"Naive," Dottore sneered.
"You think you're not poisoned?"
Banjiao Shichisei Tarou felt his strength draining away, incredulous.
"What's this?"
"The sedative was just a primer. Your barrier blocks toxins, but what about medicine?"
"Basic pharmacology. Convert the potency slightly, and you're…"
"Sloppy of me," Shichisei Tarou said, on the verge of passing out. He had anti-drug training, high resistance, and iron will. He wasn't conceding.
He couldn't move himself, but that didn't mean he was out of options. Onmyoji specialized in shikigami.
Brown-yellow light flickered around him—Rock Elixir power (Banjiao Yanji's Geo version of the Thunder Elixir, in Revival's database, so Brigade Geo Vision operatives could train it).
But Dottore's sedative and the chained poison weren't easy to crack.
The Rock Elixir flashes did nothing.
Dottore, seeing Shichisei Tarou hold out and the two samurai closing in, panicked a bit.
He wasn't unprepared.
From his sleeve, he tossed two vials. They shattered, spewing green goo that rapidly spread, aiming to engulf the samurai.
Lightning and fire flared on the samurai, creating different reactions. The shocked goo grew faster, the burned one withered.
"What's the principle… Do shikigami have cells?"
The lightning samurai sped up, the fire one charged Dottore.
Dottore, sly as ever, yelled, "I surrender!"
Like Yureisai, he vanished.
Shichisei Tarou coughed twice, finally collapsing.
Aether, from the side, staggered up, scratching his head at the mess.
Revival's victory call glitched.
Reisen appeared in the temporary domain, announcing, "Winner: Traveler Aether."
He sighed, hauling out his arranged participants.
"Uh… how'd I win?" Aether stared at his champion prize: a sleek, floating One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine that hovered mid-air.
Paimon finally had her own "Vision," but both she and Reisen felt a twinge of awkwardness.
"That luck's insane," Reisen muttered, exasperated.
Only the winner claimed the prize on-site. Second-place Dottore was back in his lab—he didn't lack resources and joined for the top reward. No prize, no point.
Reisen wouldn't stiff him, though. He shuttered a few useless labs to give Dottore's team space.
The One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine wasn't just about access—it allocated computing power.
Each Machine had a quota.
It was relative, though. Most users barely dented theirs.
Dottore's lab maxed out 70%+ daily and often begged for more.
That's why he craved a personal Machine.
Even hogging most of the lab's quota, 30% went to others.
Their experiments were vital to human research.
But Dottore always felt short.
The new Machine was a fair trade.
As for why he was second and Shichisei Tarou third? Dottore's actions fit a sage better.
Before leaving, he'd secretly undone Aether's sedative with a hidden trick.
…
Time flew. Half a month later, Aether, comfy with his One System, Ten Thousand Minds Machine, found it a godsend.
The personal version had the core Teyvat Encyclopedia (Flora, Fauna, Minerals, Monsters), letting him identify valuables in the wild without missing a beat.
It paid off big. In no time, he was rolling in Mora.
But after half a month, Aether confirmed no sign of his sister in Inazuma.
He headed back to the Khaenri'ahn survivor settlement to check on old friends, taking a detour through Liyue and Mondstadt to unlock Geo and Anemo powers.
…
"Traveler's leaving?" Reisen asked, flipping a book.
"Yes, we've heard he's asking about ships to Liyue," Banjiao Shichisei Tarou replied.
"How was the competition?" Reisen turned, grinning.
"Lost out of nowhere," Shichisei Tarou sighed. "Didn't even get to use my family swordsmanship. That kid lucked out."
"All set along the route?" Reisen asked.
"Rejected Jade Chamber in Liyue Harbor. Everywhere else is ready," Shichisei Tarou said.
He meant setting up a Teyvat-wide Heartforce network.
Reisen had wanted this for ages. Now, with tech fully localized and mass-production viable, it was time.
"Good," Reisen nodded, pleased. "I'm retiring your dad soon. Send him home to enjoy his golden years. You take over."
"But only if you nail this. Screw up, and you're managing a fish farm. Your dad showing up won't save you."
Shichisei Tarou had done a solid job, but Reisen noticed his cockiness after the third-place finish. Time to knock him down a peg, or he'd be useless.