Sumeru folks are saying they're a bit confused now. Does connecting to a god turn you into this? It's pretty much the same as my usual state after eating mushrooms.
Is this actually connecting to a god, or is it seeing a little person of the god after eating mushrooms?
In reality, the Scaramouche frowned. This way of speaking feels so familiar... Oh, I see, this is my first and only believer, huh.
The Scaramouche suddenly took an interest in this Haypasia person, even though in this timeline, Haypasia hasn't become his believer.
In the book, Haypasia is also very interested in him, even wanting to proselytize.
Haypasia says she can even let the Traveler connect to the god as well, so they can ask the god what "the world... forgets me" means.
This ability is something even Nahida in the story says she's never heard of, and the readers are even more baffled.
Connecting to a god? But Sumeru's god isn't right next to the Traveler right now? What god are you connecting to? Did you go abroad?
Haypasia in the story has already prepared the incense, and the scent of the incense lets the Traveler see the "will of the god."
Turn the page, and on a pitch-black illustration, there are only a few lines of dialogue.
["I have been betrayed three times, and thus I understand that all things in the world are nothing but veils of deception."]
On the next page's illustration, there is a hand, with swirling lightning patterns behind it. Obviously, this is Inazuma's story. The owner of this hand seems to be the Raiden Shogun?
["My anger will never subside!"]
Turn the page, and the illustration indeed shows the silhouette of Ei, with threads extending from her hand connecting to a puppet.
["The first is a god, my creator, my 'mother.'"]
The readers are dumbfounded. How does this involve you, Thunder God? We've already reached Sumeru, and you still haven't wrapped up your arc?
Ei is also dumbfounded. So even after the nation collapsed, she still sees me as her 'mother,' huh.
The Scaramouche is also dumbfounded like them. He has a feeling that his black history is being uncovered. He never thought that one day he would have a similar feeling to that chuunibyou princess.
If he had seen this before being defeated, the Scaramouche would have felt angry, but seeing it now, the Scaramouche only feels a bit dumbfounded, not knowing what emotion to use for a moment.
He didn't see this book back when he loved burning books, but now that he's quit burning books, he sees it. Lucian, don't force me to break my precept.
Today is the first day of quitting burning books.
In the illustration, the Scaramouche is thrown into the Palace of Dormancy; he has been abandoned by the Thunder God.
["She was swayed by the power and discarded the useless me."]
Ei doesn't comment on it. Power? What power? Ei doesn't care about their power at all, and discarding the Scaramouche wasn't because of any power either.
The truth is, she understands her sister well. The power that Ei pursues is sought inwardly; she wouldn't pursue any external power. Clearly, the Scaramouche has misunderstood.
This is also why after ascending to godhood, the Scaramouche wanted to prove his power to Ei—because he thinks this is the reason he was discarded; he still wants to prove himself to his 'mother.'
In reality, it's really like a "Beelzebul, I have obtained my PhD" vibe.
Unfortunately, Ei remains unmoved because Ei never cared in the first place.
So Ei continues flipping through the story.
["The second is human, my family, my friend."]
In the illustration, Niwa's face is unclear, but he strikes the iron once and then looks at the Eccentric beside him with a face full of smiles.
The Eccentric learns by example, and after striking the next hammer, his expression is one of novelty and surprise.
The ashes are blown away from the Scaramouche's hand by the wind; he still couldn't hold back.
It's the first day of quitting burning books. Here we go again. The Scaramouche takes out another book, slowly calms his emotions, and continues reading.
In the illustration, flames burn in his chest. In the next picture, he pulls out his own 'fire,' looking as if he has pulled out his heart.
["They were bound by fear and saw me as a detestable thing."]
The readers don't understand this scene and dialogue. Actually, this is the Scaramouche stopping Ei from going toward the furnace heart.
Turn the page again, and the Country Destroyer wearing a conical hat and headscarf meets a child. He cautiously extends his hand, wanting to make contact with him.
["The third is one of my own kind, my hope, a bird whose wings have not yet fully grown."]
In the illustration, the Country Destroyer joyfully pushes open the door, with a bouquet of flowers held in his arms.
But behind the door, there is no one to welcome him, only the child collapsed in a pool of blood.
["They were controlled by their lifespan and broke the promise with me."]
Seeing this, the readers are a bit puzzled. The first two can be let go; even without talking about whether there were misunderstandings, from the Scaramouche's perspective, they can indeed be called 'betrayals.'
But can this third one be considered a betrayal? The first two can still be said to be abandoned and thus betrayed, but the third is clearly an act of force majeure.
Classifying this situation as betrayal seems a bit too extreme; it feels like emotional hypersensitivity leading to overreactions to everything.
["Humans are absolutely untrustworthy; gods too make me loathe them."]
["I abandon all, deny and mock everything of humanity."]
["My chest will no longer be tainted by the mundane; I discard the inferior human emotions."]
This passage gives the readers the feeling that it confirms their guess: this is indeed an overreaction from emotional hypersensitivity.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, he was thrown away by his 'mother' right after being born. A child lacking education is indeed prone to getting stuck in a rut.
Later, someone was finally willing to teach him, but that person was gone before teaching him for long.
A person who has never seen the light won't be so obsessed with light. After Niwa disappeared, the Scaramouche became even more extreme instead.
Turn the page again, and the readers see the Country Destroyer's figure gradually receding in the next illustration. The clothes on his body have also changed from the Eccentric's to those of a Fatui Executive.
At this moment, everyone in their hearts has only one thought—that is—it's over!
Fatui Executives—among ten of them, there might even be eleven without parents, not to mention there's also that wicked, smoke-belching Doctor! How do you educate them?
["My hollow part will be filled, like the blank scroll at the moment of birth, with the supreme heart of a god full of divinity."]
Seeing this sentence, some smart readers start to use their imagination: using the Gnosis to replace the 'blank scroll'? Is it saying that the Scaramouche's current 'heart' is the Gnosis?
But that Gnosis should be the Thunder God's, right? Why would it connect to the Thunder God in Sumeru?
The final illustration shows the Country Destroyer's face laughing in a very 'sinister' way, saying:
["Your era... is about to end."]
The illustrations end. Everyone sort of understands the reason why the Country Destroyer has such a paranoid personality, but understanding ≠ approval.
To each their own; some can understand the Scaramouche's experiences, while others think it's nothing much.
In fact, this segment of illustrations doesn't detail the Scaramouche's specific experiences; his experiences are in some trivial details that Lucian hasn't written yet.
So what the current readers most want to say is just two words: 'Who are you?'
This is Sumeru, how did you run here?
Using Inazuma's Gnosis to connect to someone in Sumeru—sir, you have such great divine might!