"Hahaha…"
Hearing Nahida's request, the Doctor laughed once more.
"So this is how you intend to restrain the greatest threat to the Nation of Wisdom?"
"Your method is no different from taking away the eyes I've placed across every timeline."
"Creating segments is extraordinarily difficult. It requires rare resources, immense effort, and a vast amount of time."
"And yet you want me to destroy all of them here…"
"God of Wisdom, your choice is quite ingenious."
His tone gradually turned strange.
"How interesting…"
"Should I take this to mean that you've always been wary of me?"
"Among all of 'me,' the segment before you is the most selfish one."
"If it were another segment standing here instead… hah, your little plan wouldn't have worked."
After saying that, the Doctor paced twice before glancing sideways at Nahida.
His voice lowered.
"What exactly did you see during your imprisonment?"
"You were observing me?"
"That's why you know I've long grown tired of those segments questioning me!"
"That's why you know I'm sick of their endless arguments!"
After Nahida exposed the secret buried deep within his heart—
the Doctor finally lost the calm composure he had maintained all this time.
Nahida merely replied lightly,
"You were the one who said reconciling with oneself is difficult."
"So, clever as you are… have you managed to do it?"
The Doctor fell silent.
At this moment, the momentum of the conversation completely reversed.
Nahida, who had originally been at a disadvantage, gradually seized control.
Meanwhile, the once arrogant and confident Doctor slowly found himself cornered instead.
A moment later, he looked at the little Dendro Archon's back and spoke softly.
"I see."
"If you truly believe those countless segments are worth less than a Gnosis…"
"Then we have a deal."
Nahida turned around again.
"You don't seem very bothered by it."
"Are the relationships between your segments really that terrible?"
"I don't think this is something worth minding."
The Doctor smiled faintly.
"If unnecessary versions of myself can be exchanged for a Gnosis…"
"Can anyone possibly offer a higher price than that?"
"Besides, with my abilities, I'll eventually find an even better perspective."
"So rather than a loss… you're merely ahead for now."
As he spoke, he crossed his arms again.
"But I'd like to know—how can you be certain I truly erased them?"
Hearing this, Nahida stepped forward until she stood directly before him.
"I'll witness the last trace of honesty you still possess."
With that, she reached out and used her power to peer into the Doctor's heart.
The Doctor snorted coldly.
This time, he did not deceive her.
He directly erased every segment.
"Well?"
"Have you confirmed it?"
Nahida said nothing.
Instead, she silently handed over the Electro Gnosis.
"Take it."
And with that—
the video ended.
The video had been short.
There was no battle.
Only a clash of words.
Yet because of the identities and power difference between the two participants, the exchange felt unbelievably tense.
Everyone watching had held their breath the entire time, terrified that the little Dendro Archon might be harmed.
But in the end, Nahida reversed the situation through sheer wisdom and seized the upper hand.
The audience was thoroughly satisfied.
Sumeru — Border Region
"So that's how it is…"
"First she used the Heavenly Principles to keep me from acting recklessly, then she traded the Gnosis in exchange for the destruction of my segments."
"It seems I underestimated this God of Wisdom."
After watching the scene on the light screen, the Doctor's eyes revealed a trace of admiration.
The first move was unconventional.
The second had clearly been prepared far in advance.
Everything had been done to weaken the greatest threat to Sumeru.
It seemed the Little Lord Kusanali truly was no simple god.
Though she had yet to reach the level of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she was undoubtedly worthy of the title "God of Wisdom."
But… the segments…
The Doctor rested his chin on one hand and fell into thought.
He hadn't expected that, in the original future, he would actually erase them.
Yet he did not regret it.
Just as he had said in the video—
using excess segments in exchange for a Gnosis was already the highest possible price.
Which raised a new question.
If his future self erased them…
Should he erase them now as well?
After all—
he truly despised the other segments.
The Doctor's eyes flickered uncertainly.
[Transcendent Chat Group]
[Alice]: Tsk tsk, top-tier psychological warfare and mutual probing! A textbook example of the weak defeating the strong! Another high-level match!]
[Jean]: No! Ordinary people—no, almost nobody—could pull this off!]
[Jean]: First, you need overwhelming mental fortitude to remain calm before the Doctor, one of the Fatui Harbingers!]
[Jean]: Then you need enough courage and unpredictability!]
[Jean]: After all, who would ever think the God of Wisdom would gamble on whether destroying a Gnosis might awaken the heavens? It's terrifying just thinking about it!]
[Jean]: Next, you'd need to prepare in advance, use every possible method to observe your enemy, and uncover his weakness!]
[Jean]: But this is the Doctor we're talking about!]
[Jean]: Mondstadt despises him—we even have grudges against him—but we also know how dangerous he is!]
[Jean]: How could an ordinary person possibly see through someone like him?]
[Jean]: Only by achieving all three could someone hope to defeat the strong while weak, just like Lesser Lord Kusanali did!]
[Lumine]: Summary: Nahida is way too cool~! (cheer.jpg)]
[Paimon]: Ahhh, Nahida is amazing~! (cheer.jpg)]
[Nilou]: Lesser Lord Kusanali is incredible~!]
The others in the chat silently nodded in agreement.
Indeed—
this was not something ordinary people could accomplish.
After all, that was the Doctor.
Second among the Fatui Harbingers.
A monster with power rivaling gods and the intellect of a scholar.
Only because he was facing Nahida—the God of Wisdom—and feared the consequences, did things turn out this way.
Otherwise, he would have long since taken the Gnosis by force.
As for why the Doctor feared taking the gamble…
After everything revealed by the previous nations, many in the chat group had already guessed the reason.
After all—
this was rebellion against the heavens.
Even the slightest possibility of the Heavenly Principles awakening was enough to make one's blood run cold.
Thus, not gambling was the safest choice.
Because the matter concerned the one upon Skyfrost Nail above Celestia, everyone tacitly avoided discussing it further.
Dawn Winery
"Erasing segments…"
Diluc frowned deeply.
He didn't possess Nahida's methods.
But giving up was impossible.
After all, he and the Doctor shared a blood feud.
No matter how difficult it was, he had to continue.
Compared to the hopelessness before, Nahida's method at least allowed him to glimpse a possibility.
What he needed now—
was to research that possibility and find a method of revenge suitable for himself.
At that moment—
[Keqing]: Wait a second! Doesn't Lesser Lord Kusanali have two Gnoses?]
[Yae Miko]: Indeed~ If nothing unexpected happens, the other one will probably also be used in a trade with the Doctor.]
[Nahida]: Mm! The Dendro Gnosis was originally used to maintain the Akasha System.]
[Nahida]: But after this incident, the future me will definitely shut down the Akasha and return curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge to the people themselves.]
[Nahida]: Which means the Dendro Gnosis will no longer be all that useful.]
[Nahida]: But it's still a Gnosis in the end! So the Doctor will need to offer a worthy price in return!]
[Nahida]: I just wonder what it could be.]
[Navia]: Something similar to segments maybe? (curious.jpg)]
[Il Dottore]: No, no. Few things compare to the value of a Gnosis. If I had to guess… it would be knowledge.]
[Doctor]: For the God of Wisdom, there's probably no better currency than knowledge itself.]
[Nilou]: Trading knowledge with the God of Wisdom… somehow that feels strange.]
[Nahida]: A little. But even the God of Wisdom isn't omniscient. There will always be things she doesn't know.]
[Furina]: What kind of knowledge could even interest the God of Wisdom? (curious.jpg)]
[Doctor]: Heh~]
This time, the Doctor did not elaborate.
But based on his understanding of himself—
the knowledge used in exchange would most likely be that infamous secret:
"The stars and the sky of Teyvat are fake."
Hidden within that truth were secrets of the entire world, concealed by Irminsul itself.
Only knowledge of that level held enough value.
Still—
there was no need to say that in the group chat.
Though whether the light screen would reveal it one day… was another matter entirely.
The light screen flickered again.
Video Two began.
This time, it displayed Nahida's first Story Quest.
The contents were simple enough.
After Sumeru's people regained the ability to dream, they organized an event known as "A Moment of Dreams."
But eventually, an accident occurred.
A scholar, unable to let go of his beloved, secretly used the remnants of the shut-down Akasha System to trap citizens within beautiful dreams.
After discovering the truth, Nahida and the Traveler successfully resolved the incident.
Afterward, Nahida delivered a speech to the people, offering wisdom as the God of Wisdom regarding dreams and reality.
"Greetings to all of you who have just awakened."
"I apologize for interrupting your beautiful dreams."
"And I also apologize if my methods within the dream felt somewhat cold."
"Dreams possess extraordinary power."
"To those with strong hearts, they can inspire hope and give wings to ideals."
"But they can also exploit weakness, distort perception, and blur right from wrong."
"Unfortunately, all of you were chosen as prey."
"As I said before, I am still learning. I cannot claim to fully understand the pain of separation."
"But simply look around you—many people here have suffered similar losses."
"The fact that all of you can gather here together and look toward the future…"
"You should be proud of that."
"The road of life is incredibly long, and few of us can see its end."
"And so, many questions naturally arise."
"What is the meaning of my life?"
"What is my goal?"
"Why must I continue enduring pain?"
"Certainly, stopping in place, abandoning thought, and endlessly repeating familiar routines is the easiest choice."
"But whenever such thoughts appear…"
"Look at the people and things around you."
"Some work tirelessly every day so their families can share a warm meal at night."
"Some travel across the world to create art that resonates with all of Teyvat."
"Some seek the secrets of the world to prevent disasters creeping ever closer."
"The self is not the entirety of life's meaning."
"Every action shapes both ourselves and the world."
"Your loved ones will remember what you've done."
"And even strangers may benefit from your actions."
"That is why many people continue forging new paths despite their suffering."
"And when you walk those same paths…"
"The answers to those questions will slowly reveal themselves."
"And at the same time…"
"They will cease to matter."
"But if you believe life itself is emptiness…"
"Then it will gradually become empty."
"You are free to choose how you live."
"But as a god, I must first awaken you."
"That is my duty."
"As for whether you still wish to embrace dreams at the cost of reality…"
"That choice belongs to you."
The first video displayed Nahida's intelligence and courage in outmaneuvering the Doctor despite overwhelming disadvantage.
The second displayed her wisdom and compassion as a god guiding her people.
Two videos.
Two entirely different expressions of wisdom.
After the videos ended, countless people across Teyvat were deeply moved.
Though Nahida had not yet reached the level of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she was undoubtedly worthy of being called wise.
In some aspects, she even possessed qualities entirely her own.
For example—
the gamble involving the destruction of a Gnosis.
Even Greater Lord Rukkhadevata might not have conceived such a method.
And even if she had, she might not have chosen to use it.
In many ways, these two videos completely restored Nahida's reputation.
Though still young.
Though only five hundred years old.
She was far from worthless.
She possessed the potential to rival—
or even surpass—
the first God of Wisdom.
As for the people of Sumeru…
they fell silent.
Their expressions toward the light screen became unbearably complicated.
Ever since Greater Lord Rukkhadevata passed away, they had lamented the loss of the God of Wisdom.
Yet they never realized—
the God of Wisdom had always been beside them.
They simply failed to see her.
They had been too impatient, too eager for results, and never gave the little Dendro Archon enough time to grow.
Reality had proven it.
She was qualified to become Sumeru's God of Wisdom.
Instead—
they were the ones unworthy of being her people.
Note: Sorry for being inconsistent recently. I was going through few things...exams, projects, job and not to mention my heartbreak(Rejection) in middle of these🤧. From now I'll try be consistent, I think I'm fine now. Thanks for support...take care of your health. Happy reading everyone☺️
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