I, Noelle, Persuade With Reason! [2]

The hilichurl crouched in the corner, clutching an apple with both hands. He took tiny, careful bites, chewing slowly, as if even the slightest sound might attract the attention of the others.

So when Noelle’s voice sounded behind him, he startled violently, scrambling to his feet. The apple slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. He turned around stiffly, looking for all the world like a student caught playing with his phone in class.

Noelle couldn’t help but laugh at the hilichurl’s reaction. She examined the mask it wore, feeling a sudden urge to lift it for a look underneath.

Only now did the hilichurl realize that the one who’d startled him wasn’t a companion, but a human girl. Instantly, he let out a breath of relief.

Wait—human?!

The hilichurl’s brief relaxation was replaced by fresh tension. The shaman had warned them: be wary of humans!

He prepared to call for his fellow hilichurls, but before he could, the girl spoke again.

“Celi dada, mimi nunu.”

The hilichurl froze, lowering the wooden club he’d just raised.

Noelle waited a few seconds, but when he didn’t respond, she tried again: “Ye dada.”

This time, the hilichurl suddenly waved his hands in delight, babbling words Noelle couldn’t understand.

Noelle quickly took out pen and paper, jotting down every syllable. She planned to bring them back for Ella, the scholar who studied hilichurlian.

Once she’d recorded everything, Noelle tried saying, “Muhe ye.” As expected, the hilichurl began to dance with excitement, humming a tune and tossing out more unfamiliar words.

Noelle wrote it all down—this was valuable data for hilichurl research.

She wasn’t a scholar, but she was fascinated by hilichurls too. Savage and impulsive, yet with their own language and the know-how to raise livestock and build homes—there were so many mysteries about these humanoid tribes.

I really don’t want to get swept up in the wars between gods, humans, archons, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, or the Abyss. I need to understand this world—so familiar, yet so strange—on a deeper level.

Unfortunately, Noelle only knew a handful of hilichurlian phrases. After a few exchanges, she ran out of things to say, so she switched tactics: simply repeating whatever the hilichurl said while diligently noting it all down.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, the somewhat slow-witted hilichurl stopped dancing. He began circling around Noelle, voice growing agitated—clearly suspicious. He even raised his club again, showing signs of aggression.

Noelle remained unphased, steadily repeating and recording every new word, feeling this little detour had been worth it.

Suddenly, the hilichurl barked something harsh and guttural—“#￥@!” Noelle echoed it back, and the hilichurl immediately flew into a rage, yelling, “Ya yika!” and swinging his club in a sneak attack.

The other hilichurls, roused from their dancing and sleeping, shouted in unison—“ya!”—and rushed over.

Noelle reacted instantly, summoning her [Breastplate] to form a sturdy geo shield around herself. The hilichurls pummeled her with everything they had, but she didn’t take a scratch. Instead, their frenzied attacks just got them hurt by the swirling geo energy, each blow drawing more yelps and bizarre cries.

They kept up their wild assault, but when it became clear they couldn’t so much as crack Noelle’s shield—and they were only injuring themselves—they finally realized something was off. With a chorus of strange wails, they turned tail and fled.

Curious, Noelle mimicked the strange cry she’d just heard. To her surprise, the hilichurls screeched to a halt mid-escape and stormed back, angrier than ever.

Ah, so that was definitely a curse word.

Realizing she’d pushed things far enough, Noelle put away her pen and paper, summoned her trusted [Debate Club], and got ready to settle things the old-fashioned way.

But it turned out hilichurls were, above all, cowards. The moment they saw Noelle get serious, they bolted for the woods without a second thought.

Noelle was about to give chase when she suddenly noticed a figure watching her from a distant hillside.

A trap?

She paused. Could these hilichurls have been bait, luring her in?

But what truly caught her attention wasn’t the fleeing hilichurls, but the shadow on the hillside:

A blond boy in black, midriff-baring leather armor and a yellow cloak. Behind him stood a ruin guard, flanked by three hovering abyss mages.

So… Aether has joined the Abyss Order? That must mean Lumine is on her way too? Noelle couldn’t help but feel a ripple of anticipation.

Once Aether noticed he’d been spotted, he didn’t linger. Standing on the ruin guard’s palm, he turned with the abyss mages and disappeared from view.

Noelle calculated her odds—she couldn’t catch up even if she tried. She set aside the thought of speaking with Aether, for now.

After a moment’s reflection, Noelle resumed her search for Klee. She cleared the hilichurl barricades blocking the road and continued toward Springvale.

...

A short while later, Noelle found Diona’s father, Draff—a burly man with unmistakable cat ears.

“My little Diona’s been troubling you, huh? Here, this meat’s fresh from the morning hunt—take it, and look after her for me.”

Draff pressed a few slabs of lean meat into Noelle’s hands, insisting she take them as thanks for looking after his daughter.

Noelle couldn’t refuse, so she accepted graciously. After a bit of small talk, she asked him if he’d seen Klee.

“She should be in Wolvendom. I was hunting there this morning and heard explosions. In a hurry? I could have the townsfolk help you look.”

Draff was already turning to call for help when Noelle hastily waved him off.

“No, no, it’s alright. I can find her myself. And by the way, a drink or two is fine, but if you go overboard, I’ll have to tell Diona.”

She’d caught a faint whiff of alcohol on Draff and left him with that parting shot. Draff laughed awkwardly, scratching his head—he hadn’t expected to be found out.

Bidding him farewell, Noelle left Springvale. In a quiet spot, she slipped the meat into the storage space she’d brought from her old world.

There wasn’t much in storage, but the most important items were her [Skyward Pride], [Wolf’s Gravestone], [Whiteblind], [Serpent Spine], [Favonius Greatsword], and a pile of artifacts—her entire fortune painstakingly saved up, all resting quietly in her inventory.

But what she reached for most was always [Debate Club]—it kept her profile low, yet had more than enough intimidation factor. It just felt right in her hands.

She passed an apple tree, climbed up to pick a few, and munched them as she walked, enjoying Mondstadt’s natural beauty.

Starfell Cliff, Windrise, Wangshu Inn, Qingyun Peak, Inazuma, Sumeru Akademiya… If I get the chance, I’d love to visit them all.

The warm breeze on her face made Noelle long to explore every corner of Teyvat. But that would have to wait until the dragon crisis was over. With the Fatui, Abyss Order, and hilichurls still lurking, she wasn’t about to leave Mondstadt unattended.

Passing Dawn Winery, Noelle saw Adeline, the head maid in white stockings, wave to her, while Master Diluc was in the yard practicing his swordplay. He stopped when he spotted Noelle.

“Noelle, care for a spar?”

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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!