This was an overall attribute increase of more than two percent. As long as he continued to do good deeds without seeking anything in return, in the end, even relying solely on the strength of his body and soul would be enough to crush everything!
Nolan was extremely satisfied with this affection skill.
Another half an hour later, Focalors finally stopped, lying on top of him and breathing lightly. Nolan then rolled over, pressing her beneath him, and continued their cultivation for a while longer.
After that, the two of them went to the hot spring baths to wash up.
That afternoon, Nolan once again arrived at the Hotel Bouffes d'ete and met Arlecchino along with Lyney and his siblings.
"Oh? You're back so soon—has it already been settled?"
Arlecchino crossed her legs as she sat in her chair, a look of surprise on her face.
Although she knew that Nolan was extremely efficient when it came to completing commissions, resolving such a major matter in just a few hours was still rather unexpected.
"That's right. Focalors has agreed to your request and entrusted the 'Gnosis' to me. As long as you fulfill the conditions you promised, I can hand it over to you."
Nolan took out the Hydro-element "Gnosis" and showed it to Arlecchino before explaining.
"The Hydro Archon truly has great resolve."
Arlecchino stared at the "Gnosis" in Nolan's hand, a smile appearing on her fair face.
Most of the promised conditions had actually already been prepared in advance. Once the Hydro Archon agreed, they could be implemented at any time.
"Thank you. The commission fee will be delivered shortly," Arlecchino said gratefully.
[Arlecchino Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 720 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (220/900)]
The character panel popped up with an affection notification—Arlecchino's goodwill toward Nolan had increased once more, reaching Level 9.
At the current rate—each affection gain being at least seven hundred points—one more increase would likely bring it to the maximum.
At that point, he would obtain another affection skill. Nolan thought about it with anticipation.
More importantly, once Arlecchino's affection toward him was maxed out, casually finding a reason to express that he wanted to become her lover would probably not be met with refusal.
It was just a bit of a pity that Lynette didn't develop affection toward him this time.
This matter wasn't directly related to her, and she hadn't played any role in facilitating it. Even seeing her "Father" successfully achieve her goal didn't evoke particularly strong feelings.
Besides, back in the morning, when he agreed to Arlecchino's commission, Lynette had already developed affection toward him once.
This was essentially the same matter, and after affection had already been triggered once, the threshold for triggering it again became higher. This time, it simply hadn't reached that threshold.
While Nolan was lost in thought, Arlecchino had already instructed Lyney to go fetch the Primogems, preparing to give them to him as the commission payment.
At present, the progress of collecting the "Gnoses" was not ideal.
Only the Anemo and Geo Gnoses had successfully been presented before the Tsaritsa, and this Hydro Gnosis would only be the third.
The main reason seemed to be this man… Arlecchino once again turned her gaze toward Nolan.
Because when "Scaramouche" and "The Doctor" sought to obtain the Gnoses of Inazuma and Sumeru, they caused harm to the local regions.
As a result, they were stopped by Nolan, and to this day, those two Gnoses still hadn't been obtained.
After thinking for a moment, Arlecchino said to Nolan:
"Your relationship with the Electro Archon and the Dendro Archon should be quite good as well, right? Since you can persuade the Hydro Archon to trade her 'Gnosis,' you should be able to persuade them too."
"Oh?"
Nolan understood what Arlecchino meant—she wanted the Electro and Dendro Gnoses.
At present, the "Akasha" system had not yet covered all of Teyvat. Without those two Gnoses, two nations would immediately lose their ability to connect to the "Akasha Interconnection Network."
Now that the "Akasha Interconnection Network" had become indispensable to everyone, suddenly losing access to it would inevitably cause massive disruption.
Although agreeing to Arlecchino would likely cause her to immediately develop more good feelings toward him, given the enormous impact, Nolan naturally couldn't agree.
After some thought, he explained:
"Those two Gnoses can't be traded to you for now. We'll have to wait for a while. The main reason is the 'Akasha Interconnection Network.'"
Arlecchino's affection toward him was already nearing the maximum, and becoming lovers was only a matter of time. So Nolan didn't hide anything and carefully explained the situation to her.
"So that's how it is…" Arlecchino folded her arms and fell into thought.
Of course she knew about the "Akasha Interconnection Network." She understood that it was an extraordinary creation—one could even say it was a 'subspace' inseparable from people's lives.
She had simply assumed it was some kind of technological creation of the Akademiya. Only now did she learn that it was actually the Dendro Archon's authority, assisted by two Gnoses.
That other nations had allowed the Dendro Archon's authority to spread into their territories was indeed hard to imagine.
So Arlecchino had never considered this angle before.
"However, don't worry. With the help of 'Indemnitium mixed energy,' the expansion speed of the 'Akasha' system isn't slow. In less than a year, it should be able to cover all of Teyvat.
"At that point, those two Gnoses can be freed up.
"Trading them then shouldn't be a problem. As for what exactly will be exchanged, we can discuss that later. But there is one necessary condition—Snezhnaya must allow the 'Akasha' system to expand into its territory."
Nolan smiled and continued.
"Mm. I'll explain it to Her Majesty the Tsaritsa," Arlecchino nodded.
Her Majesty had given them plenty of time. A year wasn't long, but as for that latter condition—whether Her Majesty would agree—she couldn't say.
After all, allowing another nation's god to extend their authority into one's own territory was practically equivalent to an invasion.
Under normal circumstances, it would most likely be unacceptable.
However, Arlecchino glanced at Nolan. If he could persuade several nations, perhaps Her Majesty wouldn't refuse either.
"Lyney will need some time to fetch the Primogems. Let's have some afternoon tea first."
In a good mood, Arlecchino pushed the tea and snacks that Lynette had brought over toward Nolan.
"Alright, thank you."
Nolan accepted the refreshments, his gaze drawn to her pitch-black hand. He had actually noticed it a long time ago and was indeed curious, but had never had the chance to ask.
Now that the main business had been settled, and Arlecchino happened to extend her hand in front of him, drawing his attention to it again, Nolan felt that this was the perfect opportunity.
Judging from Arlecchino's appearance, she was undoubtedly human. Under normal circumstances, her arm shouldn't have been pitch-black.
There was a high probability that something had gone wrong.
With the various methods he possessed, as long as it wasn't completely necrotic—where not a single cell remained alive—treating it shouldn't be difficult.
Nolan felt this was an opportunity to gain Arlecchino's goodwill, so he took the chance to ask:
"What happened to your hand?"
"Oh? You're interested in this?"
Seeing Nolan's curious gaze and his straightforward question, Arlecchino didn't seem to mind at all.
After all, if she truly cared about it, she wouldn't have let her pitch-black hands be exposed so openly.
Arlecchino looked down at her hands. After a moment of thought, she spoke:
"When I was young, they were still normal. Back then, for some reason, I discovered that I could control a special kind of flame."
As she spoke, she raised her index finger, and a blood-red flame flickered into existence at her fingertip.
"This isn't something worth celebrating. Whenever I let my guard down, this power goes out of control. It erodes my body—first my fingertips, then my palms, and now it's already reached my forearms."
Arlecchino said this with a hint of helplessness.
She already knew that this power originated from the ancient Crimson Moon dynasty. It was a bloodline-derived power, and even Her Majesty the Tsaritsa had no way to deal with it.
"I see. May I take a look? I happen to know some purification methods. As long as it's something harmful, it should be possible to cleanse it."
Nolan said warmly and modestly.
Arlecchino glanced at him. Although this blood-flame granted her great power, she clearly didn't like the negative effects it brought.
Setting aside the fact that it looked truly unsightly, she also felt that if one day this power eroded her heart, something very bad would likely happen.
As long as she stayed vigilant, the erosion wouldn't occur—but people always have moments of carelessness.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have spread as far as her forearms.
If there was a chance to completely resolve this erosion, Arlecchino had no reason not to try.
Moreover, based on her understanding of Nolan, he wouldn't casually claim something he wasn't confident about. Since he said it, there was a real possibility it could be solved.
So Arlecchino extended her right hand toward him.
Nolan gently held her palm. Aside from the skin having turned pitch-black and the fingernails becoming sharp, the texture felt almost no different from a normal hand.
It was still very soft.
Lynette, standing nearby, also turned her gaze toward them. Clearly, she was concerned about her "Father's" condition as well.
Nolan gave her hand a light squeeze and found nothing unusual.
Then, while holding her hand, a faint white glow spread out—this was the sign that "Divine Maiden's Purity" had been activated.
The purification method he possessed was precisely this affection skill, capable of cleansing all negative states.
As long as the change was harmful to Arlecchino, it would definitely be purified, regardless of the cause. If it couldn't be purified, then it meant the change was positive and beneficial.
In that case, aside from looking a bit unpleasant, there would be no need to cleanse it.
But living beings usually perceive things that benefit them—whether instinctively or sensorially—as "beautiful."
Conversely, things one dislikes are usually of little benefit.
Arlecchino herself disliked her pitch-black hands, and her body's instincts warned her that this was something harmful.
And the result proved that to be true.
As "Divine Maiden's Purity" took effect, the black coloration on Arlecchino's hands visibly faded, returning to a fair complexion and quickly restoring them to their normal appearance.
"This is…" Arlecchino looked incredulous. It had really been restored so easily?
"That's wonderful, 'Father.'"
Lynette was happy for her as well.
"Don't worry—this isn't an illusion. It's been completely purified."
Nolan said with a smile.
Arlecchino didn't reply. Instead, she reignited the blood-flame at her fingertips and slightly loosened her control over it.
Immediately, her fingertips began to darken again, showing signs of erosion.
However, the duration of "Divine Maiden's Purity" hadn't ended yet. The moment the erosion appeared, it was swiftly purified once more.
Arlecchino still didn't restrain the blood-flame, allowing it to spiral out of control.
As a result, everyone present—including Lynette and Freminet—watched as Arlecchino's fingertips repeatedly shifted from fair to black and back again, over and over.
"…Well, it seems this erosive power is quite stubborn."
Nolan's "Divine Maiden's Purity" could indeed purify it with ease, but clearly, as long as Arlecchino released control over the blood-flame, the erosion would recur.
What he had used on her was a one-time application. Once its duration ended, a single moment of carelessness in the future could still result in erosion.
"It's fine. As I am now, as long as I'm not doing it intentionally, there's basically no risk of the blood-flame going out of control."
Arlecchino extinguished the flame and smiled faintly.
She was genuinely pleased inside, but as a mature lady, she was able to keep her emotions well in check.
[Arlecchino Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 820 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.10 (Max)]
As expected, when the affection notification popped up again on the character panel, Arlecchino's affection increased once more and smoothly reached the maximum level.
[Lynette Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 750 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (200/900)]
Lynette was also happy for her "Father." Although she said nothing and no emotion showed on her fair, pretty face, joy had clearly risen in her heart, and she developed goodwill toward Nolan as well.
Her affection level toward him had now reached Level 9. With just one more increase, it would basically reach the maximum.
It might be about time to find an opportunity to give her an affection skill as a gift.
[Through sincere intent and unyielding effort, a fate once unrelated to yours has become deeply intertwined with you. From this point on, the maiden's constellation shall shine alongside yours. Ability acquired: The Accursed Moon Shall Rise.]
Soon after, another notification appeared on the character panel—this one indicating the acquisition of an affection skill.
This time, Nolan couldn't tell much from the name alone, so he opened the skill to check its detailed effects:
[The Accursed Moon Shall Rise: Summon the crimson Accursed Moon to illuminate all realms of time and space. All living beings bathed in the moonlight may choose to embrace the Accursed Moon and step into the extraordinary domain, gaining "Accursed Moon Power." This is transcendent energy—any living being may freely develop related abilities using it. All abilities developed will be automatically recorded within the Accursed Moon and may be freely used by the user, with their effects receiving a bonus equal to a percentage of the "combined level of both parties." Each living being who embraces the Accursed Moon provides feedback of cultivation progress to the user and expands the illumination radius by "combined level of both parties" meters. The initial illumination radius is "combined level of both parties" kilometers. You may summon "combined level of both parties" Accursed Moons.]
(End of Chapter)
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