"...Connected."
At this point, the Akademiya's motives became entirely clear.
Alhaitham: "But how did you confirm that those were truly divine knowledge?"
Scholar: "It was merely an inference. The Akademiya has been researching this for centuries, yet we still don't understand what drives scholars mad... No one can decipher this incomprehensible phenomenon, Scribe. You must understand what that means."
"If no one on earth can understand it, then it must be knowledge only a god can decipher. In other words... those are the source of the God of Wisdom's omniscience and omnipotence."
Alhaitham: "..."
To go this far for such an uncertain outcome...
The Akademiya's people truly are a bunch of madmen.
"But if that's the case," Lumine said, "the Sage's creation... wouldn't be the true Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but rather Scaramouche."
"You've likely noticed that yourself," Alhaitham replied. "The Akademiya doesn't care about the identity of the God. They only crave the Authority with which a God controls wisdom. The phrase 'omniscient and omnipotent' is like a curse burning in their veins."
"What about Lesser Lord Kusanali? Don't you have a God?" Angie asked.
The two Scholars fell silent for a moment. Morghi finally spoke:
"The Akademiya never truly regarded her as a God... Initially, they discovered the newborn God of Wisdom, Lesser Lord Kusanali. The Sages hoped she would possess the same wisdom as Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but in reality..."
"In reality, her intelligence at that time was akin to that of an ordinary child. This realization struck the Sages with brutal clarity—the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was truly dead..."
According to Morghi's explanation, Lesser Lord Kusanali, deemed ineffective, was abandoned by the Akademiya and confined to the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
She ceased exercising the Dendro Archon's Authority, and people gradually forgot about her.
"Hmph, imprisoning their own god—only you Sumerans would dare to do something like that..." Angie snorted coldly. If the Dendro Archon, who had protected Sumeru for centuries, knew how Lesser Lord Kusanali was being treated, who knows what she would think?
Alhaitham, Cyno, Rahman, and Dehya—the Sumerans present—all wore grave expressions.
Having just emerged from the Temple, they now understood the full scope of the situation. No amount of praise could adequately capture Rukkhadevata's monumental achievements.
As the priestess had said, after saving Sumeru, Rukkhadevata's body had shrunk to the size of a child. Could her mind have regressed as well?
Was the newly reborn Lesser Lord Kusanali merely a devolved form of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?
The thought chilled Cyno to the bone.
[The Akademiya truly needed a thorough purge!]
[The Akademiya is utterly shameless!]
[My poor Nahida... imprisoned for 500 years...]
[Next stop: storming the Akademiya!]
[Hurry, hurry!]
[Could Nahida actually be Rukkhadevata's weakened, devolved form after expending all her power?]
Even after returning to Aaru Village, the heavy atmosphere lingered.
They gathered once again around the same table in the Village Chief's home.
Dehya cleared her throat. "Ahem, I mean... does anyone have anything they want to discuss? At least have some water to lighten the mood."
Candace chimed in, "Or should I go get some snacks?"
"Then... then I'll go with Candace to get them! Ahaha..."
Paimon felt the atmosphere was too heavy and also wanted to try the snacks Candace mentioned.
"Hey, are you all just going to stay silent like this? Do you want to fight back? We can help you... Mmph!"
Angie was cut off mid-sentence as Tartaglia clamped his hand over her mouth.
Slapping her brother's hand away, Angie glared at him before turning to the others.
Lumine organized the entire sequence of events, recounting her past experiences to everyone without holding back this time.
This included Nahida's request for them to seek aid in the Desert.
Cyno's expression turned grave, as if he had made a profound decision.
The belief that had sustained him all this time—his relentless pursuit of "Justice"—seemed to have finally found its answer.
With all the facts laid bare, only one path remained for everyone present:
Defeat the Sages and save their God.
Lumine spoke first, her voice resolute: "No matter how difficult it gets, I'll give it my all."
Nahida was her friend, and she couldn't possibly stand by and do nothing.
Alhaitham: "Then, think carefully about what other resources we can bring to bear."
Dehya: "We need to have answers ready for our next meeting here."
Angie was a little confused. Did they really have to wait until the next meeting?
But she soon realized it was because the Player World questline had concluded.
"Eh, fine then. When are you planning to hold the next meeting?"
Alhaitham: "Don't rush. Such an important matter will naturally require time to prepare, ensuring the plan's soundness."
Angie: "Alright, just call me when the meeting starts. I'm going to sleep now."
With this, the "King Deshret and the Three Magi" questline came to an end, leaving players wanting more.
[We were just getting to the climax! Why cut it off here?!]
[Seriously, weren't Angie and Tartaglia supposed to help us? It's going to be a Harbinger-vs-Harbinger battle—I can't wait!]
[Scaramouche has become a god, and the Doctor is still only the Second Seat. He doesn't stand a chance.]
[Even if Scaramouche becomes a god, he'll still be a fake one. Besides, Angie's Boss is still the First Seat! If they attack Angie, will the Captain retaliate? Just thinking about it gets me hyped!]
[To be honest, Angie mostly relies on her intuition. She helped because she sensed the Doctor wasn't a good person. The Captain probably wouldn't act that way.]
[Little Angie is still so willful. Sigh, why did such a sweetheart have to sacrifice herself later on?]
[Someone, kick that person upstairs out!]
[Speaking of which, Tartaglia still doesn't know his sister is a Pure Soul, right...?]
More than twenty days had passed in the Player World when Genshin Impact finally received its next update.
The new version was titled: Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises.
A few days after their last discussion, the group finally reconvened.
By the time Angie and her companions arrived, the others seemed to have already gone through a round of discussion. Lumine and her group hadn't arrived yet.
After waiting a bit longer, Lumine and the others finally arrived. Alhaitham repeated the plan once more.
Angie: "I didn't expect you to tell us the entire plan. Aren't you afraid we might betray you halfway through?"
Paimon's eyes widened instantly. "Angie, you..."
Angie reached out and flicked Paimon's forehead. "Just kidding!"
The little one is so easily teased, Angie thought.
Paimon had completely lost her fear of Angie and now sometimes brought fruit to Angie, asking her to freeze it.
"Ugh, you're infuriating! I'm going to give you a terrible nickname!"
Hearing this, Angie showed no anger but instead looked at Paimon with eager anticipation.
Paimon stomped her foot. "Hmm... 'Cryo Fruit Girl'! That's what I'll call you!"
"Ha ha ha..."
After laughing, Angie turned to the group. "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise to help you. If you need to fight, just call on us."