When Nabu heard Koji say he could call over the Ruler of Death, she instantly lost all will to resist.
Those who know the times are the truly wise. She was very clear on how terrifyingly strong the Four Shadows of the Heavenly Principles were. The authorities they held stood at the absolute summit of the world.
Life, death, time, space—authorities on that level were not something normal beings could ever hope to contend with.
"Rukkhadevata, how did you even get to know him? He can actually summon the Four Shadows of Heavenly Principles over?"
Nabu sat down on the throne that belonged to her, looking around at the unchanging scenery. It really made it hard to feel any motivation at all.
Frozen time, an eternally verdant oasis… that fellow Al-Ahmar really had been meddling needlessly.
From beginning to end, she had never harbored that kind of romantic feeling toward Al-Ahmar.
"She resurrected my remaining soul and gave me this body I'm using now," Rukkhadevata said frankly.
Nabu nodded. If, before, she hadn't quite believed in something like resurrection, then after personally experiencing it, she fully accepted that resurrection was real.
"Rukkhadevata, you didn't fall because of us, did you?" Nabu asked nervously.
Forbidden Knowledge was a force capable of killing existences on the level of gods.
"What the two of you stirred up did eat into me a fair bit, but I actually fell during the Abyssal Calamity Khaenri'ah triggered five hundred years ago," Rukkhadevata shook her head.
"Abyssal Calamity?"
Nabu frowned. She had never heard of such a thing. By that point in time, after all, she'd already been dead for who knew how many years.
"Khaenri'ah is a nation without a god. Its strength grew to the point that the combined might of the seven nations couldn't compare. They developed rapidly, but they reached out for the power of the Abyss—something closely linked to Forbidden Knowledge…"
Hiss—
Nabu drew in a sharp breath. She hadn't expected something like that to have happened—a turmoil that swept across every nation in Teyvat and even forced Celestia itself to intervene.
Back when she and the Scarlet King made their mess, Celestia hadn't sent down so much as a single Shadow.
Those people were ruthless. Even she felt ashamed of herself in comparison.
"I'm connected to the World Tree. The World Tree couldn't escape the erosion of Forbidden Knowledge either, so my condition became terrible. In the end I only had a single fragment of consciousness left," Rukkhadevata said.
Nabu nodded again. So, after her death, Khaenri'ah had gone and done all of that.
Khaenri'ah—she etched the name of that country into her memory.
"How is Sumeru now?"
As one of the three gods who had once ruled Sumeru, the Flower Goddess couldn't help being curious.
"For the moment, it's all right. I've cleaned out all the ticking time bombs that were waiting to go off. It's just that we're a bit short on high-end combat power," Rukkhadevata replied. She had removed a lot of tumors—useless leeches with no contribution who only sat around eating their fill.
"Without you around, Sumeru looked like a complete mess," Nabu said with a slight smile. Her snow-white, long legs were crossed and gleaming like jade, and even her delicate toes seemed to carry the scent of flowers.
Rukkhadevata didn't deny it. "Wanting mortals to govern themselves is… hard, hard, hard."
Rule by the gods had already sunk deep roots in the seven nations of the mortal world.
Look at Mondstadt's Anemo Archon—he hadn't shown himself in so long that humans had already gotten used to a life without his leadership. Yet whenever the Wind Archon revealed a miracle, he could still rally an answer with a single call.
"Add you, the Flower Goddess, into the mix and Sumeru will have two gods again. Its top-tier combat power won't be too bad," Koji commented.
"I don't really have any combat strength."
The Flower Goddess stretched lazily. She excelled in schemes and planning, not in battle, and she definitely wasn't a match for Rukkhadevata.
"A civil official among the archons?" Koji's expression turned odd.
Then again, it made sense. Some archons really were quite weak, and some simply weren't suited to battle by temperament—like that soft, timid Salt Archon who let her own followers kill her.
"A civil official?"
"You could put it that way."
Though Nabu wasn't good at fighting, she was still a god-tier combatant among the Seelie race—a being on the level of a god's retainer.
…
The group returned to Sumeru City.
"They really look alike."
Nabu's gaze drifted back and forth between Rukkhadevata and Nahida. They truly looked like mother and daughter.
On Nahida, you could see Rukkhadevata's shadow, and the same origin of aura that she carried.
"…You're the Flower Goddess Nabu Malikata?" Nahida thought for a moment, then looked at Nabu in surprise.
Through the World Tree, she could access historical records from long ago. Naturally, she knew of the Flower Goddess Nabu.
"Hehe, what an adorable little one~"
Nabu squeezed her way in beside Nahida and rubbed the little girl's head. It felt like she was patting a "chibi" version of Rukkhadevata. It was actually quite nice.
"Nahida isn't me. Don't mix us up, Nabu," Rukkhadevata said helplessly.
Nabu curled her lips. She was already used to it—if Rukkhadevata wanted to eavesdrop on her thoughts, then she could listen all she liked.
"Nabu-senpai, I've heard a few stories about you. Were you and the Scarlet King in love?" Nahida asked curiously.
"Uh…"
That question choked Nabu up. She honestly had no idea how to answer such a thing for this innocent little girl.
"This Flower Goddess is just a scheming woman. From start to finish she strung the Scarlet King along so badly he couldn't tell which way was north. And the Scarlet King? Total simp," Koji answered for her.
"Who are you calling a scheming woman?"
Nabu was not pleased. All she'd done was state her own thoughts out loud. The Scarlet King had taken the initiative to help her—she'd never directly ordered him to do anything.
"I see," Nahida nodded as if she understood.
Inside, Nabu was roaring: What exactly do you 'see'?!
"The Scarlet King did so much for you. Did you ever even let him touch you once?" Koji asked with a playful look.
"No."
The Flower Goddess thought about it, the corner of her mouth twitching. She hadn't said anything, but the Scarlet King really had never laid a hand on her.
Thinking about it now, even she felt the Scarlet King was ridiculously much of a simp.
"Let's drop that. Nahida, from now on the Flower Goddess Nabu will also be one of Sumeru's combat forces," Rukkhadevata said.
Nahida nodded. In truth, she still wanted to hear more.
As for the little dramas between the three gods back then, of course she knew them all very well.
"Rukkhadevata, I'd like to walk around Sumeru City a bit. You're not going to restrict me, are you?" Nabu asked.
"You can. As long as you don't cause trouble, I won't place any restrictions on your movements in principle," Rukkhadevata nodded.
Nabu nodded as well, then transformed into a flurry of blossoms and disappeared from the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
The Grand Bazaar.
Standing below the stage, the Flower Goddess Nabu watched the red-haired girl dancing above, nostalgia in her expression.
The Dance of the Goddess of Flowers—that was her own dance. She hadn't expected it to be passed down.
"Little sister, want to dance with me?"
Nabu hadn't danced the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers in ages. Watching Nilou's performance, her interest was piqued.
"Big sister, you know the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers too?"
Nilou looked curiously at Nabu, who had suddenly come on stage. What a woman—beautiful like a flower herself.
At that, Nabu's expression turned a little strange. Asking the Flower Goddess whether she knew the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers… that really was a great question.
"I do."
Nabu moved through a few steps. Nilou immediately realized that this big sister danced the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers even better than she did; there was an extra trace of divine resonance in it that Nilou simply could not achieve.
She had no idea Nabu was the Flower Goddess herself. Otherwise, she would never have thought that way.
(End of Chapter)
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