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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 438: Starsea Manifestation (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 16:31:19 +0000 UTCLiyue Harbor – Adventurers' Guild
Under the night sky, the streets were brightly lit. After a long day of work, people wandered through the night markets in small groups with their friends or went for a nighttime ride to the newly opened card house to play a few rounds.
However, when Nolan bid farewell to Ningguang and made his way from the Ministry of Civil Affairs to the Adventurers' Guild, he found the place much quieter than it had been during the day.
Behind the counter stood Katheryne, ever-dutiful, dressed in her signature maid-like outfit.
"Oh, it's you, esteemed adventurer. At this hour, there are no more commissions available. Any later, and I’ll be off duty too," Katheryne said with a gentle smile.
"Haha, Miss Katheryne, I’m not here to take a commission. I just wanted to ask—about that request I put up last time for collecting Primogems. Has anyone completed it?"
Nolan explained his reason for coming.
"Oh? That request? Please wait a moment while I check the records," Katheryne nodded in understanding before turning around to search through the guild’s records.
She returned shortly, holding a logbook.
"Since you issued the request a few months ago, a total of eight adventurers have submitted Primogems—twelve pieces in total."
Katheryne carefully verified the records to ensure accuracy before handing him a small pouch containing the collected Primogems.
Taking the pouch, Nolan couldn’t help but sigh.
"Only twelve? I remember offering a slightly higher commission than the market rate."
"Hehe, Primogems are an extremely rare and versatile material—they’ll always have buyers. Getting twelve is already quite good!"
Katheryne maintained her perfect maid-like posture, hands folded in front of her, smiling gracefully.
"Well, I suppose that’s true."
Nolan wasn’t too disappointed.
After all, the two "Lumine's Sword Gods" he had stationed in the Chasm were still actively clearing out monsters and Corrupted Mud under his remote control.
His Adventure EXP had been steadily increasing by tens of thousands every so often—it seemed far more efficient than collecting Primogems this way.
However, monsters weren’t an infinite resource.
Based on his current progress, he estimated that the main mining area beneath the Chasm would be completely cleansed of Corrupted Mud and monsters within a few days.
Perhaps it would be time to venture deeper inside after that.
After all, purchasing Primogems cost Mora—a minimum of 100,000 per piece. Just twelve of them already cost over a million Mora.
Defeating monsters to gain Adventure EXP was undoubtedly the more cost-effective method.
"Do you want to continue this commission? You’re running low on the deposit you left with us."
Katheryne reminded him.
For long-term requests issued through the Adventurers' Guild, a prepaid deposit was required.
Naturally, the guild wouldn’t front the money on his behalf—that was simply impossible.
After some thought, Nolan replied,
"Yes, continue the request—but I want to expand the list of items I’m purchasing. Not just Primogems, but also any rare materials rated four-star and above, as well as valuable artifacts or treasures."
His personal efficiency in searching for treasures wasn’t great, but outsourcing the task to others with money? That would be much faster.
This way, his Wonderland could expand even more quickly.
Since he wouldn’t be running out of Mora anytime soon, he might as well spend it where it mattered.
"Understood. We’ll update the details of your request by tomorrow," Katheryne nodded slightly.
"Great. Thank you, Miss Katheryne."
Nolan took out some Mora to replenish the commission deposit, then teleported to Mondstadt.
At the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild, he also retrieved the Primogems collected through his request and instructed Katheryne there to adjust the range of purchased items accordingly.
With both Liyue and Mondstadt taken care of, he figured he might as well complete the set and issue the request in Inazuma as well.
He didn’t hesitate. Since Katheryne hadn’t gotten off duty yet, he teleported straight to Inazuma City—right beside Yoimiya.
Then, he headed for Inazuma’s Adventurers' Guild.
Perhaps due to all Katherynes sharing the same consciousness, the Inazuma Katheryne greeted him with a knowing smile.
"You're back again."
She handed him a pre-prepared commission slip, already filled out—all that was needed was his signature.
Since it was no surprise that she could predict his arrival, Nolan simply signed his name, left the necessary deposit, and finalized everything before returning to his Wonderland.
At this point, all he had to do was wait for the Adventurers' Guild to gather more resources.
Now, it was time to check his Adventure EXP and see if he could level up again!
—
Wonderland
Nolan returned just in time for dinner.
After sharing a meal with everyone, he relaxed as they chatted and shared their interesting experiences from the day.
Resting his head on Sucrose’s soft lap, he finally began calculating his total Adventure EXP.
Previously, he had about 50,000 leftover.
From his exploration of the Chasm, defeating numerous monsters—including a Ruin Serpent—he had earned around 330,000 points.
The 122 Primogems gifted by Ningguang had given him another 366,000 points.
And the Primogems retrieved from Mondstadt and Liyue’s Adventurers' Guilds amounted to 23 more in total.1
Absorbing the energy granted him 69,000 Adventure EXP.
Meanwhile, the two “Lumine's Sword Gods” stationed in The Chasm, who were diligently cleansing the dark mud, had also taken down a considerable number of monsters.
By now, their efforts had earned him over 70,000 Adventure EXP.
Adding everything together, his total Adventure EXP reached:
[Adventure EXP: 845,076]
Eight hundred forty-five thousand—just a little more, and he’d be able to level up.
But there was no rush.
According to his plan, he would be visiting Yelan in the morning to fully master her invisibility technique. Once that was done, upgrading and fusing it would be his first priority.
That would take a lot of Adventure EXP.
If he waited until he had 910,000 and used it all to level up, he wouldn’t have enough left to enhance the invisibility technique tomorrow.
Besides, his Domain-Level Lumine's Authority was still at Level 1. It made no sense to hoard his Adventure EXP when he could max out that skill first.
It was better to unleash its full potential before anything else.
With that decision, Nolan didn’t hesitate—he poured a massive amount of Adventure EXP into Lumine's Authority.
Adventure EXP -450,000
Lumine's Authority · Divine Level Lv.1 (0/10,000) → Lumine's Authority · Divine Level Lv.10 (Starsea Manifestation)
As the skill was instantly maxed out, an overwhelming influx of knowledge surged into his mind.
It wasn’t painful, just a steady flow of understanding.
After taking a moment to process it, he grasped the full capabilities of the max-level Lumine's Authority with ease.
The most significant change was the newly unlocked Divine-Level Trait: "Starsea Manifestation."
This ability functioned much like Raiden Ei’s "Musou Isshin"—a conceptual world of the mind.
By activating it, he could forcibly drag opponents into his domain.
This allowed him to fight on his own terms, drastically weakening enemies while massively enhancing himself.
For instance, in his Starsea Manifestation, he could shape the battlefield however he pleased.
If he created an oceanic world, his Hydro-based attacks would be immensely amplified, while his opponent would struggle against the aquatic environment.
Beyond that, he had absolute control over everything within the domain.
Any abilities or attacks he used inside would consume significantly less energy while maintaining their full power!
All in all, it was an incredibly powerful skill.
And since domain worlds functioned by replacing “reality” with “concepts,” very few people could resist their influence.
The moment it enveloped an opponent, it rewrote the immediate reality.
Unless someone escaped before the domain fully formed—or countered it with their own domain—their fate was sealed.
Even gods wouldn’t be able to avoid being drawn in.
That said, pulling an overwhelmingly stronger opponent into his domain would be suicidal.
If they were powerful enough to brute force their way through the environmental debuffs and shatter the domain, the backlash would hit him hard.
That would be... a very bad situation.
With Lumine's Authority maxed out, he still had 390,000—nearly 400,000—Adventure EXP left.
There was nothing else to spend it on for now, so he’d save it for Yelan’s invisibility skill.
A satisfied smile formed on Nolan’s lips. He turned onto his side, resting his head on Sucrose’s soft lap, and reached for her smooth, stocking-clad calves.
“Ah—A-Adventurer, please don’t do that... it tickles,” Sucrose murmured, her pale cheeks flushing pink as she weakly tried to push his hands away.
Nolan chuckled. “Alright, alright.” He withdrew his hands.
Just as Sucrose sighed in relief—
“Yah—?!”
He sat up, scooped her into his arms, and locked her legs in place to stop her from squirming.
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed her soft, fluffy, green animal ears and gently kneaded them.
So soft… so silky…!
“Ah! N-No, not my ears…!” Sucrose whimpered, her entire body trembling as a strange sensation overwhelmed her.
She quickly went limp, melting into his embrace.
Watching their friend get bullied, Fischl and Mona couldn’t just stand by.
The two rushed over, pulling on Nolan’s arms in an attempt to rescue Sucrose.
They obviously couldn't pry Nolan's hands away. Instead, he chuckled, extending his arms to pull both Fischl and Mona into his embrace as well.
“Hey! You scoundrel—!” Mona protested, glaring at him in frustration. Then, without warning, she lunged forward and bit his lips.
Nolan, of course, welcomed the challenge, meeting her lips without hesitation.
“Idiot!” Seeing her close friend defect to the enemy, Fischl refused to back down and forcefully squeezed Mona’s head aside.
“You two…”
Sucrose fumed, glaring at Fischl and Mona. She had thought they were here to help her—only for them to betray her on the spot!
Nolan stroked their backs, but soon realized that his hands weren’t enough—he couldn't properly take care of Sucrose, who was now trapped between them.
After some thought, he summoned a few translucent mental tendrils, using them to gently remove the girls’ shoes.
The tendrils coiled around their ankles, slowly sliding up their calves, past their knees, and along their soft thighs—
Finally, they slipped beneath their clothes, undoing buttons and unzipping zippers.
---
The Next Morning
When Nolan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Amy (Fischl), sleeping soundly on top of him. To his left, Mona lay snuggled against him.
The blanket had slipped slightly, revealing the smooth, porcelain-white skin of her shoulders and back.
On his right arm, Sucrose was curled up, her fluffy green animal ears twitching slightly as she breathed in soft, rhythmic intervals.
Whatever she was dreaming about… it must have been something pleasant.
Lying there, enveloped in the warmth of the girls, he didn’t feel the need to get up right away. Instead, he simply enjoyed the softness of their bodies against his.
About half an hour later, Fischl, Sucrose, and Mona gradually woke up one by one.
They, too, enjoyed the warmth of skin against skin, the shared body heat—so none of them got up immediately.
Instead, they cuddled closer to Nolan, remaining on the bed for another ten minutes.
In the end, it was Lisa who came to call them for breakfast. Only then did they reluctantly rise from the bed.
After breakfast, everyone was full of energy and went about their own tasks.
Nolan left his sanctuary space and headed toward the Synthesis Table—Yelan's Teahouse was nearby.
---
The streets were bustling with activity.
As Nolan walked through the lively town, he eventually arrived at Yelan’s Teahouse.
It was a modest establishment. The first floor was dedicated to serving tea, while an exterior staircase led up to the rooftop terrace.
If he recalled correctly, the terrace also had tables and chairs, allowing customers to enjoy their tea while watching the lively streets below.
Before he could even ask the staff, he noticed Yelan leaning against the rooftop railing, waving at him.
“Yo, good morning! Come on up—I’ll treat you to some tea!”
“Well, I won’t say no to that.”
With a smile, Nolan climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
Since Yelan was the owner, if she was treating him, there was no reason to be polite!
---
When he reached the rooftop, he was surprised—
Although there were several tables and chairs, no other customers were present.
“Oh? Could it be that Miss Yelan booked the entire terrace just to have tea with me?”
Nolan raised an eyebrow at her.
“Heh, well, the first floor is more than enough for regular customers. I just told them the rooftop needed ‘maintenance’ so we wouldn’t be disturbed while we discuss invisibility techniques.”
Yelan casually poured him a cup of tea.
The surface of the tea was a vibrant, translucent red, with delicate wisps of steam rising from it—carrying a rich, invigorating aroma.
Just the scent alone was enough to refresh the mind.
The quality was undoubtedly superb.
Taking a seat across from her, Nolan picked up the cup, took a sip, and smiled.
“It’s excellent tea.”
Truthfully, he wasn’t an expert on tea quality—his evaluation was purely based on taste.
“I’m glad you like it. This is ‘High Mountain Snow Plum,’ a tea so rare that even Ningguang can’t get much of it from me. I’m using it to host you today—feeling honored yet?”
Yelan smirked.
“…Well, I suppose I should be.”
Nolan nodded along, playing along with her amusement—after all, he knew nothing about tea.
“Well then—let’s pick up where we left off yesterday. Let’s master this invisibility technique before noon!”
Yelan flashed him a confident smile.
(End of Chapter)
