Meanwhile, having received the message, Neuvillette once again arrived at the New Fortress of Meropide. As he watched all the Dottores declaring their intention to abandon darkness and embrace the light, he struggled to maintain his composure.
"What scheme are you plotting?"
It wasn't that Neuvillette didn't want to believe them; it was simply that Dottore was inherently untrustworthy. Even when Dottore No. 6, the first to declare his desire to become a good person, had made his claim, Neuvillette remained skeptical.
"The reason is simple," Dottore No. 1 explained. "We don't want to be so easily erased by the Prime."
Hearing this, Neuvillette nodded. This was likely the only thing he could genuinely believe about Dottore.
"Monsieur Dottore," Neuvillette continued, "before we proceed, there's something you must understand. Even if you do this, when the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale delivers its judgment, there won't be a significant reduction in your sentences. Because before you approached me, the previous Dottore had already provided me with the evidence of your crimes—all of it. According to Fontainian law, you no longer qualify for voluntary surrender."
Upon hearing this, the Dottores collectively turned their mental chatter toward Dottore No. 6, showering him with "friendly greetings" and politely inquiring about the feng shui of his future burial site.
In truth, this matter was a mere trifle. The Dottore clones' greatest concern was breaking free from the Prime's control; for their long lifespans, imprisonment was utterly insignificant.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, we understand the situation perfectly."
"We've given this considerable thought. While the Prime could easily obliterate us, preventing any thought of disobeying his orders..."
"This time, we've decided to trust Monsieur Neuvillette. You represent our only chance at survival."
"If we truly regain our futures, we'll dedicate ten years of unpaid service to Fontaine, advancing progress across all Domains."
Dottore No. 1's rhetoric was cleverly crafted. Though unspoken, the implication was clear: the Prime had compelled their past actions. Bound by their human limitations, they had no choice but to obey—their actions did not reflect their true desires.
Finally, they offered what they considered a sincere pledge, hoping to dispel Neuvillette's suspicions and avoid imprisonment. After all, they were offering ten years of service—they couldn't be expected to serve nine years in jail first.
Even if they were required to conduct research while imprisoned, it wouldn't matter. Ten years confined to one place was nothing new to them.
It was perfectly normal to lose track of time when deeply immersed in research.
Yet Neuvillette's reaction to these words was far from the explosive outrage Dottore and his clones had anticipated.
The Neuvillette of the past might have hesitated, pondering the truth behind Dottore's words and considering whether their heinous acts stemmed from genuine conviction.
But now, he harbored utter distrust for such individuals.
No matter how lavish the rewards offered by such villains, he would never be swayed.
Moreover, Fontaine genuinely lacked no talent.
"It seems Monsieur Dottore is not yet fully acquainted with Fontaine," Neuvillette remarked. "Allow me to enlighten you."
"Over the past year, the growth rate across various domains in Fontaine has surged tenfold to twentyfold compared to the previous year."
Neuvillette's opening statement left Dottore and his clones utterly bewildered.
Fontaine already stood as one of Teyvat's most technologically advanced nations. To accelerate its development pace by another tenfold to twentyfold meant that within decades, it would likely breach the continent and wage war against Celestia itself.
Looking at Sumeru, their primary base of operations, they realized that despite all these years, there had been little substantial progress beyond the introduction of the internet.
While Sumeru's medical technology was commendable, its development pace paled in comparison to Fontaine's, which was advancing comprehensively across all fields.
Moreover, Fontaine seemed to be doubling down on Clockwork Meka technology, pushing it to its absolute limits. If their overall development continued at this rate, the next step might well be flesh-and-blood transhumanism through mechanical ascension.
Suddenly, the Dottores felt as if they had been left behind by the times. This is Fontaine!
This Fontaine seemed to have no need for their assistance; rather, they desperately needed to access Fontaine's data to catch up.
For a moment, stripped of their usual advantages, the Dottores fell silent, with little inclination to speak.
"I understand if you find this hard to believe. Let the Gardemeks of the Fortress of Meropide demonstrate our latest weapons."
After witnessing the Gardemeks' weapons demonstration under Neuvillette's guidance, the Dottores grew even more silent.
A weapon capable of matching a Harbinger's destructive power might still be manageable, but if such weaponry were universally equipped by the Gardemeks, the implications were terrifying.
Dottore seriously doubted that even a fraction of their number could withstand an assault from dozens of Gardemeks. What was the point of this?
"I forgot to mention, the weaponry here is rather special," Neuvillette added casually.
"Recently, a genius in this field emerged from the Fortress of Meropide, propelling Fontaine's weapon technology forward by fifty years."
By this point, the Dottore clones were completely numb.
Was this some kind of boast?
The faint smile playing on Neuvillette's lips said it all.
Moreover, the Dottore clones didn't believe that these weapons were truly Fontaine's latest models, as Neuvillette claimed. They were likely outdated prototypes. Still, Neuvillette clearly believed that showing them even this much was enough.
After their confidence suffered an unprecedented blow, the Dottore clones' latest ambition had shifted: how to board Fontaine's rapidly advancing ship.
For individuals like them, the allure of novelty far outweighed all other considerations.
This was especially true for Dottore himself, otherwise he wouldn't have created multiple versions of himself existing across different temporal scales.
"Monsieur Neuvillette," Dottore No. 1 inquired, "what are the requirements to become a Fontaine citizen?"
Sensing the Dottores' noticeably warmer attitude, Neuvillette calmly stated, "If you can prove your usefulness, I will give you the opportunity."
Without realizing it, Neuvillette had already gained the upper hand.
Just as the Dottores were about to respond, Dottore No. 1 and Dottore No. 2 received a private message:
[ I'm coming to Fontaine immediately. Make arrangements for me. ]
After a moment of surprise, Dottore No. 1 and Dottore No. 2 immediately shared this good news in the Chat Group, making sure to block the sender, Dottore No. 6, and the Group Owner.
Upon seeing the message, the Dottores smiled with relief.
It seemed their plan to settle in Fontaine was finally falling into place. The timing of this arrival couldn't have been better.
Of course, they couldn't greet the newcomer too warmly, lest "I" become suspicious.
[ What are you coming here for? ]
[ We don't need any extra manpower here right now. ]
[ It's Prime's orders. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any interest in Fontaine. ]
[ The Prime seems interested in the Fontainian bodies. Perhaps it's due to the recent rumors about Fontainians dissolving easily in water. He's instructed me to bring experimental subjects to Sumeru. ]
Having easily discerned the caller's purpose, Dottore No. 1 and No. 2's smiles widened, yet their replies remained perfectly composed.
[ I'll send you the coordinates. Just come straight there. ]
[ As for us, we won't be joining you. We're quite busy right now. ]
[ Hmph, I wouldn't want to see you anyway. ]
The other party hung up, and just then, the Chat Group erupted into a holiday-like frenzy—though three members remained muted, of course.
Neuvillette watched the Dottores, knowing they were currently communicating telepathically with someone. Yet the expressions on their faces left him utterly baffled.
Soon, Dottore No. 1 approached Neuvillette and spoke.
"The 'me' from Snezhnaya has already departed. It seems he received direct orders from the Prime to capture one hundred Fontainians and one hundred Melusine separately as experimental subjects, and then secretly transport them to Sumeru for experiments."
When Neuvillette heard Dottore No. 1's words, he flew into a rage, unleashing an utterly terrifying aura.
Sensing this formidable presence, the Dottore Segments knew their plan was assured.
While it might not immediately grant them Fontaine citizenship, it would at least greatly diminish Neuvillette's hostility, preventing him from betraying them later.
Neuvillette wasn't like them. If they genuinely helped him, he wouldn't turn on them without reason.
In this matter, their denunciation had proven remarkably effective!
As for the Prime and that pitiful Segment... who cared?
Meanwhile, in Snezhnaya, Dottore, who had just boarded his ship, suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold. He frowned, tightened his coat, but the cold sensation in his heart remained undiminished...
-
Sumeru, at a secret experimental facility.
Dottore frowned, studying the experimental subjects exhibiting various anomalies. His mood grew increasingly grim.
After numerous trials, he had confirmed that he too had been infected.
Perhaps his superior strength shielded him from feeling any symptoms, but the weaker experimental subjects couldn't withstand the infection, hence the abnormalities.
Yet a thorough self-examination revealed nothing. The instruments showed his body was perfectly healthy.
But after what's happened, do I really need a machine to tell me whether I'm healthy or not?
While some experimental subjects remained unaffected, he couldn't even identify the root cause of the infection, let alone devise a treatment for himself.
Dottore understood he had contracted a highly peculiar infection. While its impact on him remained unclear, its extreme contagiousness was almost certain.
He had temporarily quarantined the experimental facility to prevent further spread.
The corpses were subjected to special disposal procedures, though he doubted their effectiveness. After all, no matter how thoroughly he examined them, the instruments consistently showed normal readings.
Dottore already regretted making contact with Arlecchino and taking on this extremely dangerous treatment.
But who could have foreseen such severe consequences?
What chilled Dottore to the bone was his inability to determine how many people across Teyvat had been infected by this virus, nor how it would manifest.
Comparing the conditions of the Fatui soldiers in the lab, the most significant difference seemed to be whether he had studied them or not.
So the trigger for the illness was... being studied by him?
This seemed utterly absurd.
If that were truly the case, then what he had contracted might not be a virus at all, but something far more insidious.
Just then, Dottore received a message via the Akasha from Great Sage Azar of the Akademiya.
[ Where have you been lately? Are you still pursuing your research? ]
Dottore frowned, initially intending to ignore the message. He was already preoccupied with his own troubles.
But then he realized he could use the refined Dream Device to examine his own Mental World. Thus, he replied to Azar:
[ I'll be back soon. ]
After sending this curt response, Dottore began arranging the daily operations of the experimental base.
As for the quarantine, Dottore decided to put it aside for now. If this truly was something more formidable, such measures would be largely ineffective anyway.
Moreover, if the Akademiya's scholars were also infected, they might be able to uncover the underlying cause.
Though Dottore considered them far inferior to himself, he acknowledged their merits; otherwise, he wouldn't have collaborated with them on the Artificial Archon Project.
Soon, Dottore departed the experimental base and hurried toward Sumeru City's Akademiya.
Upon encountering Great Sage Azar, Dottore's first act was to approach him, closing the distance until he was near enough to exhale deliberately into Azar's face without raising suspicion.
"Dottore, you're standing too close," Azar warned.
Only then did Dottore seem to realize his proximity. He smiled, took two steps back, and Azar finally relaxed his tense shoulders.
Dottore's power far surpassed Azar's ability to handle. Despite their current cooperation, Azar remained wary of the man.
"Let's go," Azar said, his tone brusque. "We must continue refining our research on the Dream Device."
Clearly unwilling to waste time on pleasantries, Azar led the way to the secret laboratory built beneath Sumeru City.
Along the way, Dottore encountered other Sages and, with practiced nonchalance, made contact through subtle means—a casual pat on the shoulder, a feigned stumble with his leg.
"Dottore, what's wrong with you today? You seem out of sorts," Azar remarked, having noticed Dottore's unusual behavior.
"I just finished a research project and haven't had a chance to rest yet," Dottore replied.
Azar nodded, his suspicion allayed. "Get yourself back in shape quickly. We'll be swamped with work in the coming days."
Dottore watched Azar's retreating figure, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Indeed, we'll be very busy..."