"Since there's no better day than today, I'll hand this position over to you right now."
"What should I do?"
"You need to come up with a codename to conceal your identity."
"Then I'll keep using 'Flame-Mane.'"
"This… works. Come with me—we're heading to the Adventurers' Guild."
As Ye Caizhen had said when they departed for Sumeru, as long as a notice of appointment for a regional leader was issued, the Wingmaster would contact that leader…
Victor Wang asked Katheryne for a commission form. The text he needed to write transformed in his mind into page numbers from the [Teyvat Universal Dictionary], then, after adjusting them with cipher offsets, a North Wing coded message that outsiders couldn't make sense of was completed.
As Victor Wang posted this coded commission onto the notice board, Dehya beside him froze for a brief moment. She quickly returned to normal, but her expression was complicated as she looked at the coded commissions.
Victor Wang's heart stirred. "The Wingmaster already transmitted all the organization's information to you?"
"Yes. Just at that moment, the relevant knowledge appeared in my mind out of nowhere…"
"Knowledge appearing directly in your mind… I thought it would be a conversation. So, it's more like canned knowledge?"
"It's somewhat similar to canned knowledge, but there was also communication. A very pleasant voice answered some of my questions inside my head."
Victor Wang fell into thought.
No canned knowledge, no Akasha, not even a physical appearance—without knowing where the operator was, unnoticed by anyone—and yet a segment of knowledge could be instantly implanted into anyone's mind, possibly spanning all Seven Nations. Wasn't that a bit…?
If one didn't know that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Nahida were incarnations of Irminsul, it would really make one suspect that the Wingmaster was Irminsul itself gaining sentience.
No matter what, the origins of such a method were absolutely extraordinary.
"And this method of conversing directly in the mind… Dehya, can you still contact the Wingmaster? Tell her I have something I want to ask."
"I can't…" Dehya shook her head. "Only regional leaders can speak with the Wingmaster. And that conversation just now was limited to answering questions for a newly appointed leader. At other times, she won't respond."
"..."
"More importantly—"
Dehya pulled Victor Wang into an empty alley, asked for the [Teyvat Universal Dictionary], and began decoding the coded commission she had memorized, line by line.
"Battle Technique Hunter… destroying the cursed sword, sealing the Awakened Precepts?"
"Stopping the South Wing from damaging the Sacred Sakura… blocking the Raiden Shogun's 'Musou no Hitotachi' three times?!"
"If I hadn't personally experienced the most recent feat—'saving Lesser Lord Kusanali'—it would be really hard to believe what you people have done… Compared to this, my experiences wandering the desert feel like child's play…"
"It's fine. Now it's 'us,'" Victor Wang reassured her.
"'Us,' huh… I guess so." Dehya gave a bitter smile and nodded. Even so, it seemed she still couldn't share her past experiences freely.
"By the way, because of the Akasha, North Wing had very few members in Sumeru before, though information was still transmitted properly. Now that the Akasha is gone, there won't be risks of passive information leaks, so we can safely expand."
"And one more thing," Victor Wang handed over his arrangements. "I sent the former Grand Sage's group to Aaru Village, and I brought Candace and Rahman into the organization. You'll need to keep a close eye on the former Grand Sage's movements together with them."
"Hmm… the Wingmaster already gave me the list of Sumeru members. In the desert, I'll have help, but in Sumeru there's no one I can use yet. I'll have to bring Nilou in as an assistant."
"Haha, that's your responsibility now. My task is finished."
...
"This celebration feast is to celebrate the success of saving a god, and also to celebrate Cyno's reinstatement. Tighnari was unquestionably part of our plan, and Collei is Cyno's good friend, right? Come join us!" Paimon explained their purpose to Tighnari.
"Originally, those involved sages were supposed to live in seclusion in Avidya Forest for long-term cultivation. I thought I wouldn't have time to attend due to resettling and supervising them, so I declined. But I heard that Nahida exiled them to the desert instead… In that case, alright. When does the banquet start? We'll be there on time."
"Tonight! You're the last ones—we're heading out now!" Lumine urged unexpectedly.
"Huh?"
The celebration feast was scheduled around Lumine's awakening. After learning that everyone had been waiting for her, she naturally took on the role of running errands upon waking up. Tighnari's place was the final stop.
When she brought Tighnari and Collei to the Grand Bazaar, everyone had arrived. Paimon counted excitedly, "Victor, Cyno, Alhaitham, Nilou, Dehya, Dunyarzad, plus Tighnari and Collei—so lively!"
"Mm, then the banquet can officially begin."
Everyone took their seats, with fine food and drinks laid out.
Before anyone picked up their utensils, Nilou said, "Most of the food was specially prepared by the people of the Grand Bazaar, and residents from Sumeru City also sent gifts when they heard about the banquet. They all said it was you who saved Sumeru, and asked me to thank everyone properly on their behalf."
"This was a collective effort."
"It's really wonderful that Nahida can take charge of the Akademiya again."
"Speaking of which, those sages were truly reckless. Five hundred years ago, Nahida exhausted her power and memories for the people of Sumeru. And what did they do? Neglect, abandonment, ingratitude. In the desert, they might end up being… severely punished as a warning."
Cutting off limbs… probably not a suitable topic for this occasion. Dehya left the specific punishments unsaid.
Cyno picked up the conversation humorously. "How laughable, these so-called 'sages.' They wanted to keep being 'idle,' but now they won't dare stay 'idle' anymore. Whether 'sages,' 'idlers,' or 'idling,' none of it applies now."
Seeing no one laugh, he added, "Because the 'sages' were really sent to the desert. They can't 'idle' in Avidya Forest anymore—assisting with education is their job. If they act like 'idlers,' they'll be punished."
"Indeed. They've somehow become rare resources in the desert now."
"Only somehow…"
Everyone's reactions—along with Tighnari fiercely glaring with his eyes as if shouting don't make any more headache-inducing homophone jokes—left Cyno a little dejected.
Suddenly, a crisp voice rushed in to save the moment. "Everyone, the celebration feast—am I late?"
"Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
"Y-You came?"
"I wanted to personally thank all of you. Thank you for disregarding your own safety, for risking becoming enemies of the Akademiya, The Doctor, and The Balladeer, to save me. Also, please don't be reserved—if you were to waste such a wonderful banquet… that would go against the very reason I came here."
===BREAK===
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