I, Noelle, Persuade With Reason! [8]

Noelle sat on a chair outside the Good Hunter restaurant, taking a Sunsetia from her backpack and nibbling on it.

The lights at the Goth Grand Hotel were still on. The place was packed with Fatui—staying up so late, they were definitely up to something.

Noelle was genuinely curious about the legendary Harbinger, “La Signora.” After all, she was the one who’d torn out Venti’s [Gnosis]. Still, Noelle wouldn’t act rashly; dragging Jean into a mess was the last thing she wanted.

Speaking of Venti, where was that slacker hiding tonight? Up in the Windrise tree, maybe?

Judging by the deal between Rex Lapis and La Signora, maybe Venti had let her steal his [Gnosis] on purpose?

And what about Diluc? Where was Mondstadt’s so-called “Darknight Hero” tonight?

Of course, Noelle didn’t know that Diluc was currently standing atop a distant rooftop, secretly watching her every move.

Lost in these idle musings, Noelle finished her Sunsettia, but still no one showed up.

Bored, she leaned back and gazed at the stars. If she looked closely, she could actually make out a few constellations—Amber’s bunny, Barbara’s chalice, and her own shield.

But no matter how hard she searched, there was no sign of the familiar Big Dipper, or any of the zodiac constellations.

As I thought—a strange, unfamiliar sky. Maybe this world really is just a fabrication…

Noelle was deeply interested in the truth behind Teyvat, and she knew that the journey of Aether and Lumine would one day stir up a storm across the continent. She found herself more and more eager for Lumine’s arrival.

Half an hour passed, and Noelle was starting to feel sleepy. Maybe nothing else was going to happen tonight. She decided to call it and head home to sleep.

But just as she stood, a creepy, echoing laugh rang out overhead.

Noelle looked up—sure enough, an Abyss Mage hovered in the air.

“You—hmm?” Noelle started to greet him, but suddenly spotted another figure by the fountain.

“This way~” A robed woman with a lamp strode over with a peculiar gait, several Electro Cicins buzzing around her.

Both the Fatui and the Abyss Order at once? Now things are getting interesting. Noelle stepped toward the Electro Cicin Mage. She didn’t want to fight right outside Good Hunter; any damage would be troublesome.

“Yay, are you coming to play with me?” The Electro Cicin Mage stepped back, her excitement crackling into arcs of lightning.

“Yeah, you’ve caught my interest.” Noelle answered honestly, drawing her weapon the [Debate Club].

In the game, an Electro Cicin Mage would always cry, “Look at me… one more time…” before dying—so sad and lonely it had always stuck with Noelle. She’d always wanted to catch one and have a real conversation.

“Is that so? Well, if we’re going to play, let’s invite more friends! Hahaha!” The mage grew even more excited, dancing with joy as she tossed a handful of Mist Grass pollen and summoned a few more Cicins.

Strangely, Noelle didn’t feel much hostility from her at all. Maybe the Electro Cicin Mage really was just “playing”?

Noelle didn’t answer, quietly activating her [Breastplate] as she prepared to capture the mage for interrogation.

The two girls were “chatting happily,” which seemed to annoy the Abyss Mage watching from above. He swooped down, shrieking at Noelle not to ignore him in favor of the Cicin Mage.

Noelle spared him a glance—still found the mage easier on the eyes. If she took off that hat and mask, maybe she’d even look like a softer version of Sucrose?

The Abyss Mage stamped his feet in the air in frustration, then, fed up, gathered a ball of ice and launched it straight at Noelle.

But to his shock, the ice ball didn’t shatter Noelle’s geo shield. In fact, it didn’t do anything at all, simply popping like a bubble.

The mage raised his hands in confusion, thinking maybe he’d messed up the spell. He formed a bigger ice ball and hurled it at Noelle again.

Same result—the ice powder fizzled out, and Noelle didn’t budge an inch.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Noelle checked her shield—still solid as ever.

Unlike in the game, she could now use her [Vision] to keep channeling geo energy into her shield, maintaining it as long as she wished, and even letting it steadily inflict damage while soaking up more attacks.

After feeling out the mage’s attacks, Noelle was relieved—this Abyss Mage wasn’t all that strong.

Then again, it made sense. In real Teyvat, there was no “world level” to crank up, so the strength gap between creatures was huge.

A regular hilichurl was maybe as tough as a strong human, while an Abyss Mage was about equal to a [Vision]-holder—a top-tier monster. No wonder they dared to strut into Mondstadt and pick a fight.

Too bad for him, he’d picked the wrong target.

When the Abyss Mage realized things weren’t going his way, he started to panic. He hurled over a dozen ice balls, but still couldn’t even crack Noelle’s shield—a first for him.

Meanwhile, the Electro Cicin Mage was catching on, too. She’d thought Noelle was just another naïve girl who’d gotten on the Fatui’s bad side—[Vision] or no [Vision], nothing to worry about, and not even a full Knight yet. Who would’ve thought Noelle was hiding such power?

Cicin Mages might act crazy on the surface, but it was only because they had strength to back it up. When faced with real danger, their brains worked just fine.

No, I need to warn La Signora—Noelle is dangerous!

Flustered, the Cicin Mage’s steps grew awkward—gone was her proud gait, replaced by nervous, shuffling steps as she tried to retreat from Noelle.

Noelle saw through her anxiety and felt even more reassured. If this mage were truly strong, why would she run?

“Where are you off to, Miss?” Noelle called with interest.

The Electro Cicin Mage forced a few laughs, guiding her cicins to swarm around her protectively.

“Ah… um, I just couldn’t sleep, so I came out to play. But since you and the Abyss Mage have your own beef, I’ll just leave you two to it, bye now!” she stammered, trying to make her escape.

No sooner had she finished than she blinked away to the corner, putting more distance between them.

But she barely had time to relax before Noelle lunged forward with a burst of speed, closing the gap in an instant.

“Goodnight.” Noelle pulled her punch as much as she could, landing a blow to the mage’s stomach.

The Electro Cicin Mage’s vision went dark; she didn’t even have time to lament her fate before she collapsed into Noelle’s arms.

Noelle quickly checked—thankfully, her strength was well-controlled. The mage was still alive, just unconscious.

With one enemy down, Noelle turned to the Abyss Mage, who was now frozen in midair.

“Your turn.”

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T/N: aura farming smh

This is a fan translation of 我，诺艾尔，以理服人！ by 暗香浮动 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!