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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 427: Ei's Question (2-in-1 Chapter)
🕑 Added 2025-03-09 17:43:27 +0000 UTCIt only took a few seconds.
Using the power of the "Lumine's Authority," Nolan swiftly returned from the Sangonomiya Army camp to the Shogunate Army camp.
The Shogunate soldiers were shocked by such a miraculous method of travel.
However, they already knew that Nolan was acting as a mediator between the two armies, so they didn't ask any questions and directly escorted him to Kujou Sara.
In the same meeting place as before, Kujou Sara was surprised to see him return in less than twenty minutes and asked,
"How did you come back so quickly? Did you not find the Sangonomiya Army camp?"
The latter half of her question was just a casual remark—she couldn’t believe that someone personally trained by the Shogun in swordsmanship would be so incompetent.
"Of course not," Nolan smiled and shook his head. "I've already brought back Sangonomiya's response."
He then briefly explained the situation.
"Hmph, they actually dare to propose so many conditions!" Kujou Sara's face showed displeasure. "They are clearly just subordinates—"
She was about to say "defeated subordinates" but suddenly remembered that she hadn’t really gained much advantage in her battles against that strategist.
Though she hadn’t been outmatched, she hadn’t suppressed the other side either—it was, at best, a draw.
Thinking of this made Kujou Sara somewhat frustrated, but she ultimately sighed and said,
"Since their strategist is willing to compromise, the Shogunate can also show some sincerity."
The Shogunate had expected that Sangonomiya Island would be somewhat firm in their stance—after all, they had not been defeated in battle.
After a moment of contemplation, she continued,
"The Shogunate can agree to their terms, but to prevent Sangonomiya from secretly plotting another rebellion…
"They must agree not to expand their military any further. Additionally, if they need to purchase military supplies, they must apply for approval from the Shogunate. They are forbidden from manufacturing weapons and armor privately or acquiring them from external sources."
On the surface, this seemed like a reasonable demand. If Sangonomiya Island had no intention of rebelling, there was no need for them to expand their military. The current scale should be sufficient for their defense.
Regular threats like Treasure Hoarders, Hilichurls, and Slimes posed no real danger to them, and if a truly powerful monster appeared, an expanded military wouldn’t make much of a difference.
However, forbidding the independent production of weapons and armor was clearly something Sangonomiya wouldn’t accept. That would put them entirely under the control of the Shogunate.
It seemed that the Shogunate understood this as well. Their real goal was likely just to ensure that Sangonomiya couldn’t purchase military supplies externally.
By proposing an additional condition, they created room for negotiation, which would speed up the process of reaching an agreement.
Nolan wasn’t an expert in politics, but he wasn’t entirely ignorant either. The Shogunate’s strategy was quite obvious to him.
Next, he returned to the Sangonomiya Army camp and relayed Kujou Sara’s terms to Kokomi.
As expected, Kokomi was willing to agree to not expanding their military, but she insisted on retaining the right to produce their own military supplies, though she could accept a ban on external purchases.
Playing the role of a "messenger," Nolan brought Kokomi’s response back to Kujou Sara.
After much deliberation, Kujou Sara reluctantly agreed.
After going back and forth multiple times, the two sides finally reached an agreement, and Nolan let out a small sigh of relief.
It seemed that the formal negotiations in the afternoon would proceed smoothly—all that was left was the official process.
The sun cast long shadows on the ground, while white clouds drifted swiftly across the blue sky.
Time passed, and the afternoon arrived.
Nolan activated "Vanishing Presence," concealing himself and reducing his presence as he floated high in the sky.
From above, he could already see both armies setting out, heading toward the meeting point at the border between Kujou Encampment and Tatarasuna.
As for why he was watching from the sky in hiding?
The main reason was to guard against the Fatui interfering with the negotiations.
Though unlikely, it wasn’t impossible—after all, they still hadn’t obtained the Electro Archon’s Gnosis.
Recently, Nolan had been using his "Waymark" ability to communicate with Rosalyne, asking her about any upcoming Fatui plans.
He had learned that "The Doctor" was planning another transaction tomorrow.
But this time, they weren’t going to seek out the Raiden Shogun. The Fatui had received word from the Tsaritsa that she had not sensed the Gnosis’s divine power in Inazuma for a long time.
If the Gnosis was no longer with the Raiden Shogun, then who had it?
Others might have trouble guessing, but Scaramouche knew all too well.
If "Baal-Zebul"—the Raiden Shogun—no longer had the Gnosis, then it must be in the hands of that fox woman he despised just as much!
Only that fox could gain Baal-Zebul’s trust enough for her to hand over the Gnosis.
Thus, they were planning to go to the Grand Narukami Shrine to negotiate with Yae Miko for the Gnosis—or, if that failed, to take it by force!
Hearing that, Nolan couldn’t help but chuckle. With Yae Miko’s strength, even if three Fatui Harbingers teamed up, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Not to mention, Yae Miko had a ridiculously overpowered personal trait in this world.
Unless the Fatui brought one of "The Doctor’s" peak clones, they had no chance of success.
But whether or not such a clone was coming, even "The Doctor" hadn’t informed Rosalyne or Scaramouche.
So Nolan wasn’t sure either.
To be safe, he decided to visit the Grand Narukami Shrine tomorrow.
If anything went wrong, he could simply release the Shogun who had been training Lumine in swordsmanship within the domain.
Then, any problem would no longer be a problem.
Of course, he was still hoping that "The Doctor" would bring enough bargaining chips to obtain the Gnosis through negotiation.
That way, he would have the perfect opportunity to take the Gnosis quietly when "The Doctor" used it for his god-creation experiment.
No one would even suspect him.
As Nolan pondered, the two armies on the ground met, remaining vigilant while proceeding with the peace negotiations.
Since all agreements had been reached beforehand, the process was simply a matter of reading the terms of the peace treaty aloud, ensuring there were no issues, and having Kujou Sara and Sangonomiya Kokomi sign it.
Even so, the entire process still took about half an hour to complete.
Only when the matter was settled, and both armies began their orderly withdrawal without any unexpected incidents, did Nolan descend from the sky.
Afterward, he visited both sides to assess the situation and found that most of the soldiers were quite pleased—after all, no normal person enjoys war.
For his efforts in facilitating the peace talks, both Kujou Sara and Sangonomiya Kokomi developed a slightly better impression of him:
【Kujou Sara Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 240 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (300/400)】
【Sangonomiya Kokomi Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (500/600)】
Without Nolan—who had made significant contributions to both sides—acting as a mediator, it would have taken much longer for them to reach a consensus.
---
As night approached, Nolan was invited to attend a banquet celebrating the peace between the two armies. If not for his "Lumine's Authority," he wouldn’t have been able to be present at both gatherings.
After the banquet, he returned to Inazuma City.
After all, he still needed to escort the General—who had been teaching in the Wonderland—back to Tenshukaku.
His ability to travel through space alone was even faster than Kujou Sara using the enhancements of the "Red Feather Fan."
Upon returning to Inazuma City, the sky remained largely unchanged.
Arriving near Tenshukaku, Nolan entered his Wonderland and brought Raiden Shogun out.
As she took in the familiar surroundings, Raiden Shogun crossed her arms and gave a slight nod before turning to look at Nolan.
“How did you handle the task I assigned you?”
“Haha, rest assured, General. When I handle something, I make sure it’s done properly.” Nolan smiled confidently.
He briefly summarized the events and continued:
“Watatsumi Island has now signed a peace treaty with the Shogunate. All disputes have been properly resolved, and for the most part, everything is settled.”
“Well done.”
Raiden Shogun acknowledged his efforts with a calm remark.
【Raiden Shogun (Ei) Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 260 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.6 (460/600)】
“By the way, come with me. My ‘inner self’ has something to discuss with you.”
Before Nolan could revel in his rising affection with the General, she spoke again in her usual composed manner.
“Ei wants to see me?” Nolan was slightly surprised.
Raiden Shogun gave him a glance before striding forward, her long legs clad in deep purple thigh-high stockings carrying her into Tenshukaku.
Since the General didn’t answer, he had no choice but to follow.
As they stepped through the doors of Tenshukaku, Raiden Shogun’s chest emitted an endless surge of lightning, and the hilt of "Musou Isshin" slowly rose.
She gripped it in reverse with a gentle motion, then suddenly drew the sword—instantly, the world spun, and the space around them shifted.
The sky turned dark red, the ground was made of gray-white stone, and floating in midair was Raiden Ei, half-seated in the void.
Clearly, Nolan had been pulled into the "Plane of Euthymia."
He thought for a moment before speaking:
“The General mentioned that you wanted to see me?”
Raiden Ei slowly opened her pale eyelids, revealing her gemstone-like violet eyes. She gazed at Nolan and asked:
“These past two days, where exactly did you take the General? I couldn’t perceive the passage of time while inside.
“Moreover, I could feel my consciousness being nourished and strengthened. Why is that?”
“So that’s what this is about.” Nolan nodded in understanding before explaining,
“That place is my personal space, which has the ability to nourish the soul. Time there is eternal—there’s no concept of ‘wear and tear.’”
He elaborated further on its properties.
“Eternity?” Raiden Ei narrowed her eyes slightly. “Are you telling me that after pursuing eternity for so long, I finally discover that ‘eternity’ has been right beside me all along?”
She looked at Nolan with slight dissatisfaction.
“Ahem, well, it’s not like I intentionally kept it from you. At the time, we had just met, so naturally, I wouldn’t invite someone I wasn’t familiar with into my home.”
Nolan thought about it and decided to speak frankly.
“Hmph.”
Raiden Ei wasn’t truly upset—she understood his reasoning. After a brief moment, she nodded and said,
“Let’s put that aside for now. Can the ‘eternal’ power within your personal space be studied like your time-based abilities?”
“That’s probably just a form of time suspension power. Since you’re already researching time, you should be able to study it as well. Of course, if you want to stay there for some time to conduct research, you’re welcome to.”
Nolan smiled as he responded.
“Hmm. Since it is also a form of time-based power, it could indeed aid my research.”
Raiden Ei was particularly interested in the fact that the time suspension power in Nolan’s personal space remained constant.
Unlike Nolan, who would only study for a few minutes before stopping, researching the time-based power within the space was indeed necessary.
Although his personal space maintained a constant state of "eternity," studying it wouldn’t be as easy as when Nolan directly handed over time-based power for analysis.
“What do you plan to do?” Nolan asked after some thought.
He had already considered the situation—Raiden Shogun needed to govern Inazuma, so it wasn’t realistic for her to stay in the Wonderland for long. However, Ei wanted to conduct her research there.
The only solution was to leave "Musou Isshin," the blade that carried the Plane of Euthymia, behind.
As a weapon of at least five-star quality, if it were stored in the Wonderland, it could likely grow even stronger.
“Under normal circumstances, I cannot leave the General for too long. Since I am merely a soul, I cannot exist without my physical body for an extended period.
“But today, after leaving the Plane of Euthymia and entering your personal space, I found that due to its ‘eternal’ nature, I did not feel any signs of weakness.
“In fact, thanks to the soul-nourishing effect you mentioned, I became even stronger. Therefore, even if I leave the Plane of Euthymia, I should have no problem spending some time in your space for research. Hopefully, I can make some valuable discoveries.”
Raiden Ei explained her plan.
“Wait… Leaving the ‘Plane of Euthymia’? You’re not planning to leave ‘Musou Isshin’ behind as well?”
Nolan looked at her in surprise.
“Hmm, since even a rootless soul can receive both ‘eternity’ and ‘nourishment’ in your space, there is no need for me to remain bound to the blade or stay by the General’s side.”
Raiden Ei shook her head as she responded.
“...”
Nolan was at a loss. If that was the case, wouldn’t his plan to store Musou Isshin in the Wonderland for its growth completely fall apart?
“Why are you so insistent on keeping my sword, Musou Isshin, here?”
Raiden Ei looked at him curiously.
“Uh… well, it’s because…”
Nolan hesitated for a moment before explaining how his Wonderland could grow by collecting treasures.
It wasn’t exactly a major secret, so there was no harm in telling her.
“I see…”
Raiden Ei pondered for a moment. Leaving Musou Isshin behind wasn’t really a problem.
After all, the General still had her polearm as a weapon.
Though without Musou Isshin, her execution of the "Musou no Hitotachi" wouldn’t be as smooth,
It wasn’t a significant issue—unless another Archon of the Seven arrived as an enemy, there was no one who could force the General to unleash her full strength.
With that in mind, Raiden Ei gave a slight nod and agreed to Nolan’s request:
“During my research here, I will temporarily entrust Musou Isshin to your care.”
“Alright! No problem!”
Nolan eagerly nodded in agreement.
Ei said it was temporary, but with her affection towards him already so high, all he had to do was put in a little more effort, and eventually, wouldn’t it be his decision in the end?
As he thought about this, a notification popped up before him:
【Raiden Shogun (Raiden Ei) Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (160/700)】
(End of Chapter)
