After maxing out Collei's affection, Nolan turned again to his character panel:
[Through sincere devotion and tireless effort, you have forged a deep bond with a fate originally unrelated to your own. From now on, the girl's destiny-star shall shine alongside yours.
You have gained the ability: Caracal Plushie · Colrianba.]
As expected, he had obtained Collei's Affection Skill.
He opened the detailed description:
[Caracal Plushie · Colrianba:
Summon the "Colrianba" caracal plushie. Its explosion deals massive Dendro damage.
Maximum number of summons: "the sum of both users' levels."
Can link with Baron Bunny.
When both explode simultaneously, they create a unique "Ever-Burning" reaction within a radius equal to "the combined levels of Nolan, Amber, and Collei" in kilometers.
This effect does not dissipate until the user actively extinguishes it.
Explosion and burning damage are multiplied further by a percentage equal to "the combined levels of the three."]
It really did resemble Amber's special Baron Bunny—both were plush-like constructs that exploded for massive damage. The only difference was the element: one Pyro, one Dendro.
As expected of Amber's best friend, their Affection Skills could even link together, producing an even stronger attack and a special burning-type reaction.
The image of both plushies detonating side by side truly felt like a "burn everything to ash" kind of scene.
The power definitely wouldn't be small.
After understanding the new Affection Skill, the next step in the usual process was, of course, to invite Collei to live in the Wonderland.
This would make it much easier to meet her, train together, and… stay close.
With Amber and Eula already living there—both her close friends—it probably wouldn't be difficult to invite Collei as well.
Looking at Collei's pale face tinged with a faint blush—he couldn't tell if she was shy or excited—Nolan naturally took her hand.
"Amber and the others mention you all the time. Want to come live with us?"
"L-live… what…?"
The moment Nolan took her hand and she felt the warmth of his palm, her heartbeat went wild—like a startled fawn—and she completely failed to process what he'd said.
"Of course, become my lover and live together. Just like Amber and Eula."
Nolan gave her hand a light tug, and Collei stumbled straight into his chest.
"Ah!"
Hitting his solid torso knocked the breath from her, and she yelped softly.
The next instant, she felt his arms wrap around her slim body, leaving her unable to move at all.
Holding her soft, petite form close, Nolan leaned toward her ear and whispered:
"Well? If you don't respond, I'll take that as agreement."
With her affection already maxed, refusal was practically impossible.
Girls were often shy at moments like this—sometimes too embarrassed to state their agreement aloud.
In such cases, a little assertiveness on Nolan's part was all it took, and the girls would accept while pretending to resist.
"…Mmph. I—I haven't even thought about it yet. Mr. Adventurer… you're too sneaky…"
Warm breath brushed her ear, making Collei's cheeks flush even deeper.
Her face felt burning hot, and with nowhere else to hide, she buried it against Nolan's chest.
"So that means… you've agreed?"
Nolan hugged her tighter, his hands drifting along the smooth, snow-pale skin exposed by the back of her short black skirt.
"Ah—p-please don't do that!"
The cool touch on her back made Collei shiver slightly.
She wanted to stop him, but her arms were pinned and she couldn't move at all.
"If you've agreed, then I won't misbehave."
Nolan buried his face into her dark green hair—sweetly fragrant—and kissed her delicate, snowy white earlobe.
"Mmm…"
Collei's whole body tingled, and she couldn't even form proper words.
Whenever she visited Amber and Eula, she often saw the adventurer touching them playfully, which always left her blushing furiously.
And now… she finally understood why Amber and Eula reacted the way they did.
Collei's whole body felt hot—so this is what that feeling is like…?
She seemed unable to endure any longer, and hurriedly said:
"P-please stop… I'll agree, alright?"
After saying it, she exhaled a small breath of relief.
After all, her heart had already been leaning toward accepting.
She simply couldn't bring herself to say it proactively, but when placed in a passive position… the words slipped out naturally.
"Since that's the case, there's no time to waste. Once you finish your patrol, we'll start preparing."
Nolan finally stopped his teasing.
"Mm…"
Collei, cheeks burning red, quickly adjusted her clothes and whispered softly—still clearly embarrassed.
"So next you're going to clear those Hydro Slimes? Want me to help?"
Nolan looked toward the group of slimes floating on the river.
"No need, I can handle it. If I want to become a ranger who can stand on my own, I can't rely on others too much."
Having fixed her clothes, Collei once again drew her bow from her Vision's storage.
"That's true. Then I'll keep you company."
Nolan nodded lightly.
Collei wasn't wrong, so he set aside his earlier thought of quickly helping her finish her patrol so they could immediately move her into the Wonderland.
Collei then swiftly dealt with the Hydro Slimes in the river.
They were only around level twenty—not a threat to her at all.
Infusing her arrows with Dendro, she fired.
The instant the arrow touched the slimes' Hydro bodies, Dendro seeds sprouted and detonated, causing a wide burst of Dendro damage.
In just a few strikes, all the Hydro Slimes were defeated.
After clearing this area, Collei's assigned patrol route was not yet complete, so she set off again, with Nolan naturally following along.
The rainforest was huge—one person could never patrol it all.
Each ranger had their own designated route.
A full patrol circuit took around three to four hours, assuming no accidents occurred.
This setup was reasonable—rangers couldn't be worked too hard.
Patrolling was a dangerous job; if the route were too long and left them exhausted, encountering a monster would be far riskier.
Thus, as Nolan and Collei chatted, occasionally holding hands or leaning close, time passed quickly.
By the time they finished the patrol, it was nearly noon.
Nolan then brought Collei back to the Wonderland, letting her discuss with Amber, Eula, and the others—who had just returned from their own duties—what furniture and supplies she needed. They would go to Sumeru City to buy them.
With many people helping, plans came together fast.
Amber suggested:
"Nolan, you take Collei to pick out the furniture. Eula and I will prepare a big lunch to welcome her to the Wonderland!"
By the time Nolan and Collei returned with their purchases, Amber and the others were almost finished preparing lunch.
With Noelle and Xiangling—both top-tier chefs—in the kitchen, the dining quality of the Wonderland had long surpassed anything in Teyvat.
After enjoying the delicious meal, Nolan and the girls helped Collei set up her new room.
(End of Chapter)
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