"Still… pill refining."
Sumeru's geography was a cradle for rare herbs of every stripe. In other words, this land was a paradise tailor-made for the craft.
If I leverage pill refining properly, even 'incurable' mortal ailments like Eleazar might stop being a problem…
Satisfied with the realization, Idris nodded to himself. He could already picture it: the Akademiya opening a brand-new division dedicated to pill refining, students flocking to enroll, and—given time—the art growing into a signature Sumeru industry.
Just the thought made him eager.
There were over a thousand formulas, though; he needed a moment to absorb the knowledge from the system. When he finally opened his eyes again, two very familiar figures stood before his desk.
"Grand Sage Idris, I'm back."
Nahida stood there, hands folded, a little tense—like one wrong word might earn her another scolding.
Beside her, Zhongli watched Idris with mild, amused curiosity.
Idris's gaze slid past Nahida to the man at her side—and froze. He hadn't actually expected this one to appear.
Did the Liyue slacker really 'slip out' cross-border this time?
Catching his look, Zhongli's brows rose. "You… know me?"
His divine identity was hidden well; in Liyue, only a handful knew. He didn't expect to be recognized at first sight.
Idris recovered quickly and offered a respectful clasp of the hands. "We haven't met, but I can guess what you are—and the odds are high you're Liyue's Geo Archon."
"Oh?" Zhongli's surprise deepened. "And how did you infer that? To my knowledge, this is our first meeting. My attire should be unremarkable. If you can tell at a glance… perhaps you truly can read past and future."
Well… he could, but not something to admit aloud. Idris's mind spun and settled on the clean explanation, smiling as he laid it out.
"You stand beside Lesser Lord Kusanali as an equal—so at the very least, you're also a god.
Your stride is half a step ahead of hers; that implies seniority—likely her elder.
And since Her Excellency only left Sumeru for three days, and had never traveled abroad before, she has few acquaintances in other nations. With time so limited, the only plausible contact she could have met and invited is our neighbor—Liyue.
"Putting that together, identifying you as the Geo Archon isn't so difficult."
Zhongli glanced down at their positions—half a step ahead indeed—and couldn't help being impressed. "From a single bit of positioning, you can deduce so much. The title 'human sage' suits you."
"You flatter me."
Nahida watched him with a tangle of awe and exasperation. How can a man I kind of dislike—and who keeps scolding me—be this good at everything?
Setting the goddess aside for the moment, Idris looked to Zhongli. "Then, Lord of Geo—what brings you to me?"
"Call me Zhongli," he said with a small shake of the head. "That is my name as a man.
"As for why I'm here—nothing urgent. Curiosity." He smiled. "Your song 'Ask the Gods'. The things you told the God of Wisdom to her face. And what we saw just now—your composure before the Doctor. Even gods must look at you anew."
"Thank you for the praise."
Idris returned the courtesy with a slight bow, then flicked a glance at Nahida.
So your 'walk to clear your head' was to go fetch Zhongli, was it?
From a certain angle, wasn't this… calling in a guardian?
Bully the junior, and the junior brings the elder. That's the kind of treatment reserved for protagonists, isn't it? And he was supposed to be the villain here.
Given the age difference, this really was an uncle-level escalation…
Sensing his odd look, Nahida's cheeks flushed pink. She ducked her head, suddenly shy.
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