While Nahida was "traveling to clear her head"—and quietly inviting Zhongli along—Idris stayed busy in Sumeru, spending the three free days tackling whatever could be handled fast: the economy, public security, the mutual sneering between cultures, and the way the Akademiya hogged an absurd share of the nation's wealth and manpower.
With five millennia of rulership lore humming in his skull, he cut through the grievances one by one. Even the Akademiya factions grumbling because he'd trimmed their privileges soon found their own handles in his grasp and stopped testing him.
Disobey, and he'd toss you out. Simple.
He ruled like a villain—high-handed, decisive. And Sumeru, perversely, liked it. Everyone knew the Grand Sage wasn't a kindly god; he was a man who would actually enforce punishment.
In three days, public sentiment swung sharply upward. People began to say it aloud: this Grand Sage might be Sumeru's light.
By then the Music Walkman factory was basically built, the staff selected, and production set to start tomorrow. The only holdouts were the soft-hearted sort like Nilou, or Dunyarzad and others who owed Nahida much in their childhoods—they still bristled because Idris wouldn't free her. The Eremites in the desert were even more hostile; chaos paid them better.
Minor problems. Idris's real worries came in four:
First: diplomacy. With a absent god and frayed national strength, Sumeru ranked near the bottom among the Seven.
Second: the Fatui—and their god-making plan. Too many unknowns. Would Sumeru control the "god" they birthed… or would the Fatui seize Sumeru through it?
Third & Fourth: the Withering and Eleazar.
Of the four, number two was arriving in person.
Il Dottore was not a simple man to handle. But Idris felt ready. He crossed one leg over the other, drank his tea, processed a few files, and waited for his guest.
He didn't notice the two shadows watching from behind—Zhongli and Nahida, hidden and observant.
"So that's the Grand Sage you spoke of?" Zhongli murmured. "Younger than I imagined."
"Yes," Nahida said softly. "We listened to the people on the way here. Not everyone likes him, but they trust his capability. That's rare—and a high mark for any leader. Sumeru's lucky to have him."
Her feelings tangled—then tightened. A foul aura was approaching.
"That presence… the Doctor? Is he here to harm Sage Idris?!"
She glanced at Zhongli. He shook his head. Contracts and rules… likely he wouldn't intervene. If he did, it would only be for the sake of Ask the Gods, counting Idris as a believer for a single, quiet protection.
But once such a story got out, it would be trouble for them both.
Best if Idris could fend for himself.
Idris didn't sense the two gods behind him, but he did feel the one at his door.
A low chuckle slithered through the frame. "Heh-heh-heh… Grand Sage of the Akademiya, Mr. Idris. Long time no see."
Idris set down his cup and looked up as the masked man entered. "Leisurely, aren't you? I've been in this chair less than a week, and you already can't wait to pay a visit?"
Behind the mask, the Doctor's eyes were flat and cold. "Your recent behavior has made your partners wary."
"You're young. And too hard to control."
"As a collaborator," he added with a faint tilt of his head, "we don't care for your type at all."
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito