Lora and Apep stood in front of the Akademiya gates, chatting back and forth for quite a while. Gradually, more and more scholars gathered around them.
Because Nahida had spared no effort in spreading word of Lora's contributions to Sumeru and her noble status throughout the Akademiya, there was not a single person there who did not recognize her.
Among the crowd, some wanted to take a photo with her, some wanted an autograph, and some wanted to beg for her blessing so their theses would pass and their graduation would not be delayed.
To avoid becoming a wishing well, Lora grabbed Apep and rushed inside, heading up the stairs.
As the two made their way toward the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Apep stared at the branches of Irminsul that held up the Akademiya, her expression a little distant.
Lora noticed her gaze, but just as they reached the entrance and were about to go in, Apep suddenly asked, "Does this tree have a name?"
"Huh? A name?" Lora paused, then thought for a moment before answering, "Irminsul, I guess. That's what the people of Sumeru call it."
"Irminsul..." Apep repeated the word quietly, then turned back to look at her. "Then what is Greater Lord Rukkhadevata? That should not be the name of this tree, correct?"
"No." Lora shook her head. She looked at Apep and frowned. "Why are you suddenly asking about that?"
Apep was also a lifeform of Teyvat. Logically speaking, after the Forbidden Knowledge in Irminsul had been erased, she should not remember Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's existence either. So why would she ask that question?
Was it because she had once been contaminated by Forbidden Knowledge?
Apep murmured, "The question simply came to me. I do not know why. I had never thought about it before, but after coming here today, the doubt suddenly appeared."
Lora thought for a moment. Since she could not tell what Apep was thinking, she chose to hide the truth from her for now.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is also a giant tree of Sumeru."
"A giant tree?" Apep asked. "Where?"
"According to legend, in ancient times, there was a giant tree whose canopy covered all of Sumeru. The people here called it Greater Lord Rukkhadevata," Lora explained, giving her the origin of the name.
"No. Absolutely not." After hearing that, Apep shook her head firmly.
"Hm?" Lora froze, her expression gradually turning surprised.
Apep stopped and turned back to look at her. Her gaze was very calm as she said, "I have existed from Teyvat's ancient era until now. Even the history of the Heavenly Principles is not as long as mine."
"I remember very clearly. In this land of Sumeru, there has never been such an enormous tree as the one you described."
Lora fell silent.
"Have our memories been altered?" Apep looked at her and asked.
Hearing this, Lora took a step back and looked at her in surprise. "Why do you suddenly seem like a completely different dragon? How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Because my mind works better than you gods of The Seven!"
Apep folded her arms across her chest and looked at Lora with a bit of arrogance. "Most likely, something has gone wrong with Irminsul. You gods are completely bound by the order of the Heavenly Principles and Irminsul, so you could never notice such an abnormality. It had to be me."
Lora raised both hands and gave a tiny round of applause. "Wow. What an impressive dragon."
"Perfect. Since I have come to the Akademiya this time, I can also discuss Irminsul's issue with Buer." Apep seemed a little proud as she watched Lora applaud and praise her. She turned and continued walking toward the sanctuary.
"I will make you gods remember the memories you lost!"
She clearly had no idea what Greater Lord Rukkhadevata actually meant, yet she was still so confident.
Lora looked at her back and clicked her tongue as she shook her head.
Still, in the end, the Dragon Sovereigns were indeed more powerful than gods. As the Dendro Dragon Sovereign, Apep had actually managed to notice that her memories had been altered. Though part of the reason was also that she had lived long enough for her memories to stop matching reality.
The two arrived at the entrance just in time to run into Nahida coming out.
Lora smiled and waved at her. "Nahida, over here!"
"Ah! It's you two!" Nahida was clearly surprised to see them. She walked over, then carefully looked Apep up and down. "I've never seen you in this form before, Apep."
"That would be Egeria's fault," Apep said, glancing at Lora.
Lora said to Nahida, "I gave her a very persuasive reason."
Nahida laughed softly.
Apep frowned. "Buer, what are you laughing at?"
"I just find it interesting," Nahida said with a smile. "I never thought the mighty Dendro Dragon Sovereign would one day walk alongside The Seven. Apep, you're completely different from the last time I saw you."
Apep pursed her lips. "The past is the past. The present is the present."
"Nahida, were you about to go out?" Lora asked from the side.
Nahida nodded. "That's right! Faruzan and Alhaitham both slipped away, so I'm going to bring them back."
"Uh... didn't Faruzan go to look for Alhaitham?" Lora asked, a little lost.
Nahida shook her head. "Lora, you're too naive. This isn't the first time those two have used this trick to escape Akademiya work. Every time, Alhaitham runs off first, and then Faruzan uses looking for him as an excuse to leave."
At this point, she paused, then continued, "Of course, they're probably doing it to take care of me, so sometimes they take turns."
"Tsk... Trust those two to come up with a loophole like that." Lora clicked her tongue and shook her head, impressed despite herself.
After all, Sumeru's situation was what it was. The desert and the rainforest could not be integrated overnight. Many things were bound to happen during the process, and it truly would be difficult for Alhaitham and Faruzan alone to handle all of it.
"Why not..." As Lora spoke, she looked toward Apep beside her.
Apep snorted. "Do not even think about dragging me into The Seven's affairs. I will not help you govern humans. To me, these lives that the Heavenly Principles treasure are still invaders who occupied the territory of dragons!"
"Why are you so stubborn?" Lora looked at her helplessly.