With the plan having progressed to this point, the mission to save the God can already be declared a success. All that's left is to prevent Balladeer from becoming a God with Nahida's help.
Everyone had a sense of unreality about this outcome, still somewhat disbelieving even now.
A team, hastily assembled, managed to breach Sumeru City from within and capture the Grand Sage of the Akademiya in less than a day, with almost no casualties.
Such a feat would be astonishing and incredible in any nation, wouldn't it?
Liyue could withstand the invasion of Osial, the Vortex Vanquisher, Mondstadt could, with limited forces, repel the Fatui's two-pronged siege, and Inazuma's previous civil war saw Narukami Island and Watatsumi Island in a stalemate for nearly two years with hundreds of thousands of people.
But when it came to Sumeru, it was far too fragile, wasn't it?
After this battle, if Sumeru doesn't change its current situation, Sumeru City's defenses will likely be branded as a'soft persimmon,' which might even encourage some powerful Eremites to follow suit and attack Sumeru City for plunder. But that's a story for later.
Upon hearing Dehya's words, Lumine and Paimon couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Although their part of the plan didn't achieve the desired effect, it at least didn't negatively impact the outcome, which slightly reduced Lumine's guilt.
The two of them deeply sympathized with Nahida's experience of being imprisoned by generations of sages for five hundred years. Now, knowing she was finally rescued, they were naturally overjoyed.
Paimon eagerly said, "Since Nahida has been rescued, let's hurry to the Sanctuary of Surasthana to find him! Hehe, I can finally meet Nahida."
Lumine nodded with a smile, then looked at Dehya, signaling her to come along. Dehya waved her hand and said, "I won't go yet. There's still a mess in the city waiting for me to clean up. You two go ahead. I still can't quite believe that we've actually saved the God. I'll see you later."
Lumine and Paimon rushed to the Sanctuary of Surasthana without stopping. As soon as they entered, they saw Nahida diligently working. A huge green screen appeared before him, and his small hands rapidly touched it, as if modifying various settings.
Noticing Lumine and Paimon's arrival, Nahida put away the screen and greeted them with a smile and gratitude: "Should I say 'nice to meet you'? This is our first time meeting in reality."
Lumine: "Finally, we meet, Nahida."
Paimon: "Hello, Nahida! Huh? How come… you seem to have grown a bit taller in reality than in the dream? Is it just my imagination?"
Nahida simply smiled at Paimon's question: "Yes, thank you all so much for coming to save me. But at the same time, I must apologize to you. During this time, I have reflected deeply. It was my self-deprecation and my indulgence of the Akademiya that led to the current situation, causing you all so much trouble."
Nahida's tone was filled with sadness and self-reproach, coupled with his pitiful big eyes. Not to mention the opposite gender, anyone with empathy would surely be overwhelmed by this emotional assault.
Lumine's eyes held a relieved smile as she said, "It's okay. You've helped us a lot too, and Nahida is worth saving."
Paimon also quickly added, "Yes, we came here because Nahida is a good God, and our friend."
Nahida: "Haha, thank you for saying that. I really want to hold a grand feast for you and for myself right now. However, it doesn't seem like the time for premature celebration."
Lumine suddenly remembered: "Oh right, the Akademiya's God Creation Project, and saving Irminsul…"
Nahida: "I've just used Akasha to ascertain the current progress of the sages' God Creation Project. I have good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"
Paimon: "Uh… let's hear the bad news first."
Nahida: "Balladeer has successfully extracted the power of the gnosis of electro and become a God."
Paimon's face changed dramatically as he said, "What? Balladeer has become a God! Are we too late? Balladeer has completely become a God, so we… we…"
Lumine: "What's the good news then?"
Nahida: "The good news is that the sages don't seem to have had time to inject god-canned knowledge yet. I haven't felt any divinity similar to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata on him. From a spiritual perspective, I don't believe he has reached the height of a God."
Lumine: "So, Balladeer has only reached the level of a God in terms of power, but spiritually, he hasn't reached the omniscient and omnipotent state of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
Nahida: "Exactly. The sages built a body that maximized Balladeer's original concept as a mechanical puppet, and with the continuous energy supply from the Gnosis, from a purely technical standpoint, it is indeed commendable. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the Crystalize of human wisdom.
If the process of creating a false God could be done without harming others, I might support the Akademiya's approach. But in reality, the uncontrolled harvesting of dreams from the entire Sumeru City's population through the Sabzeruz Festival's cycle, and the extraction of god-canned knowledge from the minds of the village guardians—none of these things can be tolerated."
Paimon cautiously asked, "Nahida, are you confident you can deal with the deified Balladeer?"
Nahida shook his head helplessly and said, "I apologize. You may have heard that Gods gain power through the faith of their people, but I am not as beloved as Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Therefore, I am not very good at combat…"
Paimon: "Hmm… The God of Wisdom isn't good at combat? That sounds quite reasonable, actually. But this was also caused by those sages deliberately misleading the public, so it's not your fault, Nahida. In the future, you will surely be loved by all of Sumeru's people.
Oh, how about we ask Miyashiro for help? He's a human who can kill Osial, the Vortex Vanquisher, and even fight Raiden Shogun to a draw. His strength shouldn't be inferior to Balladeer's. Besides, he's helped us a lot along the way. If we ask him, he should help."
Nahida was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Miyashiro, as Inazuma Regent, his previous help to you was all through indirect means. This is already the limit of what he can do. If he directly participates in Sumeru's internal affairs, it would be very detrimental to his international influence."
Paimon: "Is that so? It does seem to be the case. And if we really asked him for help, he might demand an exorbitant price later."
Nahida: "Thank you for the reminder, Paimon. However, the most urgent task is to defeat that Balladeer.
I'm truly sorry. You've just saved one God, and now I'm asking you to help save a nation, or even a world.
So, if there's an unavoidable need for combat, I'll have to rely on Lumine. I will assist you with all my might."
Lumine, with the power of four elements, confidently said, "Don't worry, this is my area of expertise."
Nahida: "How reliable! I've already located Balladeer. So, without further ado, let's go!"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"