Chapter 382: Vision Hunt Ceremony (2-in-1 Chapter)

The power to manipulate time?!

Nolan's eyes widened in disbelief. Could this be real? His luck was almost too good to be true! Could it be that Lisa was his goddess of fortune?

At his current level, the ability to pause an opponent's time for even one second would be enough to turn the tide of any battle.

The so-called Rose Witch's Time Hourglass—honestly, it might as well be renamed "Invincibility"! Though, he admitted, the original name sounded far more elegant.

Feeling elated, Nolan glanced at Lisa's beautiful sleeping face and couldn't resist planting a light kiss on her lips.

Lisa stirred slightly at the sensation, instinctively pursing her lips. Her arms tightened around his shoulders, but she remained fast asleep.

Nolan smiled faintly and shifted his attention back to the newly acquired affection skill. While the skill's description seemed accurate, he needed to test it out to fully understand its practical effects.

With that in mind, Nolan activated the skill.

Above him, a phantom hourglass wrapped in purple roses materialized, hovering gently in the air.

At this moment, the skill wasn't fully activated yet—all the sand was still settled at the bottom of the hourglass. It would only truly activate once the hourglass was inverted.

With a thought, Nolan willed the hourglass to turn over.

A single purple grain of sand began to fall from the top, and in that instant, Nolan understood the mechanics of the skill.

He could control time freely for one second. Only after using that second would the next grain of sand begin to fall.

It was also possible to stack the effect by allowing multiple grains of sand to fall at once, granting him additional time to manipulate.

However, Nolan quickly realized that the extent of his time manipulation was tied to his own strength.

In other words, he couldn't stop time for the entire world. Instead, he could specify the range of time control. The larger the area, the more energy it consumed; conversely, the smaller the range, the less energy it required. This was straightforward enough to grasp.

Looking around Lisa's room, Nolan's gaze settled on a wall-mounted clock.

The hour hand was pointing to "7," the minute hand to "1."

7:05.

The second hand ticked steadily toward the "12" mark. Nolan locked onto the clock as his target.

As soon as the second hand struck "12," time began to reverse…

The second hand, which should have moved to "1," instead rewound to "11," as if playing a video in reverse.

The range of this reversal was limited to the size of the clock face, and the clock itself wasn't a high-energy object.

Rewinding its time by one second consumed barely any energy—so little, in fact, that the consumption was almost imperceptible, and whatever energy was used regenerated almost instantly.

This ability to manipulate time was undoubtedly extraordinary, though the duration was somewhat limited.

Thanks to the "Harmony Energy" boost, Lisa had recently leveled up from 79 to 80.

At level 80, Lisa contributed 80 grains of purple sand. Combined with Nolan's own 90 levels, the hourglass held a total of 170 grains of sand.

This meant he could manipulate time for a maximum of 170 seconds. While it wasn't an unlimited duration, Nolan was satisfied. After all, the ability could be reused after the cooldown period.

Having roughly figured out how to use the skill, Nolan decided to put further testing on hold.

After all, what could be more important than snuggling up with two lovely women?

A little while later, Lisa and Jean began to stir. Lisa chuckled softly at the playful movements of Nolan's hands beneath the blanket, while Jean frowned in mild annoyance and tried to swat his hands away.

Nolan only laughed and pulled them both closer.

That morning, both the Acting Grand Master and the librarian ended up arriving late to their duties—an unusual occurrence likely explained by "unforeseen circumstances."

---

Inazuma City, Residential District

In a secluded corner, Rosalyne stood with a displeased expression, glaring at Nolan. However, due to the influence of the Command Seals, she had no choice but to report her recent activities to him.

Her expression was one of reluctance, but her lips moved naturally as she spoke:

"After the incident on Yashiori Island, neither the Balladeer nor the Doctor suspected anything when I successfully escaped and returned to the Fatui's Inazuma City base. After all, it's impossible for me to be swayed or betray the Tsaritsa."

This much was true. Even now, Rosalyne's loyalty to the Tsaritsa remained unwavering.

The only problem was that she couldn't stop herself from revealing these secrets.

Nolan wasn't particularly bothered by this and continued his questioning:

"With the Delusion Factory gone, it seems you've lost the ability to influence the resistance. So, what are you up to in Inazuma City?"

After leaving the Knights of Favonius women's dormitory earlier that morning, Nolan had teleported to Inazuma. He planned to meet up with Lumine and the others later to visit Yoimiya.

After familiarizing himself with the city, he intended to meet with Thoma in the afternoon.

It seems like things are a bit busy.

Since I've already teleported here to check on the "Lady" (La Signora), I might as well ask her about the recent activities and plans of the Fatui.

"Yes. Without being able to manipulate the Resistance, we're left with only one option: trying to offer something that might interest the Raiden Shogun in exchange for her Gnosis.

"If that doesn't work, we'll continue secretly promoting Delusions, causing chaos in Inazuma. That way, we'll have a chance to take control of the nation and use it as leverage to force the Raiden Shogun to hand over the Gnosis."

Rosalyne explained this matter-of-factly, though her tone betrayed her irritation.

Nolan nodded slightly, now understanding their intentions.

The idea of the Fatui secretly controlling Inazuma wasn't impossible—it was hinted at in the original story, where both the Tenryou Commission and the Kanjou Commission were entangled with the Fatui. Only the Yashiro Commission appeared to remain untouched.

It wouldn't be a stretch for the Fatui to manipulate Inazuma from the shadows. However, now that their attempt to exploit the internal strife in Inazuma has failed, their plans to threaten the Shogun are also rendered moot.

Charging into Tenshukaku to seize the Gnosis outright isn't an option.

The only path left to them is negotiation.

As for why they didn't attempt negotiations from the start, it's likely because the Fatui believed the odds of successfully trading for the Gnosis were slim.

Unlike the Geo Archon, Raiden Shogun isn't one to be swayed by worldly goods. The only thing that could interest her is "Eternity."

However, the Fatui might not be able to offer something equivalent in value to her pursuit of Eternity. Hence, they figured causing chaos in Inazuma and leveraging it against the Shogun would be a better approach.

Now that the Delusion Factory has been destroyed, the Fatui have no choice but to try negotiating first.

If that fails, they'll likely rebuild a Delusion Factory in secret to continue their plans of manipulating Inazuma.

After all, threatening the Raiden Shogun with the well-being of her nation is likely the best way to obtain the Gnosis. Her pursuit of Eternity is more for the sake of Inazuma than for herself.

That said, aren't the Fatui afraid of angering the Shogun to the point where she slashes them all down in a fit of rage? Even the Tsaritsa wouldn't be able to protect them then.

"Alright, I get it. Are all three Harbingers currently in Inazuma City?"

Nolan asked again.

If both Scaramouche and Dottore were present in Inazuma City, it could complicate things.

Those two don't seem like the type to sit idle—they're definitely up to something behind the scenes.

"No. We're working on a two-pronged strategy. I'm here in Inazuma City attempting to negotiate with the Raiden Shogun, while Scaramouche and Dottore are preparing to rebuild the Delusion Factory elsewhere."

Rosalyne crossed her arms as she spoke.

"I see. So, they don't have much faith in the negotiations working out," Nolan remarked with a slight smirk.

"Do you know their exact location?"

Nolan was considering whether to cause some trouble for them.

"No. They haven't found a suitable domain to build the factory yet," Rosalyne replied with a shake of her head.

"Alright then. If the Fatui plan any major actions in the future, use the 'Waymark' to notify us," Nolan said.

He didn't intend to have the Lady go probing for their whereabouts—there was no need to risk exposing her cover.

After gathering the information he wanted, Nolan left the area under the concealment of his "Form Concealment" skill and headed toward the Naganohara Fireworks shop.

Along the way, Lumine and Paimon emerged from the "Wonderland" to join him in visiting Yoimiya.

It didn't take long for them to reach the Naganohara Fireworks shop.

From a distance, they saw Yoimiya playing with some children nearby, handing out candy to them.

"Hi, Yoimiya!" Paimon waved enthusiastically to greet her.

"Oh, Paimon, Lumine, and Nolan! You're all here!" Yoimiya's golden eyes seemed to light up upon seeing them.

"Yoimiya really seems like the leader of the kids," Lumine said with a smile, observing Yoimiya surrounded by the children.

"Mhm! Big Sis Yoimiya is the best! She always gives us tasty treats!" one of the kids exclaimed excitedly, his words muffled by the candy in his mouth.

"Hey, what did I say about talking while eating? You'll choke!" Yoimiya scolded playfully, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes, Big Sis Yoimiya!" The kids obediently responded, though they continued munching on their candy, causing Yoimiya to sigh in exasperation.

"Hehe, Big Sis Yoimiya, I want some snacks too!" Paimon couldn't help but ask after hearing about all the treats Yoimiya gave the kids.

"Classic Paimon," Nolan chuckled.

Even Lumine couldn't help but give Paimon a disapproving look.

"Haha, sure thing! Once we tour the city, I'll treat you to some of Inazuma's unique snacks!" Yoimiya laughed cheerfully.

"Alright, let's head out now!" Paimon pumped her tiny fists into the air, clearly excited and ready to go.

"Sure." Yoimiya nodded gently before turning to the kids. "Okay, kids, Big Sis Yoimiya has to go out with her friends for a while. Go play on your own now."

"Okay, Big Sis Yoimiya!"

The kids, understanding that she had other things to do, quickly scattered to play on their own.

"Alright, let's go." Yoimiya smiled warmly and added, "Let's start by exploring the busy commercial street where the street vendors gather."

"Hehe, sounds good!" Paimon exclaimed happily.

Nolan and Lumine had no objections, and the group began their tour of Inazuma City.

…

Inazuma City was vast, and it was impossible for Yoimiya to show Nolan and the others around in a short time.

They strolled through some of the more well-known streets nearby.

The one who gained the most from the excursion was undoubtedly glutton Paimon, who stuffed herself with takoyaki, dango, and spicy seaweed, ending up with a round, full belly and her mouth glistening with oil.

Of course, Nolan and Lumine also tried a few Inazuman specialties under Yoimiya's guidance.

As they wandered the streets with great enthusiasm, they overheard passersby discussing an event at the Statue of the Omnipresent God's plaza—the "Vision Hunt Ceremony" for the hundredth Vision bearer.

This "Vision Hunt Ceremony" was held to showcase the progress of the Vision Hunt Decree to the public.

What's more, Raiden Shogun herself would personally participate, seizing the Vision of the hundredth Vision bearer found under the decree and embedding it into the statue.

And the unlucky hundredth Vision bearer turned out to be someone Nolan and his group knew well—Thoma!

"What?! Did I hear that right? Thoma has been captured by the Shogunate troops?!"

Paimon stared in shock at the backs of the two pedestrians who had just passed by, discussing the "Vision Hunt Ceremony."

"This 'Vision Hunt Ceremony' has been publicized for a while now. They announced that once they found the hundredth Vision bearer, the ceremony would be held at the Statue of the Omnipresent God. Is this hundredth Vision bearer a friend of yours?"

Yoimiya looked at Nolan and the others curiously.

"That's right! When we first arrived at Ritou, we almost got scammed out of millions of Mora by those officials. It was Thoma who helped us sort everything out!"

Paimon nodded firmly.

"We should go take a look. If it really is Thoma, we have to find a way to get him out of there," Lumine said seriously, her expression grim as she looked to Nolan for his opinion.

She wasn't about to stand by while her friend had their Vision taken.

"Alright, let's head to the Statue of the Omnipresent God's plaza and see what's happening. But if Raiden Shogun is there, we can't act recklessly."

Nolan understood the story's events and knew this was bound to happen.

He just hadn't expected it to happen on their very first day here. Originally, he had planned to meet Thoma today and warn him in advance, but it was already too late.

That said, the game didn't specify the exact date of the event, so there was no way he could have known it would be today.

Even so, he wasn't about to let Lumine recklessly risk herself to save Thoma, as had happened in the original story. After all, losing one's Vision only meant forgetting one's ambition; it could always be retrieved later.

For example, once the Shogun left, he could simply use his invisibility to sneak up to the statue and take Thoma's Vision back for him.

But attempting to rescue Thoma in front of the Shogun, even if they succeeded as in the original story, would lead to them being hunted as fugitives. And if they failed, things would be even worse.

Both he and Lumine could end up as part of the statue!

Raiden Shogun was a god, A faking Archon, after all, and he couldn't guarantee they could escape her grasp. It was better to play it safe.

"Alright." Lumine nodded lightly.

Though she had a kind heart and couldn't stand to see her friend suffer, she also understood that she wasn't a match for a Archon. Reckless actions were out of the question.

Nolan smiled.

It seemed that after spending so much time with him, Lumine had picked up on his cautious nature.

Having decided to check on Thoma, Nolan and the others followed Yoimiya's lead and headed toward the Statue of the Omnipresent God's plaza.

(End of Chapter)

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