Compared to the lively atmosphere outside, the interior of the Jade Chamber was far more tranquil.
After all, the banquet was being held on the outer platform, and the indoor layout wasn't suitable for staging performances.
Nolan and Hu Tao descended the winding staircase.
On the way, they ran into Bai Xiao, Bai Wen, and Bai Shi—Ningguang's secretaries. They appeared to be busy with preparations for the banquet as well.
Seeing Nolan and Hu Tao, the three seemed to guess they were there to see Ningguang.
So they informed them that Lady Ningguang was currently in her office, meeting with Lady Yuheng Star.
"Oh? In that case, it's probably not the right time to disturb her," Nolan nodded slightly, then asked,
"In that case, ladies, could you tell us how to get to the formation core?"
"The formation core?"
Bai Wen looked surprised and thought for a moment before replying,
"You must be looking for Miss Shenhe, right? But the formation core is a restricted area in the Jade Chamber. You'll need permission from Lady Ningguang before you can enter."
"I see. Then I guess we'll have to disturb her after all."
Nolan sighed, though he understood the reasoning.
The three secretaries nodded before returning to their tasks, while Nolan and Hu Tao headed toward Ningguang's office.
Before long, they arrived near the open-plan office.
Since the room wasn't closed off, the people inside noticed them the moment they approached.
"Nolan, Hu Tao—it's you two!"
Keqing, sitting on a lounge chair, greeted them when she spotted them entering.
"Hehe, long time no see, Keqing!"
Hu Tao waved with a cheerful smile.
Behind the desk, Ningguang sat elegantly with one leg crossed over the other. She also smiled faintly at the pair.
"You're here quite early."
Naturally, he wanted to say, "I missed you," but with both Keqing and Hu Tao present, Nolan swallowed the words.
Instead, he smiled and said,
"Yun Jin came early to continue rehearsing, so we came along."
"I see." Ningguang's ruby eyes shimmered with a hint of amusement. She gestured to the chair next to Keqing. "Make yourselves comfortable. I was just chatting with Keqing about some recent matters. Since the famed Traveler is here as well, would you like to lend us your insight?"
"Come on now, don't tease me. I'm in no position to show off in front of Lady Tianquan."
Nolan smiled as he and Hu Tao took their seats.
"Hmph, maybe you can't, but this Hall Master certainly can! Got a tricky problem? Go ahead and tell me all about it!"
Hu Tao crossed her arms and lifted one snowy leg, her right foot in a square-toed leather shoe dangling in the air, swinging back and forth.
"…"
Keqing muttered inwardly.
Aren't you a bit too full of yourself? We haven't even said what the issue is yet.
"Hehe, Hall Master Hu has an extraordinary eye—she can see through to the heart of any matter, grasping the truth at a glance.
"Having your help would be a blessing indeed."
Ningguang knew Hu Tao and Nolan had a close relationship, so she didn't mind being a little more casual.
She parted her soft lips and began to explain:
"Not long ago, Nolan and Keqing infiltrated various groups of Treasure Hoarders, pirates, and other criminals, working undercover among them.
"In just a month or two, they helped the Millelith apprehend numerous major offenders, delivering a heavy blow to criminal activity.
"This directly led to a significant improvement in public safety across all of Liyue."
As Ningguang spoke, Nolan realized that this must have been what she and Keqing were discussing earlier.
Since implementing this "fight evil with evil" strategy, whenever manpower ran short, Nolan had used Command Spells to take control of several groups.
Seeing the results, he had even suggested the idea to Acting Grand Master Jean in Mondstadt and to Raiden Ei in Inazuma, proposing they adopt similar methods.
Given the success, they had no reason to refuse. With Nolan's help, the plan was quickly put into motion in both regions.
The results were naturally impressive—incidents of theft and robbery in both Mondstadt and Inazuma had dropped significantly.
Many Treasure Hoarders and sea rogues had been so frightened they didn't dare show their faces.
The plan seemed to be progressing smoothly. Could something unexpected have happened? Nolan was a little puzzled and continued listening to Ningguang.
"But precisely because it's been so effective, many of the criminals have sensed something's off. They've started hiding more carefully and have even begun banding together, growing stronger as a result.
"In other words, while the number of Treasure Hoarders roaming the wilds has decreased, the ones that remain are elite—and these elites seem to be uniting.
"We're concerned they might become a greater threat to Liyue."
Ningguang laid out the situation concisely.
"Oh, no wonder I haven't run into those guys much recently when I've gone to play around Wuwang Hill," Hu Tao mused thoughtfully.
"Well then, Hall Master Hu, what are your thoughts on the matter?" asked Keqing, who was seated to Nolan's left, smiling slightly.
"Hmph, this is nothing for this Hall Master. If those guys are hiding and joining forces, it just shows they're still afraid.
"So just have your people go dark too. Hide them in the shadows, make it impossible for the enemy to figure out who the spies are. Keep them in a state of suspicion and mistrust.
"When someone eventually cracks and shows themselves, boom—you know they're the enemy. Just grab them."
Hu Tao spoke after a brief moment of thought.
In truth, since the enemy was now hiding, there wasn't much more Liyue could do on the surface. It was best to drain the pond and wait for the fish to surface on their own.
After all, they couldn't have the Millelith combing every corner of the land—if those criminals were holed up in some hidden domain, they'd never be found, and it would just be a waste of time and resources.
"...Hmm, what Hall Master Hu says makes some sense." Ningguang nodded, then turned to Nolan. "What do you think?"
Nolan rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment.
"A passive approach works, but we also need to be on guard in case they become desperate and lash out. So how about increasing patrols around the outskirts of each city?
"If needed, I can summon a Sword God Avatar to patrol Liyue's outskirts and keep an eye out for Treasure Hoarders at the same time."
The "Sword God" he had stationed at the inverted ruins in the Chasm had already finished clearing out most of the Black Serpent Knights.
That had netted him over 300,000 Adventure EXP.
Altogether, his current character panel showed 550,000 EXP—over 100,000 from before, another 300,000 from the Black Serpents, and the rest from the Sword God avatars left in Sumeru and the Beast Realm, who had also been grinding monsters.
With over half a million EXP now, he was getting close to leveling up.
So he figured it'd be best to have a Sword God continue wandering through Liyue, patrolling for Treasure Hoarders while also grinding monsters to earn more experience.
That way, he'd have Sword Gods stationed in Sumeru, Liyue, and the Beast Realm. If he added one in Mondstadt and Inazuma as well, his EXP farming efficiency would skyrocket.
The only downside was that splitting his attention across so many avatars consumed a lot of mental energy. Over time, it would definitely lead to fatigue.
Still, for the sake of efficient EXP grinding, it was well worth it. If luck was on his side and he ran into some strong monsters…
Then he could probably level up in just two or three days. And if he happened to run into those elite Treasure Hoarder factions Ningguang mentioned—
Taking them down might give him enough EXP to level up immediately.
"Nolan's right—we should stay proactive when it comes to dealing with criminals. If we can take out this elite group of Treasure Hoarders…
"Then the organization in Liyue will be left in ruins. It'd take them more than a decade to recover. We can't let this opportunity slip!"
Keqing clenched her fist, her fair face glowing with a trace of excitement. Her opinion of Nolan—who shared the same ideas—rose slightly.
[Keqing Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 7 (260/700)]
Nolan smiled and looked at Ningguang behind the desk.
"What do you think?"
"Mmm, then I'll be relying on you." Ningguang nodded gently after a moment of thought.
"Alright, I'll have the Sword God Avatar at the Chasm start moving right away."
Nolan nodded in reply.
Ningguang smiled and continued,
"By the way, the treasure I promised you the other day—to expand your portable storage—it's ready. Come with me, I'll show you."
As she spoke, she smiled and lowered her elegantly crossed leg, the heel of her high-heeled shoe clicking against the floor as she stood and walked out of the office.
"Oh? You spent two days preparing it—what kind of treasure is it?" Nolan asked with anticipation.
"Don't be impatient. Just come and see for yourself."
Ningguang gave a mysterious smile, keeping the answer to herself for now.
"Alright." Nolan nodded, then turned to Hu Tao and Keqing.
"You two come too. Hehe, let's see what kind of treasure Ningguang's prepared for me!"
"Ningguang really is pretty generous when it comes to gifts," Keqing said with a slight smile as she adjusted her sleeve.
"Yeah."
Nolan agreed. He motioned for Hu Tao to follow, and together they left the office with Ningguang.
Walking along the corridor to the right for about two minutes, Ningguang stopped in front of a room and opened the door, leading everyone inside.
The moment they stepped in, Nolan was stunned by the sight!
If he wasn't mistaken, this must be some kind of treasure vault. The entire room was filled with three large, long five-tiered storage shelves.
Each shelf held a different type of item.
To his left, the shelf was filled with books and scrolls. Just judging by their appearance, they were clearly of great value.
The center shelf displayed various porcelain items—antiques, most likely.
The final shelf held a collection of artifacts, mostly purple in quality.
While not as rare as five-star ones, they were still quite decent as collectibles.
"These are your personal collection of calligraphy, paintings, and original texts?" Keqing asked as she stepped over, her black pantyhose-clad legs moving gracefully. She picked up a scroll from the shelf and opened it.
It was a landscape painting, seemingly done in ink. The brushwork was majestic and carried a powerful artistic aura.
"That's right. This painting is the work of a grandmaster from several centuries ago. It's worth more than ten million Mora," Ningguang said with a glance.
"Whoa, that is pretty expensive," Nolan said, somewhat surprised.
"Well, they're antiques. With history backing them, they tend to hold great value," Hu Tao said, arms crossed.
Truth be told, she wasn't that interested in antiques herself. But with the guest consultant Zhongli at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, who seemed to know a little about everything—
Especially historical knowledge that even scholars admired—
People often came to consult Zhongli for help appraising antiques and relics.
Having listened to his commentary on various antiques so often, Hu Tao naturally picked up a bit of knowledge herself.
"Mhm." Nolan nodded, then turned to Ningguang. "So, is the treasure you mentioned just something from here that I can choose to take with me?"
If that was the case, it wouldn't improve the pocket realm much. At least two or three items would be needed for a noticeable effect.
After all, gold-tier items were pretty rare.
"Hehe, how could I just give you one thing? That's not my style," Ningguang said, shaking her head.
"Oh? Then... can I pick several?" Nolan asked, looking hopeful.
Even though most of the artifacts here were only four-star, taking several of them could expand the pocket realm by a square meter or two. That'd be pretty useful.
"Do I look like someone that stingy?" Ningguang smiled and finally stopped playing coy.
"These are all little trinkets I've collected over the years—recovered during the last fall of the Jade Chamber.
"I don't have any particular use for them now, so I've decided to store all of them in your portable space."
"What?! Ningguang, did I hear you right? You're giving all of these to Nolan?" Keqing exclaimed before Nolan could even react.
She knew Ningguang was generous, but this was a bit much. Every single item in this room was worth at least ten million Mora!
The total value could easily be described as priceless! How could someone just give this away?
"Hehe, I never said I was giving them away. I'm just having them stored somewhere else," Ningguang replied calmly with a light smile.
"Still..." Keqing's gaze shifted from Nolan to Ningguang, her expression full of suspicion.
Was there something strange going on between the two of them? Just casually moving this treasure trove into his care?
"My instincts as a Hall Master are never wrong—there's definitely something going on between you two!" Hu Tao added, voicing her own suspicions.
Nolan tried to suppress the excitement rising in his chest and spoke calmly on the surface:
"Cough... Ningguang, aren't you being a bit too generous, putting all these valuable items in my storage?"
"It's fine, as long as you're happy with it," Ningguang replied, arms folded, her crimson eyes softly watching him with a slight smile.
[Ningguang Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 200 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 10 (Maxed)]
Suddenly, a notification popped up on Nolan's character panel—Ningguang's affection had reached the maximum.
Immediately after, another notification appeared:
[Through sincere effort and perseverance, your fate, once unrelated, is now deeply intertwined. From now on, the girl's guiding star shall shine alongside yours. Ability unlocked: "Moonveil Tianquan."]
Whew... Just like that, the remaining 100 affection points were filled so suddenly that it caught Nolan off guard.
He instinctively opened the Affection Skill menu to check the details:
[Moonveil Tianquan: Automatically senses valuable items such as money and treasure within range and grants absolute control over them. Detection range (in meters) and control limit (level) are equal to the combined levels of you and Ningguang.]
(End of Chapter)
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