Alright, so picture this. I'm still staring at Razak like he just ate one of those experimental disaster meals cooked by someone whose idea of seasoning is "mystery powder." The poor guy is twitching like his brain just tried to uninstall itself. Not the whole operating system—just the part that controls dignity.
Greg shifts on my shoulder, flicking his tail. Pretty sure that's lizard-speak for "Yeah, this guy's toast."
"Man... bro's still broken as hell. Like he ate one of those apocalypse stews that makes you question the concept of hope."
Paimon floats beside me, eyes narrowing. "Something like yours?"
I give her my best smug grin. "Nah, mine's worse. At least he can still blink in sync. Remember that one time in Mondstadt when I—"
Lumine cuts in quickly, almost too quickly. "Let's not relive that."
Nilou tilts her head. "What happened in Mondstadt?"
"A tale of courage, questionable life choices, and a soup that should've been classified as a biohazard," I say solemnly.
"It was not courage," Paimon mutters. "It was you trying to prove a point."
"A point I did prove," I insist. "Even if the point was 'Don't eat that.'"
We all notice Alhaitham crouching near the doorway, studying the floor like it personally offended him. He mutters, "There are drag marks on the ground. Clearer here by the doorway. Someone was forcefully drawing a cart loaded with something heavy."
Paimon's voice tightens. "Loaded with... people?"
I wave a hand. "Could also be rocks. Or really stubborn watermelons. Or maybe a giant pile of Gregs."
Greg turns his head to look at me slowly, as if to say, Really? Then he blinks once. Which is even worse than him saying something.
Alhaitham doesn't even blink. "That is one possibility. It looks like they were in a hurry, as if they were afraid of being caught. In their haste, they failed to notice Razak hiding in a corner."
Razak groans. "Aah... Ugh, uhh..."
Nilou frowns. "He looks so... lost."
Alhaitham's eyes narrow slightly. "The symptoms are identical. Looks like we've found living proof."
Paimon floats closer. "Huh? Why do you say that?"
He straightens up and folds his arms. "Allow me to jog your memory. Recall your time at Port Ormos. Don't you think his symptoms look familiar?"
Lumine freezes, eyes widening. "...The Eremite who went mad."
Paimon gasps. "Oh! Now that you mention it... They're acting exactly the same!"
"Correct," Alhaitham says. "The Akademiya is behind all of this. It isn't difficult to deduce their rationale—"
"Here we go," I mutter under my breath. Usually I'd tune out, but this time I'm actually listening. If someone's pulling strings like this, it's worth hearing out.
He launches into the breakdown: false rumors, King Deshret's resurrection, exiled scholars, and Radicals being used as pawns. How convenient it was to have all the risks pinned on King Deshret's followers.
Nilou hugs herself. "That's... horrible. They're using people's beliefs against them."
"It's more than horrible," I say, leaning forward. "If you can twist someone's faith into a weapon, you don't just control their actions—you own their future. That's the kind of damage you can't heal with an apology."
Paimon blinks at me. "...Wow. That was actually smart."
"Don't get used to it," I reply, though Greg pats my cheek with his tiny claw like he's impressed. Or maybe he's checking if I'm running a fever.
Alhaitham continues about desperation, mistrust, and prejudice. I nod along. "Makes sense. When a lie fits the fears people already have, you barely have to push for them to believe it."
Lumine gives me a quick side-eye. "And you're still making sense."
"Shocking, I know," I say.
Paimon looks uneasy. "But why take the scholars back now?"
Alhaitham talks about their shifting identities—scholars to lunatics to missing persons—and how missing people make an ideal "resource."
"Which is just code for 'we can do whatever we want and no one will ask questions,' " I say flatly. Nilou nods at me, her expression dark.
He explains the brain-to-Capsule process, Paimon shudders, and Nilou murmurs, "That's so cruel."
"Yeah," I add. "It's one thing to steal someone's belongings. It's another to strip them of who they are."
When Lumine questions him, Alhaitham admits his role as scribe, suggesting Razak's mind was tampered with—or that he used a capsule himself.
Lumine mutters theories to herself. I catch the names—Fatui, The Doctor, The Balladeer. All bad news.
Alhaitham notes she's figured it out, she confirms, and he continues about divine consciousness and extreme measures.
I cross my arms. "If they're going this far, then whatever they're after isn't just knowledge. It's power disguised as wisdom."
Paimon stares at me again. "Okay, that's twice now. Who are you and what have you done with Shigeru?"
"Still me," I say, smirking. "Just a me that occasionally reads between the lines."
The conversation moves to forbidden knowledge. Alhaitham condemns the Akademiya's actions, and I give a short nod. "For once, I agree with you. Some lines, you cross them, and there's no coming back."
Nilou smiles faintly at me. "You sound like a scholar yourself."
"Don't curse me like that," I joke, earning a laugh from her. Totally worth it. I almost ascended again.
After some back and forth, Lumine murmurs about him being a better ally than she thought.
"Finally, something we all agree on," I say. "Welcome to the team, Mr. Fancy Words."
Paimon laughs. "You're their weirdo!"
Alhaitham smirks. "Uniqueness is an asset, is it not?"
When Paimon asks what to do with Razak, Alhaitham decides to bring him back to Aaru Village.
As we head out, I glance at the hospital one last time. Nope. Not going back there. Not even if there's mora, snacks, or bubble tea. That place has bad vibes written all over it in glowing, neon letters.
Greg flicks his tail like he agrees. Smart lizard. Probably smarter than me. Not that I'll ever admit it.
***
My brain was still doing that thing where it spirals into thirty different useless directions at once—like a hyperactive squirrel in a maze with no exit. I kept thinking about how to help the village keepers. I promised myself I'd change things for the better—alter the story, make it less tragic for everyone. And yet, everything happened before I could even move. That thought alone made me grit my teeth in a mix of anger and pure annoyance. And maybe hunger. Definitely hunger. Why does deep thinking always make me want snacks?
Nilou must have noticed my sulking face because she suddenly slipped her hand into mine. "You've been unusually quiet," she said softly. "Whatever's bothering you, we'll get through it together."
Lumine grabbed my other arm like she was claiming custody in a very competitive game of 'Who Gets the Protagonist.' "You don't have to shoulder everything alone, Shigeru. We're all here for you."
Even Paimon gave a firm nod. Greg…well, Greg gave me a slow blink. Which in Greg language means same here, pal. Or possibly I could go for a sun-warmed rock right now. Hard to tell with him.
I let out a long sigh, then smiled at them. "You guys are right. If it's unavoidable, we'll just find another way. I mean, we've done that before… usually by accident, but still. We're basically masters of accidental success."
Paimon tilted her head. "That… is weirdly accurate."
Lumine chuckled. "I'd call it improvisation."
Greg flicked his tail like he was agreeing with her, which means he's officially switched sides. Traitor.
Moments later, we walked into Aaru Village.
Paimon hovered ahead, throwing her arms out dramatically. "We're back!"
Candace met us with her usual calm smile. "You must be tired. Rest for a bit and have some water."
I waved. "Water sounds great. My brain cells have been screaming for hydration for the past hour."
Cyno stepped forward, straight to the point as always. "What's the situation?"
Candace tilted her head at the unfamiliar face among us. "Hmm? Who's this?"
Alhaitham, with his signature 'I'm not impressed' tone, said, "Unfortunately, someone too young to be Isak's grandfather. But he's still one of the people we've been searching for."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's… a strangely specific age check."
Lumine began explaining, her voice steady as she described what we saw in the abandoned hospital. I chimed in now and then, adding bits she missed, almost like we were telling the story together in turns.
"So, basically," I said, "this place wasn't just creepy—it was too organized. Like someone wanted it that way. Which, in horror story rules, means something terrible happened there. Or they just really liked labeling shelves. Equally scary."
Paimon blinked at me mid-sentence. "Wait… you actually sound smart for a while now. Did you hit your head?"
"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied, resisting the urge to bow.
Nilou leaned forward. "So you think the layout was intentional? For what purpose?"
"Exactly," I said, nodding like I'd just solved a massive conspiracy. "We think it's all connected to—"
Greg bobbed his head from my shoulder like my tiny scaly hype man.
"—yes, exactly what Greg said," I added with a grin. "The lizard gets it."
Paimon folded her arms. "And now you're back to not making sense."
Somewhere in there, I realized that for once, I was making sense. And honestly, that scared me more than anything we'd just seen. A smart Shigeru is a dangerous thing. Dangerous… and possibly contagious.
***
If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that serious meetings have a habit of spiraling into chaos the moment I open my mouth. Which is exactly what's about to happen here.
Cyno stands there, arms crossed, delivering his Very Serious Report about the abandoned Eleazar hospital. Apparently, at some point in history, the Akademiya used it as a site for extracting something called Divine Canned Knowledge.
My brain trips over that name every time. Divine. Canned. Knowledge. Sounds less like forbidden wisdom and more like something you'd find wedged between pickled onions and canned sardines in a shop run by a guy named "Old Tim" who swears everything is "only slightly expired."
Greg, my noble lizard companion, flicks his tail on my shoulder like he's just as baffled. Either that, or he's trying to signal Get me out of here before the tall one starts monologuing again. I flick my head toward him in solidarity.
Paimon nods seriously. "Yep, pretty much."
Cyno continues, saying their plan must've been put in motion before we even reached Aaru Village, and that this Divine Tuna—sorry, Knowledge—has been floating around for a while.
"Floating around," I mutter. "Like a balloon. Or a suspiciously buoyant potato."
Nilou bites her lip to stop from laughing, though her eyes sparkle. Lumine doesn't even bother hiding the small smirk that tugs at her mouth.
Then Cyno adds that they ran away right before we arrived, almost like they knew we were coming.
Paimon tilts her head. "Hmm, yeah, why is that…?"
Candace crosses her arms. "We may have a mole in our midst. One of us could be secretly revealing our whereabouts to the Akademiya."
I gasp dramatically, pointing at Paimon. "I knew it! The floating snack betrays us at last!"
"What?! No! I'd never—"
"Remember Mondstadt? The apple pie incident?"
"That was different!"
"That's what all traitors say right before the pie disappears."
Nilou's soft giggle escapes despite her best efforts, her hand only half-covering her mouth this time. Lumine exhales slowly, clearly having seen this rodeo too many times.
Paimon frowns. "Huh? Are our friendships that shallow?"
Cyno says nothing. Just stares. The kind of stare that could make a cactus feel self-conscious.
Then Alhaitham decides to join the party. "Looks like none of you have realized wherein lies the issue."
Lumine raises an eyebrow. "Care to share your thoughts?"
Alhaitham's gaze slides toward Cyno. "You're the reason they can predict our movements."
Paimon's arms flail. "Wait, what's that supposed to mean?!"
Cyno's tone drops colder than an iced drink left out during a Snezhnayan winter. "Choose your next words carefully."
Alhaitham doesn't even blink. "It is simply a logical inference. I have my reasons."
Candace tilts her head. "So what you're saying is… Cyno's the mole? Interesting. And here I thought you were the most suspicious one, Alhaitham, since you were always acting alone."
Alhaitham nods like this isn't his first round of Everyone Thinks I'm Suspicious Bingo. "I know. You have a point. But I realized something as we were returning from the hospital — Cyno isn't like any of us."
Cyno narrows his eyes. "...What are you trying to say?"
Greg tilts his head in unison with Nilou, both equally curious. The sight is weirdly synchronized, and I briefly consider starting a "Greg and Nilou Mind-Link" conspiracy theory.
Alhaitham asks if Cyno remembers who he is, then launches into a metaphor about raising a vicious wolf and avoiding its bite.
I lean toward Nilou and whisper, "See? He just makes common sense sound expensive."
Nilou covers her mouth again, shoulders shaking.
Cyno finally asks if the Akademiya is monitoring him. Alhaitham says it's not that simple. Something about Jnagarbha Day and the Akasha logging his daily activities like an obsessive pen pal.
I raise my hand. "So… the Akasha is basically your personal stalker?"
Lumine tilts her head my way. "That's… not entirely wrong."
"See? I get it." I tap my temple knowingly. "That's why I never keep a diary. The pigeons will find out."
Paimon stares at me. "The… pigeons?"
Greg slowly blinks at her like, He's right. Fear the pigeons.
Alhaitham keeps explaining how the Akasha can predict Cyno's movements, which makes Cyno realize they've been watching him far longer than he thought.
Candace calls him a thorn in their side. Nilou nods earnestly, praising his principles. I throw in my own nugget of wisdom: "Basically, Cyno, you're living rent-free in their heads. That's a win. If someone's thinking about you that much, you're either their enemy… or their celebrity crush."
Paimon facepalms. Lumine mutters something about my brain being a strange place.
Cyno mutters that they escaped because of him.
"Don't be dramatic," I tell him. "If anyone here's to blame, it's probably Greg."
Greg whips his head toward me, his tiny lizard glare practically screaming Oh, we're doing this now?
Cyno says he has an idea — that if they've been predicting his movements, he can figure out where they went.
Dehya nods approvingly. Alhaitham drops some proverb about safety after danger, Paimon gasps like she's solved a mystery, and Lumine calmly connects the dots.
"You're getting smarter, Paimon," I grin. "Next thing you know, you'll be solving math problems without crying."
Paimon scowls. "Hey!"
Cyno announces, "I must go." Alhaitham says he has something to investigate. Paimon rallies us to follow.
Isak pipes up, wanting to join. After a quick chat with Candace, he promises to be careful. Candace leaves him in our care, Lumine agrees.
Paimon cheers, telling us to pack food, but pauses mid-sentence. "Paimon feels like we're missing someone though… Hmm…"
I throw my arms wide. "Paimon! How could you forget me, the heart, soul, and probably appendix of this team?"
"You've been here the whole time," she deadpans.
"Exactly," I grin. "Which means you've been missing me emotionally. Very tragic."
Nilou bursts into laughter, and even Lumine's lips twitch in amusement. Greg flicks his tail twice, which I decide is his way of giving a standing ovation.
And with that, we set off — chasing leads, dodging spies, and hopefully avoiding becoming the next batch of Divine Canned Knowledge.
____________
End of Chapter 124
Quests Completed:
*Investigate the abandoned Eleazar Hospital.
*Discover traces of missing scholars, transformed into unknowing pawns.
*Confirm the Akademiya's link to the mysterious "Divine Canned Knowledge."
*Survive Alhaitham's monologue without your brain overheating.
*Publicly accuse Paimon of treachery (optional, but satisfying).
*Trigger confusion, laughter, and mild chaos during a tense strategy meeting.
*Successfully make Nilou laugh enough that she stops covering her mouth halfway.
Rewards:
*Adventure EXP × 750
*Mora × 18,500 (Funds to either purchase supplies or invest in "Greg-themed" merchandise.)
*Hero's Wit × 2 (A distilled burst of cleverness, proof that Shigeru can, in fact, make sense twice in one day.)
*Special Item — Greg's Tiny Approval × 1
*Mystery Powder Sample × 1 (Collected from Razak's twitching corner. Definitely not edible. Probably cursed.)
*Nilou's Laugh × 2 (Warm, melodic, and entirely worth the chaos it took to earn.)
*Paimon's Offended "Hey!" × 3 (Triggers immediately upon suspicion of treachery, food theft, or emotional neglect.)
*Lumine's Side-Eye of Concern × 1
*Cyno's Blank Stare Buff × 1
*Alhaitham's Tolerant Silence × 1