September arrived, and autumn was here.
The air that had been stiflingly hot just a few days ago now carried a crisp chill. The lush green hills of Ling Shan Bay were beginning to turn yellow and would soon be set ablaze in red.
Lu Chen, practicing martial arts in the backyard, casually glanced at the scenery behind the mountain and sighed.
"Time really flies... It's autumn already."
Of course, what truly made him sigh was that school had started again.
Barbara's idol group was now insanely popular, constantly booked for performances. Ei, ever since returning to Teyvat, had been training harder than ever, preparing for any future conflicts. She'd even dropped her baking lessons.
So when classes resumed, he was the only one who returned to Haizhou Academy.
Without the two of them around, what was the point of school? Lu Chen decided to slack off.
In the training yard, Lu Chen paused in thought, then thrust his Skyward Blade forward. The wooden training dummy in front of him was suddenly imbued with Dendro.
Since receiving the Dendro Vision, he hadn't really used it seriously. Dendro was still the element he was least familiar with.
Now, he only lacked the Electro and Hydro Visions to complete the set. Electro had been his Vision in his past life, and Hydro wasn't unfamiliar either. You could say he had a solid grasp of most elements—except Dendro.
As the Dendro element spread across the dummy, Ei's purple eyes lit up beside him. In an instant, the dummy was coated in Electro as well.
With the resulting Aggravate reaction, a loud crack echoed out—and the dummy exploded into countless fragments.
[Super-Aggravate]
"Interesting..." Back when he used to play Genshin Impact in his previous life, Dendro hadn't even been released. He hadn't expected it to feel so smooth in action.
Lu Chen continued launching Dendro attacks at the other dummies. Though he could control it, his grasp of the element was clumsy—far less refined than his command over the others.
"If only a Dendro character could show me the ropes…"
Lu Chen mused to himself.
...
Meanwhile...
In Teyvat, within Sumeru's Sanctuary of Surasthana...
The grand and elegant palace stood in silent emptiness. The stillness was so complete it felt like life itself had abandoned it—until—
"Beep—!"
A sudden sound from the "Akasha" shattered the silence.
Nahida slowly opened her eyes. It was always at this moment that she would awaken from her colorful dreams and look around in dazed confusion.
She stared at the empty palace. Loneliness washed over her like a freezing tide.
The daze in her eyes faded, replaced by sharp clarity.
"Maybe... only in my dreams can I glimpse the world outside..."
She hugged her shoulders tightly.
A bird caged deep within the Sanctuary of Surasthana—she could only explore the world in dreams.
Ever since being placed under house arrest by the sages, Nahida had been plagued by solitude.
"When will this kind of life end?"
But as soon as the thought arose, she shook it off.
"I'm still not a qualified god. I'm too weak… maybe in time…"
A bitter smile crept onto her lips. The Akademiya never truly cared about her existence—perhaps they never even saw her as a god.
Might as well return to the dream world of the "Akasha."
There, she could bask in sunlight and breeze, wander the streets of Sumeru City, hear stories, play games...
Even if it was all fake—
She had never once stepped out of this palace...
Just as she closed her eyes again, it wasn't the familiar static of the "Akasha" device that responded, but a clear and crisp system notification.
...
[Challenge Mission]
[As expected, you must see the world with your own eyes to feel its beauty]
[Nahida, who has been confined to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, has never experienced the outside world. Please take her with you and complete ten special achievements during your journey.]
[Reward: 8000 Primogems, 80 million real-world currency]
"Nahida??"
Hearing the sudden system prompt, Lu Chen was stunned.
The current Dendro Archon from Sumeru—Buer?
Perhaps the strange disturbance in the living room drew everyone in. By the time Lu Chen and Ei arrived, Venti and Zhongli were already there.
"Where... is this?"
A white-haired loli looked around curiously.
She had dazzling emerald eyes, cute pointed elf-like ears, and cheeks as delicate as newly bloomed petals.
Though the Dendro Archon before them looked as pure and childlike as she appeared, her gaze held an unusual sharpness far beyond her years.
Under the watchful eyes of the three Archons, she quickly deduced the situation.
"Hello."
"If I'm not mistaken…"
"You are the Archons of Electro, Geo, and Anemo. And this isn't Teyvat—it might even be outside the world entirely, right?"
Lu Chen and the others exchanged glances.
"You've adapted faster than anyone else. I didn't even have to explain," Lu Chen said with a chuckle.
Ei looked down at the small Nahida, a little startled.
"So this is the god of Sumeru... She's so... adorable?"
"Shame she's not the type of guest who can share a drink," Venti sighed in disappointment. Last time Zhongli visited, they drank until the place nearly turned upside down.
"I've never seen Sumeru's current Archon, but..." Zhongli gazed at Nahida thoughtfully. "She bears some resemblance to the previous Dendro Archon, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
At the mention of that name, Nahida's eyes lit up.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is the god I admire most. I study tirelessly so I can one day become a worthy Archon, like her!
But... I barely know anything about her past..."
Zhongli nodded.
"In that case, when there's time, I can tell you her story."
"Yes, please!" Nahida smiled brightly.
As Lu Chen listened, he couldn't help but recall the past.
After the Cataclysm of Khaenri'ah, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata hadn't gone to the battlefield—instead, she went to protect the vital Irminsul Tree, sacrificing herself in the process.
In the aftermath, the Seven Archons stopped contacting one another for a long time. That's why no one had seen the newly born Dendro Archon until now.
The new guest in their home piqued everyone's curiosity, but Nahida wasn't shy. She greeted everyone with a warm smile.
To her, being able to leave that palace and truly experience the outside world was far more beautiful than any dream.
Even though she was clever, Lu Chen still had to explain the [Reality Teyvat System] and some of the past events.
"So you've really gone through so many amazing things?" Nahida sat quietly on the sofa, eyes sparkling with wonder.
She then shared her own story—but there wasn't much to tell. Her entire life had been spent inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
"That's not house arrest—that's imprisonment!" Venti scowled. "The Sumeru Akademiya has really gone too far!"
"Do you want our help?" Ei, listening to Nahida's story, felt a surge of sympathy. Even though she was nearly five hundred years old, she was still just a child.
"You've already helped me."
Nahida smiled at Lu Chen.
Lu Chen nodded.
"The system directly teleported the little Dendro Archon to our living room—effectively breaking the Akademiya's control. Sumeru is once again without its Archon. But…"
Nahida finished for him,
"Maybe the Akademiya will be happy about that. Maybe... no one will even be sad I'm gone."
Her voice grew quiet, and she slowly lowered her head.