Chapter 403: The Floating Stone (2-in-1 Chapter)

Mt. Aocang

The azure sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds, scattering like mist and allowing sunlight to shine through unobstructed.

Shenhe, who was practicing adeptal arts outside the Domain of Cloud Retainer, suddenly saw Nolan appear before her, holding Hu Tao and Yun Jin in his arms.

Her frosty brows furrowed slightly as she stepped forward, pushing Yun Jin and Hu Tao aside, claiming Nolan for herself.

Feeling the soft yet firm pressure against his chest, Nolan lightly patted Shenhe's snow-white, smooth back, visible beneath her sleek black bodysuit.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Uh, Shenhe, could you relax a bit? I'm having trouble breathing."

"Hmm, next time you want a hug, just ask me directly," Shenhe replied calmly, gazing at Nolan as she nodded.

[Shenhe Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 270 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (500/700)]

"Alright, got it."

Nolan gently brushed his hand through Shenhe's silky silver hair.

Meanwhile, Hu Tao crossed her arms, her hands resting on her soft waist, and looked at Shenhe with some dissatisfaction. Hugging was fine, but why push them aside?

Yun Jin, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. She understood Shenhe's straightforward nature and didn't take it personally.

"By the way, we're here to head to the 'Sea Gazer's Abode' from last time to retrieve the Floating Stone. Let's go together," Nolan said with a smile.

"Alright. I'll go into the domain and inform my master first," Shenhe replied, blinking her beautiful eyes as she prepared to enter the adeptal domain to speak with Cloud Retainer.

"No need!"

At that moment, a cold snort echoed from the sky. A mystical crane with an air of adeptal grace perched atop a high rock.

Glancing at Nolan, the crane said, "Ever since Shenhe met a certain flirtatious fellow, she hasn't been able to focus on her cultivation. Her mind is filled with thoughts of that scoundrel. Fine, go ahead and leave the mountain; it's better than wasting time here!"

"Master…" Shenhe lowered her head slightly, looking away.

"Hey, Cloud Retainer, long time no see," Nolan said cheerfully, waving at the crane despite being called out for his flirtatious nature.

If his strength weren't sufficient, he might have worried about Cloud Retainer trying to separate him and Shenhe. But now? It was hard to say who would come out on top, and it certainly wouldn't be him losing.

Perhaps Cloud Retainer had also realized this. Although she felt a bit annoyed by Nolan's flirty nature, Shenhe's genuine feelings for him were undeniable.

There wasn't much she could do. After all, it was largely thanks to him that Shenhe had regained a semblance of human emotion.

Cloud Retainer's opinion of Nolan wasn't bad overall. He was more than worthy of Shenhe—except for his flirtatious tendencies, which made her angry just thinking about it.

With a disgruntled "hmph," she flapped her wings and flew away.

"Why does that rascal's strength keep growing so quickly? He even gives off a faint sense of danger now. If it weren't for that, I'd have given him a good beating!" she muttered as she left.

"That adeptus flew off," Yun Jin remarked in surprise.

"Well, someone here just can't control themselves," Hu Tao said, giving Nolan a disdainful look.

"Ahem, let's not dwell on that. Our goal now is to retrieve the Floating Stone and deliver it to Ningguang," Nolan said, coughing lightly to change the subject.

"The Sea Gazer's Abode is pretty far from here. We should hurry," Yun Jin agreed with a nod.

"Don't worry. This time, I'll use sword-flight to take us there. If we're quick, we can return to Liyue Harbor by noon," Nolan said as he pulled out his Moonlight Greatsword.

"Can that sword carry all four of us?" Hu Tao asked, eyeing the large sword hovering in midair with some doubt.

"Of course, as long as we stick close together."

The Moonlight Greatsword's blade was wide and long enough to accommodate four people. Nolan was confident it wouldn't be an issue.

"Hmph, you just want another excuse to take advantage of us!" Hu Tao's beautiful eyes glared at him like plum blossoms in full bloom.

"No way! You're misunderstanding, Hu Tao. This is definitely faster than flying with wind gliders," Nolan argued.

"Enough nonsense. Open that pocket dimension of yours and let us in. You can fly there yourself and let us out once we arrive at the domain," Hu Tao said, stepping closer to pinch both sides of his cheeks as punishment for his "wicked thoughts."

"Fine, fine," Nolan relented with a sigh.

He opened the door to his Wonderland and led Hu Tao, Yun Jin, and Shenhe inside.

The living room was empty—everyone else was out working.

The only people in the Wonderland were Mona and Sucrose, who were in the research area, engrossed in their respective studies.

Nolan briefly introduced everyone, allowing them to get to know each other. Then, he exited the "Wonderland" and stepped onto the Moonlight Greatsword, using his mental energy to guide the sword as it flew toward the Sea Gazer's Abode.

Breaking through the air barrier, he swiftly passed countless mountain peaks and hills. Within half an hour, Nolan arrived at the entrance to the domain.

Because the place was veiled by adeptus techniques, it appeared unremarkable.

Nolan landed on the ground, stowed away the greatsword, and re-entered the "Wonderland."

In the living room, a few of the girls were chatting. Sucrose had even brought out some pastries to entertain Hu Tao and the others.

"I'll tell you this—Nolan is a scoundrel! This morning, he couldn't resist bullying me even during breakfast!" Mona took a bite of her pastry, as though biting into Nolan himself, while recounting his "crimes" to Hu Tao and the others.

"Yeah, that's just his style. But, how exactly did he bully you?" Hu Tao nodded in agreement and curiously pressed for details.

Shenhe and Yun Jin listened silently on the side, both seemingly curious as well.

"Well, um... uh... cough, just... you know, being handsy and stuff. In short, he's awful!" Mona's face flushed red as she stammered, clearly embarrassed to explain further.

Nolan, who happened to overhear, felt a headache coming on. Wow, she'll just say anything, huh? He strode over from behind Mona, snatched the half-eaten pastry from her hand, and popped it into his mouth as punishment.

"That's what you get for badmouthing me."

"You... you scoundrel!" Mona, exasperated by yet another act of bullying, grabbed his arm and bit down in frustration.

"Ow, that hurts! Fine, I admit I was wrong—let go already!" Nolan dramatically pretended to yield.

"Hmph!"

Mona crossed her arms and turned her face away, pouting in anger.

"Pfft!"

Nearby, Sucrose couldn't hold back her laughter. The adventurer really enjoyed teasing Mona.

She wisely chose not to say this aloud, though, for fear that the adventurer might shift his attention to teasing her next. She still had alchemical experiments to conduct and didn't want to waste time.

"Ahem. Listen, I've got a big deal lined up today. If all goes well, I'll be a multimillionaire soon. Mona, is there any research equipment you're missing? Tomorrow, I'll take you shopping."

Nolan sat down beside Mona, wrapped an arm around her waist, and tried to comfort her.

As it turned out, appealing to someone's interests was highly effective. Mona's angry demeanor softened as soon as she heard his offer.

"You better mean it! Don't you dare regret it once you see the price!"

She had long had her eye on several rare astrology books and a new star track calculator produced in Fontaine.

But just days ago, she'd only received a column payment from the Steambird Gazette, totaling a mere 1.2 million Mora.

It would take her months to save up enough for the calculator alone.

If Nolan was offering to foot the bill, Mona certainly wasn't going to refuse. After all, considering how often he bullied her, she felt justified in accepting his generosity.

"Of course! Back then, I didn't have the money, but now I can fully support your research!"

Mona's studies of the stars were directly tied to Nolan's ability to find his way home. Supporting her was as good as supporting himself.

Besides, the high-value equipment he planned to purchase wouldn't go to waste. For example, the current astrological instrument Mona used was already a treasured artifact that even helped enhance the "Wonderland" space.

Spending on such things was undoubtedly worth it.

"Alright then."

A faint smile graced Mona's fair face.

Nolan, despite his many faults, had never failed to deliver on his promises. In terms of reliability, he was quite trustworthy.

"Okay, so you've probably already reached the Sea Gazer's Abode by now, right? Let's get that Floating Stone," Hu Tao remarked, a hint of jealousy in her tone as she watched Nolan and Mona sitting so close together.

"Exactly. That's why I came in to tell you. Let's go."

Nolan nodded with a smile.

He released Mona, opened the door to the "Wonderland," and, together with Hu Tao, Yun Jin, and Shenhe, stepped out to face the long-awaited adeptus domain.

"Shenhe, you placed an adeptus technique here last time. Could you please undo it for us now?"

Nolan turned to the silver-haired girl beside him.

"Mm."

Shenhe nodded calmly, dispersing the energy she had left behind to maintain the formation. Soon, the entrance to the domain reappeared.

"Hehe, let's head in."

The thought of selling the massive Floating Stone made Hu Tao quite excited.

How many commissions at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor would it take to earn enough for a single Floating Stone?

With the money they'd make, she could expand the funeral parlor's services to nearby towns around Liyue Harbor.

Opening a few branch offices seemed like a promising idea. After all, there was no point letting so much Mora sit idle and collect dust.

Yes, she'd leave this task to Consultant Zhongli!

As she mused about how to spend the fortune they were about to acquire, Hu Tao followed Nolan and the others into the Sea Gazer's Abode.

Perhaps due to the short time that had passed, the domain's interior showed little sign of change.

Nolan and the others followed their previous route, quickly returning to the place where they first discovered the Floating Stone.

The massive and precious stone remained as still and majestic as before.

"There's nothing interesting to see; hurry up and store it away," Hu Tao said, crossing her arms and urging.

"Hold on. Let me clean it first; otherwise, it might bring dirt into the Wonderland's space," Nolan replied, shaking his head.

"Uh, you're right," Hu Tao realized, nodding slightly.

Cleaning the Sunset Vermillionite was an easy task for Nolan, who could manipulate both wind and water elements. First, he created a wind-element shield to protect everyone from the flying dirt and dust that would soon follow.

Once the shield was in place, he summoned a powerful gust to blow away all loose debris. Then, using water elements, he generated high-pressure streams to thoroughly clean the giant stone, ensuring there was no dirt or moss left sticking to its surface.

After the cleaning was done, Nolan stored the levitation stone in a corner of the Wonderland's main hall. The massive stone barely fit, floating mere centimeters from the ceiling and floor.

It was, indeed, enormous!

At the same time, Nolan noticed that the Wonderland space had expanded by six square meters, accompanied by a notification on his status panel:

[Successfully collected rare treasure "Sunset Vermillionite." Space feature unlocked: Gravity Adjustment. Inside the "Golden Vault" space, gravity can be adjusted from zero to ten times Earth's gravity. (Adjustments can be made locally or universally.)]

Staring at the notification, Nolan was pleasantly surprised.

The Sunset Vermillionite was indeed a rare treasure. Not only had it expanded Wonderland's space, but it had also added a useful gravity adjustment feature.

However, since the floating stone was meant to be sold to Ningguang, the benefits would disappear once it left the Wonderland.

After thinking for a moment, Nolan decided to cut a small piece from the massive stone. He wanted to retain at least some of its unique properties.

Summoning the "Sword God of Lumine," Nolan controlled the golden blade to carve out a small block of the stone, roughly half a cubic meter. It was just enough to preserve its value for his collection.

---

At Liyue Harbor, near the Golden House construction site...

The reconstruction of the Jade Chamber was already underway here. After retrieving the Sunset Vermillionite, Nolan and the others immediately made their way back.

Ningguang had instructed them to deliver the floating stone to the Jade Chamber's construction site.

As they arrived, Hu Tao gazed at the ongoing construction in awe. "Ningguang has already rebuilt at least a third of the Jade Chamber! She's so efficient!"

"That's because Ningguang has money," Yun Jin remarked thoughtfully.

She estimated the scale of the workforce at the site—hundreds, if not nearly a thousand workers. Assuming a daily wage of 20,000 to 30,000 Mora per worker, Ningguang would be spending at least 20 to 30 million Mora per day on labor alone.

"True. I wonder how many billions of Mora it takes to build an entire Jade Chamber," Nolan said, a hint of envy in his tone.

"Nolan, Yun Jin, Hu Tao, and Shenhe—why are you all here?"

While they marveled at Ningguang's wealth, a familiar voice called out from nearby.

Turning toward the sound, they saw a young woman with light-purple hair styled into twin tails that resembled cat ears. She wore a flowing, dynamic short skirt, her legs wrapped in sleek black tights that accentuated her graceful figure.

Even from a glance, one could feel the determination and resolute energy radiating from her.

---

(End of Chapter)

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