"As I said earlier, if you agree to let us copy all the books in the Akademiya, then Sumeru's debt will be completely wiped clean."
"And if you don't intend to hand over the books, then repay the money. All the debt accumulated over three hundred years must be repaid, not a single Mora less."
"And if you neither intend to repay the money nor use the books to settle the debt..."
"I'll give you one last day to consider. If I don't receive a satisfactory answer by tomorrow, then... please step out of the House of Daena and take a look at the sky above Sumeru City."
After leaving these words, Fanseti walked out of the House of Daena and headed toward the embassy.
Meanwhile, the Akademiya—no, the entire Sumeru City—had fallen into panic.
"What... what is that!?"
"Oh my god..."
"Is it the end of the world...?"
People who felt the sky darken in an instant looked up and screamed in terror, their faces pale.
"Who is responsible?"
The current General Mahamatra, Cyno, also looked up at the sky, his expression grave. He immediately began investigating the matter with utmost vigilance.
Black flames formed a curtain, enveloping Sumeru City in a semicircle, burning silently.
They burned but did not spread.
The black flames seemed to have no temperature, yet they emitted a faint light, preventing the city from being plunged into complete darkness.
However, everyone could feel the threat of those flames.
They were hellfire capable of annihilating all of Sumeru City.
"Those who break their promises shall be devoured by flames."
Fanseti was serious.
Since the Geo Archon, who could make people "eat rocks," was "dead," and people no longer feared breaking contracts, she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands and show them what it meant to be devoured by flames.
There was no other way. In Sumeru, she could act as she pleased.
If she tried this in Inazuma, Fanseti would be cut down by a single sword strike. In Liyue, she'd be impaled by a spear. In Mondstadt, she'd be quietly eliminated... But in Sumeru, it was like paradise!
After all, who told you not to have a god?
You brought this upon yourselves.
You reap what you sow.
You deserve it.
—Thinking this, Fanseti met Sumeru's god that very night.
Or rather, she met her in a dream.
Of course, this wasn't Ye idly dreaming about Nahida. After all, in this dream, Ye still appeared as Fanseti. In other words, it was Fanseti who was dreaming of Nahida, and this was Nahida exercising her divine authority.
Yes, in other words, unlike the dreams Ye had experienced before, the girl before Fanseti was the true Dendro Archon, Nahida.
Realizing this, Fanseti's expression became serious.
"How rude of me, Lesser Lord Kusanali."
Fanseti curtsied, her lips curving into a gentle smile.
"I've long heard that the Dendro Archon is the God of Wisdom and Knowledge. May I ask why you've summoned me into this dream? Do you have any guidance for me?"
"Your current actions have caused too much panic in the city, and they're too dangerous."
Nahida's voice was childlike, yet it carried an inexplicable maturity.
"Your goal of intimidating the Akademiya has already been achieved. Could you please stop causing further panic?"
"Since Lesser Lord Kusanali has commanded, how could a mere mortal like me dare to disobey?"
Fanseti stood up and replied gently:
"But I have a question—in what capacity are you negotiating with me?"
"...Of course, as the god of Sumeru, as one of the Seven."
"That's strange. While Lesser Lord Kusanali is indeed recognized by all nations as Sumeru's god, as far as I know, Sumeru itself doesn't seem to share this view, does it?"
Nahida had expected this question.
It was almost like a repeat of three hundred years ago. For a moment, Nahida couldn't help but feel as if the black-haired girl before her was actually a black-haired man.
The Supreme Bishop of Fontaine.
Back then, Nahida had been rebutted by his words: "You are not recognized as Sumeru's god, so you have no right to represent Sumeru in negotiations with me. If you wish to negotiate, please first gain Sumeru's recognition of your status—I've never heard of any of the Seven who is recognized by their people yet imprisoned in a cage." Left speechless, she had ultimately been unable to stop him.
"Even if I'm not recognized, I am still Sumeru's god."
Even after three hundred years, facing a different person, Nahida could only give this answer.
However, this time, Fanseti didn't repeat the harsh words of three hundred years ago. Instead, she sighed softly. "Lesser Lord Kusanali, you've been too lenient with the Akademiya."
This time was different from three hundred years ago.
Five hundred years ago, Ye had fallen into this world. Due to his poor condition, he had been unconscious for ten years, during which Furina had hidden him in her room and cared for him. After waking up, with no clear goals or direction, Ye had started working for Furina.
After all, he was used to working for others. It was just a matter of changing bosses.
Being in a position of responsibility, Ye was a serious and diligent person. Thus, three hundred years ago, his actions in Sumeru were aimed at extracting value from the region. As for Nahida... while he had liked her in the game, that was as far as it went. It didn't stop him from handling business impartially.
Naturally, for Ye at that time, the more reclusive Nahida was, the better. As long as she didn't get in his way, it was fine.
But now things were different.
Nahida was about to break free, so this trip to Sumeru wasn't just about squeezing the last bit of value from the region. It was also about improving relations with Nahida.
Therefore, Fanseti looked at Nahida sincerely and said, "Lesser Lord Kusanali, don't you think Sumeru's current state of being bullied by the Supreme Bishop is a result of your leniency toward the Akademiya?"
In the original game's storyline, Nahida had also lamented, "I was too lenient with the Akademiya"—but what difference did that make?
By that point, Nahida had no way to stop the Akademiya.
Nahida was the God of Wisdom, and indeed, her wisdom was undeniable. But as a god, she was utterly unqualified.
She had an abundance of wisdom but a severe lack of political intelligence.
Blinded by her own perspective, she believed that the Akademiya refused to release her because she wasn't mature enough. She thought she needed to continue working hard, learning, and becoming more outstanding, completely failing to consider another possibility...
The Akademiya wasn't unwilling to release her—they simply didn't dare to!!