Chapter 84. Difficult
But Nahida was not happy. Instead, she suddenly felt somewhat helpless.
Because didn't all of this essentially mean that she was completely useless? That she could only serve as a mascot?
If possible, she still wanted to help. Even if it was only a little, she wanted to participate alongside everyone else.
"Alright."
At this moment, Futsu Mitama also noticed the subtle change in Nahida's expression. He clapped his hands, glanced at the Chat Group, and spoke,
"Now it's time to exchange information. Lesser Lord Kusanali, what should we call you?"
Nahida paused slightly.
Only then did she realize that she had never actually introduced herself. The realization immediately made her cough lightly in embarrassment.
They had already spoken for so long.
Futsu Mitama and the others had shared so much information with her. Yet she still had not even introduced herself.
That was undeniably impolite.
"Just call me Nahida."
Nahida spoke gently.
"Alright, Nahida."
Futsu Mitama nodded, indicating that he had remembered the name. Looking at her seriously, he continued,
"Then let's exchange information. Do you know what the Akademiya is currently doing? Or rather— do you know what kind of cooperation exists between the Akademiya and the Fatui?"
Nahida nodded earnestly.
Beside her, Dehya, who was supporting the unconscious Dunyarzad, also pricked up her ears.
Futsu Mitama did not conceal anything.
Looking at Nahida and Dehya, he began recounting everything he knew.
In particular, he emphasized Tighnari's experiences, as well as the God Creation Project that Dottore had mentioned.
Those two matters were especially important.
Because Futsu Mitama believed that once Nahida learned of them, she would immediately understand what the Akademiya was truly attempting to accomplish.
While Futsu Mitama was explaining the situation to Nahida and Dehya—
—
Elsewhere, within the Akademiya.
The Harbinger was currently reviewing information.
Part of it came from the Fatui.
The rest had been provided by the Thirty, who were responsible for guarding the entrances to Sumeru City.
As a Fatui Harbinger, she understood very clearly how troublesome Futsu Mitama and his group could be.
Combined with their frightening strength, a single mistake could allow them to infiltrate Sumeru City unnoticed.
If that happened, the situation would become significantly more difficult to control.
Dottore had already stated that Futsu Mitama and the others would definitely come.
Therefore, she could not afford to lower her guard for even a moment.
"My Lady."
Several female Fatui agents approached and handed over the newly compiled reports.
"Today's reports?"
The Harbinger accepted the documents, her expression remaining calm.
"Yes."
The masked Fatui agent nodded seriously.
"All suspicious individuals who entered Sumeru City today have been recorded. The Akademiya's Akasha System has also been continuously monitoring the city. So far, no unusual incidents have been detected. There have also been no signs of anyone forcibly entering Sumeru City."
Hearing this, the corner of the Lady's lips curved into a faintly mocking smile.
Naturally.
The greatest abnormalities within Sumeru City originated from the Fatui and the Akademiya themselves.
Who would dare investigate them?
With that thought, she began reviewing the reports before her.
This was one task she refused to delegate.
Too many people were careless.
They overlooked details.
Sometimes they even became intimidated by certain individuals and chose to look the other way.
She, however, was different.
At present, her authority within Sumeru City exceeded even that of Lesser Lord Kusanali, who remained confined within the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
It was a rather dark joke.
A Fatui Harbinger wielded greater influence in Sumeru than Sumeru's own Archon.
The thought pleased her considerably.
Calmly, she continued reviewing the reports.
Her efficiency was remarkable. Within moments, she had already selected several files. Without even looking up, she tossed them toward nearby subordinates.
"Have the Thirty provoke these individuals. Remember, the provocation must escalate into a matter of personal dignity. If they can endure even that without reacting, then there's no need to waste further effort on them."
The agents immediately collected the selected files, bowed respectfully, and departed.
The Harbinger then returned her attention to the remaining reports.
Occasionally, she would select another file and issue similar instructions.
If the target happened to be associated with the Akademiya, she would instead dispatch Fatui personnel to handle the matter.
Time passed.
Eventually, only a single report remained on the table. The Harbinger stared at it for several moments. Then she frowned slightly and gestured toward a nearby subordinate.
"My Lady."
The Fatui agent seemed to understand immediately.
"This individual is somewhat troublesome. If we use conventional methods against her, it may trigger backlash within the Akademiya."
The report concerned Faruzan and the bodyguard she had brought into Sumeru City—Akasuna no Sasori.
Both had been marked as suspicious individuals. In fact, they ranked among the most suspicious entries in the entire report.
However, Faruzan's reputation within the Akademiya was simply too significant. Although her authority did not surpass that of the Sages, neither the Thirty nor the Fatui wished to provoke her carelessly.
Because once that happened, cracks would inevitably appear in the cooperation between the Fatui and the Akademiya.
Maintaining their current relationship would become far more difficult.
The scholars of Sumeru placed extraordinary importance on reputation. Their obsession with dignity and wisdom was so intense that even the Fatui found it difficult to understand.
"I know."
The Lady nodded. Then she tossed a token toward a nearby subordinate.
"That's why I want you to approach the Matra in the name of the Great Sage. Have them make things difficult."
"Not for Faruzan. For Akasuna no Sasori and his group. As for the justification—"
"Claim they are carrying dangerous knowledge and must be investigated."
The Fatui agent's eyes widened slightly.
"My Lady—" She hesitated before speaking. "But what about the Great Sage?"
The title of Great Sage carried tremendous authority.
Especially now.
With General Mahamatra Cyno missing and his whereabouts unknown, the Matra were effectively without leadership.
As long as someone carried the Great Sage's token, many Matra would readily act in the name of protecting the Akademiya.
But the issue remained—
Wasn't this effectively targeting Faruzan? What if the Great Sage questioned them afterward?
Regardless of everything else, he remained the highest authority in Sumeru. Even the Dendro Archon's words carried less influence than his.
Offending Faruzan might anger many scholars.
Offending the Great Sage, however, could completely destroy the Fatui's position in Sumeru.
Their situation could easily become identical to what had happened in Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma.
Once again becoming universally despised.
"Don't concern yourself with that."
The Lady Harbinger remained utterly unconcerned. Her subordinates did not know the full details of the cooperation between the Fatui and the Akademiya.
She did.
As long as the God Creation Project continued, the Great Sage would never willingly sever ties with the Fatui.
If this operation succeeded in drawing out Futsu Mitama and his companions, it would already be worthwhile. And if the Great Sage eventually learned exactly whom he had offended—
Heh. At that point, whether he wished to continue cooperating with the Fatui might no longer be his choice to make.
Seeing her confidence, the Fatui agent wisely said nothing further.
She silently accepted the token and prepared to carry out the order.
"I wonder whether today will bring any surprises."
After issuing her instructions, the Harbinger leaned back slightly and allowed herself a moment of anticipation.
Truthfully, she was not certain this plan would successfully force Futsu Mitama and the others to reveal themselves.
But some actions had to be taken regardless.
Whether results came of it was secondary.
Doing something was always better than doing nothing.
As that thought crossed her mind, a certain figure appeared within her memories.
The Anemo Archon. Barbatos.
Her hands unconsciously tightened. Flames seemed to ignite within her eyes. It was that carefree Archon who had caused all of those tragedies.
She needed to finish matters in Sumeru as quickly as possible.
Then she would return to Mondstadt.
Soon. Very soon.
That irresponsible Archon would emerge again.
—
Nahida's gaze gradually grew resolute after hearing Futsu Mitama's words.
As a deity, she could not allow her attention to remain fixed solely upon the Akademiya's Sages.
There were still people who looked to her with hope.
Just like Dunyarzad.
Even though Nahida had never truly brought her any tangible benefits, Dunyarzad had continued to place her faith in her all the same. Nor was she the only one. Across Sumeru, there were still people who knew of her existence. Though many revered Maha Rukkhadevata more deeply, Nahida understood that she still had a responsibility to answer those expectations.
"So, you need my assistance in preventing a major conflict from erupting within Sumeru City, is that correct?"
Nahida looked toward Futsu Mitama and the others.
From their earlier conversation, she had already learned that both Scaramouche and Dottore were currently within Sumeru City.
Whether it was Scaramouche, who stood at the center of the God Creation Project, or Dottore, whose strength said to be comparable to that of an Archon, neither could be underestimated. Added to them was Futsu Mitama, the future Electro Archon whose true strength even Nahida could not discern, as well as the two young women who had subdued her earlier and who possessed Demon God Authority.
In other words, if these five individuals were to wage war within Sumeru City, a fragment of the devastation once seen during the Archon War five hundred years ago would likely be reenacted here.
Even if the Akademiya possessed defensive measures, such defenses would never be capable of withstanding the clash of multiple Archon-level existences.
Only an Archon could contend with an Archon.
As for herself—
Nahida silently assessed her own strength and fell quiet. She might not even be capable of defeating the two young women who had captured her earlier.
If Aila and Black Aila had not possessed Demon God Authority, then perhaps she would still have had an opportunity to contend with them. Within the realm of gods, however, possessing Authority and lacking Authority were fundamentally different concepts.
Without Authority, even if one's strength had reached the level of a god, one would still be noticeably inferior to a true Demon Gods in many respects.
With Authority, however, matters changed entirely.
Authority could oppose Authority.
Once that balance was achieved, what remained was a direct contest of strength.
Nahida considered her own combat capabilities, then compared them to those of the two young women whose names she had only recently learned.
In the end, she silently reached a conclusion.
Perhaps it would be better for her to serve as a guide. After all, battle had never truly been associated with the God of Wisdom.
A faint sigh escaped her heart.
She wanted to help. She genuinely wished to contribute. Yet after careful consideration, she realized that a direct battle of this level was not one she could directly influence.
Even if she joined, the most she could likely accomplish would be providing support from the sidelines with her dream simulation.
The thought left her feeling strangely exhausted.
Today had brought her many revelations, yet rather than joy, what remained in her heart was helplessness.
"Yes."
Futsu Mitama nodded. Looking toward Nahida, he continued calmly,
"After all, if we truly fought within Sumeru City, although I have not stepped into this realm for very long, I can already feel it. If I were to fight without restraint, Sumeru City would cease to exist."
Dehya's brow twitched slightly, her expression becoming unpleasant.
Her displeasure was not directed at Futsu Mitama's words.
Rather, it was directed at the existence of people like him.
Within the current Sumeru City, the Fatui possessed a Harbinger with Archon-level power, while the Akademiya was attempting to create a god of its own.
That meant the fate of the battlefield was no longer in the hands of ordinary people.
It rested entirely in the hands of beings such as these. And all of it had been brought about by the Akademiya.
The more Dehya thought about it, the more she wanted to curse those Scholars.
Had they studied themselves into fools? Did they not understand what it meant to invite a wolf into one's own home?
"Furthermore, we need your assistance in concealing us through the Akasha."
Futsu Mitama's expression became serious.
"We encountered the Lady, La Signora shortly after arriving in Sumeru City. That woman is far from simple. To be honest, as long as she's here, our actions will become extremely passive."
Sometimes, the person who understood you best was not yourself.
It was your enemy.
Futsu Mitama understood the Lady exceptionally well.
After so many confrontations and schemes, they had already become old adversaries who knew one another's strengths and weaknesses.
Even if she could not defeat him directly, she remained troublesome in countless other ways. Her ability to manipulate rules, exploit situations, and influence people was particularly formidable.
At times, Futsu Mitama even wondered whether her position among the Fatui Harbingers had less to do with strength and more to do with efficiency.
The Lady's combat ability was undoubtedly powerful, but not overwhelmingly so. For example, Tartaglia's Foul Legacy Transformation was in no way inferior to her strength and, in some respects, even surpassed it.
Yet if Tartaglia were wandering through Sumeru City, Futsu Mitama and the others would hardly be concerned.
Tartaglia excelled in battle. That was all.
Asking him to gather intelligence, manage countless details, negotiate with Scholars, or navigate political struggles would be torture for everyone involved.
The Lady was different.
For her, force was merely the final option. If a matter could be resolved without fighting, then there was no need to fight.
If strategy could accomplish the goal, then brute force was unnecessary. Of course, when facing opponents weaker than herself, she was more than willing to crush them directly.
That was simply her way.
Against stronger opponents, she avoided direct confrontation whenever possible and instead relied upon schemes and calculations.
Against weaker opponents—
There was little left to discuss.
For that reason, the moment Futsu Mitama saw the Lady, he immediately became vigilant.
Without hesitation, he sought out Nilou. Through Nilou, he intended to find Dunyarzad. Through Dunyarzad, he intended to find Nahida.
As long as Nahida could be found, a significant portion of their objective in coming to Sumeru City would already have been achieved.
"La Signora?"
Nahida frowned slightly. She was well aware of how troublesome that woman could be.
Five hundred years ago, however, she had not been like this. Back then, she had merely been a young girl who loved to sing. How had she changed so much over the centuries?
"She is troublesome."
Black Aila nodded slightly in agreement. This was also one of the reasons she disliked Signora while feeling little hostility toward Tartaglia.
The former preferred schemes and underhanded methods.
The latter preferred to face his opponents directly.
"Hmm? Wait—"
A peculiar expression suddenly appeared on Nahida's face.
Her brows knitted together as though she had discovered something unusual.
"What is it?"
Dehya looked at her with confusion.
"Did something happen?"
Futsu Mitama's expression also became serious.
Had something gone wrong already?
They had only entered Sumeru City today.
"Yes."
Nahida nodded solemnly.
"Through the Akasha, I just investigated the Lady and the Fatui. And during that process, I discovered a Fatui member making contact with the Matra. She used the Great Sage's token to order the Matra to investigate you. The Matra now suspects that you are carrying dangerous knowledge and is already on the way."
The moment those words fell, silence filled the room.
"The Matra?!"
Dehya's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never expected the Matra to become involved.
Why would an organization responsible for managing Scholars suddenly come after them?
And not just anyone. They were targeting Futsu Mitama, the future Electro Archon.
Had they lost their minds?
"That's normal." Kuki Shinobu spoke calmly.
"Because the Matra also deals with dangerous knowledge. On the surface, they are responsible for supervising Scholars."
"But in reality, Scholars are often the people most likely to come into contact with dangerous knowledge. In a sense, the Matra has become an organization specifically responsible for overseeing that category of threat."
Before arriving in Sumeru, Kuki Shinobu had thoroughly researched the region.
As such, the Matra's actions did not surprise her.
As long as they suspected someone of possessing dangerous knowledge, they possessed the authority to investigate.
That was also one of the reasons Cyno had chosen self-exile to gather evidences in the desert. He knew the Sages and the Great Sage were conducting dangerous experiments.
Unfortunately, he lacked evidence. Without evidence, mere suspicion could never serve as grounds for judgment.
Furthermore, the Sages occupied positions of immense authority.
Even if Cyno wished to act through force, he could not oppose the entire Akademiya alone.
Thus, he had chosen to investigate from the shadows.
"How is it that you seem to know more about Sumeru than I do?"
Dehya scratched her head. As a native of Sumeru, she found the situation rather strange. An outsider appeared to understand Sumeru's internal workings better than she did.
"Only a little."
Kuki Shinobu answered modestly. After all, there was a General Mahamatra within their group chat. Naturally, she had learned far more about the Matra than most people.
"Mitama, what do we do now?"
Sangonomiya Kokomi looked toward him.
The Fatui had already noticed signs of their presence. The Matra was on the move. No matter how one looked at it, they needed a response.
Futsu Mitama remained silent for a moment. Then he turned toward Nahida.
"Can I ask you for a favor?"