Shaking off that odd sense of déjà vu, Idris looked at Zhongli.
"Since you came all this way, Mr. Zhongli—beyond simple curiosity, was there anything else?"
"Hm… there is." A flicker of hesitation crossed Zhongli's eyes. Then he spoke.
"I know you've been treating the current God of Wisdom as a 'five-hundred-year-old child.' Even so, I also believe she has many virtues.
"Even a God of Wisdom must learn her people and her nation step by step.
"Sumeru indeed has many problems to resolve, and you are carrying blame that is not entirely yours. But if you and she never reconcile, the scorn and the problems will only persist.
"In the end… you will have to find a way to settle these hidden dangers."
As a god who honors rules, Zhongli would not intrude upon another nation's internal affairs; even his counsel came framed as suggestion. But in truth, whether out of regard for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata or for other reasons, he leaned toward Nahida. No matter how capable Idris might be, the fact remained—he was continuing a confinement.
Zhongli could forgive Keqing and others for their irreverence in Liyue's own era of change. That didn't mean he could easily stomach the Akademiya's choices.
Nahida, listening, dipped her head; her feelings were a knotted skein. For five centuries she had longed for someone to speak for her like this—to give her a chance at freedom. Yet now, more than anything, she wanted to hear what Idris would choose, with the Geo Archon's advice laid on the table.
Idris's reply was simple.
"First—until I've neutralized Sumeru's present dangers, I won't consider releasing Lesser Lord Kusanali.
"Because I have to start from reality."
"Oh?" Zhongli's gaze sharpened, interested.
Idris continued.
"Whatever the cause or the rights and wrongs, Sumeru has gone five hundred years without divine rule.
"Even if our people still revere the gods, they also know that reverence, in practice, is a dream—an ideal.
"So if you ask me to judge it plainly: whether willingly or not, Sumeru is truly a nation ruled by humans.
"Mr. Zhongli—tell me I'm wrong."
Zhongli fell silent. Yet by the facts alone, Sumeru was closer to human governance than even Liyue. They honored a god who had already passed. And while a new god existed, she had been confined for five centuries, absent from statecraft. Through those centuries, mortals had run the nation.
"I've done the math," Idris said. "If we want Lesser Lord Kusanali to assume office smoothly without political upheaval, one precondition is unavoidable:
"We would have to erase Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's presence from everyone's hearts and from the record—wipe her entirely from history.
"Otherwise, the very moment Kusanali takes the throne, turmoil will follow. Five hundred years have not dimmed the old faith.
"How long will it take to wash that influence away after she ascends?
"Or is it that you truly wish for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's influence—and her story—to vanish from this nation, from this world?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Nahida blurted, shaking her head so fast her hair trembled.
"I would rather be confined another five hundred years than see Greater Lord Rukkhadevata erased."
Idris's eyes softened a fraction. In his view, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's final choice—to sacrifice herself for the World Tree—had, in part, been for Nahida's sake. So long as the former lord's shadow remained, Nahida—upon taking the throne—would face endless complications. It was precisely because Rukkhadevata was gone, and because the people needed a new leader, that Nahida could rise at all.
Zhongli said nothing. He understood the truth well enough: what the heart desires is one matter; governing a nation is another.
"I'm already standing where history's winds break," Idris said at last. "If Sumeru must change…
"Why shouldn't I be the one to lead a true reform?"
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