"What if I don't believe you?"
"What would you do then?"
"Try to prove your point, or..."
Scaramouche looked at Su Han with amusement.
Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong approach.
Su Han glanced toward the door and said to the shrine maidens waiting for orders:
"See the guest out."
"You..."
Scaramouche's expression changed drastically.
He had never expected Su Han to end the conversation outright.
The reason was simple.
If he didn't believe him, what was there to talk about?
Not to mention that they were enemies.
Ignoring Scaramouche's gaze, the shrine maidens calmly said:
"Sir, this way please."
They were actually throwing him out.
Scaramouche clenched his teeth, nearly losing control of his emotions.
But soon, he laughed.
"Hahahaha, as expected of you. Thinking about it, it makes sense. Being able to summon two gods to Inazuma gives you plenty of confidence!"
"I admit I shouldn't have joked earlier."
"Can we continue this conversation?"
"At the very least, I now believe that you aren't trying to deceive me."
The shrine maidens looked toward Su Han, awaiting his next command.
Seeing him wave his hand lightly, they bowed and retreated to the entrance.
When only the two of them remained in the courtyard, Su Han spoke seriously.
"My time is valuable. Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter."
"This conversation will last only one hour."
"And one thing you said earlier was wrong. It's not that I have no intention of deceiving you."
"It's that there's simply no need."
"Once, I thought you were pitiful. That was just my honest opinion. As for what you think, that's your business."
One hour?
Scaramouche checked the time and stopped dwelling on the earlier matter.
He also became serious.
"Can I ask any question I want?"
"You can."
Su Han raised three fingers.
"But only three questions. Also, after this conversation is over, you'll have to do me a favor."
They belonged to opposing sides.
Even temporary cooperation required a price.
After thinking it over, Scaramouche felt there was no problem with that.
As for his questions...
He looked at Su Han and voiced one of his greatest doubts.
"Five hundred years ago, was the Tatarasuna Incident a conspiracy?"
"Yes. And it was entirely orchestrated by Dottore."
"As for the reason, it's simple. Your body structure is extremely special and important to his blasphemous god experiments."
"If he could draw you into hatred and gain a combat asset, that would be secondary."
"What he truly wanted was a precious and highly sophisticated puppet."
"If I'm not mistaken, Dottore's clones also make use of puppet technology, don't they?"
No matter how blasphemous he became,
Dottore had originally been a mortal.
Even if his strength had reached a godlike level, splitting himself into countless copies still required vessels capable of carrying his soul.
That was unavoidable.
Just like Ei.
Even though she resided within the Plane of Euthymia, she still needed the Shogun as a vessel.
Whenever necessary, she only needed to occupy that vessel.
Upon hearing the truth behind the Tatarasuna Incident, Scaramouche's face instantly darkened.
The teacup in his hand shattered into powder from the force of his grip.
"That bastard!"
"I knew it!"
He couldn't help cursing.
Now, the identity of his enemy was completely clear.
However, after hearing Su Han's analysis, Scaramouche looked at him in surprise.
"You actually know about Dottore's clone experiments?"
"Did you infiltrate Fatui intelligence networks, or is that purely your own deduction?"
"Does that count as your second question?"
Su Han raised an eyebrow and looked at him.
Scaramouche immediately shook his head.
He didn't want to waste such a precious opportunity.
There was no need to know something so minor.
As for his second question...
He fell into thought.
What question was truly worth asking?
At that moment, a figure appeared in his mind.
"Who killed Niwa Hisahide?"
If there was something he absolutely needed to know,
then it was the fate of his former friend.
"That's your second question?"
"Yes."
Scaramouche nodded firmly.
This had been one of the reasons for his visit.
Su Han thought for a moment before suddenly replying:
"Consider this a gift. Even though we're enemies, letting you understand what happened back then isn't a bad thing."
"But you'll need to wait a moment."
"What are you going to do?"
"Share part of a memory with you."
Su Han stood up, walked over to Scaramouche, and placed a hand atop his head.
"Don't resist. It's only a fragment of a story."
Whoosh.
A stream of information flowed into him.
After finishing, Su Han returned to his seat.
It was merely a small technique used by the adepti.
Hardly worth mentioning.
But for Scaramouche, it would probably be quite shocking.
What exactly had happened in the past?
Scaramouche didn't know.
He only remembered that day when he had left by boat to seek help.
That day, heavy rain poured from the sky.
Traveling across the sea was difficult.
But after he left Tatarasuna,
Niwa Hisahide went to find Escher.
Inside the room,
the furnace burned brightly.
The rain outside was clearly visible.
Then Scaramouche saw a familiar face.
It was Niwa Hisahide.
His clothing and expression were exactly as familiar as they had been five hundred years ago.
Scaramouche would never forget him.
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice echoed through the room.
"It's been quite some time since I arrived in Tatarasuna."
"You, Lord Mikoshi Nagamasa, and everyone else here have been incredibly kind."
"The Tatarasuna you built is like a warm gathering place, a giant village. People live busy but meaningful lives, filled with passion."
The man spoke of Tatarasuna's beauty.
He praised everything about it.
Yet Scaramouche noticed
that Niwa Hisahide's expression was growing darker and darker.
Escher was a famous technician.
He had improved the technology that utilized Crystal Marrow, greatly increasing the production of Jade Steel.
As a result, everyone in Tatarasuna respected him.
However, Niwa Hisahide believed that ever since Escher's arrival,
strange black smoke had begun appearing throughout Tatarasuna.
Workers had also started dying for no apparent reason.
And all of it had begun after his arrival.
Seeing this, realization appeared on Scaramouche's face.
No wonder.
Ever since Escher arrived, villagers had frequently died.
Although Niwa Hisahide had done everything possible to save the situation, nothing changed.
So it had been a conspiracy from the very beginning?
Scaramouche continued watching from the perspective of an observer.
As the discussion turned toward the deaths of the workers,
Niwa Hisahide became increasingly emotional.
There was even another hidden piece of information.
"None of those sent out to seek help have returned. Our friend, the Kabukimono, has taken that golden feather to Narukami Island to seek aid from the Shogun. He is our last hope."
Wait.
None of them returned?
Scaramouche immediately sensed something wrong.
Back then, he had been clumsy.
His thoughts had also been simple.
But he still remembered Niwa Hisahide's meetings with the foremen.
Many people had indeed been sent out for help.
Because none of them returned, he had volunteered himself.
So the Fatui had already been waiting around the area at that time.
"Even so, Mr. Escher, you seem completely unafraid. Otherwise, why are you still smiling like that?"
By this point,
the suspicion in Niwa Hisahide's eyes had reached its peak.
Although Scaramouche already knew the outcome, he still couldn't help worrying.
If Escher was Dottore,
then there could only be one result from this meeting.
"Run!"
Scaramouche shouted inside the memory fragment.
Unfortunately, this was Su Han's memory, reconstructed from scenes within the game.
No matter how anxious Scaramouche became,
he could not affect anything inside the memory.
Faced with Niwa Hisahide's questioning,
Escher merely smiled.
"I'm simply surprised that you've finally spoken your true thoughts aloud."
"You've probably kept these suspicions buried in your heart for a long time, haven't you?"
"Hmph. Not just me. Lord Mikoshi Nagamasa has also noticed that something is wrong. He's simply too upright to speak without evidence."
Despite Niwa Hisahide's relentless pressure,
Escher remained completely calm.
"I've heard that Lord Mikoshi Nagamasa is the adopted son of Torachiyo. Acting cautiously in order to cleanse the stain upon his family's name is only natural."
Watching the man continue making excuses,
Niwa Hisahide no longer wished to waste words.
"That's enough, Escher."
"The reason I'm standing here is because the furnace core is overflowing with corrupt power. Someone must take the device you provided into the upper section and solve the problem."
"And why are you standing here?"
Slash.
The moment Niwa Hisahide turned around,
a trace of contempt appeared in Escher's eyes.
A blade pierced straight through his body.
That alone explained why Scaramouche never saw him again afterward.
Because he had already died.
Watching Escher mock Niwa Hisahide's purity without restraint, Scaramouche gritted his teeth in hatred.
Especially when he heard him claim that a puppet was unworthy of being human.
Only then did he understand why Su Han had called him pitiful.
Indeed.
He hated Inazuma.
He hated Tatarasuna.
He hated everyone who had abandoned him.
But in reality,
his true enemy had been watching him like a clown the entire time.
Even after Niwa Hisahide's death, Dottore continued mocking him.
He even revealed that everything had been ordered by Pierro.
And that was indeed the truth.
Through this scheme, they had entered Inazuma and successfully pushed Scaramouche down the path of darkness.
The memory fragment ended there.
After regaining consciousness, Scaramouche fell into a long silence.
A cup of tea was handed to him.
He glanced at it before taking a sip.
The bitter taste was incredibly strong.
Yet it also helped clear his mind.
"Thank you."
His voice was hoarse.
The killing intent in his eyes was nearly impossible to suppress.
That memory fragment
had ripped open a bloody wound.
Seeing that Scaramouche had managed to control himself, Su Han said in surprise:
"It seems I underestimated you. I thought you'd immediately rush to Sumeru and confront that guy face-to-face after seeing everything."
Setting down the teacup, Scaramouche laughed bitterly.
"I'm not that foolish."
"Your information is valuable. But I still need to investigate it myself."
"Besides..."
His tone suddenly changed, becoming filled with murderous intent.
"That bastard has countless clones. Killing him won't be easy."
"And Dottore isn't my only enemy. There's Pierro, and even the entire Fatui."
"If all of this is true..."
"Then the people I need to take revenge on aren't just one person."
"They used me for five hundred years."
"I'll collect every bit of that debt."
Su Han didn't doubt his determination.
But honestly speaking,
Scaramouche's strength looked impressive, yet it was still far from enough to face Pierro and Dottore.
Should he invest in him now?
Su Han felt it was worth considering.
Tap.
A strange snail was placed on the table.
Scaramouche looked down.
The moment he recognized it, he was shocked.
"A Den Den Mushi? Wait... your intelligence network is actually based on this?"
His mind worked quickly.
The recent misfortunes suffered by the Fatui.
Inazuma's anti-Fatui operations.
Once everything was connected together,
the answer became obvious.
Su Han grinned.
"That's right. As you can see, with Den Den Mushi, information can reach every nation instantly."
"I'm giving one to you because I think you're worth investing in."
"When we reach Sumeru, there may be opportunities for further cooperation."
"Sorry, but I have no interest in becoming someone else's subordinate."
Scaramouche withdrew his gaze and rejected the tempting offer.
But Su Han immediately refuted him.
"How long do you plan to fight alone?"
"If you fail to obtain the Electro Gnosis, how will you report back?"
"Even if we take ten thousand steps back, rebelling now would only alert them."
"But if you want to continue undercover, you'll need a token of loyalty."
"With a Den Den Mushi, we become partners."
Scaramouche considered his words and soon discovered the flaw.
He laughed helplessly.
"The Electro Gnosis? I don't have any bargaining chips left. Taking that thing is impossible."
"And besides, I have no intention of continuing to serve that beast."
Dottore had murdered his friend.
He had also manipulated him for five hundred years.
Without avenging that blood debt,
it would forever remain a thorn in his heart.
Thunk.
An object radiating pale violet light was suddenly placed on the table by Su Han.
Its overwhelming aura instantly drew Scaramouche's attention.
"The Electro Gnosis!!"
"What do you mean by this?"
He pulled his gaze away and looked at Su Han in confusion.
The object he had pursued for years.
The object the Fatui had schemed for over countless years.
Now it simply lay before him.
Looking at the bewildered Scaramouche, Su Han rested his chin on one hand and smiled.
"Simple."
"I want to use it to trick the Fatui."
"If I'm not mistaken, once you obtain the Gnosis, Dottore will invite you to Sumeru, right?"
"Take it and go."
"I think you'll know how to use it."
"How about we give Dottore a surprise together?"
Almost every detail was correct.
Before coming to Inazuma,
Dottore had privately approached him.
Scaramouche truly hadn't expected Su Han to know even that.
Looking at the dazzling object before him, he asked:
"Aren't you afraid I'll take it and betray you?"
Su Han calmly shook his head.
Looking at the complicated expression on the young man's face, he replied:
"After experiencing countless betrayals, the thing you hate most is betrayal itself, isn't it?"
That single sentence
left Scaramouche frozen in place.
Suddenly, he burst into laughter.
Who would have thought?
The person who understood him best
would be an enemy.
"Fine. I agree."
"Let's call this the second condition."
"The previous matter doesn't count."
"This is cooperation between us."
"I'm willing to destroy Dottore."
"Of course, that's assuming I verify everything first."
As for how to verify it,
both Scaramouche and Su Han already knew.
He only needed to access Irminsul.
Anyone with god-level power could accomplish that.
Not just the former Dendro Archon.
Anyone who went to Sumeru City could open the gateway to Irminsul under Nahida's guidance.
In response, Su Han picked up the Den Den Mushi and spoke into it.
"Nahida, you heard our conversation, right? I found you a helper."
Scaramouche looked at the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
He didn't know who Nahida was.
But he was certain that she was someone extraordinary.
Soon, a young voice came from the snail.
"Yes, I heard everything."
"So if Mr. Scaramouche comes to Sumeru, he can visit any of our outposts. We'll help you there."
"Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is Nahida. My true name is Buer, the God of Wisdom."
"I'm currently imprisoned within the Sanctuary of Surasthana."
"If you come to Sumeru, I might be able to arrange for you to enter Irminsul once."
Scaramouche was surprised, though not excessively so.
He nodded.
"No problem."
And so the matter was settled.
The call ended.
After thinking for a moment, Scaramouche suddenly laughed.
"The Fatui really made the worst decision of their lives by provoking you."
"Among the Seven Nations, you've already connected with five gods."
"I think even without me, taking Sumeru would be easy for you."
"Can I ask one thing?"
"Why are you helping me?"
"I doubt you're some kind-hearted saint."
"You can skip the nonsense about helping others."
As cherry blossoms drifted through the air, Su Han slowly lost his smile.
Holding a Sacred Sakura petal, he spoke honestly.
"Suppose all I want is a peaceful life, but people keep disrupting it. Fighting back would be normal, wouldn't it?"
"Suppose all I want is a warm family life with my wife and children, but people keep targeting my wives. Wanting to protect my family would be normal too, wouldn't it?"
"Suppose one day the land beneath our feet collapses and is swallowed by black mud. Wanting to survive a little longer would also be a perfectly normal reason, right?"
"Based on all those assumptions, Scaramouche... no, Kabukimono."
"Would you believe me if I said everything I'm doing right now is simply an investment, so I can be lazier in the future?"
Scaramouche left.
As for his third question,
he never asked it.
Perhaps one day, when his hatred finally faded away,
he would need that answer.
As for the favor Su Han requested,
Scaramouche agreed and promised to help.
The cooperative project also progressed smoothly.
"So, what new manga can I draw today?"
Su Han opened the system.
His level had finally increased.
And this time,
there were actually two brand-new manga series.
His luck was quite good indeed.
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