Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?84.62%

Can I Really Take Whatever I Want?

What is truly most important to a sage?

Is it life? Life is certainly important, for only by living can they pursue the truth they seek.

However, for Dottore, life is also the thing least worth cherishing—whether it belongs to others or himself.

Just as, in his quest for knowledge and a better observation of the world, he could slice his own existence into segments.

In this process, with the Doctor's madness, he had already found his own ways to feel and understand death.

Death inspires fear because it is unknown. If one knew everything behind it, then for people like the Doctor, death wouldn't be so terrifying. He might even willingly embrace death for his own purposes.

"Ugh... A miscalculation." Within the frigid Snezhnaya Palace, the young man in a Fatui-marked coat and plague doctor mask clutched his forehead. His voice, stripped of its usual calm, was now a trembling mix of ferocity and regret.

For Dottore, losing that most powerful segment was a significant loss, but it didn't mean the end of his life.

His original plan had been sound.

If he could defeat the Hydro and Dendro Archons, he could use that victory as leverage to exchange for the Gnoses of Fontaine and Sumeru.

But even failure wouldn't have mattered. Had he truly failed, Dottore could have used the opportunity to probe the depths of the Hydro Archon, who hadn't displayed her divine might before humans since her ascension.

After all, with so many segments of himself scattered about, that god couldn't possibly hunt down every other 'Dottore' from Sumeru to Fontaine, or anywhere else in Teyvat, right?

Of course—for that most arrogant segment, that Dottore genuinely believed he could crush the gods of two nations.

Who would have thought... that segment dying was one thing, but in its final moments, it actually brought back a divine curse upon 'Dottore'.

The punishment named 'Justice', transmitted through the interconnected network linking the Doctor's segments, was inflicted upon every single 'Dottore'.

Due to the sheer weight of his accumulated sins, this reckoning paralyzed most of the segments almost instantly. Only the one currently in the Snezhnaya Palace, second in power only to the Sumeru segment, could barely remain functional.

This was only because he had subjected himself to numerous experiments, granting him a much higher pain tolerance than the other segments.

Even so, under this chastisement, maintaining coherent thought became an extremely arduous task. So much so... that the Doctor failed to notice another layer of curse laid upon him.

This curse was the most fitting, and simultaneously the cruelest, 'punishment' for those like the Doctor who abused their intellect.

"...Is doing this really okay?"

Having understood what Jiang Qiao had done to the Fatui Harbinger using her body, Nahida looked at [Furina] with a shocked and complicated expression.

That was her own Authority, the Authority of 'Wisdom'.

The ability to read minds was merely a crude manifestation of this Authority. As the God of Wisdom, its true purpose should be to share wisdom with others, to enlighten, solve mysteries, and illuminate the path forward.

Then, Jiang Qiao got hold of this Authority and, just like with Focalors, pulled another wild, defiant move—turning the concept completely on its head.

He transformed the power meant for sharing wisdom into a 'curse'—I shall block your inspiration, muddle your thoughts, strip you of your reason, and make you unable to endure.

Wisdom gained through unjust deeds shall henceforth drain away, and ignorance shall accompany you for life...

Upon discovering the specific effects of this curse, the little Fluffball was utterly stunned.

Although it might sound simple—so what if wisdom is gone? Life goes on, right? As long as you're alive?

But as the God of Wisdom, Nahida knew all too well how vicious this curse was for a sage.

Humanity's quest for truth is built upon fleeting moments of inspiration, sparks of insight. The difference between mediocrity and genius lies therein.

Like how some sages might grasp a formula in a single moment of daze.

The instant they solve that formula and find the answer is their moment of greatest ecstasy.

For that, even sacrificing their life isn't unacceptable.

The pursuit of truth is the eternal happiness of sages.

And this curse directly stripped Dottore of the possibility of finding happiness as a sage.

Combined with the later effects—the self-important Dottore would instantly plummet from the lofty heights of genius to become the very mediocrity he had always despised.

The 'knowledge' he had painstakingly acquired, sacrificing countless lives without hesitation, would gradually, palpably, drain away.

Just imagining such a scene made Nahida, the God of Wisdom, tremble uncontrollably.

For sages, this was a 'torment' far more terrifying than any physical pain.

Compared to this, seeking death would become a 'luxury'.

[Furina] shrugged nonchalantly. "Compared to the Heavenly Principles, this curse seems rather merciful, don't you think?"

"Indeed..."

Nahida had to admit it was true. The Heavenly Principles' curse upon the Hilichurls not only stripped them of their intellect but even denied them the right to choose death. Even after death, the curse lingered with their souls.

It was truly a case of—tormenting you even in death.

And yet, Jiang Qiao's curse lacked the 'immortality' aspect, even though that should have been the simplest part for a god to inflict, requiring no special authority.

"Besides, ultimately, this is also your fault, Buer. If not for your negligence, I wouldn't have needed to lay such a curse to punish someone."

Hearing this, Fluffball's big, cute eyes went wide, filled with confusion and a touch of indignation—Wait, how is this my fault?

I was locked up for centuries, okay? You used my body to curse someone, and now you're pinning the blame on me?! That's too much! I haven't even called you out for using the Authority of Wisdom backward like that!

"Look, wasn't that Fatui Harbinger one of your people from Sumeru?"

"Yes... what about it?"

Nahida sounded a bit lacking in confidence. The culprit being one of her own made her feel somewhat guilty.

But you can't just say that because a Sumeru citizen committed a crime, it's my fault as their god, right? I can't possibly supervise everyone!

"He came from the Akademiya, didn't he?"

"That's right. But he was expelled." Nahida replied, steeling herself, only for [Furina]'s next words to leave her stunned:

"Which means Dottore acquired his knowledge from Sumeru. Yet you, as the God of Wisdom, failed in your supervision and didn't handle this person properly."

"..."

At this moment, Fluffball undoubtedly felt rather depressed.

Dottore—Zandik—was active precisely four hundred years ago, around the time she was born. Nahida could, of course, use the excuse that she was imprisoned back then.

But for a god, that effectively amounted to negligence.

Especially since she was the God of Wisdom. Failing to manage people might be one thing, but problems arising from Sumeru's knowledge definitely related back to her.

Fluffball, who already felt inadequate as a god, was instantly rendered speechless. She let out a whimper like a small animal, looking down at her feet, fidgeting with her hands behind her back.

"Honestly, you shouldn't bully other girls, you know."

A sweet and youthful voice piped up nearby, slightly disapproving. The fairy-like Ely, holding her wand, looked a little annoyed.

"You just didn't like that guy yourself, right? Hmm, actually, I quite dislike him too."

"You can't say that. This was carried out after a trial by Justice."

"As the God of Justice, the verdict I delivered contained absolutely no personal bias."

"And as the God of Wisdom, even a temporary one, I have a duty to punish fools from my nation who misuse wisdom to harm others, and to reclaim that wisdom."

[Furina] declared righteously, head held high, chest puffed out. Though this body's... assets were somewhat lacking, puffing out still gave some air of... ah, forget it.

Hearing this, Fluffball sank even deeper into her funk.

She plopped right down on the ground in a W-sit, her face etched with existential doubt about her godhood.

How does it feel like... my five hundred years as the Dendro Archon, the God of Wisdom, weren't even as effective as his few minutes?

If it were a matter of different specs, fine, I'm just a fluffball, I wouldn't compare myself. But he clearly did it using my body, my divine authority that I've had for centuries...

An inexplicable sense of dejection washed over her.

"Alright, someone's waiting for you, Buer." A light touch on her shoulder, however, made Fluffball look up, a clear girlish voice reaching her ears.

Gazing at that smile, Nahida paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Mm, the people of Sumeru City are waiting for me. I must pull myself together."

"Thank you for the encouragement."

"Ah, I wasn't encouraging you."

"Eh?"

Nahida instantly adopted a dot-eyed expression of pure confusion.

But Jiang Qiao just looked perfectly natural.

Truth be told, the main point of this trip to Sumeru was to cash in on Egeria's legacy. Saving Fluffball was purely a favor repaid to Egeria—though he probably would have saved her anyway if it was convenient, the priorities were different.

And now that Jail-Nahida was out, it was obviously time to hurry and claim the prize from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

Unlike that unlucky Traveler, he was a man of action, through and through.

"Don't you want to go meet the previous one?"

"You mean..."

"Mm."

Seeing Nahida seemed to understand, [Furina] nodded, then sighed.

Compared to Egeria's prize, claiming Rukkhadevata's was much more troublesome.

He needed Nahida, the branch of Irminsul, to guide him precisely. Otherwise, simply approaching Irminsul would take considerable effort, potentially even requiring a tussle with its defense mechanisms.

"Set sail."

"...Alright." Though excited, Nahida took a deep breath and nodded.

The next moment, the surrounding scenery blurred and shifted.

A dreamlike boat soared through the sky, heading towards the distant roots.

This vessel could only be commanded by a sprout of Irminsul, a manifestation of Nahida's 'Wisdom' Authority presented as a 'Dream'.

Only this Ship of Consciousness could ignore all obstacles around Irminsul's periphery and draw near.

After all, Irminsul is one of the two most crucial components of the 'Fate System' created by the Primordial One. And unlike the other component established on Celestia, Irminsul, serving as a database, needed to be closer to the life forms on the Teyvat continent for data collection purposes.

Soon, cherry-pink petals drifted into view. The vast, branching network of the 'World Tree', often seen in the dreams of Sumeru's people, revealed its true form.

The dream boat gradually docked, and at the end of the tree's trunk, they saw a petite figure.

"You are..."

Unsurprisingly, just like in the original story, Fluffball was taken aback upon seeing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, whose appearance was identical to her own.

Greater Lord Rukkhadevata smiled gently and recounted everything that had happened within Irminsul, including the cataclysm five hundred years ago and the origin of Eleazar.

To save Irminsul, and thus the living beings of Teyvat—she, who had been contaminated, had to be completely 'eliminated'.

For Nahida, who had just met her and learned everything, this was naturally difficult to accept.

Just as the Greater Lord was preparing to give the teary-eyed Fluffball a comforting hug, forcing the CG cutscene to play out...

Jiang Qiao couldn't watch anymore.

"Stop—!"

"Er...?" Greater Lord Rukkhadevata looked at the intervening [Focalors], momentarily stunned—after all, this wasn't how the script went. Still, she paused her actions, observing Jiang-Nina in brief silence before expressing slight confusion:

"Fontaine's God of Justice... why do I sense the aura of an old friend from you...?"

Due to her rather unfortunate circumstances 500 years ago, the Greater Lord, now existing only as a wisp of consciousness, didn't dare access Irminsul's records for fear of further contamination. However, she managed to identify the source of the familiar aura from her remaining memories.

"Ah, I remember... the mistress of all waters..."

"Do you have something you wish to say to me?"

Perhaps due to Egeria's aura, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's tone was gentle... well, she was like that with most people. But likely because she and Egeria were close friends, practically besties, her impression of [Focalors], the successor carrying Egeria's aura, was also quite favorable.

"If you are seeking answers, you can ask Buer for help later. I am merely a remnant consciousness now and cannot assist you regarding Irminsul..."

Although surprised to see Fontaine's Hydro Archon in Sumeru, even accompanying Buer to Irminsul, it didn't seem entirely strange when she recalled the troubles Egeria had once confided in her.

She assumed Jiang Qiao had likely come seeking her help to resolve the curse laid down by the Heavenly Principles.

"Also, Focalors... I hate to say this, but the answers you seek cannot be found here in Irminsul."

After a moment's hesitation, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata stated the somewhat harsh truth.

In fact, Egeria herself had come to her for help regarding the prophecy back then.

But against a 'Fate' ordained by the Heavenly Principles, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, while willing to help—she had even planned to lend Fontaine some aid with her divine power when the crisis eventually struck, even if she couldn't save everyone—found her efforts futile.

As it turned out, everything was a pointless struggle.

Not only did Egeria, who controlled the Primordial Sea, die in the Khaenri'ah war, but she herself met her end cleaning up King Deshret's massive mess.

True, Irminsul did record the 'Fontaine Prophecy'; due to Teyvat's cyclical nature, the database recorded everything.

But Irminsul was just a database.

It could only provide data support. The ability to tamper with memories and history was essentially a 'correction mechanism', incapable of influencing Teyvat's destiny.

The real power to adjust fate resided with the system on Celestia.

The Heavenly Principles' prophecy entered Teyvat's 'Fate' system through that.

"Ah, that's not actually why I'm here..."

"Anyway... can I take some things from Irminsul?"

Seeing [Focalors] gesture towards the World Tree, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata first frowned, then shook her head slightly:

"Take things? You want some records?... Fine, take whatever you want."

As the consciousness of Irminsul, she knew perfectly well that her body contained little besides knowledge and ley line memories.

Normally, outsiders definitely shouldn't be allowed to take things freely, as Irminsul held its taboos; misuse of certain knowledge could be extremely dangerous. But thinking about the mess Egeria had left for Focalors, the Greater Lord relented.

Celestia's prophecy likely couldn't be changed, but perhaps finding some useful knowledge within Irminsul could help the people of Fontaine survive the rising waters as much as possible.

Being one of the kindest among the gods, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata felt this was surely a good thing.

Moreover, Focalors was the God of Justice. She trusted Egeria's judge of character and believed Focalors would understand the gravity of the situation and wouldn't take anything recklessly.

Besides, she was about to fade away soon anyway. The blank period in Irminsul during her erasure presented an opportunity, so she decided to turn a blind eye.

However, hearing these words, [Focalors]—Jiang Qiao—his eyes lit up, and he asked in a peculiar tone: