Soon, Lesser Lord Kusanali convened a meeting in the House of Daena of the Akademiya, discussing future plans for Sumeru and, most importantly, the succession of the sages.
At the meeting, the first thing Nahida announced shocked all attendees: Lesser Lord Kusanali declared the Akasha's use would be shut down.
The Akasha's existence was a means, not an end; the moment forbidden knowledge was completely eliminated, the Akasha fulfilled its mission.
In recent years, the Akasha's unified management of knowledge greatly restricted people's curiosity and stifled their potential, which was not conducive to Sumeru's development.
Furthermore, the Akasha's use borrowed from people's dreams, which are the Crystalize of human wisdom. The imaginative and creative power of dreams is crucial to Sumeru, but due to the Akademiya's deliberate guidance, the people of Sumeru had not dreamt for many years, and Nahida did not wish to deprive the people of their right to dream.
Of course, there was also a crucial objective factor Nahida did not explain: the dendro gnosis, which powered the Akasha, had already been traded by her to the Doctor. Without the Gnosis's energy as support, the Akasha could not operate normally on a large scale.
Such a powerful Akasha was simply shut down, which naturally caused discomfort among many present. But then they remembered that the Akasha was originally a divine artifact invented by Lesser Lord Kusanali, and they had used it for free for so many years—it was well worth it. Who had the guts to protest to a god?
After announcing the Akasha's shutdown, the next issue, which was of most concern to everyone present, was the succession and selection of sages.
Regarding the election of the new sages, the Akademiya originally had its own selection process, primarily based on Kōbanḍa from various colleges selecting the best candidates. However, after Lesser Lord Kusanali regained control of the Akademiya, she would personally supervise this matter, so the rules would change to some extent.
Nowadays, the academic atmosphere of the Akademiya is not as pure as it once was. Many non-academic factors permeate this city of wisdom. For five hundred years, ability has no longer been the sole criterion for measuring talent; factors such as background, status, family, in-laws, and mentors have all played a key role.
Nahida's intention was that as scholars, they needed to be more academically inclined, relying on academic achievements as their foundation, rather than all being like Azar, using academic resources to vie for power and being ambitious. This was not conducive to Sumeru's academic environment.
Azar's secretary, Setaria, was the best example. As one of Miyashiro's secret agents, her identity was known to only a few, and she herself didn't even know she had once been Miyashiro's secret agent. After Azar was brought to justice, Setaria, as his secretary, was not held responsible, but she was still ostracized and ridiculed by all scholars of the Akademiya.
As the only female scholar to emerge from the Desert region in recent years, Setaria's ability was beyond doubt, far surpassing students of the Minglun Faction. However, simply because of her Desert background, she faced discrimination and ostracism from her mentor, and her academic achievements were ruthlessly taken by her mentor.
To escape her predicament, Setaria chose to go with the flow. After abandoning her Desert background, her talent was finally recognized by Azar, who, against all odds, made her his secretary. Setaria's life changed dramatically from then on.
But such good days did not last for many years. Grand Sage Azar was overthrown after being judged by Lesser Lord Kusanali for his heinous crimes. Although Lesser Lord Kusanali did not pursue her responsibility, the stain of being Azar's secretary on her resume essentially signaled the end of her good days.
These past few days, Setaria had truly experienced what it meant for people to leave and the tea to grow cold. Her colleagues, who had once vied to curry favor with her, suddenly regarded her as a monstrous flood, eager to avoid her.
Having experienced such ups and downs, Setaria instantly lost interest in the ugly faces of her colleagues. A voice echoed faintly in her mind: "Setaria, why haven't you returned home? Your Desert is not there!"
It was this voice that gave Setaria the idea of leaving the Akademiya and returning to her birthplace in the Desert to support education, with the people of the Desert as her students.
For this, she specifically sought out Cyno, the General Mahamatra, asking for his help in applying for permission to leave the Akademiya and go to the Desert region.
Cyno took another look at Setaria regarding her request, then decisively shook his head and refused, stating, "Lesser Lord Kusanali has already made a new decision regarding your arrangements. You will know soon."
Cyno's words frightened Setaria out of her wits. "Could it be… Lesser Lord Kusanali still won't let me go?"
Indeed, she was Azar's secretary. Although she was only following orders, she had helped Azar with many things. Now that Azar had committed heinous crimes, she, as his secretary, naturally could not escape responsibility.
Thinking this, Setaria's conflicted heart instead calmed down. With the mindset of "a quick death or a slow death, it's all the same," Setaria attended the meeting hosted by Lesser Lord Kusanali, quietly sitting in the last row. Because her reputation was ruined, no scholar or official dared to sit beside her.
Setaria ignored this, lowering her head and quietly awaiting Lesser Lord Kusanali's judgment.
Just then, a figure wearing a hat appeared beside Setaria and kindly asked, "Is this seat beside you taken? If not, may I sit here?"
Setaria was very surprised to hear this. At this time, someone actually dared to sit beside her. Was he not afraid of being targeted later?
However, the moment she looked up and saw the person's face, she immediately exclaimed, incoherently, "Regent…"
Before Setaria could finish speaking, Miyashiro extended an index finger to his lips, signaling her to be silent, then sat down generously beside her.
At this moment, Setaria's head was buzzing. She cautiously watched Miyashiro sit down calmly and listen attentively, her heart full of questions. This was an internal Akademiya meeting. How dared this Inazuma Regent sneak into the venue to eavesdrop? Was this appropriate? Surely not?
Also, why was he, a person who had snuck in, so composed while listening, while she, a legitimate Akademiya official, seemed so guilty? Was something wrong?
Setaria finally couldn't suppress her curiosity. She deliberately lowered her voice and leaned in to ask, "Regent, why are you here?"
Miyashiro merely smiled slightly and said, "Isn't this Sumeru's library? Can't I come here?"
Setaria genuinely didn't know how to answer Miyashiro's rhetorical question. Although the House of Daena was indeed Sumeru's library, Lesser Lord Kusanali was holding an internal meeting right now!
Regarding Setaria's concerns, Miyashiro calmly stated, "Anyway, the content of this meeting will soon spread throughout Sumeru. I might as well get a preview."
Just as Setaria was about to argue, an official sitting in front of her suddenly stood up and shouted at Setaria, "Setaria, this is the House of Daena! What kind of ruckus is this? And you actually dared to bring an outsider in! That's an even greater crime! Guards! Aren't you going to arrest these two?!"
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