"A pill that can alter a person's bloodline?"
Furina's interest was piqued at once. What Idris had just outlined struck her as a genuine breakthrough. If one could change—or at least ameliorate—the blood itself, then perhaps Fontaine's calamity could be… well, skipped.
Idris smiled inwardly. Yes—skipping class was exactly the idea. In the "original" course of events, Neuvillette had pushed Hydro's authority past its limits to overwrite the Fontainian strain inherited from the Oceanids, turning everyone's lineage back into that of ordinary humans. Then even if the Primordial Sea rose, Hydro's blessing kept them from drowning.
If a pill could effect a similar, gentler rewrite, the result would be the same. It would take a lot of pills, sure—but this wasn't his emergency. He was merely offering a workable path.
He handed her a small vial.
"Bloodline Pill," he said. "As the name suggests, it tweaks the blood—strengthens a mortal frame a little, though not by a lot. It's simple to make. When you return, you can run trials. Once you find the culprit and the instrument behind your missing-girls case, try this as a counteragent. If my guess is right, there's a peculiar stain in Fontainian blood. If these pills suppress it, then I was on the mark."
"A fine idea!" Furina beamed, curling her fingers around the vial. She'd come to Sumeru hoping for a way to ease her nation's suffering; to receive one so quickly set her heart alight.
Idris's smile didn't change. Sweet child—just like our little Lord Kusanali. Free things are the most expensive of all.
If the pills worked even half as well as he expected, all Fontaine would descend into a frenzy to buy them. Who doesn't pay for life?
In the back of his mind, Nahida sighed. That smile of yours is awfully villainous.
"Haven't I always been like this?"
Perhaps. But you're about to profit off another nation's misfortune. If a whole country panics, they'll buy these by the cartful—and you, somehow, will ramp production without blinking. Furina isn't even truly a god—only a child with something strange inside her. Isn't this… a bit much?
"I admit it's disaster money," he replied without shame. "But I'm not looting my own. I'm offering Furina a way out. Money, lives, national pride—they will choose which matters most. They can cling to a hazy prophecy, or take a pill that helps one real person at a time. Their call."
Nahida could only laugh softly. He confessed it was unkind—and would do it again anyway. He was a villain through and through, laying tempting traps that even she kept falling into. Look—Furina was thanking him already.
Idris walked on, serene, as the system's chime rang in his head.
Reward triggered for shifting Fontaine's course by offering a concrete workaround.
New Skill:Charged Strike — hold to gather force; your next attack scales with charge time, up to 16× power.
A small skill, perhaps—but deliciously simple and brutal. And just in time; a grand battle loomed, and every edge counted.
That evening, he hosted a lavish banquet to welcome his foreign guests. Word that the Hydro Archon herself had come spread fast. Liyue and Mondstadt's delegates were stunned—his face must be very large indeed. Prestige accrued like dew.
Five days passed. Most visitors lingered; the city buzzed about Idris's summons, which had called every nearby expert to Sumeru City for "a great undertaking." Furina stayed as well—Neuvillette could mind Fontaine; she wanted to see what the Grand Sage would stage on day five.
On that day, the Traveler blinked back into Sumeru via waypoint.
"Whew… finally," Paimon huffed. "Waypoints are lifesavers. Dehya and the others should already be back—maybe we'll spot her in the city."
"I can feel it too," Lumine murmured, scanning the air. "Sumeru's brimming with strong auras… even a few familiar ones. All here for the summons. His influence is… excessive." A pause. "The commission is complete. If something happens today—I'll help."
Meanwhile, atop a bough of the Sanctuary's sacred tree, Idris stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing across the rainforest as reports came in.
"Grand Sage," said Cyno, bowing. "All across Sumeru, most vision bearers and other capable fighters have gathered. They're scattered in taverns, restaurants, and markets. While they've kept the peace so far, this many elemental wielders—and more than a few from the Eremites—could spark incidents."
Idris listened, eyes on the emerald horizon, and nodded. "Good. With this many hands, the work will be easier."
"Easier… Sage? What exactly are we—"
"Patience," Idris said. "You'll see."
The ground shuddered.
A murmuring ripple ran through the city—then a second, heavier jolt, like a giant turning over in its sleep. It wasn't a random quake; its vector was clear, the strongest waves rolling from a single point beyond the walls. A cold, rancid breath swept the canopy. Faces went pale.
"Withering?" someone whispered. But it wasn't only that. The stench carried a much older hate.
"Nothing more than an old malice from five centuries past," Idris said evenly. "Driven in and compressed by the Prime Machine God's purges, it has hoarded five hundred years of spite, fed itself on raw pollution, and clothed itself in forbidden knowledge. The rainforest's sickness, given form."
"From the Aranara, I learned the name they have used since antiquity." He narrowed his eyes.
"Marana."
As his words fell, a colossal mass heaved up from the forest near the city—a thing vast as the Sacred Tree itself—tearing the silence with a roar that rattled tiles and bones. And there it stood, revealed before Idris, the people of Sumeru, the Traveler… and all the foreign guests.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito