Apart from the nuns whose faces were flushed with agitation, even Hu Tao, all the way in Liyue, was laughing so hard she could barely keep herself upright.
"Pfft—hahaha! How could someone not recognize their own god? And they're nuns, no less!"
Hu Tao wasn't mocking them—she just found it hilariously illogical that the nuns couldn't identify their deity.
It was as absurd as a scholar specializing in Rex Lapis yet knowing nothing about him.
Zhongli gently inhaled the fragrance of his tea, took a small sip, and remained silent.
Tartaglia nodded in agreement. How could anyone fail to recognize their own god?
This was just taking advantage of the situation while pretending otherwise.
The Fatui Harbingers had the privilege of an audience with the Tsaritsa, but the nuns of Mondstadt hadn't seen their Anemo Archon in centuries.
Liyue wasn't much different from Mondstadt in this regard.
Though they could see the Geo Archon every year during the Rite of Descension, what they witnessed was only his divine form.
Thus, the people of Liyue wouldn't recognize Zhongli either.
Not all gods were as widely known as Furina.
Take the Dendro Archon, for example—barely anyone had seen her since her birth.
That was why even a crude imitation by a little boy could fool the people of Sumeru.
They had no idea what the Dendro Archon looked like, relying entirely on the Akasha Terminal.
Speaking of the Dendro Archon, Sumeru couldn't be left unmentioned. By now, the reputation of the prophecy book had spread even within Sumeru's borders.
The Grand Sage dismissed it with disdain. A prophecy from mortals? Ridiculous. Only the wisdom of the gods was flawless.
They needed to create their own god—a "God of Wisdom" who could lead them.
But not everyone shared this dismissive attitude. Alhaitham, for one, was quite intrigued.
"The story of the Anemo Archon and Dvalin… interesting."
Alhaitham sat in the tavern, flipping through the pages of Act II: For a Tomorrow Without Tears.
He wasn't particularly interested in the prophecy itself, but rather in its author, "Shikikan."
He had bought the book from Lord Sangemah Bay.
As long as you had the Mora, Dori would find a way to get it for you.
Meanwhile, the other members of Sumeru's Fantastic Four were also gathered in the tavern.
Alhaitham, however, hadn't joined them—likely because he found them too noisy.
"Is that guy Alhaitham not coming?" Kaveh asked.
Tighnari and Cyno shook their heads, indicating they hadn't seen him.
In truth, they had noticed Alhaitham—he was hiding just within their line of sight.
But Kaveh was sitting across from them, his back turned to Alhaitham.
"Well, in that case, let me tell you something."
Kaveh leaned forward as if about to share a secret.
Even Alhaitham's gaze shifted from his book to Kaveh.
"That bastard Alhaitham pissed me off first thing in the morning and ruined my entire day."
"He bought a mountain of books from who-knows-where, and now I can't even walk without tripping over them!"
Tighnari had thought Kaveh was going to say something Alhaitham shouldn't hear.
Turns out it was just a complaint. Then why did he look like he was about to spill some big secret?
"Boring." Alhaitham shook his head.
Cyno pondered for a moment before speaking flatly.
"I see. Kaveh got blocked."
"..." Kaveh fell silent.
"..." Tighnari facepalmed.
"..." Alhaitham returned to his book.
"Don't get it? Let me explain—" Cyno began, assuming they hadn't understood.
"Ahem, maybe we should just get to the main topic?" Tighnari interjected.
"Right, right! I brought the book."
Kaveh quickly seized the opportunity, afraid Cyno would latch onto the chance to explain his pun.
His copy was Act I, which he hadn't bought—he'd fished it out from Alhaitham's "nowhere-to-step" book pile.
Cyno and Tighnari had already read Act I.
"Alhaitham, just come join us. We don't have Act II here," Tighnari called out.
"What?! Alhaitham's here too?!"
Kaveh jolted, looking around frantically before finally spotting Alhaitham behind him.
Alhaitham paid no mind to Kaveh's grumbling and simply took the seat beside him—since it was the closest.
When Alhaitham placed his book on the table, a question arose:
How were four grown men supposed to read a single book from two angles?
Reluctantly, they had to huddle together.
And so, ignoring the stares of those around them, three high-ranking Akademiya officials and a certain well-known architect began reading the tale of Mondstadt.
Soon, they finished the story of the Anemo Archon and Dvalin.
"Dvalin had it so rough…"
Kaveh, ever the empath, was already heartbroken for Dvalin and began downing his drink in big gulps.
"Being forgotten, huh?" Tighnari stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Come to think of it, they all knew of the existence of the Lesser Lord Kusanali, yet none had ever seen her.
Did that mean, to the people of Sumeru, the Dendro Archon was practically a nonexistent god?
Had she, too, been forgotten?
Even after centuries, the shadow of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata still loomed large in the hearts of Sumeru's people.
Cyno said nothing, but as Tighnari's close friend, his thoughts also turned to the Dendro Archon.
Though he held the esteemed title of General Mahamatra, even he had never had the chance to meet the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
If even the General Mahamatra was in such a position, what did that mean for the average citizen of Sumeru?
Before, he'd assumed it was simply because he wasn't qualified. Now, though, something felt off.
Was the Grand Sage deliberately suppressing the Dendro Archon's presence?
But these were just conjectures.
They couldn't be sure whether the Dendro Archon herself didn't wish to meet her people or if the Grand Sage was intentionally restricting her.
They'd never considered this possibility before.
After all, the Grand Sage had changed hands many times—surely not every generation could be this outrageous, right?
Little did they know, every Grand Sage had been exactly that outrageous.
By the time Lucian's novel reached Sumeru, they'd be furious.
===✧✦✧===
Turning their gaze to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, the Lesser Lord Kusanali, Nahida, was currently immersed in a dream.
Confined to communicating with the outside world only through dreams and the Akasha Terminal, she spent most of her time in slumber.
The moment Lucian's book arrived in Sumeru, it had been uploaded to the Akasha Terminal.
Now, Nahida could also read its contents.
"The Anemo Archon is truly admirable. When will I become a worthy god like him?"
Nahida sighed. To her, the Anemo Archon was no lazy slacker.
He had awoken only recently yet immediately set out to resolve Dvalin's crisis.
Even when an accident led to his own corruption, he remained composed, adjusting his plans to continue saving Dvalin.
And his salvation wasn't just about purging the corruption—he also sought to clear Dvalin's name.
How could such a god be called a slacker?
He even personally composed and sang ballads to restore Dvalin's honor!
Sure, others did most of the heavy lifting while he drank and lazed around.
But at least the plan was his, wasn't it?
Nahida had always believed herself an inadequate god. Now, this book finally gave her a chance to learn from her predecessors.
What lessons would the Geo Archon of Liyue and the Electro Archon of Inazuma impart?
Waku waku!
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice-Over: Hu Tao — About Zhongli
"Zhongli looks so young, but his personality is like an old relic—he knows everything but cares about nothing. Could he be…? Hehe… Ah, never mind. Let him be."