After greeting Keqing, who led the Liyue party, Idris turned to the Mondstadt contingent—
and to that carefree splash of white and green in their midst…
Barbatos, the Anemo Archon—better known as Venti.
"Huh… So that's Mondstadt's god? Why does he look unserious right down to his bones?"
Nahida's amused voice drifted through Idris's mind.
She'd met Morax before: skewed money sense aside, the Geo Archon radiated an austere dignity.
Venti, by contrast, looked like he'd skipped out of a tavern on a dare.
Still, Venti seemed happy to play the tag-along. Idris's eyes moved on to Mondstadt's actual lead—Lisa—and he stepped forward with a smile.
"Miss Lisa, welcome home to Sumeru.
Ever thought about making that permanent? If you'd like, I can place you in the Akademiya."
She was brilliant, proven, and—crucially—shortages were real. If he could bring her under his banner, a dozen logjams would melt away. If not, well—he had Three Pure Ones now; two avatars could cover desks while the original disappeared for a nap.
Lisa's lips quirked. "My, my. The first Grand Sage to personally try to recruit me back. I suppose I owe you face just for that. And I'll admit it—under your tenure, the Akademiya looks… tempting."
From the corner, Venti's lazy grin sharpened into a warning glare: "Hey, you little poacher. Hands off our librarian."
He cast a silent plea at Nahida. Aren't you going to stop him?
Nahida chuckled in Idris's head. I'd love to, but I'm not the one in charge here. These days I'm just… a farmer.
A… farmer? Venti blinked. Since when did a Grand Sage put a god to work as hired help?
Back on the surface of things, Lisa shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, Grand Sage, truly. But I'm comfortable in Mondstadt. No plans to relocate—for now."
"A shame," Idris said lightly, unsurprised, and looked past her at the rest.
Mondstadt's team included Amber and Eula—Amber clearly eager to see Collei, and Eula… well, foreign trips were easier than staying where whispers followed her name.
From Liyue came Keqing at the head, with Hu Tao and Xiangling in tow—Hu Tao chasing novelty, Xiangling chasing ingredients (and happy to be dragged through the freshly opened Chasm route).
A pity the Traveler's out of town, Idris thought. They'd be tripping over familiar faces today.
"Much as I'd like to keep chatting," he said, "I'm afraid of duty calls. I can personally show you around Sumeru City this morning. After that… we'll have to reconvene this evening."
Keqing cupped her hands. "We understand. This country rests on your shoulders for the moment; making time at all is already generous. We're here as sightseers—Mondstadt's the one bearing the paperwork."
Idris nodded and led them toward the Grand Bazaar.
Along the way, stall after stall displayed strange, never-before-seen greenery.
If it had only baffled the foreigners, fine. But Lisa—who had studied here—stopped short more than once.
She finally asked, brow knitting as a breeze of fragrance passed them. "Grand Sage… why so many new plants? Even at its most verdant, Sumeru wasn't this diverse when I studied here."
Which, of course, was the point. Idris had planned this route, and had asked vendors to feature the new stock he'd pushed into trials. A walking exhibition—a quiet flex.
He smiled. "You're looking at results from a technique I've introduced: grafting. Many of these are entirely new varieties created that way."
"Grafting?" several guests echoed.
Idris explained, clear and patient. "You take a bud or branch from one plant and attach it to another so they grow as a single organism. With luck—and work—the new plant inherits the strengths of both, and you get a new cultivar."
"Incredible…" Lisa breathed.
Keqing leaned in. "And it works?"
"With Nahida's help, yes," Idris said. "We haven't been at it long, but we already have results."
He stopped before a tall, violet plume like a giant sheaf of grain. "This one: lavender.
Its scent soothes the mind and helps with sleep. Keep a pot near the bed, and it does wonders for the restless."
Eyes lit up around the group.
Venti raised a hand, perfectly serious for once. "Aside from curing insomnia, can it… you know… do anything else?"
Idris considered. "It can be infused in wine."
"Really?!" Venti blurred forward in a gust, eyes shining. Anemo gods move fast when alcohol's involved.
Idris plucked a green apple from a nearby crate. "This as well—a grafted apple. Different color and a sharper profile: crisper, brighter acidity, sweeter finish. The trade-off is we may not get that mealy 'floury' texture some varieties had."
Across Teyvat, fruits rarely deviated from their "base model." No grafting, no diversity.
That, Idris thought, was about to change.
He continued the tour, pointing out cultivar after cultivar, fielding questions as Keqing and Lisa cycled through gasps and scribbles. Keqing's original goal had been a certain pill; now she was watching an agricultural revolution roll past her eyes.
Meanwhile Venti's gaze drifted—not to Idris, but to the faint, unseen presence floating at his shoulder. Gods recognize gods. He reached out in silent speech.
"Lesser Lord Buer—this grafting of yours is inspired. Truly worthy of the God of Wisdom.
If you can spread it, all of Teyvat's living standards will rise in a single generation."
Nahida flushed, just a little. It isn't my invention. I'm only… the farmer—accelerating growth for trials. The methods? The combinations? Those are Idris's. I've just shortened his timelines.
Venti froze.
When Idris had said "with Nahida's help," Venti had assumed this was yet another of the Wisdom God's quiet breakthroughs.
To learn it had been conceived by a human—and this human—stole his breath for a beat.
A memory stirred: Morax, dropping by with a rare, wry smile.
"Grand Sage Idris," the old god had said, "is worthy of the title 'Sage among men.'"
Venti almost never heard the Geo Archon praise anyone like that.
Now, seeing lavender sway and apples gleam under Sumeru's sun, he understood why.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito