After Silaya finished talking with the Doctor, the Fatui soldiers had already dealt with the monsters.
"Come to the Akademiya entrance tomorrow morning. Someone will guide you inside," the Doctor said before departing with his Fatui soldiers.
Silaya breathed a sigh of relief. Being around the Doctor always made her feel uneasy.
Exhausted, she decided to head back and rest well tonight, since she would be contacting the Akasha at the Akademiya tomorrow.
She regretted that Brother Kaveh hadn't returned yet. He was so good to her, and she felt guilty for not seeing him.
Lumine, Paimon, and Chu Xi met up with Dehya here. Before this, they had cooperated with Cyno to deliver Rahman's Eremite group to the Corps of Thirty, who would then escort them into Sumeru City.
Their purpose in meeting Dehya was to assess the condition of the Fatui Harbinger, the Doctor, eliminate any risks, and ensure he wouldn't interfere with their rescue of Lesser Lord Kusanali.
According to their plan, they would first go to Pardis Dhyai to find Forest Ranger Tighnari.
Currently, based on information channels from Alhaitham and Cyno, they were confident that Tighnari was trusted by the Akademiya.
So, Lumine and her companions needed to find Tighnari, persuade him to help them obtain the latest intelligence on the Doctor, and then adjust their subsequent actions based on this information.
The group arrived at Pardis Dhyai, where Tighnari was indeed present.
"Traveler, Paimon, Chu Xi, and... who's this?" Tighnari asked.
"This is Dehya, a mercenary!" Paimon declared.
"Bringing a mercenary to see me? Hmm, this must be serious," Tighnari mused.
Lumine led Tighnari to a quiet spot, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, before asking him about the Doctor.
"I know him," Tighnari replied. "Coincidentally, he just left Pardis Dhyai recently."
"What a coincidence!" Dehya exclaimed.
"Indeed," Tighnari confirmed. "He came to see me not long ago."
"Would you mind telling us what it was about?" Dehya asked. "I know this is sudden, but your answer is crucial... Uh, we can't reveal much information, but the only thing I can tell you is that your friend Cyno is also involved in our operation."
Tighnari nodded. "No wonder he hasn't been at the Akademiya lately. I'll answer your questions and offer what assistance I can. You don't need to tell me what's going on."
Dehya was surprised. "Ha ha ha! So Cyno's name carries so much weight! Aren't you afraid we're tricking you?"
"Such jokes are unnecessary," Tighnari said. "Neither you, Traveler, nor Cyno would make such jokes."
Lumine repeated her earlier question. Tighnari pondered for a moment before replying:
"The Harbinger known as the Doctor came to see me with two objectives. First, he wanted to take away a scholar named Haypasia, which I refused. Then, he inquired about Silaya's whereabouts, which I also didn't know."
Paimon exclaimed, "Take Haypasia? Why would he want to take her? And Silaya—what does he want with her?"
Chu Xi echoed Paimon's concerns. Her impression of the Doctor was terrible; she was certain he meant no good for Silaya.
"Take her away?" Dehya asked. "Do you mean the Doctor is leaving Sumeru?"
"Yes," Tighnari confirmed. "He said he would leave Sumeru immediately and return to Snezhnaya..."
Tighnari recalled his conversation with the Doctor, summarizing the key points for Lumine and the others.
"That's the gist of it. The Doctor never revealed why he was looking for Silaya. I don't know him well, but our conversation revealed a peculiar arrogance—the kind scholars often possess, which I find rather distasteful."
"It wasn't mere arrogance, but an extreme, almost delusional confidence in his own abilities. I've sensed a similar confidence in Silaya before, particularly within her domain of expertise."
"Silaya is remarkably intelligent. The Doctor might have sought her out for that reason."
Tighnari also recalled a remark the Doctor had made to him: As the Akademiya says, you are a responsible and intelligent scholar. Unfortunately, you're not intelligent enough. It's precisely because of this that people like you fail to realize that sooner or later, one must atone for what resides in their mind. No one can escape it.
Paimon: "Ugh, I feel like he's hinting at something really unsettling..."
Tighnari: "He posed a question, yet didn't care about my answer. Perhaps in his eyes, I was merely a talking stone. Though his words carried no overt malice, I could sense a profound, inherent contempt—a perpetual condescension towards others."
After thanking Tighnari for his insights, Lumine and her companions followed the Doctor's trail. Tracing the subtle clues left behind, they decided to investigate Port Ormos.
Arriving at Port Ormos, they concealed themselves and quietly eavesdropped on conversations between Fatui soldiers and officers.
"The Doctor is leaving... Sigh, I've barely seen him a few times."
"Back when I was stationed in Snezhnaya, the Doctor's manner of speaking was quite different. Perhaps the customs of Sumeru have changed him. It's always like that when you're away from home. When he returns to Snezhnaya, he'll probably need time to readjust to life there."
"Huh? Commander, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"No, no, my memory's excellent! It's definitely different—his tone and expression are slightly altered."
"I wonder when we'll ever get reassigned back to Snezhnaya. I was just chatting with the Doctor's entourage, and they said they rescued a girl from a monster whose entire body was purple, just outside Sumeru City yesterday. They lost several soldiers in the process."
"Quit grumbling, or the Doctor might hear you."
The four figures hiding in the shadows overheard the entire conversation between the two Fatui soldiers.
"It seems the Doctor really is leaving Sumeru," Dehya murmured, turning to Lumine. Lumine watched the Doctor board the ship. He did seem to be departing Sumeru, but could things truly be this simple?
Suddenly, Paimon shrieked, "He's seen us!"
Dehya and Lumine whirled around. The Doctor now stood on the deck, but all the soldiers around him had vanished.
"What happened? Where did all the soldiers go?" Dehya frowned.
Fortunately, I had enough time to take care of everything here before we left.
The thought flashed through Lumine's mind, and she and Dehya immediately sensed something was wrong, almost simultaneously.
"This is bad! We need to get back to Pardis Dhyai, now!"
Paimon and Chu Xi didn't understand, so Dehya explained, "Haypasia was connected to Scaramouche's consciousness. She might have seen something she shouldn't have. If I were a Fatui Harbinger and couldn't take her with me, I'd have no choice but to..."
Paimon gasped, "They're going to silence her?!"