The Doctor, who was supposed to have been confirmed to have left Sumeru and returned to Snezhnaya, appeared in the Sanctuary of Surasthana without anyone knowing, which caught Nahida off guard.
The Doctor, the Second of the Fatui Harbingers, preserved slices of himself from various ages and operated them as independent entities to retain his full perspective on observing the world. This means that the current Doctor possesses multiple different consciousnesses and bodies, which is similar to Miyashiro's Shadow Clones.
Besides that, his strength cannot be underestimated. It can be said that he himself is a successful product of the God Creation Project, with power second only to top Gods like the Geo Archon and Ei. This is also the real reason he is not at all worried that Balladeer, after becoming a God, would turn against him.
Sumeru's God Creation Project ended in failure. The Doctor showed no reaction to this outcome, as if it were merely an insignificant experiment to him. He valued the process of the experiment; the results were secondary.
His purpose in coming here was to retrieve the useful materials from this experiment, such as the Gnosis!
Nahida also knew that her current strength was no match for him. Her proud dream abilities were completely ineffective in front of the Doctor, who also possessed first-rate mental power.
However, the reason Nahida is called the God of Wisdom, and not the God of Dreams, is precisely because in such situations, she fully demonstrates that wisdom is more useful than brute force.
Nahida took out the gnosis of electro and said to the Doctor, "Although I don't know what purpose you Fatui have in collecting the Gnosis, if I were to destroy the Gnosis right now and awaken the Heavenly Principles, how would you respond?"
The Doctor was clearly surprised by Nahida's words and pondered, "Awaken the Heavenly Principles? Do you think that's possible?"
Nahida: "The Heavenly Principles have been dormant for so many years, but as a symbol of the Heavenly Principles' control over Teyvat's great power and all laws, will its destruction once again attract the attention of the Heavenly Principles? At that time, how will everything you Fatui have done be resolved? Do you dare to bet on this possibility with me?"
The Doctor's face flickered with uncertainty. Currently, to fulfill the command of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, all Fatui Harbingers are painstakingly collecting the Gnosis. A worldly leader openly collecting the Gnosis bestowed by the Heavenly Principles, this alone indicates that the Cryo Archon has ulterior motives regarding the existence of the Heavenly Principles.
However, the Fatui Harbingers all know that Snezhnaya's current national power is not enough to openly confront the Heavenly Principles. They need time to accumulate strength. If they attract the attention of the Heavenly Principles now, all their previous efforts will be in vain.
This gamble was too big, the risk too high; the Doctor was unwilling to take it.
The Doctor chuckled and said, "Heh, a gamble? How surprising. I thought you would present evidence or conduct rigorous logical arguments. I didn't expect to hear the word 'gamble' from the God of Wisdom.
However, as a scholar, I respect all possibilities, which is also an essential quality for an experimenter. Indeed, I cannot ignore this possibility. Since that is the case, our negotiation can continue. Tell me, what are your conditions?"
Nahida: "A foreign Gnosis, even if it stays in Sumeru, will only cause trouble. But this gnosis of electro is the spoils of war I obtained after defeating your Harbinger. Now that you want to take the spoils from my hand, you, as the instigator, should pay a corresponding price, shouldn't you?"
The Doctor smiled slightly and said, "You defeated Scaramouche? That's not right, wasn't it the Inazuma Regent who acted? You merely picked up the scraps.
Oh, speaking of the Regent, I am very interested in how he could emerge from your body. I wonder if, at this very moment, the Regent is also eavesdropping on our conversation inside you?"
Although the Doctor spoke casually, his gaze towards Nahida suddenly sharpened, as if he could see through her inner self.
Nahida's face changed. Just as she was about to say something in rebuttal, the space in front of her instantly distorted, and Miyashiro's figure appeared grandly before the Doctor.
Seeing this, the Doctor did not show any panic. Instead, he generously revealed a slight smile, bowed to Miyashiro, and said, "Inazuma Regent, welcome. Your deeds have long been known to me, and it is truly my good fortune to see you in person today."
Miyashiro did not put on airs and returned the greeting, "Regent, you are too kind. When it comes to reputation in Teyvat, Regent, you are also an undeniable presence."
Nahida handed the gnosis of electro to Miyashiro and said, "Regent, this is your Inazuma's gnosis of electro. I am now returning it to its rightful owner."
Miyashiro took the gnosis of electro and toyed with it, saying, "Speaking of which, the journey of this gnosis of electro is truly legendary.
Initially, the Lady caused a civil war in Inazuma for nearly two years for this Gnosis.
After quelling the civil war, to alleviate Inazuma's crisis, I personally sold it to Snezhnaya in exchange for enough resources for Inazuma's development for ten years.
Then, when the Lady was about to return to Snezhnaya with the Gnosis, she was ambushed by Balladeer, who was also a Harbinger, and the Lady died on the spot.
Balladeer brought this Gnosis through several twists and turns to Sumeru, becoming the energy core in the God Creation Project, but in the recent battle, it became Nahida's spoils of war.
Finally, this Gnosis has returned to my hands. Truly, the world is full of uncertainties."
After playing with the gnosis of electro for a while, Miyashiro returned it to Nahida, saying, "Initially, I sold this Gnosis to Snezhnaya. From that moment on, the ownership of this Gnosis no longer belonged to Inazuma, so there is no such thing as 'returning it to its rightful owner'.
Moreover, if the Gnosis were brought back to Inazuma, it might attract harassment from certain individuals. It's not the thief you fear, but the thief's covetousness. Nahida, this is your spoil of war, and you should dispose of it as you see fit.
Oh, weren't you just negotiating a Gnosis transaction? Please continue; I will just be a witness."
After a series of feigned pleasantries, the Doctor looked at Miyashiro and Nahida, who had already joined forces, and sighed. If he had truly chosen to seize it by force earlier, he probably wouldn't have been able to take even one Gnosis today.
Now that they had re-entered the negotiation phase, it seemed he would have to pay a tangible price.
The Doctor smiled and said, "That is natural. What kind of price does the God of Wisdom require me to pay?"
Nahida said unequivocally, "How about eliminating all your other slices?"
The Doctor showed neither surprise nor anger at this excessive demand. He remained as calm as water, like a refined gentleman.
The Doctor: "Since you believe that so many individuals are worth more than one Gnosis, then... it's a deal!"
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