“Qi Shan: That…it's actually a small attic that was recently renovated. I saw that the light was good there, so I went there. Oh, right, speaking of strange things recently…it's that I've experienced The Sabzeruz Festival repeatedly, many, many times.”
“Setaria:…! Wait, how did you notice? That’s impossible, it doesn’t match what’s in the report…”
“Qi Shan: It’s impossible for the Akademiya’s tricks to deceive all the common people. Haven’t you realized that yet?”
“Setaria:…Qi Shan, you’re not also a follower of the Scarlet King, are you?”
“Qi Shan: What a strange way to ask. As if there’s something wrong with being a follower of the Scarlet King. It’s you who should be helping the Akademiya, treating the city’s populace as test subjects…you’re the one who can’t stand the light, aren’t you?”
“Setaria:…Don’t…don’t say any more!”
Setaria hastily fled, and then Lumine’s consciousness returned.
“Paimon: We’ve gotten this far, and Setaria still chose to escape…”
“Qixuan: Lumine probably made him self-conscious.”
“Lumine:…………”
“Nahida: We’re halfway there…”
“Paimon: Eh! He’s looking for mercenaries, what do we do?”
“Nahida: This is the key. Prepare to possess him!”
“Lumine: Another possession.”
Qixuan waved his small hand, and then the mercenary trembled.
“Setaria: Mercenary…you’re from the Thirty Member Group, aren’t you? Quickly go report to the matra for me, the situation in the city is very dangerous…”
“Rima: Please calm down, miss. What exactly happened?”
“Setaria: There are heretical forces infiltrating the city, and they’ve already spread among the populace…”
“Rima: Heresy? What kind of heresy, please?”
“Setaria: It’s the Scarlet King! Many people I know have suddenly become followers of the Scarlet King, but the Scarlet King has been dead for a very long time. This is impossible…”
“Rima: Nothing is impossible…Miss Setaria.”
“Setaria: You…you know my name?”
“Rima: The Scarlet King is eternal and immortal. Those who act recklessly will pay the price. Don’t run away anymore, Setaria. Now you are like someone caught in quicksand. Even if you close your eyes, the Akademiya is still dragging your ankles, pulling you deeper and deeper.”
“【Your Desert isn’t here, child of the Scarlet King.】”
Setaria only felt chaos all around him, and the words of his acquaintances echoed in his mind.
“Qixuan: Oh, he’s getting into it.”
“Paimon: Hmm…nothing will go wrong, right?”
“Nahida: Don’t worry, the children of the Desert aren’t that fragile.”
………………
“Setaria:…Sigh…No matter where I run today, it’s always you, the followers of the Scarlet King…I’m quite familiar with this feeling. I’ve always been running from my guilt, like the things I helped the Sages do, like ignoring the letters my hometown’s children wrote to me.”
“But no matter how much I avoid it, guilt always finds me. I can never get rid of it.”
“Rima: Just follow your heart. Facing the problem doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose your current research environment, and researching in pain probably isn’t what you want, is it?”
“Setaria: Why do you understand me so well? Are you really just a follower of the Scarlet King, or the Scarlet King himself?”
“Rima: That’s not important. What’s important is that we will punish the Akademiya and the Sages, and correct those mistakes. If you can help, perhaps it can be a form of self-salvation.”
“Setaria: I don’t actually believe in gods, but I’ve always believed in 【opportunities】. Your appearance to me must be an opportunity to escape the current situation. What can I do for you?”
“Rima: (Great, I finally convinced him.) Ahem, how much do you know about what the Sages are currently doing?”
“Setaria: I’m only one of the designers of the 【Dream Production】 phase…that is, the matter during The Sabzeruz Festival. As for the full scope of the 【Installation】, I don’t understand it. I suppose only very core personnel can access those 【confidential documents】…”
“I just complete the work at hand according to the Grand Sage’s requirements, but…there is one thing that I’m quite concerned about. I heard that a scholar who was once exiled by the Akademiya has returned, and the Sages seem to be wary of him…”
“Rima: (Who is it, so impressive?) In order to counter the Akademiya, we need to understand exactly what they are doing. Is there a way to get your hands on those 【confidential documents】 you mentioned?”
“Setaria: If I take some risks, there should be a chance. After all, I am the Grand Sage’s assistant, and I often handle things other than the current Installation. However, once I get the confidential documents, I can’t transmit them to you using the Akasha, as the Sages always maintain a high level of surveillance within the Akasha.”
“Rima: Do you have any ideas?”
“Setaria: Hmm…how about this, we’ll just use the most primitive method. You can send someone to pick them up at the Akademiya entrance.”
“Rima: The Akademiya entrance…isn’t that a bit too conspicuous?”
“Setaria: Don’t worry, if you’re concerned about it being a trap, that’s overthinking it. This plan is simply because if I sneak out again, it would be even easier to arouse suspicion. Briefly distracting the guards to complete the handover should be the lowest risk.”
“Rima: Okay, I trust you. Let’s do that.”
“Setaria: By the way…if I complete this, can it be considered that I have 【atoned】?”
………………
“Qixuan: Look how scared this child is.”
“Paimon: Alright, Lumine did scare him a bit too much.”
………………
“Rima: That…will depend on the Grass God’s thoughts.”
“Setaria: Grass God…yes, most of those in danger this time are the Grass God’s children, and as the God of wisdom, the one who judges and guides the scholars…is also the Grass God. Perhaps I should also believe in a god.”
…………
“Qixuan: Come believe in the Grass God.”
“Paimon: Uh…how is that possible? Ah, Nahida, I’m not saying anything bad about you.”
“Nahida: It’s fine, actually, I still have a lot to learn.”
“Lumine: Phew…it’s finally over. It felt quite novel.”
“Qixuan: Really~~~”
“Lumine: Hehe.”
“Paimon: Lumine seems to have learned bad habits.”
“Nahida: Alright, alright. Since the time is set for tomorrow night, there’s nothing more we can do. Let’s also pray for Setaria.”
“Paimon: Pray? If you pray to a god, aren’t you the God of wisdom who protects the scholars!”
“Qixuan: Me praying to myself, that’s interesting.”
“Nahida: Hehe, I’ve always believed that it should be 【truth】 that protects scholars, not me. Alright, let’s meet at the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow night.”
……………………
Time came to the evening of the next day, at the Adventurers' Guild.
“Paimon: Katheryne, we’re here to meet up. Oh wait, you’re…you’re 【that】 Katheryne, right?”
“Nahida: That’s right, I should be 【that】 one you’re thinking of.”
“Qixuan: Paimon is quite cautious, isn’t he?”
“Paimon: Hehe, we’re on a secret mission tonight, after all.”
“Nahida: Hmm, after all, we can’t completely rule out the possibility that tonight’s 【handover】 is a trap.”
“Qixuan: Don’t worry, I’ll get everyone out.”
“Lumine: Qixuan-jie’s power is reassuring.”
“Paimon: Hmm~~ That’s right, that’s it!”
“Lumine: But I never expected Paimon to say something like that.”
“Paimon: Why do I feel like you’re not complimenting me?”
“Lumine: You finally realized. But…don’t you think it’s strange?”
“Paimon: Hmph, I knew it. But what do you mean, strange?”
“Qixuan: Paimon, don’t you think…it’s a bit too quiet around here?”
“Paimon: It’s the middle of the night, of course it’s quiet. You’re already being paranoid.”
“Qixuan: Sigh…Lumine just complimented you.”
“Paimon: Is that what you call a compliment?! Hmph.”
“Nahida: Lumine is right, it is indeed quieter than usual. If you look closely, there are almost no people on the streets nearby, and it’s still unclear if this is a general phenomenon within Sumeru City.”
Paimon finally reacted.
“Paimon: Eh…Could it really not be a coincidence? Does Setaria have some ability to not only distract the guards but also make everyone in the city go to sleep early to clear the way for us?”
“Nahida: I still haven’t figured out the reason for this sense of incongruity…But since things have come to this, let’s go to the appointment first.”
“Paimon: Hmm, after all, Qixuan-jie is here, and Nahida is here too, hehe.”
……………………
The group arrived at the Akademiya entrance, only to find many people there, each with an excited smile on their face.
“Paimon: Why are all these people gathered here?”
“Qixuan: Be careful, something’s not right here.”
“Lumine: Hmm.”
Just then, a man walked down from above.
“Dottore: Like heroes returning in triumph, is this welcome ceremony grand enough?”
“Nahida: You are…the Akademiya’s exile.”
“Qixuan: Dottore, I told you, leave after you’re done with your business, otherwise…”
“Paimon: Dot…Dottore? He’s the Fatui Harbinger, Second of the Eleven!”
Lumine immediately drew his weapon and stood ready.
“Dottore: We meet again, Miss Qixuan. I know I’m no match for you, but I still have reasons to stay here…”
“If you’re looking for that female researcher, he’s already in solitary confinement. He couldn’t even detect the listening device on him. He doesn’t have the rigorous attitude a scholar should have.”
“Nahida: The people of Sumeru City…what have you done to them! The Akademiya did wrong you, but that’s no reason for you to hold the safety of Sumeru’s ordinary citizens hostage.”
“Dottore: I merely modified the Akasha Terminal slightly, so that it can project information into the subconscious. Now, the enthusiastic populace believes that this Traveler is a hero who has just saved the world.”
The people of Sumeru City began to close in on the group. Lumine didn’t want to cause them DMG, but…
“Dottore: Hehe…the experiment was a success, and now they seem to be unable to suppress their enthusiasm.”
The crowd grew more and more excited.
“Qixuan: Is that so?”
“Dottore: What?”
Qixuan’s eyes glowed, and then an aura enveloped the area. The clearance of 【Herrscher of Sentience】 was activated, and the people of Sumeru City all fell down.
“Dottore:…………”
“Paimon: They…………”
“Qixuan: Don’t worry, they’re just asleep. Now, it’s time to settle your sins. I’m a very 【kind】 person, and I can’t bear to see you suffer. How about this…”
Qixuan waved his hand, and 【Little Sentience】 was summoned.
“Little Sentience: Hey, why did you call me out? I was still gambling with the old geezer. Damn it, he’s won so many rounds, can’t he just let me win one! I’m really angry right now!”
“Paimon: Uh…this…is?”
“Little Sentience: Hmm? Wow! What’s this flying thing? So cute.”
Little Sentience quickly grabbed Paimon and played with him.
“Paimon: Ugh…uncle…uncle me.”
“Qixuan: Alright, alright, Little Sentience, stop playing. Aren’t you angry? Here, that masked person in front, he plotted against us. I’m kind, so I’ll leave him to you.”
Little Sentience said with glowing eyes: “It’s been a while since I’ve had some action. Not winning against the old geezer must be a problem with my luck. A little warm-up will do.”
Dottore could feel Little Sentience’s threat; his eyes seemed to be looking at a dead man. So, while Little Sentience was talking, he started to flee for his life. If he didn’t run, he would truly die. This time, it was his main body, not a segment, so he had to escape quickly.
“Little Sentience: Trying to run? Not so easy.”
Little Sentience took a step and vanished into thin air.
“Lumine: Is that okay?”
“Qixuan: I think you should be worried about Dottore.”
Nahida was examining the fallen people of Sumeru, then stood up and said: “It’s fine, their consciousness wasn’t harmed.”
“Paimon: I didn’t expect the Akademiya to cooperate with the Fatui. Don’t the Fatui always want the Gnosis? What do they want to do this time?”
“Lumine: Let’s wait here for now. So many people can’t be left unattended.”
“Paimon: Alright.”
As the group chatted, Little Sentience, who was still chasing Dottore in the distance, had already wiped out several Dottore segments that had rushed over. In the end, Dottore successfully stalled for time and escaped at the cost of five segments, but he was still severely injured, already a bit dead.
(Dottore: No more, no more, no more tricks, I’m falling apart.)
“Little Sentience: Tch, how boring. I’ll just go back.”
Then he transformed into a stream of light and flew back into Qixuan’s body.
“Paimon: Eh? Just now, a stream of light seemed to fly into Qixuan-jie’s body.”
“Qixuan: Hmm, Little Sentience is back. Dottore is severely injured and has fled, so there won’t be any danger for now.”
“Lumine: Should we go find other relevant personnel now?”
“Paimon: You mean?”
“Lumine: Tighnari.”
“Nahida: Hmm…it’s not impossible. I’ll stay here, you two go.”
“Qixuan: In that case, let’s not delay. Let’s go.”
………………
As the group was hurrying along, a group of mercenaries suddenly appeared.
“Tashfin: Golden-haired Traveler, and the floating little fairy, and the white-haired accomplice. It seems we were right. Look around, you’ve fallen into our ambush…”
“What!”
Because he was in a hurry, Qixuan simulated a Heavy Assault Unit 19C, which moved at a very fast speed, directly flipping all the mercenaries into the air.
“Paimon: Waaah! Qixuan-jie, slow down!”
Lumine, holding Qixuan’s waist, said: “Did we hit someone just now?”
“Qixuan: What person? I don’t know, maybe a dog on the side of the road. (Heh…go tell that to my Heavy Assault Unit!)”
……………………