In this "Truman Show," Setaria's already existing guilt was infinitely amplified.
However, her guilt wasn't toward the Scarlet King—it was toward the children of the desert.
In the end, Setaria was convinced by her own guilt. She was willing to reveal the information she knew, which could also be considered a way to find peace in her heart.
The real-life Setaria nodded repeatedly. That's right.
In the story, the Traveler hurriedly asked what exactly the Sages wanted to do.
Setaria didn't know about this either. How could she know what the Sages' "project" was? She was merely one of the designers of the "Flower God's Birthday Festival loop."
She was the type who would take the blame if something went wrong but wouldn't get any benefits if it succeeded—a small fry.
Setaria only knew one thing:
["There is one thing that's been bothering me. I heard that a scholar who was once exiled by the Akademiya has returned, and the Sages seem to be somewhat wary of him…"]
Seeing this, the Sumeru people were quite speechless. The Sages of the Akademiya were Sumeru's highest leaders—the pinnacle of power in Sumeru.
As the highest leaders, you actually fear a scholar exiled by Sumeru? Have you no shame?
You've already lost to the Fatui. Next, what? Lose to Hilichurls? No face left!
Or is this some top-tier face-slapping literature? Exile the opponent, then after three years, they return and shock everyone, right?
One could already imagine the Grand Sage back then saying "This child is terrifying; he must not be kept" with that expression.
However, at this moment, everyone still didn't know who this exiled scholar was. Some readers even started letting their imaginations run wild.
A scholar exiled by the Akademiya? Could it be that Alhaitham was discovered stealing and then exiled?
What's the situation now? He used that stolen divine canned knowledge and hasn't gone mad yet, so the Akademiya is quite wary of Alhaitham who obtained divine knowledge?
The more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Some readers gradually became convinced of this guess.
Anyway, the prophecy book would tell everyone the answer. Guessing the answer before it was revealed was one of the joys of reading.
Soon, very soon, it was time for the answer to be revealed.
In the story, the Traveler told Setaria to steal the "confidential documents." Naturally, Setaria wouldn't refuse. Right now, she only wanted to ease the guilt in her heart.
[Setaria: "By the way… if I complete this task, can it be considered that I have already 'atoned'?"]
[Rima (Traveler) hesitated: "This… that would depend on the Dendro God's thoughts."]
Dori shook her head. What a pity. If it depended on my thoughts, that would be better. Isn't it just wanting to atone? I can sell "indulgences" here too—the more you buy, the more blessings!
By the way, don't you have no friends? As long as you give Dori Mora, I'll be your best friend!
[Setaria: "The Dendro God… yes, most of those who fell into danger this time are the Dendro God's people. And as the God of Wisdom, the one to judge and guide the scholars… is also the Dendro God."]
["…Perhaps I should believe in a god as well."]
Setaria was extremely happy watching this. Worthy of me—such high comprehension!
In fact, in the world of Teyvat, people who don't believe in gods are actually the minority, because here, gods truly exist.
In Teyvat, believing in gods is also a form of "materialism."
Gods have always existed, accompanying human growth and guarding nations. That's why it's hard for the people of each nation not to love their god.
Why do Liyue people love the Lord of Geo so much? If Li Shimin had lived forever, continuing the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty for three thousand seven hundred years, I think few people could dislike him, right?
Back to the story—it was time to reveal the answer. Now was the "Who am I" segment.
Who exactly was that "exiled scholar" mentioned earlier?
In the story, on the night of the second day, the Traveler and Nahida arrived at the agreed location—the counter of the Adventurers' Guild.
[Paimon questioned: "Katheryne, we're here for the meet-up. Oh wait, you are… you're 'that' Katheryne, right?"]
Katheryne: What can I say? Who are you calling "that" one?
[The Traveler said: "Just call her Nahida directly."]
Paimon opposed this kind of unprofessional behavior from the Traveler.
Little Paimon was very cautious, speaking in a whisper with a serious face:
["Shh…! Tonight we're on a secret mission. We absolutely have to protect the identity of 'Katheryne'!"]
She was quite into the role. Acting as a little spy was pretty professional, but unfortunately, she was too cute to look serious at all.
In the illustration, the tiny Paimon had one hand blocking the side of her mouth, her eyes determined like Zhongli's. Readers only found it adorable.
[Katheryne (Nahida): "What Paimon said makes a lot of sense. After all, we can't completely rule out the possibility that tonight's 'handover' is a trap."]
This made the readers quite approving. Although everything had gone smoothly so far, they were afraid that the Akademiya wasn't that useless and had noticed something—that would be bad.
Whether the Akademiya noticed anything is hard to say, but the Traveler was very sensitive. She discovered something wrong—the surroundings seemed a bit too quiet?
It really felt quiet. There were no Akademiya people on the street either.
The readers also found it strange. Even if it was deep into the night, it shouldn't be this quiet, right? How was there no one at all?
Following the Traveler's perspective to the Akademiya, the entrance of the Akademiya was packed with people.
In the illustration, the people were cheering and leaping with joy, waving their hands and clapping, as if welcoming a triumphant hero.
The eeriness of this scene hit like a wave, giving readers instant goosebumps.
On the next page, a blue-and-white figure walked out from the crowd. The camera didn't show his face.
[???: "Like a triumphant hero— is this welcome ceremony grand enough?"]
Readers who already had goosebumps now widened their eyes even more. There's a twist!
The plan seemed to have really been discovered—this was a trap!
[Nahida: "You are… the exile of the Akademiya!"]
Nahida revealed the other's identity. So he was the "exiled scholar" Setaria mentioned.
Nahida's plan had actually gone very smoothly. The Akademiya was indeed useless and hadn't noticed anything. But the problem was that the Doctor wasn't useless.
At this moment, the Doctor had detected their plan and countered it.
[The Doctor: "That's right. But nowadays, they generally call me—'the Doctor.'"]
The illustration zoomed in, and readers finally saw the Doctor's face. Well, it couldn't really be called seeing it, because he was wearing a mask.
The illustration had an introduction written: Fatui Eleven Executive Officers, Second Seat—the Doctor.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice Lines · Collei: About Lucian
"He told me to eat one apple a day, saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Why?"