"I also think that your excellent genes shouldn't go to waste," the Doctor said, lightly licking her lips. "I'm curious. Your physical functions are perfectly normal, so why haven't you passed on your genes?"
"Ningguang is one of the Liyue Qixing, so she naturally wouldn't consider having a child out of wedlock," Lucas replied matter-of-factly. "As for Yelan, although she looks young, the method she uses to maintain her youth is different from Ningguang's. Her body is no longer capable of bearing children."
"Oh? With your status and position, you only have two long-term partners?" the Doctor sneered. "Don't pretend. In Snezhnaya alone, Rosalyne and Tonia have both fallen victim to you, haven't they? And as for women from other nations, the list is endless."
"Do you think I'm foolish enough to leave my DNA in women whose names I don't even know?" Lucas shrugged. "I don't have the time to deal with those kinds of complications."
"But I think what you said earlier makes sense. Perhaps your lifespan won't be enough to uncover all the secrets of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles," the Doctor said casually, sitting down beside Lucas. "You need an heir to carry on the work you might not be able to finish. This isn't just about your fate—it's about the fate of all of Teyvat."
"Oh?" Lucas's smile carried a hint of mockery. "Since when did you become so altruistic?"
Lucas knew full well that the Doctor wasn't helping him out of some noble ideal like "the fate of humanity." Everything she did was to serve her own purposes.
"I've said it before—I'm just curious," the Doctor slowly removed her mask, revealing her strikingly beautiful face. "What would happen if the two most brilliant minds in the world combined? Would it produce an even more perfect brain?"
Lucas wasn't stupid. In fact, he had long since realized that the Doctor had her eyes on his genes. It was only a matter of time before she made this request.
"A union with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles might not yield results," the Doctor's voice was like a demon's whisper. "But a union with me would have a success rate of... one hundred percent."
"Are you suggesting using your own body as an experimental tool?" Lucas said calmly. "Isn't that a bit too selfish?"
At this point, the Lucas in this simulator had less and less humanity and more and more divinity. To achieve his goals, he wouldn't hesitate to do things that were inhumane. Yet, even so, the idea of creating life solely for the purpose of genetic advancement gave him pause.
"No, this is true selflessness," the Doctor continued to persuade him. "This child might be able to accomplish what neither of us can. They could even become the hope that saves Teyvat."
This time, Lucas didn't argue.
The sharp, unyielding Geo spear pierced through a dark, untouched cavern, breaking through the final barrier. In an instant, an endless flood surged from the depths, irrigating the fertile land and nurturing new life.
...
[Mission Complete]
[Reward: Talent - Master of the Jade Chamber]
[Effect: Grants full access to the Jade Chamber. Using this ability consumes 1 million Mora per minute (rounded up to the nearest minute).]
What the—!
This talent is way too expensive! One million Mora per minute? If I borrowed it to watch a movie, I'd be out a billion Mora!
Though initially shocked, Lucas quickly understood. After all, ownership and usage rights are different. A luxurious structure like the Jade Chamber probably costs a fortune just to maintain and operate. Not to mention, if it were to be used at full capacity, the energy and weaponry consumed would be incalculable. In that context, one million Mora per minute didn't seem so unreasonable.
Still, Lucas couldn't think of a situation where he'd actually need to use the Jade Chamber.
[Exiting Immersive Mode]
[Entering Text Mode]
[Age 51: The first round of reproduction experiments with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles ended in failure. That same year, the Doctor successfully conceived.]
[Age 52: Your child with the Doctor was born. The Doctor raised and educated the child alone. To this "child," you were merely the biological father. You only saw them once and didn't even know their gender.]
[For both of you, this was the best arrangement. Though it may seem cold, this child, inheriting the superior genes of you and the Doctor, might carry the future of this world.]
[Age 53: Research on the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' body made almost no progress.]
[Age 54: Conducted other research on the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' body and initiated the second round of reproduction experiments.]
[Age 55: Conducted further research on the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' body and initiated the third round of reproduction experiments.]
...
[Age 64: Conducted the twelfth round of reproduction experiments with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, along with other research.]
[At some point, you stopped confining the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles to the laboratory table. As long as she didn't leave the vicinity of the Jade Chamber, she couldn't reconnect with Celestia, and her powers remained completely suppressed.]
[Thus, this lofty Sustainer of Heavenly Principles finally chose to compromise, trading her full cooperation in experiments for limited freedom.]
[Though she still hurled insults at you, she became remarkably cooperative in your various "experimental projects."]
["When I regain my power, I'll destroy you and this place. Also, remember to cook the Mora Meat thoroughly tomorrow—it's been getting stuck in my teeth." —The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles]
[Age 65: Chu Yi passed away. You held a simple funeral for her. Unlike Ningguang and Yelan, who could maintain their youth, as an ordinary person, she ultimately couldn't resist the erosion of time.]
[Her death made you confront mortality for the first time. Even if you could maintain your youth, you were still fragile in the face of lifespan limitations. Research on the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles remained slow, but perhaps spurred by this realization, you began to accelerate your studies.]
[Age 66: Conducted the thirteenth and fourteenth rounds of reproduction experiments with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.]
[Age 67: Your research on the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles finally achieved a breakthrough!]
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I am really sorry for the delay guys, but my exams are over now, so I am going to release a lot of chapters today!