The Akasha System was originally something created by the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata using her Dendro Gnosis.
So, for her to retake control of it wasn't difficult at all.
After obtaining the system's highest level of administrative access, Xia Ci immediately issued a command:
"Retrieve all information related to the Lesser Lord Kusanali."
In the next instant, she received an overwhelming stream of data.
"...I see now..."
After reading through the files, Xia Ci finally gained a clear understanding of Nahida's current situation.
"...So she's been placed under house arrest by the sages..."
Xia Ci frowned slightly and used her administrative rights again to retrieve all available information on the sages.
"...Divine Knowledge Capsules... [The Doctor]... [The Balladeer]... God-Creation Project..."
Xia Ci removed the Akasha Terminal, sat on her bed in contemplation for a while, then sighed, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.
Looking out at the night sky, it seemed about time.
She shook her head, laid down, and drifted into the dreamscape.
"Cousin, I've figured out what's going on with Nahida."
"Oh? How did you manage that?"
"I just hacked into the Akasha and pulled the data from its database."
"Impressive."
"Nahida can't leave because the sages have her under house arrest inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana."
"Huh? House arrest?"
Xia Zhi looked a little confused.
"Isn't she a god? How could she be confined by her own subordinates?"
"Because she's cooperating with it."
"?"
"When the sages first found Nahida, they brought her back to Sumeru and proclaimed her the new Dendro Archon. They hoped she'd be as wise as I had been, capable of solving all of Sumeru's problems.
But clearly, at that time, she was just a newly born child—naïve and unfamiliar with the world. She lacked the wisdom and capabilities they expected."
"You sound like you're bragging…"
"I'm just stating facts. After that, they concluded Nahida lacked true wisdom. They thought that letting her sit on the throne would only confuse the scholars of Sumeru.
So, they decided to keep her inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana indefinitely.
Now, they've even started a God-Creation Project, trying to use the Akasha to unify the people's knowledge and create an all-knowing, all-powerful god to replace her."
"...Do they misunderstand what a god is supposed to be?"
"Mortals always think gods are great and omnipotent."
"What about Nahida? How does she feel about all of this?"
"She probably doesn't know yet."
"Huh?"
"She feels guilty for not living up to everyone's expectations. So she obediently follows the sages' instructions, staying inside the Sanctuary and diligently studying all kinds of knowledge.
In her spare time, she uses her dream powers to help the people of Sumeru.
That's where all the rumors of the 'Lesser Lord Kusanali's dream visits' come from."
"She's that well-behaved?"
"Right?"
"In the end, it's your fault. You handed an entire nation over to a child who didn't know anything. Even new interns get a senior to guide them."
"What could I do? You didn't even give me time to stay and teach her. You just kidnapped me."
"So you're blaming me now?"
"Yup! Totally your fault!"
Xia Zhi and Xia Ci were busy tossing blame at each other.
Suddenly, Shenhe looked up from her English vocabulary book and commented thoughtfully,
"A child without a mother is like a blade of grass."
The two froze.
Given Shenhe's own background, she was indeed qualified to say such a thing.
Her mother had also left her at a very young age.
Xia Zhi nodded and chuckled, "The Lesser Lord Kusanali really is… 'grass.'"
Xia Ci frowned slightly. "I'm not her mother! I've said it already, I'm her older sister!"
"Exactly! You gave birth but didn't raise! Irresponsible!"
"Excuse me? We created her together! You're just as responsible!"
"I didn't! I wasn't! Don't make stuff up!"
"Exactly! Exactly! I'm your cousin, so my little sister is your cousin too!"
"Wait… that actually makes a weird amount of sense…"
"Right?"
"So, what's your plan?"
"I'll meet Nahida in a dream first. Have a little heart-to-heart."
"I want to witness the emotional reunion of long-lost sisters!"
"No way! You just want to watch the drama!"
"What drama! I just want to bond with my new cousin, thank you very much!"
"You can talk to her later when we go to Sumeru.
Of course, if you can't wait, we could change our travel plans for next year and skip Mondstadt—go to Sumeru instead."
"Never mind then."
"Ha, men!"
"Exactly, we men are like that—once a plan is set, we don't change it."
"Speaking of which, the God-Creation Project also involves the Raiden Shogun."
"Hmm?"
"After all, not just anyone can become a god. The sages need a proper vessel."
"What does that have to do with the Raiden Shogun?"
"Because the current ruler of Inazuma, the Raiden Shogun, is actually a puppet created by Ei to handle political affairs.
Before she made that one, she had a failed prototype—that failed experiment is now a Fatui Harbinger named [The Balladeer]."
"He's the vessel for the God-Creation Project?"
"Yup."
"So the sages of Sumeru are working with the Fatui?"
"Exactly. Some of the technology used in this project was provided by [The Doctor] of the Fatui.
Remember how Inazuma was in chaos during the Vision Hunt Decree?
According to the data I pulled from the Akasha, the Fatui were involved in that too.
Their goal was to obtain the Electro Gnosis—to provide a foundation for [The Balladeer]'s god-making process."
"The Fatui are so active these days… even Osial's first unsealing was their doing."
"The Fatui represent the will of the Cryo Archon of Snezhnaya.
I haven't dealt with the new Cryo Archon myself, so I can't tell what her motives are."
"The Cryo Archon, huh…"
Xia Zhi couldn't help but glance at Shenhe.
She, too, was destined to become a Cryo Archon in the future.
Xia Ci thought for a moment and added, "There's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Sumeru still has Withering Zones.
The root cause of these is [Forbidden Knowledge].
But you already purged all the [Forbidden Knowledge] from me—
So logically, those Withering Zones should've disappeared over time."
"Unless… Sumeru still harbors remnants of [Forbidden Knowledge]."
"Yeah, most likely the part left from the Scarlet King.
It's probably with the Dendro Dragon now."
Xia Ci looked at Xia Zhi, her expression turning serious.
"Cousin, I'll need your help with this.
After all, only you can purge Forbidden Knowledge."
"No problem. When the time comes, I'll go with you."
"Thanks a bunch."
"If you really want to thank me, let me meet Nahida with you later."
"Nope!"
"Ha, women!"
"Exactly. We women are like that—business is business."
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