Looking at the effect of Arlecchino's affection skill, Nolan felt as though he'd drawn in a sharp breath in his heart.
Wasn't this essentially the creation of an entirely new path of transcendence?
Just like the systems of Visions and Paths, this affection skill was, in itself, a brand-new transcendent route.
The so-called "Power of the Accursed Moon" was similar to spiritual energy in cultivation worlds—an energy that could be freely absorbed to strengthen oneself.
And it didn't even require any cultivation techniques.
As long as one entered the area covered by the "Accursed Moon" and chose to accept its power, they could absorb it as effortlessly as breathing.
Of course, the Power of the Accursed Moon was an objectively existing form of energy. The speed of absorption and how efficiently it could be utilized still depended on one's affinity with this power.
In other words, things like innate talent and aptitude.
Those who walked this transcendent path of the Accursed Moon could also explore on their own and develop skills using this power.
Much like cultivators using spiritual energy to create techniques such as Palm Thunder or Spiritual Energy Barriers.
If someone developed a skill using the Power of the Accursed Moon, that skill would be automatically recorded within the "Accursed Moon" itself, allowing Nolan to use it freely.
This was effectively a perk reserved for the founder—Nolan—and when he used these skills, they would even be enhanced.
Most importantly, for every living being who cultivated the Power of the Accursed Moon, Nolan would gain one point of cultivation progress aka Adventure EXP.
At first glance, a single point didn't seem like much, but there were countless life-bearing planets across the universe.
A single ordinary life planet like Earth alone had seven to eight billion intelligent beings. If Nolan found such a planet—
—and then hung a Accursed Moon in its sky—
then, given the natural yearning people had for transcendent power, it was almost guaranteed that ninety-nine percent of those seven to eight billion lives would be willing to cultivate the Power of the Accursed Moon.
Taking a conservative estimate of seven billion people, that would still amount to seven billion points of cultivation progress.
At present, he only needed forty million points to level up once. Just how many levels could seven billion points raise him by? It was almost unimaginable.
Even if, upon reaching the level of an Emanator, the Adventure EXP required for leveling up increased drastically, it wouldn't matter.
Nolan would still be able to level up rapidly through this method.
Moreover, Arlecchino's level had just surpassed one hundred. Together, their combined level was two hundred and thirty-one.
That meant he could simultaneously summon over two hundred Accursed Moons, placing them above more than two hundred similar life planets.
All of a sudden, Nolan felt that if he accomplished such a feat, reaching a level of power comparable to an Aeon would be well within reach.
However, this affection skill wasn't without its limitations.
The Accursed Moon that could be summoned initially could only illuminate an area equal to the sum of their levels—in other words, two hundred and thirty-one square kilometers.
That range really wasn't large.
On Earth, an ordinary county could easily span over a thousand square kilometers—this was barely one-fifth of that.
Even if every person who cultivated the Power of the Accursed Moon increased the illuminated area by 2.31 square meters…
As time passed, even if everyone on a planet like Earth chose to cultivate the Power of the Accursed Moon, based on his and Arlecchino's current levels—
—in the end, the illuminated area of the Accursed Moon would only reach a little over sixteen billion square meters, or roughly sixteen thousand square kilometers.
That area still wasn't very large.
So with such a small initial illumination range, getting seven to eight billion people to cultivate the Power of the Accursed Moon would indeed be quite difficult.
After all, just a bit over two hundred square kilometers couldn't possibly accommodate that many people all at once.
Of course, there was a solution.
As long as the Accursed Moon moved like a satellite, it would work. Once it started moving, it would eventually cover every corner of the planet.
As long as those who were illuminated chose to accept the Power of the Accursed Moon, Nolan would gain cultivation progress.
As for what happened after the Accursed Moon left a region—how would the people there continue cultivating?
Well… they'd just have to tough it out, wait for the Accursed Moon to come around again, or follow it themselves.
Although they wouldn't be able to absorb the Power of the Accursed Moon without its illumination, whatever they had already absorbed wouldn't disappear.
This was a genuine step onto a transcendent path. No one could possibly resist such temptation.
Looking at this affection skill, Nolan had already worked out a rough plan for how to use it and was itching to try it out.
Naturally, he had no intention of testing it on Teyvat.
The main reason was that compared to those life planets in the universe with populations in the tens or hundreds of billions, Teyvat's population was simply too small.
By Nolan's estimation, the total population of Teyvat was probably only around one to two hundred million—mainly because it hadn't yet reached a stage of population explosion.
Using the Accursed Moon here simply wasn't cost-effective.
At this moment, Arlecchino also noticed that she had gained a new ability, and she couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Seeing this, Nolan explained that when a girl's affection toward him reached a certain level, both sides would gain an affection skill.
"No wonder there are rumors that you, the legendary adventurer, are a romantic," Arlecchino said calmly as she looked at Nolan.
"From the looks of it, that really is the case."
She continued,
"So you're saying that it's only because of this ability of yours that you approach so many women and go to such lengths to gain their affection?"
"How could that be?" Nolan quickly explained.
"I approach everyone because I genuinely like them and do so with a sense of responsibility.
"Otherwise, with my status, I could just stand on the street, say I'm looking for a lover, and wouldn't countless girls flock to me immediately? I'd easily get a pile of affection skills that way."
"Ultimately, it's still just lust at first sight. Men are all like this—you don't need to explain," Arlecchino said indifferently.
Before he said all this, Arlecchino had indeed realized that she felt a considerable amount of affection toward Nolan.
She had simply thought that his personality and various traits weren't the type she disliked, which was why she found it easy to talk to him.
Whenever she needed help, she went to him, assuming it was just because he was powerful and suitable for the job.
She never expected that it was because her affection had reached a certain level—perhaps even genuine liking—that she prioritized him in everything.
She had never experienced the feeling of liking a man before, so when it happened, she hadn't realized it right away.
"…"
Nolan had to admit that Arlecchino wasn't wrong.
When he chose to pursue a particular girl and worked hard to raise her affection, it was naturally because she fit his aesthetic preferences—only then did he have the motivation to do so.
In plain terms, it was simply lust at first sight.
"Alright then. It seems you really do occupy a rather important place in my heart now. So, what are you planning to do next? How do you intend to treat me?"
Arlecchino wasn't the type to beat around the bush and asked bluntly.
"Th-that is, 'Father,' those Primogems might be a bit heavy. Lynette probably can't carry them all by herself. I'll go help Lyney."
Before Nolan could answer, Freminet, who had been standing to the side, couldn't sit still anymore. Feeling that this was getting into some rather strange territory involving his "Father's" private matters—
—it seemed better not to listen any further. Finding an excuse, he hurriedly ran out.
"Freminet—"
Lynette watched Freminet dash off. It took her a moment to come back to her senses, and she instinctively wanted to follow after him.
But for some reason, her movements hesitated slightly.
In truth, her own thoughts were in a mess as well. After hearing what Nolan had just said, she realized that she too seemed to have developed a special kind of feeling toward him.
It was clearly different from the familial affection she shared with Lyney and Freminet. It seemed similar to the feelings her "Father" had toward Nolan—something between a man and a woman.
She had never experienced such emotions before, and all at once, her heart was in complete turmoil.
"So even Lynette as well, huh? She's the most adorable child of our 'House of the Hearth.' You, with your lust-at-first-sight tendencies, must have thought of ways to win her affection too, didn't you?"
Looking at Lynette's reaction, Arlecchino understood immediately. She turned to Nolan with a gaze full of disdain.
If her affection for him hadn't already reached the maximum, Nolan felt that—
given how flirtatious he was—
Arlecchino wouldn't be this calm. She might already have raised her scythe.
"Ahem."
Nolan rubbed his cheek awkwardly. Since everything was already out in the open, he decided to be straightforward.
"If possible, of course I hope to become lovers with you all, and then live together."
"Oh? So your other lovers all live together with you as well?"
Arlecchino asked curiously.
From what she knew, Nolan had quite a few lovers. How did he manage to make them all get along so harmoniously?
She suddenly thought about herself and realized that despite knowing he already had many lovers—and was even setting his sights on Lynette—she didn't feel particularly repulsed.
Tch. This guy really did have a knack for courting girls.
"Mm. Do you want to come over to my place and take a look? I'll introduce everyone to you," Nolan nodded.
"I haven't decided yet whether I want to agree to becoming your lover. We'll talk about that later."
Arlecchino felt that she should still prioritize her mission. Romance and such didn't really suit her.
Liking Nolan didn't necessarily mean she had to become his lover.
Sensing that Arlecchino was still somewhat dissatisfied with his flirtatious nature, Nolan thought for a moment and said:
"The Raiden Shogun and Lesser Lord Kusanali also live with me. Aren't you after the 'Gnosis'? You can come meet them first and build a good relationship.
"When the Gnosis becomes available later, negotiating the trade should be much easier.
"And Focalors is there too. Once we become lovers, we'll all be family. At that point, talking to Focalors about handing the Hydro Gnosis over to you in advance shouldn't be a problem either."
"Oh?" Arlecchino looked at Nolan in surprise.
She knew that Nolan had a good relationship with the Raiden Shogun and Lesser Lord Kusanali, but she had assumed it was simply because he had helped their nations and become friends with them.
She hadn't expected it to have reached the level of lovers—and with Focalors as well.
Although she was prepared, finalizing a deal with Fontaine would still take at least a month, given how many fields were involved.
Being able to obtain the Gnosis ahead of time was certainly a good thing.
"In that case, I don't have a problem with it. However, as for Lynette—this is her matter. She has to decide for herself."
Arlecchino pondered for a moment.
Since she had already confirmed that she liked Nolan, and although his womanizing was a minor flaw, she wasn't particularly opposed to it, agreeing to him wasn't a big deal.
Hearing Arlecchino agree, Nolan was secretly delighted. He turned to Lynette and asked:
"Then what do you think, Lynette?"
Lynette's affection for him was already at level nine. With just one more increase, it would reach the maximum. At this level, she likely wouldn't refuse.
At most, she'd just be a bit shy and embarrassed to say it out loud.
Although her emotions were somewhat chaotic, Lynette didn't show it too clearly on her face—she just looked a little conflicted.
"I…" She glanced at Arlecchino.
Liking the same person as the one who raised her—her "Father"—inevitably felt a bit strange, even though her "Father" didn't seem to mind.
After hesitating for a moment, Lynette thought it over and said:
"Since 'Father' is going, then I'll go take a look as well."
Ugh… agreeing outright was still a bit embarrassing. Since her "Father" would be there anyway, she could use that as an "excuse."
"Do as you like." Arlecchino understood Lynette well and didn't say anything further.
With both Arlecchino and Lynette agreeing, Nolan felt that his progress was going quite smoothly. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"In that case, I'll give you a few affection skills as a gift. One of them is spatial transfer—it'll make it convenient for us to travel back and forth from home."
Nolan explained a few of the affection skills he often used to raise affection.
Since they had essentially agreed to become his lovers, accepting such relatively valuable gifts didn't feel particularly awkward.
Both Arlecchino and Lynette chose to accept.
When Nolan bestowed several affection skills upon them, the character panel popped up with a new notification:
[Lynette Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 760 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.10 (Max).]
As expected, Lynette's affection had reached the maximum.
[Through sincere feelings and unremitting effort, you have tightly intertwined destinies that once had no intersection. From this moment on, the maiden's fate star shall shine together with yours. Ability acquired: Magic · Cat's Sleight of Hand.]
Soon after, another notification appeared, indicating that he had obtained yet another affection skill.
Judging by the name, Nolan felt it was probably a magic-related ability, so he opened it to check the details:
[Magic · Cat's Sleight of Hand: You will master a wide variety of magic tricks.
Vanishing Water Tank: Temporarily transfer a target—objects included, even enemy attacks—into a space that fits the concept of "concealment," lasting for "the sum of both parties' levels in seconds." If not exposed during this period, it can be released from any location you can perceive.
Spatial Swap Magic: When obscuring yourself by some means, you can swap positions with any object you can perceive.
Card-and-Dove Trick: You may summon cards and doves (non-living) anytime, anywhere. You can also transform yourself into cards or doves to evade attacks or move.]
(End of Chapter)
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