Fontaine, the Court of Fontaine.
After the spread of the Akasha Interconnected Network, it wasn't uncommon to see pedestrians on the streets wearing Akasha terminals resembling headsets.
Nolan was on his way to the House of the Hearth.
Just as he stepped onto the stairs, preparing to head up to the street above, the space ahead suddenly twisted into a hollow as deep as the starry sky.
A woman stepped out from within.
She had silver-white long hair reaching down to her calves, dark crimson eyes that looked rather calm, and wore a halter-style black backless bodysuit underneath.
On the outside, a short white skirt-tail decoration extended downward from her chest, making her overall appearance look more like she was wearing a dress.
Her hands were clad in long gloves with a gradient resembling the starry sky.
Her legs were similar—she wore over-the-knee high-heeled boots with a top-to-bottom gradient, fading from light to deep purple like the cosmos, while her thighs revealed fair, snow-white skin.
She appeared suddenly and blocked his path, clearly having come specifically for him.
Nolan was one hundred percent certain he didn't know her. She also felt quite strong—but she didn't seem to be the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Aside from being slightly different from Lumine's description, he had already seen the Sustainer's appearance back when the game's main story began. Looking at the woman before him, Nolan asked with some confusion:
"Um… hello. May I ask what this is about?"
No matter who she was, he shouldn't have had any dealings with her up to this point.
"Hello. My name is Skirk." The silver-haired woman introduced herself in a flat tone, then explained why she had come.
"A while ago, I lost track of time while cultivating in seclusion and accidentally let my master's pet escape. Following the trail of its power, I arrived in this country.
"In the end, I heard from the locals that a certain legendary adventurer defeated a Devouring Whale. Do you know where that whale is now?"
"All Devouring Whale?"
Nolan glanced at Skirk's gloves and high-heeled boots. Come to think of it, the colors of her gloves and boots really did resemble that whale.
It seemed very likely that the whale Skirk mentioned was indeed the All-Devouring Narwhal he had sold.
What truly surprised him, though, was that the All-Devouring Narwhal was actually the pet of Skirk's master—that was quite unexpected.
As for how she learned from others that he had defeated the All-Devouring Narwhal, Nolan wasn't surprised at all.
Mainly for the sake of gathering "Spirituality," he often asked Acting Grand Master Jean, Ningguang, Nahida, and Yae Miko to help publicize his deeds.
Whether it was driving off Stormterror, defeating ancient Ancient Gods, or defeating the All-Devouring Narwhal in Fontaine, all of it had been briefly publicized on the Akasha Interconnected Network.
As a result, many people across the various nations knew that Nolan had defeated the All-Devouring Narwhal in Fontaine.
Even if Skirk didn't log into the Akasha Interconnected Network, she could easily learn about such things just by asking around.
Although it was unexpected that the disciple of the whale's owner had come looking for him, Nolan had no intention of denying it.
After all, the whale was at fault first. Defeating it was justice, pure and simple.
The nature of the incident was much like Skirk walking her dog down the street, getting distracted for a moment, and the dog running off to bite someone—only to be beaten to death in retaliation.
Although Nolan had sold the whale afterward, no matter how one looked at it, it wasn't his fault. If anything, the blame lay with Skirk—for failing to keep an eye on the pet.
After a moment of thought, Nolan nodded lightly and said:
"Some time ago, I did subdue a whale that was wreaking havoc in Fontaine. It had a single horn, and its skin was the same color as your boots—very distinctive, like a fragment cut from the starry sky.
"I'm not sure if it's the one you're talking about."
"Then it should be the same one. That whale came from beyond this world—Teyvat itself would never give birth to such a creature. On this continent, there is only one of its kind. Please tell me where it is now."
Skirk said calmly.
"Unfortunately, I've already sold it. As for its current condition, I don't know," Nolan said, shaking his head.
"Sold it? As long as it isn't dead, that's fine. Can you take me to see the buyer? I'd like to buy it back."
Skirk folded her arms, a trace of surprise flashing through her dark crimson eyes.
The All-Devouring Narwhal was already in Ruan Mei's hands. As a scholar of the life sciences, it was perfectly normal for her to study a creature—drawing blood, performing dissections, and so on.
However, considering the rarity of the All-Devouring Narwhal, even Ruan Mei wouldn't be able to find a second one anytime soon. Its life should be safe for the time being.
That said, Nolan had already sold the All-Devouring Narwhal, with Ruan Mei using the flawless separation of Focalors's Authority as payment.
The transaction was complete—goods and payment settled.
If Nolan were to push subsequent trouble onto her now, it would be rather shameless. As Ningguang would put it, that would mean losing the most basic credibility as a merchant.
So he shook his head and said,
"I'm sorry, Miss Skirk. That whale nearly brought a nation-ending disaster to this country. As you said yourself, it escaped because you failed to keep an eye on it.
"If I let you take it back, there's no guarantee it won't escape again next time. So please allow me to refuse."
Skirk looked at Nolan. After a long moment, she let out a soft sigh.
"You're not wrong. It's just that it wasn't deliberately trying to destroy this country. By the time it entered Teyvat, it had already become a vessel for a certain fate."
A vessel of fate—she was probably referring to the prophecy crisis. Indeed, even without the All-Devouring Narwhal, some other cause would have arisen sooner or later; the prophecy would have happened regardless.
But that still didn't excuse Skirk's failure to properly watch over the whale.
"Even so, that's simply how it is," Nolan said, shaking his head again. Since the whale had endangered others' safety, there was nothing more to say about it being captured.
"Alright. It did make a mistake, after all," Skirk admitted. She was clearly in the wrong, and it seemed there was no proper way to retrieve the whale.
She looked at Nolan, thought for a moment, and then said,
"That All-Devouring Narwhal is very important to me. Failing to keep watch over it was indeed my fault, but I still hope to take it back.
"If I must, I'll have to resort to some… impolite methods."
In truth, when the All-Devouring Narwhal went missing, she should have sensed it. Most likely, the prophecy crisis affecting this nation had interfered.
But since it had already happened, there was nothing to be done. She wouldn't deny that it was her negligence.
"Oh? You want to fight?" Nolan's eyes gradually turned golden as he looked calmly at Skirk.
[Level: 125]
[Skirk: Disciple of "The Foul" Surtalogi, master of the Fatui Harbinger "Childe" Tartaglia, wielder of transcendent power from beyond the world, and a master of countless martial arts.]
Her level was actually far higher than even top-tier Archons like Ei. And she was Childe's master, no less.
And her own master was called "The Foul"—just hearing that title made him sound like some terrifying hidden figure.
Teyvat's waters really did run deep.
(End of Chapter)
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