"I've long realized that in a world with gods, we can have mortal governance, but we can't do without divine protection," Keqing said. "As darling once told me, dignity lies at the edge of a blade. A godless nation is far too vulnerable."
"Exactly," Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded, her expression complex. "A god is the cornerstone of a nation. They may not meddle in state affairs, but their presence is indispensable..."
"A pillar of the nation cannot be absent," Ningguang said seriously, looking at Keqing. "Rex Lapis protected Liyue, allowing it to flourish in peace and prosperity. From now on, we too can guard Liyue."
Though Ningguang and Keqing's strength couldn't match a top-tier god like Morax, they had still reached divinity. In an era where Gods had faded, they were among the strongest beings.
"But we owe much of this to darling," Keqing nodded, glancing at Akio.
...
While Akio and the others were chatting, Lumine and Paimon had arrived in Sumeru.
"Since we've made it to Sumeru, our next goal is to head to Sumeru City and meet Lesser Lord Kusanali," Paimon said, gazing at the endless forest stretching out before them.
"Wow! This place is breathtaking. Sumeru truly is the nation of Dendro. The rainforests here are so lush," Paimon exclaimed.
"Sumeru…" Lumine murmured thoughtfully. Akio had mentioned that Sumeru's situation was somewhat complicated, though he hadn't gone into detail. She wondered what Sumeru was really like.
"Speaking of Lesser Lord Kusanali, she doesn't seem like the god who took your brother away back then. Still, we can ask her about it," Paimon suggested.
"She's the God of Wisdom, after all. I'm sure she can clear up a lot of your doubts."
"But where exactly is Sumeru City? With all this rainforest, we'll get lost if we wander aimlessly, won't we?" Lumine asked.
"I'm not sure either, but there's a Statue of the Seven for the Dendro Archon on that big rock over there. Let's head up and check it out. We're bound to stumble across a village or something, right?" Paimon said.
"Still, I preferred Inazuma. Akio just solved all our problems for us there," Paimon grumbled.
"Paimon, we can't keep relying on Akio. If we do, my journey loses all meaning," Lumine said earnestly. "I want to witness the Seven Nations for myself, not depend on someone else. That would make everything pointless."
"Hehe, I know," Paimon nodded with a grin. "Akio feels the same. Otherwise, with his power, he could just fly you through all Seven Nations in one go, and that'd be that."
"Alright, let's go," Lumine agreed with a nod. She missed Akio so much. She wondered how he was doing. As a god of a nation, he was probably living comfortably, right?
"Wait, Lumine, look! There's someone over there!" Just as they were about to move on, Paimon stopped her and pointed into the distance.
"Hm?" Lumine followed Paimon's gaze and saw a beautiful woman with green hair walking absentmindedly.
"Great! Now we won't have to waste time searching for a path," Paimon cheered, stomping her little feet in the air excitedly.
"Hello! We're travelers from abroad. Could we ask for directions?" Paimon called out, waving her arms.
The woman seemed not to hear and kept walking forward.
"Huh? Maybe she didn't hear us. Hey... you there! Sorry, could we ask for directions!?" Paimon raised her voice, startling a flock of birds in the forest.
This time, the woman seemed to notice, pausing her steps. She glanced at the duo briefly before turning and continuing on her way.
"Uh…" Paimon scratched her little head in confusion. "What's going on? Didn't she hear us calling her? Why's she ignoring us?"
"Maybe she has something important to attend to?" Lumine speculated.
"Fine…" Paimon sighed. "Lumine, even though she's ignoring us, let's follow her. Who knows, we might end up at a village or somewhere with more people."
"Then we can ask someone else for help."
"That works," Lumine agreed, nodding at Paimon's suggestion.
"Let's go, quick, we've gotta catch up," Paimon urged.
Lumine and Paimon quickened their pace. Soon, they saw the woman enter a cave.
"A cave? I thought this might be an entrance to a village," Paimon said, scratching her head. "Oh well, let's ask her. Even if she just points us in the right direction, that'd be good."
Lumine nodded and walked into the cave, only to find the woman meditating.
Nearby, a small furnace burned with an unknown substance, emitting a pleasant fragrance.
"Wow! What a nice scent!" Paimon exclaimed. "Even though the setting is simple, living like this seems kinda charming in its own way."
As Lumine inhaled some of the fragrance, her body suddenly wavered.
"'Huh? Lumine, what's wrong?" Paimon noticed her state and asked anxiously. "Why do you look so pale?"
"Lumine…" Paimon called out.
"Ugh… Paimon, my head… it's so dizzy…" Lumine forced herself to stagger toward the exit, trying to escape the smoky area.
"What do I do, what do I do?" Paimon fretted, almost on the verge of tears. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and pulled out the Golden Crystal Akio had given them, placing it in front of Lumine and gripping it tightly.
But no matter how hard Paimon tried, the Golden Crystal showed no reaction.
"Why does it have to fail at a critical moment? Lumine… Lumine!" Paimon was nearly in a panic. She put the crystal away and tried to support Lumine, but Lumine still fainted.
Far away in Inazuma, a golden light flickered in Akio's eyes.
"Oh? Looks like Lumine's consciousness has entered the World Tree," Akio said with a faint smile. He had already logged the spatial coordinates of that location, meaning he could enter the World Tree's dimension at any time.
"Lumine, go experience more of this world's scenery," Akio murmured with a smile, retracting his divine sense.
If there was no harm to Lumine, he naturally wouldn't interfere forcibly.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata…"
On Lumine's end, after a blur of consciousness, she found herself in an unfamiliar space.
Before her stood a radiant, multicolored giant tree.
"Ugh… where am I?" Lumine muttered, still disoriented. Suddenly, the space trembled, and the branch under her feet snapped.
Lumine struggled to regain her balance, landing on a thicker branch.
She slowly approached the tree's trunk. What was this place? She had no memory of it at all.
"Who's there!?" Suddenly, Lumine spotted a blurred figure of light in the distance.
"…World… forget me…"
A/N: Enjoying the story? Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon! Your support helps: Patreon.com/nneol