Miyashiro respectfully filled a large bowl for Venti, and Venti, living up to his reputation as a drunkard, picked up the cup and downed it in one go.
His fair face instantly turned crimson, eyes closed in pain.
After brewing for a long moment, he let out a long breath of alcohol, his face filled with an expression of pure happiness.
Finally, Venti let out a hiccup and exclaimed, "Good wine! Good wine! Truly refreshing!"
Nahida watched the scene with a dazed expression.
Although he had already learned from Irminsul that the Anemo Archon had a high tolerance for alcohol, witnessing such heavy drinking in person still felt surreal to him.
Miyashiro and Zhongli were long used to this.
He brought Nahida to sit beside him and prepared a small cup specifically for him.
With a crisp clinking of cups, the gathering officially began.
With Venti, the mood-maker of the party, present, even the most boring gathering would turn into a massive dance party.
Besides, the few deities present were not difficult people to get along with, and everyone soon became familiar with each other.
Miyashiro reminded Nahida on the side, "Nahida, sitting beside you is Mr. Zhongli, who has over 3,700 years of experience governing Liyue. If you find the policies in Sumeru difficult, you can ask him for advice; don't let this opportunity go to waste."
Just as Nahida's eyes lit up and he was about to give it a try, Zhongli calmly set down his cup and said, "Young friend Miyashiro, I have already honorably retired. As for these troublesome matters, you might as well ask the Liyue Qixing. Isn't Miss Ningguang already in Inazuma?"
"From a generally rational perspective, the formulation and implementation of every policy must be based on specific local national conditions. One must analyze specific problems specifically. Although Liyue and Sumeru are neighbors, their national conditions are different, their political systems are different, and the situations are also different. I do not recommend copying my governance ideas."
"Besides, as the omniscient and omnipotent God of Wisdom, Nahida possesses the sharpest mind in Teyvat. The title of God of Wisdom is not just for show."
Nahida sighed upon hearing this and said, "Mr. Zhongli, you also know that sometimes, the correct policy is not necessarily the suitable one. Smart methods are sometimes not as effective as clumsy ones. When you talk to others about IQ, they tell you that you don't understand EQ. Human hearts are the most difficult things to fathom in this world."
"I have just taken control of the Akademiya and have already noticed that many of Sumeru's current policies are unreasonable. However, when I try to correct these unreasonable aspects, I always encounter various kinds of resistance, and it even triggers more serious crises."
Zhongli responded calmly, "That is because the Akademiya in Sumeru is not your personal playground. This is the issue of different national conditions I mentioned earlier."
"Before I retired, due to my immense reputation in Liyue and the trust of the people, every policy I pushed could be regarded as a golden rule. In other words, Liyue was my personal playground."
"Even after I significantly reduced my appearances and delegated the vast majority of power to the Liyue Qixing, this situation did not change."
"And now, Inazuma is Miyashiro's personal playground. However, the premise for him to ensure the smooth implementation of policies is that he holds the Tri-Commission of Inazuma firmly in his own hands. In this way, even if there is resistance, it is not enough to contend with."
"But Sumeru is different. Ever since the catastrophe five hundred years ago, you have been separated from Sumeru's political system. For five hundred years, Sumeru's policies have been decided by the six sages produced by the six major darshans. Even the Grand Sage must have the support of the other sages to push through a policy."
"Now, Sumeru's deity has returned to the political system. Although the six sages are ostensibly your followers, once their own interests are involved, the six sages will go their own ways and make their own choices. This is the reason for the resistance."
"Once multiple sages collectively oppose your decree, even you, as the deity of Sumeru, cannot effectively implement the policy. Once this happens repeatedly, it will greatly reduce your control over the Akademiya."
Nahida listened intently, but did not hear a specific solution in the end, which made him ask, "Then how should this be solved?"
Zhongli took a sip of wine and continued, "Unite the majority, strike at the minority."
Zhongli's simple sentence made Nahida feel enlightened, and he immediately had a train of thought.
Just as he was about to thank Zhongli, Venti, who was on the side, was unhappy and shouted,
"Hey, hey, hey! This is a rare gathering for us, can we talk about something happy? Who talks about work on an occasion like this? Nahida, let me tell you, we just need to protect our people in the shadows. As for governing the country, just leave it to them."
"Look at the old man; didn't he let go in the end? Only children who have lost the protection of their parents can grow up quickly amidst hardships."
Venti's words, although full of excuses to be lazy, were unexpectedly persuasive, because Zhongli had indeed done exactly that, which made Nahida look at him a few more times.
Just as Nahida was thinking about whose advice to choose, suddenly, in the distant sea of Narukami Island, the sky instantly turned a deep purple. Bursts of terrifying thunder descended from the clouds, and a storm raged wildly in that area.
And in that sky full of thunder, one could occasionally see streaks of green Anemo element power dotted within it.
Watching this scene from the pavilion atop Tenshukaku was truly spectacular.
The four people present were no ordinary people, and naturally, they could clearly see what was happening in that area.
Venti, with a tipsy drunkenness, watched everything before him with great interest, the smile on the corners of his mouth never stopping.
On the contrary, the serious-looking Zhongli looked at the scene before him and asked, "That should be the commotion caused by the Shogun, right? What is going on?"
Miyashiro had anticipated this and explained, "It's nothing, Mr. Zhongli. It's just a cloudy day with rain, and beating the kids. It's idle time anyway, and besides, that kid is indeed naughty and has committed many mistakes. Giving him a beating to help him remember, and letting Ei vent his anger as well, is a good thing."
Nahida said with some worry, "Oh! I just saw Ei use the Musou no Hitotachi to smack A-Mao on the head. Wouldn't that be beating him too miserably?"
Miyashiro laughed, "Don't worry, Nahida. I already reminded Ei to go easy on him. Besides, have you forgotten that A-Mao is a puppet? He is durable and can take a beating. If he really breaks, Ei, as his creator, can also repair him."
Just like that, the people present ate and drank while watching this scene, pushing the atmosphere of the gathering to a climax.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"