Chapter 515: Development and Utilization

The weather had turned a bit chilly. A faint mist drifted beneath the night sky, and the moonlight appeared hazy.

Street lamps lining the roads of Liyue Harbor had been lit, along with the lanterns in front of the shops. Together, they cast a warm golden glow, dispelling the darkness that came with nightfall.

Nolan looked up at the lamps—likely fueled by kerosene, animal oil, or plant oil—and then turned to Keqing to ask:

"Is there any kind of metal in Teyvat that glows when it comes into contact with Electro?

If so, we could replace open flames and create a much safer, brighter electric lamp."

He briefly explained the concept of electric lighting to her.

Back when he was in school, his teacher had explained the principle of electric lamps. In the 19th century, the first practically usable electric lights used carbonized bamboo filaments inside vacuum-sealed glass bulbs.

By the early 20th century, tungsten filaments—with higher melting points and better luminous efficiency—had replaced them.

Teyvat already had gold, silver, copper, and iron, so it stood to reason that tungsten might also exist—though it might not be called that.

In fact, with the existence of elemental energy in this world, there could be metals even better than tungsten.

Reproducing an electric light here shouldn't be all that difficult.

"Tungsten, huh? We do have a metal by that name, though I'm not sure if it's the same one you're referring to," Keqing said, resting her pale chin in thought.

"Based on your description, electric lights would definitely be far better than the oil lamps we're currently using...

Mm. I'll have the Ministry of Construction forge a tungsten filament tomorrow for testing.

"If everything checks out, I'll talk to Ningguang and have her Chamber of Commerce handle production. I'll also designate a pilot area—if that goes well, we can roll out electric lighting across Liyue."

Having a reference from another world, Keqing had no doubt about the value of developing electric lights.

"Mmhmm, that's the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing for you—already laying out a clear plan."

Nolan feigned praise, then smiled mischievously and tried to sneak his arm around her waist.

"You scoundrel! I'm heading back!"

A faint blush rose on Keqing's fair cheeks, though it wasn't too visible in the dim light.

She might let him have his way when they were alone, but out on the street? No chance!

"It's late already—how about grabbing dinner with me?" Nolan tried to find a reason to keep her around.

"Hmph. I have to get to the Ministry of Civil Affairs before everyone finishes work, to arrange construction prep for tomorrow. Maybe next time."

Keqing rejected him flatly.

"Alright then."

Nolan sighed in disappointment.

He didn't want to interfere with her responsibilities, so he simply asked her out again for another time.

When the two arrived at the Ministry, Keqing said her goodbyes, and Nolan returned to the Wonderland Space.

Most of the group had finished work by now.

Tonight, Lumine, Yun Jin, and Mona were on kitchen duty preparing dinner. The others were probably soaking in the hot spring bathhouse.

In the living room, Eula and Amber were chatting. Shenhe was sitting on the sofa in meditation, while the pale-blue talisman spirit was sweeping the floor with a broom.

Nolan walked over and sat beside the girls.

Feeling a bit worn out from a long day of work, he leaned against Eula, laying down beside her. His right hand rested on her lower stomach, gently stroking the sheer black stockings pressed against her snow-white skin.

Eula caught Nolan's wandering hand, looked at him, and asked:

"How's your avatar's exploration in the Beast Realm going?

Have you found any dangerous areas?

"The Knights already have enough forces stationed at the base. The Beast Realm cleanup operation has been running for a while now, but so far, they've only encountered scattered beasts."

With the healing salves Sucrose developed—specially formulated to counter the bleeding effects of Beast Realm creatures—the Knights of Favonius were practically invincible against them.

Nolan withdrew his hand and undid the black leather strap beneath Eula's chest, which fastened her short white jacket, setting it aside as he replied:

"I've already explored a 1,500-kilometer radius around the Shadow Bear's territory.

All the beast groups I encountered have been cleared out—there shouldn't be any dangerous zones left."

With Nolan handling the major threats, the Knights only needed to take care of stragglers, which greatly reduced their burden.

As he finished speaking and reached to slide off Eula's waist-length, white-laced short jacket, she suddenly crossed her arms beneath her chest, keeping it firmly in place in place of the strap.

A light blush rose on Eula's pale cheeks. With a discontented huff, she shifted the topic back to business:

"The Knights sent geologists to the Beast Realm.

According to them, if we use the 'fertilizer' Sucrose developed, the area could be converted into an agricultural base.

"The only problem is that most of the region is barren and lacks moisture. We'll need to artificially induce rainfall to change the environment."

Nolan nodded—he understood where this was going.

Since he couldn't bypass Eula's tight defenses, he moved his hands instead to her voluptuous thighs, exposed between her thigh-high boots and the tight leather bodysuit, gently kneading the soft, snow-white skin.

"You want me to reshape the Beast Realm's environment using Hydro?"

Unlike most domains, the Beast Realm had sunlight, fertile land, and vast space. Without the threat of beasts, it really was perfect for agriculture.

Most of the key threats had already been wiped out by Nolan himself as part of the Knights' original cleanup plan.

The remaining ones could be handled by the Knights or local adventurers.

Plus, since the Knights had already stationed a significant force and built a well-sized base—close to the scale of a small town—it made sense that they'd want to develop the land further.

Turning the area into farmland was one of the best ideas they'd discussed.

"Environmental transformation is a big job. Even for you, it'd be a pain, right?

So you just need to blast a few holes in the ground and fill them with water—that's enough."

Eula crossed her right leg over her left, pinning Nolan's hand between her inner thighs—now he was completely immobilized.

Amber couldn't help but laugh nearby, while Shenhe silently observed.

Feeling the warmth of Eula's plump thighs fully enclosing his hands, Nolan tried a few tricks but failed each time.

He sighed and decided to wrap up the business talk first:

"All right, it's not too difficult. I'll go with you to the Beast Realm tomorrow and get the reservoir setup sorted."

"When it's done, Jean will issue your payment," Eula said, lowering her legs and releasing his hands once he agreed.

Even if it was her own man doing the job, proper compensation was still due.

"Whatever she gives is fine."

Nolan didn't really mind. It wasn't that big a deal anyway.

This time, he pulled Eula into his arms and lifted her to sit on his lap.

Then, supporting her by the waist, he slid his hands under her arms and short jacket, gently prying it open.

This time, Eula only put up a token resistance before letting her arms fall to her sides.

(End of Chapter)

T/N: New Harry Potter story is out, if you want to check it out.

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