"Tartaglia, don't let Dottore's words confuse you!"
Su Yuan quickly warned Tartaglia:
"The very fact that he's saying this proves he fears you!"
"For someone like him, there's no need to speak of honor or morals."
"Showing mercy to your enemy is being cruel to yourself!"
"When he's down, that's exactly when you strike!"
"Don't worry, Su Yuan—I understand that much," Tartaglia responded firmly.
He then turned to Dottore and said,
"Dottore, I know I'm not exactly playing fair here, taking advantage of your injured state…"
"But you—this isn't even your only segment."
"If I ever get the chance, I'll gladly challenge one of your peak-state segments for a real, all-out fight."
"But for now—don't take it personally!"
As Tartaglia spoke, he gripped his weapon tightly, his figure blurring into a swift afterimage as he charged straight toward Dottore.
"Don't think your Eerie power can stop me!"
"This is Abyssal power I learned directly from my master!!"
Su Yuan looked at Dottore, who made no move to resist, and wondered—
Was Dottore really just giving up like this in the face of Tartaglia's unstoppable assault?
But deep down, Su Yuan knew all too well—Dottore, as his enemy, was meticulous, cautious, and endlessly difficult to deal with…
If he hadn't been absolutely certain of something, how could he have possibly brought Su Yuan and Furina into this isolated Serenitea Pot space?
Sure enough, just as Tartaglia's attack was about to strike Dottore, Dottore suddenly spoke:
"Tartaglia… you wouldn't want Tonya and Teucer to have a tragic childhood, would you?"
The moment he heard those words, Tartaglia forcibly pulled back all his power—his attack halted right in front of Dottore, not landing the blow.
"Dottore!!! What the hell do you mean by that??" Tartaglia roared in fury.
"A truly powerful warrior,"
Dottore replied casually, a faint smile on his lips,
"...is not just one who knows how to unleash overwhelming destruction and attack power…"
"Only those who have complete control over both release and restraint—can truly be called powerful warriors."
"Dottore!!! Answer my question!!! Don't you dare change the subject!!"
Tartaglia pressed his weapon against Dottore's neck, glaring furiously as he demanded again:
"Dottore! What the hell do you mean by that!?"
Dottore smiled faintly and replied in a calm, almost mocking tone:
"Tell me, Tartaglia—what do you think is more painful?"
"For Tonya, Teucer, and your other siblings to suffer through a tragic childhood…"
"Or for their lives… and their ages… to remain frozen in childhood forever?"
"Dottore!! If you dare lay a single finger on Tonya or Teucer—
I swear I won't let you go! Even if I die—I'll come back and haunt you!!"
Tartaglia's gaze burned into Dottore's face, his expression twisted with fury.
At this moment, he seemed to be on the verge of losing all reason…
Since Tartaglia was currently controlling Su Yuan's body, Su Yuan could clearly feel every ripple of Tartaglia's emotions.
"Ah… So you have figured out what I'm planning."
Dottore let out a low chuckle and said to Tartaglia:
"Even though I've betrayed the Cryo Archon… there are still slices of me left behind in Snezhnaya."
"With just one thought, I can appear in your home… and find your beloved little siblings."
"And what happens next… will depend entirely on your actions, Tartaglia."
"So then—are you still going to fight me?"
Su Yuan could feel clearly:
Tartaglia's hand—the one gripping the weapon—was trembling uncontrollably…
"Tartaglia, for you to have come this far and achieved so much—your family deserves a great deal of the credit…"
Dottore continued speaking:
"Your family is your driving force—the reason you keep moving forward. But they're also your soft spot… your weakness."
"A truly perfect warrior… should have no weaknesses. But clearly, you're not one of them…"
"But don't worry. I'm not going to threaten you into doing anything for me. All I need… is for you to not stand in my way."
Su Yuan hadn't expected Dottore to resolve things with Tartaglia this way.
It was despicable—shameless beyond belief.
But Su Yuan also understood clearly:
If Dottore weren't despicable and shameless… could he still be called Dottore?
"…Alright, Tartaglia. I shouldn't have made you face such a painful and agonizing decision."
Su Yuan spoke to Tartaglia in his mind:
"You've done enough. Thank you. Let me take it from here…"
Then, Su Yuan reclaimed control of his body once again.
"Dottore… you really are the lowest of the low," Su Yuan muttered, staring at him with barely contained fury.
"Hahahaha, thank you for the compliment!"
Dottore laughed heartily and said:
"I quite like a line from a book: 'Despicableness is the pass for the despicable, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble.'"
"As long as the goal is achieved with maximum efficiency… any means are justified."
"Su Yuan, there's something I've been thinking about for a long time…"
Dottore said thoughtfully:
"If I found your weakness—your soft spot—and used it to threaten you… would you finally be willing to become my friend?"
"You are a Descender—someone who came to Teyvat from beyond this world. You have no family here… but you do have many friends."
"You're willing to throw yourself into danger for those friends… so aren't your friends your greatest weakness?"
When Su Yuan noticed Dottore's gaze shift toward Furina behind him, he immediately stepped forward and shouted:
"Dottore—what's that supposed to mean? If you've got a problem, come at me!"
"If you've got the guts—then kill me! Don't you dare touch her!!"
After saying those words, Su Yuan suddenly felt a wave of regret and fear wash over him...
The moment he saw Dottore reaching toward Furina, he'd gotten too emotional—and blurted out everything he was thinking…
If Dottore really decided to kill him now… wouldn't that be the end of it all?!
"Hahaha! Su Yuan, look how nervous you are!"
Dottore burst out laughing in amusement.
"I was just playing a little joke—why so worked up?"
"I really do want to be friends with you. If possible, I'd rather not force you at all."
"So, I hope you'll be smart about this…"
"As long as you and Furina agree to cooperate with me in my experiments, I promise I won't harm either of you."
"Even if you dislike the body modifications I perform, I can restore you both to your original state afterward…"
Dottore was still rambling, but then suddenly paused—
He sensed that the space inside the Serenitea Pot had begun to shift… time itself was beginning to change.
The sky… was slowly getting darker, as if night was falling.
"It should still be broad daylight outside," Dottore muttered, puzzled.
"But I suppose it makes sense—after all, the Serenitea Pot is a realm of its own, with independent time flow…"
Watching the darkening sky, Su Yuan suddenly realized—
The opportunity… had finally come!
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