you, Mr. Adventurer/Honorary Knight!"
The two adorable girls expressed their gratitude.
[Noelle Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (90/900)]
[Barbara Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (200/600)]
...
Beneath the waters of Bishui Plain, while Nolan searched for the domain and explained elemental control techniques to Noelle and Barbara, he simultaneously directed a portion of his attention to the "Sword God" inside the Spiral Abyss.
After exiting the "Abyssal Corridor" yesterday, he had continued guiding the Lumine's Sword God to the second level.
The monsters on the second floor were far more powerful than those on the first, especially compared to their pre-corrupted forms—most were around level 60.
Naturally, the number of adventurers capable of reaching this floor was even smaller.
The Sword God had wandered the second floor for quite some time and had only encountered two adventuring parties. Even upon reaching the depths of the second floor and its teleportation gate, no other groups had appeared.
Powerful adventurers were still a rare breed.
Viewing through the eyes of the Sword God, Nolan observed the second level's depths—not a large hall like the first floor, but a massive garden brimming with verdant greenery.
The monsters stationed here were mostly Dendro Slimes and Whopperflowers, with an average level still hovering around 60.
Upon spotting the Sword God, they wasted no time launching their attacks.
First, the Dendro Slimes tunneled underground and tried to strike from below, while others manipulated surrounding plants in an attempt to bind her.
Unfortunately for them, none of their physical attacks had any effect—each strike passed cleanly through her form, like swatting at empty air.
Golden sword intent gathered in the palm of the Sword God, and in moments, a shimmering golden shortsword materialized.
The instant it appeared, it vanished again.
Golden sword energy flickered—when it reappeared, the blade had already pierced through multiple Dendro Slimes.
Their bodies immediately dissolved into pure Dendro energy, returning to the world and leaving behind only a few bottles of slime condensate.
Adventure EXP +3212
Adventure EXP +3345
Adventure EXP +3114
Seeing this, the Whopperflowers' blue leaves seemed to twitch with rage before they dove underground.
They reappeared near the Sword God, where a large amount of Cryo energy condensed above them, forming icicle spikes.
The icicles shot toward her at machine-gun speed!
However, Nolan didn't bother making the Sword God dodge—these attacks lacked spiritual energy or "intent," and weren't worth evading.
The speed of the sword intent was so fast it looked like a golden thread weaving through the air!
The Whopperflowers had no time to react—they were sliced cleanly in half and fell to the ground on either side.
Adventure EXP +3455
Adventure EXP +3612
Adventure EXP +3463
In no time, all the monsters in the second level's depths were cleared, yielding a total of around 120,000 Adventure EXP.
Along with the monsters defeated along the way, Nolan's character panel now showed experience well over halfway to the next level:
[Adventure EXP: 627,092]
Over 627,000 points—only about 300,000 more to level up!
Feeling a sense of anticipation, Nolan guided the Sword God toward the teleportation gate leading to the third floor of the Abyssal Corridor.
As the Sword God vanished into the gate, the second floor fell silent once more.
The once-rowdy monsters of the garden had now returned to the earth as elemental energy.
A moment later—
A black, star-like dot appeared in the void. Suddenly, it tore open violently from top to bottom, forming a narrow spatial crack.
Then it stretched horizontally, turning into an irregularly shaped teleportation gate.
Two figures—one large, one small—stepped out of the teleportation gate.
The larger figure hovered off the ground, emanating a dark red aura.
Clearly, this was an Abyss Lector, and beside it stood a golden-haired human youth.
"Your Highness, was that your sister just now?"
The tall, crimson figure spoke cautiously, not quite sure of his answer—or perhaps simply too careful not to provoke the youth's ire.
The blonde boy shot the Abyss Lector a glance, resting his hand against his chin in thought before responding:
"That wasn't my sister. Just a sword manifestation created by a certain bastard's will.
If you ever see a black-haired man by my sister's side, make sure to stay away from him.
"He gives me an extremely dangerous feeling—so much so that even the 'Loom of Fate' can't see through him.
"All fates connected to that man—including my sister's—are shrouded by the shadow of a young girl wearing a horned witch's hat, like some sort of astrologer illusion.
"To avoid being detected, the Loom of Fate doesn't even dare to 'weave' his destiny.
He's the greatest enemy of our Order, aside from the Seven Archons themselves.
"Until we're fully prepared, do *not* provoke him."
The Abyss Lector was a bit stunned. He hadn't expected their Prince to be this wary of someone outside the Seven.
Even the enigmatic Loom of Fate was helpless against him.
After a brief silence, the Lector bowed slightly and replied:
"Yes, Your Highness."
After thinking for a moment, it continued: "So... does that mean the arrangement we set up on the first floor was destroyed by him too?"
Aether recalled how his plans in The Chasm had also been mysteriously sabotaged by Nolan, and his mood darkened.
"Forget about that for now. Make sure the plan in Enkanomiya progresses faster. I'm worried that guy will suddenly appear there too."
If Nolan was journeying alongside his sister, then heading to Enkanomiya was only a matter of time.
That place was tied to who he was five hundred years ago... and a destined part of Lumine's journey five hundred years later.
From Mondstadt, then to Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine—the path across all seven nations to gather the elemental powers and reach the journey's end.
He had once traveled to Enkanomiya with Dainsleif, so it was highly likely Lumine would go there as well.
"Yes, Your Highness!" The Abyss Lectir replied respectfully.
---
While the "Sword God" was exploring the third floor of the Spiral Abyss to gain Adventure EXP…
Nolan, Noelle, and Barbara had also finally located the entrance to the underwater domain in Bishui Plain.
Although thousands of years had passed, the position of the domain originally discovered by Havria hadn't changed.
However, over time, the entrance had been buried beneath several meters of silt and underwater debris.
The group observed the riverbed for a while but saw nothing—only after Nolan used his spiritual sense to probe deeper did they manage to uncover the hidden entrance.
After that, it was simple.
He used a touch of his Blue Vortex to create a massive underwater whirlpool, easily sweeping away all the sand and debris covering the entrance.
"This is…?"
Staring at the now-exposed gray stone door, Noelle exclaimed in surprise:
"Could this domain have been left behind by some ancient civilization?"
"I'm not sure either. Let's head in and take a look," Nolan replied, shaking his head at the unfamiliar carvings and symbols on the door.
They looked nothing like anything he'd seen before—perhaps it was a relic of the same ancient culture that built the Spiral Abyss.
He summoned a Sword God and sent her inside to scout ahead.
Through her eyes, he saw that the domain interior was still entirely underwater—with no visible architecture in sight.
Could it be that water from Bishui Plain had somehow leaked in and flooded the whole domain?
That didn't quite make sense. The entrance had just been opened. Even if water was leaking in, it couldn't have flooded the entire space that quickly.
After all, the entry point was small, and the flow rate limited.
Then again, maybe the other side was also a lake or riverbed...
But building a domain entrance underwater still felt a little off.
Nolan considered returning to the Wonderland to consult Havria—but then glanced back at Noelle and Barbara.
Leaving them alone in this dark, submerged place? Not a responsible choice.
Forget it. There didn't seem to be any immediate danger. And as an adventurer, exploring the unknown and discovering the truth—that was his job.
With a slight smile, he turned to Noelle and Barbara and said a few words before the large water bubble slowly descended, heading toward the domain entrance.
Barbara, filled with curiosity, bent her knees and crouched down.
Her semi-transparent white tights, printed with floral patterns, bunched up into soft folds at her knees, her skirt draping gently over her legs.
Staring down into the starry, abyss-like entrance below, she felt like they were slowly being swallowed by the maw of some enormous beast.
A strange fear gripped her. Instinctively, she reached out with her soft, pale hand and clutched tightly onto the Honorary Knight's pant leg.
Then shut her eyes—unable to keep looking.
Nolan glanced at her and couldn't help but feel a little amused.
Noelle would never be this easily scared, he thought—
—only to glance over and find that Noelle, too, had her eyes tightly shut, clutching at the hem of his tunic with her gauntleted hand.
...Well then.
Clearly, their adventuring experience still needed some work.
With time, they'd improve.
As Nolan thought this, the large water bubble descended into the domain entrance. In the next instant, a burst of light shone through.
(End of Chapter)
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