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The Scarlet King's priestly ruins were on the verge of becoming a tourist attraction.
Several of the largest Eremite bands in the desert—each of them devout followers of the Scarlet King—had all been invited here by Rahman. The place was so lively it felt like rival sects gathering for a grand duel. Yet everyone arrived with furrowed brows, and everyone left the same way.
"Even so… the Akademiya and the Dendro Archon have treated us desert folk differently for centuries. That's a fact. I don't want to help them."
"Exactly. At best, this clears away old hatred. But as for getting along? That's another matter entirely."
"Think about cause and effect. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata saved the Scarlet King's people. She was our benefactor. Every single one of us standing here—who doesn't owe her a life?"
"…Sigh."
"If you ask me, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and Lesser Lord Kusanali is Lesser Lord Kusanali. What kindness has the Lesser Lord ever shown us?"
The leaders of the Eremite bands argued back and forth on the outskirts of the ruins.
Suddenly, a new voice joined in. "If you're going to draw distinctions, then draw them a bit more clearly."
They turned around. Someone asked, "And you are…?"
"This is Brother Victor," Rahman said. "It was his spirit companion that discovered these ruins."
The crowd fell silent. A few sighs followed.
After something like this, no one could keep a calm heart—and with an outsider present, no one quite knew how to speak.
So, Victor Wang continued.
"In truth, Lesser Lord Kusanali has been imprisoned by the Akademiya for five hundred years. The ones who treated you differently were the Akademiya, not her.
Even while imprisoned and limited in power, Lesser Lord Kusanali still did everything she could—through the exiled mad scholars, through the Guardians of Aaru Village—to protect the desert's people. Just like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she never forgot you.
Rescuing her isn't only for her sake. It's for yours as well.
This is a chance for the people of Sumeru—whose views of you were warped by the Akademiya—to truly come to know you again. And it's a chance for Lesser Lord Kusanali to better help the desert folk in the future."
They looked at one another, hesitation giving way to wavering resolve.
Seeing this, Rahman swept his arm decisively. "Anyone willing to help, stay. Anyone who isn't, leave now—don't stand around dithering and embarrassing yourselves. I, for one, won't be ungrateful. Even if Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is gone, I'll repay that debt!"
Victor Wang had spoken of her actions; Rahman of his debt—and even provided a way out. There was hardly any reason left to refuse.
By the time Victor Wang wrapped things up here, Lumine's group returned with fresh intelligence.
"The Doctor has left Sumeru!"
Paimon announced it with a cheer. Unfortunately, her audience was Victor Wang and Alhaitham—one who wasn't surprised but tried to look a little surprised, and one who was surprised but didn't show it.
Victor Wang cooperated fully. "Why would he leave at a time like this?"
"Apparently the Tsaritsa is summoning all the Harbingers?"
Paimon recalled the details.
"Since he's The Balladeer's first believer, The Doctor seemed really interested in Haypasia. He knew Tighnari was treating her at Pardis Dhyai, so he went there himself and pretended he wanted to take her back to Snezhnaya for treatment. Tighnari refused.
Then he said something like, 'If it were any other day, I might not let this go—but unfortunately, I'm pressed for time. Her Majesty the Tsaritsa is summoning us.' After that, he left from Port Ormos—we saw it with our own eyes!
But of course, he wasn't being that honest. His subordinates secretly doubled back to Pardis Dhyai to try to kidnap Haypasia. Good thing we stopped them!"
"Great," Victor Wang said, cheering very insincerely.
He knew full well that The Doctor was acting.
If The Doctor truly wanted to take Haypasia, Tighnari alone wouldn't have been able to stop him. This felt more like he was afraid no one would believe he'd leave so easily, so he deliberately stirred up trouble.
More than that, he might even have been using Haypasia to hint at the new god's identity—just in case the others didn't already know.
By openly displaying his departure, he wanted everyone to act without hesitation. By deliberately drawing attention to clues that exposed The Balladeer's identity, he wanted them to lock onto the target.
He intended for this borrowed blade to strike fast and true—so that he could later retrieve the Electro Gnosis without lifting a finger.
Seen that way, the Tsaritsa summoning the Harbingers at this exact moment… that was the one thing that actually seemed genuine.
Alhaitham analyzed calmly. "With The Doctor gone, once the Jnagarbha Day arrives the day after tomorrow, we can proceed without reservations."
After that, the waiting passed in a blur. Soon enough, the Jnagarbha Day arrived.
Alhaitham and Lumine made no attempt to hide themselves, charging straight into the Akademiya early that morning.
Meanwhile, Nilou—already fully briefed on the plan—waited quietly along the necessary route outside the Akademiya.
Before long, the guards escorted Alhaitham—treated as a mad scholar—out of the city. Awaiting him was exile to Aaru Village… assuming nothing went wrong.
Upon receiving the signal, Nilou returned to the Grand Bazaar. In addition to the companions assisting with the performance, three cloaked figures were present—Victor Wang, Dehya, Cyno—and Isak, disguised as the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
Final preparations were made. Then everyone split up.
Nilou and Cyno headed for the Akademiya gates—one to trigger the Art Prohibition, the other to seize control of the sages the moment the guards were drawn away.
Victor Wang, Dehya, and Isaac went to their designated location, waiting for the guards to arrive and capture the fake Lesser Lord Kusanali.
When the guards spotted Isaac from afar, they took the bait exactly as expected. They obeyed the Akasha's orders without the slightest hesitation, mobilizing en masse.
Originally, the ambush site was meant to be the Grand Bazaar, but—
Eight large ships and more than twenty small ones suddenly appeared all around the Akademiya guards. Such a formation simply wouldn't fit in the Grand Bazaar—and couldn't be concealed anywhere else. Fortunately, the ships alone were enough to trap the guards completely.
Eight Eremite bands arrived in force, their shouts rising like thunder and crashing waves.
"Hohahahaha! Pirates of the desert! Pirates on land! Has anyone ever seen such a sight?!"
The two sides clashed. Before long, the panicked Akademiya guards were completely subdued by the well-prepared Eremites.
Victor Wang asked, "Who's carrying the key to the Akademiya's confinement chamber? Hand it over. Don't make me search you—there'll be penalties if I find it myself."
A guard answered immediately, "H-Here… here…"
"Good. Dehya, I'm heading in to release Lumine and Paimon."
"Mm. 'Not disturbing public order in the city' was the condition under which the Corps of Thirty, who handle city security, agreed to turn a blind eye. Still, there's bound to be some unrest on the streets. I'll stay here to keep order between the Eremites, the Corps of Thirty, and the people of Sumeru City. We'll meet again later."
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