The guards carried away Azar, who was retching miserably as he was dragged off.
The remaining scholars, who had been preparing to upload the canned knowledge into Nahida, froze in place, unsure whether to leave or continue their work.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to eat anyone."
Luo Qing chuckled softly. "Go on, do what you need to. Also, prepare the transmission device for me...
I'd like to have a little heart-to-heart with your dear Lesser Lord Kusanali~"
"..."
The scholars were momentarily speechless.
As expected, the Fatui Harbingers were all a bunch of lunatics.
But Luo Qing's overwhelming strength left them no choice but to remain silent. They pretended not to have seen Azar being carried away moments earlier and returned to their work.
It wasn't long before one of the scholars brought the transmission device over for Luo Qing.
Direct mental communication with a deity was extremely dangerous. The vast spiritual energy of a god could easily overwhelm and reduce someone to a fool.
However, last time, when Luo Qing had been subjected to an outpouring of mental power from the Lesser Lord Kusanali, even the transmission device had shattered under the strain—yet Luo Qing had emerged completely unscathed.
This had greatly shocked the scholars, who now planned to carefully record Luo Qing's state during this interaction with Nahida, hoping to uncover a safe method to control her.
Luo Qing picked up the helmet of the transmission device and placed it on his head.
The next moment, as a staff member activated the device, his vision went completely black.
Unlike last time, when only Nahida's figure radiated light in the darkness, this time, faint starlight sparkled around her, casting a soft glow that dispelled the oppressive loneliness of the void.
Luo Qing willed himself forward, approaching Nahida.
Curled up like a small cat, Nahida suddenly opened her eyes. She didn't meet Luo Qing's gaze, instead staring down at her knees as she murmured softly,
"They're... saying those awful things about me again..."
"I know I'm not good enough..."
"But still..."
Her expression was tinged with sadness, and after speaking, she buried her face back into her knees.
"Why care about what they say?"
Luo Qing placed a hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair as he spoke.
"No matter how much they deceive themselves, trying to downplay your existence, you are Sumeru's Archon. That fact will never change, will it?"
"But I'm such an unworthy Archon..."
"I can't resolve their doubts or guide Sumeru's path..."
"If a god isn't loved by their people—if they're barely remembered—what's the point of such a god..."
Nahida's voice was heavy with dejection.
It reminded Luo Qing of himself back in the day—scrolling through melancholic comments on music apps in the dead of night, silently weeping in bed.
"Who says you're not loved?"
Luo Qing countered, "The Grand Bazaar still has many who remember you, doesn't it?"
"For instance, the girl you once guided in her dream—the one with Eleazar. She's now the main sponsor for the next Sabzeruz Festival, all because of you."
Nahida blinked, surprised. "Luo Qing, how do you know about her..."
"I guessed."
"..."
"So don't pay too much attention to those pedantic scholars."
Luo Qing continued to ruffle her hair.
He had to admit—her hair felt amazing.
"They've let their pursuit of knowledge warp their principles and morality, turning into grotesque academic machines—frivolous and detached from the people they claim to serve."
"Isn't this the time for you, the God of Wisdom, to bring them back onto the right path?"
"But..."
"No buts. If you keep hesitating like this, I won't let you enter my dreams anymore~"
"..."
Nahida fell silent.
Her curiosity and fondness for Luo Qing's vivid dreams had opened a door to a new world for her—one she couldn't resist exploring.
How could he use that against her?
After a long pause, Nahida's wide eyes darted nervously, and she hesitantly opened her mouth, her tone almost pleading.
"Luo Qing... I... I'd like to prepare a little more..."
"I won't take long..."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course, my dear little Lesser Lord Kusanali~"
Luo Qing pinched her cheek affectionately, his voice indulgent.
"But don't take too long, or I might just get upset and leave Sumeru~"
"Eh...?"
"Mm... I'll try my best..."
"By the way, the Traveler should be arriving in Sumeru soon. She's an interesting one—you might enjoy interacting with her."
"The Traveler..."
Nahida murmured the name under her breath, her gaze toward Luo Qing subtly shifting.
She had communicated with the Traveler in secret before. At that time, she had concealed her identity—nobody else should have known about it.
How did Luo Qing know?
"I'll remember that..."
Nahida nodded softly.
"Good. Then it's settled."
Seeing that her mood had improved, Luo Qing smiled in satisfaction.
"See you in our next dream, Nahida."
With that, he willed himself out of Nahida's mental space.
The Void required no hardware—only a mind to operate it. It offered unparalleled computational power and infinite storage, all in a portable form.
Compared to the internet of his previous life, it was a hundred times more powerful.
Thus, an idea sparked in Luo Qing's mind—to refine the Void into a new kind of internet, leveraging his past-life knowledge.
And then, with the help of someone like Dori, the best water army head around, he could easily guide public opinion and stir the pot...
In his previous life, he'd surfed the web for over a decade, sometimes enraged by absurd online discourse.
Here in Teyvat, with its simple-minded populace, even a slight push would likely send them spiraling into chaos.
Elsewhere...
After Luo Qing left, Nahida hesitated for a moment before willing herself back into the Void. She searched the Akademiya's database for information about Luo Qing.
Their interactions had mostly taken place in dreams, and the only thing she knew about him was that he came from another world. She had assumed he was like the Traveler, wandering Teyvat.
But his knowledge of her private conversations unsettled her.
Perhaps Luo Qing wasn't as simple as she'd thought.
Before long, streams of information about Luo Qing appeared in the Void.
Nahida's gaze grew more complicated as she read.
"Luo Qing... Twelfth Fatui Harbinger... Code name: The Brighella..."
"He belongs... to the Cryo Archon..."
---
T/N: released Genshin Impact: Strength Through Bonds
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