As Nilou's affection reached its maximum, the character panel lit up with a prompt:
[Through sincere devotion and tireless effort, your fate—once unrelated to hers—has now become deeply intertwined. From this moment on, the girl's destined star shall shine together with yours. Ability obtained: Nilou's Dance of the Flower God.]
The name alone suggested it was dance-related.
Nolan opened the skill to check the details:
[Nilou's Dance of the Flower God: While watching Nilou dance, within a certain radius all allies will experience increased cultivation speed, faster soul and spirit recovery, accelerated physical regeneration, and boosted defensive and offensive power. (The radius and buff percentages are equal to the combined level of Nolan and Nilou. The radius is measured in meters, the buff in percentages.)]
A skill that raised everyone's cultivation speed, recovery, and combat ability within range—it looked excellent.
Though it only activated when Nilou was dancing, the sheer strength of the support more than made up for the limitation.
Affinity skills involving numbers were always tied to both Nolan's level and the girl whose affection was maxed.
Like now: Nolan was level 101, Nilou level 36. Together, the skill's radius was 137 meters.
And the buffs? A 137% increase in cultivation, recovery, and combat stats!
That was enormous.
The Great Dendro Archon, Guizhong, and the others who needed their soul forms restored would benefit immensely. If Nilou lived in the Wonderland Space and danced occasionally, their recovery would be twice as fast.
And for cultivation, too—it would boost his training sessions with the girls by more than double, massively easing his problem of slow EXP gain.
Thinking this over, Nolan and Nilou approached the front gates of the Tomb of the Scarlet King.
Outwardly, no guards stood watch.
But probing carefully with his spiritual sense, he detected two figures hidden in the shadows of the gate—clearly sentries.
Not wanting to alert anyone, he left them be.
After all, The Doctor was somewhere inside. Even subtle mental probing might be noticed by him.
Nor did Nolan dare extend his perception too far—those with equally powerful spiritual strength could detect such scans.
Yet moving this cautiously wasn't a long-term plan. They knew nothing of the tomb's layout. Searching blindly would waste too much time.
So, after a moment of thought, he expanded his undetectable barrier outward until it enveloped the entire Tomb of the Scarlet King—even its underground foundation.
The energy consumption was higher, but this barrier was truly impossible to perceive.
Not even The Doctor's tricks could pierce it.
With the entire tomb within his domain, everything inside was laid bare to his awareness.
This wasn't active spiritual probing but passive sensing through the barrier itself.
Within its reach, every detail was visible to him, with no risk of exposure.
With perception secured, Nolan began scanning the tomb from top to bottom.
On the surface level, only Eremite mercenaries of the Scarlet King's Remnants patrolled. Nothing unusual.
But underground—there it was spectacular.
Fifty or sixty meters down, a vast cavity had been hollowed out.
And at its center hovered a figure he hadn't seen in some time: the God of Pure Mechanization!
Suspended in midair, black pipes stretched from its back, surging with flows of energy that glowed crimson as they passed.
These scarlet currents poured constantly into the machine god's body, as if strengthening it.
So indeed—The Doctor and Scaramouche had not abandoned their ambitions.
Likely, with Nolan now in the picture, they knew even together they couldn't seize the Dendro Gnosis. So instead, they focused on fortifying the mechanical god.
Though The Doctor had successfully built it, it lacked the critical knowledge of "divine vessel encapsulation."
Thus, Scaramouche had achieved a godlike body—but not the soul or spirit to match.
Naturally, they sought further means of strengthening it, so they might yet claim the Gnosis.
And now—it was clear they had found a substitute for divine encapsulation.
Here, in the Tomb of the Scarlet King, the answer was obvious.
Nahida had explained: the desert was plagued by lingering power from the Scarlet King. These remnants made it difficult to restore balance.
It was almost certain The Doctor was channeling that very power into the mechanical god.
Otherwise, why risk conducting such experiments in a place as conspicuous as this?
The Tomb of the Scarlet King was one of the desert's most visible landmarks. Did they not fear Nolan might one day wander by and probe it out of curiosity?
Such boldness didn't fit The Doctor's cautious, suspicious nature—unless they had no choice.
If they could have, they would have hidden away in some secret domain where discovery was impossible.
So the truth was clear: the Scarlet King's lingering power lay within this tomb itself.
And to exploit it, they had to work here.
Nolan smiled faintly and turned to Nilou.
"I've found something unusual. Let's go take a look."
"Mhm. I'll follow your lead, Mr. Adventurer."
The warmth of his hand in hers made her blush faintly. Even now, being led by him still made her a little shy.
She could only force herself to focus on the murals along the walls of the passage, trying not to let her mind wander everywhere.
"Alright then."
Nolan nodded, and using the property of his undetectable barrier that allowed him to shift freely within it, the two of them instantly appeared in the enormous underground cavern beneath the Tomb of the Scarlet King.
"This is…" Nilou's emerald eyes widened in shock at the sight of the colossal machine before her.
"This is the God of Pure Mechanization—a creation of the Fatui's 'Doctor.' And look—he's right here as well."
Nolan briefly explained, then turned his gaze toward the right side of the mechanical god.
On a high platform stood two figures, apparently operating some device to check on the machine's systems.
One wore a black mask, the other a wide hat: none other than The Doctor and Scaramouche, unseen for some time.
"They can even manufacture gods? The Fatui… are they really this powerful?"
Nilou's fair face shone with astonishment.
"They are powerful, yes—but that man's reckless pursuit of his research has gravely endangered ordinary people.
"Which means… it's time they paid the price."
Nolan smiled as he spoke.
He held Nilou's soft hand and walked toward them, activating the golden Eye of Judgment. Two glowing markers appeared above their heads.
[Level: 106]
[Level: 99]
The first was The Doctor. His strength was no weaker than an ordinary Archon, perhaps even surpassing some through sheer intellect.
The second was Scaramouche. Before linking with the mechanical god, he had only been in the nineties. But after receiving feedback from the connection, his level had risen rapidly to 99—just shy of 100.
Once he reached level 100, piloting the mechanical god might grant him powers equal to a true deity—even without the lost knowledge of divine vessel encapsulation.
But breaking through on his own would be nearly impossible—hence his dependence on the machine.
"Dottore, how much longer until the strengthening is complete? I'm sick of rotting here day after day. I can't wait to crush that bastard under my feet!"
Scaramouche clenched his fists, impatience twisting his face.
Listening from the cover of his barrier, Nolan smirked faintly. Good. You'd better not mean me. Otherwise, I'll let you see exactly what being crushed underfoot feels like.
"The desert, barrenness, drought—these are the Scarlet King's powers. They don't blend well with the mechanical god. Integrating them takes more time.
"Hmph. Impatience won't help. At least half a year before initial fusion is possible," The Doctor said, raising his masked head toward the machine.
Half a year? By then, at my cultivation speed, I might squash you both with a single finger. Nolan thought dryly.
Still, it made sense. Even for The Doctor, fusing divine power in such a short span was no easy feat.
By now, Nolan and Nilou had drawn close enough to confirm this was indeed The Doctor's true body, not one of his "segments."
In the next instant, he unleashed his Domain World—Starsea Manifestation—and dragged both The Doctor and Scaramouche inside.
The surroundings shifted soundlessly into a vast, alien starfield. Even The Doctor, usually unflappable, furrowed his brow beneath the mask.
"Who's there!"
Scaramouche, alarmed, flooded the space with his spiritual energy, scanning every direction.
Yet he found nothing.
The Doctor realized this was a mindscape, and secretly employed specialized tools meant to disrupt mental and spiritual constructs, hoping to break free.
But no matter what he tried, this heart-world remained utterly unshaken.
There could only be one explanation—the opponent's strength far outstripped his own.
Only then would his methods fail so completely. The Doctor realized, too late, that he had underestimated the situation.
Never before had someone slipped so close to him without detection.
In cunning and preparations, few could match a scholar like him. Even with someone like Inazuma's Raiden Shogun, he would have sensed her approach.
But now, he tasted an emotion long absent—powerlessness.
With his intellect, he quickly deduced who had drawn them in. First, eliminate anyone weaker than himself.
Then, those with no grudge against him.
The Anemo Gnosis had been seized by La Signora. The Geo Gnosis by her and Childe.
The Electro Gnosis was acquired legitimately through a deal with the Guuji Yae, so Inazuma's Archon had no reason to trouble him.
That left only the Dendro Gnosis—and the Archon he had antagonized in pursuing it. But he knew her strength well: despite her power over wisdom and dreams, she lacked the force to pull him in without resistance.
Back then, had it not been for the presence of that young adventurer, he might have stolen the Dendro Gnosis outright.
There would have been no need for all this trouble with strengthening the mechanical god.
Eliminating all other possibilities, only one answer remained: the adventurer who had stood by the Dendro Archon's side.
After being forced to compensate Sumeru, The Doctor had investigated him thoroughly.
Nolan's appearance had been sudden, much like the golden-haired traveler beside him.
Records showed his first emergence barely a year ago, when a scout knight of Mondstadt brought a stranded man back from the forest.
At that time, he had been weaker than an ordinary man.
Yet soon after, he registered as an adventurer, and his strength skyrocketed. Within a single year, he had journeyed through four nations—and now possessed power rivaling the gods themselves.
Even The Doctor himself had to admit, he felt wary of him.
An ordinary man, with no superhuman intellect—how could he have grown to such heights in just a year?
Clearly, a tremendous secret lay hidden within him.
Whether it was fortune, or inheriting some ancient god's power, The Doctor regretted only that by the time he learned of Nolan, the youth already had the strength to stand as his equal.
Otherwise, he would have captured him at all costs for study.
His growth was that unbelievable. Now, so much time had passed since Sumeru… it was entirely possible Nolan had surpassed him.
Which explained perfectly why they had been pulled so easily into this overwhelming domain.
---
(End of Chapter)
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