Chapter 139. Maha Rukhadevata
Soon, Albedo arrived.
Klee didn't come. It is late in the evening. She should be sleeping.
Klee protested in the group, said she also wanted to play inside the Irminsul.
But under the combined persuasion of Maha Rukkhadevata, Nahida, and Albedo—who said that children should go to bed early and not stay up late as it was bad for their health, and so on—
Klee wasn't a naughty child. So she obediently listened.
Of course, "obediently listened" here meant she lay in bed chatting in the group. Not actually entering the Irminsul with them.
Because the Irminsul is not particularly safe right now.
Although Maha Rukkhadevata joined the Chat Group a long Time ago, only a portion of the forbidden knowledge on her has been eliminated.
Therefore, rashly entering the Irminsul would be life-threatening.
After all, so many Sumeru Scholars whose consciousness entered the Irminsul went mad which shows a certain danger.
So, only beings who have stepped into the Demon God Realm, or are infinitely close to the Demon God Realm, or those who are extremely special themselves, can enter the Irminsul.
Otherwise, there would probably be a few more individuals entering the Irminsul tonight.
Such as Sangonomiya Kokomi, Kuki Shinobu, and Shenhe.
Klee clearly doesn't have that ability. In other words, if she did, no one in the group would stop her.
Albedo is very special himself. Aila and Black Aila have the strength. Futsu Mitama and Nahida, of course, go without saying.
"Then... I'll begin. Futsu Mitama, give me a hand."
Nahida glowed with a emerald green light. Using the power of her authority to drive the dendro gnosis. Intending to bring everyone into the Irminsul.
Upon hearing Nahida's words, Futsu Mitama nodded slightly.
He gripped the electro gnosis with one hand. Fully activating the Electro Archon Authority.
At this moment, under Nahida's guidance, everyone's consciousness temporarily left their physical bodies and rushed towards the interior of the Irminsul.
With a flash of black and then light, Futsu Mitama and his group successfully arrived at the Irminsul— periphery~
Yes, at this moment, Futsu Mitama and his group had reached the Irminsul. But not its central point. They were on the periphery.
Because Nahida did not directly delve deep into the Irminsul. It was only when she used the Gnosis, entering the Irminsul directly as a consciousness, that she realized things were not as simple as she had imagined.
Upon reaching the Irminsul's periphery, an indescribable ominous energy permeated the area. Even an Archon like Nahida couldn't help but frown.
"Is this forbidden knowledge?"
Futsu Mitama felt the ominous energy in the air. He could distinctly hear indistinct whispers around his ears.
If you listened carefully, you heard nothing. If you didn't listen carefully, you would instead focus on its presence.
After only a short while, Futsu Mitama already felt a bit uncomfortable. One could only imagine how Maha Rukkhadevata inside the Irminsul had managed to endure.
This made Futsu Mitama admire her.
Indeed, none of the original Archons were simple. Maha Rukkhadevata persevered for 500 years in such a harsh environment. In a state of residual soul.
Even after joining the Chat Group, she continuously worked for Sumeru without a moment's rest.
Futsu Mitama and his group's arrival in Sumeru was not accidental. But rather Maha Rukkhadevata's deliberate intention.
"Young Master, this place makes me feel quite unwell."
Black Aila also spoke. Frowning as she looked around,
"I have an urge to destroy everything here."
Aila, beside her, also nodded slightly. She had the same feeling. But she could sense the Archon Authority within her resisting it.
No wonder the Sumeru Scholars went mad after their consciousness entered here. Even they found it somewhat tricky let alone the Scholars.
Albedo said nothing.
Because he only felt a little uncomfortable. He had no other feelings. Was this reasonable?
"Fortunately, we have three Gnosis in hand. Otherwise, entering the Irminsul as consciousnesses this time would likely be life-threatening."
Nahida secretly felt fortunate at this moment. Futsu Mitama held the anemo gnosis and electro gnosis. Plus her own dendro gnosis.
The power driven by the three Gnosis could be said to be extremely strong. Enough to block all the ominous energy.
Although Futsu Mitama couldn't use two Gnosis to fight, simultaneously driving two Gnosis to protect those around him was not difficult.
"Let's prepare to head to Maha Rukkhadevata's location."
Futsu Mitama decided to prioritize going to Maha Rukkhadevata. He mentioned Maha Rukkhadevata in the Chat Group and asked her to send a coordinate.
It must be said, coordinates are truly useful. As long as they were given the coordinate, they just needed to fly straight in that direction.
"Mm."
Nahida nodded in agreement.
She was somewhat eager now as this should be the first time since her birth that she could truly meet Maha Rukkhadevata.
For 500 years, Nahida had been pondering what kind of Archon Maha Rukkhadevata was.
From past records, Maha Rukkhadevata was far, far more excellent than she was.
Of course, Nahida could now also clearly feel the gap between herself and Maha Rukkhadevata.
Just as the gap between Kuki Shinobu and Futsu Mitama.
Even in a state of residual soul, Maha Rukkhadevata could still protect Sumeru and help herself complete a series of tasks.
Every word and action of hers contained Wisdom. So after a brief comparison, Nahida could also understand why Azar and other Sages initiated the God Creation Project.
They yearned too much for Sumeru to once again have a wise Archon like Maha Rukkhadevata.
If the God Creation Project hadn't caused so many deaths, Nahida wouldn't have been so ruthless. But it was too late to say all that now.
She wanted to see her long-Time idol with her own eyes.
"Windwalk!"
After getting Maha Rukkhadevata's coordinate, Futsu Mitama immediately activated the anemo gnosis without another word.
Anemo elements surged from the anemo gnosis. Lifting Futsu Mitama and his group. They quickly flew in a certain direction.
Along the way, everyone could clearly see some scattered islands around them.
Some monsters seemed to inhabit those islands. But those monsters were clearly already frenzied.
They roared and fought with each other. In utter chaos. If they were to enter these sky islands, they would probably have to kill these monsters to proceed.
But now, Futsu Mitama and his group ignored these monsters and rushed directly towards the central area of the Irminsul where Maha Rukkhadevata was located.
It must be said, in terms of travel, the anemo gnosis was incredibly useful. The speed was just too fast!
Soon, a towering tree appeared before everyone's eyes.
"So big..."
Futsu Mitama's eyes widened slightly.
He looked at the towering tree before him. Although he had seen it once in the story, from a realistic perspective, this tree was excessively large.
One glance couldn't even see its top or its roots.
Perhaps even Azhdaha would seem particularly small if he came here.
"Is this the Irminsul?"
Albedo showed a curious expression. This was something he had only heard about from his master and Aunt Alice.
He never expected that one day he would arrive here.
Aila and Black Aila's eyes also showed a strange light. Because after arriving near the Irminsul, they could feel an invisible force.
It seemed to isolate the ominous energy around it. Preventing that ominous energy from invading the Irminsul further.
"Yes, this is the Irminsul."
Nahida nodded seriously. She looked at the Irminsul before her. Her voice slightly excited.
"Maha Rukkhadevata is just ahead."
"Let's hurry down. The coordinate she gave us is not far from here."
Futsu Mitama nodded in agreement.
He controlled the surrounding Anemo elements allowing everyone to quickly approach the Irminsul and finally landing on an incredibly thick branch.
This was the closest place to Maha Rukkhadevata. Everyone just had to walk over, and then they could—
As everyone landed, they saw a small figure appearing not far away. Waving at them.
"Eh?!"
Futsu Mitama showed a rather surprised expression when he saw that figure.
"This is?!"
Black Aila was equally surprised.
"Nahida?"
Aila glanced at Nahida beside her, then looked at the figure not far away.
"Me??"
Nahida was also very confused at this moment. She didn't expect there to be 'herself' inside the Irminsul.
"So that's it..."
Albedo instantly recalled every word Maha Rukkhadevata had said earlier.
That was Nahida's self-negation after joining the group. She believed she couldn't become the new God of Wisdom.
At that time, Maha Rukkhadevata had said that Nahida was herself, and she was the rightful next God of Wisdom because they shared the same origin.
At that time, Albedo thought Maha Rukkhadevata meant they were both born from the Irminsul or Sumeru.
He never expected this shared origin to be a truly literal shared origin!
Mother and daughter? Or sisters?
What Albedo could think of, Futsu Mitama, Aila, and Nahida also thought of.
Futsu Mitama, however, thought that Maha Rukkhadevata was indeed almost identical to Nahida which had been mentioned in the story.
At the time, some even speculated that Nahida was Maha Rukkhadevata, who had simply exhausted all her power, lost her memories, and her body had become child-sized.
Indeed, if Maha Rukkhadevata hadn't joined the group and stated that she and Nahida were not the same Archon, Futsu Mitama would have couldn't help but suspect that Nahida was the Maha Rukkhadevata who had passed away 500 years ago.
"This... this... this..."
Nahida was extremely shocked. She looked at Maha Rukkhadevata, who was identical to her. Her expression changing dramatically.
Although Nahida had imagined that her emotions would fluctuate unimaginably upon meeting Maha Rukkhadevata.
After all, she was meeting her idol. Whether it was learning about Maha Rukkhadevata's past deeds in the Irminsul, or Maha Rukkhadevata providing her with constant help after joining the Chat Group.
Nahida felt that upon meeting Maha Rukkhadevata, she would immediately express her gratitude and try everything to help her revive.
But now, looking at Maha Rukkhadevata, who was identical to herself, Nahida's intelligent mind crashed at this moment.
"You are Maha Rukkhadevata?"
Soon, Nahida recovered. She scurried a few steps. Looking at Maha Rukkhadevata, who was waving at her and asked with a mix of excitement and doubt.
Maha Rukkhadevata looked at Nahida's appearance. A gentle smile gracing her lips. She nodded slightly. Looking at her 'successor' with great kindness.
"Yes, it's me. This appearance... does it surprise you?"
"It's beyond surprise." Futsu Mitama interjected appropriately at this moment: "I feel like you two are looking in a mirror."
Aila and Black Aila nodded. Agreeing with their Young Master's words.
Albedo watched silently from the side. His mind already planning how to paint this scene later.
"..."
Nahida silently looked at Maha Rukkhadevata, who was identical to her. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
"There's no need to be surprised."
Maha Rukkhadevata smiled gently. She understood why Nahida was so surprised. She slowly said,
"You and I are essentially the same."
"From the moment you joined the group, I said you were the rightful next God of Wisdom. To be honest, your growth has been much faster than I imagined. I had originally prepared a plan. If you, after being imprisoned for 500 years, were unable to bear the responsibility of managing Sumeru, then I would have Futsu Mitama temporarily assume the position of Dendro Archon."
At this moment, Raiden Ei, Raiden Makoto, Zhongli, Venti, Azhdaha, Guizhong, and others who were watching the group's live broadcast and enjoying the drama, were slightly stunned upon hearing Maha Rukkhadevata's words.
They then frantically @ Maha Rukkhadevata, asking her to speak in the group.
"Huh? You were serious."
Futsu Mitama was also stunned. He had never expected that Maha Rukkhadevata, who had a successor, would actually set her sights on him.
She had promised that if she had a successor, she would never target him, right?!
It turns out Maha Rukkhadevata was also playing tricks!!!
"However, those are all past thoughts."
Maha Rukkhadevata chuckled softly. Completely ignoring the @ sounds in the Chat Group.
Maha Rukkhadevata continued, looking at Nahida,
"Because you are even smarter than I imagined. 500 years of imprisonment did not waste your time."
"Instead, you learned a lot of knowledge through the Irminsul. Although much of it was theoretical, after this incident, you also gained many insights that you would have otherwise only gained during the Archon War."
Here, Maha Rukkhadevata looked at Futsu Mitama with considerable gratitude.
If not for them, Nahida would not have grown so quickly.
Theory is theory, and practice is practice. The two cannot be conflated.
But because of Futsu Mitama's intervention, Nahida began to grow passively. She not only realized the importance of strength but also understood what "Archon loves humanity" meant.
Coupled with the Chat Group's items, the Teleportation Scepter allowed Nahida to witness La Signora's fate in Mondstadt.
And there were also events like the judgment of Azar.
Although Futsu Mitama and Nahida hadn't spent a very long time together, his influence was enough to make her grow rapidly.
Of course~ this was also why Maha Rukkhadevata initially set her sights on Futsu Mitama.
If Nahida hadn't passed her assessment, Maha Rukkhadevata would have been prepared to use her Wisdom to temporarily keep Futsu Mitama in Sumeru to help clean up the mess.