Si Xuan felt annoyed. This guy, the Doctor, dared to ignore him.
But as for fighting, Si Xuan didn't feel like taking action immediately.
Although he had received a fair amount of training,
Si Xuan wasn't entirely sure about the Doctor's background.
There was no point in settling a score right now.
Even if he killed this Doctor in front of him,
there would be other copies.
It was pointless.
However, he could still throw some shade.
“It's just a sonic device, you really think you've invented something extraordinary?”
Although the Doctor felt a little annoyed,
he believed Si Xuan was not cut out for research.
While Si Xuan had many wild ideas, he lacked the spirit of inquiry.
How dare this kind of person mock his invention?
But right now, the most important thing wasn't arguing with Si Xuan
but the God's Heart.
“I thought there was only one remaining Lesser Lord Kusanali, but there's another unexpected person. It seems I need to change my plans.”
While the Scattered Troops and Traveler were fighting, the Doctor kept observing.
Only after confirming that Nahida didn't have strong combat abilities did he choose to make his move at this time.
Originally, he planned to use force to seize it.
But now, Si Xuan had appeared unexpectedly.
Force was obviously not an option.
The Fatui's Harbingers were well-hidden.
But this diplomat was equally elusive.
The young girl had said Si Xuan wasn't her kin.
The reason Si Xuan could use Teleport Waypoints was still a mystery.
Either he had special abilities, or this guy had the power to break the rules.
The Doctor was a scholar, not a gambler.
He wouldn't bet on probabilities without evidence.
So he'd been avoiding direct conflict with Si Xuan as much as possible.
“Oh, so you're planning to snatch it by force?”
The Doctor didn't deny or admit anything.
“The God's Heart is useless to you. This quasi-God's Heart is your spoils of war. State your terms.”
Si Xuan remained silent, pondering what terms to propose.
In the original storyline, Nahida demanded that the Doctor erase all his copies.
This was only acceptable under the condition that the Doctor wouldn't dare gamble on whether Celestia would awaken.
Without strength, Nahida could only use this method to keep their negotiation on a somewhat equal footing.
But now, the initiative in the negotiation seemed to be in his hands.
This meant Si Xuan could propose more conditions.
“First, erase all your copies.”
This was a must. Who knows how many copies this Doctor had?
Moreover, this guy's stance was unclear. They might end up as enemies in the future.
If there was a chance to weaken him, Si Xuan wouldn't let it slip away.
If he missed this opportunity, there might not be another one.
The Doctor didn't answer immediately but asked instead.
“What's your second condition? To avoid you overreaching, I can only agree to two conditions.”
He knew this guy too well.
Once the situation favored him, he would exploit it for as much profit as possible.
If he wasn't set on the number from the beginning, there would be a third and a fourth condition.
This was also what Si Xuan was considering.
What should his second condition be to achieve?
“Hmm, Scaramouche's master, Signora, I want to meet her.”
Si Xuan had some questions for Signora, but these guys were elusive.
Si Xuan couldn't find them at all.
Although he had seen them in the Fontaine chapter, at least half a year would pass before the Traveler arrived in Fontaine.
Si Xuan couldn't wait that long.
The Doctor was clearly surprised by Si Xuan's request.
“Then you should go to Scaramouche. I don't get along with him much.”
“That's for you to consider. I only need the result.”
Si Xuan didn't give the Doctor any room to bargain.
These two conditions weren't too difficult. Si Xuan believed the Doctor would agree.
And sure enough, after brief consideration, the Doctor did agree.
Si Xuan turned his gaze to Nahida.
Nahida also understood that the Electro Archon's Heart was Si Xuan's spoils of war, and he had the right to dispose of it.
But in the end, she still confirmed with Si Xuan.
“You really intend to give the God's Heart to the Fatui?”
Although the God's Heart was useless to ordinary people, it was still an energy source. With Fontaine's current technological level, they could utilize the energy within.
Si Xuan didn't seem to care about this.
“The remains of the third Descender. Keeping it would only create more trouble.”
This was the first time Nahida had heard this.
“The remains of the third Descender?”
Nahida looked down at the Dendro Archon's Heart in her hands. She didn't have time to check the information in the World Tree yet.
She wasn't clear about the existence of the Descenders.
“It seems Fontaine has gathered a lot of intelligence in recent years. They actually know this.”
As the second-in-command of the Harbingers, the Doctor knew the true nature of the God's Hearts.
He was just surprised why Si Xuan would deliberately collect this kind of information.
Looking at Si Xuan's entire life, it seemed like he didn't have any motive to collect this information.
Could it be for that secret plan?
Si Xuan always had a very secret plan.
For this plan, he had spent a hundred years designing it.
Then he spent another four hundred years preparing.
Even the Harbingers didn't know the full extent of this plan.
Besides Si Xuan himself, only three people knew this plan:
The Tsaritsa, the Geo Archon Morax, and the Grand Inquisitor Nerva.
Being able to casually mention the remains of the third Descender,
the Doctor guessed that Si Xuan's plan might be related to the one on Celestia.
Nahida saw these two people giving each other riddles. She thought it was necessary to quickly end this negotiation and return to the World Tree to learn.
As the God of Wisdom, she couldn't understand these two people's conversation at all.
It was too far-fetched.
Nahida handed the Electro Archon's Heart to the Doctor.
The greedy Doctor didn't forget about the Dendro Archon's Heart.
“Next, we should talk about your Dendro Archon's Heart.”
Nahida didn't expect the Doctor's appetite to be so big. He wouldn't even let go of her God's Heart.
Five days later, Lumine and Paimon had recovered in the city of Kusanali. Having saved another country, they were feeling quite proud.
“Right, what happened after that? Should we go to the Palace of Alcazarzaray and meet Nahida?”
Lumine was also concerned about her fainting, so she agreed.
So the two of them said goodbye to Collei and Tighnari and headed for the Palace of Alcazarzaray.
They first saw Alhaitham and learned about recent events.
The day after saving the World Tree, Si Xuan and Nahida negotiated and signed a new agreement.
The terms of this cooperation were equal, beneficial for both parties to further cooperate.
After signing the new contract, Si Xuan and Clorinde boarded a ship back to Fontaine.
As for the details, they'd have to go to the Palace of Alcazarzaray to find out.