Genshin Impact: I Can Obtain Adventure EXP

"Alright, no problem."

Nolan grasped Hu Tao's fair hand, taking a moment to feel the warmth and softness, then gently pulled her in front of him.

Activating Spiritual Core once again, the faint glow of Spirituality landed on Hu Tao.

It didn't take long for Nolan to see which attribute she had acquired:

[Spiritual Core Attribute · Mischievous Spirit: This attribute only appears among intelligent beings. The bearer becomes more adept at all things mischievous and whimsical, and people are far less likely to grow annoyed at their antics.]

Mischievous Spirit?!" Hu Tao felt the new information flow into her mind. Her elegant brows arched upward, and she grit her teeth in frustration:

"What kind of weird attribute is that?! Is that how you see me—just some little troublemaker?!"

Without warning, she twisted around and grabbed Nolan's wrist, acting as if she were about to bite his arm!

"Stop right there!"

Nolan quickly pressed his other hand against her forehead. Her silky smooth hair under his palm gave him an urge to ruffle it.

Which, of course, he did—giving her head a playful rub as he said:

"Ahem, okay, yes, it's a pretty useless attribute, I admit. But hey, this isn't my fault! It's randomly assigned—I have no control over it.

"But don't worry, I still have enough Spirituality stored to try again. If this one doesn't work out, we'll try again tomorrow. I promise to get you a useful attribute eventually!"

"Hmph, that's more like it."

Hu Tao swatted his hand away in annoyance, then crossed her arms in a pouty stance.

"Hehe, alright then. Come here for a sec," Nolan said, spreading his arms.

"What for?" Hu Tao asked, confused.

"To grant a third attribute in a single day, I need to be hugged by a girl to recharge. It's part of the rules!" Nolan said with a dead-serious expression.

"Ugh, you shameless weirdo," Paimon muttered, utterly speechless. He really came up with a ridiculous excuse just to get hugged...

Yun Jin's fair cheeks flushed faintly pink.

Oh my… how could Mr. Nolan say something like that?

If he had made such a request of her just now… The thought alone made Yun Jin blush deeper, her mind clearly drifting into its own fantasies.

"You idiot, say something normal for once!" Lumine shot him a look of disdain and promptly pinched his cheek.

"Ow ow! I give, I give! I was just joking!" Nolan surrendered immediately, his words coming out garbled from the pinch.

Hu Tao, still standing with her arms crossed, couldn't help but show a trace of shyness on her delicate face.

Though she was usually bold and unrestrained, even letting Nolan hug her now and then with only token resistance, it was still different when she had to initiate it herself.

That required a kind of girlish modesty she wasn't used to expressing.

But after hesitating a moment and gazing at Nolan, she finally stepped forward with her square-toed little leather shoes, opened her arms, and embraced him.

Hmph, whatever. It's going to happen eventually anyway. Might as well let you get away with it this once!

[Hu Tao Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You Obtained 300 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (100/900)]

"Whoa! Hu Tao, you're so bold!" Paimon exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth as she watched Hu Tao hug Nolan.

Yun Jin, standing nearby, also slightly parted her lips in surprise.

An odd sourness welled up in her chest, and an unexpected thought crossed her mind: I… kind of want to do that too…

"Uh..."

Suddenly being hugged by a girl's soft body made Nolan forget all about the pain in his cheek from Lumine's pinch.

Without thinking, he naturally wrapped his arms around Hu Tao in return—and almost instinctively let his hand slide down toward her rear.

Two seconds passed.

Thump-thump-thump—Hu Tao's heartbeat quickened as she noticed something unusual. Her already-blushing face deepened in color.

Without a second thought, she chomped down on Nolan's neck in anger!

"—Tch! Ow! That hurts! Let go! Let go!" Nolan shouted in exaggerated surrender.

It didn't actually hurt that much. Given his strength, a bite like that felt about the same as a kiss.

He could feel the pain clearly—his senses were even sharper than most people's—but his endurance was far greater as well, so it didn't really bother him.

Still, he had to act like it hurt. That way, he looked pitiful, and Hu Tao would feel like she'd gotten her revenge and be more likely to let it go.

"Hmph! Bastard! Don't push your luck!"

Hu Tao glared at him angrily.

"You scoundrel!"

Whatever jealousy Yun Jin had been feeling instantly vanished. Now fully on Hu Tao's side, she denounced him without hesitation.

Paimon and Lumine both looked thoroughly disgusted.

"Ahem, let's just get back to what we were doing," Nolan quickly said, a bit embarrassed as he tried to change the subject.

"Hurry up!"

Hu Tao broke free from his embrace.

This time, Nolan didn't try anything funny. He activated Spiritual Core again and granted Hu Tao a new attribute:

[Spiritual Core Attribute · Prankster Queen: This attribute only appears among intelligent beings. The bearer can freely enter the "Prankster Queen" state, which lasts one hour. During this state, for every prank successfully pulled on a living being, the user gains a 0.1x increase in attack power. This effect can stack up to a maximum number equal to the user's current level.]

Oh? A state-type ability similar to Lumine's? Nolan absorbed the incoming feedback, thinking silently.

She could enter the "Prankster Queen" state for one hour at will. Every successful prank during that time granted a stackable buff: 0.1x attack power per prank.

With Hu Tao currently at Level 61—up one level from before—that meant she could stack the buff up to 61 times.

That added up to a whopping 6.1x attack power, which was seriously powerful and could be classified as a rare attribute.

The only downside was the difficult activation condition: performing 61 successful pranks in a single hour.

Even for a master prankster like Hu Tao, that might be a bit of a stretch.

"How is it? Is this attribute any good?"

Paimon asked curiously.

"Heh, well… I guess it's not too bad," Hu Tao said, explaining the attribute briefly to everyone.

With this new power, she'd be much stronger in the wild, and even powerful monsters wouldn't be a threat anymore.

Overall, she was quite satisfied.

[Hu Tao Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.9 (420/900)]

"Mmhm, that really does suit you," Yun Jin remarked, thinking back on all the times she'd been pranked by Hu Tao. That kind of mischief really was second nature to her.

Even her attribute matched her perfectly.

"Looks like anyone who messes with Hu Tao in the future is in for big trouble. A few pranks later, and not only will her mood improve—her strength will too. It'll be a breeze dealing with a certain idiot," Lumine said, shooting a pointed glance at Nolan.

Nolan awkwardly looked away, then noticed that most of the crew packing up outside had finished. They were likely ready to head to the Jade Chamber.

He turned to Yun Jin and said, "It's getting late. Let's head over to the Jade Chamber."

Hearing this, Yun Jin glanced out toward the stage and confirmed it as well.

She blinked her beautiful eyes, lined with red shadow, and said, "Alright, you all wait here for a moment. I'll go let Yun Ning know it's time for the group to head out."

With that, she turned and jogged off.

The intricate patterns on her violet dress swayed lightly with her movement, revealing fleeting glimpses of her thighs wrapped in violet tights.

…

9:30 AM

The Yunhan Troupe's convoy, loaded with various props, began making its way to the Jade Chamber. Nolan and the others were riding in one of the carriages.

As the wheels rumbled steadily along the road, both Yun Jin and Hu Tao were enthusiastically experimenting with their newly acquired attribute abilities.

Yun Jin's was relatively simple—she just needed to sing a few lines to get the hang of it.

Hu Tao's, however, was more of a hassle.

Her ability only worked when she successfully pulled off pranks.

And in the cramped space of the carriage, the only available targets were her current companions.

Which led to her sneakily releasing a little ghost to scare Paimon, untying the back of Lumine's long white sleeve when she wasn't paying attention, and even slipping her hand down the back of Nolan's collar when the moment struck.

Unsurprisingly, Hu Tao incited universal wrath.

This time, Nolan directly summoned two semi-transparent tendrils as thick as rope and tied both her hands and feet together. No one came to her aid.

She had no choice but to sit obediently in a corner, looking at them with a pitiful gaze.

"Ugh, this is so uncomfortable! Let me go already! I promise I won't prank you anymore!"

"Hmph! You tried to scare Paimon with a ghost? You can stay tied up and reflect on your actions until we reach the Jade Chamber!"

Paimon flew up to Hu Tao's face, hands on her hips as she lectured her.

Just then, the carriage bumped slightly—probably from hitting a stone on the road.

The others were fine, but Hu Tao, with her limbs tied and no way to balance herself, tipped over straight toward Nolan's side.

"Ow~!"

Her head bumped into his shoulder, and she let out a soft yelp without thinking.

"Oh? Looks like having your hands and feet tied really is a bit inconvenient. In that case… hmm, guess I'll just hold you like this."

Nolan smiled and picked Hu Tao up, settling her on his lap. His chest pressed against her back, his chin resting on her shoulder, and his arms wrapped around her waist in an unmistakably intimate pose.

"You! Taking advantage of someone when they're down—you're doing this on purpose!"

Hu Tao's pretty face flushed red, but she didn't resist.

Lumine and Paimon could only facepalm in exasperation. These two were beyond saving. Listening to Yun Jin rehearse her opera was much better than watching this pair flirt like idiots.

So, Lumine and Paimon focused their attention on Yun Jin's opera practice, completely ignoring the foolish couple beside them.

Meanwhile, Nolan kept close to Hu Tao's cheek, one arm wrapped around her waist.

And with his other hand, he gently caressed her smooth, snowy thigh where it extended beneath her shorts. This continued until, after about an hour, the carriage finally arrived at the Jade Chamber.

At this moment, the Jade Chamber was floating high in the sky. They needed to wait for the teleportation formation to be activated and bring them up.

Fortunately, this was already arranged—Ningguang had stationed personnel on the ground to activate the formation and teleport them up.

However, due to the number of people and props, they'd likely need to go up in batches.

This part was left to the Yunhan Troupe's manager, Yun Ning, while Nolan, Lumine, Paimon, Hu Tao and Yun Jin used Wind Gliders to fly up ahead.

Before long, they arrived at the upper platform of the Jade Chamber.

The area was brightly decorated with lanterns and festive ornaments, creating a cheerful atmosphere. In the center of the platform, a stage was being built—presumably for tonight's performance.

"Ah, Mr. Nolan, Miss Lumine, and also Paimon, Hu Tao, and Miss Yun Jin—you've all arrived quite early."

Ganyu was the one directing things here.

As graceful and composed as ever, she wore a white short qipao with an extended back hem, revealing a tight, backless black bodysuit beneath.

The slit along the side of her skirt revealed a teasing glimpse of her black silk stockings hugging her soft legs.

"Hehe, that's right! Is there anything we can help with?"

Paimon waved cheerfully at Ganyu.

"Ah, no, not at all. You're guests—how could I let you do any work?" Ganyu waved both hands to politely refuse, assuring them she could handle it.

"It's fine, we're friends. No need to be so formal," Lumine said with arms crossed and a shake of her head.

"Really, it's okay…"

Ganyu looked a bit troubled. She wasn't good at handling overly enthusiastic friends.

"Oh come on, Ganyu, don't turn them down. They're famous for being helpful. If you don't let them pitch in, they might not sleep tonight!"

Hu Tao spread her hands dramatically, as if she were stating a well-known fact.

Hey now, that's just excessive… Nolan gave her an exasperated look.

"Is that… really the case?" Ganyu seemed to take it seriously—likely because she genuinely thought that way too. "Well… then I'll leave it to you."

[Ganyu Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You Obtained 230 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.5 (30/500)]

Seeing the affection stat rise, Nolan suddenly felt fired up.

"Alright then! Just tell us what to do!"

Since they had nothing better to do after arriving early, helping set up the venue was fine with him.

"Okay. I actually have enough people, but since Miss Lumine is here, I thought it'd be best to build a temporary safety railing along the platform's edge. Just in case someone accidentally falls during the banquet."

Ganyu nodded thoughtfully.

"No problem! Lumine's a pro with Geo—building walls is her specialty!"

Paimon proudly patted her chest.

She looked so confident, it was as if she were the one doing it.

"Mm." Ganyu nodded in agreement and continued, "Then, Mr. Nolan, and Miss Hu Tao, could you head to the Jade Chamber's formation core and assist Shenhe with maintenance?"

"Heh, no problem at all." Hu Tao gave her own confident chest pat.

Even though she didn't know anything about formations. Well, neither did Nolan. But as long as Shenhe knew what she was doing, it'd be fine.

They could more or less guess Ganyu's real intention—it wasn't really about having them maintain the formation, just keeping Shenhe company.

"Let's all do our best. Once the stage is finished, I'll need to hurry and resume rehearsal," Yun Jin said with a smile of encouragement.

With everyone's tasks assigned, Lumine and Paimon stayed outside to build the temporary railing using elemental power.

Yun Jin continued rehearsing, while Nolan and Hu Tao headed deeper into the Jade Chamber.

Before finding Shenhe, though, they figured they should stop by to greet Ningguang first.

—

(End of Chapter)

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