"Hey, hey, stop crying. What are you, a grown man, crying for?" Yun Fan rubbed his forehead with one hand while gripping Scaramouche's shoulder with the other, shaking him a few times. It would have been fine if he hadn't touched him, but as soon as Yun Fan shook him, Scaramouche started crying even harder.
Yun Fan: ???
"Damn, are you seriously addicted to crying now?" Yun Fan's lips twitched, and he raised his hand again.
Slap!
"You!..." Scaramouche's crying was abruptly cut off. He looked at the silver-haired youth in front of him with disbelief, who had raised his hand again, ready to strike.
"Go ahead, cry a few more times for me," Yun Fan said expressionlessly, pretending to strike again. "You're not some cute girl, so my patience isn't for you. A grown man crying like this is just embarrassing."
"You..." Scaramouche gritted his teeth, about to say something harsh, but remembering Yun Fan's earlier actions, he swallowed his words.
"That's more like it," Yun Fan nodded in satisfaction. "Now, Thunder Cannon, what are you doing here on Watatsumi Island, injuring so many of my soldiers?"
"N-nothing," Scaramouche averted his eyes, his gaze shifting uneasily.
"Nothing?" Yun Fan sneered, then poked Scaramouche's chest forcefully with a finger. "Do you even believe that yourself?"
"Uh..." Scaramouche was momentarily speechless. Indeed, even he didn't believe his own words.
Seeing Scaramouche fall silent, Yun Fan leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I know what you're after. You're a puppet, and puppets don't have hearts. So, you're seeking a heart, aren't you?"
Yun Fan's words struck Scaramouche like a thunderclap. He looked up in shock, his voice trembling as he asked, "H-how do you know...?"
"Not only do I know that, but I also know about your deal with Il Dottore. The deal hinges on you obtaining the Electro Archon's Gnosis to carry out the so-called 'god-making' plan. If you fail to get it, the plan will remain nothing but empty words."
Scaramouche fell silent again. The fact that this person knew about his deal with Il Dottore was beyond belief. Just as Scaramouche thought he was doomed, Yun Fan spoke again.
"Take a look at this."
Hearing this, Scaramouche raised his head. When he saw the object in Yun Fan's hand, his breath hitched, and his eyes filled with fervor.
"The Gnosis!"
Scaramouche's gaze burned as he stared at the turquoise chess piece in Yun Fan's hand, feeling the divine energy emanating from it. His expression was one of pure desire.
"Although the Anemo Archon's Gnosis might not be the most suitable for you, it is still a 'heart' that can help you complete your god-making plan and ascend to godhood. So, do you want it?" Yun Fan's words echoed in Scaramouche's ears, like the whispers of a demon, tempting him.
"Yes," Scaramouche swallowed hard, reaching out eagerly for the Anemo Gnosis.
"Heh." Just as his fingers were about to touch it, Yun Fan pulled his hand back. Under Scaramouche's longing gaze, he spoke.
"Let's make a deal. I can give you this Gnosis as an advance payment."
"Tell me! I'll agree to any deal! Just give me the Gnosis!!"
Seeing this, Yun Fan shook his head slightly. Scaramouche's desire for a 'heart' had reached the level of an obsession. He was beyond saving.
"My condition is simple. After you obtain the Gnosis and complete your god-making plan, I want you to slaughter the Akademiya and send Grand Sage Azar and his entire faction to hell." Yun Fan's cold tone was filled with killing intent. He had already made up his mind about Azar.
The Dendro Archon, Nahida, is too kind-hearted... No, she's so pure that even with Zhongli's guidance, she would likely spare them, just as in the original story. But Yun Fan didn't want that.
Grand Sage Azar's crimes were too numerous to count. Death would be too lenient for him. If Yun Fan were to act personally, he would ensure Azar's soul was tormented in soul-scorching flames for a thousand years!
"Is that all?" Scaramouche looked at Yun Fan in surprise, then immediately agreed, "I promise! Once I become a god, I will slaughter the Akademiya for you. I swear it on my constellation!"
The fools of the Sumeru Akademiya were nothing more than tools to him. Killing them meant nothing. As long as he could obtain the Gnosis and ascend to godhood, he would even kill Il Dottore if necessary.
"Then the contract is sealed," Yun Fan smiled. In the next moment, a mysterious force descended upon the two of them, then left their bodies, coalescing into a golden scroll in mid-air.
The contract is sealed. Those who break it shall suffer the wrath of the rock.
"This is... the power of the God of Contracts..."
Feeling the sudden, overwhelming power, Scaramouche was momentarily stunned. It seemed that even the Geo Archon Morax's Gnosis was in this god's possession.
"It's yours," Yun Fan casually tossed the Anemo Gnosis to Scaramouche, who fumbled to catch it. Seeing it unharmed, Scaramouche couldn't help but complain, "This is a Gnosis! Can't you be more careful?"
Yun Fan scoffed at Scaramouche's complaint. He shook his head and said with a light smile, "The Gnosis is just a tool, nothing more. It's useless to me and brings me no benefit. In my eyes, it's nothing more than a fancy chess piece."
...
"My lord, are you really letting him go like this?" After Scaramouche left, Gorou, who had been silently observing the conversation, finally spoke up. He couldn't bear to let the man who had injured so many of their comrades walk away so easily.
"Now is not the time to kill him. He still has his uses," Yun Fan shook his head slightly as he watched Scaramouche's retreating figure, then turned to Gorou.
"How are the soldiers' injuries?"
"My lord, most of the soldiers have sustained significant injuries. Some are severely wounded and may be bedridden for the rest of their lives," Gorou's expression was heavy. As the general of the resistance, he had been played like a fool by a Fatui Harbinger. His strength was still insufficient to protect his comrades.
"I see," Yun Fan nodded, then walked over to the injured soldiers. Seeing the Immortal Phoenix approach, the less severely wounded soldiers quickly stood up and saluted, greeting respectfully, "Immortal Phoenix!"
"Hmm."
Yun Fan didn't say much. He extended his right hand, and a vast, mysterious power gathered at his fingertips, then spread out like a gentle spring, enveloping all the injured soldiers.