When Ningguang demanded the source of the rumor, Ganyu coughed, cheeks pink.
"There's no need to investigate," she said softly. "The original words weren't like… that. Somewhere along the way, people embellished."
As Cloud Retainer's disciple, Ganyu knew exactly where the spark had come from—because her master had told her first: "I hear Sumeru's new Grand Sage is quite exceptional. Had he been born in Liyue, he might one day have stood shoulder to shoulder with that lass Ningguang among the Qixing." Then the wind caught it, tongues wagged, a few busybodies "polished" the quote for drama… and by the time it reached the docks, it had become: "Ningguang is inferior to Sumeru's Grand Sage."
Keqing failed to hide a snicker. After all these years, finally a rumor that rattled Ningguang.
Ningguang pressed her temples, cooled her temper, and chose the practical line.
"Don't waste time chasing the origin. Issue a notice: cease spreading this rumor. It does nothing but strain relations between two nations."
Ganyu nodded. On principle, that was the right call; such gossip, "leader X is worse than leader Y," only poisons diplomacy.
Keqing folded her arms. "For it to spread at all, there must be something to it. This Grand Sage Idris is not simple."
"Mm." Ganyu had already looked into it after hearing Cloud Retainer's offhand praise. "In a little over a week, he's enacted visible reforms. He's the youngest Grand Sage in five centuries—and quite possibly the most capable."
Ningguang's eyes sharpened.
"Very well. I'll remember the name Idris. If time allows—and if Sumeru has anything worth my while—I'll go see this Grand Sage myself."
Across the Jade Chamber, Keqing, Ganyu, and Yelan exchanged glances—half wary, half amused, all intrigued.
Meanwhile, in Sumeru, a pair of announcements set the city ablaze.
First came the shocker: The Doctor publicly apologized—stating that he had planted malicious code in the Akasha and "regrets disrupting the peace of Sumeru's citizens."
Many shrugged; over seventy percent of Teyvat already considered the Fatui villains. But it was the second notice—issued immediately after by the Akademiya—that detonated:
Akademiya Public Bulletin
Effective immediately, the Akasha's long-running dream-harvesting program is terminated.
The Akasha's security architecture has been audited, and all vulnerabilities have been sealed.
A voluntary anti-addiction safeguard is now available for families to enable for loved ones who appear lost in virtual states.
The Akademiya extends formal apologies to citizens for the distress caused by prior misuse of the network.
Relevant incidents discovered via the security sweep have been transmitted to the Matra and Great Vayudya for enforcement.
The plaza erupted. Elders who hadn't remembered a dream in years wept openly; shopkeepers cheered; the bulletin boards vanished under flowers and furious handwritten notes addressed to "that masked northerner." By evening, Matra patrols were already moving—arrest lists compiled straight from the Akasha's newly scrubbed logs.
And in a candlelit chamber high in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, the Grand Sage who had set it all in motion sat cross-legged before an Eight-Trigram Pill Furnace, eyes bright with exhaustion and triumph, coaxing flame and essence into a single, flawless pill.
Tomorrow, Sumeru would learn a new phrase: Pillcraft Darshan.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito