Chapter 325: Chapter 325: The End (2-in-1 Chapter)
In the Dragonspine Mountains, at the Fatui camp.
The portal had already been set up, but "The Doctor," who hadn't yet left, gazed into the distance at the place where the dragon had been resurrected.
He could hardly believe that the fierce and brutal dragon hadn't fought against those people but had actually followed them instead!
This left him feeling frustrated.
After all his hard work, his achievement had been snatched away so easily. How could he not be angry?
Yet he wasn't foolish enough to seek trouble with those people again. He couldn't defeat them before, and now, with the addition of a dragon stronger than him, he stood no chance.
But that was fine; he'd find another opportunity to reclaim his losses in the future.
As a scholar, he had no shortage of patience.
"Hmph, let's go, fools."
"The Doctor" glanced at the Fatui soldiers behind him before stepping into the portal.
"Yes, sir!"
The Fatui soldiers followed without hesitation.
...
The starry, otherworldly portal opened in front of Nolan and Eula.
Before Nolan could go in and search, Amber, who had been anxiously waiting inside, rushed out as soon as she saw the "gate" appear.
"Nolan, are you hurt?" Amber asked with concern.
Facing "The Doctor" and so many Fatui alone—she couldn't help but worry.
"Of course I'm fine. Do I look hurt? Besides, we've already driven those Fatui away!" Nolan raised his arm, showing Amber that he was indeed uninjured.
"Phew, that's a relief!" Amber exhaled, patting her chest with a look of relief. Then, with a hint of annoyance, she expressed her discontent again. "Ugh, you meanie! Don't ever do that without asking me again!"
[Amber Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 7 (350/700)]
Seeing the increase in affection, Nolan knew Amber wasn't truly angry. Still, he sincerely apologized, "Alright, I'm sorry, Amber. I was just worried about your safety, so I had to ask you to hide."
He spread his hands as if to show he was acting purely out of instinct.
"Well, even if that's true… this time, I'll let it slide. But don't do it again!" Amber's fair cheeks flushed slightly. She wasn't sure how else to respond, so she forcefully ended the topic.
After all, she hadn't been of much help at the time.
"Hmph, you two are just going to talk to each other and ignore me? I'm remembering this grudge!" Eula, standing nearby, crossed her arms and said with a hint of jealousy.
"Hehe, sorry, Eula," Amber said with a sheepish smile, touching her hair.
She had noticed Eula, of course, but being in that star-filled space, unable to know what was happening outside, she had worried too much about Nolan and wanted to check on him first.
Eula gave a light "hmph," turning her head away, signaling that she wouldn't forgive them so easily.
Nolan looked at Eula's tsundere expression and found her utterly adorable. He thought for a moment and said:
"By the way, to ensure we have a way to escape in the future when things get dangerous, I have a gift for both of you."
He was referring to the "Waymark."
With the affection level Eula and Amber had for him, they likely wouldn't refuse. Nolan also wanted to use this chance to gain the ability to teleport to them.
That way, he could casually chat with them from afar to maintain connections and teleport over if needed, increasing their affection levels rapidly!
"What kind of gift?" Amber asked curiously.
Eula turned her head back to look at Nolan as well.
"A space transfer ability," Nolan briefly explained the "Interstellar Travel" skill.
"What? Such an amazing ability can be shared?" Amber's eyes widened with surprise.
"Of course it can. After all, I am quite impressive," Nolan said with a playful smile, producing two golden waymark in his hands and handing them to Amber and Eula.
"All you need to do is integrate them into your body," he said.
Amber and Eula exchanged glances. Although they were skeptical that it could be that simple to gain a space transfer ability, they trusted Nolan. He wouldn't harm them, so there was no reason not to try.
If they really could gain such an ability, it would be immensely beneficial to them. As Nolan had said, it could be a lifesaver in dangerous situations.
So, they pressed the two golden orbs of light into their chests.
Soon, both of them received feedback indicating that they had indeed gained the ability for spatial transfer and telepathic communication.
"It's real!" Amber's eyes sparkled with excitement.
They both tested it out, finding that they could indeed teleport to each other.
"Of course, it's real. Why would I lie to you?" Nolan said with a smile.
"Hmph, this gift isn't bad. Since that's the case, I'll reluctantly forgive you for ignoring me earlier," Eula said with a proud tilt of her chin, exposing her fair neck.
[Eula Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 285 points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 7 (90/700)]
"Hehe, thank you for the gift!" Amber said happily to Nolan.
[Amber Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 250 points. Current Affection Level: Lv. 7 (600/700)]
"It's nothing. Anyway, we should hurry up and look for the snow boars. It's getting even darker," Nolan said, pleased that their affection had increased.
Sharing the "Interstellar Travel" ability with Amber and Eula had taken a bit of time, but now it was time to set out, lest they return empty-handed and have nothing to feed the dragon.
"Alright, let's go," Eula said, moving her long legs clad in over-the-knee heeled boots, heading down the mountain to where snow boars often appeared.
As they walked, Eula explained to Amber what had happened after Nolan had sent her into the "Wonderland" to hide.
Amber was amazed when she learned that the dragon Durin had actually been persuaded to leave by Albedo.
Are all alchemists that impressive?
It seemed so. No matter the world, the potential of knowledgeable people was always high. Nolan nodded to himself.
The next period of time passed as they searched.
Even though it was late and most snow boars had already returned to their dens, Nolan used his mental energy to search a wide area and soon found some.
To ensure Durin would have enough to eat, they captured five snow boars.
Once they felt they had enough, Nolan asked Eula to use her Cryo abilities to make a large box capable of holding all five boars, which he then carried back to Albedo's camp in the snowy mountains.
Why go through such trouble instead of simply placing them in the "Wonderland"?
Well, Nolan intended the "Wonderland" as a place for people, and if these boars were to soil it, that would be unacceptable to him.
Albedo's camp in the snowy mountains.
The sizable form of the dragon Durin lay outside the cave, yawning in boredom and occasionally rubbing its stomach, wondering when its brother's friends would return with food.
Grr—
True to its nature as a dragon, even the sound of its stomach growling resembled the beating of a drum.
Carrying the makeshift "icebox" and returning to the camp, Nolan spotted the dark form of Durin from afar and thought to himself.
"Wow, that's the dragon, Durin. It really is terrifying!" Amber said, covering her mouth in surprise.
Her legs, clad in white over-the-knee boots, hesitated a bit as she walked forward. She was somewhat afraid to approach, worried that Durin might suddenly become aggressive like the Stormterror she'd once seen.
"Don't worry. With Albedo here, it should be fine," Nolan reassured her.
"I'm not scared, alright? It's just that seeing a dragon up close for the first time is a bit… disorienting," Amber glared at him.
"Haha, sure, sure!" Nolan laughed, surprised to see Amber's tsundere side. Was she learning this from Eula?
"You're back!" Durin raised its head excitedly upon hearing them approach. "Did you bring food?"
"Of course, we did."
Nolan walked up to Durin and placed the "icebox" containing the snow boars on the ground.
Thud!
The box was so heavy that when it hit the ground, it caused a significant rumble, shaking loose some of the snow on the nearby mountainside.
Luckily, an avalanche did not occur.
"What is this?" the dragon Durin curiously asked as it looked at the snow boars inside the "icebox."
"Uh, don't you know?" Nolan was initially puzzled but then understood. He wasn't sure if Durin had ever seen pigs before, and since it had just recently "been born," it made sense that it wouldn't recognize them.
"These are snow boars, animals that live in the mountains," Nolan explained.
But he didn't expect this to trigger a barrage of questions akin to a "mental attack."
Durin's mind was indeed like that of a six- or seven-year-old child, transforming into a relentless "Why Machine."
After explaining snow boars, Durin asked what animals were. After explaining animals, it asked why they needed to eat animals, whether animals tasted good, and if there were motionless animals.
Nolan felt as if even ten brains wouldn't be enough; it was more exhausting than multitasking while controlling the "Sword God."
Finally, unable to take it anymore, he hurriedly brought Albedo out from the camp to handle it himself.
Nolan then extended translucent threads, grabbing the snow boars and skillfully butchering them using expert swordsmanship, after which Amber used her Pyro abilities to roast all five at once.
With her precise control over the heat, the barbecue turned out perfect.
"Tasty, tasty, snow boar is so delicious! I want to eat snow boar every day from now on!" Durin exclaimed joyfully as the dinner commenced at the snowy camp. The dragon devoured most of the dish Nolan had named "Five-Blessing Roasted Boar."
Out of the five boars, four and a half disappeared into Durin's stomach.
Nolan and the others couldn't even finish half a boar combined; after all, human appetites paled in comparison to a dragon's.
A satisfied Durin soon fell into a drowsy slumber.
Nolan and the others remained by the fire. After a moment of thought, he turned to the handsome youth and asked, "Albedo, what's your plan going forward?"
He glanced at Durin, sleeping outside the cave.
Amber and Eula were also interested in Albedo's response. Despite Durin's current harmless appearance, it was still a dragon, and its future behavior was uncertain.
Albedo was silent for a long time before replying, "I've already gathered information. The only thing Durin remembers is our mother, and even its name was something I told it just now.
"Its current mind is similar to when my master first 'created' it. If left unsupervised, there is indeed a risk of it losing control.
"So, I plan to let it live in the mountains for now and teach it to discern good and evil in humans, what it can and cannot do. This should reduce the risk of it losing control and endangering people.
"At the same time, I will study it to see if its body has any flaws and try to find solutions if necessary. This is partly for my own reasons."
As a fellow creation of the "Gold" Rhinedottir, Albedo was wary of the possibility that he, too, might lose control one day.
If researching Durin could help him identify any issues within himself, it would be worthwhile.
So far, he had found nothing problematic when studying himself.
Logically, the risk of losing control should be low.
But with Durin's precedent, Albedo couldn't help but overthink and feel concerned.
"That sounds like a good plan. It's best to keep Durin from wandering too far until its mind matures to avoid any disasters," Nolan agreed with Albedo's approach.
The mountains had few adventurers, so as long as they kept an eye on Durin, no major problems should arise.
With Albedo's detailed explanation, Amber and Eula had no objections either.
"If that's settled, we'll head back now. We need to report the situation to Acting Grand Master Jean," Amber said, standing up and patting the back of her brown shorts.
"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you could keep my identity a secret. I don't want too many people to know," Albedo added with a nod.
"Your identity? Is there something unusual about it, Albedo?" Amber's red bunny-ear accessory swayed slightly, signaling her confusion.
Could it be that Albedo didn't want people to know that Durin was created by his master? Was he worried about people coming to trouble him?
"Haha, don't worry Amber. Let's not make things difficult for Albedo. He just said he didn't want too many people to know. He's not secretly a villain or anything," Nolan said, pulling Amber along.
When Eula had recounted what happened earlier to Amber, she hadn't mentioned that Albedo, like Durin, was an artificial creation. After all, Albedo had declared it was his secret.
"Alright," Amber said. Though still curious, she knew Albedo was a trusted comrade and not a villain, so she dropped the matter.
It was already late when Nolan checked his pocket watch; it was exactly 8:00 PM.
The darkness made it difficult to travel, and the distance from the Dragonspine to Mondstadt was great. Even flying would take several hours. Hence, Nolan decided to use "Interstellar Travel" to teleport back.
Fischl and Mona were home, making it convenient.
(End of Chapter)
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