Upon hearing Lora call her "madam," Faruzan took a step back. Although she had never met Lora before, she could tell that the person standing in front of her was probably not someone she should provoke.
"What kind of job?" Faruzan asked cautiously.
"Hehe... You'll know once you come with me." Lora beckoned to Faruzan, then headed toward the upper levels of the Akademiya.
Watching Lora walk away, Faruzan thought for a moment before deciding to follow. Lumine and Paimon exchanged glances, and Paimon asked in confusion, "Are those two going to be okay? Is Lora really finding her a job?"
Lumine blinked and said, "With Lora there, it should be fine. As for the job... I think I know what Lora is planning."
Lora led Faruzan all the way up through the Akademiya. Faruzan followed behind her and asked in confusion, "Where are you taking me? This isn't the way through the Akademiya!"
"I'm taking you to see Nahida," Lora said, looking back at her.
"Nahida?" Faruzan froze, unsure who Lora meant.
Lora glanced back and explained, "Buer. Your Dendro Archon."
"You're taking me to see the Dendro Archon?" Faruzan looked at Lora in astonishment, completely caught off guard. She frowned and asked, "Why are we going to see the Dendro Archon? Does the job you're finding for me have something to do with her?"
"Of course!" Lora nodded. "You'll know once we get there."
As they spoke, Lora had already brought Faruzan to the entrance of the Sanctuary of Surasthana and pushed the door open.
Nahida was sorting through various matters within the Akasha, modifying it into a system meant specifically to assist the people of Sumeru in thinking, rather than depriving them of their wisdom.
"Nahida, I found someone for you," Lora said to Nahida, who was focused on her work.
Hearing Lora's voice, Nahida turned to look over and asked, "Who is it?"
Lora stepped aside, revealing Faruzan. "Her. Faruzan. A distinguished Haravatat scholar from a hundred years ago, now a Dastur of the Akademiya, and a founding figure in classical mechanics. I brought her here specifically to help you."
No matter how Faruzan behaved outside, now that she was facing Sumeru's god, it would be a lie to say she was not nervous. She looked in surprise at Lesser Lord Kusanali, who did not quite match what she had imagined, then lowered her head and said, "Greetings, Lesser Lord Kusanali. I am Faruzan!"
Lora continued, "With her helping you, you won't have to work so hard!"
Nahida looked at Faruzan, then nodded. "I found your information in the Akasha. Welcome back to the Akademiya. Since Lora recommends you, I'll be counting on you from now on!"
"No, it's no trouble! Being able to work for Lesser Lord Kusanali is far more meaningful than producing those meaningless academic results!" Faruzan shook her head and smiled at her.
"Then go find Alhaitham now. You and he will temporarily serve as decision-makers for the Akademiya, responsible for handling Sumeru's current affairs, large and small." Nahida quickly arranged Faruzan's duties.
"Understood!" Faruzan nodded and quickly walked out.
"Goodbye, Madam Faruzan~" Lora waved from behind her.
Faruzan stumbled and nearly fell flat.
Lora watched as Nahida returned to work after assigning Faruzan her duties, then said, "I think you should rest for a while and stop pushing yourself so hard. Many things can be left for humans to handle on their own. This world will always be their world."
"But these are my responsibilities too! I left this burden untouched for five hundred years. Now I have to shoulder it," Nahida said earnestly to Lora. "Besides, the Sumeru of today is no longer the same as the Sumeru of the past. I need to familiarize myself with the current state of the nation as soon as possible."
"You're already amazing!" Lora said helplessly. "You're more capable than all of us."
"All of us?" Hearing Lora's words, Nahida paused for a moment, then realized what she meant. "Are you referring to the Anemo Archon Barbatos and the others? My memories haven't fully recovered yet. I don't remember what they used to be like..."
"But I can tell you what they're like now," Lora said, looking at Nahida with a serious expression.
Nahida blinked, then had Lora sit across from her. She prepared tea and snacks first, placed them between them, then sat down and asked, "Then what are they like now?"
Lora took a sip of tea and ate a snack, looking just like an old lady gossiping at the village entrance as she said to Nahida, "You have no idea. That Barbatos guy spends every day drinking, playing the lyre, singing, joking, and performing. I won't say he neglects his proper duties, but he's basically an unemployed drifter.
"And then there's Morax. Tell me, instead of staying as Rex Lapis, he went and dropped an Exuvia from the sky last year and faked his own death! Oh, you should have seen how anxious everyone was when they thought he was dead. Meanwhile, he was having the time of his life, drinking tea and taking his birds out for walks!
"As for Inazuma, that's even harder to talk about. That shut-in girl locked herself away, stopped managing anything, and made a puppet to take over for her. The result was a country where the people could barely get by. In the end, I had to bring her sister back before she finally got straightened out. Just listen to that..."
Lora was getting more and more into it, and Nahida found it very interesting as she listened.
It was only when someone knocked on the door that Lora stopped. Nahida looked toward the entrance and said, "Come in."
Lumine pushed the door open and said to Lora, "Lora, someone outside is looking for you!"
"Looking for me? Who is it?" Hearing that someone had come to see her, Lora froze for a moment, a little confused.
Who in Sumeru would come looking for her?
Lumine brought the visitors inside. There were two of them, and Lora knew both.
One was Qiqi, and the other was Yaoyao.
Qiqi looked at Lora, waved, and said, "Big... Sister, long time no see."
Yaoyao bowed respectfully to Lora and said, "Greetings, Adeptus of Purifying Water and Judgment. I am a disciple of Streetward Rambler. My name is Yaoyao."
Seeing the two little girls appear in front of her, Lora was greatly surprised. She quickly stood up to greet them, introduced Nahida to them, and then asked, "Why are you two here?"
Yaoyao said to Lora, "Master asked me to deliver a Lantern Rite invitation to you! Lantern Rite is almost here, and Master said you mustn't forget to come back for the festival! Otherwise, Aunty Cloud Retainer is going to sneak off!"
Qiqi nodded. "Mm. I heard Aunty Cloud Retainer is already getting ready to pack up and run away."
"Uh..." Lora had not expected Xianyun to start preparing this early.
She looked at the two of them and sighed.
"Your master really trusts you enough to let you and Qiqi come to Sumeru by yourselves!"