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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 437: The Teahouse (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 16:30:27 +0000 UTCNolan left behind two "Lumine's Sword Gods" to clear the black sludge in the mining zone before departing from The Chasm alongside Yelan and Ganyu.
By the time they returned to Liyue Harbor, night had already fallen.
The group first headed to Yuehai Pavilion to find Ningguang, discovering that she was still in Ganyu's office, her expression showing traces of exhaustion.
Handling Ganyu’s workload didn’t seem easy.
“You’re back. How did it go? Any news?” Ningguang massaged her temples and smiled as she asked.
“I’ll explain.”
Yelan took the lead in recounting their findings from The Chasm.
“The ley lines might be the issue?” Ningguang tapped her chin thoughtfully, then looked at the group.
“You’ve worked hard. I’ll arrange for scholars to investigate and verify the situation. I’ll call on you again when there’s more work to do.”
【Ningguang Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained +260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (360/800)】
“Well then, since that’s settled, I’ll go home and rest for a few days. As for the matter of stealth techniques, meet me at the Yanshang Teahouse tomorrow—we still have unfinished business.”
As she spoke, Yelan stretched her arms, revealing the pale skin beneath them.
Her tight leather outfit accentuated her partially exposed chest, which subtly lifted as she arched her back and let out a small yawn.
She then turned to Nolan.
“Of course.” Nolan nodded slightly.
“Then I’m off.”
Yelan loosened her shoulders and left with a simple farewell.
“Bye-bye!” Nolan waved, then turned to Ningguang and Ganyu. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave as well.”
“Ah, um… alright. Nolan… goodbye…”
Now that they were back in Liyue Harbor, Ganyu’s exhaustion from working overtime caught up with her again.
She was just about to doze off when she heard Nolan’s words, forcing herself to stay awake and respond.
“Ganyu, you should go rest too. I’ll finish up the remaining work for you.”
Having experienced Ganyu’s workload firsthand, Ningguang understood her current state.
Then she turned to Nolan.
“As for you, stay here for a bit. We’ll head to the Ministry of Civil Affairs shortly. I just checked—there’s been a considerable amount of the Primogems you asked me to collect last time.”
Primogems? Oh, that’s right—he had indeed asked Ningguang for help collecting Primogems. It had been so long without updates that he had nearly forgotten.
He had also issued similar collection requests at the Adventurers' Guilds in Mondstadt and Liyue.
Maybe he should check in on those as well.
Nolan nodded. “Alright, no problem.”
“Oh, Ningguang, you don’t have to do my work for me! My qilin bloodline isn’t as weak as you think—I’m just feeling a little drowsy…”
Ganyu lowered her gaze to her shoes, a little embarrassed.
Besides, she liked working overtime.
“No need for further discussion. Go rest.”
Ningguang’s golden eyes remained calm yet carried an undeniable firmness.
“…Alright.”
Ganyu drooped her head in defeat and slowly walked out, her long stockings wrapped snugly around her legs.
This is my office… I’m the senior here… and yet I’m being kicked out…
Nolan watched Ganyu’s pale figure leave and couldn’t help but smile.
So soft, so delicate—she was quite adorable.
The warm glow of the lanterns illuminated the room. Nolan helped organize the already sorted documents and archived them properly.
Now with some free time, he sat by the window, gazing at the scenery outside before shifting his eyes back inside.
Ningguang was behind her desk, methodically sorting through intelligence reports.
From this angle, he could see her fair, slender legs, pressed together and slightly angled, with a pair of black high heels gleaming under the light.
Her pale golden hair was partly pinned up with an intricately crafted hairpin, likely made of fine wood, while the rest cascaded along the curve of her back.
Unlike the hem of her qipao, which was pressed beneath her hips, her long hair nearly touched the floor.
The wooden flooring was well-maintained and free of dust, yet seeing her beautiful hair so close to the ground made him uneasy.
He had the urge to lift it gently and place it properly, lest it pick up dust when she leaned forward slightly.
But… that would be too improper.
The thought left him restless.
His gaze followed the tips of Ningguang’s golden strands, watching them sway gently.
Suddenly, they lifted and disappeared from view.
Instinctively, his eyes trailed upward—
Only to meet Ningguang’s deep crimson gaze as she stood up.
For a moment, he froze.
It felt like being caught stealing glances at a beautiful girl on the street.
Ningguang’s fair face curved into a knowing smile as she locked eyes with him.
“When you have free time, you always sit by the window and watch me.
"Do you find me more beautiful than the scenery outside?”
“Oh? Miss Ningguang, do you think so too? It seems ‘great minds think alike.’”
Nolan quickly shook off his embarrassment and grinned.
“Heh. Finish putting away these last few documents, then we’ll head to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.”
Ningguang let out a light chuckle and handed him the final stack of papers.
“Got it.”
Nolan stepped forward to take them.
But instead of grabbing the top of the stack, he reached for the side where Ningguang’s fingers held them—brushing lightly against the delicate fingers wrapped in her black sleeve gloves.
Mmm. The silk fabric is so smooth, and her fingers are so soft.
Ningguang hadn’t expected Nolan to do something like this. Even as the esteemed Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, she was momentarily taken aback.
Then, she withdrew her hand, crossed her arms over her chest, and smiled slightly.
"You always seem so proper, but in secret, you're this bold? Doing such a thing to one of the Liyue Qixing—I have the authority to throw you in prison, you know. Hmm, or perhaps just fine you instead?"
"Uh… Lady Ningguang, I must have lost my senses! Please forgive me!"
At the mention of a fine, Nolan immediately realized the gravity of his mistake. He pressed his hands together and raised them above his forehead in surrender.
"Hmph, if you think earning my forgiveness will be that easy, you’re mistaken. Tomorrow, you’ll accompany me as my attendant to meet a few business rivals."
Ningguang’s lips curled into a smirk as she spoke.
"Business rivals?"
Nolan was a little puzzled but still nodded in agreement.
What they were going to do didn’t matter. What mattered was that he could be with Ningguang! He glanced at the prompt that had popped up on his character panel, thinking to himself.
"We’ll talk more about it tomorrow. For now, it's time to go."
Ningguang lowered her arms and, as she spoke, began to walk outside.
Seeing this, Nolan quickly filed the documents in their designated place and hurried to follow her.
As the two of them reached the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion, the moment they stepped out from under the eaves, a cool breeze swept past them.
Then, droplets of night rain began to fall from the dark sky, which looked as murky as an unwashed pot bottom.
"Oh? It’s raining."
Ningguang paused mid-step, withdrawing her foot. She glanced up at the sky before lowering her gaze to Nolan beside her.
"Hold an umbrella for me."
"An umbrella? Uh… sure, leave it to me." Nolan was briefly confused—where was he supposed to get an umbrella?—but he nodded regardless.
If there were no conditions, he’d just have to create them.
He stretched out his right hand and made a light grasping motion toward the sky.
In the next instant, countless raindrops, twinkling like stars, converged like rivers flowing into the sea, gathering in his palm.
First, the handle formed, then the frame, and finally, a canopy woven from condensed water took shape—an umbrella made entirely of water.
Holding it in hand, Nolan stepped closer to Ningguang, standing so near that their arms brushed against each other as he raised the umbrella over them.
With a smile, he said, "There, we have an umbrella. Let’s go."
"Not bad." Ningguang parted her soft lips slightly, offering a word of praise.
As the two stepped out into the rain, the falling droplets did not bounce off the umbrella made of water. Instead, they merged seamlessly into it.
Meanwhile, the puddles beneath their feet and ahead of them automatically parted to either side, creating a clear path for them to walk without worrying about getting their shoes wet.
Nolan felt that, as an attendant, he was doing an exceptionally good job.
However, as they made their way toward the Ministry of Civil Affairs, they encountered the usual problem of two people sharing a single umbrella in the rain.
Every now and then, their arms would bump into each other, making walking slightly awkward.
Just as Nolan was about to enlarge the umbrella, he suddenly felt something soft wrap around his right arm.
He turned his head and met Ningguang’s crimson eyes. Her expression was unreadable as she spoke in a calm voice.
"Don’t misunderstand. This is simply to help us walk more comfortably."
"Mm-hmm, I understand!"
Nolan felt a rush of joy as he sensed the warmth of her body transferring to his arm.
[Ningguang Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained gained: 240 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (600/800)]
When they arrived at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the rain had begun to lighten. Ningguang let go of his arm and said,
"Alright, come inside with me."
Nolan nodded and followed her in.
As their figures disappeared inside, the two Millelith guards stationed at the entrance exchanged glances, as if silently confirming with each other whether they had just seen what they thought they had seen.
As the two figures disappeared from sight, the two Millelith guards stationed outside exchanged glances.
It was as if they were silently confirming whether they had just seen what they thought they had seen.
Lady Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, had actually linked arms with that distinguished citizen—the very one who had played a crucial role in subduing the sea demon!
In all their years, they had never heard of Lady Ningguang having a boyfriend. So… was she into younger men?
That would explain everything!
The two guards felt as if they had just stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret. To avoid being "silenced," they tacitly agreed to erase what they had just seen from their memories—just chalk it up to poor eyesight.
That being said, the only kind of man worthy of Lady Ningguang would have to be someone on her level, wouldn’t he?
That young adventurer hadn’t just proven his worth by aiding in the demon crisis—word had it that, not too long ago, he had even survived a direct strike from none other than the Raiden Shogun herself!
That was truly terrifying.
Considering Lady Ningguang was both a shrewd strategist and a formidable fighter, the two of them might just be a perfect match.
—
Meanwhile, having already stepped inside the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Nolan remained blissfully unaware of the wild speculations of the two guards outside.
Even if he knew, he wouldn’t have cared.
At the moment, he was more focused on taking in the scene before him. The first thing he noticed was how spacious the interior was—and how many people were still working despite the late hour and rainy weather.
But that made sense. After all, this was the place responsible for handling the city’s administrative affairs. It was only natural for it to be busy.
Even his Primogems had been collected here under Ningguang’s directives.
"Wait here for a moment. I’ll go retrieve your items from the supply warehouse."
Ningguang turned to him as she spoke.
"Alright, I’ll leave it to you." Nolan nodded with a smile.
It didn’t take long.
After sitting around for only a short while, Ningguang returned.
Clearly, most people wouldn’t be able to retrieve items from the Ministry this quickly.
After all, there was usually a whole approval process involved. Only someone like Ningguang—one of the Liyue Qixing—had the authority to bypass all that and access the warehouse directly.
Of course, chances were that she had already taken care of the necessary paperwork when she first ordered the Primogems to be gathered.
"Here is what you requested—122 in total!"
Ningguang walked up to him and retrieved a small, ordinary-looking box from the spatial storage of her Vision.
122?!
Nolan hadn’t expected there to be so many. Excited, he took the box from her hands and quickly opened it.
Inside, just as he had hoped, was a small pile of glittering Primogems!
A quick mental scan confirmed it—exactly 122 pieces.
Each one provided 3,000 Adventure EXP. That meant the total experience value was… 366,000 EXP!
Just thinking about it made him eager to head over to the Adventurers' Guild and see how many more he could collect from Katheryne!
"That’ll be 12.2 million Mora."
Ningguang watched his delighted expression and took the opportunity to remind him of the bill.
"Haha, of course, I didn’t forget!"
Nolan had always known that these Primogems weren’t free—he had merely entrusted Ningguang with collecting them on his behalf.
So, without hesitation, he reached for his Mora pouch.
Only to be stopped by Ningguang.
She shook her head and said, "There’s no need. Consider these Primogems your payment for today’s work investigating the Chasm."
"Oh? So you're telling me I just completed a commission worth over 12 million Mora? Lady Ningguang, I suddenly don’t feel like working hard anymore—what should I do?"
Nolan put on a look of exaggerated emotion.
"Heh. That’s fine." Ningguang crossed her arms and smiled slightly. "Just stay by my side from now on—you’ll never have to worry about Mora again. How about it?"
"Uh… actually, never mind. Being an adventurer suits me better."
When it came down to it, the thought of truly giving up and becoming a kept man under Ningguang’s patronage made Nolan hesitate.
Unlimited Mora was nice and all… but traveling across Teyvat, uncovering its mysteries, and meeting more fascinating women was far more exciting!
"Oh well. That’s a shame." Ningguang feigned disappointment.
As a seasoned businesswoman, she could easily see through him. There was no way this guy would settle for staying by her side forever—he just wanted to tease her.
But she wasn’t about to let him get away with it so easily.
[Ningguang Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained gained: 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (20/900)]
(End of Chapter)
