Herta Space Station, Simulated Universe.
Nolan continued trying, without pause, to seize control of the Path of "The Hunt," and in the end, he finally drew the attention of "Lan."
A beam of light-arrow descended from beyond the world itself. Before Nolan even had time to look up, the entire forest planet vanished into cosmic space along with it.
Staring at the test-completion screen, Nolan took off his glasses and looked helplessly at Herta.
"Looks like these Aeons are all pretty short-tempered. One disagreement and it's straight to violence. This time I didn't even get to see them."
Nolan felt a bit regretful. Last time, at least he had caught a glimpse of the Aeon of Preservation. This time, he was clearly stronger, yet didn't even get to see the Aeon's face.
He was actually quite curious about the Aeon of the Hunt.
"This was within my expectations. Compared to humanity's limited understanding, beings like Aeons are simply far too vast.
"Even if you're infinitely close to an Aeon, as long as you haven't truly reached that level, you're no different from grains of sand by the roadside.
"When stepping onto a Path, being able to vaguely sense a glance cast from countless light-years away is already the only point of contact between humans and Aeons."
Herta shook her head. She had anticipated this outcome as well.
"Well, figures. No wonder this is a project that requires several geniuses working together—even the testing is this difficult."
Nolan sighed lightly.
"Even though you didn't meet an Aeon, it's not as though there were no gains," Herta said, crossing her arms, clearly in a good mood.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Nolan asked curiously.
"Since those Aeons won't pay attention to ordinary lifeforms, then next time we test, we'll simply set your identity as an Aeon.
"As a fellow Aeon, no matter what, the chances of attracting other Aeons will be much higher."
Herta parted her small, soft lips and explained with confidence.
"Setting my identity as an Aeon… But aren't there already Aeons in the Simulated Universe? No matter which one I choose, wouldn't it be easy to see through?" Nolan asked, puzzled. After all, if there were two identical Aeons, one of them had to be fake.
"You're right. However, the Simulated Universe also simulates historical events. A thousand years ago, the Aeon of 'Trailblaze,' Akivili, fell for unknown reasons.
"This is also reflected in the Simulated Universe. So at present, Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze, does not exist within it."
Herta slightly raised her head, looking up at Nolan, who was much taller than her, and continued with a faint smile:
"Next time, you just need to appear under the identity of the fallen Akivili. No matter what, it's bound to spark their curiosity. At that point, you should at least be able to exchange a few words."
"That does sound like a pretty good idea." Nolan pinched his chin and thought it over, feeling that this approach was indeed viable.
"Mm. Setting Akivili as your identity will require some additional maintenance on the Simulated Universe as well. You've worked hard today—remember to come back on time tomorrow."
Herta smoothly took out her phone and sent Nolan another "Herta Bond." After all, when asking someone to do work, it wouldn't do to withhold compensation.
[Herta Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 720 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (220/700)]
Seeing his affection increase again, Nolan felt delighted. This was far more useful than any other kind of reward.
Once her affection reached max level in the future, wouldn't everything Herta owned effectively become "marital property"?
Whatever Nolan wanted, Herta surely wouldn't refuse.
So compared to the "Herta Bonds," he was much happier about Herta's rising affection toward him—and, as expected.
After obtaining Kitsune Saiguu's affection skill that made it easier to gain affection, each increase now basically reached around seven hundred points.
Very nice.
Speaking of which, Nolan was also quite interested in the many curios Herta collected—mainly because he wanted her to store them somewhere else.
After all, with so many curios, aside from the small portion she was actively researching, the vast majority were just sitting idle.
In that case, storing them in his Wonderland Space would not only expand the space itself but also grant additional spatial traits.
That was far more useful than keeping them on the Herta Space Station.
Whenever research on a specific curio was needed, they could simply retrieve it from the Wonderland Space. After all, the number of scholars on the space station was limited—it was impossible to research all curios simultaneously.
This way, his Wonderland Space could expand dramatically in one go.
At present, the area of his Wonderland Space had already exceeded sixteen hundred square meters, mostly expanded through the treasures that the girls had collected in their daily lives.
Among them, the Shogun, Nahida, and Ningguang had contributed the most treasures. The first two ruled entire nations, while the latter, though only one of the Qixing, possessed an enormous amount of Mora.
As a result, she was also able to acquire many valuable items.
The other girls also kept an eye out and helped collect treasures in their spare time. This sense of everyone working together made Nolan feel very good.
After the test ended, Nolan left the Herta Space Station and returned to the Wonderland Space. At this moment, it was 3:30 a.m. in Teyvat time.
There were still several hours before everyone woke up, so Nolan could continue resting.
Of course, before resting, there was something more important to do. He opened his character panel to check his Adventure EXP:
[Adventure EXP: 107,515,303]
Last time, when he reached level 180 in testing, he had farmed over fifty million Adventure EXP. This time, he had gained over seventy million.
Adding the twenty-plus million left over from the previous level-up, the total exceeded one hundred million—enough for him to level up several times in a row!
With his current training progress also exceeding two million, a quick calculation showed that just over one hundred and five million Adventure EXP would allow him to level up three times consecutively. It was almost perfect.
Increasing his strength was something that couldn't wait. Without hesitation, Nolan dumped a massive amount of Adventure EXP into leveling up:
Adventure EXP −105,989,496
Lv125 (2,010,504 / 35,000,000) → Lv128 (0 / 38,000,000)
The immense energy from leveling up three times in succession surged through his body, placing him in an extremely comfortable state.
Both his cells and soul underwent frenzied transformation, granting Nolan another substantial leap in strength.
The price was that the Adventure EXP on his character panel were reduced to just over one million:
---
Name: Nolan Walker
Level: Lv128 (0 / 38,000,000)
Race: Human
Titles: Honorary Knight, Distinguished Citizen of Liyue, Legendary Adventurer, Honorary General of Watatsumi Island, Sumeru Sage, Prince of Fontaine, Deputy to the Raiden Shogun
Innate Talent: Entangling Affection
Skills:
- Lumine's Musou · World Lv.10 ( Void Starsea Manifestation)
- Flowing Sky Shot: Arcane Level Lv.10 (Frostglow Arrow)
Specialties:
- Beloved by Maidens (Exclusive)
- Unmoving Gospel of the World Tree (Exclusive)
- Threads of the Northern Wind (Exclusive)
- Spiritual Core (Exclusive)
- Imaginary Energy
- Drifter of the Imaginary Sea
Adventure EXP: 1,525,807
---
But it wasn't a problem. The next time he went in for testing, his Adventure EXP would rise rapidly again—especially if the gains were as large as this time.
If nothing unexpected happened, he should be able to reach level 130 and select another racial specialty once more.
Nolan, carrying a trace of anticipation, prepared to head to a room to rest—but not his own room. Instead, he went to Kitsune Saiguu's room.
He couldn't fall asleep without holding a girl.
And since he had just begun to grow intimate with Kitsune Saiguu, these past few days naturally required being even closer. He couldn't let her think that after being close with her, he would simply neglect her.
Nolan arrived at Kitsune Saiguu's room and gently twisted the doorknob—it opened at once.
As expected, at this hour she was already asleep. Nolan climbed onto the bed, lifted the blanket, and was about to lie down when he realized that Kitsune Saiguu slept without wearing any clothes.
Her snow-white body lay on her side, her legs tightly pressed together, gently rubbing against her right hand, as though she were having some kind of strange dream.
Coincidentally, ever since becoming lovers with Fischl, Nolan himself had grown fond of sleeping without clothes as well.
Holding a girl while sleeping, bodies pressed together, feeling each other's warmth and softness—without interfering with rest, yet remaining in cultivation the entire time—
It was a truly wonderful thing.
Nolan took off his clothes and slipped under the blanket. Just as he turned slightly and leaned closer, Kitsune Saiguu moved over and pressed against him.
He gently lifted her leg and wrapped his arm around her as well.
Before long, several hours passed. When Kitsune Saiguu woke up, she found that she had fallen asleep sprawled atop Nolan, the two of them tightly pressed together.
So last night wasn't a dream after all… Kitsune Saiguu's fair cheeks flushed slightly.
She hadn't expected that after experiencing closeness, her body would become so fond of it—so much so that even in her dreams, she was cultivating with this man.
As the thought crossed her mind, Kitsune Saiguu felt her body heat up again. She didn't suppress her instincts.
She gently propped herself up, lifting the hips that were kneeling astride Nolan. Her snow-white thighs, which had been pressed together along with her shapely calves, slowly parted slightly.
Bracing herself with both hands gripping the bedsheets, Kitsune Saiguu slowly sat down again, her fair, soft calves and thighs pressing together once more.
Half an hour later, when Nolan woke up, he saw Kitsune Saiguu exhausted, lying against his chest and breathing softly.
He smiled, rolled over to pin her beneath him, and continued cultivating.
Another half hour passed before the two of them went to the hot spring bathhouse to wash up, then headed to the hall to prepare for breakfast.
The next test of the "Simulated Universe" would take place in the morning at the Herta Space Station—which corresponded to the early hours of dawn in Teyvat.
Therefore, during the day, Nolan planned to help Focalors become familiar with the Wonderland Space, and at the same time let her get to know the other girls.
Her affection toward him was already close to max level. Spending more time together and showing more care should be enough.
Nolan went to Focalors' room and knocked on the door. As expected, she was already awake and opened it.
He looked at her and said,
"Breakfast is ready. Come eat with us—and get to know everyone while you're at it."
"Mm, thank you."
Focalors nodded.
Since they were living together, it was only natural to get familiar with one another. She didn't see any issue with that.
Seeing Focalors come over, everyone greeted her warmly. The girls had long since learned about Focalors' situation from Nolan.
So there were plenty of topics to talk about.
After breakfast, everyone chatted casually for a while. Before they realized it, it was already noon. Soon, the afternoon passed as well, and after further familiarizing themselves with the Wonderland Space, evening arrived.
Although Nolan stayed by Focalors' side, it was mostly the girls chatting with him while he simply accompanied them. As a result, he didn't gain any affection for the time being.
It seemed he could only continue working on that tomorrow.
That night, he continued cultivating with Kitsune Saiguu. By the time it reached the early hours of the morning, Nolan once again teleported to the Herta Space Station.
Herta was already waiting early in her office.
Uh… well, she did keep a puppet stationed here at all times.
As soon as Nolan arrived, she urged him to begin testing. This time, his identity in the "Simulated Universe" was no longer that of an ordinary person, but that of the "Trailblaze" Aeon, Akivili.
Of course, it was still his own appearance—the identity was merely a setting.
However, after maintenance and the addition of Akivili's identity to him, everyone within the Simulated Universe who recognized him would treat him as the genuine Akivili.
Even so, Nolan still had to choose a Path and slowly level up.
At present, he only possessed the identity of the Trailblaze Aeon. His actual strength was still that of an ordinary person. If he wanted to attract the attention of other Aeons, he would first need to increase his power.
This time, he appeared on yet another planet.
There were no mines, no forests—this was a highly modernized world, filled with towering skyscrapers.
However, it was already extremely dilapidated, looking much like ruins.
According to Herta's explanation, this was the Costa Civilization, home to a species with smooth bodies and skin that looked almost like jelly.
They were humanoid in shape, but their limbs and heads were bald and slick, truly resembling gelatinous beings.
This civilization had yet to develop to the point of entering outer space when disaster struck. All life on the planet was infected by a virus, turning them into "zombies."
By the time someone in the universe discovered this planet, the civilization here had already been extinct for over a hundred years, leaving behind only dangerous "zombies."
The Interastral Peace Corporation came to investigate the truth, and unsurprisingly, it was the work of a "Stellaron."
Based on the conditions of this world, the Stellaron guided certain scientists to develop a "zombie virus," triggering a catastrophe that wiped out the civilization.
That was all there was to it.
After retrieving the Stellaron, the Corporation left without dealing with the zombies. After all, there was no way to revert them back into normal lifeforms.
Cleaning them up would require manpower and resources, and the planet itself had no particularly valuable resources—so it was simply abandoned.
This was the most appropriate choice.
Unless one day a method were developed to reverse the zombie virus and restore the planet's life to normal.
Only then would the planet regain value, and the Corporation would definitely step in to save them—at the cost, unsurprisingly, of future service to the Corporation.
Becoming a resource planet, or something along those lines.
Unfortunately, this was a disaster caused by a Stellaron. Reversing the zombie virus wouldn't be simple.
Because it wasn't merely a matter of scientific research—it also involved the power of the Stellaron.
Even if it could be resolved, the resources required would likely exceed those needed to simply wipe them out and let the planet give birth to new life.
The Corporation wasn't even willing to clean them up, so it was obvious they wouldn't engage in such a losing transaction.
This time, Nolan's method of growth was to eliminate them for progression. Compared to the prey on the previous forest planet, the zombies here were far more numerous. Without a doubt, the Adventure EXP gained would be no less than last time!
(End of Chapter)
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +25 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +400 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌