"This has nothing to do with me," Dottore declared.
His personality dictated that he wouldn't bother with lengthy explanations. However, those who knew him well would notice that the faint, all-knowing smile that usually played on his lips had vanished.
"So, this is the final explanation you give me?" Arlecchino asked coldly, her murderous aura growing more palpable.
She had only endured her aversion to Dottore and sought his help because she refused to abandon these carefully nurtured subordinates. Otherwise, she would have dealt with the matter herself.
Yet her people had suffered consecutive incidents at Dottore's facility. Perhaps, as he claimed, he wasn't directly responsible. Still, it was hard to believe he had no involvement whatsoever.
Dottore calmly observed Arlecchino for a moment before speaking.
"Perhaps I have a way to uncover the truth."
"Using the Dream Device I've been developing, we could delve into the deepest recesses of their minds to find the cause."
"However, while the device is currently operational, it carries significant risks for the subjects. The decision rests with you."
By now, Dottore had a strong suspicion someone was targeting him, though he remained clueless about their identity or motives.
If it were merely an issue with the experimental subjects themselves, he found it hard to believe it was a coincidence that he happened to examine normal individuals precisely when Arlecchino was observing.
Of course, this conclusion lacked sufficient data. If these individuals hadn't been Arlecchino's people, he would have conducted further verification.
He had already meticulously examined the bodies of the previous subjects. If there was indeed a problem, the only remaining place it could lie was in their thoughts and spirits.
A subtle unease crept into Dottore's heart. He couldn't shake the feeling that this matter wouldn't be resolved easily.
If this was truly the work of that mysterious force in Fontaine, their methods were far more sophisticated than he had anticipated.
Of course, there was another way to achieve this: directly attacking Irminsul.
Irminsul stored the memories and destinies of all people. If something went wrong with the Irminsul, it would manifest in certain areas, such as Eleazar.
However, this hypothesis seemed unlikely. He had been able to identify and suppress the cause of Eleazar, but this time he could find no abnormalities.
After pondering for a long time, Arlecchino finally agreed to Dottore's proposal.
"This is your last chance, Dottore."
"If you still can't find the root cause, I'll take my people back to Snezhnaya."
"And you... you can wait for The Jester to come and have a word with you."
Seeing Dottore's expression, Arlecchino sensed something was amiss, which ultimately led her to accept his proposal.
Dottore glanced at Arlecchino, said nothing more, and ordered his assistants to prepare the equipment.
After only a moment's hesitation, Arlecchino chose her candidate. Soon, Dottore activated the Dream Device on the Fatui soldier lying on the bed, his body connected to numerous black tubes.
This device projected a person's consciousness to create a bizarre and surreal new world. Its high risk stemmed from the myriad uncontrollable factors within.
Recently, Dottore had been collaborating with the Akademiya to refine the Dream Device, aiming to make it more predictable and closely resemble reality. This would allow him to extract knowledge and wisdom from others, a crucial step in his Archon-creation project.
However, the device remained immature, and Dottore had no idea what he might witness within the soldier's Mental World.
He quickly donned another consciousness-immersion device, preparing one for Arlecchino as well—though without consulting her, he directly plunged their consciousnesses into the Fatui soldier's Mental World.
"Hmph."
Seeing Dottore activate the device without hesitation, Arlecchino let out a cold snort before following suit, projecting her own consciousness into the soldier's mind.
In the Mental World, there were hardly any large stretches of intact ground; instead, the landscape consisted mostly of floating rubble suspended in mid-air.
These fragments were scattered with various objects: clusters of small flowers, remnants of ruins, and even the occasional Monster...
Dottore gazed at the surreal landscape, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"It seems these fragmented images are the damage caused by the Dream Device forcibly opening a person's Mental World," he mused.
"Without external intervention, such damage is irreversible. These fragments show no tendency to coalesce back together."
After a brief analysis, Dottore turned to Arlecchino, who had materialized behind him, and spoke slowly.
"Let's go find some more intact memory fragments."
"Though this isn't our own dreamscape, and we can't bring our real-world power here, in your subordinates' minds, we should still possess considerable strength."
As he finished speaking, Dottore tested himself and found that the power granted by his Delusion remained intact.
Arlecchino needed no further prompting. Together, the two moved deeper into the Mental World.
Before long, they faintly glimpsed a massive stage in the distance and immediately adjusted their course to head toward it.
However, the scene that unfolded there left them momentarily bewildered. They saw a chicken wearing overalls standing on the stage, bowing theatrically before launching into its solo performance.
"Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck!"
"Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck!"
"Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck!"
"Cluck~"
A ball suddenly materialized out of thin air, twirling and dancing across the chicken's wings. As the music swelled, the chicken began to charge wildly from side to side.
"Arlecchino, your subordinate's mental world seems quite... vibrant," Dottore remarked.
Hearing this, Arlecchino frowned, lost in thought.
"Everything here is a true reflection of your subordinate's inner self. By observing carefully, we might uncover some clues," Dottore reminded her.
After this brief exchange, both of them focused intently on the stage.
Two things puzzled Dottore: first, what message the chicken was trying to convey, and second, what the chicken's movements signified.
The dynamic music continued to reverberate in Dottore's mind, the mesmerizing dance gradually leaving afterimages in his eyes. The more he analyzed it, the more he felt it was a form of performance art he couldn't yet comprehend.
"His mind appears to have been corrupted," Dottore said after a while, when the music on stage had played several times and the dance had been repeated dozens of times. He took a deep breath and continued, "This might be the influence that person you faced earlier had on their inner selves."
Hearing Dottore's hypothesis, Arlecchino turned to him and asked, "Can you cleanse this corruption?"
"I can try, but the risk is high. I can't guarantee their survival."
Arlecchino frowned, about to speak, when Dottore suddenly flew deeper into the Mental World.
"We'll discuss this later."
"Let's go. This is merely the surface. We need to see his deeper thoughts."
Arlecchino glanced at Dottore's retreating figure, then at the overalls-clad chicken on the stage, before following him again.
They hadn't gone far when they spotted another stage in the distance and headed toward it.
This time, the stage was occupied by several figures dressed in bizarre costumes, their hairstyles equally eccentric, all frozen in peculiar poses.
As Arlecchino and Dottore drew closer, spotlights snapped on, rhythmic music pulsed to life, and the figures on stage began to writhe and contort their bodies in sync with the beat.
"Oh~ Great Dave~"
-
Faced with this spectacle, Arlecchino and Dottore fell into a brief silence.
"Judging by their skin tones, some of them might be from Natlan. Have you been there?" Arlecchino asked.
"No. That's Capitano's territory. What would I want to go there for?" Dottore replied.
After hearing Arlecchino's words, Dottore fell silent again for a moment before speaking.
"It seems your subordinates have quite the imagination."
With that remark, Dottore resumed scrutinizing the scene before him, hoping to find some clue.
After a while, Dottore closed his eyes.
Despite having observed for only a short time, his eyes felt as though they were burning.
"Let's move on to the next location," Dottore said.
For the time being, he couldn't decipher what the scene represented. He could only hope that venturing deeper might yield answers.
What puzzled Dottore most was this: if the Fatui soldier's inner self was so severely corrupted, why did the surrounding environment appear so tranquil, almost like the mental state of a normal person?
But could this Fatui soldier truly be considered normal?
"What exactly are these?" Arlecchino couldn't help but ask Dottore as she followed him away.
"These are manifestations of a mind corrupted by mental erosion," Dottore explained, though he knew that when the mind falters, the phenomena within the mental world become distorted and bizarre.
Yet the scene they had just witnessed—order tinged with chaos, normalcy twisted into perversion—left him perplexed. Could these truly be the products of mental erosion?
Dottore felt he was facing an unprecedented challenge, as if all his theoretical knowledge and practical experience were being overturned. His inner unease grew stronger with each passing moment.
As they delved deeper into the mental world, they came across a small house. Without hesitation, they opened the door and stepped inside, only to find a room filled with Fatui soldiers. They stood in a circle around a table, all staring at them—or rather, in their direction.
Just then, movement stirred behind them at the doorway.
"Aha! Ahahahaha! Chicken Soup is Served!"
-
After a long while, Arlecchino and Dottore emerged from the Fatui soldier's Mental World, their expressions grim.
"He's beyond saving," Dottore declared. "The mental contamination is too severe."
Having completely abandoned any intention of saving the soldier, Dottore now focused on how to begin researching him. Besides this soldier, there were also the remaining affected Fatui under Arlecchino's command, and he wanted to gather as much material as possible.
Arlecchino's mood was foul, but she had to accept Dottore's assessment. Having witnessed it firsthand, even an outsider like her could see that the soldier was beyond saving, just as Dottore had said.
"Hand over the remaining affected soldiers to me," Dottore said, turning to Arlecchino. "In return, you can name a request within reason."
"This deal should be quite favorable for you, Arlecchino."
"Don't assume everyone is as callous as you, Dottore," Arlecchino retorted.
Arlecchino scoffed coldly, then ordered her men to take the Fatui soldier on the bed with them.
The deal had fallen through. Dottore didn't stop her, even though he could have.
After all, they were both Fatui Harbingers, and he didn't want to strain their relationship too much. Besides, he had plenty of other "materials" to work with.
Thinking this, Dottore initially considered contacting the two Segments currently in Fontaine to complete the task. However, he quickly realized their current missions were too critical, especially given the unusual behavior of Fontainians he had observed. After careful consideration, he decided to assign the task to another Segment.
He refrained from going himself because his other Archon-creation project was at a critical juncture, and he didn't trust the other Segments with such a delicate matter.
As for who to send, Dottore pondered for a moment before settling on the Segment stationed in Snezhnaya, awaiting orders.
Unlike the other Segments, all occupied with important research, this one was relatively free, having recently completed his work assisting The Marionette Sandrone. Dottore figured his duties were likely finished by now.
Dottore quickly contacted one of his Segments and instructed it to capture various samples in Fontaine and bring them to Sumeru for his research.
As a Segment, it had no authority to refuse its Prime's orders and promptly set out on its mission.
Having resolved this matter, Dottore resumed his other research.
As for the situation with Arlecchino, he temporarily put it aside, knowing she wouldn't return.
However, shortly after beginning his research on the experimental subjects, Dottore was stunned to learn from his subordinates that the subjects had transformed into a pool of black sludge.
This outcome completely defied Dottore's expectations. He had used these subjects multiple times before, and their condition had always remained stable. Why would such a sudden anomaly occur now, especially without any involvement of Abyss energy?
Moreover, the experimental subjects were native to Sumeru and had never been to Fontaine before.
The only difference from previous experiments was their contact with the Fatui soldiers whose mental worlds had been severely corrupted.
Suddenly, a terrifying possibility struck Dottore: he too might have been contaminated...