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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 417: Return (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-02-13 17:03:08 +0000 UTCWavebreaker Swordsmanship · Secret Art Technique Lv.1 (1/1000) → Wavebreaker Swordsmanship · Secret Art Technique Lv.10 (Max Level)
[Your Secret Art Technique skill has reached max level. Please choose an enhancement path.]
This sword technique's unique attribute is "Heavy Pressure." A single slash can deliver an immense impact to the enemy.
It’s akin to getting hit head-on by a tank.
Combined with the sharp, hefty blade of a greatsword, there's virtually nothing it can't tear through—though it's still quite a bit inferior to the "Lumine's Sword God."
Enhancement Options:
[Wave Stacking]: Allows Heavy Pressure to stack continuously, up to three layers.
[Explosive Pressure]: Converts Heavy Pressure into Ultra Heavy Pressure, dealing greater instantaneous impact to the enemy.
[Shatter]: Enhances Heavy Pressure's shield-breaking ability, increasing damage against rigid objects.
Three enhancement paths: the first boosts sustained capability, the second increases burst damage, and the third improves shield-breaking power.
All are highly useful traits.
Nolan gave it some brief thought. Soon, he'd be facing the "Geo Hypostasis," known for its incredibly thick Geo shields.
Choosing [Shatter] to enhance his sword's shield-breaking ability seemed like the most fitting option.
With his choice made, Nolan gave a slight nod to Keqing and the others, signaling that he was ready to proceed.
"Be careful. If you can’t handle it, we’ll step in to help you," Beidou said, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat.
Nolan’s face showed a trace of helplessness. If I can't beat it, your help probably won’t make much difference anyway, he thought silently.
He sliced open a rift in space, pulling out his Moonlight Greatsword, and strode toward the Geo Hypostasis ahead.
When Nolan was within about ten meters, the Geo Hypostasis stirred from its slumber. Its hard, cube-like shell, resembling a giant Rubik’s cube, began to tremble.
It lifted off the ground, and the four segments of its shell slightly separated, revealing the Geo elemental core at its center.
Typically, attacking this core would deal significant, effective damage.
Striking the shell, on the other hand, would cause minimal damage—virtually none, unless one could forcibly break through it.
But the shells of the Hypostasis series elemental creatures are incredibly tough. Unless one's strength is overwhelmingly superior, breaking it is impossible.
Nolan believed he possessed the strength to take down this level 83 Geo Hypostasis!
Ignoring whether its core was exposed or not, he lifted his Moonlight Greatsword, and in one powerful step, crossed the ten-meter distance.
Wielding the Wavebreaker Swordsmanship, his heavy blade swept forward like a tidal wave, slamming into the shell of the Geo Hypostasis with overwhelming momentum.
"BOOM!!!"
The thick blade collided head-on with the hard shell. The Hypostasis itself didn’t budge, but the ground behind it cracked under the high-energy shockwave carried by the sword strike.
The Shatter effect of Heavy Pressure kicked in.
Faced with such a powerful blow, even the Hypostasis’s formidable shell showed a spiderweb-like crack.
The Geo Hypostasis, like most elemental creatures, had limited intelligence and lacked emotions.
Even with its shell cracked, it felt no fear toward Nolan, nor did it attempt to flee.
It simply instinctively recognized that its territory had been invaded, its absorption of Geo energy from the earth disrupted—this intruder needed to be eliminated!
As the cracks on its shell rapidly began to heal, a muddy golden light radiated from its body.
Nolan immediately sensed a force erupting from the Hypostasis, like an unmovable mountain, bouncing him back in an instant.
Instead of resisting head-on, he used the force to leap into the air, spinning midair with his sword for a downward slash.
The blade met the shell again, tearing open the not-yet-healed cracks and enlarging them even further.
Just as Nolan prepared to continue his assault,
The Geo Hypostasis suddenly spun, flinging Nolan away once more as it ascended into the sky. Its shell unfolded, exposing the Geo core entirely.
Landing on his feet, Nolan recognized this move. As expected, the Hypostasis would soon unleash a series of long-range Geo spikes.
In the game, melee characters would typically have to dodge and wait for the Hypostasis's attack phase to end.
However, using a bow character, as long as one dodged carefully, this was the perfect opportunity to target the exposed Geo core.
But reality isn’t a game. There’s no rule that says you must use a bow to hit aerial targets.
For instance… like this!
Nolan locked his gaze on the airborne Hypostasis, swung his greatsword, and hurled it straight at the exposed Geo core!
The spinning greatsword, accompanied by a fierce gust, seemed to shake the very air around it.
It moved so fast that the Hypostasis had no time to retract its shell, and the sword struck the Geo core directly!
"BANG!"
The core was far more fragile than the shell. Nolan’s earlier strikes had only managed to create some cracks on the exterior.
But this time, the sword tip pierced straight into the Geo core with ease.
[You Have Defeated A Powerful Enemy. Obtained 57,259 Adventure EXP.]
As expected, even a mighty elemental lifeform couldn’t withstand such a devastating blow.
After all, the difference in strength was clear. The Geo Hypostasis surviving even a couple of attacks was only because Nolan wanted to test out his newly enhanced swordsmanship.
"Unbelievable! You’ve only been learning this sword technique from me for a short while, and you’re already using it as well as I do!"
Beidou strode over, her thigh-high boots clicking against the ground, a look of astonishment on her face.
"Haha, maybe it’s just the benefit of standing on the shoulders of giants," Nolan chuckled in reply.
"Oh? So you’re saying your swordsmanship and strength are way above mine now, huh? Pretty cocky, aren’t you? How about we spar and see?"
After their previous swordsmanship exchange, Beidou was well aware that Nolan’s sword skills surpassed hers.
But using her swordsmanship as a metaphor for "looking down from a high vantage point," and doing it right in front of her—wasn't that just a bit too cocky?
Beidou felt her authority as the big sister figure was being challenged. She had to say something to make her stance clear.
"Well... ahem... we just finished a pretty exhausting battle. I think I need a bit of rest, so maybe let's not fight right now," Nolan quickly backpedaled, realizing he'd misspoken.
Beidou, with her level 86 strength and exceptional combat skills, would be a tougher opponent. He could win, but it definitely wouldn't be as easy as dealing with the Geo Hypostasis. Better to let it slide for now. It was getting late, and they still had missions to complete. There’d be time for sparring later.
"It's already nightfall. Those Treasure Hoarders and pirates have probably returned to their hideouts by now. Let's wrap this up and head back to Liyue Harbor," Keqing said, crossing her arms under her chest and glancing at Nolan and Beidou, signaling them to stop bickering and get moving.
"Alright, since there's more important stuff to do, we'll settle this next time," Beidou agreed with a nod.
"By the way, what are we going to do with this thing? The Geo energy around here is so dense, if we leave it alone, it'll recover and revive in no time," Hu Tao said, pointing at the remains of the Geo Hypostasis.
High-level elemental lifeforms like this weren't easy to kill off. Leave them in an environment rich in their element, and they'd be fully recovered in a month or two.
Nolan had been in Teyvat long enough to know these basics. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll store it in my Wonderland. Just gotta make sure it doesn't absorb any Geo energy."
He wanted Lisa and Sucrose to help with researching some elemental tech, and there was no way he’d pass up on materials from such a high-level elemental lifeform.
Sucrose had developed her Wind Spirits by studying the Anemo Hypostasis, and even that had led to some impressive results. Though her innate Anemo abilities played a role, having a real Geo Hypostasis to experiment on would definitely yield even greater discoveries.
Especially for Lisa, who was deep into researching elemental forces—the Geo Hypostasis would be invaluable to her!
As he thought this over, Nolan walked up to the Geo Hypostasis, pulled out his Moonlight Greatsword, and summoned a few massive, translucent tendrils. With ease, he stored the Hypostasis in his Wonderland.
Right after, he noticed that the Wonderland had expanded by another square meter, now reaching 208 square meters. Clearly, the Hypostasis's shell and core were quite the treasures.
---
Night fell, and the sky glittered with countless stars.
The rest of their mission went smoothly. By nighttime, the Treasure Hoarders and pirates had all returned to their hideouts.
The strongest among them were only around level 40 or 50. While that would make them dominant among regular folks, they posed no real challenge to Nolan's group.
Using the Invisibility Domain, they snuck in, counted heads—which matched the intel they had—and didn't even need to engage in combat. One Mental Shock later, everyone was unconscious.
After that, it was just a matter of applying Command Spells to each of them.
They handled all three hideouts the same way—not a single person escaped!
Once they had control, Nolan and his team forced these criminals to confess their crimes. Those with unforgivable sins were thrown into the sea to feed the fish.
For those whose crimes didn't warrant death but were still serious offenders, they were planted as undercover agents within other Treasure Hoarder and pirate groups. If they survived, they’d get the chance to face justice.
Lastly, those with minor offenses were given the chance to atone for their sins. Just like the Treasure Hoarders they encountered near the Sal Terrae, these people were tasked with slowly absorbing more members from other criminal groups, growing stronger, and guiding them toward reform. They'd also help maintain order at sea, reducing threats to society.
That was the basic strategy. With the Millelith providing support both overtly and covertly, it was only a matter of time before these controlled pirates became a dominant force in the underworld.
With the Millelith cracking down on crime openly and a powerful pirate network assisting from the shadows, they were sure to curb criminal activities on all fronts.
With over a hundred people to individually set Command Spells on and give detailed instructions for their future actions, it definitely took more time than expected.
Nolan and the others were feeling pretty worn out.
"Finally done... I'm exhausted and starving. Let's just teleport back and grab something to eat at Wanmin Restaurant," Hu Tao sighed, her usual mischievous energy dimmed after the long day.
"Yeah, sounds good. Everyone can hop into my Wonderland for a bit, and whoosh, I'll have us back in no time," Nolan nodded.
"That works, but the Crux Fleet is still out there. I need to check in with my crew first," Beidou added.
With the plan set, Nolan opened his Wonderland, inviting the others inside to relax. Then, using his spiritual power to control his sword, he flew back to the Alcor in under five minutes. Beidou stepped out to instruct her crew to head back to port for some rest and maintenance.
Since Guyun Stone Forest wasn’t far from Liyue Harbor, they’d be back soon enough. No reason to linger here.
After giving her orders, Beidou re-entered Nolan’s Wonderland, and with that, Nolan teleported them straight back to Liyue Harbor.
This time, they reappeared right next to Shenhe.
The last time she’d followed Nolan to Liyue Harbor, Ningguang had immediately pulled her aside to help craft adeptus sigils and set up defensive arrays for the Jade Chamber, leaving her with little free time.
She only had brief moments of peace at night.
Currently, Shenhe was staying at her senior disciple Ganyu’s place. But it seemed Ganyu wasn’t home right now. Nolan glanced around but couldn’t sense her presence.
"My senior is working overtime. If you’re looking for her, you might have to wait a bit," Shenhe said as she poured Nolan a cup of tea.
"It’s nothing like that. Just curious," Nolan replied, settling into a chair and taking a sip of tea.
It was a little cool, but since Shenhe had poured it, it still tasted wonderful.
He reached out to hold Shenhe’s hand, shifting slightly to make room for her to sit beside him. Smiling, he asked, "Are you comfortable staying here at your senior’s place? If it feels too quiet, how about staying with me?"
"I like the tranquility here with my senior, but without you, it feels like something's missing," Shenhe replied calmly, looking at Nolan. "Once I’m done helping Miss Ningguang set up the Jade Chamber’s arrays, I’ll come stay with you."
Hearing Shenhe’s lack of refusal filled Nolan with joy. He pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Great, it’s settled then!"
Having her live in the Wonderland meant they could see each other every day. It wouldn’t take long at all to max out her affection!
After Nolan kissed her, Shenhe suddenly noticed her heart racing. She lowered her head, pressing a hand to her chest, puzzled by the unfamiliar sensation.
While she was still pondering it, Nolan remembered that Keqing and the others in the Wonderland hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Not wanting to keep them waiting, he had to say his goodbyes to Shenhe.
"Alright," Shenhe nodded gently, her silver hair swaying with the motion.
She planned to ask her senior about this racing heartbeat when Ganyu returned home.
[Shenhe Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (120/800)]
Seeing the affection notification pop up on his character panel, Nolan felt this was an unexpected bonus.
Maxing out Shenhe's affection wasn’t far off now!
After bidding Shenhe farewell and leaving Ganyu’s house, Nolan cloaked himself in invisibility and swiftly flew by sword to a secluded spot near Wanmin Restaurant. Once there, he released Keqing and the others.
Hu Tao, whose stomach was practically growling, dashed towards Wanmin Restaurant like a rocket.
She shouted loudly for Xiangling, urging her to hurry up with the food, while Nolan and Beidou exchanged amused, slightly exasperated glances.
(End of Chapter)
Comments
Hrea_
Aaand I catched up. Dammit
