"God-making?!"
In an instant, everyone except Zhongli, who already knew, felt a chill run down their spines.
"Unfilial! Wolfish ambitions!"
Cloud Retainer immediately flew into a rage, slamming her hand on the table.
"This is an insult to all the Archons! A great disrespect to the gods who protect them!"
"This is no longer just Sumeru's problem! This is an act that will be hostile to all of Teyvat!"
Xiao's face also darkened, and he said coldly: "If I had known this earlier, I should have confirmed whether the Sages were killed!"
No wonder they were angry.
God-making, seemingly just creating a god for Sumeru.
But the god of Sumeru is one of the Seven Archons, an existence on par with Zhongli and the others.
If Sumeru dared to make a god, what would the other gods think?
This was an insult and desecration to all Archons.
If they dared to make a Dendro Archon today, would they dare to make a Geo Archon, Anemo Archon, or Electro Archon tomorrow?
Knowing this, it would be strange if the Adepti weren't furious.
Their own Rex Lapis was regarded by them as a father, elder, and leader.
The Grand Sages were telling them to their faces that "your father, we can also create."
That wasn't just about losing face; it was completely trampling on their dignity and faith.
Moreover, if they actually succeeded, what would the Liyueans think? What would Ningguang and the others think?
Turns out gods can also be DIYed?
Even if they were confident that Liyue wouldn't do such a rebellious thing, what if there was some madman?
Immediately, Xiao said coldly:
"Do we need to summon all the Adepti? Or report to the Lord and convene a Seven Archons' Conference to punish Sumeru?"
This scared Nahida.
Xiao and Cloud Retainer inadvertently looked at Zhongli, and Ningguang did the same.
If Sumeru said they were making an Archon of lesser status, they wouldn't bother with it.
But creating one of the Seven Archons, this was absolutely unacceptable.
Not to mention Zhongli, even the most eccentric Venti would be angry if he knew.
As long as Zhongli nodded in agreement now, Xiao and the others could immediately gather forces to raid the Sumeru Akademiya.
And Zhongli, hearing Jiang Xuan's God-making plan again, was more or less displeased.
But he calmly took a sip of tea and said indifferently:
"I believe that as long as the God-making project has not succeeded, it remains Sumeru's own affair."
"Since Lesser Lord Kusanali is here, why not let her handle it? Regardless, she is the successor chosen by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's wisdom is highly recognized by the other Seven Archons, so I believe Lesser Lord Kusanali will resolve it."
The implication was that Zhongli was confident that since Nahida was chosen by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she was a qualified Archon.
At least, he wouldn't interfere before the God-making project succeeded.
But if it really did succeed...
The moment an artificial Archon was born would be the moment a Seven Archons' Conference was convened to punish Sumeru.
The Heavenly Principles would not allow artificial Archons to appear, and neither would the other Archons.
This was a matter concerning the dignity of the Seven Archons and even the Seven Nations, not merely Sumeru's internal affairs.
Moreover...
Although his divine power was suppressed to the limit, Zhongli's perception was still intact.
The Lesser Lord Kusanali before him had an aura that was deeply intertwined with Irminsul and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
He had a suspicion...
Therefore, Zhongli was willing to trust her.
"I..."
Nahida lowered her head, and after a moment of silence, she softly said:
"The Sumeru Akademiya doesn't acknowledge my existence, and the people of Sumeru don't seem to need me. Do I really have the right to do this?"
Jiang Xuan didn't answer, just looked at Zhongli.
Regarding the matter of Archons, no one could give Nahida better advice than Zhongli, the oldest Archon.
The latter nodded and said gravely:
"Of course. Regardless, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata would not make a wrong choice. She is the incarnation of Irminsul, the most knowledgeable being."
"Since she chose you, you will certainly grow to her level, or even surpass her."
"I once heard in ancient texts that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's wisdom was the strongest among the original Seven Archons."
"You can certainly trust her, and trust yourself."
Nahida's eyes flickered, feeling the goodwill emanating from Zhongli.
Immediately, much of the apprehension in Nahida's heart disappeared.
After a pause, Nahida nodded firmly.
"I understand! I will resolve the matter of the God-making project! If it becomes impossible, I will accept all reasonable demands at the Seven Archons' Conference!"
"I will uphold the dignity of the Seven Archons!"
Hearing this, Zhongli nodded and said no more.
With Zhongli's stance, no matter how angry Xiao and the others were, they wouldn't do anything excessive.
But this did not mean the end.
If the God-making project could not be properly resolved, they would still march on Sumeru.
They couldn't control the other Archons.
But they had the right to defend their own Lord's dignity.
Otherwise, imagine in the future, with the Seven Nations standing together and the Seven Archons governing jointly,
If one of the gods, on par with Zhongli and the others, was artificial.
How disgusting would that be?
"In any case, with the God-making project disrupted by Jiang Xuan, there should still be plenty of time."
Ningguang rubbed her temples, calming her shaken emotions from hearing this shocking news.
This was not something she could say much about; in fact, Cloud Retainer and Xiao were now looking at her, waiting for her to state her position.
Liyue could not afford to have such outlawed ideologies.
"Although Nahida says she can resolve it, Nahida has no influence in Sumeru, so we still need to provide some assistance."
"After this, I will have the General Affairs Department issue a plan to completely block the Sumeru Akademiya's God-making project."
"We will also monitor the situation there, and any developments will be reported immediately."
"And please, Adepti, rest assured that the God-making project will only be known to a few of us and will not be leaked."
"Liyue will never harbor such arrogant ideas. The people of Liyue understand the importance of the Lord to Liyue."
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer and Xiao withdrew their gazes.
Ultimately, it was the Sumeru Akademiya, or rather, the Sages, who had gone mad.
Because they couldn't acquire new knowledge, they thought Lesser Lord Kusanali was useless and decided to create a god that could bestow knowledge.
This matter would be a laughingstock if it got out.
If your mother is useless, do you just create a new mother?
How ridiculous is that?
Jiang Xuan felt that this wasn't just Nahida's situation.
If Greater Lord Rukkhadevata couldn't provide them with knowledge, they probably would have had such bold ideas then too.
Ultimately, it was because these so-called scholars never learned to seek knowledge themselves, only to take.
One day, when the door to taking was closed, their addiction to effortless knowledge led them to madness, which was an understandable progression.
No wonder Lisa felt the entire Sumeru Akademiya was on the wrong path, no wonder she disliked the Sumeru Akademiya.
Serves them right!
Lisa still had a good moral compass.
"Jiang Xuan, where will Nahida stay after this?"
Ganyu cleverly changed the subject, blinking her big eyes and looking at Jiang Xuan curiously.
The latter gently ruffled Nahida's head and said with a chuckle:
"Since she's my hostage, she should always be under my watchful eye."
"I've arranged a room for her in the courtyard. As for in this world..."
Meeting Nahida's expectant gaze, Jiang Xuan smiled:
"I plan to build a Sanctuary of Surasthana with Nahida, and then make her a garden, and then... Redstone Technology can also be developed, and we'll make a flower float..."
Hearing this, Nahida smiled happily, but before she could say anything,
Ganyu interjected:
"Then... then I'll live with Jiang Xuan too!"
"???"
Everyone looked at Ganyu in astonishment.
She then realized her words sounded strange and quickly explained:
"After all, Nahida needs someone to look after her here, right? I have experience! I've been taking care of Yaoyao all this time!"
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan was momentarily at a loss for words.
Taking care of Yaoyao?
Anyone familiar with the relationship between Yaoyao and Ganyu knew that Yaoyao, that little adult, hardly needed caring for.
If anything, it was Yaoyao worrying about Ganyu's irregular daily routine.
But Jiang Xuan naturally wouldn't refuse living with Ganyu.
With things almost reaching a critical point, living together would surely ignite some sparks soon.
Jiang Xuan chuckled and nodded.
"No problem, I've always kept Ganyu's room ready. Once things here are settled, I'll help you move."
The two exchanged a smile, an unspoken understanding passing between them about what was to come.
Ganyu wasn't resistant to Jiang Xuan's advances.
Anyway, she had decided on Jiang Xuan, and besides, they had already kissed, so only that one thing was left to do.
But Ningguang and Nahida were a bit unhappy.
Yet, they couldn't say anything.
Ningguang definitely had to be at the Jade Chamber; even though she could come to the MC world every day now,
She still had a pile of official duties to handle back in the evening.
As for Nahida...
In Jiang Xuan's eyes, she was just a lawful loli who hadn't grown up yet.
Jiang Xuan naturally wouldn't think too much into it.
Cloud Retainer, however, looked at Ganyu with a sigh of emotion.
She felt that the chubby little Qilin who used to follow her around had grown up to be talking about marriage in the blink of an eye; time truly flew by too quickly.
To avoid thinking of more displeasing scenes, Ningguang changed the subject:
"Jiang Xuan, didn't you say you wanted to take advantage of this attack to test the Redstone Cannon?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan also remembered, clapped his hands and said:
"Right! I almost forgot! I happen to have the materials here, so let's go make the Redstone Cannon now."
Redstone Cannons, with the changing times, have actually evolved into countless versions.
There was the earliest, simplest Redstone Cannon made with a few cobblestone blocks and water flow.
Basically, it had been phased out, as using it once wasted so much TNT, which was truly extravagant.
Even if Jiang Xuan had a lot of TNT, he couldn't be that lavish.
After that, came the ones using Redstone Comparators, Redstone Repeaters, Sticky Piston, and so on.
This kind was a step up from the cobblestone cannon.
After that, the TNT Duplicator came out.
Such things were generally used for blasting mountains and mining.
Once activated, it would continuously duplicate lit TNT using Minecraft mechanics.
However, these were all ground-based or aerial fixed-position plays.
As for another more outrageous one,
It was the Redstone Bomber...
A cluster of Redstone Bombers would fly forward through the air, bombing everything in their path, leaving nothing alive.
But obviously, this wasn't suitable for building at this base.
Once a bomber was deployed, thousands of meters around would be devastated.
What Jiang Xuan wanted to build this time was nothing more than the second type, the Piston-powered Redstone Cannon.
He could already craft Redstone Comparators and Redstone Repeaters, etc.
He could leave a few Redstone Cannons here as guards.
Just as he was pondering how to speak, a Millelith soldier rushed in.
"Sirs, the Pillagers are attacking!"
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