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After taking a few sips, Marionette set the cup down on the saucer. There was only one set of dishes, a solitary teapot on the table, and a completely empty room, except for Pulonia and herself. Lately, fewer and fewer people had been coming to Marionette's tea parties. Some had died, some had left of their own accord, others had been transferred. In the end, Marionette was left alone. Of course, her faithful Pulonia was always by her side, but he was not the best conversationalist.
When there is only one person present at a tea party, it cannot even be called a tea party. It is simply “tea.” A short break for the mind after several hours of painstaking mental work. In the past, these “breaks” were much more pleasant. And more interesting. Few would dare to call Marionette sociable, especially since she herself would never admit it. But now she felt lonely. And what a lousy feeling that was!
Fortunately, The Knave recently returned to Nod-Krai, brightening up the Marionette's dreary everyday life. However, The Knave had plenty of her own business to attend to and could not always spare any free time. In most cases, the Marionette was still forced to content herself with the company of Pulonia.
However, this time, the cup of tea had not even been half emptied when Marionette's solitude was interrupted by an uninvited but very interesting guest.
“I apologize for the intrusion,” the guest bowed politely and, without waiting for an invitation, entered the room.
If anyone else had been in his place, the Marionette would have unceremoniously ordered Pulonia to get rid of the intruder. However, in his case, the Marionette merely snorted demonstratively. She did not bother to ask how he had managed to pass unnoticed through the security guards and security systems of the Experimental Design Bureau. She knew that for him it was a mere trifle.
The guest sat down on the right side of the table. Finally, the Marionette spoke:
“Of all the scientists I have dealt with, you are the only one I dislike as much as The Doctor.”
“Well,” the guest said thoughtfully. “I think you've made an interesting observation. After all, we have something in common. He wants to create a god. And I have already done so. Also, like me, he has divided himself into several independent bodies, delegating tasks between them. Apparently, this leads to some subtle personality traits that are more noticeable from the outside. In that case, I apologize for the discomfort caused.”
Marionette looked at him with irritation, through half-closed eyelids, carefully monitoring her emotion module. Part of her wanted the uninvited guest to disappear immediately, leaving her alone and no longer bothering her. But, as a scientist, she was tempted by a much stronger curiosity.
“Then tell me, Zandar One Kuwabara. If you and The Doctor have so much in common, why are you visiting me instead of him?”
Zandar let out a sad laugh.
“Unfortunately, we don't see eye to eye. By creating that deity, I made a catastrophic mistake. And now the entire universe is paying for my sins.”
“How easily you find excuses for your arbitrariness.”
“Not at all,” Zandar replied firmly. “I am not trying to justify myself. I am well aware of the cruelty of my methods. But as a scientist, you must understand that for the sake of scientific achievement and the common good, we sometimes have to abandon humanity.”
Marionette did not agree with him, but did not argue either.
“So why did you come this time, Zandar?” she asked, returning to her cup of tea.
“As you already know, I am not the only one looking for a way to counteract Erudition. Just recently, another body of Zandar, known as Lycurgus, failed in an experiment on the world called Amphoreus.”
Marionette looked at him over the rim of her cup.
“Amphoreus...” she repeated thoughtfully. “Were his conditions the same as on Teyvat?”
“I beg your pardon,” Zandar shook his head. “But in order to avoid compromising the integrity of the experiment, I cannot disclose that information.”
“Integrity?” the Marionette asked incredulously, placing the empty cup and saucer on the table. “What about all these external variables? The Descenders, the Traveler, the ladies who call themselves witches. Or the Sinners who managed to break free from the shackles of your false sky? Doesn't all this violate the integrity of the experiment?”
“Teyvat remains isolated from space. Only a few objects are capable of crossing its borders. Teyvat's interaction with the outside world is severely restricted, but entirely permissible. ”
“So what happened on Amphoreus? Was it a tragic accident, or did someone finally manage to fight back? ”
“I have compiled a report for your review. Unfortunately, I was forced to omit some details and retain only certain information. But I hope you will be able to grasp the main points. ”
Zandar waved his left hand. His palm lit up with a purple flash, and in the next moment, two new files appeared in the Marionette database: “Admin_Notes_(Edited).wav” and “Report_on_δ-me13_(for_user_Marionette).exe.”
The first file turned out to be something like a poem written by Zandar himself. Marionette had no idea that he had such a creative side. However... it was like reading a primitive children's fairy tale instead of detailed historical essays. Details were omitted, and most of the information was completely hidden behind an abundance of artistic forms. And yet, Marionette did grasp something. Apparently, Zandar or Lycurgus studied the concept of the primordial forces of the universe, the so-called Paths, in order to find the best solution in the fight against Erudition. And his answer was Destruction. Lycurgus named his new creation Irontomb. However, at some point, the poem ceased to be coherent. And at the very end, Lycurgus stated that he had to personally intervene in the course of the experiment, but it is completely unclear what exactly caused this. Obviously, Zandar did indeed delete some lines, just so that the Marionette would not learn too much.
The second file turned out to be much more informative. δ-me13 is a scepter that was once part of Nous, the Aeon of Erudition. Subsequently, δ-me13 evolved into Irontomb. According to Lycurgus's plan, Irontomb is a headless giant whose goal is to find the head of Nous and connect with it, turning all its calculations into the Path of Destruction. Unfortunately, there was not enough information to understand what exactly this scepter was. Did Lycurgus place it on Amphoreus? Or, conversely, was the scepter something like a repository, inside which Amphoreus was located? It also turned out that Irontomb was not a single object at all, but a special phenomenon created from an equation...
But the more Marionette read, the more irritated she became. If this was indeed once a report on the experiment, then Zandar had erased almost all of the information from it! Lycurgus' position on the Destruction as a whole is clear, but it is completely unknown how he came to this conclusion! In addition, there is no description of the beginning and middle of the experiment. There is only the final stage, which describes several important objects and their role at this stage of the experiment. The Black Tide, the Chrysos Heirs... And while there is an explanation for the Black Tide — that it is a manifestation of the Destruction equation — the Chrysos Heirs... There is no information whatsoever about who they are.
Whoever these Chrysos Heirs were, it is quite obvious that they played a key role in the experiment. It is mentioned that in the final stage, they learned the truth about their world and moved on to open confrontation with Lycurgus, ignoring all his arguments about the Destruction. After Irontomb was finally formed, the Chrysos Heirs attacked him too, successfully destroying him along with the scepter and Lycurgus.
However, something doesn't add up. According to the same report, almost all of the Chrysos Heirs who initially opposed Lycurgus ended up dying. However, there is no doubt that these same Chrysos Heirs later turned against Irontomb. How could this be? Unfortunately, Marionette knew that asking questions was useless. Inside her, an irresistible desire grew to personally open Zandar's head to get to all the information he was hiding.
“You can't even call this a report,” grumbled the Marionette, having examined both files. “It's hardly any more informative than a blank sheet of paper.”
“But you can glean information even from a blank sheet,” Zandar remarked flatteringly.
“Well, that's true,” Marionette smiled to herself. “I'm glad you've been defeated somewhere. But why did you come to me? It's clear that it wasn't to complain or to make me happy.”
Zandar shook his head.
"Perhaps you have formed an incorrect opinion of me. I am not an insensitive scientist at all. Undoubtedly, you are objects of experimentation to me. But I have always respected your will. You may be prisoners in my cave of illusions, but the surrounding universe is just a bigger cave. The resistance of the inhabitants of Amphoreus to their fate has grown into a grand epic. I salute their struggle and believe that they deserve to have their deeds known. "
Marionette was silent for a while, thinking about what he had heard.
“You've surprised me twice today, Zandar,” she finally said. “I wouldn't think that there's anything human left in you. However, coming from me, that sounds ironic.”
“However, that was not the only reason for my visit,” Zandar continued. “Now that you know my position and that of the Chrysos Heirs regarding the Destruction, what will your opinion be?”
Marionette snorted in surprise.
“All these Chrysos Heirs are your former prisoners, just like us,” she pointed out the obvious. “Do you really think I won't side with them?”
“I was hoping you could give me your assessment from a scientific point of view,” Zandar admitted.
The Marionette's gaze, which had previously wandered around the room, and basically did not linger on Zandar for more than a few seconds, was now directed directly at him.
“Do you want my opinion as a scientist?” asked Marionette, narrowing her eyes angrily. "Well, listen. You're pathetic. Realizing that some god is pulling our strings like puppets, you decided to simply burn down the whole theater. But we are not puppets at all. Even me, despite my name. We have our own will. And intelligence. To us, you are as much a jailer as Nous is to you. But knowledge is the true pillar of the world. It will help me get out of this so-called “cave.”” The Marionette leaned forward, bending closer to Zandar: "I will go beyond the Circle of Knowledge that you have built around us, and then... All that awaits me is a bigger circle. Even if I fail to overcome Nous' calculations, that doesn't mean it's impossible. All it takes is someone with a brilliant intellect and a sufficiently broad scientific base.”
“A commendable aspiration,” Zandar noted honestly, without pretense. “In this, you remind me of another female scientist from the outer universe. Nevertheless, you must understand that words require reinforcement not with actions, but with results.”
Marionette sat up straight and demonstratively crossed her arms over her chest.
“You'll get the result,” she nodded confidently. “Even if I don't succeed, there's another reason why I can't agree with you. Personal experience. Once, Rene de Petrichor tried to do something similar, but you know how that turned out.” Earlier, I compared you to The Doctor. Now I realize that's not entirely accurate. You're almost the perfect combination of The Doctor and Rene. Given that, is there any chance we'll ever see eye to eye? No way. I will continue my research, and one day I will get to you. You erase my memory after each of our meetings. But I am not a human bound by the limitations of organic flesh. How do you know that I am not working on a solution to this problem right now? ”
“I have taken that possibility into account,” replied Zandar, maintaining complete composure. “That is precisely why I strictly limit all the information you receive from me.”
“Well, that's reasonable. But keep something else in mind!” It's always like this with a Marionette: once she sprays, no internal module can stop the rapid flow of her speech. “We have already begun our fight against you. And having a brilliant intellect like mine is not a prerequisite for that.” Like Amphoreus, our goddess of law also sacrificed her life to disrupt your order and rewrite the laws. How soon do you think we'll take the next step? Hmm...” The Marionette closed her eyes for a second, pretending to be thoughtful. “The Amphoreus report indicates that you have a weakness for fast-footed cat girls who love all kinds of tricks. And I just remembered that one such girl recently moved into our Bureau temporarily. It will be interesting to see if your mechanical body can withstand her.”
Of course, Marionette wasn't serious, but Zandar caught her obvious hint.
“I think we should end our meeting here,” he said and got up from the table, ready to leave.
“Wait,” Marionette suddenly stopped him. “There's something else I need to tell you. This time, I'll refrain from sarcasm.”
Marionette looked straight at him again, not hiding her gaze. Zandar sat back down at the table.
“Based on all the information I have, I have made two observations about you,” Marionette said in a cold, businesslike tone. “You have created several bodies for yourself so that each Zandar can conduct his own independent research. My experience working with The Doctor suggests that it can sometimes be difficult to reconcile even different versions of oneself. After Lycurgus was defeated, you came to me, told me something about the experiment with Amphoreus, and asked for my opinion. Conclusion: you admit the possibility that Destruction is not the only correct answer.”
Zandar was silent. Marionette took this as a good sign. At least he wasn't trying to deny it, dashing her hopes.
“Second,” continued Marionette. "You call yourself a Theoros, just like Lycurgus. But unlike you, Lycurgus was not just an indifferent observer. Yes, for most of Amphoreus's history, he did not take any action that would have a noticeable impact on the world. And yet, he pretended to be a resident, almost the same as everyone else. Lycurgus had a fake but full social life. Meanwhile, you sit locked up in your room, somewhere up there. And only occasionally do you come to visit me. The logic is: you feel lonely, Zandar One Kuwabara. I know this from my own experience."
“Thank you for your candor. I know how much it means coming from you, and I appreciate it.”
Marionette snorted arrogantly.
“Don't get cocky. You won't be getting any invitations to tea anyway. And I'll continue my research, even if you wipe my memory again.”
Zandar smiled admiringly.
“I have no doubt about that.”
“So, I've answered your questions. Even the ones you didn't ask. May I ask you something now?”
He thought for a moment.
“That would be polite and fair. However, you must understand that if your question touches on the essence of my experiment, I will not be able to answer it.”
“All right,” Marionette reluctantly conceded. “What happened in Khaenri'ah, was that the Destruction? Visually, it resembles the manifestation of Irontomb or what was called the Black Tide on Amphoreus.”
However, Zandar just shook his head.
“Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question.”
The outcome was entirely expected, but that did not stop Marionette from grinding her teeth in irritation.
“In that case, here's my next question. The Genius Society is made up of people whose intelligence has been recognized by Nous, the Aeon of Erudition. But if her creator has taken notice of me, can that be considered preliminary recognition?”
“So you want to join the Genius Society?” Zandar clarified.
“I want my intellect to be officially recognized as outstanding,” Marionette explained her position. “But I don't need empty flattery, I need an objective assessment.”
“Well, then, I will take the liberty of revealing one of the secrets of Teyvat's structure. Despite the fact that this world is isolated from the universe, its borders pose no obstacle to the Aeons. Right now, you are definitely not worthy of becoming the object of Nous's gaze. However, if, as you claim, you can go beyond the realm of the Knowledge Singularity that I have erected around Teyvat, you will have a real chance of achieving what you desire.”
“That suits me fine,” nodded Marionette with satisfaction.
As Zandar was heading for the exit, she called after him:
“I hope our next meeting will be on the battlefield. I didn't manage to get even with Rerir, but at least I'll deal with you, Theoros.”
Zandar paused for a moment at the door.
“Then I wish you luck, lady Guillotin.”