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[Genshin Impact] Chapter 628: The Incomplete Authority (2-in-1 Chapter)

“Hmm.”

Herta held the artifact in her hand, observing it carefully. Her expression grew thoughtful, as if she couldn’t sense any particular power from within.

The teapot looked utterly ordinary—just an antique, nothing more.

“If you focus your mind on using its power, you’ll be able to sense its mystery,” Nolan explained.

The blessing effect of artifacts had an upper limit—different star tiers determined how much enhancement they could provide.

For someone like Nolan, with his current level of strength, even a five-star artifact could only provide a negligible boost. So he rarely used them anymore.

They were only truly effective before reaching Level 100—that is, before stepping into the rank of a god.

Herta’s current puppet incarnation, however, was only a little over Level 60. For her, the boost from a four-star artifact was quite significant—strong enough for her to feel its effects clearly.

“All right, I’ll give it a try.” Herta nodded and followed Nolan’s instructions.

As she focused, the antique teapot in her palm vanished. Within her puppet body, beside her spiritual consciousness, she felt the presence of the teapot—and from it, a strange power spread through her entire being.

After carefully sensing it, Herta noticed that this power had a resilient quality to it—it made her puppet body far sturdier than before.

It reminded her somewhat of the “Light Cones” from The Garden of Recollection, and also of the “Relics” formed within the “World Cracks” caused by the “Cancer of All Worlds.”

The former—Light Cones—were technologies that encapsulated memories within slices of light. By carrying them, the user could enhance their body and abilities in various ways.

If a Light Cone happened to resonate with the carrier’s Path, it could even awaken additional powers.

Relics, on the other hand, were born from the Cracks themselves.

Wherever the “Cancer of All Worlds” appeared, space would inevitably distort—creating Cracks. Within these Cracks, information from countless worlds intertwined and converged.

When spatial dust within the Cracks was tainted by fragments of that information, it could reconstruct itself into physical objects—artifacts of lost civilizations. Those were the Relics.

Like Light Cones, Relics could also provide powerful blessings to their carriers.

And when multiple Relics formed from the same civilization’s data were worn together, they could even resonate with one another and awaken additional power.

The Light Cone technology was unique to The Garden of Recollection, but Herta had already studied it extensively. Unfortunately, that technology was now being used in cooperation with the Interastral Peace Corporation.

If she produced one privately, it could count as infringement.

And since her research still required the corporation’s funding, she had no intention of getting on their bad side.

Besides, if The Garden of Recollection learned that someone had replicated their proprietary technology, there was no telling how they might react.

Not that Herta feared them—she simply saw no reason to invite unnecessary trouble.

After all, she’d studied Light Cones only out of curiosity.

As for Relics, they were naturally formed within Cracks, nearly impossible to reproduce in a normal environment—so there wasn’t much point in discussing them further.

But this artifact—the Genshin-style artifact—was different. Its power originated from the sublimation of history itself, distinct from the memories of Light Cones or the civilization data of Relics.

Even more astonishing—it could be directly loaded into the spiritual consciousness!

Even from Herta’s perspective, she had to admit this was fascinating. Light Cones and Relics could only be carried physically, never integrated into one’s consciousness.

In terms of convenience, the artifact clearly had an edge.

If she could merge the two systems—granting Light Cones the convenience of artifacts, and layering the memory power of Light Cones onto artifacts…

Herta’s lips curved slightly as she crossed her arms, gazing at Nolan.

“I like this artifact of yours quite a lot,” she said with a satisfied tone. “Oh right, I remember now—you’re the one Screwllum brought back, aren’t you?

“Well, since I’ve accepted your gift, I won’t let you suffer any loss. Go ahead—what do you want to ask me?”

【Herta Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (60/300)】

Nolan wasn’t surprised that Screwllum had mentioned him. In his days patrolling the space station, he’d noticed that apart from Screwllum himself, he was easily the strongest individual there.

If he’d harbored any ill intent, he would’ve been a serious potential threat—something Screwllum would certainly have reported to the station’s master.

Nolan nodded.

“Ms. Herta, I’m glad you like the artifact. The main reason I came is that the planet I used to live on—one of its nations—is facing a serious crisis. I was hoping you might have a solution.”

He proceeded to explain Fontaine’s prophecy crisis in full detail, holding nothing back. After all, any attempt to make something up would never hold under the scrutiny of a cosmic genius like her.

“The humans whose bodies carry the Primordial Sea’s waters…” Herta mused, intrigued. “Interesting. That’s something only beings who wield divine authority could achieve. It seems your home planet’s world level isn’t low—no wonder your strength is decent.”

Her expression shifted to one of genuine curiosity.

Gods were different from the Aeons who ruled over Paths. They were beings who governed the authorities of natural laws themselves—and only planets of sufficiently high magnitude could give birth to such entities.

Such worlds were exceedingly rare in the cosmos. And if one also developed its own extraordinary power system, it meant ordinary people there had an alternate path of evolution beyond the Paths.

The value of such a world was self-evident. If the Interastral Peace Corporation ever learned of it… those profit-obsessed lunatics would swarm it faster than any breeding locusts!

Out of goodwill, Herta warned Nolan not to casually reveal any information about his home planet—at least not before it had secured its own influence in the wider cosmos.

Though the Interastral Peace Corporation indeed played a major role in maintaining universal stability, that only applied to planets already part of the interstellar trade network.

As a cosmic monopoly, the company earned vast profits through fair trade with such developed planets—so for them, maintaining order and prosperity was good business.

But when it came to undeveloped life-bearing worlds that refused to enter their trade network…

The company had never been shy about using “unconventional methods.”

For example, they might sabotage a planet’s financial system through certain means—and if the planet dares to resist, they wouldn’t hesitate to suppress it by force.

No matter how powerful a civilization confined to its own planet might be, it could only bow its head before an orbital planet-destroying cannon from beyond the stars.

Herta didn’t know how the people on Nolan’s homeworld felt about the “Interastral Peace Corporation,” but generally speaking, when outsiders come knocking on your door to “do business”—

especially if the “business” involves the most precious resources on the planet—it’s hard to imagine anyone agreeing to that.

So she suggested that Nolan’s planet should prepare itself fully before making contact with the Corporation. At the very least, when that time comes, they must be able to take the lead in negotiations.

Avoiding contact entirely was impossible—any civilization seeking to join the interstellar community would have to deal with the Corporation eventually. But the strength with which one entered those dealings would decide the kind of treatment one could secure.

Nolan naturally understood. Through the “Interastral Peace Network,” he had learned that the Interastral Peace Corporation, despite being a cosmic giant, operated much like any other company.

There were good and bad people within it. Until Teyvat was truly ready, making contact too early would indeed be unwise.

In the meantime, he had been searching the interstellar network for publicly available knowledge and technology, recording it through his Akasha Terminal. Then, when he returned to the Wonderland Space, he would connect to the “Akasha Interconnected Network” and upload it for the scholars there to study.

Thanks to these external sources of knowledge, Teyvat’s frontier research had advanced rapidly. With elemental power as its foundation, the world’s infrastructure was developing at an astonishing pace.

Nolan occasionally sending back fragments of interstellar knowledge was already enough to keep Teyvat occupied for a long time. There was no need to rush into the complex web of galactic society.

Otherwise, they’d attract too many eyes—and even a few top-tier Archons might not be enough to hold them off.

Of course, Nolan himself didn’t even know where Teyvat was located in the universe. Even if he wanted to reveal it, he couldn’t.

Herta knew that Nolan had arrived here because of the Giant True Stinger, and that he didn’t know where his homeworld was anymore—but for the Corporation, locating it would hardly be impossible.

So her warning had been necessary.

By now, Herta had already finished thinking through the question Nolan had posed, and began to answer:

“Although I’m not like Ruan Mei, who specializes in the field of life, my achievements in that area are still just a tiny bit—oh, let’s say an ‘eeensy bit’—better than those scholars in the Genius Society.

“For the situation you described, the best and most perfect solution is to evolve the Primordial Sea’s water within those humans into true blood.

“To achieve that, you’d need absolute control over water—including the Primordial Sea itself—which requires the complete Authority of Water from your world.

“Since your world’s former Hydro Archon failed to do so, it means the Authority she possessed must have been incomplete.”

Nolan nodded thoughtfully. The elemental authorities of the Seven Archons seemed to be linked to the divine thrones granted by Celestia and the Gnosis.

It was possible that “Heavenly Principles” had never granted them complete authority—or perhaps even Heavenly Principles itself didn’t possess the full power of all seven elements.

The reason could be explored later by asking Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Nahida, and Ei—being gods, they might know the truth.

“In addition,” Herta continued, “you could develop a targeted formation, spell, or even a curse specifically for the Primordial Sea’s water—to prevent those humans from ever coming into contact with it again. That would also solve the problem.”

“Uh… developing that kind of technique sounds time-consuming,” Nolan said, frowning. “I’m not sure if there’s enough time.”

“Oh? So it sounds like you can still communicate with your homeworld?” Herta raised an eyebrow, then waved it off. “Never mind, that’s not important. You’re right—that method isn’t a fundamental cure. It can only be used temporarily, to buy time for your gods to restore the full Water Authority.”

She gave him an amused glance, then sighed and shrugged.

“If all else fails, I could introduce you to Ruan Mei. Even I have to admit—she’s a genius among geniuses.

“Forget transforming a handful of humans—the kind of person she is could easily turn an entire planet into a living organism if she wanted to.

“Of course, the price of asking a genius like that for help isn’t something you can necessarily afford. And that’s assuming you can even reach your homeworld in the first place.”

Ruan Mei—Seat No. 81 of the Genius Society—was indeed a leading expert in biological sciences. Nolan had read a bit about her while researching the club.

She seemed to be the low-profile type; there weren’t many public reports about her on the “Interastral Peace Network.” The latest ones mentioned her joint research project with Herta and Screwllum on the “Simulated Universe.”

So it wasn’t surprising that Herta could introduce them—but as she said, the cost of hiring one of the universe’s greatest minds would likely be astronomical.

Still, even if the price was high, Nolan preferred the idea of restoring the complete Water Authority.

That said, it wasn’t impossible that he could still ask for her help—if he happened to have something she desired, that could solve the issue neatly.

So he asked, “Ms. Herta, may I ask—what kind of reward would Ms. Ruan Mei expect if I were to ask for her help?”

“If you plan to pay in credits,” Herta replied casually, “it’d probably take you a lifetime of patrolling the galaxy and still not be enough. But if you happen to have something that piques her interest—then maybe she’d agree to help.

“Just like I accepted your artifact and answered your questions.”

She shrugged with a faint smirk.

“All right, that’s fine with me,” Nolan said, nodding slightly. He’d already gained valuable answers—now it was time to act. First, he would return to Teyvat and ask the Greater Lord and the others about the truth behind the elemental authorities.

“By the way,” Herta added with a playful tone, “if you have more artifacts to trade, I wouldn’t mind taking a few off your hands.”

Clearly, she thought one sample wasn’t enough for her research.

“I do have a few more, actually,” Nolan replied, nodding. He reached into his Wonderland Space and brought out a pile of artifacts.

They were only four-star pieces—but exchanging them for the goodwill of one of the universe’s top geniuses was a bargain.

If he ever needed her to put in a word with Ruan Mei, that favor might come in handy.

“Well, well—you really do have quite a stash,” Herta muttered, frowning slightly at the heap of artifacts before her. She had thought they were rare, but he’d just dumped out a mountain of them like it was nothing.

“Forget it. Still, thanks, I suppose,” she said, her tone perfunctory.

【Herta Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (80/400)】

Seeing the notification appear on his interface, Nolan smiled in satisfaction. Then, not wanting to disturb her further, he took his leave together with Asta.

After stepping out of Herta’s office, Nolan pulled out a four-star pocket-watch-shaped artifact and handed it to Asta with a warm smile.

“Thank you for bringing me to see Ms. Herta,” he said. “Please take this as a token of gratitude.”

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 486: Yukino is acting a little differently

Ichin knew perfectly well why the others were jealous, but he didn’t care — he was long used to this kind of situation.

Ever since he’d moved to live next door to Haruno, Yukino often came over on weekends or whenever she had free time — sometimes with Haruno, sometimes by herself.

So even though this was the first time she’d sat next to him in class, one on each side with Utaha and her, it wasn’t enough to make him nervous.

Still, today was Valentine’s Day — a slightly special occasion — and having Yukino sitting so close could easily lead to unnecessary gossip.

But when Ichin turned to glance at her, he saw that she was calmly reading her book, completely unbothered. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to bring it up.

When classes ended that afternoon, the three of them left the building together.

Thankfully, no more girls showed up to confess or offer chocolates. That alone was enough for Ichin to feel relieved.

Just that one encounter in the morning had already been exhausting. The girl who approached him earlier had been polite and well-mannered, so he couldn’t reject her too bluntly — he’d had to think carefully about how to word his response.

As they walked toward the parking lot, Utaha looped her arm through his and smiled teasingly.

“Ichin, no girls came to give you chocolates this afternoon, huh? Feeling a bit disappointed?”

“Disappointed? Not really. I already got one from my classmates.”

Ichin said casually, “Besides, if too many people gave me chocolates, I’d never finish them all. In the end, I’d have to share them with others. And each one that’s given, I’d have to thank again — and if someone misunderstood, I’d have to turn them down. That’s way too much trouble.”

“Heh~ is that so.”

Utaha wasn’t bothered about the group chocolate from Ichin’s class — since all the boys received one.

In a class with only a few girls, the boys usually treated them kindly, so giving out chocolates on Valentine’s Day was more like a gesture of gratitude than anything romantic.

As for chocolates with other intentions — there was no way Utaha would let Ichin accept those.

At that moment, Yukino, walking on Ichin’s other side, glanced at Utaha, then at Ichin. Without a word, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small box, holding it out toward him.

“Hmm?” Ichin blinked in surprise. “What’s this?”

“Chocolate,” Yukino said calmly, looking him straight in the eyes. “When I taught Nene how to make chocolates the other day, I had a lot of ingredients left over. So, I made some extra. It’s from me — I think it’s okay for you to accept it, right?”

“Of course, if it’s from you, Yukino,” Ichin said with a smile as he took the box. “Thank you. I’ll make sure to eat it all.”

Utaha, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes slightly and turned toward Yukino.

“Yukino, where’s mine, then?”

“I made one for you too,” Yukino replied calmly. “But my bag didn’t have enough space, so I only brought one box with me. The other’s at home — I’ll give it to you later, Utaha.”

Hearing that, Utaha finally nodded in satisfaction.

Still, somewhere deep down, she felt that Yukino seemed a little different today — though after observing her for a while, she couldn’t quite pinpoint how.

Hmph… a little troublesome.

But even if Yukino really did have some kind of feeling for Ichin, Utaha wasn’t worried. Their relationship wasn’t something so fragile that it could be shaken easily.

Once they reached the parking lot, Ichin and Utaha got into the car, ready to head to the company.

Yukino, meanwhile, didn’t come along — she was planning to stop by the supermarket first, then head home.

Before getting into the car, Yukino looked at Ichin and Utaha and asked,

“Big brother, you and Utaha aren’t coming home for dinner tonight, right?”

Ichin nodded. “Yeah, we’ve got a dinner reservation tonight. As for Haruno, she should be coming back for dinner, right?”

“She will. In fact, she told me yesterday that she invited Hiratsuka-sensei over as well.”

“Ah, got it~ then we’ll head to the office first. Drive safe, Yukino.”

With a nod, Ichin and Utaha got into the car and left the parking lot first.

Watching their car pull away, Yukino finally opened her own car door and sat down.

She inserted the key, buckled her seatbelt, but didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, she sat there in silence for a while, staring ahead in a daze, before finally starting the car and driving away from campus.

---

After Valentine’s Day, Ichin’s life finally returned to normal.

Following that one incident with the confession and his polite refusal, the girls at school had apparently given up. He no longer had to worry about being stopped or confessed to on his way to class.

After lectures, he went about his usual routine—heading straight to the company and diving into the programming department to help debug Dark Souls.

It was the final phase before the game’s master build, and Ichin had joined the team himself to make sure everything could be finished on schedule.

Meanwhile, after finishing a monster design for GARO, Yagami Kō glanced over and saw Yukino walking into the programming room, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks.

She quietly shuffled over to Toyama Rin’s side.

“Rin, have you noticed something lately?”

“Hm? What?” Rin asked without looking up, her pen still moving across the tablet.

“Don’t you think Yukino’s been coming to the company a lot more often lately?”

“Yukino?” Rin finally put down her stylus and gave Kō a questioning look. “What are you getting at?”

Leaning close to her ear, Kō whispered, “I heard from Ichin that Yukino gave him chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Don’t you think… that maybe it wasn’t just friendly chocolate?”

“...”

Rin froze. She’d wanted to deny it immediately—but then hesitated, realizing she didn’t quite know what to say.

Now that she thought about it, Yukino had been acting a little differently lately.

“Wait, seriously?” Rin frowned. “Aren’t we overthinking it? I mean, they live right next to each other. If anything weird were going on, Utaha would notice right away. But she hasn’t acted strange at all. She’s even been busy with the TV drama script meetings at the publisher.”

Kō pumped her small fist. “Even so, we should still try to probe a little! Yukino’s a great girl and all, but I’m loyal to Team Utaha!”

Rin rolled her eyes. “Would you quit stirring things up? Can’t you just quietly watch from the sidelines? Yukino’s sharp—if even Aoba can see through your little schemes, what makes you think she won’t?”

“Hmph! I’m not that easy to read!”

Kō puffed up her cheeks in protest but still heeded Rin’s warning, turning back to her work reluctantly.

Five minutes later, the programming room door opened again, and Yukino stepped out carrying the now-empty tray.

At that moment, Shinoda Hajime walked down the hallway holding a stack of documents. Spotting Yukino, she smiled brightly.

“Oh! Yukino, you brought Ichin some snacks again? Seems like you’ve been visiting the company a lot lately!”

Her voice wasn’t quiet at all—loud enough that Kō and Rin immediately heard it.

The two exchanged glances… and then, ever so slowly, turned their heads to sneak a look toward the hallway.

---

(T/N: Hehe... Interesting. We've our 2nd FL now? xD)

[Game] Chapter 485: The Meeting — Plans for the First Half of the Year (Long Chapter)

For this meeting, Ichin didn’t bother preparing any PowerPoint slides. He simply jotted down a few notes in his notebook and began speaking directly to everyone.

“Over the past year, our company released two games: Fall Guys and Titanfall. Titanfall was developed by the Shanghai Studio, while our team mainly focused on Dark Souls throughout the year. So aside from that major project, the only title we launched was Fall Guys, our flagship multiplayer party obstacle-course game.

Even so, Fall Guys performed extremely well, with sales surpassing one million copies early on. Once we finalized the update roadmap, we also secured a good number of collaboration skins.

As for Titanfall, even though it was released late in the year, it still achieved over a million units sold. That’s an amazing result.

To think that in just four years since the company’s founding, every title released had achieved both high quality and strong sales — from the stylish RPG Persona to Titanfall — their output and performance were exceptional.

And not just now — we’ll keep producing many different genres in the future.”

A garden of many blossoms — that was Ichin’s vision for the company’s future.

In a studio where every game sold over a million copies, it was only natural that everyone felt optimistic about what lay ahead.

Seeing the eager, excited faces around the table, Ichin smiled and continued,

“That’s how things stood last year. But we can’t get complacent. Today, we keep pushing forward. I’ll briefly go over our first-half targets.

First, Dark Souls is entering its final pre-release stage. By mid-February, the game’s development must be completed, and the console version should move to the disc-printing phase.

Next, Fall Guys’ collaboration skins — all platform-specific crossovers for console and PC — have been finalized. We’ll roll those out simultaneously in February.

And then, there’s the Castle Crashers team.”

At that point, everyone in the small group led by Sakura Nene straightened in their seats.

Before Ichin could speak again, Nene said firmly, “Don’t worry. Give us one more month — we’ll have the game finished and ready for release!”

Castle Crashers wasn’t intended to have a physical edition. Its scale was too small — unlike BattleBlock Theater with tons of stages, or The Binding of Isaac with its roguelike depth.

As a test project for the new team, a digital-only release was perfectly fine. After all, Slay the Spire had launched that way too. As long as the game was fun, there’d be no problem.

After Nene spoke, her teammates all voiced their determination as well.

Ichin nodded. “Good. I’ll be waiting to see your finished product. Once Dark Souls and Castle Crashers are done, we’ll move on to new projects — the GARO adaptation, and Tales of Berseria, which we’ll co-develop with Capcom on the action combat system.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai Studio has already started on the Titanfall spinoff battle royale project — Apex. And we’ll also be assigning some staff to develop Dark Souls’ expansion content.”

“Three and a half projects altogether,” Ichin said, “so once we move into our newly renovated office building in March, we’ll need to recruit again. Same as before — if any of you have talented friends in the industry, internal referrals are welcome. Successful referrals that lead to a hire will earn a bonus.”

For the first half of the year, including Shanghai’s work, three projects would be in progress. Ichin’s schedule was to have Apex released by year’s end, with Dark Souls’ DLCs — The Painted World and Ringed City — following afterward.

Next year’s focus would then shift to GARO and Tales of Berseria.

Of course, this was just the initial plan for the year. Adjustments would likely occur as development progressed, but overall, the direction wouldn’t change much.

After wrapping up his overview, Ichin clapped his hands lightly. “Alright, that’s all for the plan. No need for empty talk — once you’re back at your desks, each team should distribute tasks and kick off the first workday of the new year.

Also, as I mentioned before, if you come up with new game design ideas during downtime, write them down. At the end of each month, we’ll hold a creative meeting to share concepts — gameplay systems, worldbuilding, anything. Okay, that’s it. Dismissed.”

After everyone filed out of the meeting room, Ichin took a sip of water, turned to Hazuki and asked, “Hazuki, the meeting with Capcom is set for tomorrow, right?”

Hazuki flashed an OK gesture. “Don’t worry, everything’s confirmed. Just bring the battle demo you made — they’re very interested.”

Thanks to Nintendo’s introduction, cooperation with Capcom was practically secured. However, before formal collaboration, they wanted to see a combat demo.

After all, the company’s most popular title so far, Persona, was a turn-based RPG. The only real action game in their portfolio was Hollow Knight.

If their core action system wasn’t up to par, even “the masters of action” Capcom might find working together troublesome — since they’d only serve as consultants, not the main developers.

Discussing the Osaka trip for tomorrow, Ichin and Hazuki left the meeting room.

Back in the workspace, even though it was the first day after the New Year break, everyone’s energy was sky-high.

They were all true game lovers, developing fun, creative titles — not cheap, soulless products. Naturally, their passion was infectious.

Not to mention, the company’s work culture and benefits were great too.

After a brief look around, Ichin headed toward Yagami Kō’s art department.

Having just finished distributing tasks to her artists, Kō turned and said with a teasing smile, “What’s this, big boss? No work for you today?”

“Not for now. All prep for tomorrow’s Capcom visit is done. My job today is just to supervise you all.”

Kō rolled her eyes at him and plugged in her drawing tablet. “If you really have nothing to do, go handle the office snack restock. It’s the first day back, and we’re totally out of snacks and drinks.”

“Oh! Right!”

Remembering that, Ichin laughed, stood up, and went straight to the logistics department to arrange it.

---

After the New Year, the company’s projects progressed smoothly. Dark Souls entered its final integration phase, with optimization and debugging moving along steadily.

At the end of January, Ichin flew home with Utaha and Yukino to spend the Lunar New Year with their families.

Originally, Haruno had wanted to come too, but her family’s company had several new projects after the holidays — plus, she needed to oversee the new office building’s finishing work — so she had to reluctantly stay behind in Tokyo.

After celebrating the New Year with family, Ichin returned to his usual Tokyo routine.

Talks with Capcom had gone perfectly — both the GARO adaptation and Tales of Berseria’s scripts and gameplay plans were finalized. Once the Dark Souls project wrapped in March, development could begin in earnest.

And on February 10th, one month before Dark Souls’ release, Castle Crashers — the small-scale 2D side-scrolling co-op action game — officially launched.

Up to four players could team up, clearing stages together while also engaging in all sorts of “friendly” chaos. Whether online or local, it was the kind of game you could enjoy anytime with friends.

Thanks to its party-game appeal, it gained solid popularity and decent sales upon release — though due to its simple art style and short overall playtime, it was never meant to be a major hit.

Still, Ichin was quite satisfied with how complete the game turned out.

After its release, the new team—composed of senior-year university students who had joined the company last year—successfully passed their probation period and officially became full-time employees.

Once they transitioned to full-time status, and with graduation ceremonies still ahead, they joined the idle members from the Dark Souls project to begin early preparations for the GARO game.

By this stage, the art department had finished all remaining tasks for Dark Souls and was ready to move on to new projects.

With that team restructuring done, time quietly moved on to February 14th—Valentine’s Day.

Although it was a normal workday, Ichin had already made plans for the evening: he’d reserved a restaurant for a candlelit dinner with Utaha, and even booked a hotel, ready to spend a romantic night together.

That morning, when he arrived at the university, the Valentine’s atmosphere was stronger than ever—college was much freer compared to high school, after all.

Walking along the path to the lecture halls, he could see couples everywhere, and groups of girls huddled together, holding chocolates and chatting about how to give them to the boys they liked.

Meanwhile, the male students were all secretly wondering if they’d receive any chocolates today.

Holding onto Ichin’s arm, Utaha smiled playfully.

“Hey, Ichin—want some chocolate?”

“Hm? Did you prepare some?”

Ichin turned to her with a small grin. “We don’t really need to, do we? We’ve been exchanging chocolates for years. It’s not that important anymore.”

Utaha nodded with a chuckle. “You’re right, I didn’t prepare any. But a few days ago, Nene went to see Yukino—apparently, she wanted to learn how to make really good homemade chocolate.”

“Ohhh, she actually went that far?”

Ichin was a little surprised. But then he remembered that Nene had taken the day off to go to Shanghai, so clearly she’d been preparing for Valentine’s quite seriously.

Still… two girls giving chocolates to each other? That was a bit unexpected. And he doubted Umiko even knew Nene was heading her way.

After walking for a while, Ichin and Utaha split up to attend their respective classes.

Before parting, Utaha took his hand and said with a teasing smile, “If any girl gives you chocolate today, you have to tell me, okay?”

Ichin laughed and shook his head. “Don’t worry. Everyone at school already knows about us—no one’s going to try that. At most, I might get some obligatory chocolates from classmates, the kind all the guys get together.”

“Hmm, we’ll see about that.”

Utaha leaned in, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then walked off toward the Literature Department.

When Ichin reached his own classroom, sure enough, he and the other guys received some group-made chocolates from a few girls in the class.

He accepted them politely, of course.

As he sat down with the chocolates in hand, he overheard the guys in front chatting excitedly.

“Man, getting chocolates from classmates is nice and all, but I really want to get one from a girl who actually likes me.”

“Yeah, and if it’s from a cute underclassman, even better.”

“Ha! Dream on. How many freshmen girls do you even know? Who’s gonna give you real chocolates?”

They laughed, then turned around to look at Ichin.

“So, Ichin, did you get any?”

Ichin replied straightforwardly, “Nope. Not really interested, either. Utaha and I don’t even bother with that anymore. And honestly, no one around here’s bold enough to try something like that, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“But still… I’ve got a feeling someone stubborn might try anyway.”

The bell rang, signaling the start of first period, and the conversation ended as everyone turned their attention to class.

The first lecture went by uneventfully. But right after the second period ended, a girl suddenly appeared at the classroom door—asking specifically for Ichin by name.

Amidst the teasing whistles and cheers from his male classmates, Ichin could only sigh helplessly. He stepped outside and, in the gentlest way he could, declined both the chocolate and the confession that came with it.

He genuinely couldn’t understand it—why were there still people trying to “steal the man” from Utaha? Did they really think she was someone easy to mess with?

Sure enough, when Utaha heard about it at lunchtime, she didn’t show anger on her face, but she quietly canceled her plan to visit the library that afternoon. Instead, she followed Ichin straight to his classroom, intending to sit in for his afternoon lectures.

“Um…”

Ichin glanced to his right, where Utaha was now sitting beside him, then to his left—where Yukino was also seated.

“Utaha’s one thing, but… Yukino, why are you here too?”

Turning a page in her novel, Yukino replied softly, “Utaha told me. I didn’t have any afternoon classes anyway, so I figured I’d come and take a look. What’s wrong—am I not welcome?”

“It’s not that,” Ichin said with a wry smile. “It’s just… this is a computer science lecture. You’re not going to enjoy it.”

“I never planned to listen,” she said calmly, flipping another page. “That’s why I brought a book.”

…Fair enough. As long as she’s happy.

Ichin finally understood — even Yukino was curious to see whether any more girls would dare come by to give him gifts.

Meanwhile, he could feel the envious stares from several male classmates all around the room, watching him sit between Utaha and Yukino like something out of a dream.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 627: Herta's puppet? (2-in-1 Chapter)

Even if Lady Herta is extremely picky, she shouldn’t be unable to find at least one thing that catches her interest, right?

Nolan didn’t continue chatting idly with his group friends. Instead, he started pondering what kind of thing might intrigue Lady Herta.

As one of the top geniuses in the universe, Herta must have researched countless things, and likely the rarer kind at that. Therefore, getting her attention with something wouldn’t be a simple task.

However, Teyvat is an unknown world to interstellar society. Perhaps the things from there could be considered novelties in the context of the universe. As a scholar dedicated to uncovering cosmic truths, it would be normal for her to show some interest.

In Teyvat, the most distinctive feature is probably the elemental power. Maybe something related to that would pique Lady Herta’s curiosity. Then there are the Sacred Artifacts, imbued with extraordinary power through historical accumulation—another unique trait of Teyvat.

Still, it might be best to ask Asta first for specifics. As the stationmaster of the space station, she should know quite a bit about Lady Herta. Her advice would be crucial in figuring out exactly what might interest her.

However, it was already past 10 PM at the Herta Space Station. Perhaps Asta had already gone to rest, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to disturb her so late. Waiting until tomorrow morning at the space station wouldn’t be a problem.

Nolan still followed Teyvat’s schedule for his daily routine. Since there was nothing urgent at the space station, he left behind the “Sword God of Lumine” and returned to the Wonderland Space for now, planning to come back tomorrow.

Wonderland Space, 2:00 PM.

Having just returned, Nolan had nothing to do and was about to look for the girls to train. After all, improving their strength was something he couldn’t slack on. As he checked who was home, he noticed that Keqing’s room door was open.

Oh? Keqing came back early today? Curiously, Nolan walked over.

“How does it feel? If it’s fine, I’ll tell the tailor to proceed with this design,” Yelan said, sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning back on her hands with her right leg crossed over her left, looking at Keqing in front of the full-length mirror.

Keqing was wearing a backless, strapless bra-style short dress. The upper half was black, adorned with small silver specks, as if the twinkling night sky had been woven into fabric.

The skirt’s hem was black on the right side, transitioning into a gradient of deep purple and black on the left, with a layered effect of purple over black. It looked intricate yet as light and magnificent as the night itself.

Through the reflection in the mirror, Keqing noticed Nolan walking in. She turned around with a smile, pressing her hand against her waist. “Perfect timing. What do you think of this dress?”

“Hmm,” Nolan thought for a moment. “It’s black but not heavy. It looks like a starry night sky. Personally, I think it’s pretty good.”

“Hmph, then this one it is,” Keqing nodded with satisfaction.

“This must be a formal dress. Is there some important event coming up?” Nolan asked as he walked over to the bed, sitting next to Yelan. He casually pulled her close and kissed her soft, fair cheek.

Yelan smiled, slipping off her sleeved shawl and then pulling down her tight black pants to her thighs, revealing the soft, pale skin of her hips. She placed her hands on her knees, standing with her legs together in front of Nolan, looking back at him with a hint of allure in her expression.

Nolan stood up too, lifting the back of Yelan’s deep blue backless top, gently kneading her soft, pale hips before wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, pressing against her back.

Having trained together often, Yelan immediately knew what he wanted the moment he held her. She enjoyed this more comfortable way of increasing her strength and was usually quite proactive about it.

Keqing, watching them, felt a faint, almost imperceptible blush rise to her fair cheeks. She coughed lightly, turning back to face the mirror as she answered Nolan’s question.

“Ningguang is preparing ceremonial dresses for us for next year’s Lantern Rite. Since the craftsmanship is complex and there are quite a few of us, preparations started shortly after this year’s Lantern Rite ended. This dress I’m wearing is a sample made quickly based on the design. The materials aren’t particularly fancy; it’s mainly to test if it fits well.”

“I see,” Nolan nodded in understanding.

It seemed Ningguang must have spent a fortune on these custom outfits. Even this sample looked stunning, and judging by the soft, delicate texture, the materials weren’t cheap at all. If this was considered “not fancy,” then the final product would likely be incredibly expensive.

With so many girls in Wonderland Space, plus himself, getting a high-end ceremonial dress for each person would cost a massive amount of Mora. But that’s just how Ningguang was—she loved making money but was also generous, especially to those close to her.

About ten minutes later, Nolan placed the slightly breathless Yelan on the bed. Then he picked up Keqing, laying her flat on the bed as well, smiling as he said, “Since the materials of this outfit aren’t that precious, how about I help test its durability?”

He sat gently just above Keqing’s knees, where her legs were pressed together, slightly lifting her skirt’s hem. His hands slowly glided over the sheer black pantyhose connected to the barely visible white triangle panties underneath.

“Hey, even if that’s the case, this dress is still of decent quality. Don’t ruin it!” Keqing said, her face flushed as she turned her head to glance at Yelan beside her, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“Alright, I’ll test it another day then,” Nolan replied, pinching the elastic band of both the pantyhose and the white panties near Keqing’s hips, pulling them down to her thighs. Then he leaned over, kissing her soft lips.

“Mmh!”

The intimate training with Yelan and Keqing continued until dinnertime. Later, while bathing, he trained for quite a while with Kokomi, Miko, Xianyun, Ganyu, and Shenhe as well.

It wasn’t until midnight that things finally calmed down. The slightly exhausted girls rested in their rooms.

Nolan gave himself a quick wash before preparing to return to the Herta Space Station to find Station Master Asta. After all, it was already 8 AM over there.

For the current Nolan, sleeping was beneficial, but not sleeping wasn’t an issue either. It was more of a habit that he maintained. Sleeping with the girls, feeling their warm bodies against his, and continuously benefiting from the training effect through close contact—there was naturally no reason to skip it.

However, with matters to attend to today, he had to let the girls sleep on their own for now. If things went smoothly, he might even be able to return and cuddle with them a bit more.

In just a moment, with a silent shift in scenery, Nolan used the “Void StarSea” as a transit point and returned to the Herta Space Station.

He put away the “Sword God of Lumine,” then left his room and headed toward the main control cabin. As the stationmaster, Asta visited the monitoring zone every day to check the surroundings, so finding her wouldn’t be difficult.

At this hour, the station’s staff were beginning their shifts, each getting to their respective duties. On his way to the main control cabin, Nolan saw many staff members rushing past, biting into pieces of bread—clearly having overslept. It reminded him of his own early days at work.

As he approached the monitoring zone, a small white dog dashed out from behind a holographic billboard, circling around Nolan’s feet a couple of times, seemingly expecting him to pull out some food.

Unfortunately, Nolan hadn’t stopped by the cafeteria for breakfast, so the little dog was out of luck. He could only smile slightly and pretend not to notice.

“Alright, Peppy, come here. You just had breakfast; you can’t eat more, or you’ll get fat. Then I won’t be able to carry you!” Asta, with her pink hair, approached from ahead, scolding Peppy who was at Nolan’s feet.

The little white dog, Peppy, barked twice, though it wasn’t clear if it understood.

“Good morning, Miss Asta!” Nolan waved in greeting.

“Good morning, Mr. Nolan. Are you here to ask about Lady Herta?” Asta said with a sly smile.

“Huh, how did you know?” Nolan was a bit surprised. Could it be that one of the netizens he’d chatted with on the Herta Space Station’s internal network yesterday was actually her?

“Sorry, ‘MindfulOfDesire’—Mr. Nolan’s nickname was just too easy to guess,” Asta replied with a laugh.

“It’s just a random name,” Nolan said with an awkward smile, hazarding a guess. “Could it be that the anonymous person who suggested I come find you, ‘AnonWellKnown,’ was actually you, Miss Asta?”

“Hmm, guess,” Asta replied without giving a direct answer. However, judging by her expression, Nolan already had a pretty good idea—it was most likely her.

He nodded and said, “Indeed, Miss Asta. Since you’re already aware of the situation, I won’t go into too much detail. I have abilities related to spatial manipulation, and when I left the planet I used to live on, I brought along some local specialties. I think these could be considered novel items in the context of the universe. Could you take a look and see if they might catch Lady Herta’s interest?”

With that, he retrieved two items from the storage in his Wonderland Space. One was a condensed fire elemental ore, and the other was a teapot-shaped four-star Artifact. He gave a brief explanation of both.

“Elemental power, hmm? There are quite a few people in the universe who wield such abilities. Lady Herta has definitely studied them before, so this probably won’t attract her much. However, this Artifact you mentioned… the power derived from historical accumulation is something I haven’t heard much about. It feels a bit similar to the ‘Light Cone’ technology of the ‘Garden of Recollection.’ But while theirs draws power from memories—I’ve heard Lady Herta mention it before—she seems to have researched ‘Light Cones’ herself. She might actually be interested in your Artifact!”

Asta said, looking at the teapot-shaped relic with slight surprise after hearing Nolan’s explanation.

“Light Cone,” a power drawn from memories? What kind of thing was that? Over the past few days, Nolan had been browsing the “Interstellar Peace Network,” but he hadn’t come across much discussion about “Light Cones.” It was probably something quite rare. He’d have to search for related information online later. Otherwise, if he encountered one without recognizing it, he might miss out on something worth a fortune!

“If that’s the case, could I trouble you to contact Lady Herta, Miss Asta? If she’s interested, she can study this Artifact. In exchange, I’d like to ask her a question about the Primordial Sea,” Nolan said.

If a four-star Artifact could pique the interest of one of the universe’s top geniuses and get her to answer his question, it would definitely be worth it.

As for giving away a five-star Artifact, that wasn’t necessary. After all, keeping a five-star artifact in the Wonderland Space helped expand its size and develop unique traits. Once given away, those benefits would be gone.

Moreover, since both four-star and five-star Artifacts were fundamentally the same, just with different levels of contained power, the four-star should be sufficient for research purposes.

“If it were under normal circumstances with no particular reason, I wouldn’t dare disturb Lady Herta. But with the Artifact as a justification, there’s no issue,” Asta replied.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket, opened the messaging app, found Lady Herta’s contact, and quickly summarized the situation in a text, attaching a picture of the Artifact.

Almost instantly, a reply popped up:

Herta: Oh? An artifact? Sounds intriguing. Asta, bring that kid over.

Seeing the message on her phone, Asta looked at Nolan with evident delight. “It’s done! Lady Herta agreed and asked me to bring you to her!”

“Phew, seems like I’m in luck,” Nolan said, letting out a small sigh of relief.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you there now,” Asta said, squatting down and gesturing to the little white dog Peppy. “Go play frisbee with Arlan. I’ve got business at Lady Herta’s office.”

It wasn’t clear if the dog understood, but it seemed to grasp Asta’s intent, likely due to her miming the action of throwing a frisbee. Peppy barked twice and trotted off toward the Defense Division.

Once Peppy was gone, Nolan followed Asta as they headed to Herta’s office. He’d snuck in there once before and had seen the girl-like figure of Lady Herta and Screwllum. He knew the office was also within the main control cabin, so it wasn’t too far.

About five or six minutes later, the two arrived at the door to Herta’s office. Asta operated the access panel in front of the door, and after her identity was verified, the door opened. She walked in with her fair legs stepping forward, and Nolan followed behind, his gaze passing over Asta’s shoulder to spot the girl-like figure of Lady Herta standing in the distance.

If he remembered correctly, she was a puppet of some sort.

They took a few more steps forward until they stood before Lady Herta. She had her hands on her hips as she sized up Nolan and said, “Asta, this the guy who wants to make a deal with me?”

“Yes, Lady Herta,” Asta nodded.

“Hello, Lady Herta,” Nolan greeted politely.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Let me see the item first,” Herta said, extending her hand toward Nolan. Her palm had the distinct look of a doll’s craftsmanship.

Nolan didn’t mind and retrieved the Artifact from his Wonderland Space once again, handing it over to Herta.

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 484: The First Company Meeting of the New Year

That night’s grand dinner stretched from six all the way until nearly nine o’clock.

With Yagami Kō’s stash of red wine, plus the bottles that Hazuki and Haruno brought, everyone ate and drank leisurely, and time flew by without anyone noticing.

By the end, most people were a little tipsy — especially Aoba, Nene, and Eriri, who weren’t used to drinking. The three of them were already flushed and dizzy, sitting dazedly on the sofa.

Toyama Rin originally wanted to make them some sobering tea, but they waved her off.

Aoba, cheeks bright red and grinning, said, “Come on, it’s a New Year’s party! We’re not even drunk yet — this is the perfect vibe!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Nene nodded in agreement.

Ichin walked over, smiling helplessly.

“Fine, just let them rest for a while. It’s only a glass each — they’ll be fine in an hour or two.”

They were planning to stay up late anyway, so letting the tipsy ones take a break for a bit was no problem.

After everyone was full and relaxed, the fun began in earnest.

Yagami Kō turned on the TV and pulled out two microphones.

“Hehe, I went shopping the other day and found this karaoke set on New Year’s sale. Let’s sing!”

“Let’s do it!”

“I was just thinking about going to karaoke — now we can save the money!”

And so began a lively home karaoke session.

Ichin, though he knew plenty about music production and often worked on game soundtracks himself, wasn’t much of a singer. So for this part, he was content to be a listener — and part of the cheering section.

After karaoke came Ubisoft’s Just Dance, and this time Ichin wasn’t spared — the girls dragged him up by force.

He cast a desperate glance toward Utaha for help, only to see his girlfriend smiling mischievously as she stood behind him, gently pushing him toward the TV — phone already in hand.

And not just her — everyone else who wasn’t dancing alongside him had also quietly pulled out their phones, even Yukino.

“Oh, seriously? You guys actually have the guts to record your boss dancing?”

Kō laughed. “Relax! We know you won’t mind. And besides, our boss’s girlfriend is filming too — if you’ve got a problem, complain to her first.”

“…Fine, you win.”

Ichin glared at Kō, then slipped the Joy-Con controllers onto his wrists and got ready.

It’s just dancing, he told himself. Follow the screen, that’s all.

It was awkward at first, but once he let go of his self-consciousness, it wasn’t that bad. His fitness training paid off — the moves weren’t too difficult, and by the end, his score actually beat Iijima Yun, Shinoda, and even Haruno.

Putting the controller down, Haruno whistled.

“Well, well. Didn’t expect you to be that good at this, Ichin.”

He shrugged modestly.

“It’s just that this song’s choreography is simple. If it were one of those dances meant for girls, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

There was no way he was ever doing those overly seductive moves.

After one round, he was done. He handed the controller straight to Yukino, smiling slyly.

“Since you took photos and videos, it’s only fair you pay the price, right?”

“…”

“Ohh, so it’s Yukino’s turn now?”

Haruno grinned, pulling out her phone.

“Come on, Yukino, I’ll make sure the video’s crystal clear!”

Yukino’s mouth twitched slightly as she looked over at Utaha for help.

But Utaha only smiled, taking a controller from Shinoda.

“I was planning to play anyway,” she said cheerfully. “I ate too much dinner — and too many cookies and palmiers.”

Yukino sighed. There was no escape.

So this is what they call karma…

Still, the light buzz from the wine helped her relax. Before long, even Yukino was laughing, moving along with the group, completely forgetting that she was normally far too shy to dance.

The chaos continued until well past 2 a.m. before finally winding down. Haruno and Eriri coordinated drivers to make sure everyone who didn’t live nearby got home safely.

After a shower, Ichin came out yawning — only to find Haruno and Yukino still there, sitting on the sofa chatting with Utaha instead of heading home.

“Haruno, Yukino — aren’t you two going to rest?” he asked.

Haruno smiled.

“We were just waiting for you. Wanted to say goodbye before heading back. Oh, and Ichin — remember to count us in for lunch tomorrow, alright? We’re coming over to mooch!”

“Sure, no problem. There’s still plenty of food left, so I won’t even need to shop.”

On the seventh, they spent another peaceful day at home.

Then came January 8th — the first workday of the year.

Not only was it the day everyone returned to the office, but the renovation for the new company building officially began as well.

The construction team Haruno had hired arrived at the site at eight in the morning. She even sent Ichin a batch of on-site photos as soon as he reached the office.

After reviewing the pictures, Ichin headed into the company meeting room to hold the first meeting of the new year.

Once everyone had settled in, he smiled at the room packed full of staff.

“Alright, no need to take notes today. This meeting’s just to go over the general plans and direction for the year. Your department leads will give you the specific January assignments afterward.”

He paused briefly, then continued with a grin.

“First off, let’s talk about something you’ve all been asking about — the new company building. Construction officially began this morning. In three months, we’ll be moving into our very own headquarters!”

The room immediately erupted in cheers. The excitement was contagious.

Even the new hires — fourth-year university students from Tokyo University who had just joined last year — were thrilled. None of them had imagined that in such a short time, they’d already be working in a company with its own building.

But as soon as they remembered that their probation periods wouldn’t end until the end of the month, nervousness quickly replaced excitement.

They had less than a month left to prove themselves before the full-time evaluation — and none of them wanted to lose a spot in such an amazing team.

Once the cheers died down, Ichin smiled again, straightened his notes, and officially began the company’s first meeting of the new year.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 626: Lady Herta’s Solo-Fan Association (2-in-1 Chapter)

The afternoon sunlight streamed warmly through the window, falling onto the spotless, polished floor.

Nolan was still thinking about building a good relationship with Focalors and Furina—maybe even finding a way to cooperate with them on the “Akasha Interconnection Network.”

Working together with Arlecchino to seize a Gnosis? That would only invite unnecessary trouble.

“Of course, if possible, the House of the Hearth also doesn’t wish to stand against the Hydro Archon,” Arlecchino said calmly, arms folded. “As for the matter of the Gnosis, I’ll wait for the right opportunity.

“Our next step is to have Lyney and the others apply to perform at the Opéra Épiclèse, and take the chance to uncover the operating principles behind the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale.

“At the same time, we also need people to investigate the secrets hidden deep within the Fortress of Meropide. If possible, I’d like to entrust that mission to you.”

She leaned back slightly as she spoke.

Originally, Arlecchino had planned to send Lyney and the others to the opera house first before arranging an investigation into the Fortress of Meropide later. But if Nolan’s group was willing to cooperate, then perhaps sending them instead would be more fitting.

After all, the Duke who ruled over the Fortress was no simple man. If Lyney’s group were discovered, their strength alone would not be enough to protect themselves.

Nolan and his team, however, were different—their power was more than enough to handle any danger.

As for Lyney and the others investigating the Oratrice... could they really find out anything meaningful? Especially when Focalors herself was there?

Besides, Nolan had already planned to go to the Fortress of Meropide for his own investigation. Sharing his findings with her wouldn’t hurt.

If he could also earn some commission money and raise her affection in the process, there was no reason to refuse.

Still, regarding Lyney’s performance, Nolan thought it best to keep an eye on things—if they really stumbled upon something sensitive and got caught by Focalors, that would be troublesome.

Once he learned their performance schedule, perhaps he could go take a look.

As he pondered this, he quietly used his waymark to discuss with Lumine and Paimon. After confirming there was no issue, he accepted Arlecchino’s request.

“Then, I look forward to a pleasant cooperation.” Arlecchino smiled faintly.

[Arlecchino Has Developed Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (60/400)]

A prompt appeared in front of him. Nolan nodded slightly and said,

“I’ll head to the Fortress of Meropide as soon as possible.”

[Lynette Has Developed Feelings Toward You. Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (380/400)]

Another prompt followed—this time from Lynette, who stood nearby.

Probably because they had agreed to cooperate with the House of the Hearth.

“Hmm... do you already have a plan for how to sneak into the Fortress of Meropide?” Arlecchino asked. “If not, we could offer a suggestion.”

“Uh, don’t tell me your plan is to deliberately commit a crime and get arrested, right? Let’s skip that one.”

Nolan waved his hand.

As Fontaine’s main prison, the Fortress of Meropide held everyone who needed detainment—whether for a single day or a full year.

So getting in wasn’t difficult. But he wasn’t some notorious Fatui operative, after all.

He could just ask Furina to help him enter legitimately, maybe even get the warden’s cooperation.

No need to go through all that hassle.

“Very well,” Arlecchino said, leaning back in her chair again. “After the investigation, return to the Bouffes d’Fontaine Mansion. If I’m away on business, you can hand the report to Lyney and the others.”

“Understood.”

After agreeing on the details, Nolan and his companions prepared to leave. Lyney, Lynette, and the freckled blond boy escorted them to the door.

Paimon noticed that the blond boy seemed a bit shy, so she took the initiative to introduce herself and asked for his name.

The boy fidgeted nervously, stammered a few times, and finally whispered, “...Freminet.”

And that was all.

Lynette added softly that Freminet was their younger brother—quiet, reserved, and fond of diving.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Nolan told them not to bother seeing them off. He, Lumine, and Paimon could leave on their own.

It was about two in the afternoon now. That meant it was around ten at night on the Herta Space Station—long past working hours.

Nolan decided to head there first to see if he could find a solution to the Primordial Sea Crisis.

After explaining his plan to Lumine and Paimon—who were feeling a bit tired themselves—they all decided to return to the Wonderland Space together.

Back inside, Lumine and Paimon went to their rooms for a nap, while Nolan opened the Void Starsea and stepped in.

At the same time, his other self, the “Sword God of Lumine,” did the same at the Herta Space Station.

Through this method, Nolan was able to return to the space station—since the portal in the Wonderland Space would always open relative to his current position.

And since he had been in Fontaine, there was no way to open a direct door to the Herta Space Station. Nor was there anyone there with a waymark.

So he had to use the Void Starsea as a transfer point.

Because it was already after work hours, he naturally appeared in his own room. He recalled the “Sword God of Lumine” avatar and took out his phone to log into the Galactic Peace Network.

Thanks to “Super-Distance Sensing Technology,” the Galactic Peace Network could theoretically cover the entire Milky Way—any place equipped with a “Super-Distance Network Base.”

Generally speaking, except for unexplored and uncharted regions, nearly every known inhabited planet had a branch of the Galactic Peace Company.

And to communicate with headquarters, each branch naturally built its own super-distance network base.

With this kind of access, Nolan could essentially search for information spanning the entire galaxy on the Galactic Peace Network.

There was a good chance he could find cases similar to the Primordial Sea Crisis.

Of course, certain dangerous star regions weren’t suitable for constructing Super-Distance Network Bases, so those areas likely had no signal.

He entered a query into the search bar and tapped “Search”:

> “If a creature’s veins contain the primordial sea water from a planet’s early stage, and exposure to that water causes dissolution, how can it be resolved?”

The response came almost instantly. Lines of related results popped up on the page:

> “What kind of planets possess life-bearing primordial seas? The Genius Society’s Planetary Knowledge Beginner Course explains it for you.” 【New User Discount: 39,999 credits】

> “Ranger of the Sea, Mark Polarch, discovers a primordial sea on the planet Emerald Star.” 【Trending Topic】

> “Research by the Genius Society shows that long-term consumption of primordial sea water may partially cure infertility.” 【Full Paper Available for Paid Access】

Nolan frowned. It seemed finding relevant data wasn’t as easy as he thought—after all, not every planet had something like a primordial sea.

First of all, planets lacking extraordinary energy—or with low energy levels—almost certainly wouldn’t have one.

Because primordial seas contained massive amounts of planetary energy, if that energy could overflow to form a sea, it meant the planet’s energy level was extremely high.

And on such high-energy planets, it was almost impossible for intelligent life not to develop its own extraordinary system.

Secondly, even if a planet did have a high energy level, it didn’t necessarily have a primordial sea. Depending on each planet’s unique environment, that power might manifest differently—

—such as a world-spanning Tree of Life, or a massive subterranean mineral vein rich with condensed life energy.

So even across all explored star regions, planets that possessed a primordial sea were quite rare.

And there wasn’t a single documented case of using primordial sea water to create humans.

So… the universe being vast didn’t necessarily mean similar phenomena would exist everywhere. Nolan sighed in mild disappointment.

If such data did exist, given the precision of the Galactic Peace Company’s search engine—and how specifically he had described it—the system would’ve already brought up a match.

Actually, aside from the listed results, a small advertisement had appeared beside the page during his search.

It was a Q&A service—the ad claimed that if you had any unsolved question, you could click the link and submit it.

After entering the question, the system would automatically match you with a scholar from the Genius Society—an organization partnered with the Galactic Peace Company—who specialized in that field, providing a manual answer.

However… just to have the system match a scholar cost 20,000 credits.

And that didn’t even include the scholar’s personal service fee, which depended on their knowledge level and reputation.

Compared to that, the matching fee was just a drop in the ocean.

Even though Nolan earned a good salary working at the Herta Space Station, his paycheck hadn’t even been issued yet—and even if it had, he wasn’t sure he could bear to spend that much on one question.

He sighed. “Has the Galactic Peace Company gone insane for money?” he muttered.

Sure, paid knowledge was fair, but setting the price that high was downright predatory.

Still, what could anyone do? The company held an absolute monopoly across nearly every sector of the galaxy. A cosmic giant like that was absurdly untouchable—

—probably thanks to having an Aeon (Stellaron God) backing them behind the scenes.

Just as Nolan was about to give up on the search and instead try some academic forums to ask around, he suddenly remembered something—

His phone didn’t only have access to the Galactic Peace Network.

It could also connect to the Herta Space Station’s internal network.

And the scholars there were among the most elite minds in the galaxy. Maybe someone would take interest in his question and discuss it.

Thinking so, he exited the Galactic Peace Network and opened the internal network app.

A quick facial verification—less than 0.1 seconds—and he was in.

The internal interface was clean and functional, with categories like “News,” “Academic Discussion,” and so on.

Nolan quickly drafted and posted a message:

> [MindfulOfDesire] : “Does anyone here study primordial seas? Hypothetically—if a creature’s veins carried primordial sea water from a planet’s early stage, but exposure to that same water caused its body to dissolve—how would one resolve this?” (Confused.jpg)

There were plenty of night owls on the station. It didn’t take long before replies rolled in:

> [Bill Gaiwa] : “Ugh, come on! It’s the middle of the night and you academics are still tossing around headache-inducing questions? Ever heard of taking a break?!”

> [Green Fat Ocean] : “Decadent times! No respect for old rules anymore. Looks like we’ll have to educate this newcomer about how things work around here!”

> [RuinerNonstop] : “My advice? Execution. Death penalty.”

Nolan stared at the thread, black lines practically forming across his forehead.

So much for the station’s “serious scholars.” Online, everyone turned into the same bunch of clowns.

Helpless, he typed again:

> [MindfulOfDesire] : “Please don’t mess around, everyone—I really do want to know. I’m serious! Please, I’m begging you.” (Pray.jpg)

> [RuinerNonstop] : “Alright, fine. If you’re serious—ask Lady Herta. I don’t think any of the station researchers here actually study primordial seas. You’d have to go on-site for that kind of thing. Does this place look like it has one? Buying a few liters to test won’t tell you much.”

> [AleaAleaNotDumb] : “The guy above is right.”

If I could just go ask Lady Herta directly, why would I even be here posting? Nolan groaned inwardly and replied:

> [MindfulOfDesire] : “Alright then—does anyone know how to contact Lady Herta, or how to meet her?”

> [UnlicensedPilot] : “Easy. Step one: become a ‘Genius Society’ member. Step two: knock on her office door.”

If I were a genius, I’d be doing the research myself… Nolan sighed again. Everyone was just giving him sarcastic answers.

> [MarsRobot] : “Talk about Lady Herta and suddenly I’m wide awake! Hey, if you want to stay updated on her whereabouts, join our group! Maybe you’ll even get lucky and meet her someday! (Link: Lady Herta Solo-Fan Association)”

Lady Herta Solo-Fan Association?

There was a group like that?

Curious, Nolan clicked the link.

The page redirected him into a group chat interface, where the top message read:

> ——[MindfulOfDesire] has joined the group via invitation link——

> [AnonWellKnown] : “Ah, a newcomer! Welcome! (Smile.jpg)”

> [MarsRobot] : “This guy wants to meet Lady Herta to ask an academic question. Hilarious! I’ve never seen someone this naïve before—had to bring him here for the experience. (Smirk.jpg)”

> [Red-Feathered Pigeon] : “Oh? Meeting Lady Herta’s no easy feat. I’ve heard she occasionally visits the Special Analysis Room whenever a new Curio shows up.”

> [AnonWellKnown] : “Speaking of which, it’s been a while since the station received a new Curio.”

> [PigInMelonField] : “Then maybe if someone finds a new Curio for Lady Herta’s collection, she might actually talk to them.”

Oh?

Nolan’s eyes lit up at that last message. That might be his way to meet her. He immediately asked:

> [MindfulOfDesire] : “What kind of Curios does Lady Herta like?”

> [AnonWellKnown] : “Doesn’t have to be a Curio, really. As long as it’s interesting, Lady Herta will be intrigued. If you’ve got something, ask Asta—she can probably arrange it.”

Something interesting, huh...

Nolan smiled faintly. Teyvat had plenty of interesting things.

It looked like his path to meeting Lady Herta was finally in sight.

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 483: The Party Begins

The dorm here was actually two apartments connected together, which meant there were two kitchens. Ichin’s group was using one for dinner prep, but the other — thanks to Utaha’s suggestion — had been turned into a mini baking studio.

After a few rounds of games, everyone gathered in the spare kitchen to make pastries.

After all, it wasn’t often they could all hang out like this. Making desserts together to enjoy later that evening sounded like the perfect way to keep the fun going.

“Palmiers, huh? That sounds really hard to make!”

Watching Utaha knead the dough, Nene pulled out her phone and started looking up pictures of the pastry. She couldn’t help swallowing her saliva.

“Utaha, you can even make this?”

“Of course,” Utaha said proudly, chin tilted slightly. “Ichin’s mom makes them — I learned from her. It’s not one hundred percent perfect, but the taste passes the family test. I’ve got the official approval of the elders.”

Her face was glowing with pride as she spoke.

Utaha had gathered a few people around her to help, while Yukino led another small group nearby, teaching them how to make chocolate chip cookies.

Leaning closer, Nene whispered,

“Hey, Yukino, since you’re making chocolate cookies… does that mean you know how to make chocolate too?”

“Hm?” Yukino glanced at her, then nodded.

“Yes, I do. It’s not that hard — as long as you know the basics, it’s easy to make. Why, do you want to make chocolate?”

The moment she asked, Yukino suddenly realized — it was January now, and next month was February 14th.

Valentine’s Day. Chocolate. The connection was obvious.

Understanding dawned on her instantly. Seeing Nene’s slightly flustered, secretive expression, she lowered her voice with a faint smile.

“I can teach you. Come by then, and I’ll show you how to make your own chocolate.”

Nene’s face lit up with joy.

“Really?! Thanks, Yukino!”

With that settled, Nene joined in enthusiastically, learning the steps for making chocolate cookies.

If I can make these, I can give some to Umiko too! she thought excitedly.

While that group focused on dessert, the others continued preparing dinner. Before long, evening arrived.

It was a different atmosphere from when the studio had first started — back then, Ichin and Utaha had only been seventeen. Now both were twenty-one, and even Yukino had turned twenty.

So when dinner began, everyone had half a glass of red wine in front of them.

It was New Year’s, after all — the perfect excuse for food, laughter, and a bit of wine. Even if anyone got drunk, Haruno had already arranged for a driver to make sure everyone got home safely.

“Cheers!!”

The sound of glasses clinking filled the room, and then the feast began.

Eriri picked up a cola chicken wing and took a huge bite without hesitation.

“Mm!! So good!” she exclaimed with her mouth full, not caring at all about manners as she quickly finished one and sighed in satisfaction. “Ugh, these last few days I had to go to a bunch of boring banquets with my parents. I couldn’t even sneak away! The food there was terrible — I actually ended up eating instant noodles when I got home on the third night!”

Haruno spooned some tomato beef stew into her bowl, looking at her curiously.

“Wait, didn’t you say you weren’t interested in business or politics? Why go to those banquets then? Yukino only attended one local family gathering in Chiba on the second day of the New Year — she skipped all the others, and your parents shouldn’t be forcing you either, right?”

“Well… yeah, technically.” Eriri puffed her cheeks in frustration. “But that’s not the real reason! It’s because I’m almost twenty now, and my mom’s suddenly worried about my future! Those banquets were apparently so I could ‘meet more boys my age.’ I almost lost it!”

“Well, that’s pretty normal,” Ichin said calmly. “Everyone here — except Aoba, Nene, and the younger ones — has been nagged about marriage by their families at some point. You can ask them for survival tips.”

Several people, including Kō and Iijima Yun, nodded knowingly.

Aoba, however, frowned and shot Ichin a look.

“Hey, what do you mean except us younger ones?”

“Oh, that’s simple.” Ichin grinned and pointed at her. “Just look at Aoba’s height and face. Who’d dare to try setting her up? Even if she did start dating someone and they held hands in public, the police would probably stop them for questioning!”

Kō gave Aoba a quick once-over and nodded seriously.

“He’s not wrong.”

Rin added with a nostalgic chuckle,

“I remember when Aoba first joined Eagle Jump. I thought she was a middle schooler wandering into the office! I was so shocked when I found out she was a new hire.”

Shinoda chimed in helpfully,

“Yeah, and that first suit she wore totally looked like a school uniform too!”

“Ahhhh! Stop talking about that already!” Aoba groaned, clutching her head. “It’s not like I want to be short! I’d love to have long legs and a tall figure too — but what can I do?!”

Ichin munched on some vegetables, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“Hmm, I’ve met Aoba’s parents. They’re not short at all. How did she end up this way? Nene, was she a picky eater in high school?”

Nene rested her chin on her hand, thinking.

“Hmm~~ picky eater? Let’s see. Aoba’s always loved snacks — senbei and yokan especially. And she can’t eat spicy, bitter, or strong-flavored foods — no green peppers, no bitter melon, barely any carrots. But lately she’s been able to handle a little spice. Her favorite food is still hamburger steak though.”

Everyone had the same thought at once — That totally fits her “legal loli” status.

Despite already working for years — ever since graduating high school — Aoba was twenty-three now. Yet if she stood on the street in casual clothes, people would swear she was a high schooler. Even her voice matched perfectly; not a trace of mismatch.

Haruno popped a piece of braised pork into her mouth, took a sip of wine, and looked around.

“I have to say, you people are unbelievable. All of you came out of Eagle Jump, but none of you look like typical game developers. For a field where everyone’s supposed to be sleep-deprived and pale, you all still look ridiculously young.”

“Must be natural talent,” Hazuki said, swirling her glass. “Take Kō, for example — back at Eagle Jump, she practically lived at the office, working overtime half the time. Yet she didn’t grow a single gray hair or wrinkle. And now, after joining Ichin’s team — no more overwork, more rest — and look at us! Every single one of us looks younger and healthier than before. So, for our reunion, and for our flawless skin—cheers!”

“Cheers!” everyone shouted in unison, raising their glasses once more.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 625: Arlecchino (2-in-1 Chapter)

After being warned by Focalors not to speak of what she had told them, Nolan and his companions left the Opera Epiclese.

As for resolving Fontaine’s prophetic crisis—perhaps it was a problem too difficult for Teyvat to solve, but in the vast galaxy filled with endless possibilities, there might just be an answer somewhere.

Nolan decided that later, he would head to the Space Station and log onto the Interastral Peace Network to look up any related data—who knows, maybe he’d find something useful.

Meanwhile, the Sword God of Lumine—the avatar following Furina and Clorinde—had already returned with them to the Palais Mermonia.

Once back inside, Furina slumped onto her sofa, looking distressed, clearly still troubled by what had just happened.

“Clorinde, bring me the strawberry shortcake.”

After pondering for a long while, Furina leaned back and decided not to think about it anymore.

She had realized that she truly couldn’t use the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale’s compensatory energy at all—much less harness it to cooperate with Nolan and the others.

Since that was the case, next time they came to her with their proposal, she’d just find some excuse to turn them down.

After all, having sat upon Fontaine’s divine seat for centuries, Furina was painfully aware of her own limits.

If she couldn’t do something, she couldn’t do it—even if their cooperation might benefit Fontaine greatly.

So she might as well enjoy her little cake instead of worrying over things she couldn’t change.

Holding the delicate shortcake Clorinde handed her, Furina took a small bite—and immediately her mood brightened.

Watching all this through the “Sword God’s” shared vision, Nolan felt a black line form across his forehead.

Forget it—he’d already accidentally discovered the real Hydro Archon back at the Opera House, so there was no need to continue tailing her for now.

However, since Focalors had mentioned that the Primordial Sea was sealed beneath a place called Fortress of Meropide, he’d probably need Furina’s help to investigate.

After all, the Fortress of Meropide was Fontaine’s prison—it would be nearly impossible to enter without a reason. But if they had an official decree from Furina herself, that would be a different story.

As the Hydro Archon, despite her eccentricity, she still held Fontaine’s highest authority. Granting permission for an investigation would be effortless for her.

But for now, it was already noon—no need to rush. They could deal with Furina later; first, it was time for lunch.

Naturally, Lumine and Paimon didn’t object—especially Paimon, whose eyes lit up.

“Let’s go to the Café Lucerne! The food there is delicious, and there are performances too!” she said, twirling happily in midair.

“Then let’s go with Paimon’s suggestion,” Nolan said with a smile.

“Hehe, yay!”

Paimon cheered in delight.

To save time, they used spatial travel to head directly to the Café Lucerne, since taking a clockwork boat all the way from the Court of Fontaine would’ve taken far too long.

When they entered, they found that the main hall already had performers on stage—not magicians this time, but a duet violin concert.

Since the first floor was full, a waiter led them upstairs to the second floor, where they found an empty table with a clear view of the musicians below.

Bathed in the flowing melody of the violins, they enjoyed a leisurely lunch. When they finally approached the counter to pay, however, the clerk smiled and told them—

“Oh, your bill has already been settled by someone else.”

“Oh? Someone paid for us?” Nolan asked curiously. “Who was it?”

“It was none other than the famous magicians, Lyney and Lynette.”

The receptionist smiled warmly.

“Huh? Them? Are they here at the Café too? And why would they pay for us?” Paimon looked around, but saw no sign of the twins.

“Because,” came a familiar voice, “we have something we’d like to ask of you.”

As Nolan and the others turned, two familiar figures stepped through the café doors—it was indeed Lyney and Lynette.

“Hey, Lyney! Lynette!” Paimon waved excitedly, and both Nolan and Lumine nodded in greeting.

“Could we trouble you to step outside for a bit?” Lyney asked politely. “There’s a favor we’d like to ask.”

“Of course, no problem,” Lumine replied with a nod.

Even aside from them paying the bill, they were already friends. Listening to a request was the least they could do.

So the group followed Lyney and Lynette out onto the street, where Lyney began to explain,

“Lynette and I are members of the House of the Hearth—it’s an orphanage that takes in children from all over the world. Our ‘Father’ heard that you arrived in Fontaine, and she would like to invite you to our home.”

“An orphanage?” Nolan mused, nodding. “So this ‘Father’ of yours must be the headmistress, then.”

He couldn’t quite understand why the director of an orphanage wanted to meet them. Could it be a difficult commission?

After all, that’s usually why adventurers were called upon.

“That’s right,” Lyney confirmed. “But our ‘Father’ is quite well-known—you might recognize her by another title.”

“Another… identity?”

Paimon blinked, puzzled.

“The Fourth of the Fatui HarbingersArlecchino, the Knave. She’s the ‘Father’ of everyone at the House of the Hearth.”

Lynette, who had been quiet until now, spoke gently, parting her soft lips.

Before coming here, their “Father” had told them not to hide her identity. She trusted that the Traveler’s group wouldn’t turn her away because of it.

“The Fatui Harbinger?!”

Paimon gasped, covering her mouth.

That was one of the most infamous titles in all of Teyvat! Who would’ve thought that the kind-looking Lyney and Lynette had been raised by a Fatui Harbinger!

“Oh? A Harbinger wants to meet us?” Nolan stroked his chin. “Now that’s interesting.”

“Please don’t misunderstand,” Lynette said quickly. “Our Father isn’t a bad person. We usually just handle intelligence-gathering missions.”

“I see,” Nolan said after a moment’s thought. “In that case, take us to her. I’d like to meet this Harbinger in person.”

With his current strength, defeating a Fatui Harbinger would be trivial. If Arlecchino tried anything underhanded, he could simply do as he had with Rosalyne, the Doctor, and Scaramouche—and bind her with a Command Seal.

“Thank you for trusting us,” Lyney said, visibly relieved.

Lynette, too, seemed quietly pleased.

【Lynette Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (60/400)】

Since Nolan had agreed, Lumine and Paimon naturally had no objections.

And so, together with Lyney and Lynette, they made their way toward the House of the Hearth.

The “Knave,” Arlecchino, was there waiting.

Fontaine — Bufati Manor.

The House of the Hearth was currently located inside Bufati Manor, a rather large estate—unsurprising, given that it housed so many orphans under its care.

As they approached the main entrance, Lyney and Lynette opened the doors and stood on either side, gesturing politely for Nolan and his companions to enter first.

Sensing no immediate danger, Nolan and the others walked into the parlor with calm confidence.

Seated at a round table within was a woman already awaiting them. She had short, chin-length hair streaked in black and white, and a fair face marked by a cold, distant expression—like an unapproachable iceberg.

Behind her stood a blond boy with freckles—likely another child of the Bufati Manor, just like Lyney and Lynette.

“Welcome, travelers. I’ve long been expecting to meet you,” said the woman, crossing her legs as her sharp eyes settled upon them.

【Arlecchino Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Favorability Level: Lv.3 (0/300)】

“So you’re… the ‘Knave’?” Lumine asked from beside Nolan.

Seeing the affection prompt appear in his vision, Nolan was mildly surprised—her tone didn’t sound deceptive at all; she seemed genuinely welcoming.

“Yes,” Arlecchino replied with a slight nod. “I’m often occupied with official duties, but after hearing from my children yesterday that they’d met you at the restaurant, I asked them to invite you here on my behalf.”

Nolan spread his hands. “As one of the Fatui Harbingers, you must know that our relationship with some of your colleagues… hasn’t exactly been pleasant. Don’t you find it strange to invite us here so suddenly?”

“Each Harbinger has their own way of doing things,” Arlecchino replied calmly as she rose from her seat. “It’s true that some of their actions are… disagreeable. But I’d like to think that I am not the same as them.”

She walked over, pulling out a few chairs around the round table, gesturing courteously for them to sit.

“Not the same? Don’t all of you have your eyes on the Gnoses anyway?”

Paimon floated behind Lumine, crossing her arms with a skeptical look.

“Heh,” Arlecchino gave a faint smile. “You’re right—many of my colleagues have done some rather detestable things. No wonder only Rosalyne has managed to return with a Gnosis; the rest must have earned your… displeasure.

“Allow me, then, to apologize on behalf of my incompetent peers.”

She poured several cups of tea and slid them gently toward Nolan’s group.

Indeed, considering how long it had been since “the Doctor” and “the Balladeer” had failed to retrieve a Gnosis, Nolan wouldn’t be surprised if those two had been beaten so badly they were too embarrassed to show their faces.

“Let’s skip the small talk,” Nolan said, getting straight to the point. “Lyney and Lynette mentioned you had something you wanted to discuss. Mind telling us what it is?”

Arlecchino nodded slightly, taking a sip of her tea. “Tell me, have you heard about Fontaine’s Prophecy Crisis?”

That took them by surprise—they had just heard about it from Focalors not long ago, and now Arlecchino was bringing it up again.

Nolan thought for a moment, then said,

“I’ve heard a bit. They say the sea will rise and drown everything—that all of Fontaine’s people will perish, leaving only the Hydro Archon to weep alone. Are you saying you believe this prophecy is real?”

Arlecchino intertwined her fingers, resting her elbows on the table, and nodded.

“When I was young, I dismissed it as a fairytale. But after joining the Fatui and becoming a Harbinger, I began to uncover the truth.

“This prophecy isn’t some rumor whispered on the streets. I asked Her Majesty the Tsaritsa directly, and she confirmed it—the prophecy will come true one day.

“As a Fontainean myself, I believe I have an obligation to save my homeland. But I cannot do it alone. That’s why I need allies.

“Traveler—you and your companions have saved more than one nation already. I can think of no better people to turn to.”

Nolan silently took a sip of tea, then asked,

“Then may I ask—what’s your plan?”

“The Tsaritsa has granted me permission to use a Gnosis—once I obtain it—to avert Fontaine’s crisis. I believe only such divine power could restrain the rising waters.”

Arlecchino spoke plainly, making no attempt to hide that she sought the Hydro Gnosis.

“So you are after a Gnosis,” Paimon huffed, glaring at her. “You Fatui never quit, huh?”

Nolan leaned back slightly, his tone calm but firm. “If the Gnosis can truly solve the problem, then there’s no reason for us to cooperate with you to seize it.

“After all, it already resides with the Hydro Archon—she can wield its power herself. There’s no need for me to provoke a god just to do the same.”

Having met Focalors, Nolan knew the Gnosis alone couldn’t possibly be the solution—otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed to hide for centuries, quietly scheming in secret.

“If you’ve met the Hydro Archon,” Arlecchino said, her crimson cross-shaped pupils flickering with unease, “then you wouldn’t be saying that.”

Her voice turned cold, tinged with frustration.

“Furina—the so-called God of Justice—ignores all affairs of the Palais Mermonia. She spends her days indulging in performances, vain and frivolous as a child.

“I’ve seen no sign that she’s preparing for the prophecy. I refuse to believe she’s truly ignorant of it.

“For centuries, she’s never once displayed her divine authority. If not for her unaging appearance, I would suspect she’s not the real Hydro Archon at all.

“Her behavior is far too abnormal. Whether she’s secretly scheming something, or has simply resigned herself to fate—these are things that must be investigated.

“For example, that Oratrice at the Opera House—it somehow produces enough compensatory energy to power all of Fontaine. And deep within the Fortress of Meropide, there’s something sealed away…”

She was… surprisingly close to the truth.

In reality, Furina had no authority at all—she was only the nominal Hydro Archon. The true divine power of Water and Justice lay within Focalors.

The energy powering Fontaine came from Focalors herself, not the Oratrice. But Nolan still didn’t know why she chose to do this.

Was it really just to sustain the nation’s infrastructure?

And as for Meropide—it indeed housed the Primordial Sea, the direct source of the prophecy’s crisis. The fact that Arlecchino had already traced the clues that far showed she’d been investigating deeply.

She’s done her homework, Nolan thought to himself.

But he couldn’t reveal the truth—doing so might expose Focalors, and it would be difficult to explain how he’d learned so much in just a few days.

So he simply shook his head and said,

“We’ve already met the Hydro Archon at the Opera House. You’re not entirely wrong in your assessment—but we have no intention of opposing her. If cooperating with you means turning against the Hydro Archon, then we’ll have to decline.”

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 482: The Party Continues

After receiving the gifts from Ichin and Utaha, Yukino went on to open the rest of the presents everyone had prepared for her.

Originally, when the invitations were sent out, everyone had been told not to bring any gifts. But of course, once they arrived, it turned out that everyone had secretly prepared something anyway.

That caught Ichin a little off guard — but also made him happy. It showed just how close everyone had become with Yukino. No one even needed to be told; they just naturally wanted to do something for her.

Haruno’s gift for her younger sister was a necklace — elegant and simple, carefully chosen to suit Yukino’s style without being flashy.

“Yukino’s twenty now. When you go out, you should dress up a little — you’re such a beautiful girl, after all!”

Her words were immediately met with nods and murmurs of agreement.

There was no denying Yukino’s beauty, and lately her sense of fashion had improved quite a bit too. But when it came to makeup or accessories, she still barely paid them any mind.

As an unrepentant siscon, Haruno of course wanted her sister’s charm to shine even more.

Listening to her sister’s teasing, Yukino frowned slightly in embarrassment — but seeing the necklace, she nodded in the end.

“I’ll… try my best.”

Once all the gifts were unwrapped, Yukino’s haul for the day was quite impressive. Next came the cake-cutting.

Holding the knife, the birthday girl carefully cut a slice for everyone. With the milk tea Ichin had prepared, it made for the perfect afternoon tea.

It was only a little past two in the afternoon — still plenty of time before the evening party, so everyone was happy to indulge a bit.

After her first bite, Haruno closed her eyes in satisfaction.

“Wow, Ichin, this cake is amazing!”

As the birthday girl, Yukino also abandoned her usual restraint on sweets and was already on her second slice.

Since Ichin had made it himself, every ingredient had been top-notch. Both the sponge and the cream were perfectly balanced.

Even though it was a bit heavy on calories, Yukino didn’t mind in the slightest — it was delicious, with the smooth outer cream and fruit-filled layers giving it a rich, vibrant texture.

While everyone enjoyed the cake, Ichin turned to Umiko.

“So, Umiko, how was your trip back home?”

“Pretty good,” Umiko replied with a smile. “I was gone quite a while, but since my income’s gone up a lot, my family doesn’t object as much to me being a programmer or living in Shanghai alone. Though…” She sighed playfully. “They have started pestering me to get married. So I was thinking, maybe I’ll take Nene home to meet them this year.”

“OHHH!!!”

The entire group — including Yukino — turned to look at Umiko and Nene with mischievous grins.

Nene’s face turned crimson. She smacked Umiko’s arm in embarrassment.

“D-Don’t just say things like that out loud!”

Umiko only laughed.

“It’s fine, everyone here knows anyway — it’s not like they’re outsiders.”

Everyone nodded eagerly.

A scene like this — sweet and wholesome — who wouldn’t want to see more of it?

Ichin, noticing Peppa trying to sneak a lick of the leftover cream, picked up the cat and set it back on the floor before looking toward Kō and Rin.

“Kō, Rin… what about you two?”

“Ahem— the cake’s really good!”

Kō’s clumsy attempt at changing the subject made everyone sweat-drop.

Finally, Toyama stepped in to explain.

“We’ve been talking about it too. It’s not as complicated for us as it is for Umiko’s side. Our families are pretty laid-back.”

That was good to hear.

Doing the math in his head, Ichin realized he’d known Kō and Rin for almost four years now. Back when they met, both had already been twenty-five — which meant they were twenty-nine now. Not exactly old, but definitely not the youngest in the group anymore.

Seeing how well the two were doing together — relying on each other and happy — filled Ichin with genuine warmth.

For him, whether it was Kō and Rin, or Aoba, Hifumi, and Shinoda — the people who’d been there from the start — they weren’t just coworkers or business partners anymore.

They felt like family.

There were no more walls between them, no more pretenses. Everyone spoke freely, shared openly — it was easy, warm, and real.

Ichin couldn’t help but wonder: if things kept developing this way, would this eventually become its own kind of “family business”?

That thought… was actually kind of fun.

After finishing their afternoon tea, everyone decided to move the party downstairs to the old studio — which was now Kō and her team’s shared dorm.

Ichin’s apartment had been fine for the birthday celebration, but with so many people, it was starting to feel a bit cramped.

Downstairs, the space had already been set up — blankets, cushions, snacks piled high, and a fridge stuffed with ingredients for the grand dinner they were planning to cook together later.

After putting away all her birthday presents, Yukino arrived last.

As soon as she stepped in, she found everyone deep in discussion about the dinner menu.

Umiko rolled up her sleeves, her expression full of confidence.

“During my time in Shanghai, I stopped by Ichin’s house a few times and learned some cooking from his mom. I’m not just good at grilling anymore — I’ve picked up quite a few other dishes too. Let me handle part of dinner tonight!”

Aoba’s eyes widened.

“Eh?! Umiko-neesan, you’ve been learning to cook?”

Ichin nodded.

“She has. When I video-called my mom last month, Umiko was there. My mom’s gotten really into teaching people to cook lately — she even said she wanted to take Umiko as her apprentice. Since she’s volunteering, let’s count her in. The kitchen’s small, so we’ll keep it to a few people — me, Umiko, Rin, and one more. The rest can relax.”

“I’ll join too,” Yukino said, raising her hand.

But before she could even stand up, Iijima Yun pressed her hand back down.

The lolita girl, speaking in her lively Kansai dialect, declared,

“Not today, Yukino! You just had your birthday party — you’re off kitchen duty. Leave the dinner prep to me! I’ve been practicing hard at home over New Year’s!”

Shinoda raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? Bridal training, huh? Makes sense — you’re about the right age for matchmaking now, Yun!”

“Shut up! Who said anything about matchmaking?! You’d better be careful, or there won’t be any dinner for you tonight!”

“Wait—! I’m sorry! Anything but that!”

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 624: The Sunken Prophecy (2-in-1 Chapter)

Seeing how Focalors was beginning to lose her composure, Nolan realized that sneaking in like this had indeed been rather impolite. With a slightly awkward smile, he explained,

“Mainly, our cooperation is related to the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale. It seems that Lady Furina isn’t able to make the decision herself.”

“……”

Focalors fell silent. With her understanding of Furina, if something wasn’t important, the girl would’ve either handed it off to someone else or rejected it outright.

If Furina was hesitating, it meant the matter was serious. Since she herself was the cause of that pressure, it was only right to at least see what was going on.

After all, these people had come to her on their own initiative. Thinking of that, Focalors shot Nolan and his companions a vexed glare.

With visible displeasure, she said, “Fine. Speak. What is this about?”

“This is a grand project that could change the world. If successful, Teyvat’s level of science and technology will experience an explosive leap—straight into the Information Age, and perhaps even the Interstellar Era!”

Nolan then detailed the concept of the ‘Akasha Interconnection Network’, emphasizing that it required the Oratrice’s unique ability to convert belief in justice into compensatory mixed energy.

“A virtual world that exists everywhere, enabling instantaneous communication and knowledge-sharing across any distance… If it really works like that, then yes, a technological explosion isn’t impossible.”

Focalors hadn’t expected Sumeru’s God of Wisdom to have created something like this.

“Exactly. The only thing restricting the ‘Akasha Interconnection Network’ right now is energy. Even a Gnosis could only support coverage over a single nation at most.

“To cover all of Teyvat is still difficult, but your Oratrice—or rather, your divine authority—has that potential.

“With your power supporting it, you could even gather faith in justice from all across Teyvat. When that happens, letting it extend beyond this planet might not be a dream!”

Nolan went on excitedly.

If the ‘Akasha’ system could harness Imaginary Energy, then he himself could supply it with infinite power—allowing it to blanket all of Teyvat instantly, even spreading beyond this world.

Moreover, after his “Beloved by Maidens” specialization evolved at level 90, it had gained the trait of energy transmission.

The girls who had been strengthened through his Harmonization Energy could draw on his own reserves. If he could transmit Imaginary Energy to Nahida, she’d be able to maintain and expand the network indefinitely.

But sadly, Imaginary Energy was power that warped reality itself, fundamentally incompatible with normal matter. To make it usable like electricity would be absurdly difficult.

He’d learned as much back on the Herta Space Station, when he accessed the ‘Interastral Peace Network’ via his phone to research the Genius Society.

Its 79th member, Calderon Chadwick, had been recognized by the Aeon of Erudition himself after developing the Imaginary Implosion Pulse—a method to manipulate Imaginary Energy.

In other words, without extraordinary power, only the most brilliant minds in the entire galaxy—those who specialized in Imaginary Energy—could ever hope to utilize it.

Unless Nolan got lucky and encountered such a genius someday, or met this Chadwick in person to invite him to help study how the ‘Akasha’ system could use Imaginary Energy as its power source, he’d have to rely on Focalors instead.

After all, the compensatory mixed energy that transformed faith in justice was already used to power Fontaine’s infrastructure.

Studying how to adapt it for the ‘Akasha’ system shouldn’t be that hard.

“That is quite the magnificent dream,” Focalors admitted. “But since you’re acquainted with Sumeru’s God of Wisdom, you should already know—‘The False Sky’ still blankets Teyvat, and that being on Celestia… they might not allow something so miraculous to exist.”

If not for Fontaine’s current crisis, she might have agreed to help. But right now, she was barely able to protect herself, let alone join hands with them.

“That’s not a big issue,” Nolan replied with a calm smile. “By the time Teyvat develops spacecraft capable of interstellar navigation, I should already have the strength to safeguard our achievements.”

At present, his combat power easily surpassed even Ei, one of the top Archons. Against the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, he wouldn’t be too far behind either.

Though admittedly, he still lacked confidence when facing the Sustainer herself.

But now that he had access to the interstellar world, there were surely many places like the Giant Stinger’s Stomach, where he could rapidly farm Adventure EXP.

Reaching the level needed to crush the Sustainer was only a matter of time.

After all, the strongest Archons of Teyvat were around level 120. Even if the Sustainer were stronger, she couldn’t be that far above them—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been wounded and forced into slumber after that battle long ago.

“…Are you always this arrogant?” Focalors crossed her arms, her expression complicated. “If the one on Celestia were that easy to deal with, I wouldn’t have to—hmph. Anyway, you should go back. Try finding another way. I can’t help you.”

It was precisely because of the Sustainer’s Judgment that Fontaine faced its current crisis. If even a mere prophecy could endanger the entire nation, how could such a being possibly be easy to oppose?

“What should we do? It looks like our persuasion didn’t work at all…” Paimon looked worriedly at Nolan and Lumine.

“Hmm… You’ve been hiding in the shadows, letting Furina act as your public face to handle everything. That must mean you’re dealing with something important, right?

“Is there any way we can help? If we succeed, would you be willing to lend us your power as payment for the commission?”

After thinking for a moment, Nolan proposed this to Focalors.

But Focalors simply shook her head. After centuries of preparation, she was already close to completion. She didn’t want any unforeseen complications now.

With a gentle refusal, she said,

“I appreciate the thought, but this is my own affair—it has nothing to do with you. There’s no need for your help.”

【Focalors Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (20/300)】

Having learned their true intentions, she no longer felt as angry about their intrusion.

In fact, their earnest offer to help had sparked a faint sense of goodwill.

“Ahh, you’re so hard to persuade,” Nolan sighed helplessly.

“Yeah! Helping people is our specialty, you know!” Paimon puffed out her chest proudly. “We’ve never failed a commission before! Just tell us what’s wrong—maybe we can really help!”

“If you’ve kept an eye on the outside world, you should’ve heard of us,” Lumine added, nodding confidently. “No matter how difficult the task, we always finish it.”

Seeing that Nolan and his companions had no intention of giving up until they achieved their goal, Focalors sighed helplessly and said,

“Since you insist on knowing, I don’t mind telling you. It’s no secret—if you asked any Fontainean outside, they could tell you the same thing.”

“Oh? Then please, tell us.” Nolan’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

“Have you ever heard of Fontaine’s prophecy?” Focalors asked.

“Prophecy? What prophecy? We only arrived in Fontaine not long ago, and Paimon don’t recall anyone mentioning anything like that.”

Paimon tilted her head, her face full of confusion.

“Fontaine’s people are born with sin,” Focalors said softly. “And the sea will swallow all who bear that sin, leaving only the Hydro Archon to weep upon her throne. That… is the crisis that Fontaine faces.”

Many knew about this so-called “Prophecy of Fontaine.” As long as Focalors didn’t reveal her actual plan, there was no risk of being detected by “Celestia.”

“W-wait, what?! You mean everyone will be swallowed by the sea?!”

Paimon’s eyes went wide with horror.

“No need to panic. Only the sinful people of Fontaine will be swallowed. You, as outsiders, won’t be affected.”

Focalors shook her head reassuringly.

“Whew, that’s good—no, wait, that’s terrible! Fontaine’s people will still be swallowed! We’ve got so many friends here—Charlotte, Navia, Charolette, and the others!”

Paimon let out a breath of relief, only to wave her hands frantically a moment later.

“I see,” Nolan murmured thoughtfully. “So if even you, the God of Justice, take it seriously, then this prophecy must be real. But why would the sea only swallow Fontaine’s people and not others? What’s the reason behind that?”

“Have you heard of the Primordial Sea of Genesis?” Focalors asked after a moment’s thought.

Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.

“That sea existed in the earliest days of this planet. Its waters were different from the oceans we know now. Nearly all life on Teyvat originated there.

“From the first single-celled organisms, evolution slowly gave rise to the countless living beings we see today—including normal humans.”

Focalors spoke slowly and deliberately.

“Normal humans?” Paimon blinked. “You mean… there are abnormal ones?”

“Indeed,” Focalors said. “The previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, stole power from the Primordial Sea of Genesis and transformed her loyal followers—the pure water spirits—into humans. Those became the people of Fontaine.

“Outwardly and biologically, they’re no different from other humans, but within their veins flows the water of the Primordial Sea.

“If a Fontainean comes into contact with that primordial water, their body will dissolve—returning to the sea and becoming one with its collective consciousness.

“So, to prevent such a fate, as the God of Justice, I must find a solution. I can’t simply pretend it’s false and do nothing.”

Her tone carried helpless weariness.

“I see… that’s truly unexpected.” Nolan and the others were stunned by the revelation.

After thinking for a moment, Nolan asked curiously,

“If ordinary seawater doesn’t affect Fontaineans, then it must be the primordial water itself that will devour them. But where exactly is this Primordial Sea of Genesis? It can’t just appear out of nowhere, can it?”

“The Primordial Sea lies beneath Fontaine,” Focalors explained. “It’s been sealed away—but over the centuries, its water level has continued to rise. Sooner or later, it will break through the seal. That will be the day the prophecy comes true.

“You said you wanted to help—now that you know the situation, do you still have the confidence to do so?”

She smiled faintly, though a trace of bitterness flickered at the corner of her lips.

“Uh… We’ve fought crazed Stormterror, the ancient god Osial, even some Harbingers—but this time, our opponent is an entire sea? Paimon honestly don’t know how we’re supposed to fight that…”

Paimon scratched her head in distress—then suddenly brightened up.

“How about letting all the Fontaineans evacuate? They could take refuge in other nations until the primordial waters recede, and then come back!”

She offered the suggestion eagerly.

“Running away only delays the inevitable,” Focalors replied. “And that’s assuming any other nation would even accept the entire population of Fontaine.

“If we ignore the primordial water, it’ll soon mix with the normal sea and spread across all of Teyvat.

“In that case, the escape of Fontaine’s people would only be futile self-deception.”

She clearly rejected Paimon’s immature idea.

“Then how about having Nolan dig a hole under the primordial sea and store all that water inside the SVoid Starsea—then throw it out into outer space?”

Paimon spread her hands, as if that solved everything.

Focalors gave her an incredulous look. “Even if that were possible—and I doubt it is—it must not be done.

“The primordial water may dissolve Fontaineans, but it isn’t evil. In fact, it contains an immense amount of planetary energy.

“If we were to throw it out of the world, that energy would be lost. The planet’s environment would gradually decay, and the root problem would remain unsolved—the water would inevitably rise again someday.

“The real issue isn’t the sea itself, but the original sin carried by Fontaine’s people from birth.”

So Focalors rejected that plan as well.

“Oh? So that means you already have an idea of your own solution, then?” Nolan asked curiously.

“I don’t,” Focalors replied, shaking her head lightly. “If I did, I wouldn’t be so troubled.”

“I see.” Nolan didn’t press her any further. He turned to Lumine and Paimon.

“In any case, we’ll have to investigate the Primordial Sea ourselves. Only by seeing it with our own eyes can we figure out a real solution. Talking won’t get us anywhere.”

“Hehe, you’ve got a point,” Paimon said, embarrassed but smiling. Lumine crossed her arms and nodded in agreement.

Nolan turned back to Focalors, smiling gently.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do everything I can to try and resolve Fontaine’s prophecy crisis. If I succeed, would you agree to our cooperation then?”

“If you can truly do that,” Focalors said softly, “then I’ll agree to any condition. I’ll be watching to see what you can accomplish.”

Though she didn’t believe they could possibly solve the crisis—she herself had been searching for a perfect method, one that could free every Fontainean from the fear of the primordial waters—Focalors was nonetheless touched by their sincerity.

【Focalors Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (20/400)】

(End of Chapter)

[HP] Chapter 190-191

Chapter 190: Challenge Mission and the Spring of Drowned Maiden

Though Moaning Myrtle clearly had no intention of cooperating, Louis wasn’t exactly helpless without her.

The shadow beneath his feet began to ripple and boil.

From it, a clump of darkness detached itself and slithered toward the gaps around the sink.

Wherever there were shadows, the Shadow Legion could reach.

But moments later, the dark wisp returned empty-handed, merging back into Louis’s shadow.

“Failed?” Louis muttered in surprise.

So it seemed even Myrtle couldn’t actually enter that passage.

He stepped closer to the sink, examining it carefully for a while — then suddenly clenched his fist and slammed it down.

Boom!

The entire bathroom shuddered, and the sink cracked apart under his blow, leaving behind a crater laced with fractures like an impact from a meteor.

But the moment he lifted his hand, the damage mended itself instantly, returning to its pristine state as if nothing had happened.

“That quick?” Louis frowned, brushing the dust off his hand.

From inside one of the toilets, Myrtle floated back up, puzzled, peering over to see what he was doing.

Louis circled the sink once, feeling stuck.

Sure, he could act like a pile driver and just keep punching until he broke through, or blast it apart using the power of his talismans —

but those methods were too loud, too crude. It would only alert the serpent.

He needed another way.

Snapping his fingers, Louis invoked the power of the Ram Talisman.

A surge of invisible energy manifested, pushing the snooping Myrtle’s head straight back down into the toilet.

Then he summoned Chuan.

The toilet water splashed violently as an enraged Myrtle struggled beneath the surface.

“Master,” came a gentle voice — though the speaker didn’t appear physically. Instead, a small pool of clear water formed by Louis’s feet.

“I sense another presence nearby. I dared not reveal myself fully.”

“Another presence?” Louis thought.

So Chuan was cautious enough to be wary even of ghosts now.

“Well done,” Louis replied telepathically. “Tell me, Chuan — can you enter the sink’s interior?”

“I cannot, Master,” Chuan answered. “But I can travel through the other connected pipes and reach the area below from a different path.”

“The other pipes, hmm?” Louis mused, rubbing his chin.

Should he go down now and kill the basilisk outright — end things cleanly?

Or… make it interesting and watch the chaos unfold?

Just as he was considering, the system — which had been silent ever since his last success — suddenly reactivated.

> [Challenge Mission Activated: The Qualified Trickster]

> Mission Description: A true trickster doesn’t rely solely on brute force. Use deception and external means to eliminate the basilisk threat.

> Mission Requirement: Kill the basilisk without using any direct offensive methods.

> Mission Reward: Prime-Tier Lottery Ticket ×1, Basilisk Fang Weapon Set ×1

“Kill the basilisk without direct attacks?” Louis repeated thoughtfully, reading the prompt.

Now that was interesting.

“This is the first time the system’s ever given me a mission like this… Guess it’s starting to think I’m too much of a brawler? How rude!”

Louis scratched his head, muttering with mock indignation. “Still, that reward’s not bad — a new lottery tier, ‘Prime-Tier’ huh? Looks like this one needs some serious planning.”

With that, he turned on his heel and left the bathroom.

The splashing water inside the toilet suddenly vanished, and an enraged Moaning Myrtle popped out from a nearby stall.

“Hahaha! Didn’t expect that, did you? I can come out from this side!” she said triumphantly, ready to take revenge on Louis—only to realize he was already gone.

“Waaah…”

Seeing that her tormentor had run off right after bullying her, Myrtle burst into tears again and dove back into the toilet with a loud splash.

Moments later, the bathroom began to flood once more.

---

That night, inside the Room of Requirement, Peter Pettigrew was diligently conducting his experiments — still working toward his dream of “dying peacefully of old age.”

He was carefully testing the differences between the Animagus transformation and Polyjuice Potion transformation.

Taking a sip of Polyjuice Potion containing his own hair, he attempted to transform while simultaneously casting the Animagus spell — forcing the two magics to clash and recording the results.

Meanwhile, Louis sat nearby, studying a pitch-black mask in one hand while spinning the System Lottery with the other.

> …Perfect Tenfold Draw consumed Trick Points: 20,000. Current total: 171,800.

> …Perfect Tenfold Draw consumed Trick Points: 20,000. Current total: 151,800.

> …Perfect Tenfold Draw consumed Trick Points: 20,000. Current total: 131,800.

A total of three tenfold draws, costing 60,000 Trick Points in all.

One by one, items glowing with golden light appeared before Louis — some large, some small: priceless gems, strange books of unknown purpose, and all manner of glittering artifacts.

> Draw Results:

> Miscellaneous: Golden Fertilizer, 5× Curious Pet Eggs, 3× Energy Amethysts, 5× Adaptive Sentinel Golems

> Enhancement: Perfect-Grade Biological Gene Fragment (Avian), 3× Perfect Body Enhancement Permits, 3× Perfect Mana Enhancement Permits, Manual of Primordial Harmony

> Potions: 3× Soul-Gathering Pills, 1× Laughing Step Poison, Dragon Heart

> Special: Tara’s Magical Codex, Flame Staff, Spring of Drowned Maiden (Magic World Special Edition)

---

When the results appeared, Louis froze mid-motion.

He had been about to sort through his new loot — but something about those items seemed… off.

Cautiously, he rummaged through the pile until he found a suspicious object — a crystal vial filled with shimmering liquid.

Louis looked at it as though it were some catastrophic weapon of mass destruction.

After making sure there was no leakage, he carefully picked it up and read the description.

> [Spring of Drowned Maiden – Magical World Special Edition]

> Effect: Upon consumption, permanently increases magical power equivalent to three adult wizards (effective only when fully consumed).

> Additional Effect: Grants a dual-gender constitution.

> - Contact with hot water → transforms into a male.

> - Contact with cold water → transforms into a female.

> - Male form: Physical strength ×10, magic power ×3.

> - Female form: Magic power ×12, mana control greatly enhanced.

“So powerful?” Louis whistled in amazement at the description.

Just drinking this thing could instantly multiply one’s strength tenfold or more!

With something like this, why would Voldemort even bother chasing after greater power? he thought. It’s just a gender swap bonus!

Still… it wasn’t really useful for him. Using something this absurd just to prank people would be a complete waste — the kind of power boost it gave could reshape the magical world.

“If Dumbledore drank this,” Louis muttered, “he’d probably blow a hole through the sky itself. A legendary wizard with ten times the strength… I don’t even dare to imagine.”

He sealed the dangerously overpowered potion back into his storage space and continued sorting through the rest of his loot.

---

Chapter 191: The Powerful Magic Golems

This round of lottery draws had been quite a profitable one.

Aside from the Spring of Drowned Maiden (Magic World Special Edition) — which Louis still had no idea how to use — almost everything else could be put to immediate use.

Among the prizes, the Adaptive Guardian Golems stood out the most.

They were powerful constructs capable of adapting to any terrain, designed for both regional defense and personal protection.

As long as their energy supply remained stable, they could maintain surveillance indefinitely — even acting as loyal, close-guard bodyguards.

Each golem shared the same appearance: tall, slender, and remarkably agile-looking, about two meters in height, their outer shells gleaming silver with intricate golden circuitry running across their bodies.

Every unit came equipped with a pair of magi-blades, a short energy dagger, a firearm mounted on its back, and a defensive shield designed for close-quarters protection.

Every movement, every function, consumed immense amounts of energy to sustain.

Fortunately, Louis’s draws had also yielded something ideal — Energy Amethysts, an all-purpose power source.

These crystals came from the world of Robo Adventure Chronicles — a place full of robot cars, fighter-plane androids, and beast machines constantly wrestling each other.

In that world, Energy Amethysts were a universal currency — capable of instantly replenishing energy reserves.

When used here, a single Energy Amethyst could power one golem for ten years of standard operation, or maintain continuous high-intensity combat for an entire year.

They looked noble and disciplined — just the kind of protectors Louis needed.

In the coming years, he suspected the Muggle world might increasingly be dragged into wizarding affairs.

And given his growing reputation, his parents could easily become targets.

Activating these three golems would form the perfect protective line around the Wilson household.

Much more reliable, in fact, than sending his Shadow Legion or Dark Assassins — both of which were entities far too tied to his darker alter ego, the kind that screamed “United Villains of the Big Family, one World!”

Those didn’t exactly align with the clean, righteous image of “Louis Wilson.”

“Emmm… let’s test their power.”

Louis cast an illusion to block Peter Pettigrew’s view, then expanded the Room of Requirement’s interior with a thought, transforming it into a massive football-field-sized space.

He then picked up a faintly glowing lavender crystal and inserted it into the energy port of one of the golems.

“Beep!”

With a clear tone, the golem’s eyes lit up — twin beams of crimson light scanning its surroundings.

The red glow swept over Louis from head to toe, and then an electronic voice echoed:

> “Beep! Commander identity confirmed. Ranger Unit–73502 at your service. Please issue orders.”

The golem stood at attention and saluted smartly.

“Perform a strength test,” Louis ordered. “Punch me with full force.”

> “Error! Directive invalid. A golem may not attack its commander.”

Louis blinked, then chuckled.

It seemed whoever had designed these things had included a very firm safety protocol — even the master’s direct orders couldn’t override their self-defense logic.

Since he couldn’t test it that way, he’d just have to find a live target.

“Come out… Shadow Abominations.”

At his call, the shadow beneath his feet began to boil.

Dozens of slick, inky tentacles slithered out, dragging with them gelatinous, slug-like creatures from the darkness.

These were members of his Shadow Legion, amorphous monsters with boneless arms that writhed and squirmed as they crawled forward, bodies glistening like oil.

Upon fully emerging, they all bowed in unison toward Louis — their Supreme Commander.

“Go,” Louis commanded. “Destroy that golem.”

The moment his order fell, the shadow creatures hissed and surged forward — transforming into writhing black tendrils that lashed toward the gleaming silver golem across the field.

The tentacles wrapped tightly around the golem’s arms and legs, constricting with tremendous force and causing it to stumble slightly.

But the golem didn’t fight back — because these creatures were summoned by Louis, and Louis hadn’t given it any order to resist.

Still, even without retaliating, the golem showed no sign of strain.

Its slender limbs remained unbent despite the crushing grip of the shadow creatures, moving smoothly and effortlessly.

After confirming the golem’s physical resilience, Louis gave his next command:

“Golem, eliminate these Shadow Troops — use any weapons at your disposal.”

> “Affirmative.”

The sensors on the golem’s head lit up, glowing like the eyes of a predator suddenly awakened.

It slowly reached toward its waist, fingers closing around the twin magi-blades hanging there.

More shadowy tentacles lunged at it, wrapping around its arms — but the golem’s grip was unshakable.

Shing!

Twin blades drew from their sheathes — though in truth, they were more like hilts than swords.

In the next instant, soft violet light erupted from the handles, condensing into glowing, razor-sharp energy blades.

They were light sabers!

Louis’s eyes gleamed. The twin blades caught his full attention.

Hmm… perhaps… maybe… possibly…

“The golem itself is impressive,” Louis thought, “but its equipment — and the technology behind it — that’s what really deserves study.”

Still, he didn’t stop the test.

The magi-blades flashed through the air, slicing apart the tentacles coiled around the golem’s body.

When a fresh wave of shadow beasts surged forward, the golem crossed its blades before it and spun — turning into a whirling storm of slashing light.

Everywhere it passed, the black creatures were shredded instantly.

None of the Shadow Legion’s grotesque forms could withstand its assault.

Its relentless, blinding attacks turned those slimy, blade-resistant monsters into a joke.

But it didn’t stop there.

After a flurry of devastating cuts, the golem reached behind its back and drew its firearm.

With a mechanical hum, the weapon charged — and then unleashed a beam of light, as thick as a finger and ten meters long.

Pchhh!

It pierced through a line of shadow beasts in one blast, then spun on its heel, sweeping the beam in an arc — erasing an entire ring of enemies in a single rotation.

Its combat power was absolutely maxed out.

However, Louis knew raw power wasn’t enough — not if these machines were meant to serve as guardians.

“Golem, initiate defense protocol.”

> “Yes, Commander.”

The golem’s sensors flashed again. It sheathed one blade, then grabbed the shield mounted on its back.

The shield looked small at first — but with a flick of its arm, it expanded into a three-meter-tall barrier of solid light.

Even just standing there, it radiated a sense of absolute security.

Then a pulse of light spread outward from the shield, expanding rapidly — fifty, sixty, seventy meters — until it hit the walls of the Room of Requirement and bounced back.

Nothing could block that wave.

And within its range, all hidden entities were instantly revealed — even the shadow creatures lurking beneath Louis’s own feet were forced out, writhing in panic.

An integrated detection and revelation spell!

Louis’s satisfaction deepened.

“Can you cloak yourself?” he asked.

The golem didn’t answer verbally.

Instead, it retracted the shield, and its body began to fade — turning completely transparent until it vanished from sight.

If not for his mental perception, Louis wouldn’t have been able to sense it at all.

“Perfect,” Louis murmured, grinning. “A golem that can fight, guard, and vanish. Absolutely flawless.”

---

[Game] Chapter 481: Birthday Surprise and Gifts

For Yukino, visiting Ichin’s home was nothing special — she had been there countless times and was long used to it.

But today was different. Today, there were things prepared that she had no idea about.

As soon as she stepped inside, she noticed that the room was pitch black — no lights on, and all the curtains in the living room were drawn.

What’s going on?

Tilting her head in confusion, Yukino bent down to change her shoes and was just about to call out when suddenly — several heads popped up right in front of her, holding something she recognized.

Pop!

Pop!

“Happy birthday!!!”

The sound of the bursting confetti startled Yukino so much that she froze in place.

Just then, Haruno stepped up beside her, a confetti popper in hand, and gently pulled the string.

Pop!

“Happy birthday, Yukino-chan~~”

That was when Yukino finally snapped out of her daze.

“B–Birthday?”

As the living room lights flicked on, Utaha revealed the beautifully decorated space — the entire room had been transformed into a birthday party scene. On the wall, large balloons spelling out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” gleamed under the light.

Kō and the others stepped aside as Ichin emerged, carrying a large cake topped with candles.

“Happy birthday, Yukino. Make a wish!”

Yukino blinked in astonishment. Something like this… had never happened to her before.

In past years, her birthday always fell while she was back home in Chiba, so there’d never been a chance for her friends to throw her a party. As for gifts, the last couple of years they had given them either before New Year’s or when she returned to Tokyo.

She’d assumed this year would be no different — so she hadn’t thought much about it. Never had she expected this.

Looking at the cake and the flickering candles, Yukino opened her mouth slightly, unsure what to do.

Haruno patted her shoulder, smiling.

“Go on — make a wish and blow out the candles.”

Led by her sister, Yukino finally stepped forward into the middle of the party.

As soon as she sat down, Eriri plopped a paper birthday crown onto her head.

“Yukino’s the star of today — you have to wear this!”

Touching the crown, Yukino’s face flushed red.

Everyone gathered around as Ichin placed the cake before her and dimmed the lights.

Utaha smiled and said, “Alright, go on — make your wish and blow them out.”

Yukino looked at the candles, then at everyone around her. Smiling softly, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

After about ten seconds, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles shaped like the number “20.”

In the past, turning twenty had marked the age of adulthood in Japan — though it had been lowered to eighteen in recent years. Still, even if it no longer carried that same formality, this twentieth birthday was without a doubt the most memorable one Yukino had ever had.

Yukino lowered her hands and looked at everyone, her voice soft but heartfelt.

“Everyone… thank you for preparing all this for me. I’m really happy.”

“It’s too early to be happy yet!”

Aoba grinned, pulling a small box from behind her back and holding it out.

“Here! Your birthday present!”

“Hey! Aoba, you beat me to it!” another voice cried. “Yukino, this is my gift—take mine first!”

“And mine, mine!”

Before Yukino could even react, everyone began piling their presents in front of her, one after another, until the gifts were stacked in a small mountain before her stunned eyes.

Meanwhile, Utaha had quietly slipped away, only to return from her room with an enormous Mr. Pan body pillow in her arms, which she promptly shoved into Yukino’s embrace.

“Of course the first gift you open has to be mine~~”

“Utaha, that’s cheating!”

“Wha—! You bought that huge thing? You’re totally making the rest of us look bad!”

Utaha just ignored their protests and sat down triumphantly.

Yukino, clutching the giant panda pillow, froze for a few seconds — it was like her breath had stopped.

“Mr… Mr. Pan!”

With a delighted gasp, she buried her face into the pillow and took a few deep breaths like she was inhaling pure happiness.

Nearly a minute later, she finally lifted her head and looked at Utaha, her cheeks pink.

“Thank you, Utaha-senpai. I really love it!”

“As long as you like it.” Utaha propped her chin on one hand, smiling smugly. “It took me quite a bit of effort and some connections to get that pillow. Right, Ichin? You should take out the one you prepared too. I saw you sneaking around this morning after shopping—don’t think I didn’t notice. You must’ve gotten something else, right?”

“Ha, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.”

Ichin shrugged and pulled a small, palm-sized wrapped box from his pocket, setting it down in front of Yukino.

“Utaha told me that baking the cake was enough, but after thinking about it this morning, I decided to prepare a little extra. Go on, open it.”

Just as Yukino was about to pick it up, Nene immediately reached out to stop her.

“Hold it! That’s not fair! We gave our gifts first, so ours should be opened first!”

But before she could argue further, Umiko grabbed her from behind and pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t fuss. What difference does the order make? Besides, Ichin’s family with her — it’s only natural she opens his first.”

With Umiko holding her in place, Nene went quiet right away and nodded obediently.

Everyone silently gave Umiko a thumbs-up.

Impressive. Truly impressive.

With no more objections, Yukino picked up Ichin’s gift and carefully unwrapped it.

Inside was a small box from a niche but high-end Japanese accessory brand. The moment they saw the logo, Aoba, Nene, and Iijima Yun — all of whom loved fashion trinkets — had their eyes light up.

Yukino clearly recognized the brand too, and with a hint of excitement, opened the box.

Inside lay a beautiful hair clip with a cat motif, gleaming softly against the black velvet interior.

“Ohhh!!! That’s adorable!” Yun exclaimed, leaning closer with envy. “Wait, isn’t that one of the upcoming animal-series hair clips for the spring release? Ichin-kun, how’d you even get one?!”

“Pretty much the same as Utaha — pulled a few strings,” Ichin admitted. “Got lucky, too. Akane happens to know someone from that brand and helped me get one early.”

After grocery shopping that morning, he’d sat in the car searching for a perfect gift for Yukino. When he found this one, he knew it was right — and thanks to his connections, he managed to snag it early.

The moment Yukino saw the hair clip, she picked it up immediately, gazing at it for a long while before fastening it into her hair. She didn’t wear clips often, but every now and then she liked changing her style.

“Thank you, Onii-san. I really, really love it!” she said with a bright smile.

Watching the joy on Yukino’s face as she compared Ichin’s and Utaha’s gifts, Haruno quietly puffed out her cheeks on the side.

Great… her real sister’s gift just got outclassed.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 623: Focalors’ Secret (2-in-1 Chapter)

The trial at the Opera Epiclese concluded around noon.

In the end, it turned out that the merchant named Fleur had fabricated evidence to frame Kiril—simply to suppress a business rival.

When the truth came out, the spectators burst into cheers, exclaiming that the trip had been well worth it.

Kiril, in turn, countersued Fleur for unfair competition, winning a hefty compensation and leaving the disgraced businessman to slink away in humiliation.

However, the question of who actually stole and destroyed the contract remained unsolved.

If one followed the logic of “the one who benefits is the most suspicious,” then Kiril would naturally remain the primary suspect.

But Fleur, blinded by greed, had chosen to fabricate proof rather than conduct a proper investigation—a hasty move that ultimately doomed him.

Besides Kiril, there was another possible beneficiary—the buyer who had originally placed the order with Fleur’s company.

It wasn’t impossible that the buyer had signed the contract, then discovered that Kiril’s clockwork guards were cheaper, and so hired a thief to steal and destroy the original agreement.

Still, such a claim would require Fleur himself to file a report and initiate a proper case.

Meanwhile, Nolan had observed the entire judicial process from start to finish.

He noticed that the so-called Chief Justice served more like a presiding moderator, for the actual verdict of guilt or innocence wasn’t decided by him, but by the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale.

Although the Oratrice had never once issued an incorrect judgment—and its verdicts typically aligned with public consensus—it was still astonishing.

He couldn’t help wondering what principle powered it. Could it truly possess intelligence?

Since the Oratrice stood directly beneath the Chief Justice’s position, Nolan refrained from extending his spiritual sense to investigate—doing so might alert Neuvillette.

He didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. But once the Chief Justice left, there would be no harm in examining it then.

Thus, his next plan was set: wait until Neuvillette departed, then investigate the Oratrice—and afterward, follow Furina to see if he could locate the real Hydro Archon.

He might have to pursue both goals simultaneously; once the Chief Justice left, it meant the trial was over, and Furina would surely depart as well.

If he didn’t follow her immediately, he’d have to track her down later—though finding her at the Palais Mermonia wouldn’t be too difficult.

And with his stealth abilities, he wasn’t worried about being detected.

Before long, the audience began leaving the opera house after the trial. Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon exited with the crowd.

Using the Waymark to communicate silently, he explained his plan to the two of them.

“No problem,” Lumine replied through the Pathmark.

Since both she and Paimon could hide using his invisibility technique, there was little risk of exposure.

A few minutes later, the trio stepped outside.

Finding a secluded spot, Nolan expanded the Void Starsea, turning them all invisible. Then he summoned one of his Sword God of Lumine, having her also activate her own Void Starsea to vanish from sight.

Because his invisibility had been fused into the world-level skill Lumine’s Musou, even his manifested avatars could use the same untraceable stealth.

Once an ability was absorbed into the Starsea, it became part of it—and any entity able to manipulate the Starsea could likewise use invisibility.

This made things much more convenient.

Nolan could summon multiple Sword Gods, each invisible, to perform simultaneous covert operations without issue.

That was exactly what he did now: while one Sword God shadowed Furina from afar, he and the others returned invisibly to the empty opera house.

By now it was midday. With the spectators gone, only a few cleaning staff remained.

The people of Fontaine might love excitement, but they still took cleanliness seriously.

After a brief sweep-up, even the staff departed—leaving the vast theater empty.

Hidden by invisibility, Nolan and his companions stepped onto the stage, stopping before the enormous scale-shaped machine: the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale.

He silently expanded the Void Starsea, enveloping the entire opera house within it.

Rather than risk using spiritual sense, he used the Starsea itself to probe the Oratrice.

At first glance, it truly looked like nothing more than a giant balance scale—nothing divine or special about it.

He then used the skill granted by Yae Miko at maximum affection skill—“Prophet’s Gift of the Fox Shrine Guuji.”

Instantly, information flooded into his mind:

[Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale] : A scale over five centuries old, handcrafted by the second Hydro Archon, Focalors. It is protected by divine power and possesses multiple defensive enchantments—fireproof, waterproof, pest-proof, and shock-resistant. As a historical artifact, it holds immense value.

“…That’s it?”

Nolan was dumbfounded by the report. It’s just an old, well-protected scale?!

Where was the miraculous function that collected “faith in justice” and converted it into Lawful Energy?

He shared the results with Lumine and Paimon, who were just as shocked. After all, they had personally witnessed the Oratrice deliver the verdict moments ago!

“So, if the Oratrice doesn’t actually generate Lawful Energy,” Paimon said, frowning, “do we even need to work with the Hydro Archon anymore?”

“Even if the Oratrice itself doesn’t collect faith,” Nolan said, shaking his head, “the Lawful Energy is still very real. If it doesn’t come from this machine, then something else must be performing that conversion.”

After all, the energy that powered Fontaine’s cities for centuries couldn’t have appeared from nowhere—there had to be another source capable of such a feat.

Lumine folded her arms, resting her chin on one hand.

“The Hydro Archon, Focalors—her divine authority comes from Celestia, from her seat and Gnosis. But she’s also known by another title: the God of Justice.

“That title must represent her true authority. Just like Nahida is not only the Dendro Archon but also the Goddess of Wisdom, holding dominion over dreams.

“So isn’t it possible,” she continued, “that the power to collect faith in justice and convert it into Lawful Energy… actually comes from the God of Justice’s divine authority itself?”

“Eh?! When you put it that way…” Paimon’s eyes widened as realization dawned.

“It really could be possible!”

Nolan nodded slowly, beginning to analyze the situation step by step.

“Since this Oratrice doesn’t possess divine power then the only one capable of collecting faith in justice and transforming it into energy must be the God of Justice herself.

“But that Furina we saw earlier was only Level 36. If she truly wielded a god’s authority, there’s no way she’d be below Level 100.

“So the one gathering faith isn’t Furina—it must be someone else.

“And among everyone present earlier, the Chief Justice had an incredibly high life level—he did seem suspicious enough to be the true Hydro Archon.

“But the information returned from my ability confirmed that the second Hydro Archon, Focalors, is a female deity—just as Fontaine’s records say—so Neuvillette can’t be her.

“While it’s technically possible that the God of Justice disguised herself as Neuvillette, I can’t think of any reason she would do that.

“If I’m not mistaken, the real Hydro Archon must’ve been present at the trial just now.

“She wasn’t seated among the audience, nor was she sitting in the Chief Justice’s chair. Most likely, she was hidden somewhere nearby—secretly collecting faith in justice from the shadows.

“I don’t yet know why she would do that… Lumine, Paimon, what do you two think?”

He turned to them expectantly.

“Hm… that shouldn’t be hard to guess,” Paimon said, her eyes drifting toward the Oratrice in front of them.

Lumine parted her lips thoughtfully.

“Since the Oratrice itself doesn’t have the power to determine guilt or innocence, then that final verdict must come from the true Hydro Archon herself.

“Remember how the Chief Justice operated it during the trial—the Oratrice produced a small card bearing the ruling.

“That suggests there’s a whole mechanism built behind it. To operate such a machine effectively, the best place would be somewhere out of sight—behind the stage.

“If my guess is right, there’s a control room behind the Oratrice—and the Hydro Archon is most likely there.”

Nolan smiled faintly. “Exactly what I was thinking. Let’s go take a look.”

Through the Void Starsea, he could already sense a room behind the Oratrice, though it didn’t seem like anyone lived there.

Using the Starsea’s transfer ability, he teleported the group directly into the hidden space.

The room contained no bed, no table, not even chairs—it didn’t look inhabited at all.

In the center stood a massive machine, clearly the mechanism that controlled the Oratrice’s rulings.

They moved closer and discovered that the device had a small entrance.

Since they were still cloaked in undetectable invisibility, they didn’t hesitate to step inside.

Within the narrow control space sat a young woman with long white hair, her fingers moving across the console.

She looked exactly like Furina—same delicate features, same flawless complexion—except she wasn’t wearing a hat, and her long, snow-white hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back.

She wore a pale blue dress, with open lacework at the chest that revealed a hint of fair skin. Her bare, slender legs hung freely, her feet unshod.

Though she shared Furina’s face, her aura was entirely different—serene, composed, and far more mature.

“Wait… that’s Furina? But didn’t she just leave with Clorinde?” Paimon scratched her head, clearly confused.

Nolan quickly checked through the vision of the “Sword God of Lumine” who had been tailing them. Sure enough, Furina was still walking beside Clorinde, heading back toward the Palais Mermonia.

Then this one before them could only be the real Hydro ArchonFocalors. His golden Judgment Eye confirmed it:

[Level: 113]

That was unmistakably the level of a true god.

“She reminds me a little of Ei,” Lumine murmured after observing carefully. “Her form is physical, yet I can tell—it’s a spiritual body, not a mortal one.”

“So you mean… this Focalors and Furina are like Ei and her puppet, the Raiden Shogun?” Paimon asked, eyes wide.

“It’s possible,” Nolan agreed. “So—should we reveal ourselves and say hello?” He glanced at his companions.

“Uh… we did sneak in here,” Paimon said nervously, rubbing her cheek. “Wouldn’t it be rude to just pop out? Maybe we should knock first?”

“But she’s clearly hiding herself—putting Furina out there in her place means she doesn’t want anyone to know she exists,” Lumine said, shaking her head, her golden hair swaying gently.

“In that case,” Nolan said after thinking for a moment, “we might as well greet her directly. We came to Fontaine to find the Hydro Archon anyway—it’s only right we meet her face-to-face.”

“True enough.” Lumine and Paimon both nodded in agreement.

“If we appear too close, she might get startled. Let’s step back from the console first.”

They quietly retreated a few steps to keep a respectful distance.

Let’s hope this God of Justice isn’t the hostile type, Nolan thought.

He withdrew the Void Starsea, and the three of them became visible again.

The moment they appeared, Focalors sensed their presence.

Impossible—her divine authority covered this entire space. No one should’ve been able to enter unnoticed.

“Who are you?!”

She rose from her seat, glaring at them warily.

The task she’d been working on could not be seen by outsiders. Exposure now could ruin everything—it concerned the very future of Fontaine.

If not for the need to avoid a commotion, she would’ve seized them immediately, erased their memories, and thrown them out.

But she also understood—anyone capable of bypassing her divine domain wasn’t ordinary.

“Hehe, finally someone who doesn’t recognize us,” Paimon said with a cheerful grin, stepping forward to diffuse the tension.

“Paimon is Paimon, this is Lumine, and that guy is Nolan. We’re travelers journeying across the Seven Nations.”

She quickly introduced them, then added brightly, “Don’t worry—we’re not here to cause trouble! We just wanted to speak with the real Hydro Archon about a possible collaboration.”

“You’ve already caused enough trouble!” Focalors said sharply. “Leave at once—and under the authority of Justice itself, swear that you will never speak a word about me or this place!

“If you want to discuss ‘collaboration,’ talk to Furina. She is the Hydro Archon!”

After hiding in solitude for centuries and nearly reaching the end of her secret plan, being discovered out of nowhere by a few strangers made Focalors want to cry.

Fortunately, her plan was still safe—for now. No one but her knew its details. Being seen wasn’t the end of the world…

As long as these trespassers didn’t blab about it to anyone else. If someone pieced her secret together, everything she’d built would collapse.

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 479-480

Chapter 479: New Year Game Sales, and… Yukino’s Birthday?

With the arrival of the new year, Ichin had already gotten used to spending the first couple of days accompanying Utaha and her parents to visit their relatives.

On the evening of January 3rd, after a family dinner out, Ichin drove Utaha and her parents home.

Utaha’s father had drunk quite a bit, so after returning, her mother helped him back to their room to rest. Ichin and Utaha then returned to their own place.

He poured two glasses of water, turned on the TV, and the two of them sat together on the sofa, each holding a cat in their arms.

As for Haruno and Yukino, they had naturally returned home to Chiba for the holidays—the Yukinoshita family tended to have far more New Year’s visits to make.

Taking a sip of tea, Ichin said,

“It’s the third today, and the gathering’s scheduled for the sixth. So we’ve got two free days before that. Utaha, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“Somewhere to go?”

Utaha thought for a bit, then shook her head. “Nah, we’ve been out so much already these past few days. Let’s just stay home. We’ve been to all the usual spots anyway—movies, shopping, everything. And during New Year’s, it’s so crowded outside. Let’s skip the chaos.”

Clinging lazily to Ichin’s arm, she smiled softly.

“Going out is nice, but I still prefer staying home with you, Ichin.”

“I see. Then we’ll stay in and rest.”

And so, for the next two days, aside from occasional grocery runs, they spent all their time at home—playing with the cats, watching TV, gaming a little, and putting work aside for once.

Every night after dinner, Ichin would check on the sales numbers for their games.

With the new year’s arrival, all major titles had kicked off discount events. Among their catalog, Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight saw the biggest price drops, followed by BattleBlock Theater and The Binding of Isaac.

Their biggest title, Persona, was on a 30% discount, and Fall Guys had 20% off.

The newest release, Titanfall, wasn’t discounted at all.

Meanwhile, Dark Souls’s pre-orders had climbed slightly during the New Year sale period—still decent, though far behind the discounted titles, naturally. After all, its release was still three months away, and no media reviews had been published yet.

Just as Ichin was reviewing the sales data, the bedroom door opened behind him.

Utaha, freshly out of the bath and wearing her pajamas, stepped into the room.

Her long hair, still slightly damp from the dryer, carried a faint, sweet fragrance that reached him as soon as she got close.

As Ichin turned around, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, plunging his vision into darkness.

“It’s a new shower gel—rose scent. What do you think?”

Ichin chuckled, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply before replying,

“Smells great. You should keep using it—I like this one better than your old one.”

Seeing him nuzzle her lightly, Utaha couldn’t help but laugh.

She patted his head, then sat down on his lap, letting him hold her as she looked at the computer screen.

“So, how are the game sales doing these days?”

“Pretty well,” Ichin said. “The discounts helped a lot. Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight hit their lowest Steam prices ever. The Switch discounts weren’t as steep, but sales still climbed noticeably. And games like Isaac and BattleBlock—the ones that fit the Switch well—got a nice bump too.”

The company’s development strategy was now clearly defined: big single-player projects, online multiplayer titles for long-term support, and smaller, high-quality indie projects.

Once the upcoming release schedule was properly arranged—staggered to avoid overlap—they could keep steady momentum each year with a few new titles always in rotation.

Holding the soft, warm Utaha in his arms, Ichin thought aloud,

“For the next few years, I’d say we’ll maintain the long-term online titles, release one large single-player game every two years—or two in three years—and small-scale ones like BattleBlock and Isaac at a rate of one or two a year.”

He intended to try nearly every genre except sports—and was already doing so.

Leaning back against his chest, Utaha smiled. “With that pace, other developers are probably going to lose their minds.”

“Of course, that’s just the ideal pace,” Ichin laughed. “We’ll adjust according to reality.”

He gave her a quick kiss on her smooth cheek, then got up to go shower.

But before he left, Utaha said,

“By the way, Ichin, Haruno and Yukino will be back tomorrow afternoon. Since they left early, we didn’t get to celebrate Yukino’s birthday at all. Should we make it up to her tomorrow?”

“Oh, right—her birthday. I totally forgot.”

Ichin smacked his forehead and looked at her. “You already have something planned?”

“I sure do!” Utaha grinned proudly. “I ordered a limited-edition Mr. Pan body pillow. It’ll arrive tomorrow. I checked—Yukino doesn’t own that one, and it’s super rare.”

“Wait—why are you only telling me now?”

Ichin sighed in exasperation. “You’re really making it hard for me. How am I supposed to prepare something in just one night?”

Yukino’s favorite things, aside from cats, included “Mr. Pan,” a niche panda character with a perpetually grumpy face. No one quite understood her taste, but she adored it.

Now that Utaha had already bought a Mr. Pan item, it’d be awkward for him to get something similar.

“Ugh… what do I do?”

He sat cross-legged on the carpet, thinking hard, the idea of showering now completely forgotten.

Utaha watched him struggle, smiling, then sat down beside him.

“How about baking a birthday cake? Tomorrow’s the party anyway—let’s surprise her with a mini birthday celebration too. Her birthday’s on January 3rd, and we didn’t get to celebrate it properly. A cake would make up for that.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ichin nodded. “We’ve got all the ingredients at home. Should we let Kō and the others know?”

“No need. We don’t all have to bring gifts—just us is enough. The others can play along for atmosphere. But we should tell Aoba and the rest to come a bit early to help with setup.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

With the plan set for tomorrow, Ichin finally stood up and headed for his long-delayed shower.

---

Chapter 480: Preparations Before the Party

January 6th — the day of the planned New Year gathering.

After breakfast, Ichin got straight to work preparing the birthday cake for Yukino.

Utaha had already contacted Haruno secretly in advance, letting her know they planned to make today’s get-together double as a belated birthday celebration for Yukino. After hearing that, Haruno told them what Yukino’s birthday had been like this year.

There hadn’t been any kind of formal party at home — it wasn’t her milestone eighteenth birthday, so the family just had a simple meal together to celebrate quietly.

This gave Ichin and the others the perfect chance to hold a more lively celebration, something cheerful yet comfortable since everyone attending was close to Yukino. Knowing that, Haruno was delighted to help. With her as an “inside agent,” everything could be arranged more smoothly — such as ensuring that she and Yukino arrived later than the others, giving Ichin’s group enough time to prepare.

After lunch, around one in the afternoon, Kō Yagami and the others who lived downstairs came up first. Soon after, Aoba and her team arrived one by one.

Munching on chips, Kō walked into the kitchen just as Ichin pulled a freshly baked cake out of the oven. She swallowed hard and said, “Smells amazing! And wow, that’s a big cake.”

“Well, we’ve got a lot of people — everyone needs a slice, right?” Ichin replied, setting the cake aside to cool. “Kō, Haruno and Yukino will be here around two. Make sure you all get ready before then!”

“Relax, no problem!” Kō grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “Umiko just got here, and everyone’s asking about how her work’s been going in Shanghai. Once they’re done chatting, we’ll start setting up. With this many people, we’ll have it all ready in half an hour!”

“Alright, you said it — I’m counting on you,” Ichin said with a smile before shooing her out so he could focus.

He pulled out the decorating tools and began whipping the cream for the cake.

As time passed, while Ichin worked in the kitchen, Utaha and the others began setting up the decorations in the living room.

They hung up the colorful party streamers they’d bought that morning. When Kō caught Peppa the cat trying to paw at the ribbons, she immediately scooped it up and carried it away.

“Hey, don’t mess with those! Go play with your toys!”

Peppa looked up at her, then simply turned and wandered off toward Eriri.

Eriri hadn’t been assigned to decorate — she was instead on cat-duty, trying to manage the growing herd of cats in the house.

During the New Year break, Yukino hadn’t brought her four cats home since her family lived right next door, so she had asked Ichin and Utaha to take care of them. Now they’d all been brought over for the party.

Four from Yukino, one from Kō, one from Eriri, two belonging to Ichin and Utaha, and one from Hazuki — a total of nine cats. Poor Eriri was completely overwhelmed trying to keep track of them all.

When Peppa wobbled over, Eriri immediately called out,

“Peppa! Come take care of your kids, I can’t handle them all by myself!”

But of course, the cat didn’t understand a word. It pawed at a yarn ball, plopped down, and began playing on its own, paying no attention to the kittens running wild around the room.

There wasn’t much to be done about it — Peppa had only fathered them while they were very small. Once they were weaned, he’d mostly stayed at Ichin’s place, so he wasn’t that attached to them anymore.

Thankfully, Peppa wasn’t very territorial; otherwise, nine cats in one apartment would’ve been a recipe for disaster.

At least they were only noisy, not fighting — a small miracle in itself.

Seeing Eriri’s frazzled state, Hifumi quietly approached with a fully inflated balloon in hand.

“Hang in there, Eriri. We’re almost done with the setup,” she said gently.

“Really?” Eriri asked, glancing around the living room.

The letter balloons were all up, and the streamers and regular balloons were mostly in place.

She finally let out a sigh of relief. “Good, that’s—”

POP!!!

“AHHH!!!”

The sudden explosion of the balloon in Hifumi’s hands made Eriri shriek, which in turn sent all the cats scattering in panic.

As for Hifumi, she stood frozen, staring at the shredded remains of the balloon — which George, one of the cats, had just pounced on and clawed open.

After that small “incident,” everyone eventually got back on track. By 1:50 p.m., the living room was finally decorated.

Aoba stood with her hands on her hips, surveying their work.

“It was supposed to be a simple setup, but everyone just kept adding things here and there, and now look at it — it’s totally over the top!”

“Looks great, though,” Hazuki said with a smile, snapping a photo with her phone. “Yukino’s going to be so touched when she sees it.”

Next to her, Utaha glanced at her phone and said, “Haruno just texted me — they’re on their way, should be here in about five minutes.”

At that, everyone grabbed one of the small handheld confetti poppers, faces full of anticipation as they waited for Yukino’s arrival.

Five minutes later, the Yukinoshita family car pulled up in front of the apartment building.

Haruno and Yukino had brought no luggage, just small bags with their electronics and a few books.

After sending the driver off, Haruno turned to Yukino.

“Come on, let’s drop our things off, then head to Ichin’s place. The others should be there by now.”

“Alright,” Yukino said softly, looking up at the familiar building with a faint smile.

Home life had gotten much better over the years, but even so, she still preferred it here — her cats, her friends, and the warmth she’d come to love.

They rode the elevator up and first went to Yukino’s own apartment.

As soon as she stepped inside, Yukino noticed her cats weren’t there.

Haruno immediately said, “Eriri and Kō brought them over. I checked the security feed earlier — Ichin took Sesame and Mochi over this afternoon. Come on, once you put your stuff away, you can see them again.”

Yukino nodded, set her things down in her room, and followed her sister next door.

Just as she reached for the doorbell, Haruno said with feigned surprise,

“Huh? The door’s not closed properly? Well, they should be home. Let’s go in, Yukino.”

She pushed the door open and gestured for Yukino to go first.

Without thinking much of it, Yukino stepped inside.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 622: Following (2-in-1 Chapter)

Fontaine — Opéra Épiclèse.

As soon as Furina and Clorinde stepped out, Nolan and his companions quietly followed behind.

They didn’t even bother hiding their movements, so the pair ahead quickly noticed they were being tailed.

“Hey, you lot—following behind the most beloved Hydro Archon of Fontaine is extremely impolite, you know!

“Hmph, but since I’m in a good mood today, I’ll refrain from pressing chargesfor now.”

Furina turned around in the grand corridor of the opera house, pouting in mild annoyance as she eyed them.

At the same time, something about the group felt oddly familiar to her—like she’d seen them somewhere before.

Beside her, Clorinde’s hand was already resting lightly on the hilt of her rapier, ready to draw at a moment’s notice.

“Ah, no, no, it’s not like that! We just wanted to talk to you about something!” Paimon quickly waved her hands defensively.

“There are plenty of people who wish to see Lady Furina every day,” Clorinde said coolly. “You should leave now and stop disturbing her rest.”

“Well…” Nolan’s main goal had simply been to get her attention—mission already accomplished. Just as he was about to explain, Furina suddenly exclaimed—

“Wait!” She blinked, her eyes widening in recognition.

“I know you!

“Black-haired boy, blonde traveler, and a flying little companion—oh! You must be the famous travelers, aren’t you?!”

“Wow! Even the Hydro Archon knows us? Hehe!” Paimon said excitedly.

“Hmph! Of course I’ve heard of you. Your exploits across other nations are well known. Why, just the other day I read a report about you! I’ve been eagerly waiting for your arrival in Fontaine!”

【Furina Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.3 (20/300).】

Nolan blinked at the notification on his status panel—apparently, she really was looking forward to meeting them.

Furina folded her arms, lifting her pale chin proudly as she looked at them with a playful gleam.

“Hmph, how perfect! Imagine it—a grand duel between the Hydro Archon and the famous Traveler! That would make quite the headline!”

She pointed straight at the group.

“I hereby accuse you of following Fontaine’s most beloved god—me, Furina!”

“Eh?!” Paimon gasped. “Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t press charges?!”

“That was then. This is now.” Furina smirked triumphantly. “If you win, I’ll graciously listen to what you came to tell me.”

“Oh?” Nolan chuckled in mild surprise. So this Hydro Archon likes to play games, huh? After a moment’s thought, he said:

“Well then, Lady Furina—how can you be so sure we were following you? We simply happen to be walking the same way. You can’t just assume that everyone behind you is a stalker, can you?”

He spread his hands helplessly, looking quite innocent.

“Exactly!” Paimon puffed out her chest. “We were just going the same direction! We weren’t following you at all!”

Lumine nodded in agreement.

“Hmph! But I heard you say you came looking for me. If that’s not following, what is? Clorinde, you heard them too, didn’t you?”

“...” Clorinde sighed softly, helplessly nodding. “Yes. I did hear them.”

She clearly didn’t want to indulge Furina’s antics—but she was the Archon, after all.

“See? A witness!” Furina said smugly, looking very pleased with herself.

“That still doesn’t prove anything,” Nolan replied calmly. “Yes, we wanted to meet you, but we planned to do so after the trial was over.

“Right now, we actually stepped out to use the restroom and just happened to run into you along the way. We even have a witness—the opera house staff. We asked them to keep an eye on our seats while we were gone.”

Lumine tapped her chin, adding with poise, “So you see, this is just a coincidence.”

“Hmm…” Furina frowned, realizing she had no solid evidence to counter their claim.

After thinking it over for a moment—and remembering the sweets waiting for her in the lounge and the trial she’d have to return to later—she sighed dramatically.

“Fine, fine. I’ll let you off this time. You win. Now then—what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Hehe, that was easier than Paimon expected!” Paimon whispered happily—but was quickly silenced when Clorinde gave a pointed little cough.

“Ahem… Let’s get to the point, please. Lady Furina still needs to rest.”

It was rare for Furina to concede so easily. If she heard Paimon’s comment about “beating the Archon,” Clorinde knew she’d probably take offense and find an excuse to start another “trial.”

That would be… exhausting.

Realizing this, Paimon flushed slightly and gestured toward Nolan. “Ah—right! You explain.”

She turned her big eyes toward him, afraid she’d say something wrong again.

Nolan nodded and addressed Furina:

“Lady Hydro Archon, have you heard of something called the ‘Akasha Network’?”

“You mean that system everyone’s been talking about in Sumeru and Liyue lately? The one that lets people communicate across distances and share posts—like a living newspaper?”

Furina wasn’t unfamiliar with it. When she’d first heard about such a miraculous device, she’d even sent her attendants to Sumeru to buy a “Akasha Terminal.”

Unfortunately, it stopped working the moment it left Sumeru’s borders—something that had frustrated her for quite a while.

“It’s not actually limited to those nations,” Nolan explained. “Once you log in to the Akasha Network, you can browse and post content anytime, anywhere—and others across the world can see what you share.

“I’ve heard that Fontaine’s ‘Oratrice Mecanique’ converts the faith in justice gathered from the people into a special form of energy.

“If the courtroom proceedings in the Opera House could be broadcast live through the Akasha Network, then faith wouldn’t have to be confined within Fontaine’s borders.

“Which means even more faith—and more energy—could be generated.”

He gave a concise rundown of the system’s functions.

The more she listened, the more Furina’s eyes sparkled. She could hardly contain her curiosity, itching to try it herself. But then she remembered the unresponsive Akasha Terminal she’d already fiddled with countless times and sighed.

“Tch… what’s the use of telling me all this if it doesn’t even work in Fontaine?”

“That’s only because the Akasha Network hasn’t been extended here yet,” Nolan replied.

“Then why hasn’t it been extended?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Good question,” he said. “It’s mainly an energy problem. The network currently doesn’t have enough power to maintain connections beyond Sumeru and Liyue.

“So, that’s why we’re seeking your cooperation. We’d like to ask that while the Oratrice converts faith into energy to sustain Fontaine’s functions, a portion of that energy could also be supplied to the Akasha Network.

“That way, the connection could finally reach Fontaine. What do you think, Lady Furina?”

The Akasha Network’s expansion would benefit any nation—it was hard to imagine anyone refusing such a proposal.

“Well…” Furina hesitated slightly.

If she truly had control over the Oratrice, she would’ve agreed without a second thought. After all, energy was energy—whether it powered the city or the network made little difference.

But the problem was—she had no control over the Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale at all.

From the moment it was created, the machine had operated entirely on its own.

The Lawful Energy of Justice it generated was automatically distributed in fixed amounts—just enough to sustain Fontaine’s entire city system.

If any of that power were diverted to help extend the “Akasha Network,” then many of the city’s mechanisms—clockwork guards and other systems dependent on that energy—would be left short on power.

“Forget it. The Oratrice is far too important to tamper with carelessly. So, I refuse,” Furina said, shaking her head.

“Refuse?” Nolan raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to use the Internet to gather more faith in justice?

“Think about it—if you supply energy to the network, you can, in turn, receive more faith from it. The new faith converts into more energy, which can then be used to expand the network’s reach again.

“Then from the newly connected regions, you’ll gain even more faith. It’s mutually beneficial—for both you and us.

A complete win-win. Why reject that?”

Even Clorinde, standing beside Furina, gave her a curious glance.

If things truly worked as Nolan described, the arrangement would indeed benefit both parties.

“Hmph! E-even if it’s a win-win, who agrees to a deal without looking into it first? What if you’re trying to deceive me? I’ll think about it for now. I’ll give you an answer in a few days,” Furina said irritably.

Her reasoning made sense—no matter how she looked at it, compared to collecting faith only from the opera house, gathering it across several nations through the “Akasha Network” would certainly yield far more power.

If the energy produced from just the faith gathered in the Opera House was enough to sustain an entire nation like Fontaine, then the scale of energy produced from global faith was unimaginable.

Though Furina often acted frivolous, she wasn’t foolish. Faced with something that could greatly benefit Fontaine, there was no reason to reject it outright.

“You have a point,” Nolan said with a calm smile. “In that case, Lady Furina, we’ll return in a few days for your answer.”

“Mm. Come to the Palais Mermonia then. Clorinde will bring you to me.”

Furina exhaled in relief, turning toward her companion.

“Let’s go. I want sweets from the lounge.”

If she stayed a moment longer, she feared she might cave and agree on the spot.

“Yes, Lady Furina.” Clorinde stepped forward, nodding politely to Nolan and the others as they left.

Since their proposal seemed genuinely beneficial to Fontaine, she had developed a faint respect for them:

【Clorinde Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.3 (20/300).】

Having at least opened the door to a potential collaboration, Nolan considered the discussion a modest success.

But when Furina had mentioned the Oratrice earlier, there had been a distinct hesitation in her voice—a lack of confidence that caught his attention.

It was as if the Oratrice wasn’t even her creation.

Yet according to Fontaine’s records, that miraculous device—capable of collecting faith in justice and converting it into Lawful Energy—was said to have been built by the god Focalors herself, the very same being known publicly as Furina.

“Focalors” was her true name—just as Ei, the Raiden Shogun, was also called Baalzebul.

As Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon walked back toward the opera hall, they couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

Nolan was now fairly certain that this “Furina” wasn’t actually the real Hydro Archon, Focalors.

If she were merely an avatar or puppet controlled by the true deity, she wouldn’t have shown such uncertainty—since memories would normally be shared between them.

It seemed he needed to investigate further—to uncover the truth and find the real Hydro Archon.

After all, from what he’d just seen, Furina lacked the authority to make major decisions—even those that clearly benefited Fontaine.

Her level was only thirty-six. Even with the title of Archon, without the corresponding divine power, there was little she could truly accomplish.

Once the trial’s over, Nolan thought, I might just have to follow her for real this time.

Back in the opera house, they took their seats again. Soon after, Furina and Clorinde returned as well.

By then, Chief Justice Neuvillette had already completed his investigation into the thief’s identity.

As expected, the man’s background was suspicious.

According to the findings, the so-called thief lived in the Gray River district—a poor man with a gambling habit and mountains of debt.

Neighbors confirmed his history: a frail, shaky fellow who could barely lift a bucket of water, let alone sneak into a merchant’s estate.

Neuvillette gave him a chance to confess—cooperate, and his punishment would be lighter; resist, and it would be severe.

Under the Chief Justice’s overwhelming presence, the terrified man confessed everything.

He admitted that someone had approached him, offering to pay off his debts—on the condition that he act as a “thief” and falsely confess to destroying the contract during the trial.

As for who hired him—it was obvious. Fleur.

Yes, the contract had been stolen, but not by this scapegoat gambler. Fleur had recruited him only to frame Kiril.

The motive was simple—business suppression.

Kiril had publicly announced that he’d optimized the clockwork guard production line, drastically cutting costs.

If left unchecked, no one in Fontaine could compete with his prices for long.

That was something Fleur couldn’t accept.

Losing one contract was nothing—but losing all future business could bankrupt his company entirely.

So he decided to use the trial to attack his rival’s reputation—and perhaps force Kiril to reveal the secret behind his improved production methods.

Even if he couldn’t bring Kiril down, he could at least uncover his techniques.

(End of Chapter)

[HP] Chapter 189: One Slash, No Worries; Two Slashes, Head in Hands Running

When Harry came running out of Filch’s office, the first thing he saw made his jaw drop.

Louis was standing there with one hand poised like a knife and the other gripping Sir Nick by the collar.

“What—what are you doing?!” Harry blurted, stunned.

Especially when he noticed that wherever Louis’s hand grabbed, Nick’s ghostly robes actually wrinkled, as if being pulled by something solid.

“Oh, nothing much,” Louis said, turning his head with a perfectly straight face. “Nick’s been having trouble getting into the Headless Hunt, so I thought I’d offer him a bit of… humble assistance.”

This wasn’t just for fun—well, mostly for fun—but Louis also considered it serious magical research.

For instance: if you cut off a ghost’s head, does the ghost die again?

Alright, yes, mostly for fun.

“Don’t worry, Nick,” Louis grinned. “Even if you do die again, I can pull your soul right back. You just have to trust me!”

“If this works, you could even be my magic-show assistant! Wouldn’t that be great?”

“That’s—well, that’s not entirely unappealing,” Nick stammered, “but could you please be a little more careful?! You’re acting like this is a joke, and it’s terrifying! Let’s, uh, start somewhere else firstanywhere else but my head!”

After much begging from Nick, Louis finally agreed to start small.

He grabbed Nick’s hand.

“Alright then… let’s begin with your pinky.”

With a swift motion, Louis’s hand flashed like a blade — shhk! — slicing clean through Nick’s little finger.

“How does it feel?” Harry asked eagerly, almost leaning forward.

Nick flexed his hand experimentally — and to his delight, the severed pinky twitched in midair.

“Haha! It works! It actually works!” Nick said excitedly, eyes gleaming.

“See?” Louis cracked his knuckles, pleased. “Told you, no problem. Now—let’s move on to the head!”

This time, he didn’t give Nick a chance to protest.

His hand glowed faintly — one clean, shimmering stroke — shhk!

Nick’s head soared into the air, perfectly detached.

“I’M FREEEE!”

His disembodied head floated triumphantly, refusing to come down, while his headless body waved its arms joyfully and chased after it down the corridor.

Harry clapped both hands over his face — the scene was so bizarre it made his brain ache.

Only after Nick’s body and head disappeared around the corner did Harry finally lower his hands and speak.

“Louis,” he said, trying to focus on something normal, “did you know Filch can’t use magic? He’s actually enrolled in some sort of quick-start wizarding course. He looked really upset about it.”

“You didn’t know?” Louis looked at him. “Filch is a Squib.”

“A… Squib?”

“Yes,” Louis said evenly. “A Squib — someone born into a wizarding family but unable to perform magic. A tragedy among wizards. Even the most open-minded families — like the Weasleys — would never publicly mention having one.”

His tone was calm, almost detached, but to Harry, the words felt cruel.

“The cruelest thing,” Louis went on, “isn’t to have never possessed something — it’s to witness it, to almost grasp it… and then lose it forever.”

He glanced at Harry.

“If you were ever expelled from Hogwarts,” he said quietly, “you might begin to understand Filch’s pain.”

———

Although he’d been delayed for a while, Louis finally found the abandoned girls’ bathroom.

It had been deserted for a reason — someone had died there.

Wizards weren’t afraid of ghosts, of course.

The real reason people avoided this particular lavatory was because the girl who’d died there had become a hypersensitive, moody, and extremely loud ghost.

Moaning Myrtle — or as she liked to call herself, the beautiful Myrtle — a lovesick spirit with a weakness for handsome boys.

Myrtle had been the victim of the Chamber of Secrets’ first opening fifty years ago.

Interestingly, her death hadn’t been part of the heir of Slytherin’s plan.

Tom Riddle — the young Voldemort — hadn’t intended to cause a death right on his own doorstep.

Myrtle had simply run off to the bathroom in tears after being teased, and the basilisk had happened to emerge there.

She looked into its eyes — and became the first Muggle-born killed by the creature.

The incident had terrified Riddle.

He hadn’t been ready yet — his goal was to wipe out all the Muggle-borns in one stroke, not to act rashly and alert the school.

What truly horrified him, though, was that the girl’s death led to Hogwarts being threatened with closure.

For Tom Riddle, that was disastrous.

At that time, his situation wasn’t much better than Harry’s would be fifty years later — limited by his half-blood status, looked down upon, and living in worse conditions than before he’d ever set foot in Hogwarts.

So he did what he did best — blamed someone else.

He pinned the attack on Hagrid, who was only a second-year at the time.

It cleared Riddle of suspicion and buried the Chamber of Secrets incident in silence.

That alone showed what kind of place the Ministry of Magic was.

No Minister could explain that away — and the one back then certainly wasn’t Cornelius Fudge.

The whole Ministry was like a rotten apple — crawling with worms.

“How could a student supposedly killed by an Acromantula be treated the same as one killed by a basilisk?” Louis murmured, shaking his head as he stepped into the bathroom.

Before entering, he cast a distortion barrier with the Distortion Eye, to prevent anyone from seeing in or accidentally walking through while he was inside.

After all, it was a girls’ bathroom — the last thing he needed was a scandal.

Inside, the room was surprisingly clean — not the slightest trace of dust, as if it hadn’t been abandoned at all.

That was thanks to Myrtle herself. She cried constantly, and every time she did, the place flooded like a broken dam — water spraying from the pipes until the whole room was drenched.

No wonder it stayed spotless.

Still, not everything could be washed away.

Standing in the middle of the room, Louis’s sharp eyes immediately picked up faint, suspicious traces on both the ceiling and the floor.

“Even magic can’t operate completely without sound or trace — not a mechanism that’s been active for centuries,” he muttered.

Examining the floor markings, he pinpointed where the entrance to the Chamber must be.

Then he searched the sinks for the distinguishing mark — and quickly found it: a faucet engraved with a tiny snake.

“What are you doing here?” a shrill voice suddenly demanded from behind him.

Louis turned around — and there she was: a young-looking girl ghost with twin pigtails.

Of course, “young-looking” referred only to her appearance. In reality, the ghost was over sixty years old.

“Oh my, a handsome boy!” Myrtle giggled, circling him playfully. “But what are you doing here? Don’t tell me you came to peek on the girls?”

“I came here to find something,” Louis replied evenly.

“Find something? There’s nothing here except poor, miserable Moaning Myrtle,” she said dramatically, floating up to the ceiling and hanging upside down in melodramatic self-pity.

“Have you ever tried going in there?” Louis asked, pointing toward the sink in front of him.

For some reason, that question struck a nerve. Myrtle’s expression twisted — she glared at him furiously.

“Oh, so that’s what you think, huh?! You all think Moaning Myrtle is just some ugly girl who spends her afterlife crawling around in toilets?!” she screeched.

And with that, she dove headfirst into a toilet bowl — and vanished with a splash.

Louis stood there in silence.

“...Emmmm…”

---

[HP] Chapter 188: Nearly Headless Nick: Don’t Come Any Closer!

Is brewing potions difficult? Of course it is.

Even the most skilled potion-brewing wizards must follow every step precisely and methodically.

But Louis didn’t have that problem. For him, potion-making now consisted of just three steps:

1. Open the bottle cap.

2. Pour in the ingredients and shake well.

3. Pour out the finished potion.

That kind of process could make a Potions Master choke with envy — and drive apprentices to despair.

Louis kept two portions of Polyjuice Potion for himself, then on the third day, right on schedule, delivered the completed potion to Snape.

“You’ve finished it already?” Snape’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.

He accepted the vial from Louis and examined it carefully — the color, the scent, the texture.

“Perfect,” he finally declared, looking at Louis as if he were some rare treasure.

“The effect of this batch should last at least half again as long as the mediocre ones made by common potion-makers.”

“Thank you for the praise, Professor Snape. Are you satisfied with my work?” Louis asked politely.

“Very much so. I won’t demand the other two portions, and this one—” Snape handed the vial back to him, “—you may keep.”

Louis blinked, caught off guard. He stared at Snape in disbelief.

“With your level of completion, all three batches must have succeeded,” Snape said with a sideways glance. “Did you really think you could fool me with such a petty trick? Hmph.”

Then, with his usual cold sneer, he added, “You’d better not let me find out you’re using Polyjuice Potion for anything improper. Out.”

And with that, he all but shoved Louis out of his office.

“Tch. Guess you really shouldn’t take anyone for a fool,” Louis muttered, half laughing, half exasperated, as he looked down at the vial in his hand.

Snape had come to the right conclusion for entirely the wrong reasons.

Relying on his professional experience, he assumed that anyone capable of producing such a perfect potion couldn’t possibly fail on something so simple —

completely unaware that Louis possessed a miraculous potion bottle that did all the work for him.

“Well, at least the outcome’s good,” Louis said cheerfully, pocketing the vials. “Three doses of Polyjuice — plenty for research.”

Whistling, he went off to find Hermione.

Lately, Hermione had been spending a lot of time with Cassandra, even trying to introduce her to other friends.

But things didn’t seem to be going well — Cassandra wasn’t nearly as warm with others as she was with Hermione.

Probably thought the rest of them were too weak to be worth her attention.

Time rolled into October. Next month would be Quidditch season, and every house was training hard.

Even on cold, rainy days, teams were out on the pitch, flying through sheets of rain.

Madam Pomfrey, no doubt, would soon be tending to a fresh batch of broken-bone victims.

Louis stood at the clock tower, watching the rain.

Droplets splattered against the giant glass clock face, tapping out a rhythm like a steady drumbeat.

In the distance, Hagrid’s hut was surrounded by his latest obsession — massive pumpkins, bigger than ever.

When ripe, they’d be carted off to the Hogwarts kitchens to become festive dishes and Halloween lanterns.

“Almost Halloween again,” Louis yawned. Rainy days always made him sleepy.

“What should I prepare for fun this year…?”

But this year’s Halloween would be a little dangerous.

The basilisk would soon appear — and Mrs. Norris would be the first victim, petrified in the corridor.

Luckily, the cat was short enough that she only saw the serpent’s reflection in the water… otherwise, it wouldn’t have stopped at petrification.

“Oh right… the basilisk.” Louis yawned again. “Where was the Chamber of Secrets, again?”

He scratched his head, realizing he’d gotten so absorbed in magical research lately that he’d forgotten one of the year’s main events.

“Basilisk, diary, Ginny Weasley…”

He turned toward the moving staircases. “If I remember right, the entrance was in the abandoned girls’ bathroom — on the… third floor? Or was it the second?”

Just as Louis was wondering which floor to go to, he saw Harry — covered in mud — being dragged away by Filch.

Trailing behind them was a ghost wearing a deeply guilty expression.

It was Gryffindor’s house ghost — Nearly Headless Nick.

“What happened to Harry?” Louis asked naturally as he walked up beside Nick.

“Oh, it’s you, the marvelous young wizard.” Nick glanced at Louis, his tone mixed with recognition and respect — after all, the boy had once scared the Bloody Baron into fleeing with just a few words.

“It’s all my fault,” Nick sighed. “Harry was talking to me when Filch caught him. Filch said he dirtied the castle floor and decided to punish him.”

“Oh… but you look even more miserable than Harry,” Louis said casually. “What’s wrong?”

Nick let out another sigh. He reached into his ghostly robes and pulled out a half-transparent letter — made of the same spectral substance as himself.

“My application to join the Headless Hunt was rejected again this year,” he said gloomily.

Again?” Louis raised a brow.

“Yes, I apply every year,” Nick said helplessly.

“Mind telling me the reason they gave for turning you down?”

“Of course not. I mean — I don’t mind.” Nick unfolded the letter and showed it to him. “They only accept ghosts who are completely headless. They say even if I were admitted, I couldn’t properly participate in games like Head Polo or Horseback Head-Juggling.”

Those didn’t sound like particularly wholesome games to Louis.

He pursed his lips, then — to Nick’s surprise — reached out and took the letter right out of his hands.

After fully mastering the power of the Ram Talisman, Louis’s “Astral Projection” ability had evolved into full Soul Manipulation.

Touching a spirit was now as easy for him as breathing.

“Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore, is it?” Louis read the name aloud. “He says your head isn’t completely detached from your body?”

“That’s right — only a few inches still connected, really,” Nick said, lifting his half-hanging head to show him.

Louis nodded thoughtfully. “Indeed, just a few inches. So… it can’t be, uh, trimmed off?”

“Of course not!” Nick exclaimed. “A ghost remains in the state they were in when they died. I was executed, you see — the man who swung the axe took forty-seven strokes! I only wish he’d sharpened the blade a bit, so I could’ve died faster. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been rejected by that blasted club!”

Nick sighed again, long and weary.

Talking to a ghost about how he died was not for the faint of heart — especially when the story involved that much blood.

“It’s just a few inches,” Louis mused. “Maybe it’s not that difficult…”

But before he could finish, Nick suddenly floated off — straight toward Peeves.

The two whispered together for a moment before Peeves whooped gleefully and zoomed off in the direction of Filch’s office.

“I asked Peeves to rescue Harry,” Nick explained, turning back to Louis. “Oh, right — what were you saying just now?”

“I said… if it’s only a few inches, there might be a way.”

Louis arched an eyebrow and raised his hand — spectral energy rippling across it, gleaming faintly like the edge of a blade.

“Want to give it a try?”

Try it? Try what?

Cutting off my head?!

Nick swallowed hard, staring at Louis’s eager expression, and almost screamed:

“Don’t come any closer!!”

---

[Game] Chapter 477-478

Chapter 477: Eriri’s Sudden Idea

After work, Ichin and the others drove straight to the hot pot restaurant.

Since Eriri didn’t have a car, she rode with Ichin, sitting in the back seat together with Utaha.

Glancing at Yukino’s car following behind them through the rearview mirror, Eriri thought for a moment and said,

“Hey, do you think I should move out and live on my own? I’m already a university student now, and I’ve got a job too.”

“Hm?”

Utaha looked at her in surprise. “That’s your reason?”

“Isn’t that reason enough?” Eriri countered. “I go home every day and it still feels like nothing’s changed since before. Now that I’ve grown up and have my own income, shouldn’t it be fine if I want to live by myself?”

“It’s not wrong,” Utaha admitted, nodding, “but I think you should think it through carefully. First of all, if you live alone, what will you do about meals every day? You can’t just eat out for every meal, right? Even with your income, the expenses will add up quickly. And after a while, you’ll get sick of all the takeout and restaurants near your place. So in the end, you’ll still have to cook for yourself—but you don’t know how to cook, do you?”

“Ugh…”

Eriri was instantly speechless. That really was a problem she couldn’t dodge—she didn’t know how to cook.

Well, she could make food… if you counted instant noodles and fried rice. But things like mapo tofu, braised pork, or tempura? That was way beyond her.

Flicking her twin tails in frustration, Eriri groaned, “Then what am I supposed to do? I can’t just stay living with my parents even after I graduate, right?”

From the driver’s seat, Ichin said, “What’s wrong with staying home? Your place is a villa, remember? If you move out, you’ll have to live in a regular apartment. It won’t be anything like your current room, that’s for sure.”

Utaha nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Since you already live in a villa, why put yourself through that? You’re thinking about moving out now, but once you actually do, I bet you’ll start wanting to move back home in just a few days.”

Eriri frowned and fell silent, lost in thought.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the hot pot restaurant for dinner. Since Haruno’s office was closer, she had already arrived.

The group followed the waiter to their reserved table, where Haruno was already waiting with a menu in hand. She waved and smiled.

“You’re here! I’ve already started ordering. If there’s anything you want, just add it.”

Ichin turned to the waiter taking notes. “It’s fine, Haruno. You know what everyone likes. Just order what you want—there are six of us, so get plenty, and don’t forget the vegetables.”

“OK! Leave it to me—after all, it’s Ichin’s treat!” Haruno replied cheerfully, then proceeded to order a mountain of food.

Since it was hot pot and everyone could eat at their own pace, the six of them would finish it all eventually.

Soon, the pot arrived—Haruno had ordered a less spicy soup, since Yukino couldn’t handle spicy food.

While the soup was heating up, Haruno noticed the troubled expression on Eriri’s face and asked, “What’s wrong, Eriri-chan? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

“Ah, well…” Eriri hesitated, then told them what she had been thinking about.

None of them had expected that Eriri was seriously considering moving out to live alone.

After listening, Yukino nodded. “I think Brother and Utaha-senpai are right. If you want to move out, you need to think carefully about all the aspects of living independently. When I first moved out, I already knew how to cook a few things, but it still took time to get used to everything.”

Haruno followed up, “Exactly. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to move out, but you have to plan it properly, not just act on impulse. That said, I actually think you should try it. You’ve always lived a comfortable life where you didn’t need to worry about cooking or chores. If you move out, you’ll force yourself to learn things you never did before. Isn’t that a good thing?”

What she said made sense—but to Ichin’s ears, it sounded suspiciously like Haruno just wanted to watch Eriri struggle.

Maybe others wouldn’t think so, but knowing Haruno, that possibility was quite high.

Eriri, who was already leaning toward moving out, immediately perked up. “You’re right! If I move out, I can just learn on my own! I’m not stupid—how hard can cooking be? That’s it! I’ll tell my mom when I get home and start looking for an apartment!”

Ichin fell silent. He looked at Utaha, then at Yukino—their expressions were identical.

Hazuki, on the other hand, glanced toward Haruno and noticed the faint, mischievous smile on her lips, which made her own lips curl in amusement.

Soon, the mountain of meat and vegetables was served, and everyone began to enjoy the hot pot.

As they dipped the meat into the bubbling broth, Eriri excitedly talked about her plans for living alone, her voice full of anticipation for her new independent life.

As for loneliness—probably not an issue, since she had a cat. But Ichin, Utaha, and Yukino were all worried about her meals.

None of them believed this girl could master cooking in a short time. During her first few weeks alone, she’d probably survive on instant noodles and convenience store food.

Whether she could endure that was another story.

After thinking for a moment, Ichin whispered something to Utaha, then said to Eriri, “Hey, Eriri, do you want me to check if there are any vacant apartments near my place?”

“No need!” Eriri waved confidently. “If I live near you guys, I’ll just end up mooching off you every day—either going to your place, or to Yukino’s, or Ko’s for meals. I don’t want that! Just wait—within a month, I’ll invite you all to my place for a home-cooked feast!”

No one knew where that confidence came from.

Still, as long as she was happy, that was fine. After all, even if she couldn’t handle living alone, she could always move back home.

Ichin knew full well that aunt Sayuri would probably allow Eriri to try living on her own—but she’d definitely be ready, waiting for the day her daughter came running back.

---

Chapter 478: Year’s End

Eriri was clearly not joking about moving out.

Over the next few days, whether she was at school or at the company, she spent all her free time searching for apartments to rent.

When Sayuri Sawamura found out, she agreed without hesitation.

That didn’t surprise anyone. Ichin and the others all knew Sayuri well—she’d never stand in the way of Eriri wanting to become independent.

However, since the year was almost over, it wasn’t realistic for Eriri to move out right away. No matter what, she’d have to wait until after the New Year.

As the year drew to a close, everyone’s workload gradually eased up. Taking advantage of the downtime, Ichin reviewed the final development schedule and officially announced the release date of Dark Souls:

March 25th, next year — Friday.

Most of Dark Souls was already complete. Only a few maps still needed optimization, and some bosses, monsters, and NPC storylines required final adjustments.

Three months was more than enough to finish everything.

Alongside the release date announcement, pre-orders also opened—and immediately attracted a flood of attention.

After all, judging from the previous trailers and live demos, the game looked brutal. It practically screamed “painful to play.”

But the harder the game, the more players wanted to challenge it.

Ichin wasn’t worried that the difficulty would scare people away. In this era, there were plenty of masochistic players—and he was quite proud to be training more of them.

By the final week of the year, Dark Souls had sold over 350,000 pre-orders across all platforms.

That number wasn’t quite on the level of Persona, but it was within expectations. The darker, more oppressive aesthetic wasn’t something everyone could easily accept at first.

Still, pre-orders had only just begun. Ichin wasn’t in a rush—once the marketing phase kicked in and the next wave of trailers rolled out, he was confident they’d hook the hesitant crowd too.

With the release date announced, his final major task for the year was complete.

Now it was time for—

“Party! Party! New Year’s Party!”

On December 27th, Saturday, at Ichin’s home, Shinoda threw both hands up and declared,

“You guys all ditched Christmas for your own lovey-dovey dates, so this time we have to throw a New Year’s party! It’s been forever since we all gathered!”

Munching on chips beside her, Iijima Yun gave her a sidelong glance.

“You just want to play, don’t you? You don’t have to drag the rest of us in—New Year’s is already busy enough.”

“Then we can just push it back a few days! It’s a week-long break anyway, I’ll be busy the first few days too,” Shinoda insisted. “It’s the end of the year—what better time for us old friends to get together? Ichin-kun, what do you think?”

Carrying a tray of freshly made milk tea, Ichin set it down with a smile.

“I’ve got no objections. A get-together to celebrate the New Year sounds great. But if we’re doing it, let’s hold it downstairs at Kō’s place. She already decorated for it—it’s way more suitable than here.”

Hazuki picked up her cup and said warmly,

“That works for me. If everyone agrees, let’s set the date for the sixth. I’ll be heading back to my hometown for the first few days, and on the seventh we’ll need time to reset before work starts again.”

Everyone discussed it for a bit and agreed—including Hifumi, Nene, and Aoba, who weren’t there in person but gave their OK in the group chat.

Umiko, who was currently in Shanghai, was also coming back tomorrow, so she could join the party too.

“Perfect! Then it’s settled for the sixth,” Shinoda said with satisfaction.

By four in the afternoon, Shinoda and the others had left, and Kō’s group went back down to their apartment.

Stretching lazily on the sofa, Haruno smiled. “It really is lively around here.”

“It sure is.” Ichin nodded. “Aside from Kō and her team, everyone else lives pretty close—only about twenty minutes by train at most. Once the new office building’s done, the commute will be a bit longer, but it’s fine. Everyone’s got cars now, and those who don’t can just hitch a ride.”

Hearing that, Eriri tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Then when I look for an apartment, should I find one closer to the new office instead?”

“You should start by finding one near where you are now,” Utaha said, cutting her off dryly. “I seriously doubt you’ll last three months living alone.”

“Huh? Are you underestimating me?”

Eriri puffed up angrily. “Wanna bet? After New Year’s, I’ll find a place, move out, and show you I can handle living alone just fine!”

Utaha folded her arms, accepting the challenge.

“Sure. I’ll look forward to seeing that. But since it’s a bet, what’s the wager? Let’s keep it simple—the loser treats everyone to dinner.”

“Deal!”

As the two sealed their bet, Haruno gently nudged her sister’s shoulder and whispered,

“Yukino, who do you think’s gonna win?”

Yukino shook her head. “Hard to say. Eriri’s never lived alone before, and everyone adapts differently.”

“That’s true,” Haruno said with a grin. “But no matter who wins, as long as we remember to crash the winner’s dinner, it’s a win for us.”

After handing out the year-end bonuses, the company officially went on holiday. The year had finally come to an end.

It had been a smooth year for the company—many new members joined, projects went well—and Ichin’s own studies were also progressing perfectly. By April, he’d be a third-year student, with only half his university life remaining.

Driving home from the office, Ichin sank onto the sofa and rested his head on Utaha’s lap.

Feeling the soft texture of her black stockings against his neck, he closed his eyes and murmured,

“Another year gone already… time surely flies.”

Utaha gently stroked his hair and smiled. “It really does. You’ve worked hard this year, Ichin.”

“Let me guess—the next line is ‘Please continue working hard next year,’ right?”

“Even if I didn’t say it, you’d still do it, wouldn’t you?”

“…You’re not wrong.”

After resting on her lap for a while, Ichin sat up and stretched.

“All right, I’ll go make dinner. Once we finish tonight’s meal, we can go next door tomorrow and freeload off your parents.”

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 621: Furina (2-in-1 Chapter)

The scepter struck the wooden floor with a dull thud. The presiding Chief Justice carried a natural air of authority, and the entire courtroom instantly fell silent the moment he spoke.

“My, my—Neuvillette, do be a little gentler toward my citizens, won’t you? Hmph.”

A soft, melodious voice drifted through the hall, making even the Chief Justice’s brow crease a little deeper.

“It’s Lady Furina! She’s here!”

“She’s as beautiful as ever!”

The crowd erupted again at the familiar voice, craning their necks to spot the Hydro Archon’s figure.

From the right side of Nolan’s group, two figures appeared on the higher stands. The one leading was a young girl with pure white hair.

A deep-blue miniature hat rested upon her head. Her fair face held a pair of rare heterochromatic eyes—one a light blue, the other a deep azure.

She wore a formal tailcoat with a long skirt hem, under which was a crisp white blouse. Beneath that, a pair of short white shorts peeked out, her snow-white legs wrapped in symmetrical black leather garter bands.

On her feet were ornate court heels, with frilled white ankle socks just high enough to hide the ankles, exuding an air of elegant refinement.

There was no mistaking it—this young woman was none other than Furina, the Hydro Archon of Fontaine.

In truth, Lady Furina was Fontaine’s most celebrated superstar—there was no second place. Reports and portraits of her were everywhere, and Nolan and the others had already seen her face in the papers before coming here.

Behind her walked a tall woman, wearing a tilted blue side hat. Long, slightly purplish-black hair cascaded down from beneath it.

Her face, too, was fair as carved jade, and her violet eyes were as still as a tranquil lake—yet they carried a quiet, suffocating pressure.

Nolan recognized her as well. After all, this woman was almost always seen following the Hydro Archon around; whenever journalists photographed Furina, she appeared alongside her.

This woman was Clorinde, the strongest Champion Duelist in Fontaine—and Furina’s personal bodyguard.

The title “Champion Duelist” was, in itself, a profession unique to Fontaine.

In Fontaine’s judicial system, being found guilty did not automatically mean imprisonment. A condemned person always had another choice—

They could challenge a Champion Duelist to a no-holds-barred duel upon the opera stage!

Should the defendant triumph, their crimes—no matter how grave—would be absolved, and they would walk free.

Of course, unless one faced the death penalty, few would ever make such a choice.

For being convicted only led to imprisonment and reform—but losing a duel meant the end of one’s life, the curtain falling forever.

Champion Duelists were among Fontaine’s mightiest—masters of combat skill, battle sense, and technique.

To challenge one on a whim was nothing short of suicide.

And if one’s opponent happened to be the strongest of them all, Clorinde herself, then the outcome was absolutely certain—defeat, without exception.

Recalling the information he had gathered before arriving in Fontaine, Nolan couldn’t help feeling curious about this strongest Champion Duelist.

He wanted to see just how powerful she truly was. His pupils turned golden, and he glanced at her as if casually, like any other spectator.

[Level: 86]

For a human, that was an impressively high level—no wonder she could claim the title of strongest Champion Duelist.

Perhaps only a handful of beings—like the Hydro Archon herself or her retainers—could surpass her.

Nolan then instinctively turned his gaze to the Hydro Archon.

[Level: 36]

“Huh?” Nolan blinked in disbelief. Did I read that right? Or does this Archon have some kind of interference ability? How could a god wielding divine authority only be Level Thirty-Six?

According to Ei’s words, this Hydro Archon wasn’t a top-tier deity, but even so, she shouldn’t be able to obscure his “Golden Eye of Judgement.”

After all, he himself had reached Level 111, and with Fischl training diligently beside him, she’d already hit Level 95.

With the two of them combined, even beings over Level 200 would have no secrets before his eyes.

Which meant the issue wasn’t with him—something about this Hydro Archon didn’t add up.

Either she had once been injured or weakened—though judging by her complexion, that seemed unlikely—or there was another possibility entirely.

That the girl before him, “Furina,” might not be the real Hydro Archon at all.

But according to Fontaine’s records, the current Hydro Archon had inherited the position from her predecessor over five hundred years ago. Both her appearance and personality matched historical descriptions perfectly.

By all logic, she should be the true Hydro Archon. Yet with a level that low, her very life force fell short of what any god should possess.

In that case, how could she have lived for centuries?

Forget it, Nolan thought. There are too many possibilities—a vessel, a remote puppet, an avatar… all plausible. For a god, such things are hardly difficult.

He didn’t need to dig deeper for now. What mattered was that Furina currently held the authority of the Hydro Archon. As long as she could act with that power, she was the one to negotiate with.

While Nolan pondered, the Chief Justice turned his calm gaze toward Furina and spoke:

“Even for one as exalted as the Hydro Archon, I must ask you to remain silent once the trial begins.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Now, let’s get started already—I can’t wait to see what sort of amusing things today’s trial will bring!”

Furina plopped down casually in her special seat, crossing her snow-white right leg over the left, resting her cheek against her hand, looking thoroughly bored.

Beside her, Clorinde stood silently, poised and vigilant.

Neuvillette, long accustomed to the Archon’s temperament, simply ignored her—engaging her only led to endless chatter.

He turned his gaze toward the audience, calling once more for silence. His authority carried weight—within moments, the crowd obediently quieted down.

Seeing that the trial was about to commence, Nolan and the others also withdrew their attention from the Hydro Archon’s side for the time being.

Then he looked again—

[Level: 119]

His eyes widened. The Chief Justice, Neuvillette, was Level 119—almost at the threshold of the top-tier Archons themselves!

Wait… could he actually be the true Hydro Archon?

But then again, if that were the case, why would he let Furina sit upon the divine throne in his stead?

If his intent were to remain hidden, serving as Chief Justice was hardly a low-profile position either…

And Neuvillette’s helpless attitude toward Furina didn’t look like an act either.

What a pity—when Nolan transmigrated, Fontaine’s version hadn’t been released yet.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so clueless about these identity issues now… he wouldn’t even be confused about who the Hydro Archon actually was.

When the Chief Justice, Neuvillette, saw that the audience had settled down, he turned his gaze toward the plaintiff’s stand. Looking at the pale-haired plaintiff and his legal representative, he spoke:

“Mr. Fleur, as the plaintiff, please explain the charges you are bringing against Mr. Kiril.”

“Understood, Lord Neuvillette. I’ll have my attorney present our statement.”

The pale-haired Fleur nodded, glancing at his representative. Compared to his own amateur knowledge, it was better to let a professional lawyer handle it.

The attorney nodded in return, then looked toward the defendant’s stand and began:

“My client and Mr. Kiril both run clockwork guard businesses. Some time ago, a major client placed a large order with Mr. Fleur, and the contract was formally signed.

However, Mr. Kiril hired thieves to steal and destroy that contract, then undercut our price to snatch away our client.

If this were fair competition, we would have no complaints. But using such vile means is intolerable. Therefore, Mr. Fleur is filing a formal accusation and demands compensation for our losses!”

As the accusation echoed through the hall, the audience began whispering among themselves.

“So that’s what happened? That’s downright despicable!”

“Heh, business is war.”

“Just look at Kiril—he reeks of a nouveau riche! Probably made his fortune pulling dirty tricks like this.”

With their murmuring, the massive scale-like machine at the back of the stage—the Oratrice Mecanique d’Analyse Cardinale—tilted slightly toward the plaintiff’s side.

Paimon tilted her head and whispered to Nolan and Lumine:

“So that machine’s agreeing with the plaintiff, huh?”

“Maybe. But that’s only temporary,” Nolan replied. “If the defendant presents a strong enough argument, it’ll probably tilt back the other way.”

Lumine nodded slightly.

“Nonsense!”

“The only reason our clockwork guards are cheaper is because we optimized our production process to lower costs!

That client came to me of his own accord—contracts or whatever have nothing to do with it!”

The defendant, Kiril, shouted angrily from his stand.

“Everyone’s production process comes from the same Fontaine Institute! You say ‘optimized,’ but who’s going to believe that?!”

Fleur retorted from across the aisle.

Seeing the argument begin to spiral, Neuvillette frowned, tapping his scepter once more. The loud, resonant sound brought the room back to silence.

He continued calmly:

“Both sides will maintain courtroom order. Defendant, you may now speak.”

This time, Kiril had learned his lesson and let his defense attorney handle things. The man was clearly experienced—he immediately spotted a flaw in the plaintiff’s claim.

“Accusations require evidence, not just words. Mr. Fleur, you allege that Mr. Kiril hired thieves to steal your contract. Then where is your proof?

Have you caught this so-called thief? And as for the destroyed contract—how can you prove you didn’t tear it up yourself?”

The crowd below nodded, voices rising again:

“Yeah!”

“Where’s the evidence?”

“You can’t just accuse someone because they took your business!”

The Oratrice’s scales tilted toward the defendant’s side, balancing out once more.

“Hmph. Of course we have proof! We’ve already captured the thief himself!”

Fleur crossed his arms proudly.

Moments later, a small, thin man was dragged to the center of the stage. Bowing his head, he addressed the Chief Justice:

“Lord Neuvillette, I confess—I was wrong. I shouldn’t have accepted Mr. Irill’s request to break into Mr. Fleur’s study and tear up the contract… all for a bit of mora.”

“Oh?” Neuvillette’s eyes narrowed as he studied the trembling man.

“Turns out it was Kiril after all.”

The crowd, as fickle as ever, immediately shifted its opinion again—now Kiril seemed guilty once more.

“Haha! Even the thief himself admits it. Looks like that’s that, then! Neuvillette, what are you waiting for—pass judgment already!”

From her special seat, Furina let out two bright laughs.

“Eh? Even the Hydro Archon says so—then it must be true!” Paimon said, spreading her hands.

“Maybe,” Lumine murmured, frowning. “But something feels… off.” She glanced toward Furina, feeling that the Hydro Archon’s conclusion had come far too lightly.

Nolan nodded slightly. “That thief called him Irill—he got his employer’s name wrong. If Kiril had really hired him, how could he not even remember the man’s name?

“And besides, look at him—he’s frail. Does he look like someone capable of sneaking into a merchant lord’s office and stealing a contract?”

A simple analysis—but enough to make Nolan wonder if this Hydro Archon was a bit… dense. Or maybe just eager to show off.

Her behavior lacked the composure befitting a true god.

Sure enough, the defense quickly pointed out the same flaws, claiming the thief had been bribed to make a false confession and that Kiril had never met him.

After all, this thief had been captured by the plaintiff’s side; no one could confirm he was the actual culprit, making the evidence weak and unreliable.

Sensing the irregularity, Neuvillette pondered briefly before announcing a temporary recess. He ordered the guards to investigate the thief’s identity.

At that moment, Nolan noticed the thief on stage stiffen slightly—his eyes darting with faint panic.

Was it the natural fear of a captured man… or guilt over the truth about to be uncovered?

“Ugh, I hate it when trials get interrupted halfway for investigations.”

Furina stretched lazily and said, “Clorinde, let’s go have some sweets in the lounge. We’ll come back later.”

“As you wish, Lady Furina.”

The strongest Champion Duelist followed the Hydro Archon as the two left the hall together.

Nolan, catching this, thought it was the perfect chance to approach her. He gave a subtle signal to Lumine and Paimon.

Both understood immediately.

Paimon clutched her stomach and groaned dramatically, “Ow… my tummy hurts! Must’ve eaten something bad this morning! Traveler, come with me to the restroom!”

Not bad, Nolan thought, giving her an approving thumbs-up in his mind.

Together with Lumine and Paimon, he told a nearby staff member to watch their seats for them.

Then the three slipped out—ostensibly for the restroom—after the departing Hydro Archon.

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 475-476

Chapter 475: The Company Building Confirmed

The matter of viewing the building went very smoothly.

Although this office building had slightly more floors than the five-story one Ichin originally had in mind, it wasn’t much of a difference.

With Haruno acting as the middle-person, the price also wasn’t unreasonable — well within what Ichin could afford.

After the initial inspection, Ichin called Hazuki over as well — the former head of Eagle Jump — to take another detailed look together.

Standing inside an office on the sixth floor and gazing out at the city view, Hazuki nodded in satisfaction.

“This place is really nice. If this becomes our future headquarters, I think everyone will be delighted. But… are you sure our company’s finances can handle buying it?”

“Don’t worry, it’s just a small issue.” Ichin replied confidently. “Hazuki, you know how our company’s revenue looks. At most we’ll be a bit tight for a month or two, but paying salaries won’t be a problem. Worst case, I’ll just be a freeloader for a couple months and let Utaha feed me.”

Hearing that, both Haruno and Hazuki couldn’t help but laugh.

After a short round of laughter, Hazuki composed herself and said, “Since you’ve decided, go ahead with it. Once you tell everyone back at the office, I bet they’ll all be thrilled.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Having made up his mind, Ichin signed the contract and began the paperwork.

Thanks to Haruno’s help, everything proceeded smoothly, and within just three days all the formalities were done.

Once the payment was completed, the six-story office building would, after renovation, become their new Tokyo headquarters.

With the building secured, it was time to plan for the interior design.

Since Haruno’s family owned a construction firm, that part was also easy to handle — no need to worry about being overcharged.

When Ichin arrived at the Yukinoshita family’s Tokyo office, he went straight to Haruno’s room to discuss renovation plans.

“For the interior, I don’t want anything overly flashy or high-tech,” Ichin explained. “Keep things simple.

For the relaxation areas, the design should make people feel comfortable and unwind — the color palette will be important there.

And the cafeteria on the second floor — that’s also something I’m counting on you to handle properly, Haruno-san.”

He laid out a rough concept for the entire building’s layout, then passed his ideas to Haruno’s in-house designers so they could draw up detailed plans.

After listening to Ichin’s outline, one of the designers smiled and said,

“Please rest assured, Mr. Ichin. We’ve done interior designs for several IT companies before — you’ll definitely be satisfied. Well then, President, we’ll get started on the meeting and draft work.”

“Mm, go ahead.” Haruno nodded.

When the designers left, she stretched lazily against her chair and smiled.

“It won’t take long. Based on their usual schedule, they’ll have a preliminary design ready within a week. If there’s anything you want changed, revisions are easy. Once the New Year holidays are over, construction can begin. Oh right — once you move in, you’ll need office furniture and equipment. Want me to handle that too?”

“You know someone?” Ichin asked.

“Of course — and at a friendly price.” Haruno snapped her fingers proudly.

“There’s a furniture manufacturer run by a friend’s family — the president’s daughter, actually. I helped her deal with a persistent admirer once, so she owes me one. She’ll definitely give us a good deal.”

“If you’ve got connections like that, all the better. As expected of you, Haruno-san — reliable as ever.”

After settling the details, Ichin checked the time and got ready to leave.

“I still have to pick up Utaha from the publishing house. Oh, and Haruno-san — remember to heat up the lunch box I brought you, and don’t forget to drink the soup. I started simmering that chicken soup early this morning.”

Indeed, Ichin had brought along a home-cooked bento and a thermos of chicken soup for Haruno, both sitting neatly on her desk.

His words instantly lifted Haruno’s mood — she’d been wondering what to eat for lunch, and here came Ichin delivering food right to her office.

This little brother really did know how to take care of people.

“Of course I’ll eat it all. Now go pick up Utaha and have lunch together back at your office,” Haruno said with a bright smile.

After Ichin left, she returned to finishing up her pre-lunch tasks.

News of the new office building had already spread through the company in the past two days, so everyone’s morale was through the roof. Even during breaks, people kept chatting excitedly about what their new workplace next year might look like.

At lunchtime, a few of the girls went to a nearby restaurant, eating while gossiping cheerfully.

“Six floors, huh? Then our meeting room must be huge! The one we have now’s already too cramped with all the new hires.”

“All you think about is meeting rooms. Can’t you focus on something else?”

“Yeah! I heard we’ll even have our own cafeteria — and the company’s actually hiring chefs! Remember, our boss likes eating good food. You know what that means — we’re totally getting some cuisines!”

“Ohhh, now you’ve got me drooling already!”

A girl from the art team swallowed hard and looked at Kō Yagami.

“Yagami-senpai, you said the boss’s cooking is amazing, right? So when he hires chefs, he won’t pick bad ones, will he?”

“Of course not,” Kō laughed, taking a bite of rice. “Knowing Ichin, he’ll personally interview them himself.

I asked him once — he plans to hire at least two chefs trained in authentic cuisine. You girls are in for a treat next year.”

While Rin Toyama could already make some decent dishes, having an in-house cafeteria would make daily meals much easier for everyone.

And just as Kō said, Ichin definitely took food seriously — whoever he hired would surely have real skills.

By the time they moved next year, most employees would probably stop bringing bentos or eating out — the company cafeteria would become everyone’s favorite spot.

“But renovations are going to take months. I can’t wait that long!”

“I know, right? Still, even without the cafeteria, imagine it — an entire six-story office building all to ourselves! Doesn’t that make us a big company already?”

“We’re not small anymore anyway. Don’t forget, we’ve also got an office in Shanghai! Titanfall is selling and trending really well lately!”

“Hehe, I know! I’m so glad I switched jobs and came here.”

Listening to their lively chatter, Yagami Kō and Rin Toyama exchanged smiles — both equally eager to see their company take its next big step forward in the coming year.

---

Chapter 476: Dinner and the Capcom Collaboration Skins

The interior design draft for the new office space was completed in less than a week.

When Ichin went to Haruno’s company to review it, he was very satisfied. As expected from the top designers Haruno had personally called in — their work was impeccable.

With the design plan confirmed, all that was left was some preliminary preparation before construction would officially begin after the New Year holidays.

After reviewing the blueprints, Ichin returned to his company — just in time for afternoon tea.

Grabbing his cup of hot milk tea, he happily made his way back to his office.

Seeing him in such a good mood, Hajime leaned over to Yagami Kō and whispered,

“Kō-senpai, did Ichin go see the new building’s renovation design today?”

“Yeah,” Kō replied. “Haruno’s handling it. She brought in her company’s best designers.”

“Ohhh!”

Shinoda Hajime shook Kō’s shoulder excitedly. “Then go ask him! If the design’s done already, when can we move in?”

“What’s the rush?” Kō laughed. “It’s almost the end of the year — construction won’t start until after New Year.

Even after that, we’ll need to air the place out after renovations, so at least three months from now.”

Since this was going to be the company’s main base for the next few years, there was no way they’d do a rushed job.

Besides, with Haruno having a stake in the project, she’d never allow the construction team to cut corners. Every aspect would be handled with care, which naturally meant it would take time.

Still, since Hajime was curious, Kō decided to stop by Ichin’s office to check.

A few minutes later, she came back out with her own milk tea, looking cheerful.

“Well?” Hajime asked eagerly. “What did he say?”

Not only her — everyone else enjoying their afternoon tea turned their attention toward Kō, curious for any news about the new office.

Kō made an OK gesture and grinned.

“No worries. Ichin already confirmed the construction schedule. Haruno’s assigning plenty of manpower — they’ll make sure it’s both fast and high-quality. We’ll definitely be able to move in before the end of March.”

That news sent a wave of excitement through the group.

The end of March! It was already late December, and with New Year just around the corner, that meant in just three months they’d be moving into their own brand-new office building.

Sure, it wasn’t as massive as those towering corporate headquarters, but for them, it was more than enough.

After all, it had only been four years since they started as a tiny studio.

Everyone in the company firmly believed that, at their current growth rate, the future held limitless potential.

From the day the company began hiring until now, no one had ever quit or switched jobs — everyone genuinely enjoyed working there, developing games, and contributing their part.

That strong sense of belonging was something Ichin had cultivated perfectly.

A young and vibrant team, fixed working hours, no mandatory overtime, and excellent benefits — in such an environment, it was hard not to enjoy your job.

Inside the office, after explaining the details to Kō and asking her to share the update with everyone, Ichin turned toward Utaha and Yukino, who were sitting on the sofa playing games.

That week after Ichin’s cold had fully healed, Yukino had moved out of her old apartment and into Haruno’s building — right next door to them.

Her reasoning was simple: she wanted to help prepare breakfast and dinner for her sister, to make sure Haruno didn’t skip meals and harm her health due to overwork.

It was a valid concern — skipping breakfast for too long can really hurt the stomach.

Naturally, Ichin, Utaha, and even their downstairs neighbors — Yagami Kō, Rin Toyama, and the newly moved-in Narumi and Momiji — were all happy about Yukino’s arrival.

She’d even brought along her four cats, which meant more furry company during weekends and evenings, making their shared downtime even livelier.

After Utaha and Yukino finished their round of Mario Kart, Ichin asked,

“So, if we’re not eating at home tonight, what do you girls want for dinner? Yukino, have you asked Haruno yet?”

Utaha set down her Switch.

“It’s cold these days — hotpot sounds great. Though yakiniku would also be fine. What do you think, Yukino?”

Yukino thought for a moment.

“Hotpot, I think. There’s more variety that way. As for my sister, no need to ask — just call her after work. She’s not picky.”

Indeed, Haruno would eat practically anything — from fine cuisine from any country to McDonald’s and KFC, which she enjoyed just as much.

Of course, if given a choice, she’d always go for the better food.

Snapping his fingers, Ichin grinned.

“Alright, hotpot it is. There are a few authentic places in Tokyo — I’ll just pick one and book a table.”

After browsing on his phone for a bit, he reserved a nearby restaurant and sent the address to Haruno so they could meet there after work.

“But with just the four of us, isn’t that a bit small a group? Should we invite a few more?”

“I’ll go ask Kō and the others,” Utaha said, walking out.

Two minutes later, she returned.

“Kō and her group aren’t coming — they’re doing yakiniku at home. But Eriri and Hazuki-san said they’ll join us.”

“Six people then,” Ichin nodded. “Perfect.”

Everyone had their own car — except Eriri, who’d just get a ride home with Hazuki afterward. No one planned to drink tonight anyway.

Just as they were wrapping up that topic, Hazuki herself walked in.

“Before we head out for hotpot, Ichin, I’ve got some news for you.”

“Oh?” Ichin raised an eyebrow — then smiled knowingly. “Collaboration skins?”

“Bingo!” Hazuki clapped her hands, smiling brightly.

“The Capcom collaboration skins are confirmed! And it’s a two-way collab — Fall Beans will get Hunter-style outfits, while Monster Hunter will feature costumes modeled after our bean characters!

“Oh, and before the end of the year, we’ll head to Capcom’s office. Remember, we were supposed to discuss the action system collaboration too? I’ll bring it up while we’re there.”

“Sounds good. I was planning to check in with them before year’s end anyway.”

It looked like there were still quite a few tasks left to tackle before New Year — but they were all fun ones.

If everything went smoothly, next year was going to be a truly exciting one.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 620: The Trial (2-in-1 Chapter)

“What sound? Paimon didn’t hear anything.” Paimon scratched her head in confusion.

She didn’t? Nolan could still hear it — a faint woman’s voice whispering the name “Vache…” echoing softly through the air.

It seemed to be coming from under the fountain.

This was the Fountain of Lucine, said to be the very place through which all the waters of Fontaine flowed.

“I heard it too. It’s calling for ‘Vache,’ right?” Lumine stood up and looked toward the surface of the water.

“That’s right.” Nolan nodded.

“W-wait, so you both heard it? Why didn’t Paimon?”

Paimon looked at them in shock.

If there really was a voice, why hadn’t anyone else in the square reacted to it either?

“It’s probably due to water elemental affinity,” Nolan explained. “Only those with a high enough resonance to the Hydro element can hear it.”

He focused for a moment, sensing carefully — and realized that the sound wasn’t coming from beneath the water. The Lucine Fountain wasn’t even that deep. No, the voice was emanating from the water itself.

Without strong Hydro affinity, it would be impossible to perceive.

Nolan himself commanded the Hydro element, and Lumine, after resonating with Fontaine’s Statue of the Seven during their stay, had also gained the ability to wield Hydro power.

That’s why the two of them could hear the whisper carried within the water.

“So that’s it… but why would there be a voice in the water?” Paimon said, now understanding but still puzzled.

The fountain’s water was crystal clear — you could see straight to the bottom. Nothing about it looked out of the ordinary.

“Maybe if we connect with the consciousness inside the water, we’ll get an answer,” Nolan said, glancing at Lumine.

“Mhm.” Lumine nodded and closed her eyes, attempting to communicate through elemental resonance with the consciousness dwelling within the water.

Nolan did the same.

Their minds extended into the fountain — like raindrops falling from the sky and dissolving seamlessly into the water’s surface.

A faint blue spiritual realm unfolded before them, and within it appeared a being seemingly formed entirely of water.

“This is… a Hydro Mimic?” Lumine said in surprise.

To think that there was a Hydro Mimic Spirit right here beneath the famous Opera Epiclese fountain — and no one had ever noticed!

“It’s a little different from the usual Hydro Mimics,” Nolan observed. “It doesn’t have a true elemental body — it’s just a consciousness, not a full water construct.”

The one murmuring “Vache…” was none other than this watery being.

“Well, let’s try saying hello first,” Lumine said with a small wave.

“Hello!” she called out.

But there was no reply — the mimic just kept repeating the same name: “Vache…”

“Normally, when we enter a consciousness space like this, a Hydro Mimic would sense us right away,” Nolan said, spreading his hands. “Since it hasn’t responded, it probably just doesn’t want to talk.”

“Maybe we’re not the ones it’s looking for,” Lumine nodded.

They called out a few more times, but with no reaction, the two of them withdrew their minds and returned to reality.

“How was it? Did you find anything?” Paimon asked curiously.

Night had fallen, and though the sky darkened, the plaza before the Opera Epiclese was more lively than ever — glowing with lamps and chatter.

“There’s definitely something strange,” Nolan said, recounting to Paimon everything they’d seen and heard within the water.

“No Hydro body, just a spirit… D-don’t tell me it’s a ghost!”

Paimon shivered, her shoulders drawing inward as the cool evening breeze brushed past.

“Well, when you put it that way, you’re not exactly wrong.” Nolan smiled faintly. “Its consciousness is fused with the water — so it’s not without a body, but without an independent one either. You could say it’s a kind of… water ghost.”

“Ghosts? What ghosts?”

A familiar voice spoke up as Chevreuse approached — arms full of fries and other snacks.

“G-good evening, Chevreuse…” Paimon’s fear instantly vanished, replaced by sparkling eyes locked on the mountain of food.

Drool welled at the corner of her mouth, her earlier fright all but forgotten.

“Alright, alright… I’ll share a little.” Chevreuse sighed and reluctantly placed some fries in front of her.

“Yay! Chevreuse, you’re the best!”

Paimon cheered and dove straight into the food box, munching happily.

Lumine looked at her with an exasperated expression, while Nolan chuckled quietly.

For someone so composed and soldierly, Chevreuse actually had a surprisingly adorable side.

He then told her about the strange event at the fountain.

“There’s a Hydro Mimic in the water calling out for someone named ‘Vache.’”

Chevreuse froze mid-bite, wiped her mouth, and frowned in thought.

“Have you heard of that name before?” Nolan asked.

“No… but for a Hydro Mimic’s consciousness to be calling someone repeatedly — that’s certainly unusual. I’ll report it to the Tribunal and have them investigate.”

“Maybe then we’ll find out who ‘Vache’ is, and why that mimic keeps calling the name.”

Chevreuse thought hard but found no matching memory. Investigating the name was their only lead to understanding why such a consciousness existed in the water at all.

As captain of the Special Patrol Unit, she couldn’t ignore such a clear anomaly.

“If you need help, you can always come to us,” Lumine said with a smile.

“Oh, right.” Chevreuse seemed to remember something. “Here — your commission reward. Thank you for your help today, and for discovering the anomaly at the fountain.”

She reached into her Vision’s storage and pulled out five gold Mora coins — each worth ten thousand.

For a simple patrol mission, it was quite a generous payment.

【Chevreuse Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 340 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (360/400)】

“Hehe, thanks, Boss Chevreuse!” Paimon exclaimed, instantly snatching the Mora.

“In that case, let’s use today’s commission money to enjoy ourselves here tonight! Come with us, Chevreuse — we’ll treat you to something!” Nolan said warmly.

“No need, I still haven’t finished what I already have.” Chevreuse pointed at the snacks in her hands.

But as she looked down, she froze.

Half the pile of food she’d been holding was suddenly gone. She turned her gaze toward the floating Paimon.

With that tiny stomach — how could she possibly have eaten that much?! Chevreuse stared in disbelief.

“Uh… hehe, sorry,” Paimon rubbed her head sheepishly. “Once Paimon start eating, Paimon just can’t stop…”

“Anyway! Come on, let’s go. We’ll treat you with the commission money!”

This time, Chevreuse didn’t refuse.

Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon spent a long while exploring the plaza in front of the Opera Epiclese, even stepping inside the grand theater to take a look.

By seven or eight o’clock, they finally parted ways with Chevreuse and returned to the Wonderland.

As always, diligence paid off — cultivation couldn’t be treated like the lazy “work” back at the Space Station.

That night, Nolan continued his usual training with the girls, and by the next morning, after reinforcing the results of their practice, his progress had once again leapt forward:

【Level: Lv.111 (361,262 / 21,000,000)】

With all his buffs combined, a full night and a little over an hour of morning training yielded nearly 200,000 EXP in training progress.

At this rate, it would take him a little over a hundred days to level up.

Of course, when he cultivated with Ei and the Raiden Shogun—both top-tier Archons—the rate of progress was about twice as fast.

But he couldn’t favor one side over the other. If he devoted all his attention to Ei and the Shogun every day, the others would certainly have opinions. Cultivation had to be shared equally—fairness was key to keeping the girls happy.

So, even though training with Ei and the Shogun yielded the best results, it could at most reduce the time needed to level up to a bit over ninety days.

Even that speed made Ei rather envious. Before meeting Nolan, she’d already been at the level of a peak Archon, but centuries of accumulation hadn’t given her as much progress as a few “close-contact sessions” with him did.

Still, after experiencing the massive gains from clearing out insect swarms in that giant stinger’s stomach—where he’d leveled up twice in just a few days—Nolan couldn’t help but reminisce.

Though he was quite satisfied with his current training rate, he still missed those days of farming Adventure EXP.

He wondered when he’d ever find such a perfect grinding spot again.

Waiting wouldn’t help—Nolan decided that once he met the Hydro Archon, he’d ask Asta when he had the chance.

As the Space Station’s director, she most likely knew which parts of the galaxy teemed with lifeforms similar to that insect horde.

If it wasn’t too far, he’d go check it out; and if it was, he’d at least keep the location in mind for the future.

With that thought, Nolan climbed out from the girls’ warm blankets.

Today was the day of the trial at the Opera Epiclese—the Hydro Archon herself would be present. If they missed it, they’d have to wait several more days for another chance.

Because of that, Noelle stayed behind to rest after their early morning training, and breakfast was prepared by Lumine.

Her cooking skills were just as refined as Noelle’s—both could be called top-tier chefs within the Wonderland.

After breakfast, Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon returned once more to Fontaine.

By around nine in the morning, the area around the Opera House was already packed with people. Fontaine citizens truly loved a good spectacle.

“Let’s go in before all the seats are gone!” Paimon urged, clearly excited to see one of Fontaine’s famous public trials.

Nolan smiled, taking Lumine’s hand as they entered. Seating was limited—if they were too late, they really wouldn’t get in.

Still, this was just a commercial dispute; neither the plaintiff nor the defendant were particularly notable figures, so it wasn’t the most sensational case. Finding seats shouldn’t be too hard.

Before long, the three arrived at the ticket booth, bought their tickets, and made their way inside.

The Opera Epiclese’s interior was vast and tiered, its grand stage doubling as both theater and courtroom.

On either side of the walls were several balcony stands. The frontmost areas were reserved for the plaintiff and defendant.

Those two, along with their lawyers, would argue their cases from there.

At the very center of the stage stood a massive mechanism shaped like a balance scale—the famous Oratrice Mécanique d’Analyse Cardinale, Fontaine’s Judgment Machine!

Above it was a single balcony seat reserved for the Chief Justice of Fontaine, the presiding authority of all trials.

And then, above even that—on the highest, most lavish platform—was the exclusive seat of the Hydro Archon, Furina, a regular patron of the Opera House.

Her elevated position quite literally loomed over everyone, exuding both splendor and authority.

Nolan glanced around and realized he had underestimated just how passionate Fontaine’s citizens were about watching trials. The rows of tiered seats were completely packed, leaving only the backmost row open.

But from there, one wouldn’t be able to see the Hydro Archon’s seat at all. Nolan had already anticipated that when they arrived, so he’d splurged on tickets for a side balcony instead.

That had been thanks to Chevreuse, who’d reminded them the night before while they were out enjoying the fountain plaza.

When she learned they wanted to see the Hydro Archon, she suggested they visit the theater in advance to understand the seating layout—so they wouldn’t end up with blocked views.

The side balconies were higher and offered a clear sightline toward the Archon’s viewing box, but they were much pricier. Usually, only those who weren’t strapped for Mora would pay over a hundred thousand for such seats.

That was roughly a week’s wages for an average citizen!

So demand was low, and Nolan and his group had no trouble getting tickets.

Following the directions on them, they reached the highest left-side balcony—one of the closest to the Hydro Archon’s box.

There were two short red sofas: one for two people, though three could squeeze in if needed.

Since Paimon was small, fitting wasn’t an issue.

As for why they didn’t just sit separately to be more comfortable—it was because they’d only bought tickets for one sofa. The other must have been purchased by someone else.

Once seated, a theater attendant brought over tea and pastries, setting them on a small round table between the sofas.

It felt less like they were attending a solemn trial and more like they were about to watch a high-class performance.

Fontaine truly had its own… unique national character.

Not long after, the plaintiff and defendant took their places.

The plaintiff was an elderly man with graying hair and glasses, while the defendant was a portly fellow dressed in extravagant clothes, gold gleaming from his neck and wrists — a walking embodiment of nouveau riche arrogance.

The moment he stepped up, he glared furiously at the man across from him. Clearly, relations between the two were anything but friendly.

From the audience below came a hum of chatter: people laughing, whispering, and making predictions. “Do you think there’ll be a twist this time?” “Who’s really the villain here?”

It was as if they were watching a stage play rather than a legal proceeding.

Nolan leaned back into the sofa, eyes turning toward the Chief Justice’s podium. The time had come.

The long-awaited Chief Justice slowly made his way to the seat.

His hair was pure white—but not the frail white of age. It gleamed softly as he moved, silky and luminous.

His features were so refined that anyone with a sense of aesthetics would have to admit—

What a strikingly handsome man.

Holding a scepter in his hand, the Chief Justice took his seat. As the audience’s murmurings continued, he frowned slightly and spoke, his voice deep and resonant—

“Silence in the court.”

(End of Chapter.)

[HP] Chapter 186-187

Chapter 186: Peter Pettigrew, Time for the Experiment

A farcical duel came to an end.

The result? Malfoy was left having nightmares for an entire month.

But compared to the loser, it was the victor who left a deeper impression. Cassandra’s formidable strength, along with the grace and decorum she displayed while fighting for the honor of her “friend” (though it was still unclear if that friendship was mutual), earned her the nickname Valkyrie.

However, the victor herself didn’t seem pleased. Cassandra hurried off right after the duel, and some gossipers claimed her expression had been quite strange—certainly not that of someone happy about winning.

As for Hermione, who had been at the center of the duel, she shared her thoughts with Louis.

“Cassandra’s not a bad person,” Hermione said earnestly, brushing away Louis’s hand as he tried to rest it on her head, “but she doesn’t seem to know how to communicate normally with people. She always makes herself seem… too proud.”

“Don’t mess around,” Hermione huffed, glaring up at him. “She’s really strong, and I think I could be friends with her. But you—you’d better stay away from her.”

After saying that, she raised her little fist in front of Louis in a mock-threatening pose, trying to intimidate him.

Though truth be told, with that pouty face of hers, she looked more like she was pouting than threatening.

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep my distance,” Louis said with a grin.

Ignoring Hermione’s protests, he reached out again and ruffled her hair.

That night, the Fat Lady guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room was half-asleep when someone pushed open the portrait.

“Who’s there? It’s so late—why aren’t you in bed?” she mumbled sleepily, not really paying attention.

After all, Gryffindor students were notorious for their nightly adventures. If a few of them didn’t sneak out, the Fat Lady herself would probably have trouble sleeping.

From the hole behind the portrait, the Weasley twins climbed out.

They exchanged a glance, then cast Lumos to light their wands.

“Filch should be on the third floor right now.”

“Unless, of course, he catches someone else out on a stroll.”

“So which route are we taking?”

“I’d say the one without the headless knight looks good.”

“Alright, let’s go that way.”

The twins quickly settled on their route.

As masters of nighttime excursions—the kind who could give Filch high blood pressure after a single night—they didn’t even need the Marauder’s Map anymore.

They knew every secret passage in the castle by heart, and that knowledge alone was enough to make them nearly untouchable within Hogwarts.

Except, of course, for the occasional misfortune of opening a door and finding Filch standing right there.

Casting Disillusionment Charms on themselves, they extinguished their lights and slipped into a hidden passage behind a nearby painting.

Once they were gone, the Fat Lady yawned and closed the portrait again.

The passageway leading to the Gryffindor common room fell silent and pitch-dark—

but soon, the sharp echo of footsteps could be heard.

It was like a scene from a horror film. The footsteps entered the common room… then suddenly stopped.

“Looks like this place is a bit nicer than Slytherin’s quarters,” came a familiar voice.

Louis’s voice.

Clearly, the eerie footsteps had belonged to an invisible Louis, sneaking into Gryffindor under the cover of his Invisibility Cloak.

The night was silent and still, but some young wizards had yet to fall asleep.

Louis snapped his fingers, and the power of the bloodline spread out, sending the sleepless Gryffindor students drifting into pleasant dreams.

“Let’s go… Peter Pettigrew. Time to begin tonight’s wonderful experiment.”

Louis spoke in a strange, melodic tone — the words carried softly through the not-so-thick door and into the ears of the sleeping Peter Pettigrew.

The plump, furry rat shivered and jolted awake, leaping out of Ron’s arms.

It looked around warily, seeing no one else there, and assumed it had simply been dreaming.

Just as it was about to curl back up and sleep again, that same haunting, chant-like voice echoed once more — this time much closer, right beside its ear!

The rat’s tiny eyes flew open, and it snapped its teeth at the air, but bit nothing — there was no one there.

Panic set in.

Its beady eyes darted wildly as it scurried in circles like a headless fly, confirming that there was no one nearby. It was just about to dive beneath Ron’s blanket when it noticed…

A shadow — one that didn’t belong — stretched unnaturally across the fabric.

Before it could even lift its head, a human face dropped down before it — pale, expression twisted somewhere between a smile and a grimace.

“Peter Pettigrew,” the face said softly, lips curling faintly, “come on… time to go.”

Squeak!!!”

The rat let out a sharp shriek — and went limp instantly.

Louis hung upside down above Ron’s bed, his body weightless as he spun lazily in midair, holding Pettigrew by the tail.

The rat twirled in the air, completely stiff, unmoving.

“Heh. Playing dead, are we? Then let’s see how you like the feeling of death creeping closer.”

Louis turned his hand, and from his storage space drew out a crystal-like object.

He pried open the rat’s mouth and pushed the crystal in. With a light squeeze at its throat, he forced it down into the rat’s stomach.

[Death Crystal] — a special crystal that allows the host to repeatedly witness their own death, revealing their most desired way to die, while giving the wielder control over them.

Louis had modified it with black energy, so that it not only replayed death, but also transmitted the pain of dying straight into the host’s mind — over and over again.

A perfect instrument of torture and control.

As expected, the moment the crystal settled inside, the rat’s mouth opened in a silent scream.

It tried to cry out but couldn’t — the agony was so overwhelming it stripped away all thought and movement.

Moments later, Peter Pettigrew lost consciousness, yet even in that state, his body continued to convulse from waves of torment.

Gripping the rat by the tail, Louis’s body suddenly shrank and folded in on itself — in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a common owl.

With a flap of his wings, he soared out through the window of Gryffindor Tower.

Louis had no shortage of methods for sneaking around Hogwarts.

Transformation, using the Room of Requirement to create doors, shadow doppelgangers that could pass through walls — countless techniques.

But for Louis, the question wasn’t which was most efficient or practical.

It was simply: which one is the most fun?

Tonight, he’d used the twins’ nocturnal antics as cover to get in, then transformed to get out — enjoying multiple thrills in one go.

Even his late-night experiments felt more entertaining that way.

“Tonight’s research,” he murmured to himself, “will be on the difference and connection between Transfiguration and the Animagus Transformation.”

The owl clutched its test subject tightly and glided through the darkness.

The night did not hinder his vision — everything around him was perfectly clear.

Circling halfway around the castle, he swooped up to the eighth floor, summoned the Room of Requirement, transformed back into human form, and stepped inside.

Everything was ready.

The experiment would now begin.

---

Chapter 187: Peter Pettigrew, Controlled by the Death Crystal

The experiment on Transfiguration was not going to be easy — especially for the test subject, Peter Pettigrew.

Inside the Room of Requirement, golden chains pierced out from swirling golden vortexes, binding Peter—now back in his human form—tightly in place.

Illusions were cast to stimulate his transformation, forcing him to shift endlessly between human and rat form.

Louis stood nearby, calmly recording every detail of the process — the way Pettigrew’s clothes melded into his flesh, the movement of magic within his body during transformation, every small fluctuation.

“Animagus transformation,” Louis muttered while scribbling down notes, “is a miracle of magic that disassembles the body and clothing into pure magical particles before reassembling them into a fixed alternate form. Both ends of the transformation are constant — that’s key…”

His quill scratched rapidly across the parchment as the pace of the experiment increased.

“This is something to watch out for,” he continued. “If it were a random transformation like a Boggart’s, the human form must be locked in, or it might never revert.”

With a snap of his fingers, Louis ended the illusion, leaving Pettigrew stuck in his rat form.

“Next, we’ll test how an Animagus reacts to potions. If we can use potion reactions to reverse the transformation, then we’re on the right track.”

He tapped his chin. “The only question is… which potion to use?”

While the experiment went on, Peter Pettigrew — still conscious — was consumed by terror.

He had no idea how this demon had discovered his Animagus identity, nor did Louis offer any explanation.

He simply experimented on him. Tortured him. Researched him.

Earlier, Louis had forced something unknown down his throat — that crystal — which continuously fabricated visions of his own death. Again and again, the scenes played before him, each one more horrific than the last, and each filled with unbearable pain that was fed directly into his nerves.

In one vision, he tried to bite at the demon’s throat — only to be slapped dead instantly, feeling his bones pulverized and flesh crushed to paste.

In another, he tried to flee — but a talon-like claw crushed his skull like a melon, filling his mind with shattering agony.

And in yet another, he cursed the demon — only to be fed to a monstrous “cat.”

Except it wasn’t a cat at all — it was something wearing a cat’s skin, a hideous creature with a maw full of tentacles that dragged him screaming into the abyss.

Death. Death.

Endless deaths, endless pain — they ravaged his mind.

He wanted to die, but at the same time… he couldn’t accept it.

Then, amidst the torment, a new vision appeared before his eyes —

an image of himself lying peacefully in bed, surrounded by children and grandchildren, hair white, face calm, dying of old age.

That… that’s the death I want.

Peter’s panic turned into fascination. In that vision, he saw hope.

If he cooperated — if he played along — maybe he could reach that future.

“Experiment… hehehe… I’ll cooperate with the experiment…”

In his rat form, Peter tilted his head, drooling, eyes unfocused — like a fool.

But he stopped struggling entirely.

“So, the control phase has begun.”

Louis glanced down at him and smiled faintly. He grabbed the rat by the tail and tossed him into a cauldron of potion with an unknown composition.

From there, the experiment would continue smoothly.

Under the modified Death Crystal’s influence, Pettigrew would willingly conduct the experiments himself.

Louis left him paper and quill to record his findings, then withdrew the chains and walked to another corner of the room.

“All materials are ready,” he murmured. “Let’s begin analyzing the mask’s power…”

———

“Ah… what a good sleep.”

Early in the morning, Ron woke up feeling unusually refreshed.

The dawn light streamed into the dormitory, scattering the shadows — and bathing Scabbers, lying on his blanket, in warm sunlight.

He hadn’t slept that well in ages.

Despite spending all yesterday polishing trophies until his arms ached, he woke up today without the slightest soreness.

“Morning, Scabbers,” Ron greeted cheerfully, glancing at the rat on his bed.

But instead of its usual clever squeak or twitch, Scabbers just sat there blankly for a long moment before awkwardly wobbling his body in greeting.

“That’s odd… you seem kinda weird today, Scabbers.”

Ron scratched the rat’s head, found nothing wrong, and shrugged it off — rushing off to compete with his roommates for the washroom instead.

Back on the messy bed, within the folds of the blanket, a faint shadow stirred —

and from within that shadow, a pair of crimson eyes glowed faintly, watching the dazed, sluggish rat.

Tendrils slithered out of the darkness like a predator licking its prey…

But Scabbers didn’t react at all.

In Peter Pettigrew’s eyes, countless visions of death still flickered, but he ignored them completely now.

The only image left before him was that of his peaceful, natural death — lying on a bed surrounded by loving family.

As long as I follow the crystal’s guidance, he thought feverishly, I’ll reach that peaceful end someday!

A faint blue shimmer flickered in the rat’s bloodshot eyes.

“And with this treasure,” he hissed softly to himself, “I can avoid every death that comes for me. Hehe… hehahaha!”

The rat squeaked in twisted glee, believing he had mastered the Death Crystal — unaware that it was he who was being mastered.

Louis had no need to alter his memory or take further action.

Under the Death Crystal’s control, Peter Pettigrew would sneak out every night to continue the experiments — on himself — believing it was the only path to his “peaceful death.”

He would never know that the crystal he thought he controlled…

had long been under Louis’s control instead.

———

“Next up… the Polyjuice Potion.”

The base ingredients for Polyjuice Potion weren’t too troublesome — most of them were easy to acquire.

If necessary, Louis could even ask a few upper-year students to make a trip to Hogsmeade and buy what he needed.

However, some ingredients were far rarer and much harder to come by — like powdered bicorn horn and dried African tree snake skin.

But Louis wasn’t worried in the slightest. He already had a plan.

After Potions class ended, when students from both Gryffindor and Slytherin rushed out of the gloomy dungeon classroom, eager to escape the lingering stench of fumes, Louis walked straight up to Professor Snape.

“Is there something you need, Mr. Wilson?” Snape’s silky voice rose and fell with its usual calculated rhythm. “You did quite well today. Your Shrinking Solution was nearly perfect.”

“Thank you for the praise, Professor.” Louis gave a polite bow. “Actually, I came to ask for your help.”

“Oh?” Snape’s lips twitched into something between amusement and scorn. “Even a genius like you needs help?”

His words always carried a hint of provocation, but as Snape’s most talented student, Louis was long used to his tone.

“Professor, I’d like to request some powdered bicorn horn… and a little dried African tree snake skin,” Louis said calmly.

A flash of surprise crossed Snape’s face.

“Mr. Wilson,” Snape said slowly, fixing his black eyes on Louis’s, “I assume you do know what kind of potion requires both of those ingredients?”

Snape, a skilled Legilimens, could often read a person’s mind through eye contact.

But ever since Louis had fused his power with talisman-based magic, no external force could invade his thoughts — Snape would find only silence.

“Of course, Professor. They’re the primary ingredients for Polyjuice Potion,” Louis replied frankly.

Snape drew his cloak tightly around himself, looking for all the world like an enormous bat.

“Then tell me, Mr. Wilson — what exactly do you intend to brew that for?”

“I want to test my skill,” Louis replied. “I believe I’m ready to attempt a high-level potion like that.”

“Oh… fond of challenges, are we?” Snape mused. After a pause, he said, “Very well. I can give them to you, Mr. Wilson. But you should understand — these materials are costly and not to be wasted for amusement.”

“I understand, Professor. What would you require in return?” Louis asked, his tone mature and composed.

Snape nodded approvingly. “My conditions are simple. I’ll give you three sets of ingredients. You must provide me with at least one finished sample in return.”

He added, “I’ll be testing only the potion’s efficacy. If it meets my standards, then in the future, you may request ingredients from me whenever you wish.”

Snape was being unexpectedly generous — it wasn’t really a demand, more like a test.

With that, he led Louis to his office and handed him three sets of ingredients — along with three small jars that were still warm to the touch.

“These lacewing flies have been stewing for twenty days,” Snape said. “It’ll save you considerable time in the brewing process — but it will also make it more difficult.”

“You’ll need to judge the heat and timing yourself. I won’t tell you how long these have been simmered. You’ll have to observe.”

Snape was genuinely instructing him, and from his tone, it was clear he expected Louis to succeed.

It was a stark contrast to what happened in the original timeline — Hermione and her friends had to steal ingredients and brew everything from scratch.

Louis, on the other hand, was being handed half-finished materials and direct guidance.

Perhaps this was Snape’s way of showing a little mercy — easing the difficulty of the test so that his star student wouldn’t fail.

With the lacewing flies already stewed for twenty days, the potion’s total brewing time had been reduced drastically.

Finally, Snape’s gaze turned sharp and threatening.

“I hope,” he said coldly, “you don’t bring me something so foul it could poison a dragon. If you do, don’t even dream of getting a drop of dittany from me again.”

Louis almost burst out laughing at that.

As expected of Professor Snape — even his words of encouragement sounded like death threats.

No wonder you’re destined to die alone, Professor.

You clearly want me to succeed, yet you say it like that. You tsundere bat.

Louis smiled faintly, hiding his amusement behind perfect manners.

“Of course not, Professor,” he said smoothly. “You can look forward to my finished potion.”

---

[Game] Chapter 474: Haruno Helping in the Kitchen

After about ten minutes, Ichin finished reviewing Shinoda Hajime’s work and nodded in satisfaction.

This new Soul of Cinder was far more complex than the one in Ichin’s memory. He had designed three full combat phases, packed with style and flair — each transition more intense and spectacular than the last.

And Shinoda Hajime had perfectly executed everything he’d asked for.

Handing the seat back to her, Ichin said, “Very nice. Every move matches exactly what I envisioned. Considering how well you finished this, I’ll overlook that little ‘break’ you were taking earlier. Keep up the good work.”

Shinoda’s expression fell a little, but she still nodded. “Got it~~~”

The rest of the programming team, who had watched the whole thing, were all holding back laughter, heads down to avoid being noticed.

They had warned her earlier to be careful — the boss might drop by. Ichin was easygoing most of the time, but everyone knew he didn’t tolerate slacking during work hours. And it was well past afternoon break time already.

But Shinoda, as usual, hadn’t cared about their warnings… and sure enough, barely two minutes later, Ichin had appeared.

As soon as he left, Shinoda turned to the now-silent group.

“Okay, which one of you snitched?”

“No, no, no!”

“Absolutely not!”

“We’d never betray you, boss!”

…Why were there bootlickers in every department?

Still, to be fair, with Shinoda’s straightforward personality and tall, curvy figure, she was quite popular among the male employees. A few even secretly liked her.

Unfortunately for them, she’d already made her stance clear during a previous company dinner—she wasn’t interested in dating anyone. That declaration had shattered quite a few hopes.

After getting “ganked” by Ichin, Shinoda dropped the idea of browsing GPU listings and went back to work, picking up the next task at hand.

---

By 6:30 p.m., Ichin and Utaha returned home.

When they arrived, Yukino and Haruno were already there, busy preparing dinner.

Seeing Haruno standing in the kitchen as well, Ichin blinked in surprise. “Haruno, what are you doing in the kitchen? Aren’t you just getting in Yukino’s way?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I can help chop vegetables, you know!”

She protested while proudly lifting her kitchen knife to show off.

“I might not be great at cooking, but my knife skills aren’t bad at all!”

…Seriously?

Ichin glanced at the cutting board in front of her — the slices of meat were actually perfectly even, not a single one thicker or thinner than the rest.

That earned Haruno a look of genuine surprise from him.

Noticing it, Haruno straightened her back triumphantly, puffing out her chest.

“Hmph, impressive, right?”

Of course, this was something she had only recently practiced.

Back then, her chopping skills had been… disastrous.

But naturally, she wasn’t about to tell Ichin that—because that would ruin the moment.

Sure enough, Ichin nodded sincerely.

“Yeah… that’s actually pretty impressive.”

However, before Haruno could bask in her own pride for long, Ichin immediately followed up with—

“But that’s about all you can do. Since you’re only good at chopping vegetables, you can go relax in the living room. The rest of the cooking can be handled by Yukino and Utaha.”

Before Haruno could even react, Ichin took the knife from her hands, handed it to Yukino, and gently but firmly pulled her out of the kitchen.

“Eh? Hey—wait, wait, wait a second!”

As Haruno was being ushered out, Utaha leaned closer to Yukino and whispered, “Haruno-senpai didn’t cause you any trouble, did she?”

Yukino shook her head with a small smile.

“Not at all. She actually practiced her knife skills when I wasn’t around. I was surprised when she started cutting the meat—it was really neat. But just like my brother said, once the meat was done, there wasn’t much else for her to do.”

“I see. All right then, Yukino, just hold on a minute—I’ll finish up here and come help you.”

---

After dinner, Ichin sat on the sofa, sipping a cup of tea with a satisfied smile.

“Yeah, I’m definitely feeling better now. Food actually tastes good again. The night before last, I couldn’t taste anything—it was miserable. Yesterday was a bit better, but still dull.”

Haruno nodded in agreement beside him. “Right? That’s the worst part about having a cold—everything tastes like nothing. But since you’re mostly recovered now, how about we go check out that office building in the next couple of days?”

“Sure,” Ichin replied readily. “It’d be best to settle that before the year ends.”

He wasn’t worried about the finances. Titanfall had met its sales expectations, and Fall Guys continued to generate steady revenue—bringing in a fresh wave of funds.

Even after setting aside two months’ worth of payroll, he still had more than enough to secure a new office property.

Despite still driving the same car he bought two years ago and living in the same apartment he’d moved into back in high school, Ichin was, in truth, very wealthy.

His accumulated assets had long surpassed those of people his age—and even outstripped many established business professionals several years older than him.

Even if the new office required a significant investment, there was always Haruno and Yukino—the sisters were both shareholders. He could easily borrow a bit from them, or transfer a small portion of shares to them or the Yukinoshita family in exchange for liquidity.

Given his relationship with the Yukinoshita family now, there was nothing to worry about on that front.

If this new building turned out as good as Haruno claimed, it could serve as the company’s headquarters in Japan for the next five to ten years.

---

After chatting and drinking tea at Ichin’s place until eight o’clock, the Yukinoshita sisters finally took their leave.

On their way downstairs, Yukino turned to her sister and said, “Sis, I’ve been thinking about something.”

“Hm?” Haruno looked at her curiously. “What is it?”

“Your apartment—it’s two bedrooms, right? Would you mind if I moved in?”

“Move in?”

Haruno’s eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed Yukino’s hands with delight.

“Of course you can! That spare room was always meant for you! You can move in anytime! But wait—what’s brought this on? You usually don’t even like me dropping by your apartment.”

Yukino gave her sister a sidelong glance and replied, “Because you’re too lazy, that’s why. You made Ichin cook your lunch for two months under the pretense of ‘helping find an office,’ when you could’ve just agreed to a deal straight away. So I figured, fine—if I move in, at least you’ll have breakfast in the morning and won’t ruin your health skipping it all the time.”

“Uuugh! Yukino, you’re the best! Come here, let your sister hug you!”

But before Haruno could lift her arms, Yukino sidestepped neatly and walked straight toward the elevator.

“Then it’s decided—I’ll move in this weekend.”

As the elevator doors closed, Haruno lowered her arms, thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head with a small smile and headed back into her apartment.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 619: The Opera Epiclese

Seeing the prompt pop up on his character panel, Nolan smiled and replied,

“As adventurers, this is our duty. There’s no need to be so polite, Miss Chevreuse.”

“That’s right! Our mission should be to patrol the route leading to the Opera Epiclese, right? Is there anything specific we should keep in mind?”

Paimon asked curiously.

“Mhm.” Chevreuse nodded and said, “Let me assign tasks to the other members first, then I’ll explain the details to you.”

“Alright.”

Nolan and the others sat down on a bench beside the training grounds, watching as Chevreuse gave orders to the Special Patrol Unit.

“Form up!”

She stepped onto the field and called out, her voice crisp and commanding.

At her words, the patrolling officers immediately gathered before her, standing neatly in two rows.

“Reporting, Captain — all members present!”

Once everyone was assembled, the last soldier counted off and reported the total number to Chevreuse.

“Good. Now I’ll assign today’s duties.”

Chevreuse nodded, then began dividing the team into groups of three, assigning each squad to patrol different areas — mostly the more remote corners and water routes.

After finishing the arrangements, she ordered them to move out, and the patrolmen quickly dispersed to their posts.

Soon, only Chevreuse remained on the training grounds.

She turned and walked back toward Nolan’s group, saying,

“There’s one last area that needs inspection — the route leading to the Opera Epiclese and the surroundings near it.

“The patrol zone there is fairly large, so I’ll accompany you personally.”

“No problem.” Nolan and his companions agreed readily — as adventurers, they were used to following their client’s direction.

Under Chevreuse’s lead, the group made their way toward the Opera Epiclese.

Since this was an official patrol, they boarded a small inspection railboat — a vessel specifically designed for checking waterways — piloted by Captain Chevreuse herself.

“The route isn’t too wide,” Chevreuse explained as she steered. “You can see both sides clearly, so there’s no need to split up for now. But once we reach the Opera House area, we’ll divide into sections to patrol. By evening, your commission will be complete.”

The commission slip had indeed specified that the job would only last for one day. Reinforcements were likely scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

In essence, this was just a routine patrol — nothing complicated. As long as they checked the area and passed the time, the task would be done.

Nolan nodded and said,

“In that case, Miss Chevreuse, when the time comes, you can assign us to the larger patrol zones. It’ll give us a chance to get more familiar with Fontaine.”

“Alright.”

Chevreuse assumed he was simply trying to put in work worthy of the commission reward — after all, this task was quite relaxed unless they ran into actual crimes.

Still, she couldn’t help but think: even though they were already the legendary adventurers admired across Fontaine, they still carried the same sincerity they had when they first set out on their journey.

Chevreuse felt a subtle warmth of respect toward them.

【Chevreuse Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (20/400)】

The small patrol railboat moved slower than the large passenger ones, but that was intentional — speeding would make it harder to observe the waterways carefully.

On both sides of the canal, there were walkways for travelers. People heading to the Opera House didn’t necessarily need to take the patrol boats at all.

If you didn’t mind the walk, you could just go on foot instead — that was fine too.

Of course, the only ones who usually did that were people who wanted to clear their heads with a stroll. After all, the connecting railboats weren’t expensive at all; everyone in Fontaine could easily afford them.

The vessels were powered by Oratrice-converted judicial hybrid energy born from the people’s faith in justice, which meant their operating cost was practically zero. So the tiny fare they charged — just a few Mora — merely covered maintenance and workers’ wages.

Such public infrastructure wasn’t built for profit; it only needed enough to keep things running smoothly. That was when it brought the greatest economic benefit.

By about noon, their small patrol railboat finally reached the end of the route — Marcotte Station.

After docking the vessel, Chevreuse and the others stepped ashore.

She thought for a moment, then said,

“From here, I’ll patrol around Marcotte Station. I’ll have to trouble you three to check the area near the Opera Epiclese.”

That should fit their earlier request for a broader patrol zone.

“Hehe, the Opera Epiclese must be Fontaine’s most famous landmark! Paimon can’t wait to see it up close!” Paimon said excitedly.

“That’s just a bonus,” Lumine replied with an amused smile. “Our main job is still to finish the commission.”

Was it really alright to sound like you were planning to slack off — right in front of Chevreuse?

“A-ahem, right!” Paimon quickly corrected herself. “We’ll definitely do a thorough job!”

“It’s fine,” Chevreuse chuckled. “It’s only a simple patrol commission anyway. Feel free to enjoy yourselves while you’re at it.”

“Then we’ll head over first,” Nolan said with a nod.

From Marcotte Station to the Opera Epiclese would take a bit of time — they’d likely arrive around sunset.

After patrolling the area around the Opera House, they could finish up for the day, return to the Wonderland for rest, and then come back tomorrow morning for the trial.

So, while Chevreuse stayed to patrol near Marcotte Station, Nolan and his companions made their way toward the Opera.

The road was lively, with small groups of pedestrians strolling leisurely — most of them probably heading to the Opera Epiclese as well.

After all, though the Opera House didn’t hold trials every day, it did host performances daily, making it one of the best places in Fontaine to enjoy the arts.

After some time, they arrived near the Opera House, and from afar, they could already see the grand plaza stretching out in front of it.

A closer look revealed rows of stalls selling all sorts of goods — souvenirs, children’s toys, convenience items, even barbecue.

As Fontaine’s largest and most renowned plaza, it was bustling with people; running a stall here must have been quite profitable.

Nolan couldn’t help wondering if vendors had to pay booth fees.

The group began their patrol around the square. Since they weren’t cursed with misfortune or anything, it wasn’t as if crimes would happen the instant they arrived.

By the time evening came, the entire Opera district remained peaceful.

“Phew~ flying around all day is tiring! Let’s go sit by that pool over there and rest for a bit. We can wait for Chevreuse to come by and wrap up the commission.”

Paimon drooped her shoulders in exhaustion.

“Sure,” Nolan agreed.

He noticed that a few couples were already seated along the edge of the fountain, but it was big enough that there was still plenty of space.

They walked over, found a spot, and sat down by the water’s edge. Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon all instinctively stretched their arms and backs in unison.

“Va…che…” a faint voice drifted through the air.

“Hmm?” Nolan lowered his hands and frowned, glancing toward Lumine and Paimon. “Did you two hear something just now?”

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 473: Work Progress

After giving Aoba a small scare, Ichin returned to his office, quite satisfied with himself.

It had only been two days since his last visit, but finally, he was back.

Sitting in his executive chair, he stretched lazily, booted up his computer, and began checking the team’s progress during his absence.

First was the batch of new recruits, who had been assigned directly to a fresh project — Castle Crashers: a 2D side-scrolling action game supporting up to four-player co-op both online and offline.

The art style for this game wasn’t very complex. What mattered most was ensuring the combat felt rich, teamwork was fun, and there was room for playful sabotage between players.

Games like this — compact, polished, and stylish — didn’t usually require large budgets, but their charm and gameplay always stood out.

From the current reports, the team’s progress was smooth. Everything looked solid. According to Sakura Nene’s estimate, the project could be completed by April or May next year.

Once this game was finished, these new developers would have gained enough experience to move on to more challenging projects.

On the Dark Souls side, nearly all monster, NPC, and map models were done; only a few final touches and adjustments remained.

The biggest strain was on the programming team, who were busy tuning boss and enemy AI, balancing numerical values, and adjusting weapon stats.

Still, the game was now firmly in its final development stage, with all storylines already implemented.

Rubbing his chin, Ichin muttered to himself, “Hmm… let’s announce the release date by the end of the year and start pre-orders.”

This version of Dark Souls differed quite a bit from Miyazaki’s Dark Souls III. Beyond new maps, Ichin had added a whole batch of weapons, reworked battle arts and magic, and rebalanced the overall combat flow — making every playstyle viable and enjoyable.

The number of monsters and bosses had also increased. Regular enemies now ranged from easy to tough, while bosses were designed to be truly intimidating, whether they were power-based or agility-based. Each one, he aimed, should leave players with a lasting impression after victory.

As always, the Ashen One — the player character — remained physically unimpressive: capable of rolling but still unable to truly jump, only performing a short forward hop after a running start.

But that’s the Souls series for you — a weak protagonist facing terrifying, overwhelming bosses with fluid, varied attack patterns and absurd damage. That’s exactly what makes victory so satisfying.

Ichin kept the roll-invincibility frames reasonably generous — unlike Monster Hunter, where they were painfully short. Players needed some room to show skill; otherwise, the game would just feel cruel instead of rewarding.

Next came Fall Guys.

It had been several months since launch. While its initial surge of popularity had cooled slightly, the playerbase remained strong thanks to constant map updates, new skins, season passes, and the later-added ranked mode.

Checking Steam, Ichin saw that the game still maintained over 60,000 concurrent players.

And that didn’t even include the Nintendo Switch and console versions.

Overall, as long as Fall Guys maintained this level of activity, Ichin was satisfied.

And of course, adding new and creative stages or unique modes would no doubt rekindle even more excitement.

For a live-service game like this, post-launch maintenance was just as critical as the initial release.

After reviewing Tokyo’s studio, Ichin switched his attention to the Shanghai branch, which was still buzzing with activity.

TITANFALL had just launched. Though no major bugs had appeared, players naturally found a few minor ones after release. The dev team reacted quickly, rolling out patches and fixes immediately.

Player feedback had been overwhelmingly positive — the storyline, gunplay, Titan combat, and optimization all received widespread praise.

Even the online modes had been well received.

Many players who finished the story jumped straight into multiplayer.

Besides standard PvP, the developers had designed asymmetrical modes, as well as Pilot-only and Titan-only battles for variety.

While it didn’t have as many concurrent players as battle royale titles like PUBG, the numbers were solid — and Ichin didn’t worry much about it. After all, Apex was the real next step, and that would be the major project.

Once Titanfall got through its launch week and the Shanghai team had a short rest, Apex’s development would officially begin.

With Titanfall’s systems and assets already in place, making Apex wouldn’t be nearly as difficult.

Ichin was also planning to personally fly over and help with the early development phase.

---

After finishing his review, Ichin wasn’t in much of a working mood.

Still feeling a bit sluggish from his recent illness, he decided to call it a day.

Leaving his office, he toured the art department, then stepped next door into the animation team’s workspace.

As soon as he entered, he saw Shinoda Hajime sitting in front of her monitor — which wasn’t showing any animation software, but a browser page displaying the newly released RTX 40-series GPUs.

Walking up behind her, Ichin gently patted her head.

“Doing some window shopping during work hours, are we?”

Startled, Shinoda quickly turned around. “No, no! I just finished my task!”

To prove it, she hurriedly opened the completed final boss — the Soul of Cinder animation module.

It was by far the most difficult boss animation she’d ever made, taking nearly a full month to meet Ichin’s detailed specifications.

She stepped aside to let him review her work.

“I was actually planning to show you this later,” she explained. “But then Kō told me you were busy checking everyone’s progress, so I figured I’d wait and kill some time looking at new hardware.”

Ichin nodded — he didn’t doubt her explanation.

After all, he’d personally assigned her the Soul of Cinder design, giving her numerous notes and creative directions.

He knew how overworked she’d been throughout November just to meet his vision.

As he watched her finished work, Ichin commented, “So you were looking at the 40-series GPUs, huh? Planning to upgrade again? I thought you already had a 3090 at home?”

“Hehe, well, when something new comes out, of course I want to take a look.”

Shinoda grinned. “But that price tag is brutal. Kind of kills my motivation to buy one right away. I’ll wait a bit longer.”

Indeed, the 40-series was priced a whole tier above the 30-series — especially right after launch.

Ichin laughed. He had no plans to upgrade either. His 3090 was still more than powerful enough to last for years.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 618: Chevreuse

Teyvat — Fontaine.

In front of the Adventurers’ Guild, Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon were looking over the message Charlotte had left for them.

As expected, there was likely a trial taking place at the Opera Epiclese.

As for whether returning to Teyvat would interfere with his work at Herta Space Station, Nolan had realized after officially starting his job that it was actually quite a relaxed position.

At the moment, there wasn’t really anything that required his direct attention either.

So he simply left a stand-in — the “Sword God of Lumine” — to loaf around at work in his stead.

He borrowed an illusion formation from Ganyu’s adeptus techniques, then used Yun Jin’s Affection Skill “Cloud-Gathering Banner Array” as the array’s nodes to project it onto the Sword God.

This allowed others to see the illusion as his true self; unless someone as powerful as a Screwllum-level being appeared, the chance of seeing through it was extremely low.

If he sensed a strong individual nearby who might see through it, he could just return and switch back himself.

Having learned quite a bit about interstellar society by now, Nolan understood that people on that level were exceedingly rare — basically impossible to run into by chance.

Even if he were caught, it wasn’t a big deal. He’d just tell the truth — that he was slacking off. This was all just for convenience’s sake anyway.

“Tomorrow, at nine in the morning, a commercial dispute case will be tried at the Opera Epiclese,” Paimon summarized from the message.

“So that means we’ll finally be able to meet that Hydro Archon tomorrow?” Lumine said, her crossed arms slightly lifting her snowy chest.

“If nothing unexpected happens, yes,” Nolan nodded. “Charlotte did say she never misses a single trial.”

“Then let’s make sure we’re on time tomorrow!” Paimon said, her tone full of anticipation.

“Mhm.” Lumine looked toward Katheryne behind the counter and asked, “Katheryne, do you have any commissions near the Opera House? Something we can take along the way.”

“Of course. There are escort missions for merchant caravans, monster exterminations, and sea route patrols — quite a few options,” Katheryne replied with her usual gentle smile.

“Those are all pretty standard commissions.” Paimon spread her hands at the two. For the past few days, she and Lumine had been taking similar jobs over and over, and it was starting to feel a bit repetitive.

“There’s the sea route patrol, isn’t there? Let’s go with that one,” Nolan suggested after a moment’s thought.

“Sure, that sounds fun! Patrolling along the waterways could be interesting,” Paimon agreed without objection.

“Alright then, Katheryne, please help us accept the sea route patrol commission,” Lumine said to her.

“No problem.” Katheryne smiled and nodded. Turning around, she plucked one of the commissions off the board and handed it to them, explaining:

“This one’s from the Special Patrol Unit. Apparently, a merchant reported his daughter missing yesterday. At first, the Tribunal of Justice thought it might be another case related to the ‘Serial Disappearance of Young Girls.’

“Fortunately, they later found her — turns out she’d just eloped with the boy she liked. So at least it wasn’t the worst outcome.

“Since it ended up being a personal matter, the Tribunal couldn’t intervene further, but the incident still gave them quite a scare.

“They feared that the notorious ‘Serial Disappearance of Young Girls’ — the case that once shook all of Fontaine and still remains unsolved — might have claimed another victim.

“So they decided to strengthen patrols across multiple regions.

“But since the Special Patrol Unit is currently short-staffed, they had to issue temporary commissions to recruit help.”

“Paimon understands… but that ‘Serial Disappearance of Young Girls’… what’s that about?” Paimon asked curiously after nodding.

Nolan and Lumine also turned curious gazes toward Katheryne.

“Hm… how should I put it? It’s a heinous case that can be traced back about twenty years,” Katheryne said gravely.

“Ever since that time, young girls have gone missing at intervals. To this day, neither the culprit nor the missing girls have ever been found.”

“What—?! That’s so terrifying!” Paimon cried out, shrinking behind Lumine in fright.

“Hehe, don’t worry,” Katheryne chuckled softly. “Judging by the criminal’s pattern, they probably wouldn’t be interested in you. And with how strong the Traveler is, I doubt the culprit would dare to target you anyway.”

“R-right… that’s true.” Paimon exhaled in relief, though she still looked nervous.

“This culprit must be incredibly cunning,” Nolan said in surprise. “To evade capture for so many years—especially in a land ruled by a god and filled with powerful individuals—that’s no ordinary person.”

If he ever got the chance, it would be best to drag out a criminal like that—someone so dangerous to society.

“Since you’ve accepted the commission, you should head to the Special Patrol Unit first and find Captain Chevreuse,” Katheryne reminded them.

“Got it, we’ll get going then.” Lumine tucked away the commission slip and nodded.

“May your commission go smoothly,” Katheryne said with a gentle smile.

The slip included the Patrol Unit’s location, and after walking for less than twenty minutes, Nolan and the others arrived.

It was a fairly spacious area that looked like a training ground. At the moment, a squad of soldiers in red uniforms and tall hats were running laps.

Overseeing them was a young woman wearing a black guard’s hat, long violet hair cascading down beneath it. Her pale face was partially covered by an eyepatch over her left eye.

She wore a regulation-style short dress with an open back, white over-knee boots layered over sheer black tights that hugged her well-shaped legs.

She looked neat, composed, and efficient—a woman of action.

Since Nolan could see her face clearly, it also meant she had noticed them. The violet-haired girl approached calmly and said,

“A black-haired man, a blond traveler, and a floating little mascot… You must be the legendary adventurers recently featured in The Steambird’s exclusive interview.

“This is the Special Patrol Unit. What brings you here?”

“Hehe, so you’ve heard of us too! Seems Charlotte’s interview did a great job!” Paimon said proudly.

Over the past few days, Charlotte’s feature on them had been published in The Steambird—and on the front page, no less.

At this point, nearly everyone in Fontaine had heard their names, whether they meant to or not. Their faces had become quite recognizable throughout the nation.

“Hello, we’re here to find Captain Chevreuse of the Special Patrol Unit. We accepted the commission she posted through the Adventurers’ Guild,” Lumine explained, showing her the commission slip.

“Oh?” The violet-haired woman glanced at the slip, a hint of surprise flashing in her eye—she hadn’t expected legendary adventurers to take on her request.

She nodded slightly and said,

“I’m Chevreuse. Thank you for accepting the commission.”

【Chevreuse Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (20/300)】

(End of Chapter.)

[HP] Chapter 183-185

Chapter 183: Key Points of the Transfiguration Candy

At that moment, Louis—who was in the Room of Requirement—had no idea what was happening with Hermione.

He was staring seriously at the one-point-six-meter-tall “canary” in front of him, deep in thought.

“So your breakthrough,” Louis began slowly, “is that you managed to turn a bald freakish bird into a full-feathered golden... sorry, but I really can’t bring myself to call that giant lump a canary.”

Holding a pocket watch in one hand, he pointed at the enormous bird that George had become.

“We did our best,” Fred said helplessly, shrugging. “To turn into a proper canary, we’d need a shrinking potion, but the Candy’s ingredients are already complicated enough. Add anything more, and it’ll probably blow up.”

Poof!

A puff of white smoke erupted, and George returned to his normal form.

“How long did it last?” George spat out a mouthful of feathers—apparently one of the side effects of the Candy.

“Two and a half minutes,” Louis replied, snapping his pocket watch shut. “A big improvement, but still not enough.”

“Two and a half minutes is plenty! As a joke product, even a few seconds of transformation is already hilarious,” said Fred.

“As a joke, sure—but as a piece of real magic, it’s nowhere near good enough.” Louis pocketed his watch, picked up one of the Candys, and popped it into his mouth.

George and Fred leaned forward eagerly, clearly waiting to see the giant bird: Louis edition.

Unfortunately for them, nothing happened. Louis remained perfectly normal—his Horse Talisman charm ignored any foreign magical interference. A mere potion wasn’t going to affect him.

“The potion flavor’s too strong—it’s bitter. I take back what I said earlier…” Louis swallowed, then gave the twins a glance filled with disappointment. “Even as a gag item, it doesn’t pass.”

“But there’s no helping it,” George protested. “You need a high enough potion concentration for the transformation to work—of course it’ll taste bitter.”

“Then think about a substitute ingredient.” Louis tapped his finger on the table, slipping into thought.

The potion the twins used merely caused feather growth—the so-called “canary” was just a convenient name.

If they really wanted to make a Candy capable of turning someone into an animal, they’d have to start from the potion itself.

It seemed the twins wouldn’t get far without a bit of guidance.

Leaning over the desk, Louis pulled over parchment and quill, writing down three key components:

-Polyjuice Potion

-Animagus Transformation Spell

-Boggart

George and Fred peered over the table, frowning in concentration at the list.

The Polyjuice Potion needed no explanation—it could completely alter one’s physiology into another person’s, or even a partial animal form.

Moste Potente Potions, the book detailing it, was already dog-eared in the Restricted Section; the twins had read it long ago.

As for the Animagus Transformation Spell, that was even more complicated—a ritual and potion combination that fixed a transformation animal form into one’s magic, allowing voluntary shapeshifting into that specific creature.

The twins had coveted that ability for ages, but completing the ritual was ridiculously difficult.

First, you had to hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth from one full moon to the next—without swallowing or spitting it out even once. Otherwise, you’d have to start all over again.

That part completely stumped the twins—asking them not to talk was about as easy as killing them.

Then came the next step of the ritual: “At the full moon, place the saliva-soaked leaf into a crystal phial under moonlight, then add a strand of your own hair, one teaspoon of pure dew, and the chrysalis of a Death’s-head Moth.”

The problem was, if it happened to be cloudy on the night of the full moon—congratulations, you’d have to start all over again from step one.

And it got even more complicated after that. The mixture then had to be buried in a pitch-dark place where no light could reach it, and you had to wait for a thunderstorm. If no storm came, you just kept waiting.

During that entire period, you had to point your wand at your heart and chant the spell every sunrise and sunset.

With such an absurdly complex ritual, there was no way the twins could complete it on their own.

As for the last term—Boggart…

“Boggart is… what again?” George asked, scratching his head.

“Sounds familiar…” Fred said, frowning in thought.

Louis was silent for a long while before replying, “Defense Against the Dark Arts, third year, first chapter.”

“Oh! Right, that’s it! Now I remember.” George and Fred suddenly realized. “It’s all that fraud Quirrell’s fault!”

According to the curriculum, they should’ve learned about Boggarts last year, but that idiot never got around to it.

Louis rubbed his temples and explained patiently,

“A Boggart is a shapeless magical creature—no one’s ever seen its true form. It turns into whatever a person fears most, taking shape from that fear.”

“Sounds incredible,” Fred murmured.

“Yeah. What happens if you put two Boggarts together?” George wondered aloud.

“That’s not something we need to think about,” Louis said flatly. “I don’t care what they actually look like.”

He circled the word Boggart on the parchment.

“This is what we should study most closely. Its method of transformation is the most mysterious. If we can figure that out, the so-called Transfiguration Candy won’t be a problem at all.”

“You’re right!” George clapped his hands. “A Boggart can turn into anything—that’s exactly what we need.”

“And it’s more reliable than the Animagus Transformation Spell,” Fred added, nodding in agreement.

“Besides the Boggart, we should also experiment with Polyjuice Potion,” Louis continued. “It’s a transformation-based potion as well, and its effects shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“But Polyjuice takes a month to brew,” George objected, “and we’ve never made it before.”

“Leave the potion to me.” Louis drew a firm circle around Polyjuice Potion. “I’ll handle it.”

With his Magical Potion Bottle, something like the Polyjuice Potion was no challenge at all.

“This Boggart, though—that’s your job.” Louis tapped the word with his quill. “They like to hide in cupboards, under the floor, in cracks between walls. You might find traces of them in Hogwarts. Ask the ghosts or the house-elves—they might have seen one.”

“No problem.”

Now that Louis had taken care of the hardest part, the twins were more than happy to deal with the smaller tasks.

“What about the Animagus Transformation Spell?” Fred asked, pointing at the last unmarked point on the list. “Honestly, I think it’s the one that fits our research best—it’s just way too hard.”

“For now… we’ll set it aside,” Louis said. “Handle the easy parts first, then tackle the tough ones.”

“Alright.”

The twins exchanged a glance, then stretched out their hands toward Louis.

“Come on, let’s seal the deal—wish us success!”

“Let’s do it!”

Their three palms clapped together with a satisfying smack.

After that, the three of them went their separate ways.

Louis stood there, holding the parchment with the three circled key points, and a knowing smile spread across his face.

Give up on something that important? Impossible.

The Animagus Transformation Spell was the most wizard-like form of shapeshifting there was. Without studying it, Louis wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

“After all,” he murmured, taking out the Marauder’s Map and looking at the names moving across it, “I already have the perfect test subject… don’t I?”

Louis smiled.

---

Chapter 184: Let the Duel Begin

Louis had barely descended a few floors from the Room of Requirement when a group of running young wizards caught his attention. Their hurried conversation echoed down the corridor.

“Come on, hurry! I heard there’s a duel at the Quidditch pitch!”

“A duel? Between who?”

“They say it’s that prettiest girl from Slytherin and Malfoy.”

“Huh? But they’re both Slytherins! Why would they duel each other?”

“Apparently… because of a Ravenclaw girl.”

“What? Over a girl?”

The last boy’s tone trailed off in a way that made the others snicker and imagine all sorts of things.

Quidditch pitch… a Slytherin duel… involving a Ravenclaw girl?

Those clues spun together in Louis’s mind, and the answer became obvious.

“That Ravenclaw girl—could it be Hermione? What on earth are those two Slytherins thinking?” Louis’s first thought was that some Slytherin brats had probably lost their minds again.

With that, he folded away his Marauder’s Map and set off toward the Quidditch field.

To make it there faster—and not miss the show—Louis used both his Acceleration and Levitation powers, diving straight out the nearest window. He didn’t bother to hide it; after all, what was so strange about a wizard flying?

Meanwhile, on the eighth floor of the castle, Headmaster Dumbledore was standing by his window, gently preening the feathers of baby Fawkes.

After a few months of growth, the phoenix had gone from thumb-sized chick to a bird about the size of a fist.

Its growth rate was much slower than before, but Dumbledore wasn’t worried. After being drained of so much phoenix fire by Dio Brando, Fawkes’s very essence had been damaged—slow recovery was to be expected.

Suddenly, a pink streak flashed past the window. Louis, flying at full speed, zipped right before Dumbledore’s eyes—startling the old wizard so much that his hand slipped and plucked two tail feathers clean off Fawkes.

“Gaaah!” squawked Fawkes, glaring furiously and giving Dumbledore a sharp peck on the finger.

“Oh—terribly sorry, Fawkes. I got distracted for a moment,” Dumbledore apologized, soothing the offended bird before quietly pocketing the two feathers.

“Well… I’ll send these to Ollivander later. I’m sure he’ll find a use for them.”

At Louis’s breakneck speed, it didn’t take long for him to reach the Quidditch pitch. A massive crowd had gathered there.

Around the field were layer upon layer of students watching, while a dozen Quidditch players hovered above the stands on their brooms—Slytherins and Gryffindors alike.

For once, they weren’t yelling at each other; instead, they were sitting side by side in rare harmony, united by the promise of a good show.

Among them, Harry and Ron were sharing a single broom, leaning close together—looking, frankly, very affectionate.

“What on earth are you two doing?” Louis floated up beside their broom, glancing down at the field below. “Cassandra and Malfoy? They’re the ones dueling?”

Harry and Ron, who had been watching intently, turned in surprise at the voice beside them—only to realize Louis was standing upright in midair.

They nearly fell off their broom in shock.

“Louis—you can fly?!” Harry gasped, eyes wide with envy. “What kind of advanced magic is that?”

“Well,” Louis replied with mock solemnity, “you could say it’s… a natural talent.”

He smirked and lifted a hand.

Instantly, soft pink petals bloomed beneath his feet—tiny flowers unfurling in midair, surrounding him as though he were gliding atop a drifting sea of blossoms.

A gentle breeze swept across the pitch, carrying the petals into the sky, swirling around the spectators in a dazzling shower of color.

Harry reached out and caught one of the drifting petals. The soft texture against his fingers made his eyes widen.

“These are real flowers!” he exclaimed in shock.

“Of course,” Louis replied with an easy smile, maintaining a fragment of his inherent barrier just to show off. “Why wouldn’t they be?”

Below, the crowd began to notice the cascade of petals filling the air. Heads tilted upward, fingers pointed, and a wave of astonished cries spread across the Quidditch pitch.

> [You have used your inherent barrier and talismanic power to deceive 73 underage wizards.]

> [You have gained 2,100 Trick Points. Current total: 191,800.]

“Alright, you lot keep watching—I’ll head down for a closer look.”

Pocketing his newly earned Trick Points, Louis dispelled both the barrier and his levitation charm, dropping straight down.

The crowd surrounding Cassandra, Draco Malfoy, and Hermione scattered as Louis landed lightly in their midst.

In the wizarding world, there were thousands of kinds of magic—countless secret spells known only to individuals. Even Dumbledore wouldn’t claim to have mastered them all. So, no one was particularly shocked to see Louis flying through the air.

Magic, after all, was extraordinary by nature.

“Quite the crowd you’ve drawn,” Louis said with a grin, giving Hermione a little wave. “So, what’s going on? Fill me in.”

Hermione hesitated, glancing at Cassandra and Malfoy.

She wasn’t sure whether to speak. If she told Louis and let him punish Malfoy, wouldn’t that be a bit disrespectful to Cassandra, who clearly wanted to handle it herself?

“Maybe we should let them settle it on their own?” she asked quietly, seeking Louis’s opinion.

“Alright,” Louis said agreeably, nodding. “But I can probably guess anyway—did this idiot start running his mouth again?”

Across from them, Malfoy—who had already wilted the moment Louis appeared—looked even more nervous.

He was suddenly regretting everything. Why had he decided to pick on Hermione of all people?

It was one of those moments where he realized how brave he thought he was before things actually got real.

Louis chuckled softly and looked between Cassandra and Malfoy. “Well, since you both look ready to duel, let’s not waste time. I’ll act as referee. How about that?”

“Fine by me,” Cassandra said instantly.

Malfoy, however, froze—hesitant and pale.

“What’s the matter, Malfoy?” Louis teased. “You’re not afraid of a girl who’s a year younger than you, are you?”

“I—of course I’m not afraid!” Malfoy stammered. “But you have to promise not to interfere!”

Deep down, he was terrified that Louis might rig the duel somehow—make him lose to a first-year who hadn’t even been at Hogwarts a full week yet. The humiliation would be unbearable.

“So that’s what you’re worried about,” Louis said with a light laugh. “Relax, I won’t step in. And I’ll even promise you this: if you win the duel, I’ll stay out of whatever happened earlier. I won’t trouble you at all.”

“Really?” Malfoy’s eyes lit up, hope flickering across his face.

“Of course. I keep my word,” Louis said pleasantly—then his tone dropped several degrees colder.

“But if you lose… you’d better stop by Madam Pomfrey’s office afterward and ask for a week’s supply of Calming Draught.”

The moment the words left his mouth, not only Malfoy but most of the onlookers shivered involuntarily.

Up above, Harry—still on his broom—leaned toward Ron and whispered, “You think Louis means he’s gonna give Malfoy nightmares for a week?”

“Sounds like it,” Ron replied. “What do you think?”

Harry grinned broadly. “I think that’s brilliant.”

---

Chapter 185: Cassandra’s Combat Power

A week’s dose of Calming Draught.

The moment Malfoy heard those words, his first instinct was to drop his wand and run.

But facing Cassandra gave him just enough courage to stay.

After all, she was only a first-year — how much magic could she possibly have learned in a week?

At best, she might know a basic Levitation Spell or a simple Transfiguration Spell, right?

He, on the other hand, had been studying at Hogwarts for a year already and had even learned a bit of Dark Magic from his father at home.

No matter how he looked at it, he had to be stronger than some little first-year girl.

“You said it yourself, no backing out now!” Malfoy said, trembling but excited — he was sure this time he could escape unscathed.

“Of course. I never go back on my word,” Louis replied with a calm smile, glancing from Malfoy to Cassandra.

Cassandra, however, looked at Malfoy with undisguised disgust — and then at Louis with mild annoyance.

“You’ve got quite a lot of faith in me,” she said dryly.

“Obviously,” Louis said with a grin. “Now go on — good luck.”

He raised his hand slightly, giving the signal.

“Duel—begin!”

Someone in the crowd shouted it aloud, startling Malfoy so badly he nearly dropped his wand.

Panicking, he scrambled to raise it and immediately shouted his first spell:

“Densaugeo!”

With a proper wand flourish and clear enunciation, a flash of spell-light shot toward Cassandra.

It was the same hex Hermione had once used on the troll — the Tooth-Growth Jinx, which made the victim’s front teeth grow uncontrollably, sometimes even piercing through the lower lip.

Cruel and humiliating, especially when used on a girl.

Still, one had to admit: from a student’s standpoint, Malfoy’s form was textbook-perfect.

If this had been in Professor Flitwick’s Charms class, he’d have gotten top marks for precision and pronunciation.

Unfortunately, dueling wasn’t about textbook form.

Big gestures and clearly spoken incantations only gave your opponent more warning — and more time to react.

Cassandra didn’t panic. She didn’t rush to counterattack, either.

She simply stepped gracefully to the side, her skirt swirling lightly around her.

The spell whooshed past her shoulder and hit an unlucky spectator in the crowd instead — whom Louis casually healed with a flick of his hand.

“Everyone watching, spread out to both sides,” Louis called out like a proper referee. “Give the duelers space so no one else gets hit.”

The name Louis Wilson carried weight. Within moments, the onlookers obeyed, forming two neat lines with Cassandra and Malfoy standing between them.

Cassandra still didn’t rush to strike back. She seemed almost bored, her eyes flicking toward Louis as he organized the spectators.

Malfoy, meanwhile, was starting to lose his nerve. His first spell had missed, and Cassandra’s calm indifference was making him sweat.

He was used to turn-based, tit-for-tat duels — you cast, the other defends, then they cast back.

This… silence was unnerving.

“D—damn it!” he yelled, lifting his wand again in another exaggeratedly perfect flourish.

“Tarantallegra!”

Another classic student spell — the Dancing Curse, forcing the target’s legs to flail uncontrollably in a frenzied tap dance.

But this time, Cassandra didn’t dodge. She stepped forward instead, meeting the spell head-on.

With a sharp crack, she brought her wand up just in time — the spell-light burst harmlessly against the magic radiating from it.

In the same smooth motion, she pointed her wand straight at Malfoy.

“Impedimenta!”

The spell shot out like a beam of light, solidifying into a force barrier that raced toward him.

Malfoy’s face turned pale. He yelped and dove sideways, rolling across the ground in a plume of dust — hardly the graceful duelist he imagined himself to be.

When he finally scrambled up, he looked more like a refugee than a pure-blood aristocrat.

The Impediment Jinx slammed into the sandy floor of the Quidditch pitch, blasting out a shallow crater.

Had that hit Malfoy directly, he would probably have been lying on the ground sobbing by now.

“Impedimenta!”

Hermione gasped from the sidelines. Cassandra’s execution of the Impediment Jinx was far smoother and sharper than Hermione’s had ever been in her first year.

“She’s a pure-blood,” Louis said quickly, reassuring her. “She’s had more exposure to magic at home. It’s natural she’d pick things up faster.”

His words carried over the pitch and reached Cassandra’s ears. She shot both Louis and Hermione an icy glance, gave a short, cold snort, and missed the perfect chance to press her advantage.

Malfoy scrambled back to his feet, his face blotchy red and pale by turns. Humiliated and furious, he decided to use the dark spell he’d only just learned over the summer.

Pure-blood families didn’t really care about the Ministry’s rule forbidding underage wizards from practicing magic outside school; many even trained their children in Dark Arts deliberately.

Malfoy raised his wand, making a series of complicated, precise gestures before shouting:

“Serpensortia!” Serpent’s Out!)

Gasps rippled through the students as a thick, venomous snake burst from the tip of his wand, slithering onto the sandy pitch and gliding toward Cassandra.

Its movement left rippling tracks in the sand. The snake lifted its head, black tongue flickering, and hissed menacingly at her.

The students all took a cautious step back.

Even the Slytherins didn’t want to get too close. They were from the House of the Serpent, not an actual nest of serpents, and no one fancied being bitten.

As for the students of other houses—they’d already retreated as far as they could.

Serpensortia, huh? That should be a summoning variant of Transfiguration,” Louis murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

Transfiguration was a massive branch of wizardry—summoning, vanishing, and transformation all fell under its scope.

And one key fact: a Summoning Spell could never create something from nothing. It merely pulled the object—like that viper—from somewhere else.

“Another piece of magic that defies logic,” Louis mused. “Sounds even more impressive than Accio or Apparition.”

A snake—terrifying to most people, and doubly so for girls.

Cassandra instinctively stepped back when the serpent hissed and coiled before her. Then her gaze flicked toward Malfoy.

She hadn’t learned any Vanishing Spells or incantations capable of destroying the snake… so she decided to go for the source instead.

“Expelliarmus!”

Cassandra lifted her wand and fired the Disarming Charm faster than anyone expected.

A flash of red light hit Malfoy square in the chest, hurling him backward and sending his wand spinning through the air—right into Cassandra’s waiting hand.

“I win,” Cassandra said coolly, holding his wand up.

Wooooah!” Cheers erupted from every side.

It was technically an internal Slytherin fight, but that didn’t stop the crowd from celebrating.

Maybe they were just having fun watching the spectacle.

But the sudden outburst startled the snake. With a sharp hiss, it lunged toward the nearest target—Cassandra herself—fangs bared.

Cassandra’s composure finally cracked; her face drained of color as she stumbled backward and fell onto the sand.

The cheers died instantly. The entire crowd froze, holding their breath as the snake leapt at the victorious girl.

Just before it struck her face, a bolt of lightning split the air—so fast it was almost invisible.

Crack!

The flash hit the snake’s head dead-on, vaporizing it in an instant.

Cassandra stared blankly as the ashes scattered across the ground, then looked up to see Louis standing nearby, the tip of his wand smoking faintly.

It was the Lightning Eye, the fastest attack among the talismanic powers—near light-speed, and capable of firing from any limb, including the wand.

In fact, all talisman powers could be channeled as spells through a wand—quite convenient, really.

…And, well, theoretically, from any other body part too.

But Louis wasn’t nearly mad enough to make his little brother do unnecessary extra work.

---

[Game] Chapter 472: Recovery

Around four in the afternoon, Ichin woke up groggily.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized his body felt much better—at least not as heavy as it had been that morning. He was drenched in sweat, though, his clothes sticking uncomfortably to his skin.

Sitting up, he noticed that Yukino was no longer in the room.

Checking his phone, he saw the time and figured she must’ve gone to her afternoon class.

He changed into clean pajamas, threw on a jacket, and stepped out of the bedroom.

The moment he did, he heard the sounds of someone working in the kitchen. When he followed the noise, he found Utaha already home, busy preparing dinner.

Hearing his footsteps, Utaha immediately turned around and said with concern, “Ichin, you’re awake? How are you feeling now?”

“Much better,” Ichin replied with a smile. “When did you get back?”

“About three o’clock. I picked up some ingredients for dinner on the way.”

After washing her hands, Utaha gently pushed Ichin out of the kitchen and guided him to the living room.

She made him sit on the sofa, turned on the heater, and handed him a thermometer.

“When I came back, I touched your forehead—it felt cooler, but let’s check your temperature just in case.”

Ichin nodded and tucked the thermometer under his arm, then looked at her curiously.

“When did you come back last night? I kind of remember hearing something… but maybe I just dreamed it.”

Utaha smiled and sat beside him. “It wasn’t that late. I came home right after eating, but as soon as I got back, I found you burning up. I immediately called my mom over to take a look, and we put a cool towel on your forehead. If your temperature hadn’t dropped, we would’ve taken you to the hospital. Luckily, around midnight your fever started to go down, so we could finally relax. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared go to class this morning.”

“I see… no wonder I felt so heavy and dazed last night,” Ichin said, nodding in realization. Then he looked at her gratefully. “Thank you, Utaha. And please thank your mom too.”

Utaha smiled softly and brushed his hair aside. “It’s fine, as long as you’re okay. Besides, every month when I have those days, you’re always the one taking care of me—so now it’s my turn to look after you. I actually planned to skip class today, but Haruno-senpai came by in the morning and told me to attend as usual, since Yukino didn’t have class and could watch over you first. Thanks to her, I could go to class without worrying.”

“So that’s how it was. I was wondering why Yukino was here when I woke up.”

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Ichin said, “Judging by the time, Yukino should be back soon. We should treat her to something nice for dinner to thank her.”

Utaha chuckled. “Don’t worry, I already bought fish and sweet-and-sour pork ribs—her favorites.”

Before long, the thermometer beeped.

His temperature was still a little high, but noticeably lower than in the morning. Another good night’s rest and he’d probably be completely fine.

Looking at the reading, Ichin smiled. “Even though I got sick, my body still bounces back fast. Just one day, and I’m already halfway recovered.”

The sudden illness had caught him off guard, but years of regular exercise had clearly paid off—his immune system was doing its job.

After chatting with him for a bit longer, Utaha saw that the room had warmed up and went back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

At five o’clock, Yukino returned from her class.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Ichin sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

“Big brother, how are you feeling?”

“Don’t worry, much better now,” Ichin said with a smile and a nod. “Thanks for taking care of me today, Yukino. Utaha’s making lots of delicious food tonight—so eat plenty.”

Seeing that Ichin had recovered well, Yukino finally let out a small sigh of relief.

Not long after Yukino arrived, Haruno also showed up.

“Little Ichin~ your big sister’s here! Feeling better yet?”

She came running in with a bright smile, still in her office attire, not even having changed yet.

Ichin looked at her and asked, “Haruno, you got off work early today? It’s not even six yet, right?”

Hands on her hips, Haruno said proudly, “Hey, I’m the boss too, you know! Leaving an hour early once in a while isn’t a big deal. Besides, I came not just to check on how you’re feeling—there’s also news about that office building you wanted!”

“Huh? Really?”

At that, Ichin immediately perked up.

The last time they’d talked about the company’s new office building was back in early September—nearly three months ago now.

Haruno had found two standalone buildings before, but none of them really satisfied Ichin, so he told her to keep looking slowly.

And now there was news again? Judging by the sparkle in Haruno’s eyes, it must’ve been something good.

Taking the cup of tea Utaha handed her, Haruno took a sip, then said proudly, “It’s a newly built independent office building. Originally, it was leased by a software development company, but their operations went south—the shareholders started infighting, and the company collapsed in less than three months after moving in. I just got word about it and immediately contacted the developer. If you’re interested, once you’re fully recovered, I can take you there in a couple of days. I’ve already seen some photos and videos—the place looks great.”

“If you’re saying it’s good, Haruno, then it must be,” Ichin said with a smile. “All right, let’s go check it out in a few days.”

After that, Haruno leaned over and touched his forehead, nodding in satisfaction. “Mm, you’re recovering nicely. Looks like you can join us for dinner tonight.”

Ichin rolled his eyes at her, watching as she followed Utaha into the kitchen to check on dinner preparations.

After inspecting things to her satisfaction, Haruno happily went next door to change clothes.

Shaking his head, Ichin took a sip of water and said, “I can’t help but feel Haruno’s personality’s gotten even more… lively lately. What do you think, Yukino?”

Yukino smiled faintly and glanced at him. “It has, yes. But compared to before, she’s much easier to get along with now. Though… she still likes to tease people every now and then.”

“Well, as long as she’s not actually causing trouble, a few jokes now and then are fine,” Ichin said with a chuckle.

After another full day of rest, Ichin’s condition had almost completely recovered.

He still had a slight cold, though, so whenever he went out, he made sure to wear a mask—to avoid passing it on to anyone else.

When he arrived at the company after class, everyone welcomed him back warmly.

Aoba looked at him curiously. “Ichin-kun, it’s only been a few days! Are you sure you don’t need to rest a bit more?”

Kō Yagami, standing nearby, laughed. “Don’t be fooled into thinking he suffered! When I dropped by, oh boy—Utaha, Yukino, and even Haruno were all fussing over him. Fruits and tea delivered right to his hands, meals prepared and served—a full-on lord’s treatment!”

“Eh?! Seriously?”

Aoba looked at Ichin in disbelief. “Utaha and Yukino I can understand, but Haruno-senpai? She’s that type to take care of people?”

Ichin slowly turned his gaze toward her, narrowing his eyes. “Aoba… if those words ever reach Haruno’s ears, what do you think will happen?”

In an instant, Aoba clapped her hands over her mouth and shook her head violently, eyes wide with panic.

---

[Genshin Impact] Chapter 617: Galactic Overview (2-in-1 Chapter)

In geostationary orbit above the Blue — the Herta Space Station.

While invisible, Nolan wandered quietly through the main control sector. From overhearing the conversations of nearby staff, he managed to learn where Lady Herta’s office was located.

He figured that was where Screwllum had gone, so naturally, his curiosity led him there as well.

The entrance was a large, secure chamber door — one that normally required identity verification to open, and would make quite a noise in doing so.

But for Nolan, that posed no obstacle. He spread the Void Starsea, merging his presence into it and using its properties to transfer himself directly through.

There was no spatial fluctuation, no sound, and no trace — absolutely undetectable.

As the invisible void expanded into Herta’s office, Nolan slipped through effortlessly.

The interior was spacious, with holographic portraits projected along both walls.

He glanced at them — men, women, even elders — though he couldn’t discern any particular pattern or meaning.

One of the portraits, however, caught his eye: a golden mechanical being radiating an unmistakable aura of command. It looked quite similar to Screwllum — perhaps a relative, or perhaps even another of his bodies.

After all, for a mechanical lifeform, possessing multiple bodies wasn’t unusual at all.

At the center of the room stood a triangular device. Beneath it stood Screwllum himself.

Beside him was a girl with long, silver-gray hair wearing a black-and-white dress. Her slender hands rested on her hips, and when Nolan looked closer, he noticed that her knees were joined like a doll’s — unmistakably an artificial being rather than a human.

Indeed, this star-filled sea was full of infinite possibilities. Nolan hadn’t been here long, yet he’d already encountered mechanical life and doll-like beings.

He couldn’t help but wonder — how different was this doll girl from the Shogun back in Inazuma?

Curious, he glanced at the top of her head.

【Level: 65】

So this was Lady Herta? Nolan was mildly surprised. Screwllum had mentioned he was going to meet the “owner of the space station,” which surely meant this girl.

But… wasn’t her level a bit low for someone of such prestige? Perhaps this was just a projection or a puppet body — the real Herta might not even be here.

Nolan himself could create countless sword avatars through condensed intent, so he was no stranger to this kind of ability.

Then he turned his gaze to Screwllum — and froze.

【Level: 160】

“…”

He’d known Screwllum was strong, but this was absurd.

That gigantic planetary creature, the Giant True Stringer — over a thousand kilometers long — had only been Level 130.

And even that level of power was already beyond comprehension.

Yet Screwllum had reached 160!

Every level at such heights represented a qualitative leap in life’s very essence. A being at Level 120 was already within the ranks of top-tier Archons or gods.

Even those not specialized in combat could easily crush lower-level opponents — unless, of course, the opponent was like Nolan himself, possessing countless strange powers, buffs, and debuffs… or extremely rare world-class talents.

Otherwise, once life reached such advanced tiers, it became nearly impossible to defeat a being of higher rank.

A being like Screwllum — even if only thirty levels above the Stringer — could probably destroy it with a breath.

No wonder Lady Herta had requested his presence aboard the warship. Whatever unexpected situation arose, he could handle it effortlessly.

Nolan quietly exhaled in relief.

Thankfully, such a powerhouse wasn’t his enemy.

“Lady Herta, the simulated universe is nearing completion,” Screwllum said.

Listening to them discuss something called a “simulated universe,” Nolan realized this must be the collaborative project Screwllum had mentioned earlier — an attempt, judging by the name, to replicate the cosmos itself through simulation.

He wanted to eavesdrop further, but suddenly, his Sword God of Lumine back in the dorm sensed someone approaching his room.

Without hesitation, Nolan withdrew from the scene, using the Void Starsea to teleport straight back.

He dismissed the sword avatar just as a knock sounded at the door — accompanied by two cheerful barks. It had to be Asta, with her little dog.

“Coming,” Nolan called, hurrying to open the door.

Sure enough, standing outside was the smiling station master herself.

“So Arlan put you in this room after all. I see Peppy’s nose hasn’t lost its edge. Here — this is your phone.”

Asta handed him a white box.

“Thank you, Miss Asta,” Nolan said gratefully, accepting the brand-new packaged phone with excitement.

“No need to thank me. Consider it part of your welcome package for joining the station.”

Then she paused — realizing she hadn’t yet mentioned anything about his salary.

After all, recruiting someone this powerful into the station deserved proper compensation.

The Herta Space Station was a dream destination for scholars across the galaxy — and for good reason. It was the personal domain of Herta herself, a member of the Genius Society.

Many scientists believed that even breathing the same air as her could flood one’s mind with inspiration.

To see her in person? That was enlightenment itself.

Thus, countless people competed fiercely to join the station, and only the most exceptional were accepted.

As a result, salaries were generous — even an ordinary staff researcher earned over half a million credits per month.

Nolan might not be a scholar, but his unmatched strength made him the space station’s strongest protector. Logically, his pay should be at least ten times that amount.

After a moment’s thought, Asta brought up the topic of his compensation.

“Oh?” Nolan blinked. Truth be told, in his excitement over everything, he hadn’t even considered that he’d be getting paid.

Then again, that was probably a habit carried over from his adventurer life — ever since arriving in Teyvat, he’d only ever earned rewards from commissions.

He really had never held a proper job before.

So when Asta offered him a starting salary of five million credits, Nolan naturally had no objections.

【Asta Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (20/400)】

“With that, you’re officially part of the station now,” Asta said with a bright smile. Then she turned to him and added, “Come, I’ll show you how to use your phone.”

“Sure,” Nolan nodded, inviting her inside.

They sat together on the living room sofa, with the little white dog Peppy hopping up beside them to watch curiously. Asta carefully opened the white box and took out a sleek, white phone.

“This,” she explained, “is the ‘Harmony’ series smartphone by the Galactic Peace Corporation. It’s one of the most popular models. As long as you’re not in an unexplored star sector, it can easily connect to the Galactic Peace Network.

“Also, it comes with a built-in Synesthesia Beacon, so you don’t have to worry about not understanding foreign languages — it automatically translates everything you see and hear.”

After that, Asta patiently taught him how to power it on, complete the initial setup, and most importantly, how to log into the Galactic Peace Network.

The process was surprisingly similar to how phones worked on Earth — Nolan only needed to watch once to grasp it all.

About ten minutes later, seeing him operate the phone with practiced ease, Asta yawned softly. Her work for the day was done; it was time to take Peppy home and rest.

But before she could leave, Nolan said quickly, “Wait a moment, Miss Asta. You gave me this phone and even taught me how to use it — I’d feel bad not showing any appreciation. Hmm… let me think… here, take this.”

He extended his palm, where thick, harmonized energy began to gather, condensing into a small, white pearl.

“This is formed from a special kind of energy,” he explained. “When held, it slowly releases its essence through the skin. It can relieve fatigue, accelerate healing — even rejuvenate the body.”

“Oh? That amazing?” Asta asked curiously, taking the pearl into her hand. Immediately, she could feel warm, gentle energy flowing from it, seeping into her skin and spreading through her body.

Every cell seemed to come alive, nourished by that soothing warmth. Her lingering fatigue melted away, replaced by a renewed sense of vitality — as if she’d just woken from the perfect sleep.

“In that case, I’ll gladly accept it,” Asta said with a delighted smile, holding the pearl carefully.

The gift was clearly useful to her, and because of it, her affection for Nolan grew a little more:

【Asta Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.4 (380/400)】

Seeing the affection notification appear on his panel, Nolan smiled.

“No need to be polite. When you use it up, just come to me anytime for more.”

After all, creating such pearls was nothing difficult for him — he simply condensed harmonized energy into solid form.

“Alright then, I’ll be going,” Asta said, standing up with Peppy in her arms.

Nolan walked her to the door. Soon, the room was quiet again — just him and the soft hum of the station’s air system.

Eagerly, he powered on the new phone and logged into the Galactic Peace Network, ready to finally look into this galaxy’s mysteries.

Terms like “Galaxy,” “Genius Society,” and “Synesthesia Beacon” had piqued his curiosity for a while — now he could finally find out what they meant.

Sitting back on the sofa, Nolan opened the sleek white device and entered the network.

He started by searching “Galaxy.”

Within seconds, the screen filled with results — articles, forum threads, videos, and more.

Thanks to the Synesthesia Beacon, he could instantly understand every word and meaning without any translation barrier.

The top result was from the Galactic Encyclopedia, which sounded exactly like what he needed.

He opened it and began reading.

To his surprise, it differed slightly from what he’d imagined.

On Earth, the “Milky Way” referred to a single galaxy roughly 100,000 to 180,000 light-years across.

But here, the term “Galaxy” actually referred to the entire universe itself.

To them, “the Galaxy” was the cosmos.

Having learned that, he moved on to his next search — “Genius Society.”

After all, Screwllum — that Level 160 powerhouse — was a member. It would’ve been impossible not to be curious.

The explanation appeared quickly:

> The Genius Society is a faction that follows the Aeon “Nous (The Erudition)”.

> Only those who have earned the favor of the Aeon of Knowledge are qualified to join the Society.

> Every individual blessed by Nous is, without exception, among the greatest geniuses in the entire cosmos.

> Since its founding, the Genius Society has had a total of eighty-four members.

Nolan frowned slightly.

Aeons? Factions? What exactly were those?

Well — he had just arrived in a completely new universe. Being confused was natural.

Time passed quickly. In what felt like a blink, three days had gone by.

Those three days were quite leisurely for Nolan, thanks to the Defense Division’s director, Arlan, who had assigned him the position of “External Invasion Prevention Specialist.”

The title sounded impressive, but the work itself was… extremely easy.

His only duty was to repel invaders — which meant, unless someone actually attacked the station, he had nothing to do.

Officially, his role was to “inspect and ensure the security of the station against potential incursions.”

But in truth, with Lady Herta’s presence here, no sane being in the galaxy would dare to attack.

So Nolan’s job was essentially to relax.

He spent those days “fishing for information,” using his phone to learn everything he could about interstellar civilization.

He discovered that in this universe — the “Galaxy” — there existed beings called Aeons, embodiments of pure, philosophical concepts.

Each Aeon represented and was the very essence of an idea — like Nous, the Aeon of Knowledge, whom the Genius Society worshiped.

So far, eighteen Aeons were known to exist.

They also governed the power known as Paths, which were the routes or philosophies they had forged.

By following an Aeon’s Path, mortals could draw upon that Aeon’s power and attain extraordinary strength.

Such individuals were called Pathstriders — people who walked the Paths, growing stronger by embodying the principles of their chosen Aeon.

Factions, therefore, were simply organizations built around the worship or pursuit of a particular Aeon’s philosophy.

For example, the Galactic Peace Corporation, the same company that made his phone, was a faction devoted to the Aeon of Preservation.

After several days of study, Nolan now had a decent grasp of the galaxy’s social structure — no longer completely in the dark.

Still, he couldn’t help being astonished.

To think that even abstract concepts like knowledge or preservation could take form as divine beings… how unimaginably powerful must they be?

A quiet thought lingered in his mind: Could I ever grow strong enough to reach such heights myself?

In the meantime, when he wasn’t browsing the network, he often left behind sword avatar to guard his quarters while he returned to Teyvat to accompany Lumine on her adventures in Fontaine.

That morning, the two of them had gone to the Adventurers’ Guild to pick up new commissions — only to receive a message from Katheryne waiting for them.

(End of Chapter)

[Game] Chapter 471: Ichin Becomes the Patient

After driving home, Ichin went straight to take a bath.

When he came out and dried his hair, he felt much better.

Pouring himself a glass of water, he took a sip and smiled as he looked at Peppy and George, who were rolling yarn balls across the floor.

He reached over to pat their furry heads and gave them a few snacks.

His phone buzzed—it was a message from Utaha.

“Ichin, how are you feeling? We’re having our late-night meal now, we’ll be back soon.”

Along with the message came a photo: Utaha, Kō Yagami, Rin Toyama, and Haruno sitting together at a restaurant.

Seeing that, Ichin felt reassured and replied:

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Just finished my bath—going to sleep soon.”

After playing with the cats for a while, he returned to his bedroom, hoping a good night’s rest would push back the oncoming cold.

Once he crawled under the blanket, he quickly drifted off.

Half-asleep, Ichin vaguely heard the sound of the door opening—and felt Utaha’s hand lightly touch his forehead.

But his body felt so heavy he couldn’t move at all, and he soon sank back into sleep.

When he finally opened his eyes again, it was already past nine in the morning.

His head was foggy, his throat dry and sore.

There was no doubt—he’d caught a bad cold, and he was running a slight fever too.

Glancing around, he realized Utaha wasn’t there. It looked like she hadn’t slept beside him last night either.

That made sense. She must’ve noticed he was sick when she got home, and if she’d stayed beside him, she’d probably have caught it too.

Just as he was thinking about getting up to grab some water, the bedroom door opened.

Ichin turned his head and saw Yukino walking in.

She’d opened the door carefully at first, but the moment she saw him awake, she pushed it wide open and hurried over.

“Big brother, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

“Yukino? Why are you here—where’s Utaha?”

“Utaha-senpai has classes today, so she asked me to come take care of you.”

Sitting down by the bed, Yukino smiled gently. “If I remember right, this might be the first time I’ve ever seen you sick.”

Ichin nodded, his voice hoarse. “Yeah… ever since high school, I’ve barely been sick at all. Even after moving to Japan, it’s been the same. Guess I got careless this time.”

Yukino gave a small laugh. “That’s what they call ‘illness strikes like a mountain falling.’ People who rarely get sick tend to have it worse when they finally do catch something.”

After her comment, she picked up the thermometer from the bedside table and handed it to him.

“Let’s check your temperature first. Are you hungry? I made some porridge.”

Ichin tucked the thermometer under his arm and said, “Porridge sounds good. I am a bit hungry—but I’d like some water first. My mouth’s so dry.”

Yukino nodded quickly, went out, and came back with a cup of warm water.

She helped Ichin sit up and gently held the cup to his lips as he drank half of it.

The warm water soothed his throat and mouth noticeably.

Lying back down again, Ichin looked at Yukino and smiled faintly.

“Thanks, Yukino. You’re really taking care of me today.”

Yukino set the blanket back down and said softly, “It’s fine. I only have one class this afternoon, so I’ve got plenty of time. By the time I head to campus, Utaha-senpai should be back, so we can switch shifts.”

Hearing her words, Ichin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Getting sick really was troublesome—not just for himself, but for everyone around him.

With the weather getting colder and colder, he’d definitely have to start being more careful.

A few minutes later, Yukino checked the thermometer.

“Thirty-eight point seven degrees… yep, you’ve got a fever. Let’s get some food in you first, then take your medicine.”

She went out briefly and came back carrying a small clay pot of porridge on a tray, setting it on Ichin’s lap after helping him sit up.

After another sip of water, Ichin felt a bit better—enough to eat something.

Yukino had made vegetable porridge, which was perfect for him right now.

Given his cold, anything too flavorful like meat porridge wouldn’t taste like much anyway.

The small pot was just enough; Ichin finished it quickly. His appetite wasn’t great, but it was enough to fill him.

After taking the dishes out to wash, Yukino returned and gently urged, “Big brother, take your medicine and get some more sleep.”

“It’s a bit hot…” Ichin mumbled, then glanced at her as she sat down with a book. “If you’re bored, you can go to the living room. You don’t have to stay here the whole time.”

Yukino smiled and shook her head. “It’s all right. I can read here. You’re a patient now, after all—someone has to keep an eye on you. I promised Utaha-senpai I’d take care of you.”

“It’s just a cold, you know. You don’t have to exaggerate.”

Even so, seeing the firm look on her face, Ichin knew there was no talking her out of it. So he simply closed his eyes and focused on resting, hoping his body would recover quickly.

The medicine soon took effect, and drowsiness crept over him. Before long, Ichin was fast asleep.

Once his breathing settled into a steady rhythm, Yukino looked up from her book and observed him quietly for a moment.

Confirming that he was truly asleep, she checked the time on her phone and quietly stepped out of the bedroom to make a call—to Utaha, who had just finished her class.

“Yukino? How’s Ichin doing?” Utaha asked immediately after picking up.

“He still has a bit of a fever, but he ate some food and took his medicine. He’s sleeping again now.”

“That’s good.”

Hearing that, Utaha finally felt relieved.

This was actually the first time she’d ever seen Ichin sick. When she came home last night and found him burning up, she had immediately gone to her mother for help, then spent most of the night tending to him with cool towels to bring down his temperature.

By morning, his condition had already improved compared to the night before—something Ichin himself probably hadn’t noticed.

According to her mother, Ichin’s body was very strong. With medicine and a full day of rest, he’d likely be fine by tomorrow.

“Thank you for taking care of him today, Yukino. After your class this afternoon, come over to our place for dinner.”

“Mm, I will.”

After hanging up, Yukino went back into the bedroom and resumed her post on the chair beside Ichin’s bed.

But once she opened her book again, she found she couldn’t concentrate.

No matter how hard she tried, her focus kept drifting from the page to the sleeping Ichin on the bed… and then back to the book again.

She told herself to stop looking—but she couldn’t help it.

After a long moment of thought, Yukino realized that this might be one of the very few times she’d ever been alone with Ichin.

Her thoughts began to wander in a strange direction, and flustered, she quickly shook her head, grabbed her book, and hurried out of the room—choosing instead to distract herself by playing with the cats.

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