"You're bold. This isn't a negotiation. It's a threat."
Lora looked at Dottore, her voice turning cold.
"The Second of the Fatui Harbingers, and yet you would stoop to using hostages?"
"Call it a negotiation or a threat. Define this meeting however you like."
Dottore had no intention of arguing over that.
"To me, anything can be used as long as it helps me achieve my goal. Well? Will you consider it?"
Just as Lora was considering whether to attack him outright, he spoke again.
"God of Justice, don't think about making a move. Since I came here, naturally, I prepared everything in advance. You won't have time to save everyone in such a short span."
"...I can give you the Dendro Gnosis!"
Nahida fixed her eyes on him and spoke in a low voice.
"Once the Akasha is shut down, the Dendro Gnosis will lose its purpose. I will reorganize the Akasha's core support and change the structure of the system so it no longer relies on the Gnosis for power. I'll use it in exchange for every hostage you have."
"The Dendro Gnosis can only be exchanged for the people of Sumeru..."
Dottore spoke slowly.
"As for that Traveler and her companion, I'm afraid the God of Justice will need to hand over the Gnosis in her possession to exchange for them."
Lora looked at him. Without another word, she said, "Then I will kill you, then I will kill every one of your Slices. Not even your Tsaritsa will be able to stop me."
"You actually know about the Slices?"
Dottore frowned and warned her, "But they'll die too!"
"Then I will kill every single one of you and send you all to accompany them."
Lora met his gaze.
"No one can make me hand over the Gnosis."
Hearing the resolve in her voice, and the undisguised killing intent beneath it, he fell silent for a long time. In the end, he sighed.
"You can actually abandon their lives? It seems there's no room for discussion after all. What a shame..."
Elemental power had already gathered in Lora's hand. She was ready to strike at any moment.
"Don't be so tense," Dottore said. "Since you're that determined, the Gnosis can stay with you for now. In any case, I'm not the reason these two Gnoses were lost. Even if I fail to retrieve them, I won't be at fault."
"As for the Traveler and her companion, they are rather fascinating. I like fascinating things, so I won't touch them... for now."
After taking the Dendro Gnosis, he left the Akademiya.
Lora and Nahida slowly walked out together.
Nahida said, "I'm sorry, Lora. I didn't give the Dendro Gnosis to you. I know it would be very useful to you later. I'm sorry..."
"It's fine. The Dendro Gnosis is yours. You can decide what to do with it. Besides, it's not as though I have no other options."
Lora shook her head, telling Nahida not to blame herself.
The two of them found the people he had hidden away, though "hidden" might not have been the right word. Dottore had simply used his power to temporarily control them as leverage to exchange for the Dendro Gnosis.
When everyone learned that Nahida had handed over the Dendro Gnosis in exchange for them, many felt it was a terrible pity. Some believed she should not have given up something so important for their sake.
"It's all right. I am going to shut down the Akasha, so the Dendro Gnosis would no longer have any use to me. Giving it to the Fatui is not such a loss, especially since it allowed all of you to remain safe."
Nahida shook her head and spoke gently to them.
Cyno said to her, "Dendro Archon, the Sages led by Azar have all been arrested. The two Sages imprisoned for opposing them have also been released, and they will temporarily maintain the Akademiya's operations."
Nahida nodded lightly.
"Good. From now on, I will take control of the Akademiya again and restore this nation to the order it should have. The new Sages will also be chosen according to my will."
"We obey your command, Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
Everyone nodded as they spoke.
As the dust settled, the people of Sumeru also learned that the Great Sage had imprisoned Lesser Lord Kusanali after she lost her power and memories, and they were furious.
Cyno gave Azar and the others the harshest sentence possible. For imprisoning a god, betraying the nation, and slaughtering the innocent, their lives were taken.
Lumine found Lora.
"Lora, there's something I want to ask you..."
She looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you still remember the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?"
Lora looked at Lumine. The moment she heard the question, she understood what Lumine had experienced these past few days.
But she did not tell Lumine that she still remembered.
She slowly shook her head.
"The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata... wasn't that a giant tree from Sumeru's legends?"
Hearing Lora's answer, Lumine lowered her head and sighed, murmuring to herself.
"So even you don't remember... Is it really because Irminsul was altered, and now no one in all of Teyvat remembers she ever existed? Even gods can't escape it..."
"What's wrong?" Lora asked with a smile.
Lumine took a deep breath, then shook her head.
"No, nothing..."
Lora continued, "Lumine, some things are not always better known, and not everything needs to be known by everyone. To remember something yourself is also a choice. You come from beyond the world of Teyvat. You came here to witness and remember."
Hearing this, Lumine nodded.
"I understand."
"Let's go. I heard there's going to be a celebration at the Grand Bazaar to celebrate Nahida taking control of the Akademiya again. It wouldn't do for us to be late."
Lora smiled at Lumine as she spoke.
...
Out at sea, Dottore stood aboard the ship returning to Snezhnaya.
He gazed toward the waters ahead. The sea, calm only a moment ago, suddenly began to surge. The waves rapidly grew larger until the entire ship could no longer remain steady.
"Harbinger! Please take shelter in the cabin!"
Behind him, a Fatui soldier shouted.
Dottore noticed what was happening in the depths below. He shook his head.
"Don't worry. There won't be any danger. This is just a certain god throwing a little tantrum."
"What?"
The soldiers behind him did not understand what he meant, but just because Dottore could stand there did not mean they could survive waves of that size. They quickly retreated into the cabin.
A massive wave crashed straight toward the ship.