Villain Simulator, Ch 280

Upon hearing those words, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, who had remained composed all this time, finally showed a flicker of unease on her face for the first time. She murmured, "You… how could you possibly know…"

"You're wondering how I could know the secrets of Celestia and the Heavenly Principles, aren't you?" Lucas tapped his temple with a finger and smirked. "Because I didn't just seize the seven Gnosis—I also seized the wisdom of the gods. And from that, I deduced 3,721 possible theories regarding the weaknesses of Celestia and the Heavenly Principles."

Indeed, over the years, alongside the Fatui, Lucas had been gathering not just the Gnosis, but also every scrap of intelligence related to Celestia that was scattered across Teyvat.

Unfortunately, such information was considered the most classified of classified secrets. Even acquiring texts like Before Sun and Moon yielded little, as their contents were obscure and riddled with cryptic phrasing.

Thus, Lucas turned to the Akasha Terminal. The Akasha Terminal is a unique piece of Sumeru technology invented by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and further developed by the Akademiya, linking together the brains of dozens of the greatest scholars to analyze and theorize based on all known information.

It was not a simple process.

Its difficulty was akin to handing an elementary school math textbook to someone and asking them to solve the Riemann Hypothesis.

But human curiosity knows no limits. Though the process was grueling, with the help of the gathered scholars, Lucas managed to formulate 3,721 possible answers.

"So what you're saying is…" the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles murmured, "You picked one out of those 3,721 possibilities, and it just so happened to be the correct answer?"

A one-in-3,721 chance—while not impossibly low, a single mistake would mean total annihilation for both Lucas and the entirety of Teyvat.

"That's right. This was an unprecedented gamble," Lucas nodded and chuckled. "But it just so happens that I am… the greatest gambler in the world."

The reason Lucas was able to pick the correct answer was thanks to another one of his abilities—[Gambling Prodigy].

Its effect was simple: in any game of chance, its wielder was granted one opportunity to cheat perfectly.

So, Lucas wrote down all 3,721 possibilities on individual slips of paper and placed them into a box. Then, he picked one at random.

It was a gamble.

And the stakes were Teyvat's fate.

Thus, [Gambling Prodigy] activated—ensuring that the slip he drew was the one and only correct answer.

"The answer I arrived at is this," Lucas said, his words slow and deliberate.

"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles wields power that surpasses the Seven Archons.

"But this power is so vast, so overwhelming, that even Celestia itself views it as a potential threat.

"In order to control this power, a 'bond' was established between Celestia and the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, allowing Celestia to regulate its immense strength."

As he spoke, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' expression grew darker and darker.

It was clear.

He was right.

"That's why I installed a jamming device on the Jade Chamber," Lucas continued. "Now that it's been activated, you're unable to access your power."

To put it simply, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was akin to an advanced war machine, equipped with an arsenal of divine weaponry.

Meanwhile, Celestia functioned as its control tower, transmitting the signals that enabled it to operate.

By jamming those signals…

The war machine would shut down.

That was why, at this moment, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was completely powerless.

"I see…" A cryptic smile curled on her lips. "So I was outmaneuvered… by a gambler."

And yet, despite this, she did not appear particularly shaken. She merely remarked, "As far as humans go, you are indeed worthy of my recognition.

"But ultimately, all your efforts… are meaningless."

"Oh?" Lucas took a leisurely sip of tea and smiled. "And why is that?"

"Even if I am unable to use my power, there is nothing you can do to harm me," the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles stated coldly.

"As far as I know, humans live no more than a hundred years. Even among the long-lived races, lifespans rarely exceed a few thousand at best.

"All I need to do… is wait.

"In time, the jamming signal will weaken.

"When that moment comes, I will reclaim my strength.

"All your struggles amount to nothing more than… prolonging the inevitable."

"I must admit," Lucas replied, unbothered, "your argument is quite reasonable."

He did not deny it.

Instead, he smiled faintly and said, "But you see… I was never trying to destroy you."

The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles narrowed her eyes. "Then what is your goal?"

"Why, to use your power, of course."

A voice came from the shadows of the room.

Stepping forward with a smile was a green-haired woman in a mask.

"Well, well… I can't believe your plan actually worked," she said, amused. "To be honest, I was already prepared for complete annihilation."

There was no doubt about it.

This woman was none other than "The Doctor", one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers.

She had played a crucial role in making Lucas's plan a success.

"I leave the rest to you," Lucas said, his expression indifferent. "Bad news is, we only have one test subject.

"Good news is… it's an exceptionally durable one."

"I heard it all just now," The Doctor said, cracking her knuckles. "An existence that cannot be destroyed by humans, huh?

"That just makes me all the more interested."

Since the unification of the Seven Nations, The Doctor's status had soared.

She had even returned to the Akademiya, reclaiming a position among the Sages—the very institution that had once expelled her.

It had been her suggestion to fuse the minds of Teyvat's greatest scholars in order to reach a conclusion on Celestia's secrets.

Though the scholars had all volunteered, more than half of them had succumbed to madness, their minds unable to bear the overwhelming knowledge.

Perhaps…

This was her revenge.

"There's no point in struggling," the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles said coolly. "I cannot be defeated by mere humans."

"It's not humans who have defeated you," Lucas said quietly.

"It's your own arrogance."

— — —

Several hours later.

Inside Ningguang's chamber on the Jade Chamber.

After years of expansions, the Jade Chamber was now more than ten times larger than the version Lucas had once known.

Rather than calling it a floating palace, it was now more fitting to describe it as a skyborne city.

Ever since his return, this place had naturally become his residence.

Though Ningguang was still the nominal owner of the Jade Chamber, in reality…

Lucas was Ningguang's owner.

A friend's friend may not necessarily be a friend.

But a master's master…

Was still the master.

Lucas sat on the bed, enjoying the aftermath of the day's events.

Just then, Ningguang's arm draped over his shoulder as she murmured in a sultry voice:

"Today… you seemed especially energetic."

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