A legal consultant was the same no matter where they went—the key was knowledge. And as an adeptus, Yanfei's memory was far superior to that of ordinary people.
The interstellar world had many top-tier legal experts who started out perfectly ordinary.
Of course, once someone became a top-tier legal consultant in the interstellar era, becoming "not ordinary" anymore was the easiest thing in the world.
"…That does make sense," Yanfei said thoughtfully. "Then when the time comes, I'll be counting on you to show us around."
She was genuinely curious about the laws of interstellar civilization.
Would their legislative philosophies be more advanced?
And in a society far larger and more complex than Teyvat…
How did they balance the laws of different civilizations, species, and cultures?
Yanfei couldn't help being intrigued.
"No problem at all—leave it to me."
Nolan smiled.
He would eventually need to establish a base somewhere in the galaxy anyway, to interact with interstellar civilization while keeping Teyvat hidden.
Anyone interested could travel with him, buy a few new phones, connect to the Interstellar Peace Network, and learn whatever they wanted.
"Mm."
Yanfei nodded happily, and her affection toward him rose again.
[Yanfei Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 550. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (700/800)]
Waves crashed gently against the hull of the Alcor, only to break apart against its reinforced structure as the ship sped forward far faster than normal sailing vessels.
Nolan continued chatting with the girls for a while until the ship finally arrived near Guyun Stone Forest.
Since they were heading into the sealed ancient gods' underwater chambers, the Alcor didn't moor near the islands but instead stopped in the surrounding waters.
"The place where Rex Lapis sealed the ancient gods is right beneath these waters. Osial also emerged from here back then. Let's head down."
Nolan guided Hydro energy, forming protective water-element shields around himself, the girls, and even Guoba.
"So we're finally going to face ancient gods head-on!"
Beidou's eyes burned with interest. As someone who challenged the strong, ancient gods naturally fascinated her.
Under normal circumstances, she would never approach them—she knew she didn't have the power to face an ancient god.
But with so many special skills on their side, and with Nolan personally escorting them, she wouldn't miss the chance to witness greater power.
Nolan dove in first, the girls and Guoba following close behind.
The Hydro shields floated naturally upon touching the water, then sank slowly under Nolan's control.
Their surroundings shifted into a crystal-clear underwater world, where fish swam around them without fear—likely because their shields carried the same elemental aura as the sea.
"It's so dark below… how deep does this go?"
Xiangling gazed at the fish with bright curiosity while Yanfei stared nervously downward.
"Roughly 300 meters," Nolan said after extending his spiritual sense.
"Morax really thought things through—sealing them underwater makes them harder to reach. Too bad that Childe of the Fatui still managed to release Osial last time."
Beidou spoke through the Waymark.
Talking underwater was like speaking in space—their voices couldn't carry normally.
"It's lucky it was only Osial. Rex Lapis sealed far more than one ancient god here."
Nolan nodded.
If more than one had escaped, Liyue would have stood no chance unless the Geo Archon himself took action.
Though of course, that incident was orchestrated by Zhongli himself—there was no danger of a second ancient god escaping.
The deeper they sank, the dimmer the sunlight became.
When they finally reached the seafloor, the light from above was faint, barely illuminating the sand and mud.
But with the golden Eyes of Judgment, Nolan could clearly see the massive elemental formation below.
Six elemental monoliths drew upon the sea's elemental currents and leyline power to suppress the entire region, overlaid with a layer of adeptal sealing arrays.
According to Zhongli, he sealed six ancient gods beneath Guyun Stone Forest, each trapped in their own sealing layer:
1. First Layer – Overlord of the Vortex, Osial
2. Second Layer – Sandstorm ancient god, Kurbik
3. Third Layer – Molten ancient god, Banoro
4. Fourth Layer – Shadow ancient god, Fayez
5. Fifth Layer – Blood-Ember ancient god, Deandre
6. Sixth Layer – Toxic Cloud ancient god, Muryebas
They were sealed in the order Zhongli defeated them.
Osial was first, so he was sealed in the topmost layer.
Because of these layered spaces, only the top-layer ancient god escaped during the incident.
If all six had shared the same chamber, even if they didn't fight each other, something like the "Adeptal Summons" incident last time might've released all of them at once.
Six ancient gods…
Without Rex Lapis, Liyue would have been annihilated in half a day.
But that was the past.
Now Nolan could beat them with a single finger.
"How do we get inside the sealed chambers?"
Yanfei looked at him.
"Undoing the Geo Archon's seals would be troublesome and might accidentally release the ancient gods. So we'll just use the All-Permission Talisman to open a small passage."
Nolan took out a talisman.
Zhongli had given it to him after hearing he planned to visit the seals.
Releasing a bit of power through it would allow entry without damaging the formation.
"Huh? The All-Permission Talisman can undo simple seals, but undoing the Archon's seal should be impossible, right?"
Yanfei asked doubtfully.
Normally, yes—the talisman couldn't do that.
But this one carried Zhongli's aura, allowing the formation to recognize it.
Nolan smiled.
"This was crafted by the Geo Archon himself. It'll work."
He was careful not to expose Zhongli's retirement.
Once he maxed out the girls' affection and strengthened them through training, they would naturally sense Zhongli's true nature on their own.
That way, technically, he hadn't leaked the secret.
Hehehe.
Not my fault, Zhongli—your 'stealth stat' is just too low.
In truth, Zhongli wasn't hiding from friends—only from ordinary citizens.
If they knew Morax hadn't passed on, the people of Liyue would inevitably begin relying on him again, believing he would protect them from anything.
Zhongli wanted the people of Liyue to grow on their own, after all—even if everything he did was ultimately for their sake.
"I see."
Yanfei nodded lightly. If it was a 'All-Permission Talisman' personally left behind by the Geo Archon, then there was no problem at all.
"Follow me."
Nolan held the talisman and moved to the center of the sealing formation. He released a small amount of its power.
Sensing the familiar aura, the array opened a two- to three-meter-tall rift on its own.
Nolan guided the girls inside, and once they entered, the rift closed behind them.
Just like that, they had officially entered the first layer of the sealed chambers.
The light here was surprisingly bright—like being only a few meters underwater. Looking downward, they could see the massive body of the Overlord of the Vortex.
Like the sea itself given form—several enormous heads with long, serpentine necks connected to a land-mass-sized body.
Its body was bound tightly by layers of arrays and talismans, completely immobilized.
Through spiritual sense, Nolan detected that Osial was currently asleep.
Which was only natural. If one couldn't move at all, what else was there to do but sleep away the endless years?
"So this is an ancient god… Just looking at it, I can feel how terrifyingly strong it is."
Beidou stared in awe at the enormous creature.
"It kind of looks like a huge Hydro Slime… If it's elemental life, could it theoretically be used as an ingredient…?"
Xiangling's eyes sparkled dangerously.
"…Your thoughts always go in such strange directions. Even if you wanted to cook an ancient god, you wouldn't be able to touch it even if it lay there without resisting."
Yanfei laughed helplessly.
"Uhh… you might be right…"
Xiangling rubbed her head shyly.
Ingredients that carried immense energy were notoriously difficult to prepare. Without sufficient strength, it was impossible.
"Careful. It looks like the Overlord of the Vortex is waking up."
Nolan had been about to smile at their chatter, but the ancient being seemed to sense newcomers inside its domain and slowly stirred awake.
After so many years in confinement, it was deeply familiar with every inch of this space—new presences didn't go unnoticed.
"ROAR!"
One of its long water-formed heads—the one on the left—lunged toward them like a beast attacking a mortal enemy.
"Eek!"
Xiangling froze as the massive tongue shot toward them.
Beidou and the others couldn't fight underwater, especially while inside Hydro shields.
"Calm down. We're not here to fight you."
Nolan raised his right hand, and the massive head suddenly jerked downward, slammed to the ground as if an invisible force had crushed it.
"BWOOOM—!"
The surrounding water vibrated violently, sending rippling shockwaves outward.
The other two heads weren't decorative either—they lunged at them like wild beasts.
Nolan casually pinned them down with spiritual force as well.
In an instant, all three heads of Osial were firmly immobilized, leaving the ancient god completely unable to resist.
"Whew—that was close. Why does this 'Overlord of the Vortex' attack like a wild beast? I thought it would use some kind of divine authority…"
Yanfei patted her chest in relief.
Beidou felt the same. The attack had tremendous force—far stronger than any monster she'd fought.
But the lack of divine powers was odd.
"It's because of the seal. Rex Lapis sealed away most of its strength, so naturally it can't use its authorities."
Nolan explained.
These ancient gods were extremely powerful. If their energy wasn't sealed, they might find a way to escape.
He continued with a smile:
"Well, no point wasting time. I'll control this one first, and then we'll head to the second layer."
His strength vastly surpassed Osial's. Without the slightest resistance, the ancient god was knocked unconscious by a surge of spiritual power.
Because it had already been knocked out once during its previous escape, Nolan didn't receive any EXP—he had already harvested that once.
He skillfully implanted the same obedience commands he used on others.
This ensured that even if Osial escaped again someday, it wouldn't harm anyone.
Ordering the Overlord of the Vortex to stay put, Nolan guided the group to the center of the first layer and used the All-Permission Talisman again to open a passage to the second layer.
Such a small, temporary opening wouldn't release any sealed ancient gods.
As soon as they passed through, the distorted boundary snapped back to its original form, restoring the first layer to Osial alone.
Osial thought, somewhere in its semi-conscious mind: Even while sealed, people still come bother me…
The second layer held the Sandstorm ancient god.
This area was also filled with seawater, much like Osial's layer—comfortable for the Overlord of the Vortex, but likely unpleasant for a sand-based entity.
Countless arrays bound the Sandstorm ancient god in place.
Its true form seemed to be a giant humanoid sand-stone titan. Its will was extremely strong—when they entered, it immediately sensed them and awakened from slumber.
"So this is the Sandstorm ancient god? It doesn't seem capable of attacking us like Osial."
Xiangling observed.
Osial could attack because its necks were long and flexible; the sand titan's massive body was sealed in place, unable to move even an inch.
(End of Chapter)
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