After Lumine and Paimon followed Dunyarzad away, the faint smile that had remained on Shao Yun's face instantly vanished, replaced by a dark, heavy expression.
Just as he was about to speak, a message popped up from the system first.
[I know what you're about to say. Now, let's begin the plan.]
Shao Yun rubbed the back of his neck and asked, "So, what exactly is the plan?"
Before his voice had even faded, a new line of text appeared in the system interface.
[A small, finely crafted cart has been prepared for you, along with several colorful and beautifully wrapped gift boxes. These will serve as vital cover items for your mission.]
The moment the message appeared, Shao Yun felt his vision blur—and then, out of thin air, a small pushcart loaded with several boxes materialized before him.
On the cart sat several neatly arranged gift boxes, and one particularly large box decorated with flowers—large enough for a small child to fit inside.
Shao Yun knew immediately that this was a disguise kit the system had specially prepared for rescuing Nahida.
He nodded in satisfaction, then rose slowly to his feet, gripping the cart handle firmly with both hands.
"Not bad. Let's go—time to make Sumeru history."
…
And so, Shao Yun pushed the small cart—laden with a few empty gift boxes—along the path that led up to the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Just as Lisa had said, he didn't encounter a single Akademiya scholar along the way.
The quieter it was, the more suspicious it seemed—but Shao Yun still refused to let his guard down.
One hand controlled the cart, the other rested over his holstered revolver, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
Yet, the road to the Sanctuary of Surasthana felt eerily deserted—like passing through a wasteland devoid of human life. Not a sound, not a shadow, not even the faintest sign of movement.
In the end, Shao Yun arrived smoothly at the front of the Sanctuary.
He crouched behind one of the massive stone pillars near the gate, peeking out cautiously to observe the situation.
At the entrance stood only two guards—members of the Corps of Thirty. They looked lazy and indifferent, their posture slouched and vigilance lacking.
Shao Yun frowned slightly, muttering under his breath, "The Akademiya's full of fools—complete idiots—and this is how they guard the Sanctuary?"
"They only sent two clowns like these? Do they seriously think this is enough to stop someone from rescuing Nahida?"
Right then, another message appeared on the system's interface, offering an explanation.
[You must understand—the Akademiya is currently executing a horrific plan to harvest the dreams of Sumeru's people to create a god. Because of this, the entire city has been locked down, leaving no spare manpower to guard this place.]
[Moreover, Nahida has been imprisoned here for over five hundred years. No one has ever dared to attempt a rescue. Frankly, only someone like you would have the audacity to try such a thing.]
Indeed—it was the perfect convergence of timing, terrain, and opportunity.
Shao Yun nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "If I rescue Nahida now, will that force the Akademiya to abandon their so-called 'God-Creation Project'?"
The system responded calmly.
[The chances of that are close to zero. First, Nahida doesn't yet possess the power to solve the Withering or the Eleazar affliction—her being freed won't change that.]
[Second, the Akademiya will begin a large-scale dream harvesting tonight. Even if you set the entire Akademiya ablaze right now, you wouldn't make it in time.]
Hearing that the Akademiya would still proceed with their plan, Shao Yun simply decided that when the time came, he'd make sure Lumine and Paimon removed their Akasha Terminals first.
But that was for later—right now, his focus was getting Nahida out.
"All right. I'm thinking of making some noise to distract them and then knocking them out. Unless you've got a better idea, I'm getting to work."
The system replied with an alternative suggestion.
[Do you remember those instruments of torture Alice gave you?]
Shao Yun stared at the system suspiciously, puzzled as to why it was suddenly bringing that up.
"What do you mean by that? Don't tell me those torture tools included… chloroform or something."
Sure enough, as soon as he said it, the system displayed a new item description.
[Sedative ×2]
[Effect: Simply dissolve it in water, alcohol, or any non-stimulant beverage (avoid caffeinated drinks, as they'll weaken the effect).]
Realizing that Alice had actually given him sedatives among those bizarre "tools," Shao Yun froze, dumbfounded.
"What the hell has Alice been experimenting with? I'm starting to seriously suspect that Klee's father was drugged into marriage by her!"
The system continued with another prompt.
[Suggestion: Dissolve the sedative in alcohol and offer it to the guards.]
It was a good plan—but how was he supposed to get them to drink it?
"How am I supposed to make them drink it?"
[Think of Lenny's talent for performance. You know—'the man of charitable persuasion.']
The moment the system mentioned Lenny, Shao Yun immediately understood. He quickly pulled out two bottles of moonshine and began carefully mixing in the sedative.
He chose moonshine for a simple reason—its alcohol content was so high that even without sedatives, it could probably knock out a yaksha. Methanol and all—it hit hard.
Back in Mondstadt, Shao Yun had even joked to himself that perhaps poor Glory had gone blind from drinking moonshine.
Ah, Mondstadt stereotypes… drunkards, all of them.
…
Once the two bottles of drugged moonshine were ready, Shao Yun took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and stepped out from behind the pillar.
A broad, easygoing grin spread across his face as he strode boldly toward the Sanctuary gates.
As he neared the two guards from the Corps of Thirty he called out with exaggerated cheer, "Oh-ho! My two fine friends! How are you doing today?"
One of the guards immediately jerked his head up, staring at the unfamiliar man swaggering toward them. Suspicion flared in his eyes.
He frowned and barked sharply, "Who are you?"
Shao Yun's eyes darted for a split second as he thought quickly, then plastered on an even wider grin.
"My name's… Hodge McIntosh! I came all the way here to pay my respects to two brave men faithfully standing guard over such an important post!"
Perhaps moved by Shao Yun's exaggerated friendliness, the first guard relaxed ever so slightly—but not entirely.
He shook his head and waved a hand impatiently, saying in a flat tone, "Mr. Hodge McIntosh, this is restricted ground under the Akademiya. Outsiders are not permitted. Turn back immediately."
But Shao Yun ignored the warning, continuing to smile like a fool as he spoke. "Oh, come on now, don't be so uptight! I'm just here to show my appreciation for two hard-working men doing their duty."
The other guard, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. "Appreciation? Our work doesn't need your interference!"
Shao Yun glanced around dramatically, feigning confusion. "Huh? Tell me—have you two seen any of your colleagues around today?"
The moment he said that, the two guards exchanged uncertain looks.
Then, the one who had spoken first muttered under his breath, "Now that you mention it… come to think of it, no. All day long it's just been the two of us here—no one else in sight."
Shao Yun's lips curled subtly. They've taken the bait.
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "Wanna guess where all your colleagues went?"
The weary guard hesitated, frowning. "Could it be…"
Before he could finish, Shao Yun cut him off, speaking with smug certainty.
"I'll tell you—they're all on vacation! That's right, everyone except you two. Why? Simple—it's the Sabzeruz Festival today!"
"Your buddies are out shopping and partying. Didn't any of them even give you a hint? Looks like they left you two in the dark completely. What a shame…"
Shao Yun's words struck like a thunderclap. The two overworked guards instantly erupted in frustration.
"Damn it! So that's why the captain had us stuck here all day! He took time off and left us to rot here!"
"Unbelievable! What, do we look that easy to push around?"
"Ugh… well, he is the superior officer…"