In stark contrast to the chaos erupting around Dottore, a serene calm enveloped the group.
They stared in stunned silence at Dr. Edward, his demeanor utterly transformed, unable to find the words to speak.
While Dottore was occupied with Dr. Edward, Paimon had already returned to Lumine's side.
"Dr. Edward..." Dr. Zachariah murmured, his throat feeling dry.
"COVID—you're the one who brought it to Sumeru, aren't you?" Nahida's words sent a jolt of fear through Dr. Zachariah, who stared in disbelief at her, her expression barely maintaining composure.
The others reacted similarly, except for Alhaitham, who seemed to have vaguely suspected something. All were stunned by Nahida's accusation.
"Nahida, how could Dr. Edward have done this? You must be mistaken!" Paimon insisted. Despite Dr. Edward having taken her hostage earlier, she believed it was merely a tactic to lower Dottore's guard. Even with the unsettling atmosphere, she refused to accept Nahida's conclusion.
"Dr. Edward defied the Akademiya's warnings and threats to gather medicine and save the ordinary people in the Restricted Zone!" she insisted. "How could he possibly be the one spreading the epidemic?!"
"Heh, Paimon's right," Dr. Edward said with a smile, shaking his head to dismiss Nahida's accusation. "Of course I didn't spread this disease. Lesser Lord Kusanali is giving me too much credit."
Dr. Edward's answer eased Lumine's anxiety slightly. The thought that the infectious disease plaguing countless Sumerians might have been spread by Dr. Edward himself—a figure revered by all Sumerians—would have been a crushing blow.
Fortunately, Nahida's suspicions proved unfounded. While Dr. Edward harbored secrets, that didn't necessarily make him a villain.
Even Nahida began to doubt her own judgment. After all, according to her deductions, Dr. Edward had no logical reason to lie about this matter.
"COVID is No. 1's masterpiece, you know."
"If I hadn't provided him with samples, he never would have so readily lent it to me."
Suddenly, a bombshell dropped into the calm lake of their minds, sending shockwaves of panic through their hearts.
"No. 1? What's that?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes reflecting each other's confusion.
Their homeland of Inazuma had been completely cut off from the outside world, leaving them utterly ignorant of the mysterious organization that had been causing such a stir across the Six Nations.
Of course, the homebody Enjou was equally clueless.
But aside from these three, the others present were instantly on high alert.
As Dr. Edward's words hung in the air, Cyno and Alhaitham immediately drew their weapons and aimed them at him, their bodies radiating an aura of intense hostility.
They unleashed the full extent of their power without reservation, yet even this failed to bring them a shred of security.
Even Dottore, who was locked in combat with Shouki no Kami in the distance yet still monitoring the situation, froze momentarily. He narrowly avoided being slammed into a wall by a flaming backhand from Shouki no Kami, which would have left him stuck there, impossible to pry loose.
Nearly getting slapped in the face by his own masterpiece, Dottore's rage erupted.
In his fury, Dottore attempted to paralyze Shouki no Kami. However, the moment his consciousness established a connection, a pitch-black energy surged through the link, attempting to invade his mental world.
Fortunately, Dottore had anticipated this. He immediately severed a portion of his consciousness, narrowly avoiding total disaster.
Swallowing the metallic taste of blood, Dottore glared at Shouki no Kami, which was unleashing its full firepower against him. After a moment's thought, he decided he'd rather stay angry.
Inwardly, Dottore cursed Scaramouche relentlessly. He created Shouki no Kami, yet it fights others with kid gloves, but against me, it goes for the kill? Its combat power has increased severalfold compared to before!
At the same time, Dottore's heart grew heavy. When exactly did I fall into their trap without even realizing it?
-
Nahida paused for a moment, a bitter smile surfacing on her face.
"Even when I realized you had outmaneuvered me, I had already guessed your identity. But how I wish my judgment had been wrong."
"What exactly is going on? Dr. Edward... who exactly is he?" Lumine and Paimon asked urgently, noticing the grave expressions on everyone's faces.
After Alhaitham's concise explanation, Lumine and Paimon's faces immediately turned pale with shock.
This was the divine force that had plunged Fontaine into chaos, a power even the Hydro Archon was powerless to contain.
This mysterious organization had orchestrated a series of calamities, conservatively estimated to have cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Fontainians...
After hearing this, Lumine and Paimon glanced at Dr. Edward, a flicker of fear in their eyes.
They had always believed the Fatui to be the most sinister force on Teyvat, but Alhaitham's revelation suddenly made them realize the Fatui were comparatively benign.
Dr. Edward, a member of this mysterious organization?!
"This can't be real! It has to be a lie!"
"Dr. Edward, you must be joking, right?"
Dr. Zachariah was the most devastated. He had spent the longest time with Dr. Edward, and during that time, he had been completely awestruck by his colleague's extraordinary medical skills. Though he hadn't formally become his disciple, he had already regarded him as his teacher in his heart.
Recalling how Dr. Edward had patiently explained every medical question he had asked, Dr. Zachariah felt a suffocating sense of disbelief. He couldn't accept that Dr. Edward, the man he admired so deeply, could be a member of that infamous and mysterious organization.
When Dr. Edward's gaze fell on Dr. Zachariah, his expression turned complex.
"Accept reality, Dr. Zachariah," he said. "Deceiving yourself serves no purpose. Let me reintroduce myself: I am No. 4. I'm new to Sumeru, so please guide me well."
Upon hearing these words, Dr. Zachariah's face paled instantly, his entire demeanor collapsing. He seemed to age decades in an instant.
The others' spirits sank as well. The worst-case scenario had come to pass: Dr. Edward wasn't just a member of that mysterious organization, but a numbered member at that.
"By exploiting COVID, they rapidly built their reputation."
"Simultaneously, through those infected with the illness, they will corrupt the Shouki no Kami—the machine god created by Dottore in collaboration with the Akademiya—completely stripping away their life's work."
"Under the guise of treatment, they secretly tampered with the Traveler, trapping her in endless, absurd dreams to weaken her mental defenses... Truly a masterful scheme!"
"Your Excellency has traveled ten thousand miles from Fontaine to Sumeru. Do you think us Sumerians are easy targets?"
Despite her exhaustion, Nahida confronted Dr. Edward sternly, though her heart ached with bitterness.
Though it's selfish to think this way, I still wish the mysterious forces in Fontaine could handle this themselves, she thought.
If I had to choose between the Fontainians and the Sumerians, I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.
"It seems Lesser Lord Kusanali has misunderstood me," Dr. Edward said, shaking his head before continuing.
"I came to save you all."
"Though I concealed my true identity, I am a doctor, and on that point, I have never lied to anyone."
A look of compassionate sorrow washed over Dr. Edward's face as he spoke slowly.
"This world is sick—mortally ill."
"But I... I can save this world!"
Hearing Dr. Edward's confident words, the group paused, completely taken aback by his unexpected reply. Their gazes immediately shifted to Nahida.
If anyone knew whether the world was truly sick, it was Nahida.
Her expression alone revealed the answer.
"Then, what's the price?" Alhaitham asked.
Alhaitham didn't need to think long to realize things weren't so simple. After all the time Dr. Edward had spent scheming, saving the world clearly wouldn't be an easy task.
Dr. Edward regarded Alhaitham with a hint of admiration before slowly speaking.
"The Traveler.
"And half the lives in Sumeru."
The moment Dr. Edward calmly uttered such a horrifying statement, the group's hearts began to tremble violently.
Half the lives in Sumeru—did that mean at least millions would die?!
With a single sentence, he had decided the fate of so many. The group stared at Dr. Edward as if he were a demon straight from hell.
"Seal all the world's corruption within the Traveler's body. Reinforce this seal with the blood of millions, ensuring its absolute integrity."
Dr. Edward made no attempt to conceal his plan, laying it bare.
"You won't succeed!"
Paimon immediately retorted Dr. Edward's words loudly.
"The Traveler will definitely stop you!"
"Why would they stop me?" Dr. Edward shook his head. "Just a few million lives. Compared to the lives of everyone on Teyvat, isn't this a simple choice?"
"Or would you rather watch Teyvat be destroyed, die with everyone else, and stubbornly cling to your ideals, pointlessly flaunting your saintly compassion?"
"If you insist on this path, then you too will be responsible for the world's destruction."
"That's not true!"
"We're not indifferent to the crisis facing Teyvat!"
"It's just that human lives shouldn't be reduced to mere numbers to be weighed and compared. Every individual is unique, and no one should be sacrificed!"
Nahida countered Dr. Edward's argument.
"Therefore, I absolutely will not stand idly by while you carry out your plans!"
"How laughable. A God with such naive ideals," Dr. Edward retorted coldly.
"Only fairy tales achieve perfect endings where no one is harmed. Reality, however, isn't a fairy tale. For the sake of the world's survival, even sacrificing countless lives is a price worth paying."
"Or perhaps you've found a better way to save this world?"
Upon hearing this question, Nahida's resolve visibly faltered.
"Not yet, but I believe there must be another way. Please, give me some time."
Nahida's gaze held a pleading note as she looked at Dr. Edward.
"Such cheap compassion," Dr. Edward murmured, shaking his head slowly. "It seems you truly aren't suited to be a god."
Dr. Edward's words drained the color from Nahida's face. Their impact far surpassed anything the Akademiya crowd had ever said.
"If you want to change my mind, then try to stop me."
"Of course, you'll have to act quickly. My preparations are nearly complete."
At this point, Dr. Edward paused, then turned to Dottore in the distance and added, "Speaking of which, I should thank Mr. Dottore."
"My sincerest gratitude to Mr. Dottore for his invaluable contribution to the spread of COVID.
"Had he not chosen the Akademiya as his dissemination vector, I would have needed far more effort to propagate it throughout Sumeru."
Upon hearing Dr. Edward's words, the crowd turned their furious gazes toward Dottore. The intense murderous intent emanating from them even caused Dottore's movements to freeze momentarily.
Having narrowly avoided another electro-charged slap that would have pinned him to the wall beyond removal, Dottore glared back at the crowd with a warning glint in his eyes.
Though somewhat disheveled, Dottore remained largely unscathed, his formidable presence still palpable.
"I eagerly await your arrival," he declared.
With those words, Dr. Edward's body erupted in a pale, grayish aura. He raised his hand, tore open a rift in space, and vanished into it.
"Wait!"
A sudden premonition gripped Nahida's heart, and she shouted out in alarm. Lumine lunged toward Dr. Edward's vanishing point with blinding speed, only to find herself clutching empty air.
"Why did Dr. Edward just leave like that?" Paimon asked, her voice filled with confusion as she watched the scene unfold.
"He's gone to find Irminsul!" Nahida's expression was grave. "His entire plan—manipulating me into establishing a spiritual connection with the Traveler—was designed to extract Irminsul's coordinates from me. And now he's succeeded!"
"Irminsul records the fates of everyone in Teyvat."
"With Dr. Edward's power, altering someone's fate isn't beyond his capabilities!"
Hearing Nahida's explanation, the group's mood grew heavy.
"Doesn't that mean the situation is incredibly dire?!" Paimon exclaimed, her voice trembling with anxiety.
"We have to stop him! We can't let Dr. Edward stray down this dark path!"
"If his true intention is to save Teyvat, we can all work together to find a new way to ensure the world's survival! There's no need to resort to such cruel methods!"
Nahida nodded in agreement. "If Dr. Edward hasn't lied, there might still be room for negotiation between us."
"Therefore, we must find the location of Irminsul before him, before things escalate beyond repair!"
Nahida was about to elaborate when suddenly she felt a sharp sense of suffocation, a sensation shared by the others.
As the group stared at the Shouki no Kami, towering above them with a massive, gray-white energy sphere held aloft, their expressions abruptly turned grim...