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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 459: Repayment (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-04-29 03:22:11 +0000 UTCUnder Paimon’s explanation, Heruria quickly understood the situation. The glowing white orb gently bobbed up and down, as if nodding.
“So that’s how it is… It’s already been several thousand years… You all found my remains and brought me back to life.”
“Whew—yep, that’s the short version!”
Paimon let out a long breath, relieved the orb had grasped what she meant.
Explaining that much all at once was exhausting...
“What about my people? Do they still exist in Teyvat?”
Heruria asked softly.
Even though she had died at the hands of her own people, there wasn’t a trace of resentment in her voice. If anything, she blamed herself—for being too weak.
Too weak to survive the chaos of that era… and too weak to give her people a happy, peaceful life.
“According to historical records, after the Salt Plague broke out in Sal Terrae, a portion of the ‘Salt People’ managed to escape.
“They eventually assimilated into Liyue’s society. Of course, they never forgot about you.
“The ‘Salt People’ remain deeply grateful to the god who once protected them. Once your spirit stabilizes, I can take you to meet them,” Nolan offered.
“Ah… if they’ve already settled into peaceful lives, it’s probably best not to disturb them,”
Heruria declined quickly.
Though she was concerned about her people’s current state, they had already lived in Liyue for generations. What if her sudden reappearance stirred up thoughts of restoring the old kingdom?
That would be a disaster.
This was Rex Lapis’ domain. If she accidentally caused unrest, she might get smashed into a salt pancake.
She’d been lucky enough to come back to life—no way was she going to risk offending the Geo Archon.
If they were living in hardship, it’d be another story. But since they lived under the protection of Morax, surely things couldn’t be that bad.
After all, Morax was a good god.
Nolan seemed to understand her concerns and nodded.
“That’s fair. But even if you don’t want to meet them… you could still secretly check in on them sometime.”
“…Thank you,” Heruria said softly, her voice warm and gentle. She was already feeling a deep sense of gratitude toward the people who had revived her.
【Heruria Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You. Obtained 500 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (200/300)】
She continued:
“You’ve brought me back to life, but… in my current state, I don’t have much to repay you with.
“How about I share the locations of some hidden ruins and domains I discovered while leading my people in hiding?
“Even after all this time, those places likely haven’t changed locations.”
“You discovered hidden ruins? You mean ancient domains from the Archon War era?! There could be tons of treasures!” Paimon’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“If they’ve survived all these years without being found, I suppose you could call them ancient. Whether they still hold treasures, though, I can’t say for sure—it’s been too long.
“Still, anything tied to the Archon War era is bound to be dangerous for mortals. If you go exploring, make sure to scout things out first. Don’t charge in recklessly,” Heruria advised.
“Alright then. When you have time, please describe those ruins for us.
“Better yet, you could write a memoir from your perspective. We’re really interested in that part of history,” Nolan suggested.
He wasn’t too concerned about whether those ruins held valuable artifacts. Thousands of years had passed—who knew what condition they were in?
Just like the ruins of Sal Terrae: ancient and vast, yes, but devastated by the Salt Plague. Nothing could grow there anymore.
Aside from two divine relics, everything else of value had likely long since corroded into nothing.
So he didn’t have high hopes for Heruria’s secret ruins.
Instead, a memoir would be far more valuable—a firsthand account of a god from the Archon War era.
Heruria’s very existence was already legendary. If she could record her memories and experiences from that time, the resulting autobiography of the Salt God might become a priceless historical artifact.
The only slight problem… could Heruria, in her current spirit form, even write using spiritual energy?
So he asked directly.
“Eh… I probably could manage it,” Heruria replied. “A memoir though… hmm. Alright, if that’s what you want.”
She thought back over her life—and suddenly realized it ended with her being assassinated by her own people.
What a failure of a “life.” Was it really worth recording?
Sensing her uncertainty, Nolan explained his reasoning simply.
“This realm expands when you store precious things in it. So technically, the only ‘treasure’ you still possess might be your intangible memories.
“If you write them down, that alone would be incredibly meaningful.”
Heruria nodded.
“I see… in that case, I’ll record everything I remember.”
And just like that, Heruria agreed to begin writing her memoir.
After all, this was something Nolan actually needed. Compared to giving him the locations of some ancient ruins from thousands of years ago—which might not even exist anymore—this was far more practical.
At the very least, it was a direct and tangible way to repay him for his help.
“Hehe, then thank you,” Nolan said with a smile. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he added:
“By the way, when we found your remains in the ruins, we also discovered two artifacts imbued with the 'Power of Salt.'
“Would they help with your recovery? If they do, I can return them to you.”
“Oh, you mean that goblet and measuring rod? They only contain a fraction of the ‘Salt Authority.’ They don’t have the ability to nourish a soul.
“Since you went through the trouble to retrieve them, just keep them,” Heruria said casually.
“Alright then,” Nolan nodded. It was a bit of a pity that the two divine artifacts couldn’t help speed up Heruria’s recovery.
Since he had already asked Heruria to write a memoir, he figured he might as well ask Raiden Makoto to do the same while he was at it.
She usually just wandered around the wonderland space anyway—at most teasing her sister for fun.
With that much free time, she might as well help out with something. It wouldn’t take long, and she probably wouldn’t mind.
With that thought, Nolan headed down to the second-floor meditation room, leaving the task of arranging Heruria’s accommodations to Lumine and Fischl.
After all, now that Heruria had regained her consciousness, continuing to keep her in the storage area seemed a bit inappropriate.
Nolan arrived at the second-floor meditation room.
At the moment, both Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei were in meditation. While the wonderland space didn’t suffer from “wear and tear,” meditation offered more than just preservation benefits.
It helped refine and strengthen one’s spiritual energy—something that was clearly beneficial for soul forms like theirs.
As soon as Nolan approached, they both awoke from their meditation.
He briefly explained what he wanted to ask of them. The task of writing a memoir was a small matter, and Raiden Makoto agreed without hesitation.
After all, Nolan had helped the Raiden sisters immensely. Now that there was finally a chance to return the favor, she naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Nolan smiled and thanked her, then left the two alone.
As he walked past the library, he glanced through the window and saw Mona frowning in frustration over a deep blue book.
He recognized it—it was an astrology reference book Mona had asked him to buy.
Looks like she had hit a mental block.
Smiling, Nolan stepped into the library and walked up to Mona, who was wearing her usual hooded bodysuit.
“What's wrong? Hit a difficult part?” he asked.
Mona looked up at him and, with an annoyed snap, shut the book.
“Ugh, how infuriating! The final paper in this astrology journal about stellar formations—it just gives a teaser! The full content is in the next issue!
“Did they switch editors or something? Who even does this?! It’s like they’re playing tricks!
“Hmph! No wonder there are rumors that this publishing house is about to go bankrupt!”
“Oh?”
Nolan picked up the book from the table, curious. It turned out the journal was published by a press based in Sumeru.
He hadn’t really paid much attention to publications like this, so he didn’t recognize it.
But that didn’t matter—he already knew how to comfort Mona.
He walked around to her side, gently lifted her lithe body into his arms, sat down on a chair himself, and settled Mona on his lap, straddling him.
As he gently stroked her back, he said:
"Actually, the academic papers published by Sumeru’s various journals are all supplied by the Akademiya. I recently got acquainted with Lesser Lord Kusanali."
"How about I take you to visit the Akademiya's 'House of Wisdom' in a few days? They have a vast collection of scholarly materials stored there."
He had thought about this before—the House of Wisdom contained extensive and comprehensive academic resources. Taking Mona there to browse and study would be far more cost-effective than spending Mora to buy books. Now seemed like the perfect time to share the good news with her!
“Really?!”
Mona propped herself up by pressing on Nolan’s shoulders, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
As an astrologer and a scholar herself, she was naturally familiar with the prestigious Akademiya of Sumeru. She had always wanted to visit, but not being an Akademiya scholar, she could only ever dream of entering as a tourist.
As for accessing the rare and valuable materials there—that had always seemed like wishful thinking. So hearing that Nolan was acquainted with Lesser Lord Kusanali, and that he could take her into the House of Wisdom, made her thrilled beyond words.
“Of course! It’s just that the Dendro Archon has been a bit busy these days, so to avoid disturbing her, I figured we’d wait a few days before going.”
Nolan held her soft waist and pulled her a bit closer—close enough that he could feel the warmth of her lower belly against his own.
His hands then slid downward from her waist, gliding over the soft curves hugged by her sheer black tights, and came to rest gently on her calves, which were curled beneath her at the edge of the chair.
“Mmm, you rascal… Fine, I’ll let you off the hook this time. Consider it your reward.”
Mona knew full well that Nolan was getting flirty again. But since he brought her such great news, she figured she’d take the initiative this time.
With that thought, Mona wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward, planting a kiss on his lips.
They’d shared a bed and been intimate many times before, so she was no longer shy or easily flustered.
As Nolan returned her kiss, he began gently massaging her calves with his fingers—soft, bouncy, and strangely soothing.
After a while…
He slid both hands behind her thighs, pressing gently at the junction between thigh and calf, continuing to knead the soft flesh there.
At the same time, he pulled aside her purple bodysuit and began slowly tearing open her black stockings, which weren’t exactly made for durability.
“Mmm—idiot! You tore my stockings again!”
Mona broke the kiss, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint blush. She clutched his shoulders a little harder, scolding him half-heartedly.
Nolan just grinned, tightening his hold on her waist and diving in for another kiss.
“Mmh!”
…
A few days later—
Heruria and Raiden Makoto had both finished writing their autobiographies, titled The Chronicle of the Salt God and The Tale of the Raiden Shogun, respectively.
Inspired by the deluxe edition of The Boar Princess, Nolan had asked Ningguang in advance to prepare some premium “Essence Paper” for their manuscripts.
This special paper was crafted from “Divine Essence Wood” using a unique process. Although its slightly yellowish hue meant it couldn't achieve a snow-white finish, it was exceptionally durable, resistant to aging, and possessed incredible flexibility.
Its surface featured a distinctive and consistent grain, making it pleasant to write on. Most importantly, “Divine Essence Wood” could retain spiritual energy for extended periods.
Books written on this paper could preserve the emotional state of the writer. When others read the content later, they would also be able to feel the mindset of the author at the time of writing.
Truly miraculous.
With this, the value of autobiographies written by archons themselves on such sacred paper skyrocketed instantly!
After hundreds of years, with the weight of time and history, these manuscripts could very well become powerful artifacts—perhaps even holy relics.
In fact, it might be inevitable.
Because the moment these books were completed, the sanctuary space reacted immediately and expanded significantly.
For example, The Chronicle of the Salt God recorded Heruria’s key life events from the moment of her creation.
Told from her perspective, it detailed the era of the Archon War and many hidden realms she had encountered.
It held immense practical value!
Given that the authors were archons themselves, the materials used were of great worth, and the writing could convey spiritual essence—there was no doubt these books had relic-level potential.
The Tale of the Raiden Shogun followed the same principle, chronicling history from Raiden Makoto’s viewpoint, with Raiden Ei also contributing.
Seeing how things were going, Nolan even invited Raiden Ei to join the effort, resulting in a collaborative work by the “three sisters.”
Thus, the complete Tale of the Raiden Shogun, authored by three top-tier archons, came to life!
Compared to The Chronicle of the Salt God, this three-way autobiography carried even greater value.
The two books together expanded the sanctuary space by a total of 15 square meters—5 for the Salt God’s tale, and 10 for the Raiden Shogun’s.
The entire Wonderland space now measured 360 square meters, enough for a full layout redesign.
Hmm… He’d discuss the redesign with everyone later.
In addition to expanding the space, the two books also granted the Wonderland two unique spatial traits…
(End of Chapter)
