"Shouki no Kami, heed my command—kneel."
The colossal frame lowered at once, one knee thudding to the floor in fealty.
From this moment, there was no Balladeer among the Fatui—only this machine-god under Idris's hand.
Nahida circled the towering shell, thoughtful. "This big fellow is incredibly strong. I don't know if it can truly shake a god's throne, but beneath the Archons it may be the fiercest false god of all."
Idris nodded. "With this, the Withering should finally have an answer."
He reached up and patted the mech's brow, then issued another order: unless summoned, it would remain here beneath the Sanctuary. At nearly eight stories tall, it was hardly the sort of "guest" Sumeru City could host without damage.
Seeing the matter settled, Nahida's smile bloomed. "Grand Sage Idris, earlier you said you were my first Sage. Does this mean… you recognize that identity now?"
Idris gave her a sidelong look. For the God of Wisdom, she cared a great deal about titles. He inclined his head, calm. "You could say that."
"Hehe—then thank you, for acknowledging me."
Her smile brightened, like sunlight through leaves. After months of scolding, at last she held a place in his eyes.
Idris let the moment pass. As he secured Shouki no Kami's loyalty, the familiar chime rang in his mind:
[Congratulations. By forcibly ending the original character's storyline (the Balladeer), you have drastically altered the plot.]
[Because the change is major, the system's permissions have been upgraded.]
[From now on, rewards will no longer be limited to changes within Sumeru. Alterations you cause in other nations—or across all of Teyvat—will also grant rewards.]
"…Oh?" That did sound good. Sumeru had only so many threads left to tie off; once he fixed the rest, its story would set. Now, permission to reshape other nations—and be rewarded for it—was in hand.
The Balladeer really did bring a fine gift to my door.
His gaze fell to the object in his palm—the piece like a chessman, thrumming with thunder. The Electro Gnosis.
"A treasure," he murmured.
Nahida glanced at it. "Grand Sage Idris, if you're unsure how to handle the Gnosis, let me. I need two Gnosis in harmony to unlock the last memories Greater Lord Rukkhadevata left behind. There might be a way to save the rainforest there—"
"Stop."
Her hand was already reaching; he set his palm lightly atop her head. She puffed her cheeks and swung tiny fists that didn't quite reach him.
"I intend to build a Sumeru that can live well without a god's intervention," he said. "Not a Sumeru that collapses the instant a god is absent. Dragging out the Greater Lord to fix things now will only push people back into the fantasy of dependence."
"Trust me. I'll solve it."
The other reason he kept to himself: if Nahida sought Rukkhadevata's last echo now, she would truly disappear. He was the Greater Lord's last Sage; he would not let the forest forget her story—but he would not pay that price.
Nahida studied him, then nodded softly. "Alright. I won't rush to find the Great Lord's memory yet. I believe you'll solve Sumeru's problems. If you truly have no other way, only then will I use that final option."
"Thank you… for the trust."
He turned back to the mech and formed a seal. "Shouki no Kami—hear me. Tonight I'll perform a final inspection. By morning you'll be ready to deploy. Go into the rainforest and deal with the Withering."
"With brute force you'd scar the land. Don't. Instead, bury one pill at the heart of each Withering zone."
He tossed up a jade box. The mech's massive hand received it.
Inside lay more than twenty pills he'd refined over two days.
[Domain-Breaking Pill: Disperses anomalous environmental fields. Not for humans—for the earth.]
It wouldn't erase the Withering—only drive it underground for now, sparing the forest while the rot regrouped. That deferred danger tied to another plan: he would funnel every Withering pocket toward a single place—and then excise it, root and branch.
For the time being, Shouki no Kami would play shepherd.
The mech kept its kneeling pose and stowed the jade box.
Idris arranged for a final check, then took Nahida back above. Night had run deep; even a Grand Sage had to sleep.
He eyed the flat, cool bedding and chuckled. "Little Grass God, no bed-warming today?"
Nahida flushed and shot him a glare. "Because someone decided to fight the Balladeer tonight! Or do you want me for a hug pillow?"
He laughed under his breath. Without that warm, ever-flowing life force, the bed felt unfamiliar—but rest was overdue.
In his dreams he walked through Sumeru's problems: the desert folk's hostility, the Withering, the Aranara, the Doctor, the ineradicable stain of forbidden knowledge. One step at a time.
On one of those steps, a special helper came to mind—the Traveler. With her, certain tasks could move much faster.
By now, she should be in Gandharva Ville…
—
Gandharva Ville.
Lumine stirred from a heavy sleep, head muzzy with the remnants of a too-sweet incense. "What… happened to me?"
"Traveler! You're awake!" Paimon barreled in and wrapped her arms around Lumine's chest. "You were out for a whole day and night—only woke up this morning!"
"A whole day…" Lumine held Paimon, frowning. "That dream… what was it?"
Before she could grasp the threads, a voice drifted in from outside. "Traveler, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" Tighnari stepped in.
"You saved me?" Lumine asked. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me," he said. "Collei found you collapsed in the woods and brought you back."
Collei slipped in behind him, shy as ever. Her Eleazar was gone, but the girl remained the same social scaredy-cat.
"Thank you, Collei," Lumine and Paimon said together, rising from the bed.
"A-ah… don't thank me." Collei flushed. "Amber told me your names—you're Mondstadt's Honorary Knight. I… I've heard of you. And if someone's in trouble in the forest, you help."
"Ehehe. Flattered, flattered," Paimon said, preening to hear they were famous even in a new land.
Tighnari ruffled Collei's hair. "You're cured by alchemical pills, yet still this timid? I thought after your last meeting with Grand Sage Idris, your temperament might improve."
"It didn't!" Collei squeaked, face reddening to her ears.
At the name, Paimon perked up. "Mr. Tighnari, did something happen between Collei and that Grand Sage?"
"A few things," Tighnari teased. "In short, the Collei you see now is much better than the Collei from a month ago."
"Master—stop it!"
Collei buried her face in her hands and hid in the corner. Watching her, Lumine and Paimon exchanged a look; imagination did the rest.
So the man who ruled Sumeru—this Idris—wasn't just a tyrant… but also a lecher?
Given everything they'd heard so far, the Grand Sage sounded like a major villain indeed.
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