"Of course it's possible." Nahida nodded.
The best method, naturally, would be to make use of Fontaine's Oratrice Mécanique d'Analyse Cardinale to gather the faith of justice, converting it into an endless stream of energy, allowing the Akasha system to grow continuously.
With a single extra Gnosis, all that could be done was to expand the Akasha's coverage by about one nation—roughly the size of Sumeru.
Unless all seven Gnoses were gathered, covering the entirety of Teyvat would be nearly impossible.
After all, while Gnoses were powerful, the energy and authority they contained were fixed and had no real potential for growth.
It was no wonder that Archons like Zhongli and Ei, whose own powers surpassed that of the Gnoses, never held them in high regard.
"But recklessly extending the Akasha's reach into another Archon's domain… that could easily spark conflict," Nahida folded her arms and explained. "So before expanding, we'd need the approval of other nations."
Expansion of the Akasha wasn't the same as ordinary trade. It was essentially spreading one's own divine authority into another Archon's land.
Unless relations were close and built on trust, no Archon would ever allow another's authority to seep into their territory—it would be seen as nothing short of provocation.
Among Sumeru's neighbors, the only friendly one was Liyue.
As for Liyue's leadership: Ningguang and Keqing would likely have no issue. But the retired Archon, Zhongli, would need to be informed out of courtesy.
Given his long view of the world, so long as he understood the Akasha's purpose, he likely wouldn't oppose it.
After all, it would greatly benefit Liyue's development, while having little impact on himself.
But the Akasha's reach brought one major issue—while providing the Akasha Network, it also granted Nahida, its overseer, access to every detail within its domain: troop deployments, defenses, and more.
Such intelligence falling into hostile hands would be disastrous. Yet, this same data-gathering ability was the very foundation of the network's navigation services.
It couldn't be helped. Still, with Nolan mediating, no hostility would arise between Sumeru and Liyue. In truth, Liyue's strong military and top-tier combatants meant that even if their defenses were exposed, no nation would dare act rashly.
But a state's security was its foundation, and others didn't know that Nahida trusted him deeply—or that the former Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, even lived by his side.
His presence assured that Nahida would never misuse such information—but others had to be convinced of that first.
Thus persuading the rest of the Liyue Qixing was the real challenge, and a test of Nolan's ability.
Truthfully, it wouldn't be easy. If Zhongli still governed Liyue, convincing him alone would suffice. But now with the Qixing in charge—unless they were all women like Ningguang and Keqing, who held him in great regard—it was unlikely they would agree.
Realistically, unless Rex Lapis himself intervened, gaining the trust of all seven stars would be difficult. But having retired from public life, Zhongli would hardly wish to step forward again.
"…"
Nolan pondered for a while. To resolve this without brute force, the only way was to tie Sumeru and Liyue together so tightly—through trade, livelihood, and military—that they became inseparable.
With such interdependence, the Akasha's expansion would be accepted naturally.
It was essentially an alliance.
And with Nahida's full support, plus the help of Ningguang and Keqing, slowly deepening cooperation across all fields wouldn't be impossible.
But such deep collaboration could raise suspicion in other nations—Fontaine, Natlan, Snezhnaya.
If two nations suddenly allied so closely, after so long in balance, how could the others not suspect hidden intentions?
Unless… those Archons too trusted him deeply, with high favorability—perhaps even absolute. Then, if all seven nations allied and advanced together, every problem would vanish.
This, in fact, was one of Nolan's ultimate goals.
Ever since crossing into Teyvat, he had learned that Fontaine's Hydro Archon, Natlan's Pyro Archon, and Snezhnaya's Tsaritsa were all women.
If their affection toward him ever reached six, seven, or even max level…
Perhaps he really could achieve it—shaping Teyvat's destiny through the quiet influence of women.
But as of now, he hadn't even set foot in Fontaine. Such a grand goal would take time.
Which meant that, for the moment, Liyue's case remained complicated. Whichever path he chose, it couldn't be solved quickly.
Nolan finally asked:
"Nahida, do you think it's possible to extend the Akasha first to Mondstadt or Inazuma?"
Since Liyue was troublesome, he could skip it for now.
Perhaps once the Qixing saw the immense benefits the system brought to other nations, persuading them later—with Ningguang and Keqing pushing from within—would be much easier.
By then, maybe a Teyvat Continental Alliance could form, all nations united. Then no one would need to worry about exposing troop deployments.
But uniting all seven nations meant balancing countless interests. Someone had to yield for unity, but no one ever wanted to be the one at a loss. Without necessity, such an alliance would never succeed.
Only Nolan—because of his good relations with each Archon and ruler—had a chance of making it possible.
"It can be done," Nahida replied. "Just like your personal space, you could make a backup of the Akasha and let Greater Lord Rukkhadevata maintain it elsewhere."
"Mm… never mind, it's not urgent. Prepare for now, and when the time is right, we'll extend the Akasha."
After all, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's soul had yet to fully recover. Outside of the Wonderland, it would slowly dissipate. Nolan would never allow her to take such a risk.
Moreover, the expansion of the Akasha system into the Wonderland space still depended on her.
With Nilou's affection skill doubling soul recovery speed, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata would likely be able to recover enough in about half a month to help extend the Akasha's coverage into the Wonderland.
"Mhm. The Akasha will also need some time to upgrade," Nahida nodded.
Even with the Electro Gnosis as an added energy source, it wasn't plug-and-play—it required adaptation and connection work first.
As long as talks with Liyue or Fontaine progressed during that time, it wouldn't hinder the Akasha's expansion.
After that, Nolan didn't disturb Nahida further. He first sent Nilou back to the Zubayr Theater at the Grand Bazaar.
Then, using the Waymark, he contacted Ningguang and Keqing simultaneously.
He told them about the Akasha and asked if they could take some time to sound out the other Qixing about whether introducing the system might be possible.
His earlier thoughts were just conjecture; the actual outcome depended on their responses.
Once he'd entrusted this task to Ningguang and Keqing, Nolan teleported to Hu Tao's side.
At Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he found Zhongli chatting with a young man.
From the powerful, familiar aura, he knew at once—it was Azhdaha.
"Miraculous power you wield, to purify erosion. I must thank you again for your help last time," said the young-man guise of the Geo Dragon King.
"It was nothing. If you ever need it again, just come find me," Nolan smiled.
"Haha, of course," Azhdaha replied.
"By the way, why are you at Wangsheng?" Nolan asked curiously.
Though Azhdaha's friendship with Zhongli made visits normal, a funeral parlor wasn't exactly the place for casual gatherings.
"After being sealed for so long, I wished to live among people again in human form, to feel the bustle. So I asked Zhongli for help finding a job.
"As he is a guest consultant here, he recommended me to Master Hu. I was accepted as a guest consultant as well."
Azhdaha smiled as he explained.
"I see…"
Nolan was left speechless. Two of Teyvat's top beings, retired into guest consultants at a funeral parlor—that was quite the sight.
"Hehe, you didn't come here just for chit-chat, did you?" Zhongli asked with a knowing smile.
From what he knew of Nolan, he would never bother them idly.
After all, the sweeping changes in Liyue lately all had this outsider behind them.
The pace exceeded even Zhongli's expectations. Truly, a guest from another world—knowledge from a more advanced civilization brought invaluable guidance to Teyvat.
For it proved such progress was possible, already tested elsewhere. There was no fear of straying off course.
"I have a plan…"
Nolan laid out the details of the Akasha system, since without Zhongli's approval, even convincing the Qixing would be meaningless.
"Tch. Uniting all seven nations… quite the ideal vision. Convincing Snezhnaya, tyrannical as it is, won't be easy," Azhdaha mused first.
"Difficult or not, someone has to try. With more hands, we can do more. If we don't unite, building a spaceship won't happen anytime soon."
Nolan spread his hands.
"The cosmos… I too am curious. If there's a chance, I'd like to see it," Azhdaha said, gazing skyward.
"Indeed. Uniting the nations could ensure lasting peace and stability. The advancement of human society is something I wish to see," Zhongli added after a moment's thought.
He didn't mind the Dendro Archon extending her power to Liyue—his strength far exceeded Nahida's anyway.
But he had already stepped back. To directly meddle in the Qixing's decisions would be improper.
Still, he knew why Nolan came—not just to inform him, but to ask him to speak to the Qixing.
"…Very well. I shall send them another dream," Zhongli said at last. Back during the Osial crisis, he had dreamt to them to reveal that he had not truly passed on.
Though he had given Liyue's governance to the Qixing, if ever a god's attack or some grave disaster struck, he could not completely ignore it.
"Hehe, thank you, Zhongli. In return, whenever you need erosion purified… let's say ten free times. If you don't need them yourself, you can pass them on."
Nolan was honestly surprised. He hadn't expected Zhongli to help—he thought the retired god wanted nothing to do with such affairs.
But since he was willing, Nolan had to show sincerity in return.
"Oh? Ten times—that saves ten golden-quality items. Zhongli, you've profited well," Azhdaha chuckled.
It was Nolan's cleansing that had freed him from his seal, so of course he was willing to lend support.
"Then I'll thank you kindly," Zhongli said. At his stage, he had little need for material wealth. What he valued were his old comrades who still endured.
Living long meant erosion was inevitable. Ten free cleansings was truly valuable.
Sure, he could always trade a golden-quality item for the service, but that was just business. By agreeing now, it wasn't about the free cleansings, but the bond of friendship.
The only being in Teyvat who could purify erosion—his importance was self-evident.
Nolan knew he held the gods' most crucial need. If he chose to withhold it, he could force their compliance.
But he would never resort to threats. His principles and moral integrity wouldn't allow it. And there was no need anyway.
With Zhongli's promised dream, just two days later, Ningguang told him the Qixing had reached agreement.
Anything worthy of the Archon's direct message must indeed be significant.
They had decided, unanimously: they would try introducing the Akasha system.
(End of Chapter)
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +40 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +400 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌