Fontaine, Lumidouce Harbor.
The sun had already set, leaving only a faint afterglow in the sky… night was drawing near.
Yet even at this twilight hour, one corner of the harbor was still lively.
Nolan and his companions, curious, wandered closer.
"Miss Navia, thanks to you and your Spina di Rosula just now, those fellows failed to sneak into Fontaine!"
Amid the crowd, a pink-haired girl in a red hat held up a camera, aiming it at a woman beneath a wide black hat who also carried a parasol.
Beneath that black hat spilled long golden curls.
From the looks of things, someone had just attempted to enter Fontaine illegally, but was exposed by the blonde lady. The pink-haired girl—likely a reporter—was now conducting an interview.
That was Nolan's guess.
Events quickly confirmed it.
"Our members at Spina di Rosula are professionals in every regard. For petty crooks like these, we can spot them at a glance.
"If anyone faces trouble, please don't hesitate to seek help from our trained personnel."
The golden-haired young lady seized the opportunity to promote her organization.
"Haha, of course, Miss Navia. If anything serious comes up, we'll be sure to look for your Spina di Rosula!"
So spoke the bystanders.
Everyone knew Spina di Rosula was a guild spanning many trades, occasionally cooperating with the authorities.
Like tonight—when manpower ran short, they patrolled Lumidouce Harbor in place of the soldiers.
That the government trusted them made the people trust them as well.
The pink-haired reporter asked a few more questions, then wrapped up the interview.
With that, the crowd gradually dispersed.
"I've heard Fontainians love liveliness and theater—it really is true. Just a simple interview, and so many people came to watch.
"What, did they expect something dramatic to happen?"
Paimon spread her hands.
"But weren't we curious too? People just like excitement," Lumine smiled.
"Uh… when you put it that way, I guess so." Paimon scratched her head.
"Alright, the boat's nearly here. Let's get going, or we'll have to stay the night."
Ahead, a ship was slowly gliding into the dock along the waterway. It had no sails—most likely powered by a reciprocating hybrid engine.
"Mhm." Lumine and Paimon both nodded.
They could return to the Wonderland at any time, so staying the night didn't matter.
Still, they needed to reach the Court of Fontaine eventually; better to catch this ship than not.
Just as they turned to buy tickets—
"Ah!"
A surprised cry came from behind.
They turned to see the pink-haired reporter again. She was staring at them with delight, hurrying over:
"Could it be—you're the legendary adventurers, Nolan and Lumine, and the little flying companion?!"
"What the—why don't Paimon have a name?!"
Paimon puffed her cheeks in protest.
"Hehe, I know! You're Paimon, right?" the girl laughed.
Nolan knew their fame preceded them. Being recognized by someone in the press was only natural. He nodded.
"That's right. May I ask what you need from us?"
"It really is you—wonderful!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed.
[Charlotte Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (20/300).]
The prompt appearing on his interface didn't surprise Nolan.
As a well-known legendary adventurer with countless good deeds to his name, most people, even if not fond of him, would not dislike him.
And once they met in person, a good first impression often blossomed into genuine goodwill.
The pink-haired girl parted her cherry lips, excitement in her tone:
"Hello, I'm Charlotte, a reporter for The Steambird. I've heard you're traveling the Seven Nations, leaving behind incredible feats wherever you go.
"I've always hoped for an exclusive interview with you. That would be the biggest headline ever—guaranteed front page of The Steambird!
"To think I'd go out today and not only meet President Navia of Spina di Rosula, but also you! This must be my lucky day!"
Charlotte could practically see a blockbuster story waving her over. As far as she knew, Nolan and Lumine had been written about before, but had never granted anyone an exclusive interview.
If she could land one, the report would no doubt become the very definition of a big scoop.
This was a chance she could not afford to miss.
Behind her, Navia noticed Charlotte—who had just been interviewing her—abandoning her without even a goodbye to rush over to someone else. A tinge of jealousy stirred, and her curiosity toward Nolan and his group deepened.
She strode forward, her black knee-high stiletto boots clicking crisply against the stone.
Just in time to hear the little white floating creature shaking her head:
"Ugh, let's skip the interview. It's already so late, we'll miss the last ship to the Court of Fontaine."
Nolan, however, was quite interested in an interview.
After all, appearing in the papers would spread his name even wider, and the more renown, the more Spirituality he could gather. But admittedly, it was getting late.
He was about to suggest arranging another time when Navia arrived.
She too recognized them immediately.
As the president of Spina di Rosula, she frequently dealt with Charlotte from The Steambird.
After every interview, Charlotte would always rush over days later with the paper featuring Spina di Rosula's coverage.
Thus Navia was well aware of the paper's stories.
She remembered that long ago The Steambird had reported on the adventurers who repelled the Stormterror attack on Mondstadt.
Later, they had even helped drive back an ancient demon god at Liyue Harbor. That adventurer named Nolan… he had even faced a strike from the Raiden Shogun in Inazuma.
Such a remarkable legendary adventurer—of course Navia recognized him. In fact, anyone who read the paper regularly would.
No wonder Charlotte was so excited—she lived for chasing big news. An exclusive interview with two legendary adventurers and their little companion? Of course she'd be thrilled.
Navia, for her part, was inclined to help. After all, Charlotte often gave Spina di Rosula some free publicity.
So she smiled gracefully and said to Nolan and the others:
"Ladies and gentlemen, Charlotte is a legend in the press world, winner of Fontaine's highest media honor, the Lavirel Prize, many times over.
"Legendary heroes with a legendary journalist—if you accept her interview, the story might set Fontaine ablaze.
"Plenty of merchants would line up asking you for endorsements; you'd be so rich you'd never have to worry about mora again!"
"Eh, really?!"
Paimon's eyes went wide, her starry pupils sparkling like she could already see piles of mora.
Food required mora, after all—and that was what she cared most about! Lumine cast her an exasperated glance. For her, the interview didn't matter either way; she turned to Nolan.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"Well… sure, we can. But let's set another time. Right now isn't ideal."
Nolan agreed easily.
Endorsements didn't interest him—he already had shares in the Sweet Flower Merchant Association, and mora was no longer a concern.
"Really?!" Charlotte nearly burst with joy. "That's wonderful! Please, tell me when you're free—I can come interview you anytime!"
[Charlotte Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 380 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (100/400).]
Her feelings toward Nolan deepened further.
Navia, too, felt pleased. She had spoken up for Charlotte, and the adventurers had agreed—she sensed genuine respect from them, and goodwill bloomed in her heart.
[Navia Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (0/300).]
Seeing two affection prompts appear back-to-back, Nolan's mood lifted. He turned to the pink-haired girl:
"As for the interview, how about tomorrow? We're heading to the Court of Fontaine next. We can meet there.
"This is our first time in Fontaine, so we're not familiar with the city. Miss Charlotte, you can pick the location."
"Mm-hmm, no problem." Charlotte nodded eagerly. "In that case, leave it to me! Our Steambird has dedicated interview rooms—you can just come to the newspaper office tomorrow.
"And since this is your first visit to Fontaine, you'll need a guide, right? As thanks for the interview, I'll accompany you for the next few days to help you get familiar!"
As a reporter, she was always out and about chasing stories and uncovering truths. Guiding them wouldn't slow her down.
"Hehe, then we'll trouble you for that, Miss Charlotte," Paimon said cheerfully.
By then the boat was ready to depart. Nolan and his group hurried to buy tickets. Charlotte and Navia were also bound for the Court of Fontaine, so they came along.
When purchasing tickets, Navia generously paid for Nolan and his companions as well.
She said she was simply happy to make new friends.
She even bought two extra tickets—for her butler and attendant. They were escorting the captured stowaways to Lumidouce Harbor's temporary holding cell and would return shortly.
With tickets in hand, Nolan's group boarded the ship. Just before it set off, Navia's attendants finally returned.
One was an elderly man with a head of white hair but still sharp in spirit—this was her butler, Melus. The other, far younger, was a navy-haired man named Silver.
Both wore black suits and hats, glasses on their faces—Melus with round frames, Silver with dark shades.
Aboard the ship to the Court of Fontaine, introductions were exchanged.
The journey would take several hours, so they passed the time learning from Charlotte and Navia about Fontaine—its culture, geography, history, and current affairs.
Nolan found the conversation easy and engaging, without a single awkward pause.
By around nine that evening, they finally reached the Court of Fontaine. After disembarking, Navia, her butler, and her attendant took their leave—they had a commission fee to collect.
Seeing how late it was, Charlotte offered to help them find an inn.
But Nolan and his companions declined politely. With the Wonderland, they had no need to waste mora on lodging.
Instead, they asked Charlotte to simply show them the way to the Steambird office, so they wouldn't risk being late tomorrow.
Once there, they said their farewells and slipped back into the Wonderland.
At this hour, most inside were already bathing or asleep. Before seeking out the girls for cultivation, Nolan planned to first check on the Great True Stinger.
Opportunities to farm such vast amounts of Adventure EXP were rare. If it slipped away, it would be a huge loss.
The sea of stars was vast—it wasn't easy to find another farming spot so lucrative.
To be safe, he cloaked himself in his Stealth Domain before going, reducing the risk of detection.
After all, he still couldn't defeat the giant stinger outright.
His stealth skills had reached their current peak; to push beyond the divine-tier into the world-tier, as he had with swordsmanship, would be a difficult, troublesome task.
That required at least two additional divine-tier stealth skills.
But there was another option: integrating Domain of Objective Illusory Shadows into the world-tier skill Lumine's Musou.
That old "Sword Foundation" trait still retained its usefulness.
If he fused the stealth skill into it, stealth would become part of Lumine's Musou—thus attaining a world-tier essence.
Though divine-tier stealth already left no risk of detection, strengthening it further could only help.
Nolan began merging the two skills:
Domain of Objective Illusory Shadows · Divine Lv.10 (Unobservable State) + Lumine's Musou · World Lv.10 (Starsea Manifestation, Boundless) → Lumine's Musou · World Lv.10 (Void Starsea Manifestation, Boundless)
(End of Chapter)