Chapter 83. Too Weak
"Ah?"
Futsu Mitama was stunned, truly stunned, because he had never expected Nahida to actually say that she wanted him to be her teacher.
Wait a moment. Wasn't this a bit strange? How had the conversation suddenly reached this point? How could he possibly become Nahida's teacher?
"This..."
Dehya was momentarily at a loss for words. Earlier, she had been feeling rather pessimistic about Sumeru's future, but she had never expected Nahida to directly seek a master. This wasn't right. She was the Dendro Archon, the God of Wisdom.
"Wait, please wait a moment. I can't be your teacher."
At that moment, Futsu Mitama raised a hand, signaling for Nahida to stop.
Become her teacher? Guide her on how to become a qualified god? Give him a break. This was not the sort of thing that could be accepted so casually.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, this inheritance originally belonged to her. Maha Rukkhadevata had already made that clear earlier.
The inheritance of the Dendro Archon had always been intended for Nahida. Because Maha Rukkhadevata had departed so suddenly, she had been unable to leave much behind for Sumeru. Therefore, she had left the Gnosis behind and entrusted Nahida as her successor to become the next Dendro Archon.
Likewise, this inheritance was something Maha Rukkhadevata had specifically wanted Futsu Mitama to pass on to Nahida.
As for guiding her and becoming her teacher, however, that was an entirely different matter.
That was something Futsu Mitama truly could not do.
"Why?"
Nahida looked somewhat confused, genuinely unable to understand why Futsu Mitama would refuse.
"Yes, why?"
At this point, even Dehya felt somewhat numb. She looked at Futsu Mitama, unable to comprehend his reasoning.
Becoming the teacher of the Dendro Archon and guiding her toward becoming a qualified god sounded like an incredible opportunity. Why would he reject it?
Then again, there had already been far too many unbelievable things happening today. Dehya felt that trying to analyze the situation with ordinary logic was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Why?" Futsu Mitama sighed and rubbed his forehead before looking at Nahida and Dehya helplessly. "Because I can teach you the inheritance of the Dendro Archon, and I can teach you certain basic things."
"But becoming your teacher? Let's forget about that. As for guiding you on how to become a qualified Archon, I genuinely can't do it."
Futsu Mitama spread his hands, indicating that he was completely powerless in this matter.
The problem was not willingness.
The problem was that he simply could not.
He was the future Raiden Shogun, the holder of the Anemo Gnosis, and the inheritor of the Geo Archon's legacy. While it was true that he also possessed the inheritance of the Dendro Archon, his position was already delicate enough.
If he truly became Nahida's teacher, wouldn't his seniority unconsciously rise by another level?
No matter how weak Nahida currently was, she was still one of The Seven.
A genuine Archon.
If he became her teacher, then that would mean—
Cough.
In any case, he simply could not accept it.
"You've met the Anemo Archon, the Geo Archon, the Raiden Shogun, and perhaps even... her."
Nahida looked at Futsu Mitama with exceptional seriousness. Her expression was solemn, and her voice carried genuine sincerity.
"The reason I hope you can become my teacher is precisely because I believe you possess that qualification."
"If becoming my teacher is truly impossible, then please tell me about the Anemo Archon, the Geo Archon, and the Raiden Shogun. Perhaps I can learn something from their experiences."
Because of the Akasha Terminal and because her true body could not leave the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Nahida had not participated in any gatherings of the Archons over the past five hundred years.
The only way she could learn about the outside world was through indirect channels and scattered information.
Even when she learned of events occurring in other nations, she had never personally experienced them.
Meanwhile, Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma had all been undergoing changes and reforms in recent years.
Only Sumeru remained stagnant.
The Akademiya continued conducting dangerous experiments, while the nation itself showed little sign of progress.
As an Archon, Nahida often felt that she was unqualified.
Now that Futsu Mitama had appeared, carrying the inheritance of the Dendro Archon and possessing accomplishments that even she could not ignore, Nahida felt it was only natural to seek guidance from him.
And deep within her heart, another thought had quietly taken root.
Perhaps—
Perhaps he was the true successor intended by Maha Rukkhadevata.
Perhaps he was even the true Dendro Archon.
It was because of that possibility that Nahida had approached him with the attitude of a student seeking instruction.
If Futsu Mitama truly was the successor chosen by Maha Rukkhadevata, while she herself was merely a Demon God who had happened to inherit the Gnosis, then Nahida would not resent the Akademiya.
On the contrary, she would feel relieved.
She would hand the Gnosis over to Futsu Mitama and assist him from the shadows in governing Sumeru.
And if her existence became unnecessary—
Then she could simply leave.
She could travel to the Dark Sea beyond Teyvat and disappear from the stage entirely.
Regardless of the outcome, Nahida felt that it would ultimately benefit both herself and Sumeru.
"This..."
At this moment, Futsu Mitama's expression became extraordinarily subtle.
Naturally, he had no idea what Nahida was currently thinking. Instead, he folded his arms and began seriously considering her request.
In his mind appeared the figures of Barbatos, Morax, and Raiden Ei.
A bard who spent his days drinking, disliked proper work, and had nearly been beaten up by his own family.
An old man who wandered around every day, freeloading meals, drinking tea, listening to stories, and leisurely preparing for retirement.
And Raiden Ei, who spent her days eating sweets, reading light novels inside the Plane of Euthymia, and was gradually becoming something closer to a mascot than an Archon.
How was he supposed to describe these three Archons now?
If he honestly told Nahida about their current circumstances, she would probably be quite shocked.
Very shocked.
In a certain sense, at least.
"What's wrong?"
Nahida blinked in confusion, unable to understand why Futsu Mitama was suddenly hesitating.
"Let's not discuss the Three Archons for now."
Futsu Mitama let out a helpless sigh before looking at Nahida and speaking seriously.
"Let's also put aside the matters of the inheritance and the Dendro Archon for the moment. All of those things can wait. Compared to that, aren't you more curious about why we infiltrated Sumeru City?"
Nahida paused slightly.
Then she coughed lightly and forced herself to appear calm.
"Of course, I remember. It's just that compared to those matters, I think what you were discussing earlier is more important."
The truth was that after seeing Dunyarzad safe and sound, Nahida had almost forgotten why she had come in the first place.
Originally, the moment she noticed that Kuki Shinobu was not carrying an Akasha Terminal, she had become suspicious.
Combined with the unusual circumstances surrounding Dunyarzad, Nahida had immediately concluded that Kuki Shinobu likely possessed some hidden secret.
That was why she had decisively seized control of her.
Her original plan had been simple.
Ensure Dunyarzad's safety first. Then slowly investigate the suspicious outsiders afterward.
But now—
After seeing Dunyarzad's condition. After meeting Futsu Mitama. After witnessing the inheritance of the Dendro Archon.
All of those original concerns had been pushed to the back of her mind.
"This matter is very important."
At that moment, Kuki Shinobu spoke. Looking at Nahida, she calmly said,
"Because we came here for the Electro Gnosis."
"Not entirely."
Black Aila corrected her.
"We also came to kill Il Dottore. He's already arrived in Sumeru."
"And Scaramouche."
Aila calmly added the final name.
Nearby, Sangonomiya Kokomi and Shenhe silently nodded.
Yes.
The Electro Gnosis.
Scaramouche.
And Il Dottore.
Those were their primary objectives.
For Kokomi, Il Dottore was a thorn lodged firmly in her heart. Back on Watatsumi Island, he had threatened her life in order to obtain the Electro Gnosis.
As for Shenhe, she simply wanted to settle her unfinished battle with Scaramouche. Their previous encounter had been interrupted by Il Dottore before a conclusion could be reached.
Black Aila and Aila had their own reasons as well.
They held a personal grudge against Il Dottore. If given the opportunity, they naturally wished to settle that score themselves. Now that they possessed authority and strength approaching the level of Archons, they finally had confidence that they might be able to defeat him.
Meanwhile, Dehya casually cleaned her ear with a finger, her expression exceptionally calm.
Compared to everything she had witnessed today, the fact that Futsu Mitama and the others had come to settle accounts with a Fatui Harbinger somehow felt relatively normal.
As for the Electro Gnosis—
That matter was simply too far beyond her level.
She did not even want to think about it.
To put it simply, Dehya currently felt like an ordinary dog that had somehow wandered into a pack of wolves.
Everyone around her was terrifyingly powerful. Only she herself seemed completely ordinary.
"The Electro Gnosis. Scaramouche. Il Dottore?"
Nahida frowned slightly. Her expression immediately darkened.
The reason was simple.
She had never heard of any of them.
Or more accurately—
None of those terms had appeared within the Akasha's recent information. The Akasha was a divine creation that monitored most of Sumeru.
As the Dendro Archon, Nahida could investigate an enormous amount of information through it.
Naturally, there were limitations.
The target needed to be connected to the Akasha. And they needed to leave traces that could actually be investigated.
Through the Akasha, Nahida already knew that the Akademiya had begun cooperating with the Fatui. She also knew that the Fatui Harbinger known as the Lady had become closely associated with the Grand Sage.
But Scaramouche.
Il Dottore.
The Electro Gnosis.
None of those matters had appeared within her investigations.
Not even once.
For the first time, Nahida felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.
She was the god of Sumeru. Yet she knew less about what was happening within Sumeru than outsiders.
Meanwhile, these outsiders not only knew what was happening, but could clearly explain the details as well.
What could be more ironic than that?
"Yes."
Futsu Mitama nodded.
"That's right. We came here because of those matters. You probably don't know this, but Il Dottore acquired the Electro Gnosis through certain underhanded methods and brought it into Sumeru."
"This has already been going on for half a year. Because of that incident, the Raiden Shogun personally went to Snezhnaya and fought both the Tsaritsa and the Fatui Harbingers."
"I don't know the exact outcome."
"But in the end, the Shogun chose to tolerate the situation temporarily. At the same time, Snezhnaya also made its position clear. If someone retrieves the Gnosis, they will not allow anyone else to covet it afterward."
"Otherwise, no matter what their objective may be—The next time, matters will not be resolved so easily."
Dehya was completely dumbfounded.
Half a year ago? The Fatui had brought the Electro Gnosis into Sumeru half a year ago? And nobody knew?
"..."
Nahida's expression became even more unpleasant.
HALF A YEAR.
Only recently had she begun sensing that something was wrong because of Dunyarzad's situation. And now Futsu Mitama was telling her that the real problem had started half a year earlier.
Did that not mean the enemy had been operating directly beneath her view this entire time?
And now that half a year had passed, even if clues once existed, they had likely long since disappeared.
Without realizing it, the final remnants of Nahida's pride quietly crumbled.
She called herself the God of Wisdom. Yet others had manipulated events within Sumeru for more than half a year without her noticing.
Even worse—
She had not uncovered the truth herself. Someone else had informed her of it.
Had she discovered it on her own, she might have been able to comfort herself by saying that her prolonged isolation and studies had caused her to overlook certain matters.
But now—
Futsu Mitama's words felt almost equivalent to asking—
"It's already been half a year. Are you only finding out now?"
"Also, we came to Sumeru at the request of a god."
Completely unaware of Nahida's rapidly spiraling thoughts, Futsu Mitama continued his explanation.
"As for who that god is, I won't say any more. When the time comes, you'll naturally learn the answer."
Nahida and Dehya both nodded slightly. In truth, the moment Futsu Mitama displayed the inheritance of the Dendro Archon, the answer had already become obvious.
The deity concerned about Sumeru could only be the departed Maha Rukkhadevata.
As for how she had contacted Futsu Mitama, or how he had entered Sumeru—
Those details were not particularly important. What truly mattered was the crisis currently unfolding within Sumeru.
"What do you need me to do?"
Nahida quickly composed herself and looked at Futsu Mitama seriously.
"My true body is still within the Sanctuary of Surasthana. Beyond controlling certain permissions within the Akasha, there isn't much I can do. And if it's discovered that I'm manipulating those permissions—"
"The Grand Sages—or perhaps even Il Dottore—may be able to use the Akasha itself to restrict my consciousness."
The Akasha had allowed Nahida to learn an immense amount of knowledge. Yet because of that same Akasha, her current position had become extraordinarily awkward.
"This... aren't you the Dendro Archon?"
At last, Dehya could no longer hold back. Looking at Nahida, she spoke with visible disbelief.
"As the Dendro Archon, why can't you do anything else?"
Even as a child of the desert, Dehya knew that the Akasha had been created using the legacy left behind by Maha Rukkhadevata.
As her successor, Nahida should theoretically possess significant authority over it.
So why was she the one being restricted instead?
"Because I'm too weak."
Nahida answered honestly. Looking at Dehya, she sighed softly.
"I really am not very strong. And my authority isn't the offensive type."
As she spoke, helplessness appeared on Nahida's face. Then her gaze drifted toward Aila and Black Aila nearby.
Although she had lost earlier, Nahida could clearly sense one thing.
Both Aila and Black Aila possessed complete Demon God authority.
More importantly, their authorities were combat-oriented. If she possessed authority like theirs, perhaps she could have broken free from her cage long ago.
Unfortunately—
She did not.
And because she did not, she could only remain trapped within confinement, powerless to change her situation.
"Too weak."
"I have no power."
When those words came from the mouth of a god herself, Dehya's emotions became extraordinarily complicated.
Nor was she the only one.
At that moment, even Maha Rukkhadevata and Cyno within the Chat Group found themselves at a loss for words.
Far away in the desert, Cyno unconsciously clenched his fists. For the first time, he felt an impulse to storm directly into the Akademiya and question the Sages face-to-face.
Why? Why had they imprisoned such an Archon? Why had they denied her the opportunity to grow? Why had they prevented her from experiencing the countless facets of human life?
When Cyno had first joined the Chat Group, he had wondered why Lesser Lord Kusanali never left the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Now he finally understood. It was not that she did not wish to leave. It was that she simply could not.
And now, after learning the truth behind Sumeru's crisis and hearing the concerns of her own people, her response was not anger or indignation.
Instead, she merely sighed and admitted that she was too weak and powerless.
Was she truly weak?
No. Not at all.
As an Archon, she possessed power that ordinary mortals could scarcely imagine.
But even an Archon required time to grow.
Yet the Sages, under the guise of protection, had deprived her of precisely that.
At this moment, Maha Rukkhadevata's feelings were equally complicated. She had expected that her successor's path would not be easy. But she had never imagined it would become this difficult.
Whether Archons or gods, all possessed their own pride.
Truthfully, Maha Rukkhadevata had been somewhat disappointed by certain aspects of Nahida's performance. Yet she could also understand them.
Now, however, what she felt most strongly was heartache. She had left behind enough preparations and contingencies. So why had Sumeru ended up like this?
Although her departure had been sudden, were the Sages of the Akademiya not renowned for their wisdom? Then why had they imprisoned her successor?
For the first time in a long while, Maha Rukkhadevata found herself unable to understand.
Nahida's words left both gods and mortals alike in silence.
For a moment, nobody knew what to say.
Even Futsu Mitama hesitated. Several times, he seemed as though he wanted to speak. Several times, he stopped himself.
In the end, he could only let out a quiet sigh.
"No need to worry."
Futsu Mitama scratched his head before looking at Nahida.
"I only wanted to tell you one thing. Our goal is to rescue you. As for me, this is also a matter of settling old scores. Scaramouche and Il Dottore will be dealt with by us. As for the Akademiya—"
Futsu Mitama paused.
He did not continue. Instead, he quietly looked at Nahida.
Nahida's expression immediately became conflicted. No matter what had happened, the Akademiya remained the institution responsible for maintaining order throughout Sumeru.
The Sages had imprisoned her.
They had committed many mistakes.
But not everyone within the Akademiya stood with them. If she personally moved against the Akademiya, the consequences would be severe.
An institution condemned by its own god would lose nearly all credibility overnight.
In a sense, it would be equivalent to the Knights of Favonius opposing the Anemo Archon.
Or the Liyue Seven Stars and the Millelith standing against the Geo Archon.
Or the Tri-Commission rebelling against the Raiden Shogun.
No matter how one looked at it, the resulting chaos would be immense.
"No need to worry. Leave this matter to us."
Dehya's eyes immediately brightened. Patting her chest confidently, she looked at Nahida with a serious expression.
"If you need anything, we'll definitely help. We'll gather people, rescue you, and then, with a single order from you, expose all of the Akademiya's crimes. Wouldn't everything be solved then?"
At first, Dehya spoke with great enthusiasm. The feeling of participating in such a major event was strangely exhilarating.
However, the more she spoke, the more uncertain she became.
In the end, she scratched her head awkwardly.
Perhaps things were not quite as simple as she had imagined.
After all, acting recklessly was easy. The difficult part was determining how to gather allies.
How to investigate the Akademiya. How to establish its crimes.
An Archon judging the Akademiya was no small matter.
Even Dehya understood that such a thing could not be handled casually.
It required a complete plan.And people capable of carrying it out.
"Almost."
Kuki Shinobu nodded slightly. Looking at Nahida and Dehya, she calmly continued,
"We already know three outstanding individuals. If nothing unexpected happens, they will become the sparks that ignite the fire. A fire that will spread throughout Sumeru and expose every crime committed by the Akademiya."
The three people Kuki Shinobu referred to were naturally Cyno, Tighnari, and Faruzan.
Each occupied a unique position.
Cyno possessed the authority to judge. As General Mahamatra, he already had the right and responsibility to investigate and punish wrongdoing.
Tighnari, meanwhile, possessed an extensive network of connections. Among the Akademiya's scholars, few could rival the breadth of his relationships.
As for Faruzan—
She was extraordinary. In terms of both knowledge and seniority, she stood at the pinnacle of the contemporary Akademiya.
There were very few people who could compare with her.
In a certain sense, she was already qualified to become the next Great Sage—or at the very least, one of the next Sages.
If those three joined forces, and if several other key figures could also be brought together, then matters would become far easier.
At that point, even if Nahida never directly confronted the Sages or the Grand Sage herself, they would still possess enough influence and legitimacy to expose the truth.
And once the truth came to light, everything else could proceed accordingly.