"Strange… Why is this happening?"
Suddenly bound, Nahida found herself trapped inside the consciousness space of a tiny sparrow.
Her clover-shaped eyes were filled with confusion.
She still held divine authority, yet could not exert it at all.
The main reason seemed to come from that sparrow itself—it had completely locked her power within this mental realm.
"An incomprehensible, unrecognizable, unanalysable strange force…
It doesn't seem to belong to this world—wait, could it be…?"
"No, that's not right."
Nahida quickly shook her head.
"According to the records, forbidden knowledge is invasive and unstable.
It conflicts with all life-based powers.
But this power—while impossible to analyse—is filled with the breath of life.
Definitely not forbidden knowledge."
It was undoubtedly the authority of grass and life. She could not be mistaken.
But another question arose:
She was the current God of Wisdom.
So who was this other being—someone holding dominion over Dendro greater than her own?
A divine familiar?
No. Familiars could never surpass the gods they served.
Then the owner of this power… that spirit radiating a pure aura of grass and vitality—
Could it be the rebirth of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?
Or the rumored "Mister" who had returned to life?
Impossible to determine.
Only a small portion of the God of Wisdom's power had ever been inherited.
Yet now, her own authority was being suppressed—conceptually overpowered.
She could neither understand, recognize, nor respond.
Even her divine power refused to resonate. How strange…
Nahida's thoughts spun rapidly.
Every elemental spirit she'd met that wielded life or vegetation power had felt similar to her own—almost the same origin.
But this one's energy overlapped hers and then suppressed it completely.
Could it be power from beyond this world?
No. That spirit was clearly born of Teyvat.
Then… some ancient life reborn?
Aside from the former Rukkhadevata—who else could it be?
But Rukkhadevata was gone.
If this spirit was her reincarnation, why did it not carry her memories?
A divine familiar again? No. It couldn't surpass its god.
Her situation was dire.
Trapped inside this consciousness space, cut off from all outside contact.
Her power sealed, her resistance useless.
She was completely passive.
Nahida tried to communicate, but received no answer—only silence.
Anxiety crept in.
If she were misunderstood, that would be troublesome.
She began to reflect: she should have introduced herself openly from the start.
She had only meant to observe quietly—now she was trapped with no way to escape.
Her body remained sealed in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, her consciousness confined again.
With a sparrow's body, there was no breaking free.
A dead end.
And yet, one detail bothered her deeply.
If she had heard correctly… that spirit had called the man "Wise Lord."
Could he be the reincarnated Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?
No—that didn't make sense.
From all the information gathered, that man was a being who had descended from another world.
He couldn't possibly be Rukkhadevata reborn.
Then the little spirit must be Teyvat-born life.
Wait—no, that didn't add up either.
Her mind tangled into knots.
She was utterly lost.
Outside—
The small sparrow lay motionless on the sand.
Beryl blinked, then lifted it above her head and cheerfully called out,
"I caught a little sparrow! Look, isn't it cute?"
"A sparrow?"
Huoliya, who was slicing ingredients, turned—and froze.
Well, damn. That's no ordinary sparrow.
Inside that body was clearly a being of godlike power.
"Beryl, you've got a real knack for catching things—caught yourself a god."
"..."
Yingdaand Fanann exchanged looks; both saw the same shock mirrored in each other's eyes.
Three streams of telepathic magic linked instantly:
'This must be the boss's doing, right?'
'Doesn't feel like it—seems she caught it herself.'
'Then… friend or foe?'
'Hard to say. But since the boss isn't stopping her, it's probably safe.'
'Heh. Want to mess with it a bit?'
'Boring.'
'No, that sounds fun. Let's try!'
"Hmm~"
Beryl smiled slightly.
Inside the mental cage, Nahida sighed.
Still imprisoned, unable to move, unable to contact the outside world.
She felt she might go mad.
Then a voice echoed inside her consciousness—
"Your name's Nahida, right? I'm Beryl. From now on, you're my pet."
Nahida: "..."
Beryl continued softly, "Don't worry, I'll raise you into a chubby little thing—like this."
A fat, round sparrow materialized before her in the mindscape.
Nahida's will broke completely.
Huoliya's eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Heh, Beryl, did you catch that for dinner?"
"How about we roast it together?"
"No!"
Huoliya smirked. "Too small anyway—not even a full bite. Better stew it."
"I'll pluck the feathers," Yingdaoffered.
"I'll do the gutting," Fanann tilted her head.
"..."
Nahida, still trapped within, went pale.
Pluck? Gut? Roast? Stew?!
Terrifying! Nooo!
"No way!" Beryl puffed her cheeks. "The Wise Lord said this is my catch. You can't have it!"
Nahida exhaled in relief.
Saved… barely.
Pretty faces—utterly terrifying girls.
But… pet?
Yes, the pet was the sparrow—not her.
She probably hadn't been exposed… right?
She forced herself to relax.
They must've been joking.
Still, these girls didn't seem ordinary—
Were they… the immortals of Liyue's legends?
"Pets, huh~" Yingdamused. "Sounds fun. But, Beryl, do you even know how to raise one? What does it eat?"
Beryl folded her arms proudly. "That's easy—it eats bugs!"
"…"
"Birds all eat bugs," she said matter-of-factly.
"I am not feeding it bugs!"
"B-bugs…" Nahida's face went white again.
Sure, birds ate bugs—but she'd never eaten one herself, and she certainly didn't intend to.
If Beryl force-fed her something squirming and fat—
Even someone as calm as her would break down.
Absolutely not! Never bugs!
"Pff—"
Huoliya couldn't hold back a laugh. She turned away quickly.
"Alright, alright, I'll keep cooking. You play with your pet. The boss still needs lunch."
Inside that sparrow must be some poor, unlucky soul.
No more teasing. Poor thing.
Yingdashrugged, stirred the campfire embers, checked the roasted sweet potatoes, then darted off toward Taro's chair.
"Sir! Sweet potatoes are ready!"
Beryl smiled and cuddled the bird closer.
Fanann reminded gently, "Take good care of it, Beryl." Then turned to help Huoliya prepare lunch.
Nahida realized she'd been completely toyed with.
But what could she do?
Her body was trapped in the Sanctuary for five centuries—
and now her mind was trapped too.
Sigh… life is hard, thought the little grass.
(End of Chapter)
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