"In Teyvat, to be able to defeat the All-Devouring Narwhal—one that is connected to a planet's primordial sea—by relying solely on your own strength is a feat worthy of respect.
"I have always loved martial arts, and I also delight in fighting strong opponents.
"Let us have a match. If you lose, you tell me where the All-Devouring Narwhal is. If you win, then we'll consider it simply unlucky for the whale."
Skirk said calmly, her dark crimson eyes fixed on Nolan.
"The All-Devouring Narwhal is originally my spoils of war. By your logic, if I lose, I have to hand over my spoils to you—but if I win, you don't have to pay any price at all.
"That's rather unreasonable."
Nolan shook his head, clearly rejecting those terms, and continued:
"If you lose, you should at least give me something equivalent in value to the information about the All-Devouring Narwhal's location—such as the whereabouts of some treasure, or simply a treasure itself."
He felt his reasoning was perfectly sound.
It wasn't that Nolan truly lacked some treasure or anything like that. It was mainly because Skirk looked like the type who wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal, so he naturally had to respond firmly.
Once she was defeated and realized the gap in strength between them, she probably wouldn't continue pestering him over the All-Devouring Narwhal.
Skirk pondered for a moment, then nodded lightly.
"You do have a point. However, I've always paid little attention to matters outside my own cultivation. I don't possess the things you mentioned.
"How about this: if I lose, I'll do one thing for you, as long as it doesn't exceed my capabilities."
Although she didn't believe she would lose, she still made this promise to maintain the fairness of the fight.
If I defeat you, then anything you can do, I can probably do myself—why would I need your help?
Nolan complained inwardly.
Still, in order to resolve this matter quickly—and considering that Skirk had patiently gone back and forth with him for so long, which suggested she wasn't a bad person—
After a bit of thought, Nolan agreed:
"That works. Let's head out to the nearby sea, then. There's not enough room to fight here."
"Fine."
Skirk replied calmly, indicating she had no objections.
[Skirk Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 720 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (120/400)]
Nolan looked in surprise at the notification that popped up on his character panel.
Despite having so many traits and skills that made it easier for him to gain girls' affection, this was only the first time he'd gained Skirk's favor.
It seemed she truly was as she claimed—focused solely on her own cultivation, with little interest in anything else.
However, now that he had gained Skirk's affection, Nolan naturally started thinking about winning her over.
After all, you could never have too many beautiful girls.
Given his current rate of gaining affection, it probably wouldn't take more than a few days to completely win Skirk over.
And she had just promised that if she lost, she'd do one thing for him within her capabilities.
Originally, Nolan had planned to have her casually help him find some golden-grade treasure. Now, he could instead use this promise as leverage to pursue her.
As for what request to make, he would need to think about it carefully.
At the very least, he needed her to stay by his side for a few more days, giving him opportunities to farm some affection—otherwise, who knew where he'd have to go to find her next time.
As for the possibility of him losing, Nolan felt the odds were quite low.
Because Fontaine City wasn't suitable for an all-out fight, the two of them directly teleported to the sea area between Inazuma, Liyue, and Mondstadt.
They chose an uninhabited stretch of ocean with no merchant traffic. Standing face-to-face atop the sea's surface, Nolan and Skirk looked at one another in silence.
Nolan had many ways to defeat Skirk instantly.
For example, he could unleash a burst of spiritual power and directly knock her unconscious.
A normal level-130 individual might not be able to do that, but Nolan's actual combat power was comparable to that of a level-150 Emanator.
The gap between him and Skirk was simply too great. Without any special means of avoidance, she would truly have no outcome other than passing out on the spot.
There was also Lisa's affection skill, which could instantly place Skirk into a state of time stop, leaving her unable to move even a single bit—completely at Nolan's mercy.
Yoimiya's affection skill allowed him to control gravity to a certain extent; using gravity, he could also easily restrain Skirk.
If their strength levels were close, she might still be able to break free. But with such an overwhelming gap, no amount of struggle would make any difference.
Then there was the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's affection skill, "Lord of Trees," which granted Nolan the ability to link with plants and gain their traits.
And in Teyvat, what plant would be more worthy of linking with than anything else? Without question, the top choice would be Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's own true body—the World Tree, which records all of Teyvat's history.
Thus, not long after obtaining Rukkhadevata's affection skill, Nolan had Nahida take him to the World Tree to attempt a connection.
The result was, of course, a complete success. Nolan gained the traits of the World Tree.
He was effectively a brand-new World Tree himself—capable of recording the entirety of a world's history, and even entering that history to exert a certain degree of influence over past events.
Of course, the final outcome of history was still difficult to change.
However, because he had not yet marked any ownerless world with this authority, he was currently unable to fully utilize this ability.
As for Teyvat, that was because it already had its own World Tree.
If he were to let his own authority also record Teyvat's history, it would interfere with Rukkhadevata's authority—completely unnecessary.
If he truly wanted to use that power, he could simply ask Rukkhadevata for help directly.
Aside from recording and interfering with history, the World Tree's traits also granted absolute control over the ley lines—far more powerful than the ley-line guidance ability provided by his other specializations.
Moreover, unlike the authority of recording history, which required resonance with a world and various markings, this ability had no such restrictions.
As long as there were ley lines present, he could use it freely.
For example, right now, Nolan could cause the ley lines beneath the nearby sea to induce elemental chaos in the surrounding area—precisely targeting Skirk.
As long as there was still elemental power within her body, it would spiral out of control. Instantly paralyzing her was entirely possible.
Even if she barely managed to withstand it, the moment Skirk tried to launch an attack, she would find the ambient elemental energy so chaotic that it would be impossible to guide.
Any attack she released would be assimilated by the turbulent elemental environment.
Even if she used the mysterious power originating from beyond the world, the moment it was released, it would still be disrupted by the chaotic elemental forces around her.
Although Nolan had so many methods to easily defeat Skirk,
considering that she was someone who loved cultivation and battle, a fight that was evenly matched and exhilarating would likely be far more effective at gaining her affection than a one-sided crushing defeat.
Therefore, when Skirk drew her slender one-handed sword, Nolan also—after a long time—activated Eula's affection skill and summoned the Frostlight Descending Blade!
(End of Chapter)
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