[Blessing of the Starry Sky: Gain the guidance of the stars. Within a radius equal to (the sum of both users' levels) kilometers, the surrounding region will be mapped out, revealing the exact positions of friendly entities, hostile targets, treasures, and other objects whose energy levels are below (the sum of both users' levels). When used in conjunction with other skills, additional detailed information can be displayed.]
Nolan examined the information about this new Affection Skill. From the description, it was clearly a mapping-type ability.
It could display everything within a certain range — and when used together with Fischl's and the Yae Miko's Affection Skills, he could even analyze objects and lifeforms without having to see them directly.
Being able to mark so much information at once was incredibly convenient.
Nolan was quite satisfied with this ability — it was basically like having a mini-map from a game, but far more powerful.
After all, in most games even the mini-map wouldn't bother marking treasure chests, whereas with Blessing of the Starry Sky, any treasure within range — no matter how well hidden — would be instantly revealed.
Nolan activated the skill.
At once, a luminous map drawn from countless starlights unfolded before him.
Everything within a radius of over a hundred kilometers was projected in perfect scale on the starmap, which he could zoom in and out freely — even to see underground structures if he wished.
Pedestrians were displayed as green dots, signifying friendliness. Buildings were shown as white icons.
Outside of Sumeru City, several red markers blinked — indicating monsters, hostile and dangerous.
Nolan tapped one of the red markers, triggering both Amy's and the Yae Miko's Affection Skills.
Instantly, information streamed back to him:
[Level: 3]
[Dendro Slime: A common monster of Teyvat, formed by elemental sedimentation. Possesses the power of Dendro and enjoys burrowing underground to ambush passing travelers.]
To be able to identify it from such a distance — truly convenient.
After testing the new skill briefly, Nolan turned to see Mona and Layla still deep in discussion over academic theories.
He checked the time — nearly seven o'clock in the evening — and smiled.
"Layla, why don't you have dinner with us? That way you and Mona can continue your discussion afterward."
"Ah, that's true," Mona nodded. "Layla, would you like to join us for dinner?"
"N-No, it's alright, really! I can just cook something for myself." Layla waved her hands shyly.
But right on cue, her stomach growled loudly.
After all, they had spent the whole day traveling and observing, and Layla had been mentally exhausted from research — her belly was long since empty.
Hearing her own stomach's protest, Layla flushed red and lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Haha, don't be shy," Mona chuckled softly, taking Layla's hand and glancing toward Nolan. "Well? Aren't you going to open the door already?"
"Alright." Nolan, catching her hint to assist the 'matchmaking,' cooperatively opened the Wonderland Space portal and led both girls inside.
"Eh—" Layla was still caught in her flustered mood, but when she came to her senses, she found herself standing in a spacious, unfamiliar living room.
"Since you're hungry," Nolan said with a smile, "Mona, keep Layla company while I help with dinner — it'll be faster that way."
He headed into the kitchen, where Noelle was already preparing the meal, assisted by Lumine and Paimon.
"Hey, you're back!" Paimon waved cheerfully. Lumine and Noelle greeted him warmly as well.
"Yeah," Nolan nodded, kissing Lumine and Noelle lightly on the cheek before rolling up his sleeves to help Noelle wash the vegetables. Glancing toward Lumine and Paimon, he asked:
"So, how did it go? You two were in Fontaine helping Navia investigate a case, right? Any results?"
With his help, the dinner preparations sped up significantly.
"Heh, of course there are results!" Paimon puffed out her chest proudly. "When the great detective Paimon takes the case, the truth always comes to light!"
"The process was a bit complicated," Lumine added as she stirred the soup, "but in the end, we did uncover the real culprit."
"That day, we went to question the two merchants who sell Clockwork Mekas — we wanted to know who had ordered such a large batch recently. At first, they refused to talk, citing client confidentiality."
"So Navia, Paimon, and I went to find Chevreuse and brought her along. Once we said it was for a major investigation, the merchants finally caved."
"They revealed that the buyer's name was Marcel, chairman of the Cabriales Trading Company — interestingly enough, he's someone who watched Navia grow up."
"Oh?" Nolan raised a brow. "Don't tell me he's the culprit behind the 'Serial Disappearance of Young Girls' case?"
Lumine nodded gravely. "Exactly. Navia's butler, Mailles, had been keeping records of the clues that her father, Callas, had gathered before his death. Those clues already pointed toward a few possible masterminds."
"And among those suspects, Marcel was one — and the only one with enough financial power to purchase so many Clockwork Mekas for an attack."
"So we focused our investigation on him, even tailing him in secret — and eventually, we found undeniable proof."
"Marcel had a hidden research base, full of experiment data and notes detailing his use of the Primordial Sea Water for human experiments."
Lumine's tone darkened.
"Human experiments?" Nolan frowned, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
To use Primordial Sea Water on humans — it wasn't hard to imagine what that meant. The missing girls must have been transformed back into pure water spirits, merging with the sea.
"Yes." Lumine met his gaze. "Do you remember that pure water spirit we encountered in the Fountain of Lucine, the one that kept whispering the name 'Vacher'?"
"…Don't tell me that Marcel is that 'Vacher'?"
"That's right. We found a number of letters in his secret base — all written by women to someone named Vacher."
"Chevreuse had previously investigated many men named Vacher, but none of them seemed suspicious. However, after we discovered so many letters addressed to that name in Marcel's base, we realized the connection."
"It linked him directly to the very first victim in the disappearance cases from over twenty years ago — a young woman whose lover… was named Vacher."
Lumine's voice was calm but heavy as she slowly laid out the truth.
It turned out that more than twenty years ago, a young foreigner named Vacher had been adventuring with his Fontaine lover.
During one of their expeditions, he personally witnessed his girlfriend, Vigneire, being accidentally dissolved by the Primordial Sea Water.
Unable to accept her death, Vacher began conducting human experiments on young girls in a desperate attempt to bring her back. To cover his tracks, he destroyed everything connected to the name "Vacher," erasing his past completely.
He left Fontaine, traveled abroad, and later returned under the false identity of Merchant Marcel, beginning his twisted plan anew.
"I see… and in the end, was he convicted?"
Nolan now understood the situation fully. He hadn't expected such a tragic and obsessive tale—someone who, blinded by delusion, chose to kill others for his own desire.
Such a man deserved no sympathy.
If Vacher had merely studied the Primordial Sea Water without harming anyone, Nolan might have respected him—
After all, without any supernatural power, he'd persevered for over twenty years, driven purely by will, trying to find a way to bring his lover back.
From that perspective alone, it was almost admirable.
But, unfortunately, Vacher's obsession had crossed the line into madness.
"Yes," Lumine nodded, "we captured him right in his secret base. He was judged at the Opera House, and of course, found guilty in the end.
"And when he was being escorted away, as he passed by the Fountain of Lucine, the collective will of the victims whose lives he had stolen dragged out his soul on the spot. He died instantly."
"So justice was served," Nolan said, deeply satisfied.
It was a pity that he'd been so busy these past few days—if he'd joined Lumine and the others in investigating, the case might've been solved even sooner.
With his level of mental perception, not a single clue would've escaped him. Letting a criminal like that live even a few extra days felt too merciful.
"Anyway, you can hear the rest of the details later," Lumine added. "Oh, right—Furina said she's finally decided on your reward. She wants you to visit her tomorrow."
"Oh? I'm a little curious now."
Nolan remembered that Furina had indeed promised him a reward—mainly for defeating the All-Devouring Narwhal and resolving Fontaine's crisis, at least for the time being.
She'd been thinking for days about what to give him. Hopefully it would be something good—perhaps even an honorary knighthood title.
That would mean another achievement unlocked!
---
Within the Wonderland Space — Main Hall
Dinner was ready before long. Nolan and the others began bringing out the dishes one by one.
Sitting on the sofa, Layla looked extremely nervous.
She hadn't expected the adventurer's home to be so lively—there were so many people here, and every single one of them was a beautiful girl.
Even more overwhelming, these strangers were all so friendly, coming over to greet her warmly, which made her a bit uncomfortable at first.
Luckily, with Mona beside her, she managed to stay composed.
Nolan chuckled softly at her flustered expression, placing a plate on the table.
"Don't worry, everyone here's easy to get along with. I'll introduce you to them properly later."
Now that she was here, he was already planning how to persuade Layla to stay in the Wonderland Space permanently—
After all, her affection toward him had already reached its maximum level, meaning deep down, she certainly wouldn't reject the idea.
The key was just finding the right approach.
Girls, after all, had their sense of modesty.
Even if their hearts said one thing, their mouths might say another.
If he was too blunt, she'd get shy and refuse.
So he'd start subtly—let her get to know everyone here, make her comfortable and familiar with the atmosphere first.
Once she relaxed, the next steps would come naturally.
Then Mona could bring her into the lab for some stargazing and academic discussion.
Like most scholars, once Layla got absorbed in research, she'd forget about everything else.
When night came, he could casually say something like,
"It's already so late—why not stay the night?"
Do that a few times, and once she got used to the environment, it would be easy to invite her to move in completely.
After all, the quality of rest in the Wonderland Space was far superior to the outside world—
Once Layla got used to sleeping here, she might not even be able to fall asleep elsewhere.
Nolan smiled to himself at the thought.
"Um… a-alright then."
Layla rested her hands on her lap, nervously tugging at the fabric of her white tights.
She had wanted to politely decline, but worried that doing so might make her seem arrogant, so she quickly changed her answer.
"Alright then, let's eat first," Nolan said with a nod.
Meals in the Wonderland Space were always lavish.
Nolan was long past worrying about Mora—whenever a girl came to visit, there was never any fear of poor hospitality.
Soon, everyone took their seats around the tables and began eating.
Since there were so many people, they had to separate across a few tables—too big, and it was hard to reach the food; too small, and there weren't enough seats.
The girls sitting with Layla already knew she'd likely be staying here in the future, so they were especially warm and welcoming, introducing themselves one by one and chatting with her about casual things—
where she was from, her studies, her hobbies, and so on.
They made sure the conversation never fell silent, and that Layla didn't fade into the background.
Otherwise, if she thought no one liked her, it'd reflect poorly on Nolan's hospitality.
Thankfully, the girls understood such feelings well—especially between fellow women.
Even those who appeared shy and reserved, like Sucrose or Barbara, would feel a bit hurt if ignored.
Layla was no different.
Before long, dinner was over.
Layla sipped her tea, soothing her throat, and finally relaxed when the stream of questions ended.
It was her first time chatting with so many people at once—a little overwhelming, but strangely, not unpleasant.
During the post-dinner lull, Nolan introduced her to the rest of the residents, and Layla also shared a bit about herself.
Before anyone realized it, she was already blending naturally into the Wonderland's warm atmosphere.
Seeing that she got along so well with everyone, Nolan couldn't help feeling pleased — the plan was progressing perfectly.
A few minutes later, Mona took Layla to her laboratory to review and discuss the insights they'd gained from observing the stars that day.
Nolan, not wanting to disturb them, redirected his attention toward the Sword Gods stationed on Baihuang Star.
He was only a bit short of Adventure EXP for his next level —
it was about time to grind a little more.
(End of Chapter)
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