Alright, so picture this: we're standing there after the ruins basically drop a lore nuke on Rahman. The poor guy looks like someone told him his whole religion was just bad fanfiction written by the wrong author. To any believer, that truth would have been a heavy slap. But hey, I'm Shigeru—I once believed Santa was real, so to me this was just Tuesday. And not even a particularly shocking Tuesday. More like, "oh, the milk spoiled again" Tuesday.
Rahman sat down on a rock, staring at nothing like he'd just seen the credits roll on his life. Dehya crouched next to him, voice low. She asked, "Hey, how're you doing?"
Rahman exhaled like he was deflating. "...I'll live, heh. Thanks."
I leaned on the wall, arms crossed, trying to look wise. Relax, man. I used to think Santa was real too. Then I found out it was just some mall guy with questionable hygiene. Same thing.
Nilou tilted her head, giving Rahman a soft smile. "Beliefs are hard to let go of... but maybe that means you'll make room for something better."
Rahman blinked at her, surprised, before sighing again. "Maybe so."
Greg flicked his tongue at Rahman, like he was testing the air for sadness. Or maybe he was just hungry. Hard to tell with reptiles.
Rahman shook his head and muttered, "I should probably go. I can't just stay here forever."
Dehya's brow furrowed. "What's your next move gonna be?"
He chuckled bitterly. "I know what you're going to ask... I feel deeply ashamed of everything I've done. You'll get everything you're asking for. But please, give me some time. After everything that's happened here today... Somehow, I need to explain it to the others."
Dehya sighed. "It's not gonna be easy."
Lumine spoke gently, "But if you can convince them with the truth, then it'll matter more than any fight."
Rahman pulled out a map and handed it to her. "Well, I guess that's for me to deal with. Dehya, this is where our camp's located. Make a note of it."
Dehya looked him in the eye. "When would be a good time for us to go?"
Rahman nodded. "Tomorrow. I'll convince everyone that we're all on the same side. And I'll return every last one of your mad—sorry, your Village Keepers. We'll share our other resources with you, too."
Cyno crossed his arms tighter than a crab pinching a seashell. "You seem to finally understand that our true enemy is the sages."
Rahman's voice grew steady. "Yes. The gods never gave up on anyone. It's the people responsible for all this that need to face the consequences of their actions."
Nilou whispered to herself, "That's... actually really brave."
Paimon floated above, tapping her chin. "That must've been rough, but he seems to have figured things out now."
Alhaitham, never missing a chance to sound like he was commenting on the weather, added, "The outcome, at least, is favorable."
I scratched my head. Favorable? The man just found out his entire belief system was a scam. Favorable is when you get an extra dumpling in your food order, not when your soul collapses and rebuilds itself overnight.
Dehya nodded slowly. "Rahman's no fool. Being the leader of your own faction in the desert is no easy feat. It's too bad he was held back by his belief in King Deshret, but now that that's changed, I guess we have a few more people on our side."
Greg crawled up onto my shoulder and swatted me with his tail. Probably his way of saying stop thinking so loud, I'm trying to nap here.
Lumine crossed her arms, thoughtful. "This is a turn for the better."
Paimon spun in the air. "We should get going too. Let's head back, have a proper meal, and a nice, long sleep! We'll need all our energy tomorrow."
Cyno gave her his patented stare of doom. Silence.
Paimon flapped her arms dramatically. "Cynooooo! We're leaving!"
Finally, he muttered, "...Stop yelling."
Nilou giggled behind her hand. "Paimon, you're louder than all of us combined."
Paimon puffed her cheeks. "Am not!"
I clapped my hands together. "Alright, time to go home, right? Not gonna lie, I'm gonna miss that comfy domain. Creepy walls, glowing runes, Rahman's mid-life crisis echoing in the background—it was starting to feel like home!"
Dehya glared. "No. We'll gather all the Village Keepers first."
I threw my hands up. "Aight, aight. Time to go to the enemy camp that's not so enemy anymore. Let's go!!!"
Greg flicked his tongue in my ear. Probably his way of saying: this clown again.
Cyno groaned. "I said stop shouting. What is wrong with you people?"
"Us people?" I pointed at him. "Brother, you're part of this group now. Welcome to the chaos."
Alhaitham raised a brow. "That is debatable."
Nilou giggled again, covering her smile. "You always make things feel lighter."
I winked at her. "That's because laughter is humanity's strongest weapon. Well, that and swords. And friendship. And Greg. Definitely Greg."
Greg swatted my cheek with his tail. Punctuation, lizard edition.
And that's how we left the temple: Rahman with an identity crisis the size of Sumeru, Dehya visibly aging from stress, Cyno regretting all his life choices, Lumine playing the voice of reason, Nilou brightening the mood, Paimon thinking of food, Greg being a reptile, and me—Shigeru—the glue barely holding this disaster squad together with bad jokes and questionable optimism.
***
Alright, so picture this: we just got spat out of the Domain like a group project nobody wanted, and we're standing there in the desert sand trying to pretend we aren't all carrying a truckload of trauma in our pockets. My brain was still buffering, like, Did we really just watch Kasala's personal highlight reel of despair? Yes. Yes, we did. Thanks for the nightmares, ancient priest.
I clapped my hands together and said, "Aight, so we're going to the eremite camp now, right?"
Dehya nodded, calm as always, though I swear there was a twitch in her eyebrow like she was questioning her life choices.
"Good, good," I said, giving her the classic Shigeru thumbs-up. "Just making sure we're still the same suicidal idiots we were five minutes ago, even after seeing dear old Priest Kasala's personal memory Netflix binge. Because, honestly, there's no one in their right mind who'd just waltz into an enemy camp like they own the place, yeah?"
Nilou pressed her hands together nervously. "It is a little reckless… but if it's for the Village Keepers, then we have to do it."
Lumine sighed, arms crossed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… he's not entirely wrong."
Cyno's expression didn't even twitch. He said flatly, "They don't seem so hostile anymore. And if they try anything… we'll deal with them."
I grinned wide. "Ohhh, I like that! Violence! You really do know my romance, Mini Anubis."
Lumine groaned and facepalmed like she had secondhand embarrassment poisoning. Paimon sighed. "Does he ever stop talking?"
Nilou tried not to laugh but her shoulders were shaking, while Alhaitham looked like he was drafting his resignation letter in his head. Greg, on my shoulder, flicked his tongue like he was signing off on my nonsense.
Greg then smacked me with his tail, punctuation mark included. Probably his way of saying: shut up before you get us all killed.
Moments later, we reached the camp. The eremites stiffened when we appeared, but Rahman stepped forward, trying his best to look like this was all under control.
Dehya crossed her arms. "Rahman, we're here."
Rahman spread his hands. "Everything's been arranged. Someone will bring the Village Keepers back to Aaru Village shortly."
Nilou's shoulders eased, relief softening her expression. "That's wonderful news…"
Dehya nodded once. "I guess all I can say now is… thanks for agreeing to help."
Rahman shook his head. "Don't mention it. I think we can both agree you went to hell and back for it. But we share a common cause now. From here on out, we're allies."
I muttered under my breath, "Allies until further notice… sounds like the tagline of every bad political drama I've ever seen."
Greg flicked his tongue in agreement. At least someone appreciated my commentary.
Cyno's gaze sharpened. "Where are the perpetrators?"
Rahman gestured deeper into the camp. "I'll bring you to them. Follow me."
We were led into a tent where two very guilty-looking scholars sat, looking like kids caught red-handed raiding a cookie jar. Alhaitham stepped forward, monotone as usual. "So these are the people who kidnapped the Village Keepers."
The first one, Morghi, nearly jumped out of his seat. "Oh no, it's the scribe!?"
Alhaitham deadpanned, "There's no need to yell. No one can help you now."
Paimon floated forward, hands on hips. "We've been all over the desert trying to find you!"
Cyno crossed his arms, voice like steel. "That's right."
The scholar's face drained of blood. "General Mahamatra!? No, no! M–Make it quick, please! Swift and painless…"
Paimon's eyes widened. "Whoa! The moment they see Cyno, they turn pale like they've seen a ghost…"
Cyno's voice dropped lower. "You should've known I'd be coming for you."
Another scholar, Judar, whimpered. "No, not Cyno… He's gonna tear us limb from limb!"
Cyno tilted his head, completely serious. "I could do worse."
Nilou whispered under her breath, "That's… not very reassuring…"
Morghi collapsed to his knees. "P–Please have mercy!"
Cyno's eyes narrowed. "Start talking. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to… other methods."
I leaned to Greg. "Other methods probably means extra paperwork. The horror." Greg tail-slapped my nose. He disagreed.
Alhaitham leaned forward slightly. "So. Your superiors have kept you quite busy recently. Why? What are they trying to accomplish?"
Judar swallowed audibly. "Um… they, um, wanted to extract Canned Knowledge…"
Alhaitham's tone sharpened. "Don't play dumb. You know what I'm really asking. They extract Divine Canned Knowledge… then what?"
Morghi flailed his hands. "I… I, uh, really don't know how to explain it…"
Paimon puffed her cheeks. "Well, you better start talking, or you'll be sorry!"
Dehya cracked her knuckles. "You don't wanna make things any more difficult for yourself, do ya?"
Lumine stepped forward, calm but firm. "May I ask them a question?"
Cyno gave her a nod. "Be my guest."
Lumine's eyes narrowed. "The sages are trying to create a new god, aren't they?"
I smacked my forehead dramatically. "Oh right! The mecha nonsense that Giant Hat Guy was piloting! Almost forgot about him. How could I forget Gundam Wannabe?"
Cyno actually blinked in surprise. "…."
Alhaitham turned, sharp-eyed. "What?"
Dehya's jaw dropped. "That didn't sound like a metaphor… You're serious?"
Morghi wilted. "…How did you know?"
Judar threw his hands up. "There's no use hiding it now… Yes, you're right. The Akademiya is working on an important and potentially world-changing project. They are creating a new god… a god that will belong to them, and to the people of Sumeru."
He started spilling everything like a broken jar, talking about Rukkhadevata's death, the withering of Irminsul, the Fatui Doctor showing up with a Gnosis, and how the sages were dumb enough to go along with it. Paimon gasped in all the right places, Nilou's hands tightened over her dress, Lumine kept her gaze sharp, and I just muttered, "Wow, evil science fair project level 9999." Greg flicked his tongue like he was grading them an F for effort.
Judar rambled on about divine vessels, samsara dream juice, the Akasha, the divine core, divine canned knowledge—basically divine everything. It was like listening to someone explain how they ruined the world in five easy steps.
Dehya sighed. "…It adds up."
Alhaitham's face hardened. "But how do you determine whether the knowledge extracted is of divine origin?"
Morghi, sweating, stammered about 'educated guesses' and knowledge mortals couldn't comprehend. He ended with a dramatic flourish: "…In other words, it's the source of the God of Wisdom's omniscience and omnipotence."
Alhaitham went silent, clearly unimpressed. "But the sages' end product won't be Greater Lord Rukkhadevata… It will be The Balladeer."
Paimon's wings froze mid-flap. Nilou's breath caught. I whispered, "Knew it. Anime villain upgrade arc incoming."
Greg slapped my cheek with his tail again. Probably his way of saying, Not the time, idiot.
Alhaitham continued coldly, dissecting their arrogance and comparing them to moths chasing light. Cyno cut in, asking about Lesser Lord Kusanali. The scholars admitted the sages never treated her as a god—just a child who disappointed them. They drained her Gnosis, ignored her existence, and slowly erased her from memory.
Lumine's fists clenched. "Even now, they still refuse to acknowledge Lesser Lord Kusanali…"
Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I never imagined a god could be subjected to such cruelty."
The mood soured into silence. Even I couldn't bring myself to crack a joke for a moment. Then Greg flicked his tongue, and it was like he was nudging me—say something, clown.
So I said, "Well, at least now we know who the final boss is. Spoiler alert: it ain't pretty."
Dehya finally broke it with a sharp exhale. "Alright, let's try to keep our cool. If everyone's in a bad mood, let's change the scenery. Rahman, give me a few men to help us escort the Village Keepers back to the village. And these two scholars—they're coming too."
Rahman nodded. "Sure, as you wish."
And that's how we stood there in that tent: Dehya organizing, Cyno glaring holes into scholars' souls, Alhaitham dissecting logic, Nilou worrying, Lumine brimming with quiet fury, Paimon huffing about justice, Greg being a reptile philosopher, and me—Shigeru—trying to balance dread with bad jokes, because someone's gotta keep this disaster party from collapsing into a collective existential crisis.
______________
End of Chapter 130
Quests Completed:
*Rahman learns the truth about King Deshret's fall and the sages' deception. His belief system collapses in one blow, leaving him dazed but willing to ally with the party.
*Shigeru comforts Rahman by comparing his shattered faith to discovering mall Santas with bad hygiene. Morale impact: questionable.
*Witness Rahman process his spiritual breakdown like a man binge-watching the ending to a show he hated. Dehya: supportive, Nilou: hopeful, Shigeru: sarcastic.
*Escort Rahman back to his eremite camp. Through sheer willpower and Nilou's cinnamon roll aura, he convinces his followers to cooperate. Scholars look guilty enough to cry.
*Interrogate two very nervous Akademiya scholars. They crumble instantly under Cyno's death-stare and spill every classified project like kids tattling in school.
*Discover the sages' master plan: use forbidden knowledge and the Fatui's Gnosis to create a new god—the Balladeer. Group reaction: horror, outrage, one sarcastic anime reference.
*Greg actively tail-slaps Shigeru to stop him from blurting out too much or pressing suspicious buttons mid-lore dump.
*Watch as two scholars beg for mercy at the sight of the Mahamatra, who responds with cryptic threats and paperwork-adjacent intimidation.
*Lumine breaks her calm façade upon hearing of Nahida's mistreatment, her clenched fists silently promising judgment. Shigeru decides "not a good time for jokes" (lasted 12 seconds).
Rewards:
*Adventure EXP: +7,200
*Mora + 28,500
*Companionship EXP: +600 (Lumine, Nilou, Dehya, Cyno, Alhaitham, Paimon, Greg, Rahman)
*Rahman's Desert Map (Updated) — Marks eremite camps and safe routes across the sands.
*Kasala's Lingering Echo — A spectral trace of the priest's last memory. Holding it feels heavy, like carrying the truth itself.
*Nilou's Hug (Extended Edition) — Restores 30 Morale instantly, applies Embarrassed Buffoon debuff to Shigeru.
*Greg's Babysitter Badge II — Further enhanced. Now triggers auto-tail smack if Shigeru mentions "Santa" in a serious discussion.
*Alhaitham's Cold Lecture — Passive: +10 Logic, –10 Warmth in conversations.
*(Cyno's Death Stare v2.0 — Frightens enemies, terrifies guilty scholars, silences Paimon (rare drop).
*Dehya's Stress Crackle — A visible aura that restores sanity to the group while draining hers.
*Paimon's Food Priority List — Reveals nearest meal opportunities with 95% accuracy.
*Scholar's Confession Notes — Disorganized rambling containing everything about the sages' project. Smells faintly of fear.