"Rooaaar!"
The ice-elemental dragon bellowed, endless snow and frost pouring down to resist the raging inferno.
But within the Mindscape, the flames burned far fiercer, and the dragon was being suppressed, unable to exert its full strength.
The Raiden Shogun's phantom raised her polearm naginata, summoning a storm of lightning that rained down upon the beast.
Thunder and fire collided with ice in a violent Overloaded Reaction, blasting the elemental dragon to a blackened crisp.
[Defeated A Powerful Enemy. Obtained 135,282 Adventure EXP.]
The familiar panel flashed before Nolan's eyes. A quick glance told him his total EXP was nearing nine million:
[EXP: 8,670,647]
His progress, bolstered by nightly training with the girls back in his space, was also climbing steadily:
[Level: Lv101 (921,242 / 11,000,000)]
Leveling up wouldn't take much longer. Recently, one of his Sword Gods of Lumine had already pushed exploration of the Riftbeast Realm to its limit.
The region measured about 2,500 square kilometers—not too vast. Yet, despite combing it end to end, no trace of "Gold" Rhinedottir had surfaced.
A slight disappointment.
Still, he had found plenty of Riftbeast creatures. Clearing them out later should yield at least a million EXP—just enough to secure his next level-up.
With one of his trump cards defeated, the Doctor was forced to speak again:
"Opposing the Fatui benefits you nothing. Let us leave, and I promise we will never set foot in Sumeru again."
Of course, bargaining required leverage. He added:
"Whatever you desire—mora, treasure, compensation—our Fatui will provide it."
Once I've bound you, all your mora and treasures are mine anyway. After fighting this far, who'd let you slip away?
Nolan pressed the Sword God's assault even harder.
Soon, under fire and the combined assault of his phantoms, every illusionary Doctor was torn apart.
The true body finally emerged.
Shielded in elemental wards, the Doctor resisted the flames without injury—but at heavy cost. He could no longer spawn the swarm of doppelgängers he'd used before.
Seeing that appeasement had failed, he resorted to threats. Dangerous—offending someone stronger could only mean endless trouble later—but at this point, what else could he try?
"Those elemental dragons, grown with bio-alchemy… I still have several more specimens maturing.
"In half a year, they will reach the same complete state as the one you slew. If I am not there to impose final control, they will break free of their labs and ravage everything in sight."
His tone was calm, but his words carried weight.
These bioweapons were the result of grafting research from the "dragon" Durin's genetic slice with his earlier god-making studies.
Individually, they rivaled ordinary gods in strength—but with lifespans of only a few years, they weren't yet practical.
Give him more time, and he believed he could refine them until they were indistinguishable from naturally-born elemental dragons.
And then, with full mastery of god-making, he could mass-produce gods at will—so long as raw materials sufficed.
"Unfortunately, that sort of threat won't work on me."
From within the unobservable barrier, Nolan dismissed him without pause, continuing to drive the Sword God, Ei, and the Shogun's phantoms into relentless assault.
Already drained, the Doctor barely dodged and parried for a short while.
In the end, the violent chain of Overloaded Reactions struck him down.
Like the dragon before him, his body blackened to a charred husk. Resistance spent, he collapsed unconscious.
[Defeated A Powerful Enemy. Obtained 273,146 Adventure EXP.]
A generous haul. Two-hundred seventy thousand EXP—worthy of a Fatui Harbinger.
Seizing the opportunity, Nolan swiftly inscribed a Command Seal upon him before he could awaken—no sense wasting time fighting him again.
With both the Doctor and the Balladeer bound, Nolan withdrew the Mindscape and returned to the ruins outside the Scarlet King's Mausoleum.
The two Harbingers fell from the air, landing heavily.
To hasten their recovery, he ordered the Sword God of Lumine to heal them.
Golden motes of sword-light cascaded down, knitting their burns and wounds. Before long, the Balladeer stirred.
"You—!"
His eyes blinked with confusion, then widened with sharp alarm. He leapt to his feet, retreating several steps at the sight of Nolan.
He didn't understand what had happened, but since he was free of that damned void, he immediately tried to fly toward the God of Pure Mechanization.
With his own power, only by piloting that machine did he have any chance of escaping.
But just as he lifted off, a voice commanded from behind: "Return."
To his horror, his body obeyed, slamming back to the ground against his will.
"Damn you—what did you do to me!?" he shouted, panic flashing. "Is this some fail-safe left by that wretch Baal Zebul!?"
After all, he was but a puppet crafted by Raiden Ei. For his body to rebel against him like this, only she could have left such a hidden mechanism.
"Relax. You've got it wrong. Nothing to be nervous about—just a little trick of mine."
Nolan smiled faintly, turning his gaze to the Doctor, who still lay on the ground.
"Doctor, don't bother trying. Without my permission, you're not going anywhere."
He had sensed the man awaken the moment he'd healed him—and his first instinct had been to attempt escape by every means.
But Nolan still had use for him. His efforts were doomed to fail.
"Ha… remarkable methods indeed. It seems we have no choice but to follow your orders."
The Doctor rose to his feet, not of his own will, but compelled—his body moving under Nolan's command.
Beneath the black mask, the Doctor's expression grew grim. He had always been the one to control others, yet now he had fallen victim to the very method he excelled in.
His mood could easily be imagined.
"It's good that you understand." Nolan looked at the two and asked, "Right now, are you using the Scarlet King's power to strengthen the God of Pure Mechanization?"
"That's right. It won't take long for the enhancement to finish. When it's complete, the God of Pure Mechanization will grow even stronger—perhaps even gain control over the power of sandstorms."
It was the Doctor who answered. Once again, his mouth opened against his will, his body compelled to obey.
Subconsciously, his fists clenched. Rage burned through his mind.
He couldn't resist. He couldn't stop himself. It was as if his body was meant to obey, even his spiritual power cooperating with the command.
That helplessness was a feeling the Doctor had not experienced in a very long time.
"Mm, then continue strengthening it. Better yet, find all the Scarlet King's lingering power scattered throughout the desert and use it to enhance the God of Pure Mechanization."
Nolan nodded approvingly.
Now that both the Doctor and the Balladeer were under his control, the artificial god was effectively his as well. Naturally, the stronger it became, the better.
It also happened to align with Nahida's wish to restore the desert environment. The Scarlet King's remnant power had long blocked the rainforest's expansion. Before leaving Sumeru City, she had even asked Nolan to keep an eye out for traces of that power.
Letting the Doctor and Balladeer use it for strengthening wasn't wasteful—it solved two problems at once.
With that thought, Nolan stated his true demand:
"By the way, the Electro Gnosis is still with you, isn't it? Hand it over."
"Yes."
It was the Balladeer who responded. With a gesture, he summoned forth the Electro Gnosis embedded in the God of Pure Mechanization and handed it to Nolan.
Nolan gazed at the chess-piece-like object and smiled.
At last—it was finally in his hands.
"Tell me," he asked the two, "if I take this Gnosis away, will the Tsaritsa notice? Or, if I leave it with you, how long could you keep it hidden?"
The Doctor explained in detail:
"Her Majesty is aware that collecting the Gnoses is difficult. Unless she already knows we've secured this one, she'll be lenient.
"However, the Electro Gnosis was obtained with Snezhnayan resources, traded from that Guuji Yae. Naturally, Her Majesty is aware of that as well.
"I told her that seizing the Dendro Gnosis required the aid of another Gnosis. Therefore, she granted me permission to hold onto it for one year.
"When the time comes, I must return both the Electro and Dendro Gnoses to Snezhnaya together."
"I see. One year, then…" Nolan rubbed his chin.
That meant he had a year free of worry. With his current pace of growth, in a year's time the Tsaritsa herself would no longer be a threat.
Good. As long as he kept it hidden well, he could safely make use of the Electro Gnosis.
His luck truly wasn't bad.
With the main objective accomplished, he gave further orders: the Doctor and the Balladeer were to continue collecting the Scarlet King's remnant power.
They were also to hide the fact that they were under his control, keeping it from the rest of the Fatui.
Whenever possible, they were to upload their knowledge into the "Akasha" system.
And in their fields of expertise, they were to continue their research—any new discoveries were also to be shared into the Akasha to accelerate Teyvat's scientific progress.
After all, the Doctor had committed countless evils. It was time for him to pay for his sins.
As for the Balladeer, Nolan instructed him to capture the desert's corrupt mercenaries—the Eremites who had run rampant—and send them to Sumeru City for trial.
Those who resisted were to be eliminated, especially the "Scions of the King Deshret," who had been committing atrocities of late. They were to be wiped out completely.
Eremites who had not committed crimes, however, were to be left alone.
Once he confirmed there were no other loose ends, Nolan tucked the Electro Gnosis away, entered the unobservable barrier, and left the Scarlet King's Mausoleum with Nilou.
Time had grown late. He had promised to accompany her on her trip to the oasis, though the encounter with the Doctor had delayed them somewhat.
Still, the harvest had been enormous.
He now possessed the Electro Gnosis, had taken control of two powerful Fatui Harbingers, gained command over an artificial god—and even resolved the lingering corruption of the Scarlet King.
Truly, with strength, everything fell into place. Luck alone could never achieve this.
Leaving the mausoleum, he and Nilou returned to the lush oasis, for she still had to finish her fieldwork.
"Phew… those two Harbingers were really formidable," Nilou said with relief as they walked through the forest. "Especially that masked one—not only could he summon countless clones, but he even called forth a terrifying dragon."
She patted her chest, still nervous. Had the adventurer not been so strong and kept the upper hand, she would have been far more afraid.
"Hehe, well, they are Fatui Harbingers. It's only natural they're powerful."
Nolan chuckled.
"All right, let's not dwell on it. After spending so long in the mausoleum and flying back, it's nearly evening. How about we have a picnic by the lake?
"Afterward, we can enjoy the oasis at night before heading back."
He glanced up at the dimming sky and made the suggestion.
"Mm!" Nilou's fair face lit up with a smile—she'd had the same thought.
The two found a flat, open spot by the lakeshore and began setting up a cooking pot.
Since they didn't plan to spend the night, there was no need for tents—much simpler this way.
As he set the pot, Nolan also stuck two fishing rods in the ground by the lake. If luck was on their side, they could enjoy fresh fish.
He had already scanned with his spiritual sense and confirmed there were indeed fish here, despite the desert setting.
Perhaps birds flying overhead had dropped some into the water long ago, allowing them to thrive even in this oasis lake.
Of course, true fishermen never wait idly for a bite.
If luck failed them and no fish came, he would simply show these fish the power of "spiritual thread"!
(End of Chapter)