Chapter 409: Studying (2-in-1 Chapter)
After leaving the bookstore that offered academic proxy purchasing services, Nolan, eager to win Mona's affection, enthusiastically said:
"Is there anything else you need to buy? We've only spent a little over 6 million Mora so far—still within my budget!"
"There's still about 10 million Mora outstanding for the astrological materials," Mona replied, crossing her arms and looking at him like he was an idiot.
She had ordered three ancient astrology books from Liyue and five of the latest astrology books.
Three of them were from Fontaine, two from Snezhnaya, and the remaining five were collections of academic papers on Sumeru astrology, containing many recent discoveries by Sumeru scholars about the stars.
These materials would be shipped to her lab over the next three months.
"Ahem, even if it ends up costing over 10 million, it's still within my budget," Nolan said, lightly coughing to mask his faint heartache. "I've told you before—I fully support your research. So, buy whatever you need without any hesitation!"
"Really?" Mona eyed him suspiciously. Why was he being so generous all of a sudden?
"Of course, it's just a small expense," Nolan replied calmly.
"Hmm..." Mona scrutinized his face for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "Hmph, I can't help but feel like you're forcing yourself. Whatever, we've bought enough for now; these should last me for a while."
Having spent so much time together, she understood him quite well. While he was willing to spend money on her, blowing through such a large amount in one go probably still pained him.
Since he had only recently made some money, she thought it best to let him hold onto it a bit longer. If she spent it all in one go, wouldn't that make her seem wasteful?
So, she decided to let him off the hook this time.
"Alright," Nolan said, feeling slightly misunderstood. Smiling, he explained:
"Research instruments, valuable books—these are all treasures. They even contribute to the growth of the space we're in.
"A single item might not add much, but together, their effects accumulate nicely.
"So, spending this money doesn't bother me at all. I'm not forcing myself.
"Anyway, if you need anything in the future, just ask me for Mora directly. I've already said I'll support you!"
Mona's fair cheeks turned red at his words. She retorted, both embarrassed and annoyed, "Who needs your support? If my astrology column in the Steambird becomes a hit, I could support you instead!"
Her payment wasn't fixed; it depended on how many people subscribed. If the column gained popularity, her income would naturally increase.
"That sounds great! I'd be more than happy to be supported by a wealthy lady," Nolan replied with a smile.
"Hmph, then look forward to it!"
Mona raised her chin proudly, resting her hands under her chest.
Having bought everything they needed, the two returned to the idyllic space.
Mona took her newly purchased research equipment to experiment with, while Nolan went to the warehouse to check on the "Divine Salt."
Finding nothing unusual, he prepared to teleport back to Inazuma. He hadn't assisted Ei with her research on the power of time yet today, and if he delayed any longer, she might get angry—something he wanted to avoid.
---
Inazuma City, Tenshukaku.
As soon as Nolan teleported to Paimon's side, he heard the clash of swords—"Clang!"—as Lumine was sparring with the Raiden Shogun again.
"How long have they been at it?" he asked Paimon.
"It's been half an hour already. Weren't you out shopping with Mona? How are you back so soon?" Paimon asked, puzzled.
"We only went to two stores. It didn't take that long," Nolan replied.
"Alright then..."
After chatting with Paimon for a bit, the sparring between Lumine and the Shogun suddenly came to a halt.
Perhaps it was because Ei had urged her to stop.
After the Raiden Shogun sheathed her sword, she performed her signature chest-drawing motion, sending Nolan into the Plane of Euthymia.
There, Ei sat in her usual semi-floating position. However, her aura carried an elusive and mysterious quality this time. Yet, when she opened her eyes, that aura quickly faded.
"Wait... Miss Ei, could it be that you've grasped the power of time?" Nolan asked in surprise.
"Not quite. I can barely sense it," Ei replied calmly, shaking her head.
"Even so, that's incredible! Just being able to sense time proves you have the potential for it. As long as you follow this path, you'll eventually master it," Nolan said enviously.
He had only been able to manipulate time after maxing out Lisa's affection. Yet Ei, with just a few days of self-exploration, seemed to be on the verge of mastering it.
Truly, people—and, no, gods—couldn't be compared on the same scale.
If Ei fully mastered the ability to control time and resolved her "eternity" dilemma, would she then try to enforce "eternity" on all of Inazuma as well?
It seemed he needed to find a way to tell her about her sister's consciousness hidden in the "Plane of Euthymia" sooner rather than later.
After all, in the original story, she and her sister had traveled back to the past together to plant the Sacred Sakura Tree.
During this process, Raiden Ei saw the dreams and desires of the people of Inazuma and realized that what they truly sought was not the unchanging eternity she had clung to. This revelation made her abandon her rigid ideals.
However, how could he find a way to bring this topic up?
As time passed, Nolan held Ei's soft hand while assisting her in researching the power of time and began to think deeply.
He soon came up with an idea that seemed promising.
Since Lumine was currently sparring with the Shogun to learn sword techniques, when they finished, he could also request a lesson.
He could say he wanted to learn the "Musou no Hitotachi". With the Shogun's current affection toward him, she probably wouldn't refuse.
When she brought out the "Muso Isshin" to teach him, he could seize the opportunity to mention that he sensed something unusual about it, as if there was some kind of consciousness within it.
As for why Ei and the Shogun, being gods, couldn't sense it while he could, the explanation would be simple.
He could just say he'd seen a similar case before.
Less than three minutes passed, and the purple sand in the hourglass had completely run out. The morning's task was quickly completed.
It was hard to tell if Raiden Ei had gained any new insights, but after briefly curving her soft lips into a smile, she let go of Nolan's hand and said:
"I've gained a bit more understanding about the power of time. Come help me test it out!"
"Hmm? Sure, how would you like to test it?"
Nolan raised an eyebrow in confusion before nodding in agreement.
"It's simple. Let's have a duel." Ei looked at his slightly startled expression and let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry. I'll hold back for you."
It seemed that spending time with this young adventurer had helped her rediscover a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time.
"Alright, it's my honor to spar with the Raiden Shogun."
Nolan hadn't expected this opportunity to come so soon. If Ei decided to use the "Muso Isshin" during their duel, he wouldn't need to seek out the Shogun at all—it would work just as well with her.
However, when the duel began, things didn't go as he hoped. Ei wasn't trying to test her blade or sword skills against him.
She only wanted to experiment with her newly grasped time abilities. Using movements that resembled instantaneous teleportation, she effortlessly evaded him, like a kite out of reach. Meanwhile, she unleashed her new ability, which she called "Temporal Misalignment".
This power caused errors in one's perception of time. For instance, when Nolan tried to attack Ei, his perception of a single second might be stretched into two or three seconds.
As he pushed off the ground to charge at Ei, it felt to him as though he'd already moved for a few seconds, despite the reality that he hadn't even covered much distance.
Instinctively, he slashed his sword, believing he should already be within range—only to strike at thin air.
In reality, he had barely taken a step forward.
Sometimes a second felt like two seconds; other times, it felt like 0.1 seconds. The chaotic perception of time made it nearly impossible for him to attack properly.
This "Temporal Misalignment" ability wasn't a mental or spiritual attack. Instead, it disrupted the flow of time in the surrounding environment, creating confusion.
Even though Nolan possessed the Golden Eye of Judgment, which could nullify mental or spiritual attacks and negative effects up to level 150 (combining his and Fischl's level), it had no effect here.
This was because Ei's power altered the environment rather than attacking his mind directly.
It felt as though he had stepped into a world with temporal "foreign soil," struggling to adapt.
Unable to find his footing, he eventually gave up and lay down on the ground in defeat.
"You're the Raiden Shogun. You win. Do whatever you like."
Ei chuckled softly at his antics, though she couldn't help feeling that she had gone a bit overboard. Instead of apologizing, she teased him to rekindle his fighting spirit.
"Already giving up? This doesn't seem like the same man who dared to face the 'Musou no Hitotachi.'"
Though she hadn't fully understood her newfound ability, she couldn't stop experimenting.
At this stage, Ei could only create a field of temporal chaos, disrupting time within a certain range. However, she couldn't control it finely enough to achieve specific effects, like time stoppage or acceleration. Those were still beyond her reach.
Moreover, even this "Temporal Misalignment" skill seemed to only work within her inner realm, the Plane of Euthymia. She found it difficult to use it freely in the outside world.
"Sorry, Miss Ei, but I'm not one to respond to taunts. I don't feel like moving, not even if you hit me."
Nolan decided to stick to his plan of complete surrender.
"You… sigh~"
Raiden Ei crouched down beside Nolan, her thighs wrapped in purple over-the-knee stockings pressing softly against her calves, creating a smooth and elegant curve.
Helpless, she poked his arm with a smile and said, "How about this? If you help me test this power a bit more, I'll have the Shogun teach you the 'Musou no Hitotachi.' Surely, as a swordsman, you wouldn't be uninterested in that."
"..."
Nolan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
This aligned perfectly with his plan. With Ei offering to help, there was no need for him to go through the trouble of requesting it from the Shogun himself. While the Shogun would likely agree, there was still a slim chance of refusal. But if Ei spoke up, there would be no problem at all!
The "Musou no Hitotachi"—who wouldn't want to learn it?
Of course, for Nolan, learning the technique was secondary. His main goal was to find an opportunity to tell Ei that her sister's consciousness resided within the "Muso Isshin."
For the sake of eternity—no, for the people of Inazuma—he reluctantly convinced himself to endure being treated as a training dummy again.
With that, he stood up and launched another attack at Raiden Ei.
Half an hour later, his mind was swimming with countless erroneous time perceptions, leaving him dizzy and nauseous, as if he were seasick and about to vomit.
Ugh, no matter what, never again—never!—will I volunteer to help Ei test this ability!
Nolan thought this to himself, utterly dazed.
Thankfully, he didn't leave empty-handed. He had learned to replicate her ability to disrupt the perception of time within a specific area using his own time-manipulation powers.
Unlike Ei, who struggled to control the ability precisely, he could manipulate it freely.
If he wanted to stretch someone's perception of time by several seconds, he could do it!
Perhaps because he had comprehended the principles of temporal manipulation and spent so much time helping Ei with her experiments, she showed her gratitude when she sent him out of the Plane of Euthymia.
A notification appeared on his character interface:
[Raiden Shogun (Raiden Ei) Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 5 (100/500).]
Level 5 affection meant that in Ei and the Shogun's hearts, Nolan was now considered a close and trusted friend.
---
"Why did you take so long? If you hadn't come out soon, we would've left without you."
Paimon scolded Nolan as he returned.
At this point, Lumine and the Shogun had finished their sparring match and were resting, waiting for him.
"Don't leave yet. Miss Ei just promised to speak to the Shogun for me and have her teach me the 'Musou no Hitotachi.' Lumine, why don't you join me?"
Nolan tried to negotiate a little benefit for Lumine as well.
After all, teaching one person or two wouldn't make much of a difference, and Raiden Shogun probably wouldn't mind.
He glanced at the Shogun, who was seated with her eyes closed on a high platform behind the dueling arena.
"Come here," the Shogun called out, opening her eyes as she stood up and walked to the center of the Dueling Grounds. "Since my 'inner self' has already agreed, I shall teach you both."
She nodded slightly and continued, "However, to learn the 'Musou no Hitotachi,' you must start with the basics. We'll begin with the 'Source-Flow Swordsmanship'."
Nolan and Lumine approached Raiden Shogun, with Paimon trailing behind.
She tilted her head, brushing her white hair thoughtfully. "Source-Flow? I've only heard of Kamisato Style and things like that. Is this also a really powerful sword style?"
---
(End of Chapter)
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