The next morning, everyone arrived at the handover site.
Dehya: We're here.
Rahman: Mmm, someone will help send them back to the village later.
Dehya: Anyway, thank you for your help.
Rahman: Don't mention it. The process wasn't exactly smooth, was it? You and I have the same interests. From now on, let's call each other companions.
Cyno: Where are the criminals?
Rahman: Let's go, I'll take you.
Rahman led everyone to a tent where two Akademiya scholars were chatting.
Alhaitham: These must be the criminals who kidnapped the village guardians.
Morgi: Scribe?!
Alhaitham: No need to shout, no one can help you.
Paimon: It's all your fault we had to run back and forth in the Desert!
Cyno: Exactly.
Cyno radiated killing intent.
Morgi: Grand Scribe?! No, no, kill me, thief!
Paimon: They looked like they'd seen a ghost after seeing Cyno.
Qixuan-jie: After all, the Grand Scribe is considered a cold wolf in the Akademiya's eyes. A wolf repays kindness and seeks revenge.
Cyno: You should have been prepared for me to find you.
Morgi: No, we were just following orders! You must know, these things, these things couldn't possibly be done by an individual!
Judal: No, I don't want to be dealt with by Cyno... I'll die a miserable death, like food hunted by a beast!
Cyno: Perhaps not even as good as food. You don't even deserve to be eaten.
Morgi: Please don't...
Cyno: It's fine if you don't speak. I have my own methods.
Alhaitham: So what was the ultimate goal for them to make you do all this?
Judal: It was... it was to extract Canned Knowledge...
Alhaitham: Don't play dumb. You know what I'm asking. This is just the first step. What's next?
Morgi: I... I really don't know what to say...
Paimon: Hey! Straighten up your attitude, or we won't be polite!
Dehya: Don't you want to make things difficult for yourselves?
Qixuan: How about I try? I'll be gentle, uh... probably.
Lumine: (Can they withstand Qixuan-jie's power? Will they turn into idiots?)
Cyno: Then I'll leave it to you.
Qixuan's single hand glowed, instantly taking over their consciousness. The eyes of the two scholars instantly became hollow, as if they had become imbeciles.
Qixuan: Alright, Lumine, you can ask now. They'll say anything now.
Dehya: Really?
Paimon: You have to believe Qixuan-jie.
Lumine: Okay, I'll start. The Sages want to create a god, right?
Cyno: !
Alhaitham: ... ... ...
Dehya: Huh? Was that just a test question? Are you serious?
Qixuan and Paimon, however, had expressions of watching a show.
Morgi: Yes, the Sages want to create a new god.
Judal: The Akademiya is executing a great possibility, a world-changing plan. They want to create a new god that belongs to them, that belongs to Sumeru.
Lumine: What's the reason?
Judal: Because the Akademiya still seems prosperous on the surface, but after Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's passing, Sumeru's academic field has barely seen any qualitative breakthroughs. In addition, in recent years, Irminsul has been withering more and more severely. The Sages have tried almost every method, but nothing worked. They often say that if Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were still here, none of this would have happened.
Lumine: Is there anything else?
Judal: Yes, a Fatui member, whom they call 【Doctor】, brought a Gnosis and said he wanted to use the research environment within the Akademiya. The Doctor was someone who had been expelled from the Akademiya. The Sages originally looked down on him, but when he said those words, everyone's expression changed.
Paimon: I didn't expect the Doctor to still be so persistent. Next time, I'll definitely teach him a lesson, hmm... I'll just punch him away!
Lumine: What was it?
Judal: He asked them: 【Do you want to create a god?】
Alhaitham: Huh... ha, this is the idiocy and arrogance at the end of academia.
Lumine: Continue.
Judal: The Akademiya first spent a long time building the 【Body of God】 based on an exquisite bionic puppet. They then used 【The Sabzeruz Festival's cycle】 to harvest dreams, maximizing the power of Akasha. With the help of the 【Doctor】, the Akasha at its highest output successfully extracted the power contained within the 【Gnosis】, making it the 【Core of God】.
Lumine: So, why collect Divine Canned Knowledge?
Morgi: The Sages proposed that the new god should possess 【Divine wisdom】. For this, a large amount of Canned Divine Knowledge is needed.
Dehya: This is truly the most mind-blowing information I've ever heard.
Lumine: How do you confirm that knowledge belongs to a god?
Morgi: That's just a deduction. The Akademiya has studied for hundreds of years, but still doesn't understand what makes scholars go mad. No one can interpret that incredible phenomenon. The Sages said that if no one on earth can understand it, then it is knowledge that only a god can interpret. That is to say, those are the sources of the God of wisdom's omniscience and omnipotence.
Alhaitham: ... ... ...
Paimon: But that's the Balladeer, not Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
Alhaitham: You should have already noticed, the Akademiya doesn't care who the god is. They merely crave the clearance that gods use to control wisdom. The four words 【omniscient and omnipotent】 are like a blood-Burning curse to them. Some creatures have 【phototaxis】, yearning for light throughout their lives. For the Sages, only with the existence of a god symbolizing the pinnacle of wisdom can they see hope.
Cyno: Lesser Lord Kusanali, what is she to you? Isn't she a real god? Since you already have a new god, why create another one?
Lumine: Continue, what do you think of Lesser Lord Kusanali?
Morgi: The Akademiya never treated her as a god from the very beginning. Initially, the Akademiya found the newborn God of wisdom, 【Lesser Lord Kusanali】. The Sages all hoped that she would be as wise as Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. But in fact, at that time, her intelligence was similar to that of an ordinary child. This made the Sages more sober than ever. They realized that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was dead.
Lesser Lord Kusanali's Gnosis is being used to maintain the Akasha's operation, and she herself has neither the power of a god nor extraordinary wisdom. Gradually, people began to forget her.
Cyno: Is this their choice... even at this point?
Lumine: Alright, there's nothing else to ask.
Qixuan snapped her fingers, and the two scholars fainted.
Qixuan: How do we handle them?
Cyno: I really want to throw them into the wild for the beasts to deal with.
Dehya: Alright, alright, calm down. Everyone's in such a bad mood, why don't we talk somewhere else? Rahman, call a few people to help us send these village guardians back to the village, and these two scholars too, take them back as well.
Rahman: Okay, whatever you say.
.........
At the Village Chief's house...
Candace: All the village guardians who were sent back have returned home and are being looked after by special personnel. The two scholars have also been strictly guarded. Everyone, you've worked hard.
Paimon: Uh... the atmosphere is so heavy...
Lumine: (After what just happened, everyone can't help but feel sad.)
Qixuan was still eating.
Paimon: Hey, Lumine, say something, don't space out! And why is Qixuan-jie eating as soon as she gets back? Leave some for me!
Qixuan: No.
Paimon started to snatch food from Qixuan.
Dehya: Cough cough, everyone... is there nothing you want to talk about? How about some food? Or rest?
Candace: Then... I'll go find some more water...
Paimon: Then... then I'll go with Candace.
Cyno: What are your plans?
Dehya: Oh my god, it sounds like we're talking about work...
Lumine: I want to share what I know with you first.
Alhaitham: As expected, you were holding back.
Lumine: Yes, I'm sorry, there were some uncertainties before... but now I know that everyone is a companion.
While she was gathering her thoughts, Candace and Paimon brought tea and snacks. Everyone's expressions were relaxed, seemingly not too affected by the heavy topic. Cyno's face was solemn, as if he had made some kind of decision. The belief that had always supported him, his pursuit of 【correctness】, seemed to have found an answer. And Qixuan... she was still eating. Lumine detailed her experiences and observations with Paimon and Qixuan in Sumeru, her personal experiences, feelings, and secrets, laying everything out in the open and sharing information with them, which meant that everyone was a companion.
【From today, fight for the beauty of Sumeru!】
Lumine: That's our experience in Sumeru.
Dehya: I was so tense listening that I didn't dare to breathe hard.
Alhaitham: The problems we face next are more than I expected.
Cyno: ... ... ...
Dehya: However, now is indeed a good time. Rahman and his people have just joined, so more helpers mean more strength.
Cyno: It's time to make a plan.
Alhaitham: Indeed, everything at the moment is far beyond the 【rules】. We can't let the situation worsen.
Candace: Everyone, do you have an answer already?
Qixuan: Storm the Akademiya, hang the Doctor and the Sages on the Sumeru city walls for public display, explain all their crimes, and support Lesser Lord Kusanali in solidifying her position as a god. That way, we'll all have 【the merit of supporting the new emperor】.
(Aichan: My goodness, storm the Akademiya? Hey, it actually sounds feasible.)
Cyno: Overall... it seems to be true.
Lumine: I really want to make progress.
Paimon: Hey! Calm down!
Candace: Let's make a more detailed plan.
Next, everyone discussed a complete action plan. There were many arguments during the process, but they finally reached a consensus.
Paimon: Huh? Is that okay?
Dehya: You're very bold, I'm a bit impressed.
Cyno: Worth a try.
Alhaitham: The value of discussion lies in finding solutions. No need for idle talk. Next question.
Paimon: You're making me nervous.
A long time passed, and everyone came out.
Dehya: Then I'll be going first. See you later.
Candace: ... ... ...
Dehya: Don't make that face. I know what you're going to say. I'll be careful.
Candace: That's good. I hope your operation goes smoothly.
Candace: Traveler, Paimon, oh, and Miss Qixuan, this meeting was very successful.
Paimon: Indeed, hehe.
Qixuan: Sigh, why did you reject my decision to storm the Akademiya?
Lumine: That would tear down Sumeru City.
Qixuan: I'd fix it.
Candace: Haha... Miss Qixuan is truly brave.
Lumine: We will act on the next 【Knowledge Day】.
Paimon: I just hope nothing goes wrong.
Candace: Actually, I'm a little worried too, but you are already the most outstanding people I know, so I should still trust you.
Paimon: Hehe, I'm a little embarrassed.
Candace: Just speaking the truth.
Paimon: We stayed to tell you, Candace, that even though you'll be staying in Aru Village, we'll remember your instructions.
Candace: I'm relieved that you think that way. Not just to you, but to every friend who walked through this door just now, I said that everyone's safety is paramount, so... please take care.
Lumine: You too.
Candace: Yes, thank you. Well then, I wish you success. I will pray for you here.
.........
Paimon: Let me think, Dehya and her team are responsible for finding people to maintain public safety and deal with the Sages' forces outside. We are going to rescue Nahida, but we have to deal with the Sages first, and we can't let the Akademiya discover that the Sages are gone.
Lumine: In any case, let's go find Alhaitham first.
.........
Paimon: Alhaitham!
Alhaitham: Are you done saying your goodbyes?
Paimon: Yes, Candace also told you to be careful.
Alhaitham: Mmm, but I need to reiterate, the upcoming plan is by no means a small matter. Without absolute conviction, you cannot take this step. I hope you are mentally prepared for this.
Qixuan: Then, as we just discussed, to counteract the Sages' Akasha Terminal, we need...
Alhaitham: We need the Grass God's power. Since the Grass God is currently imprisoned, we need to rescue her first, without alarming the Sages.
Do you remember the records we saw in the Scarlet King's ruins? It mentioned 【Forbidden Knowledge】.
Lumine: I remember.
Alhaitham: This kind of knowledge drives people mad, but this matter has not been made public in Sumeru. Even I, who work at the Akademiya, am hearing about it for the first time.
I think, combining the mad scholars, soldiers, and all sorts of reasons, they all point to one conclusion.
【Irminsul might be contaminated by Forbidden Knowledge】
... ... ...
(Qixuan: She can guess, but not much.)