"Of course not—haven't you already experienced it yourself?"
Nolan spoke calmly.
Feeling the energy within her body constantly brimming without end, Skirk suddenly understood.
With infinite energy at her disposal, even if the effect were shifted from restoring energy to strengthening the body, it didn't seem like it would cause any particular problem.
In that case, there really wasn't much reason to refuse Nolan. It was just that they hadn't known each other for very long, and already talking about marriage felt a bit too abrupt.
Seeing Skirk hesitate, Nolan knew that she wasn't actually averse to the idea of becoming his lover.
So he increased his efforts—taking advantage of the moment they were holding hands, he directly passed over Shenhe's, Keqing's, and Candace's affection skills as well.
That would make it even harder for her to refuse, right?!
"You…"
Sensing the array of outrageous new abilities she had suddenly gained, Skirk felt a bit annoyed. How could he give her so many valuable things without even asking for her consent?
The favor was far too great—there was no way she could ever repay it!
"They're just gifts for a girl I like. Please, you must accept them."
Nolan held Skirk's soft hand and said with a smile.
Skirk stared at him expressionlessly, really wanting to say that he hadn't given her any choice at all—he'd just stuffed everything into her hands.
But forget it. Although she wasn't interested in romantic relationships, as long as it didn't affect her cultivation, it didn't really matter.
More importantly, she genuinely had quite a favorable impression of Nolan. Even though this guy had a lot of ideas and was rather affectionate with many people…
He truly treated her well.
And the ability to teleport freely to each other's side, engage in direct mental communication, and transfer energy at will—judging from these traits, their relationship already seemed extremely close.
Normally, only people who were exceptionally intimate would be like this.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps he had already had designs on her when he gave her that "waymark."
Skirk, with no experience in romance, realized this only in hindsight.
Seeing Skirk quietly staring at him without speaking, Nolan seemed to sense that his earlier ill intentions had been exposed.
Feeling slightly awkward, he shifted his gaze aside, landing on the fair and delicate ear half-hidden beneath her hair.
"…Since you're expecting it to be this way, then do as you like."
Skirk parted her lips slightly and said, sounding somewhat helpless.
Hearing her agree, the corners of Nolan's mouth lifted. He immediately pulled her into an embrace and planted a kiss on her fair cheek, saying with a grin:
"Alright, I'll prepare a place for you to live right away."
Though it was a bit rushed, with her affection level high enough, Skirk ultimately did agree to become his lover.
"I need a quiet place."
Skirk pushed Nolan away, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand and rubbing away the trace of moisture left by a certain someone.
She liked secluded cultivation. Living with other girls but rarely interacting with them would make her feel out of place.
"Of course, no problem at all."
Nolan nodded.
The Wonderland Space was large enough now, with vast areas still unused. If she wanted quiet, he could simply prepare a meditation room on the third floor, similar to Ei's.
The third floor housed the library and laboratories, a place for study and research, and was generally very quiet.
Ei was also deeply devoted to cultivation, so the two of them would likely have common topics to discuss.
After explaining his thoughts to Skirk, she found no issues with the arrangement. Nolan then led her up to the third floor.
Once there, he first introduced Ei, Makoto, and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata to Skirk. With everyone's help, they quickly prepared a room for her.
It was located just behind Ei's meditation room, adjacent to Raiden Makoto's room.
After that, Nolan went with Skirk to purchase essentials such as a bed and bedding. By the time everything was settled, it was already nearing evening.
The two sat on the edge of the bed to rest for a bit. Nolan looked at Skirk and smiled.
"You've worked hard. Let me give you a massage."
As he spoke, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently began kneading them.
Feeling the light pressure coming from her shoulders, Skirk froze for a moment, then shook her head.
"It was just tidying up and preparing a few things. How could I possibly feel tired?"
"Even so, since we're lovers now, we should naturally take every opportunity to care for each other."
Nolan thought for a moment, finding a reason for his desire to take advantage.
Skirk frowned slightly, her pretty brows knitting together.
"So troublesome."
She clearly disliked such trivial matters, feeling that they wasted time.
"Alright, if you don't like it, then forget it."
Nolan showed a regretful expression, then continued, looking at her:
"By the way, I have a method of cultivation that two people can do together. It's faster than directly strengthening the body with energy like before. Want to try it?"
"Faster than the energy strengthening just now?"
Skirk recalled the sensation from earlier, when her body, soul, and even the upper limit of her internal energy had all been rapidly increasing.
That rate of improvement was dozens, even hundreds of times faster than her own cultivation. Originally, she had estimated it would take another sixty years or so to see a noticeable increase in strength.
But if Nolan kept helping her strengthen herself, it would only take half a year to a year. The speed was astonishing.
She hadn't expected that Nolan had an even more powerful cultivation method.
A trace of curiosity arose within her. She nodded lightly and asked, "We can try it. How exactly do we cultivate? What do I need to do?"
"Mm, for the first time, let me guide you. For now, you just need to lie down—that's enough. Nothing else is needed for the moment."
Nolan said with a serious expression.
Skirk, who had no interest in romantic relationships and was solely devoted to cultivation, clearly misunderstood the key point of his words.
The focus of this method wasn't that it allowed faster cultivation—it was that it required two people together!
"Guide me? Lie down?"
Skirk didn't react right away, a hint of confusion showing in her dark red eyes.
"Yes, just like that."
As he spoke, Nolan gently wrapped an arm around Skirk.
Before her questioning gaze, he leaned forward, kissed her soft lips, and pressed her upper body down onto the bed.
Her back, along with her silvery, smooth long hair, sank slightly into the mattress. The soft sensation at her lips made her eyes widen.
"Mm…"
She tried to say something, but Nolan seized the opportunity to deepen the contact. The unfamiliar sensation felt strange to Skirk.
Clearly, she instinctively wanted to push Nolan away, yet for some reason, her body instead began to respond on its own.
Skirk placed both hands against Nolan's shoulders, trying to push him away, but felt as though her strength had nowhere to go.
She could only barely hold his body apart a little, so that her chest wasn't pressed down so uncomfortably.
After several futile attempts, Skirk could only quietly let Nolan continue kissing her.
Suppressing her instinctive reactions and calming down a little, she realized that kissing was, in the end, just lips touching lips.
Occasionally being nipped made it a bit embarrassing, but overall, she didn't seem to find it repulsive.
Since that was the case, she could only let this guy keep kissing her. She revealed a slightly helpless expression.
He'd claimed there was a cultivation method faster than energy nourishment, but this despicable lecher was clearly just trying to take advantage of her… or so Skirk thought.
Then she noticed that her body really did feel warm, as if being nourished by energy. When she focused and sensed it carefully,
she discovered that this energy was actually coming from Nolan, surging forth during the act of kissing.
It was similar to the energy he had transmitted directly before, but easier to absorb, allowing her to improve more within the same amount of time.
If a noticeable improvement had previously required half a year to a full year, now it might only take one or two months.
From this perspective, Nolan really hadn't lied to her.
It was just that this cultivation method was… a bit too strange. But when she thought about the fact that Nolan was actually a lecher,
it suddenly felt much more reasonable.
Spending time and effort to research such a cultivation method just to satisfy his own tastes—somehow, that seemed perfectly normal for him.
Before long, a few minutes passed.
Nolan parted from Skirk's lips and looked at her slightly heaving chest and faintly panting appearance, smiling as he asked:
"How does it feel?"
He was asking about the cultivation effect.
"Not bad," Skirk answered honestly.
"Good. Then next, the cultivation effect can be improved even further… is that okay?"
Nolan leaned in, kissed her neck for a while, then whispered softly by her ear.
"…Hmph."
How could Skirk not understand what he meant? A faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks, and she quickly turned her face aside, unwilling to speak to him.
Nolan smiled silently. He knew that this was her way of agreeing—she was just too embarrassed to say it out loud.
He got up from Skirk and squatted in front of her legs, which were hanging over the edge of the bed.
Gently lifting her right foot, he brushed his face against her ankle and instep, which were wrapped in deep-purple thigh-high stockings resembling a starry sky.
The soft friction of the fabric lingered against his cheek, and he continued rubbing upward along her calf, slowly moving higher.
In the end, his face pressed against Skirk's thigh, where her snow-white skin was exposed.
He wrapped his arms around her legs, pressing the soft inner thighs tightly against his cheeks, feeling the warmth of her body through their contact.
Nolan lightly bit onto Skirk's black tight bodysuit.
Just as he was about to pull the black bodysuit down, Skirk pressed his head down, burying his face into her snow-white, soft thighs while stopping his actions.
Blushing with shame and indignation, she said:
"You despicable lecher! Don't tear my clothes!"
"Mm, alright."
His voice came out muffled, buried between Skirk's soft white thighs.
Since he couldn't damage her clothes, Nolan obediently began unfastening them slowly instead.
However, her thighs were simply too soft, so he continued burying his face there, kissing her through the black bodysuit.
"Mm—!"
The strange sensation made Skirk instinctively clutch the bedsheets, tensing her legs and clamping them around Nolan's head.
A few minutes passed, and Nolan felt Skirk's strength gradually weaken.
He lifted himself up from between her legs. His cheeks were lightly damp with fragrant sweat, and he felt that undressing her bit by bit was too troublesome at this point.
Nolan directly pulled Skirk's black bodysuit—along with the snug shorts underneath—aside, then pressed his whole body down onto her.
[Skirk Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You. Obtained 780 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.10 (Max)]
...
Two to three hours later, Skirk was already somewhat drained.
After all, high-intensity close-contact cultivation—especially for Skirk, who hadn't yet mastered the technique—was even more exhausting than fighting at full strength.
Nolan held Skirk, who was lying atop him, and looked at the affection notification popping up on the character panel, unable to hide his joy.
Her affection for him was finally maxed out!
[Through sincere intent and unyielding effort, you have become deeply intertwined with a fate that once had no connection to you. From this moment on, the maiden's destiny star shall shine together with yours. Ability acquired: Darkest Abyss.]
Looking at the name of the affection skill, Nolan initially thought it was a spatial ability like the Wonderland Space. However, upon closer inspection, he realized it differed somewhat from what he had imagined:
[Darkest Abyss: A spatial-domain augmentation skill. Can be activated when using any spatial-domain ability, granting the following additional effects to the domain:
• Blindness: Freely render targets within the domain unable to see or use spiritual perception.
• Drain: Freely select targets; any energy-consuming actions they take will cause their energy to drain at a rate equal to the combined level percentage of both parties. The drained energy can replenish the user.
• Reversal: All results of attacks within the domain exist in a superimposed state of illusion and reality. When the augmentation effect dissipates, the user may freely choose which result is "illusory" and which is "real," up to the combined level of both parties.]
After absorbing the information fed back by Skirk's affection skill, Nolan realized that the ability was indeed spatial in nature—but rather than creating space itself, it provided additional augmentation effects to spatial-domain abilities he used, such as "Void Star Sea."
There were only three effects—not many.
The first blocked vision and spiritual perception, which wasn't very effective against opponents who could perceive their surroundings through other means.
The second effect was also straightforward: increasing the target's energy consumption and using that drained energy to replenish oneself—solid, but nothing extraordinary.
But the final effect was downright absurd. Any attack result within a space augmented by Skirk's affection skill existed in a superposition of illusion and reality.
When "Darkest Abyss" dissipated, one could freely choose which outcome was real and which was false.
For example, if he fought someone using "Void Star Sea" and accidentally injured himself while also injuring his opponent,
he could then, by deactivating "Darkest Abyss," turn his own injury into "illusion" while leaving the opponent's injury as "reality."
In other words, only the enemy would be hurt, while he himself would emerge completely unscathed.
As expected of Skirk—gaining such an affection skill gave Nolan yet another powerful means of survival. It felt excellent.
With all these methods combined, he could basically handle any dangerous situation.
In high spirits, Nolan hugged Skirk and rolled over, laying her flat on her back.
Then he lifted her right leg, still wrapped in those deep-purple thigh-high stockings dotted with starlight, and rested it on his shoulder.
Her shapely calf and the foot clad in high heels matching the stockings gently swayed behind his back.
And so another round of 'cultivation' began!
(End of Chapter)
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