Words can also convey emotions.
Looking at the words appearing on the simulator, although Yilan did not shed tears like his counterpart within it, a faint ripple still spread through his heart.
The ripple wasn't caused by sorrow—but something warmer. It felt as though he could see that silly girl smiling at him, and her smile was healing.
But more than that, what truly excited him was that because of Nilou's memories, this simulation seemed to have been revitalized.
The self who had once fallen into darkness had now found redemption. Naturally, that version of himself would not continue to fall into evil. The simulation was back on track.
He continued reading:
[Nilou's memories redeemed you, but what has been done cannot be undone. Having seen the darkness, can you really return to the past? Can you truly hold Nilou's pure hands with your own, stained by sin?]
[But no matter what, someone must die—and that person is the Doctor.]
[During this time, the one you've interacted with the most is the Doctor. You've come to truly understand the depth of his madness and cruelty.]
[Azar is evil, but at least his evil is bound by rules. The Doctor, however, is chaotic evil.]
[He has no bottom line, no limit—he'll do anything to achieve his goals.]
[If he learns you've fallen for Nilou again, he will undoubtedly use her against you.]
[But now, you are not yet his match. Even if your talent may one day surpass his, he has lived for centuries. The strength built over hundreds of years is not something you can match in just a few.]
[Yet, you do have an advantage—he trusts you. He truly sees you as one of his own kind. That's your opportunity to strike from the shadows.]
[There's a commotion outside your home again. Nilou is dancing in the plaza beyond your door. You order the guards to drive her away, as usual—and then fall into deep thought.]
[In the past, you pursued knowledge blindly, without a clear goal. But now that you have one, your mind is moving quickly.]
[First, you must correct the mistakes of the past. Of course, that doesn't mean you'll forgive Azar—he is someone you'll never pardon.]
[But once Azar is executed, who will hold the reins of power in the Akademiya?]
[It won't be you. You have no interest in that. But it also shouldn't be the other sages—most of them are as corrupt as Azar, though not as extreme.]
[Perhaps, the power could be entrusted to the Dendro Archon. You're not sure how powerful the Little Lord Kusanali is, but at least she cares about Nilou and the people of Sumeru. She is a kind god.]
[Sumeru, the Little Lord Kusanali, the God-Making Project, the Doctor, the Balladeer… these keywords connect in your mind, forming a web. Soon, a plan emerges.]
[Now, the key issue is how to convince the Balladeer to join the plan. His relationship with the Doctor is strained—I should be able to use that…]
"Enter somatosensory mode," Yilan said aloud.
Previously, due to the limitation that physical synchronization could only last one day, he hadn't been able to personally resolve many small matters. He could only watch his simulation-self spiral downward.
But now that his counterpart had found redemption, Yilan could personally handle the minor issues. Which meant he could enter somatosensory mode to take on more critical tasks.
He synchronized and immediately made his way to the secret research base.
After confirming that the Doctor wasn't present, he erected a perception-isolating barrier. Then he approached the storage chamber where the Balladeer—Scaramouche—was kept.
It was a small domed chamber. A mechanical figure styled like an Inazuman warrior stood silently at the back, resembling a god.
To create a new god, one required the wisdom of a god, the heart of a god, and the body of a god.
This mechanical shell was the "god's body" that Yilan and the Doctor had designed for the Balladeer. With Yilan's involvement, it was more refined than what appeared in the game—radiating formidable presence.
Looking at this masterpiece of arcane engineering, Yilan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In this simulation, he came from the most ordinary of backgrounds, yet his talent was the most exceptional of all.
Even without a Vision, through learning and self-modification, his physical attributes had surpassed 15—approaching the 20-point mark of a divine entity.
Given enough time, he could have rivaled even the gods.
Unfortunately, in somatosensory mode, Yilan inherited all of this version's memories—and he could sense that this self had already chosen death.
Most geniuses are prone to madness. This version of him, being both a genius and extreme, had backed himself into a corner.
He had done so many things to humiliate Nilou that he felt unworthy to face her again.
Yilan didn't want to judge whether that mindset was right or wrong, but…
"System," he said, "my memory is sealed during the simulation, right? So when somatosensory mode ends, how will I view actions that deviate from my original self's behavior?"
[The host in the simulation will subconsciously believe that the memories of another world in his mind are guiding him.]
"That makes sense…" Yilan nodded. This way, if he left behind some messages, his simulated self would accept them more easily when it came time to die.
"Hey, insect. How long are you going to stand there spacing out?" a voice echoed from the back.
"The correct human reaction to an insect is to ignore it—or crush it. Not to treat it so seriously."
Yilan rested one hand on his hip, smiled, and looked toward the mecha-clad Balladeer.
"You're still the same—using pompous rhetoric to mask your fragile heart."
That casual smile wasn't something his simulated self was capable of. The Balladeer narrowed his eyes. "…You've changed."
"Do I seem more charming now?"
"No. You disgust me more than before."
"Well… you used to see yourself in me—someone betrayed and cast aside. So naturally, you despised me. Now that I've been redeemed and stepped out of the darkness, you feel unbalanced. That disgust makes sense."
Yilan rubbed his chin in thought. Then he smiled at the bristling Balladeer and said, "Relax. I came here today with good intentions. I just want to talk."
Snort—
Though he was prone to provocation, the Balladeer had worked closely with Yilan on the god-making project. So their conversations were unusually direct.
Still, the Balladeer snorted coldly—his last show of defiance.
"I want to work with you to kill the Doctor," Yilan said calmly.
"…Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!!"
The Balladeer froze—then burst into mad laughter.
His mechanical frame amplified the sound until it echoed like thunder in the domed chamber. When he finally stopped, he hunched over theatrically and mocked Yilan:
"You sounded so serious… I thought you were about to say something profound. Are you insane?"
"Who's really insane here?"
Yilan looked at the Balladeer's childlike outburst and sighed. "No wonder the Doctor treats you like a lab rat. A toy."
"What did you just say?!"
Enraged, the Balladeer lunged forward in his mecha. The fierce mask of the puppet warrior came within inches of Yilan's face.
His roar—amplified by the "God of Righteousness" shell—blasted air like a typhoon, making Yilan's hair whip in all directions.
Most people would have collapsed in fear. But Yilan remained still.
He looked into the distorted face behind the screen and tapped his own temple with a finger.
"A wise man wouldn't mock me for speaking nonsense. He'd ask: why would I dare say this to you? What hidden card gives me that confidence?"
"…" The Balladeer said nothing, but his suspicion grew.
"Calmed down?"
With the initiative now his, Yilan backed off from provoking and instead spoke slowly:
"The Doctor thinks he and I are the same—but you and I both know we are the same."
"I was abandoned by my birth parents. Betrayed by my adoptive father. Even the one I loved used me. So I fell into darkness, just like you…"
He placed a hand on the mecha's chest. "That's why I understand you better than anyone."
"——!"
Though physically dominant, the Balladeer recoiled as if shocked. His reaction made Yilan chuckle.
Despite his vicious exterior, Yilan—with his game knowledge and lifetimes of experience—knew just how fragile the Balladeer truly was.
After being placed in the Sanzu no Hekiji (Borrowing Scenery House) by Raiden Ei, he'd felt abandoned—but dared not ask her why.
When Niwa died under suspicious circumstances, he ran away instead of investigating.
After the death of a child he considered his kindred spirit, he collapsed—and turned to evil.
He was insecure. He was scared. He was terribly fragile.
To Yilan, he now seemed like a petulant child.
"What does any of this have to do with your plan to kill the Doctor?" the Balladeer growled.
Yilan didn't answer directly.
"You wonder why I've changed. So I'll tell you."
"I believed the girl who used my feelings had betrayed me. But it turns out, she'd always been supporting me in secret. Once I learned the truth—I woke up."
"All because of that?"
The Balladeer tried to sneer, but seeing Yilan's sincere face, the words wouldn't come.
"Yes. All because of that."
Yilan pointed to his chest. "You and I are the same. We know these 'ridiculous reasons' are the only things keeping us going."
"And now I have reliable information: your friend Niwa—the one who took you in—never betrayed you. He tried to help you until the very end. It was the Doctor who killed him—to break you, and push you into joining the Fatui."
"What did you say?!"
The Balladeer lunged again, eyes wide. "Do you have proof?!"
"I have no proof." Yilan raised his hands.
"Are you mocking me?!"
The Balladeer's scream shook the room. But Yilan remained composed.
"But if you kill the Doctor—or get a piece of his flesh—once you ascend and connect to Irminsul, you'll be able to read his memories encoded in his genes. The truth will come to light."
"Hah! And you expect me to gamble everything based on that?!"
"You can. If it turns out to be a lie, you can kill me to vent your anger."
"Ridiculous! Even if I kill you, what does that solve? I'd still become the enemy of the Fatui!"
"But do you really care about the Fatui?"
Yilan jabbed a finger at his chest.
"Ask yourself—this 'heart' of yours: is Niwa's life more important, or the Fatui's?"
"What are you implying?" the Balladeer demanded.
"You've acquired the wisdom of a god. You know Irminsul can revise history—but history naturally converges. Even if you shift events, it corrects itself."
"But I am an anomaly. I do not belong to this world. I can permanently alter Teyvat's history."
Yilan looked him in the eyes.
"Only I can help you. That's why you must help me."
—From a rational standpoint, the odds that Yilan was telling the truth were less than one in ten thousand.
But…
He was afraid. He was broken. He was desperate for a heart.
A heart that could feel, and be felt.
And that single one-in-ten-thousand chance was enough to tip the scales.
"Tch… I'll cooperate. For now."
***
The Balladeer (Fatui Harbinger title), Scaramouche (codename)