Tighnari only heard the rumors around noon that day.
He found it both amusing and exasperating.
Cyno had decided the ordinary Matra were too inefficient, so he took matters into his own hands—stalking, capturing, all done solo.
The regular Matra were left with nothing but guard duty.
As a result, most had no idea how Cyno pulled it off.
And since Cyno was too busy keeping watch, he didn't bother explaining to the curious onlookers, which led to the birth of wild rumors.
People were snatched away on the spot, never to be seen again. Add in the deep forests surrounding Gandharva Ville… and suddenly, tales of a man-eating monster didn't seem so far-fetched.
"So, how many have you actually eaten?" Tighnari asked, genuinely curious.
Cyno stood with his arms crossed, his expression dark.
He shook his head, frustration simmering in his voice. "Six already."
And that was with Cyno being lenient in his arrests.
After all, the world wasn't just black and white.
He'd ignored minor offenses, focusing only on those who seriously violated the Akademiya's laws. Yet even in this small corner of Gandharva Ville, six had been caught.
Disgusting.
Sumeru's system was different from other nations.
Selling the Akademiya's secrets? In any other country, that'd be treason!
And people were doing it—more than one, at that.
Cyno almost felt like becoming the monster from the rumors and devouring them on the spot.
But it didn't stop there.
There were also those who bit the hand that fed them—taking the Akademiya's resources while undermining its authority.
These past few days, Cyno had witnessed the full spectrum of human depravity.
The Akademiya was… complicated.
Dragons and fish swam together—true geniuses alongside utter frauds.
Some even coasted through academia on nepotism, contributing nothing.
And Cyno hadn't even returned to the Akademiya proper. Just in Gandharva Ville alone, he'd already caught this many…
"Tell me," Cyno sighed, his voice heavy with disillusionment, "has the Akademiya rotted from the inside out?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Tighnari replied, shaking his head. "At least my mentor is relatively clean."
"Naphis, the Sage of Amurta?" Cyno nodded.
That man was definitely not part of Grand Sage Azar's faction.
Here, "faction" didn't refer to the Akademiya's six schools, but the political alliances among the sages themselves.
"It's been a while since I've heard anything about Sage Naphis. Do you think we could learn more about the Akademiya's inner workings through him?" Cyno asked.
As the General Mahamatra, his department operated independently from the Akademiya's main structure.
The Matra existed to oversee and enforce.
But the Grand Sage, backed by half the sages, could still counterbalance the General Mahamatra's authority.
Once, it had been a system of checks and balances. But as time passed since Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's demise, the General Mahamatra's influence over the sages had waned.
Cyno knew more about the Akademiya than the average scholar, but far less than an actual sage.
"About my teacher…"
Tighnari rubbed his temples. "I forgot to mention this earlier. The day we returned to Sumeru, I received a letter from him. He said he was leading a top-secret research project that would take at least three to five months to complete, so he'd be unreachable until then."
"That convenient?" Something felt off.
"Was it his handwriting?" Cyno pressed.
Tighnari nodded. "His handwriting, his tone—everything matched."
"Any hidden messages? Like Liyue's acrostic poetry, or coded phrases only you'd understand?"
Again, Tighnari shook his head. "I considered that possibility. Unfortunately, nothing stood out."
"Nothing at all…" Was that good or bad?
Cyno mulled it over.
Naphis wasn't aligned with Azar's faction, but Cyno didn't know how deep his ties ran with that group.
Still, based on what he knew, Naphis was likely safe—or at least trustworthy.
"I want to go back," Cyno said abruptly.
"No!"
Tighnari's expression turned grave. "Absolutely not!"
"There's a safer way."
Cyno understood—Tighnari meant Genshin Impact.
Cyno hadn't had time to grind, but Tighnari and Collei had.
Well, Collei had the most free time, so her progress was the fastest.
"That method is safer, but it feels too slow… Azar clearly knows the cards are real. The question is, does he know about the phones and Genshin Impact?" Cyno mused.
"Given time, he probably will," Tighnari said grimly.
"What would his reaction be?"
"If it benefits Sumeru, he might support it. If not, he could accelerate his plans."
Cyno frowned. "Whether something benefits Sumeru depends on perspective, doesn't it?"
"Hard to say."
Tighnari exhaled. "But right now, our priority is stability. If we act rashly, we might disrupt the status quo."
Unlike Cyno, Tighnari wasn't as impulsive. He had time to think things through.
Cyno had been suspended and expelled.
If the Akademiya feared him, they'd have confined him—locked him up outright.
Yet they'd let him go.
Almost as if they wanted him gone.
That was… unsettling.
Tighnari suspected Azar didn't want Cyno returning to the Akademiya.
If Cyno tried, things could turn dangerous.
"Rather than going back now, we should wait."
Tighnari said, "Once we reach Sumeru's main storyline, we'll likely find clues."
"Fine."
Cyno sighed in resignation.
It was the safest approach.
Charging into the Akademiya blind…
Even if the Akademiya lacked combat prowess, doing so would mean declaring war on an entire nation.
A nation's full strength was no joke.
Cyno didn't want to force their hand prematurely.
As much as it frustrated him, waiting was their only option.
When Cyno stood, Tighnari asked, "Where are you going?"
"To vent some frustration."
Tighnari chuckled wryly.
Whoever Cyno caught next… was in for a world of pain.
Cyno had no specific destination.
He wandered wherever his feet took him, observing as he went.
Criminals typically fell into two categories.
Some blended into crowds—so seamlessly that ordinary Matra couldn't spot them without concrete evidence.
Others hid in the wilderness.
Having already scrutinized Gandharva Ville's residents, Cyno now roamed the deep forests.
After hours of fruitless searching, he leaned against a tree, drinking from his waterskin.
Just as he was about to cap it, his ears twitched.
Silently, he stowed the waterskin and climbed to higher ground, parting the undergrowth to peer below.
A convoy moved along a narrow, overgrown path, transporting goods in eerie silence.
Why would a convoy take such a treacherous route?
Smugglers.
A vertical line appeared on his forehead, unfurling like an eye.
Grey sclera, white iris, blue outer ring, purple pupil—the four-colored eye of his fourth-tier Vision swept over the suspicious convoy.
In an instant, the lives of every member flashed before his Judgement's Eye.
Cyno's expression darkened.
Fatui?!
Most of the convoy were Fatui operatives, disguised as Sumeru locals. Without close inspection, their foreign features were nearly indistinguishable.
Cyno's gaze locked onto the guide leading the way—a Sumeru scholar from the Akademiya.
The Judgement's Eye delivered its verdict:
Crimes:
Colluding with foreign powers, betraying his faith, stealing national assets.Participant in the "Divine Creation Project."
Cyno's pupils constricted.
Betraying his faith? Stealing from Sumeru?
Unforgivable.
But another question arose:
What was the "Divine Creation Project"?
The fact that it was listed as a standalone charge meant it was significant.
Cyno scanned the other Fatui members.
Plundering national resources.Peripheral members of the "Divine Creation Project," transporting supplies.Accomplices in "human experimentation."
Again, the "Divine Creation Project"—and now human experimentation?!
Cyno's eyes widened in horror.
Human experimentation was strictly forbidden by the Akademiya.
Scholars were meant to respect life above all.
If it were medical research for noble purposes, it wouldn't be a crime.
But the mere fact that it was listed as an offense spoke volumes.
Cyno resisted the urge to strike immediately, instead pulling out his phone to message Tighnari.
Seconds later, a reply came through.
With his phone on silent, there was no risk of detection.
[Tighnari]: Don't engage. Follow at a distance, track their destination, then return. Do NOT get too close. Check in every five minutes.
[Cyno]: Understood.
Cyno pocketed his phone and switched his Vision's card.
In an instant, his movements became feather-light, a cloak materializing around him.
Using a telescope with a mesh filter, he observed from afar.
The convoy's wheel tracks ran deep—they were hauling something heavy.
More tellingly, the rear guards were erasing those tracks as they went.
These people took secrecy very seriously.
Their vigilance never wavered as they scanned their surroundings.
Cyno wasn't worried about being spotted.
His card's effects masked his presence, and his cloak mimicked the environment, rendering him nearly invisible.
He maintained a distance of several hundred meters.
On a particularly rough stretch, something fell from the convoy.
Cyno zoomed in with his telescope.
"Ore from The Chasm?"
This wasn't ordinary ore.
Cyno recognized it as a key component in crafting a rare, ultra-hard alloy—a strategic resource.
Sumeru could only import limited quantities from Liyue each year.
The convoy members quickly retrieved the dropped ore and pressed on.
Two hours later…
A squad of Fatui operatives awaited them at a rendezvous point, taking over the convoy's cargo.
Cyno noted the location—Devantaka Mountain.
A desolate area, rarely visited.
The Fatui led the convoy into a cave.
Cyno didn't follow, prioritizing caution.
After marking the location and ensuring he left no traces, he retreated.
"Here?" Tighnari pointed to Devantaka Mountain on the map.
"The cave is right there," Cyno confirmed.
"It's too close to the Akademiya. No way they don't know about this."
Tighnari frowned. "What would they need that alloy for? And what's this 'Divine Creation Project'? Are they trying to… create a god?"
Cyno's scowl deepened.
"Create a god?" Tighnari scoffed.
As one of the Akademiya's top graduates, he knew the chasm between mortals and deities.
For humans to create a god?
Delusional.
"I'd believe they were building a spaceship before I'd believe this."
Yet the evidence was undeniable.
The Judgement's Eye didn't lie.
"It's almost laughable," Tighnari sighed.
Cyno nodded. "With Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's revival and Lesser Lord Kusanali still reigning, what's the point? A coup?"
"Whatever their goal, we can't act recklessly."
Tighnari's tone turned serious. "Calling it the 'Divine Creation Project' implies extensive preparations. And with Fatui involvement, security will be tight. We're no match for them head-on."
He wasn't afraid—but charging in would be suicidal.
"Should we consult Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?" Cyno suggested.
"Good idea."
They had her contact info.
A message was sent, and her reply came swiftly:
[Greater Lord Rukkhadevata]: Pretend you saw nothing. Stay safe. Once I recover, I'll return to handle this.
"She must know something," Tighnari deduced.
"If even she has to wait until she's recovered… Sumeru's situation is worse than we thought."
Cyno massaged his temples. "Evil is right before us, yet we can't lift a finger…"
With a sigh, he muttered, "I'm taking a nap."
"Guess that's all we can do."
Tighnari checked Collei's progress in Genshin Impact.
She'd already reached Ritou in Inazuma.
"Reckoning day might not be far off."
Shaking his head, Tighnari turned his attention to Gandharva Ville's latest crisis—
Stubborn foragers insisting their mushroom poisoning was due to "undercooking," refusing to stop eating them.
Some things never changed.
Out on the open sea…
In the past, sailors had their own ways to pass time during long voyages.
Without entertainment, weeks or even months at sea would've been unbearable.
Now, sailors whiled away the hours scrolling through short videos on their phones.
A few laughs, some eye candy—another day brightened.
But Kaedehara Kazuha was feeling the pressure.
To his left stood Gorou, to his right, Yae Miko.
Both were watching him play Genshin Impact.
With little else to do onboard, Kazuha often read news or played the game, curious about the original timeline.
Right now, the Traveler had just met his in-game counterpart.
The Inazuma storyline was beginning.
Gorou and Yae Miko were riveted.
Wherever the Traveler went, chaos followed—a natural-born protagonist!
If the Traveler was heading to Inazuma, peace was the last thing to expect.
Kazuha included, everyone wanted to know what fate awaited their homeland.
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T/N:
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