Blue Planet — Villa
Luo Chen continued calmly.
"First — Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"To stop the spreading calamity, she gathered priests and built several temples."
"She poured nearly all her divine power into them."
"In the end, she paid the price — most of her strength depleted, her body reduced to that of a child — but she successfully suppressed the Abyssal disaster."
"And then came Apep."
Apep's Miscalculation
Apep thought it had profited from its deal with the Scarlet King.
But after swallowing Deshret—
It too was infected by forbidden knowledge.
Inside Apep existed an elemental world.
A realm inhabited by countless elemental lifeforms.
The moment Apep was corrupted—
That world faced annihilation.
Just like the fallen desert kingdoms.
The twisted elemental beings became Withering tumors.
At first, they appeared only inside Apep.
But in desperation, some of those beings left its body to seek help.
Not all survived.
And thus—
The Withering began appearing in Sumeru itself.
Deshret's "insurance" had failed.
The Promise
The elemental beings sought out Rukkhadevata.
She agreed to help.
Together they created a "seed of fire."
But it was not enough.
Only the complete eradication of forbidden knowledge could truly save Apep.
Yet Rukkhadevata had already exhausted most of her power cleansing the desert.
So—
She made a promise.
"One day, when forbidden knowledge is erased, the Dendro Archon will return to save Apep."
There was a problem.
When forbidden knowledge is erased—
Memories connected to it fade.
Even she might forget the promise.
To preserve it—
One elemental being chose to retain its memory.
With Rukkhadevata's help, it journeyed to The Chasm.
There stood a Skyfrost Nail.
Under its stabilizing influence, the corruption slowed.
The memory endured.
Before falling into slumber, the elemental being believed—
One day, the Dendro Archon would awaken it.
And tell it—
"The forbidden knowledge is gone."
"That Apep and your kin are saved."
And indeed—
That day came.
But the Archon who arrived was not Rukkhadevata.
It was Nahida.
Together with Lumine—
She fulfilled a thousand-year-old promise.
Thus—
The Archon War in Sumeru ended.
The Goddess of Flowers — fallen.
The Scarlet King — self-destroyed.
Only Rukkhadevata remained.
She ascended as the Dendro Archon.
The Truth
Yes—
Deshret and the Goddess of Flowers had noble intentions.
But their actions brought catastrophe.
Abyssal corruption.
The destruction of desert civilizations.
Millennia of hostility between rainforest and desert.
Like Orobashi's eastern campaign in Inazuma—
Their legacy left chaos for another to clean up.
And who cleaned it?
Rukkhadevata.
She created the rainforest.
Created the Aranara.
Built safe haven for humanity.
Expended nearly all her power suppressing disaster.
Preserved the last sparks of desert civilization in Aaru Village.
If we judge by results—
The desert people owe her more than resentment.
They owe her gratitude.
"The Dendro Archon seat?"
"She deserved it."
Summary
Early Archon War:
Three gods allied.
Sumeru prospered.
Late Archon War:
Forbidden knowledge unleashed.
The Goddess of Flowers perished.
Desert kingdoms fell.
Deshret succumbed and sacrificed himself.
Rukkhadevata alone remained.
She bore the consequences.
She ended the war.
The Aftermath — Desert Realization
Across Sumeru—
Shock.
For generations, desert folk believed:
Deshret was blameless.
Rukkhadevata was responsible.
Now—
That narrative shattered.
Their god had erred.
Their supposed enemy had saved them.
The reversal was brutal.
Some collapsed in disbelief.
Like Liyue's Yan'er once had.
But the Light Screen had never lied.
So this—
Had to be truth.
And with truth—
Came guilt.
Gilded Brigade — Turning Point
Dehya had been arguing with Rahman moments earlier.
Trying to convince him to help free Nahida.
He had refused.
The Dendro Archon was their enemy.
Now—
After the evaluation—
Rahman stood stunned.
"Have we… been wrong all this time?"
He laughed bitterly.
"We raised blades against our benefactor."
"What have we been fighting for?"
Dehya snapped sharply:
"Enough."
"Don't make yourself a joke."
Silence.
Then—
Rahman straightened.
"I'll join."
"We cannot repay Rukkhadevata."
"But we can repay Nahida."
"The Lesser Lord is her chosen successor."
"If she leads— perhaps the desert can finally breathe."
Dehya smiled faintly.
Task complete.
Public Apology
Rahman entered the chat.
Publicly.
He retracted his accusations.
He apologized to Rukkhadevata before all of Teyvat.
One by one—
Other desert citizens followed.
"Sage of mercy, forgive us."
The screen flooded with apologies.
For the first time—
Rainforest and desert tension eased.
Not erased.
But softened.
The true problem was never the gods.
It was prejudice.
And the Akademiya.
March to Sumeru City
Rahman turned to his men.
"To Sumeru City."
"For the desert."
"For Rukkhadevata."
Voices rose in unison.
"For the desert!"
"For Rukkhadevata!"
The Gilded Brigade moved.
And this time—
Not in hatred.
But in atonement.
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