Wisdom vs Life
Inside the villa, Luo Chen allowed everyone some time to digest the previous explanations before continuing.
"Besides those three riddles, there's another example of Rukkhadevata's wisdom."
"The Akasha System."
"From earlier discussions, you should already know a bit about it."
"It was one of Rukkhadevata's greatest creations."
"Without it, Sumeru would never have been able to deal with Forbidden Knowledge."
He paused.
"So by now, you probably have a rough understanding of her wisdom."
"But next, we'll talk about something deeper."
"Rukkhadevata's understanding of wisdom itself."
Wisdom Is Not the Goal
Luo Chen continued.
"A normal person who possessed that level of knowledge might flaunt it."
"Or endlessly chase deeper wisdom."
"And eventually go down the wrong path."
"Exactly like the modern Akademiya."
"But Rukkhadevata did not."
After separating from the Scarlet King, she built the rainforest civilization of Sumeru.
She gathered followers and founded the Akademiya.
Through it, she shared her knowledge with the people.
Her philosophy was simple:
Wisdom is not meant to control minds.
It is not meant to gain power.
Wisdom exists so that ordinary life may one day break its shackles and gain freedom.
Interestingly—
The Scarlet King and the Goddess of Flowers originally wanted the same thing.
But they chose Forbidden Knowledge.
Rukkhadevata chose to share wisdom instead.
And history proved which path was correct.
The rainforest thrived.
The desert fell into ruin.
Luo Chen summarized:
"For Rukkhadevata, wisdom was merely a tool."
"Life was the true purpose."
The Same Philosophy Among Archons
He added:
"In fact, the ideals of the other Archons are similar."
Venti — Freedom
Zhongli — Contracts
Raiden Ei — Eternity
All of them ultimately wanted the same thing.
For their people to live better lives.
Different methods—
But the same love.
Unfortunately…
Many Sumeru scholars misunderstood this.
They abandoned life itself and pursued wisdom as an empty ideal.
The Akademiya had completely reversed the priorities.
Nahida Reflects
Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana—
Nahida rested her chin on her hand.
"Wisdom is a tool… life is the goal."
She repeated the phrase softly.
Suddenly many things became clearer.
Rukkhadevata's philosophy.
Her actions.
Her sacrifices.
Nahida's expression kept changing.
Confusion.
Understanding.
Realization.
Finally—
She smiled.
Lumine teased her.
"Looks like someone learned something big."
Nahida nodded.
"I understand a little."
"But understanding is only the first step."
She still had a long road ahead.
Everyone's interpretation of wisdom was different.
Rukkhadevata's path might not be the same as hers.
But at least—
Now she had direction.
Lumine and Paimon pumped their fists.
"Go for it!"
Chat Group Discussion
The chat exploded again.
Alice exclaimed:
"'Wisdom is a tool, life is the purpose'… what a statement!"
"That's on a completely different level from normal people!"
Others began comparing their own ideas of wisdom.
Sucrose:
"To me, wisdom means advancing alchemy like my teacher Albedo."
Hu Tao:
"To me it means expanding Wangsheng Funeral Parlor business."
Kuki Shinobu:
"For me it's collecting certifications."
Layla:
"…Writing research papers…"
Chevreuse:
"For me it's catching criminals."
Venti laughed.
"Wisdom doesn't really have levels."
Zhongli nodded.
"Ultimately it is always a means to an end."
Raiden Makoto summarized beautifully.
"Everyone uses wisdom differently."
"But the goal behind it varies."
Nahida concluded quietly.
"Rukkhadevata simply used wisdom so that Sumeru's people could gain freedom."
Everyone agreed.
Perhaps "God of Wisdom" wasn't even the best title.
She might as well be called—
The God of Compassion.
The First Sage of the Akademiya
Luo Chen then moved to the next topic.
"Now let's talk about the Akademiya itself."
After Rukkhadevata shared her wisdom, Sumeru became the Nation of Wisdom.
The Akademiya was both the government and the center of scholarship.
And its origins traced back to the first sage.
Long ago—
A man set out to search for the Dendro Archon.
His sincerity impressed Rukkhadevata.
So she granted him knowledge.
He suddenly saw the world's knowledge manifest before him.
He studied endlessly.
But eventually he stopped.
Because he missed his family.
Rukkhadevata smiled.
The next moment—
He woke up in his bed.
His wife said:
"You're leaving to find the Dendro Archon today, right?"
Everything had happened within a dream.
Later that man resolved disasters in Sumeru and founded the Akademiya.
Luo Chen laughed slightly.
"Does that story sound familiar?"
In the future—
Nahida gave battle knowledge in dreams to Lumine.
And Lumine saved Sumeru.
Same dream.
Same First Sage.
Same salvation of the city.
"History repeats itself in fascinating ways."
Lumine's Ambition
Back in the Sanctuary—
Paimon gasped.
"That's exactly the same!"
Nahida nodded.
"Yes, it really is."
But Lumine shook her head.
"Not quite."
"What's different?"
Paimon asked.
Lumine crossed her arms proudly.
"The original First Sage founded the Akademiya."
"And might have become the Grand Sage."
"But I didn't."
Paimon stared.
"…You want to become the Grand Sage?"
Lumine nodded proudly.
"Of course!"
"I can't lose to that guy!"
Nahida blinked.
"Creating a new Akademiya would be difficult…"
"But becoming Grand Sage might be possible."
"If you join a Darshan and publish a few dozen research papers…"
"You could become a sage."
Lumine froze.
"Research papers?"
"Yes."
"Just a few dozen high-quality ones."
"Easy for you."
Lumine's brain immediately shut down.
One paper was already impossible.
Dozens?
Absolutely not.
She coughed awkwardly.
"Actually… we should respect our predecessors."
"And I still have a coconut milk shop to run."
"So maybe… not."
Paimon rolled her eyes.
"Thank goodness."
"Otherwise the Akademiya would be doomed."
The Six Darshans
Luo Chen continued explaining.
The Akademiya eventually developed six major schools.
Each representing a different branch of knowledge.
Amurta — biology and life sciences
Haravatat — linguistics and ancient texts
Rtawahist — astrology and astronomy
Spantamad — elemental studies
Vahumana — history and social sciences
Kshahrewar — architecture and engineering
Each Darshan was led by a Sage.
Together they elected a Grand Sage.
The current one—
Was Azar of Rtawahist.
Chat Group: Akademiya Students
Lumine suddenly asked:
"So which Darshan are the Akademiya people here from?"
Responses appeared immediately.
Tighnari: Amurta
Alhaitham: Haravatat
Faruzan: Haravatat
Layla: Rtawahist
Cyno: Spantamad
Kaveh: Kshahrewar
Then someone mentioned a surprising fact.
Lisa was once considered a once-in-200-years genius at the Akademiya.
She could have easily become a Sage.
Maybe even the Grand Sage.
Lisa simply laughed.
"I'd rather drink tea."
Paimon whispered:
"You just don't want more work."
Lisa smiled.
"Exactly."
Graduation Requirements
Then someone asked:
"So… graduation must be hard, right?"
Faruzan waved casually.
"Not really."
"You just need to master about twenty languages."
Alhaitham nodded.
"Quite easy."
The entire chat froze.
Twenty languages.
Easy.
Everyone stared at their screens in disbelief.
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