Chapter 138. Journey to the Irminsul
Azar and over a hundred others died in their sleep.
Their deaths were a major event.
It shook all of Sumeru.
The first time Lesser Lord Kusanali had publicly punished criminals.
Though her body was like a child's, the methods she displayed made the people of Sumeru understand even more clearly how powerful and terrifying an Archon truly was.
As for how Azar and the other Sages managed to imprison her—many theories arose.
Will not be elaborated on here.
Azar and the others' crimes, as well as the crimes he confessed to at the time, were immediately uploaded to the Akasha.
Everyone wearing an Akasha Terminal knew what Azar and the others had done.
Everyone approved of what Lesser Lord Kusanali had done. Entire Sumeru was discussing this matter.
Because of the deaths of Azar and the others, Sumeru ushered in a brief period of peace.
But this was only the beginning.
Materials used to create the God Creation Project.
Mora expenditures in the Akademiya's ledgers.
Large number of Scholars who had their statuses revoked or directly died.
Series of things needed to be done. Just like Inazuma half a year ago.
Problems were solved. But the mess left behind still needed to be cleaned up, right?
It's not like they could just leave it there, could they?
So Nahida began a busy life of overtime.
Maha Rukkhadevata also gave many suggestions in the Chat Group.
But these suggestions were very vague. Like a riddle-teller. Saying half and then letting you guess the rest or even just giving a general direction and letting her slowly figure it out.
In most cases, Maha Rukkhadevata let Nahida make the decisions and judgments.
It was clear that Maha Rukkhadevata was diligently cultivating Nahida. Unlike Raiden Makoto's approach back then.
One must know, after Raiden Ei joined the Chat Group; her first reaction was emotion, second was to be a hands-off boss.
Yes, that means she was slacking off. With Raiden Makoto around, she just started slacking off.
Sometimes, Raiden Ei would even say things that made people feel quite subtle.
For example, in current Inazuma; Shogun and Futsu Mitama for military strength, Yae Miko for general management, Sara and Kamisato Ayato at the grassroots level, plus Makoto in the Chat Group
So she could return to her Kagemusha days.
As long as no Archon-level formidable enemies appeared, she could safely stay in the Plane of Euthymia.
"Well, to put it simply, she became a shut-in! Reading light novels and eating desserts every day!"
This left Raiden Makoto feeling quite helpless. But she also knew that Ei had gained a lot within the past five hundred years.
It was impossible to force her to grow any further.
As her older sister, how could she not know the extent of her adorable younger sister's abilities?
Furthermore, Inazuma's situation was relatively stable.
With Futsu Mitama and Yae Miko present, a stable environment for the next three thousand years was guaranteed.
Provided no major chaos erupted.
This was also why Raiden Makoto allowed Raiden Ei to make decisions on some of the more important matters.
As for matters concerning Inazuma, she would let her glance over them.
Then Raiden Makoto and Yae Miko would personally step in to resolve them.
Because she couldn't possibly force Raiden Ei to do certain things. That would torment the people of Inazuma and potentially damage her own confidence.
But Nahida's situation was different. As the God of Wisdom of Sumeru, she was still in her "infancy." It was the perfect time for her to learn.
Maha Rukkhadevata would not treat Nahida like Raiden Makoto treated Raiden Ei. She would definitely make Nahida do everything; even finding ways to increase the difficulty for her.
Sumeru was already bad enough at the moment. So even if Nahida made a mistake, she could always blame Azar and the others.
After all, in a sense, it was indeed their fault if they hadn't imprisoned Nahida for five hundred years.
This caused Nahida to miss the optimal trial-and-error phase.
Once this period passed, Sumeru would enter a phase of rapid development.
At that time, Nahida wouldn't be able to make mistakes. If she did, it wouldn't be a good thing for Sumeru.
Just like that, after executing Azar and the others, Nahida and everyone in Sumeru began to get busy.
Futsu Mitama and his group, on the other hand, found themselves with free time. Unsure of what to do.
They could only start touring Sumeru.
The Chat Group, meanwhile, was exceptionally lively.
Because everyone was discussing one thing.
[Raiden Ei: "So, when are we going to get the Irminsul materials?"]
[Zhongli: "Sumeru's matters are mostly resolved. It's time to enter the Irminsul to get the materials, isn't it?"]
[Albedo: "Can you take me in? I'm very curious about the Irminsul and Maha Rukkhadevata's situation."]
[Venti: "Actually, there's not much to see inside the Irminsul. You'll know once you go."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "When did you sneak in?"]
[Venti: "Hehehe, don't ask! "]
[Nahida: "How about we set the time for tonight? I'll take Futsu Mitama to the Irminsul. It's just @Maha Rukkhadevata, what about your condition?"]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "No problem. It's a good opportunity for me to tell you some things in person."]
[Azhdaha: "In-person guidance?"]
[Guizhong: "Actually, I'm wondering, what if the Irminsul material isn't the main material for the special husk doll? Although Bosacius's revival isn't urgent, if there's no special husk doll, it'll be impossible to revive him perfectly."]
[Guizhong: "Not to mention, we also have a former Electro Archon here waiting to be revived."]
[Raiden Ei: "If that's the case, I can abdicate and personally go search for the materials."]
[Raiden Makoto: "Don't think about such things. You stay in Inazuma for now."]
[Yae Miko: "Actually, I think it's better to let Futsu Mitama go find them than for you to abdicate, because young people can't always be confined to Inazuma, right? He's not even 30 yet. He should go out and explore more. After a few hundred years, then we can consider him becoming the next Electro Archon."]
[Futsu Mitama: "I agree!"]
[Aila: "Young Master wants to play for a few more years and travel across Teyvat."]
[Sangonomiya Kokomi: "Actually, I thought the same thing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have temporarily abandoned my responsibilities as the Divine Priestess to travel with Futsu Mitama."]
[Kamisato Ayaka: "I'm envious. I can't leave Inazuma for now."]
[Kuki Shinobu: "Traveling with Futsu Mitama indeed allows one to see many different sceneries."]
[Venti: "How can there be an Archon successor who waits for several hundred years?! Futsu Mitama, if I were you, I definitely wouldn't be able to stand it. Come to Mondstadt quickly, and I'll immediately pass on the Anemo Archon position to you!"]
[Venti: "It's fine, even if you become the Anemo Archon, you don't have to manage anything. Just resolve enemies when necessary~"]
[Azhdaha: "I can hear the sound of your calculation! I can hear it even under Mt. Hulao!"]
[Guizhong: "I can hear it even in Guyun Stone Forest."]
[Raiden Makoto: "I can hear it even in Musou Isshin."]
[Raiden Ei: "I can hear it even in the Plane of Euthymia."]
[Maha Rukkhadevata: "I can hear it even in the Irminsul."]
[Venti: "But I'm not wrong~ I really don't act much~ Most of the time, I'm just drinking and playing."]
[Eula: "Although that's true. But I don't know why, it feels so complicated."]
[Keqing: "Why would you think that?"]
[Paimon: "Yeah, why is that?"]
[Lumine: "Is it because Venti, the Anemo Archon, is too laid-back, and his attempt to win over Futsu Mitama is too unsightly?"]
[Albedo: "No, Eula is actually talking about her family's history."]
[Eula: "Yes, the number of times Barbatos personally acted in Mondstadt's history can be counted on one hand."]
[Eula: "And my family is also known as a family of sinners in Mondstadt. Although it's a bit hard to say, my family did things that went against Mondstadt's freedom. They were true sinners in history."]
[Eula: "Even now, they still cling to the dream of returning to the family's peak in those years."]
[Klee: "Klee heard about this! But Eula-neechan is a good person! She's not like those people!"]
[Venti: "Hmm, the people from back then have already been overthrown, so you don't need to feel too much pressure. In other words, do you think you're like them?"]
[Eula: "No! That's definitely not the same!!! I am not them, and I can't be them!!!"]
[Futsu Mitama: "Hmm~ Yes, you are not them. You are the Knight of Vengeance in the Knights of Favonius. How can you be compared to those rotten fish and shrimp?"]
[Venti: "So, Futsu Mitama, will you consider it?"]
[Futsu Mitama: "Why don't you consider my Shogun's sword first?"]
[Raiden Ei: "[Sharpening a knife.jpg]."]
[Venti: "Hahahahaha~~~ Forget it~ Forget it~"]
Apparently, Venti felt it was best not to push too hard. A simple inquiry was enough. If he angered Raiden Ei, she would really rush to Mondstadt to cut him down.
Although he could run, wouldn't it be too embarrassing for the dignified Anemo Archon to be chased and cut down by the Electro Archon?!
—
On the other side, Futsu Mitama also began to ponder.
If the Irminsul material wasn't the main material for the special husk doll, then they would probably have to search for materials on a large scale across Teyvat.
They would also need to go to very, very secluded places.
For example, places that even Albedo and Zhongli couldn't reach.
To have any chance of finding it.
Because whether it was Zhongli, Raiden Ei, or Albedo—they were all very knowledgeable beings. The things they had experienced could be said to be incredibly numerous.
Zhongli and Raiden Ei were The Seven Archons.
Before becoming Archons, they must have seen many landscapes across Teyvat.
Albedo, on the other hand, was brought along by his creator.
He had also seen many things and encountered precious materials that ordinary people could hardly imagine.
He himself was even his creator's greatest masterpiece.
But they had all seen the special husk doll. They recognized the secondary materials. But only the main material remained unrecognized.
Yet, Venti claimed to have seen similar materials. But he couldn't remember where.
On such an important matter, Venti wouldn't be careless. If he said he couldn't remember, it meant he truly couldn't.
Although Venti disliked doing serious work, he was clear-headed when it came to major issues.
Seemingly unreliable but actually very reliable—that was Venti's true nature.
Why was Futsu Mitama so invested in this matter?
Naturally, it was because of Raiden Makoto. Her help to him was significant.
The beginning is always the hardest.
The reason Futsu Mitama's strength increased so quickly was entirely due to Raiden Makoto providing Raiden Ei's inheritance in the early stages.
This allowed Futsu Mitama's strength to improve so rapidly.
Otherwise, without this boost in strength, he would probably have been captured by La Signora or Scaramouche and taken to Snezhnaya to be handed over to Dottore.
One must know that Dottore had his eyes on Futsu Mitama even when he was still unknown.
In a sense, Raiden Makoto was Futsu Mitama's savior. If it weren't for her help, there would be no Futsu Mitama today.
So, if possible, Futsu Mitama would naturally go all out to help Raiden Makoto revive.
Of course, he could also trust the lucky ones in the group.
Letting Klee and Aila, the two luckiest people in the group, sign in daily. See if they could sign in for items similar to the special husk doll.
Similarly, metaphysics could also be tried. For example, having Guizhong, who achieved a one-shot success and laid the groundwork for her own revival, sign in daily and open the box of serenity.
Perhaps they might find similar materials?
As he pondered this, time flowed by, minute by minute.
Night quickly fell.
After Futsu Mitama and his group finished dinner and returned to the inn, Nahida arrived.
"You're here."
Futsu Mitama looked at Nahida, who had entered his room. Seeing her slightly tired little face, he couldn't help but sigh.
"It seems being the God of Wisdom is still difficult."
It was only the first day. She was already starting to feel tired. It seemed the position of an Archon wasn't something just anyone could hold.
What Venti did back then was very wise.
He directly refused overtime. Returned the responsibility to his people. Spent his days drinking and singing poems.
Aila and Black Aila also looked at the somewhat tired Nahida with surprise.
Even with her Archon physique, she could feel tired?
"There's just a lot to do."
Nahida gave a bitter smile like an "adult."
After Azar and the others died, there were simply too many things to deal with. Some matters weren't even suitable to discuss in the group.
As Sumeru's God of Wisdom, she also had her pride. Couldn't reveal Sumeru's true situation to everyone in the group.
Only after taking on these responsibilities did Nahida understand the importance of "talent."
Unfortunately, half of the talents in the Akademiya had been killed by her. The remaining talents were all research-oriented and not good at management.
Fortunately, Alhaitham, the Scribe, was there. His abilities were quite impressive. He helped Nahida solve many problems.
What Nahida found somewhat strange was that he insisted on staying in the Scribe position. Even when she wanted to offer him the positions of Sage or Great Sage, he would show a rather troubled expression.
Not wanting to become a Sage or Great Sage at all.
"Hmm, I can understand."
Futsu Mitama could roughly understand Nahida's current predicament. And he was powerless to help.
He was good at fighting. But not at management. It would be better to let Shinobu and Kokomi handle it. They were both experienced in that area~
Nahida quickly put away her tired expression. Said with some excitement:
"I've already notified Albedo in the group to come over. Once he arrives, we'll prepare to go inside the Irminsul."
Inside the Irminsul, Maha Rukkhadevata was there!
Nahida had always wanted to meet Maha Rukkhadevata.
This wish had been with her for a very, very long time.
Now that she was finally going to meet Maha Rukkhadevata, Nahida said she was very excited.