Sumeru's Greatest Devotion: King Deshret**
A tide of emerald green spread outward like surging waves.
Gu Chen led a group of scholars at the very front of that green tide, conducting research as they advanced.
This was the divine power of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata — a power capable of nurturing vegetation upon barren land.
In the boundless desert, that stretch of greenery rolled far behind them. The farther it extended, the more lush and magnificent it became — like a sea of jade, already resembling a great forest.
And in a place so empty and lifeless, any spark of vitality was especially striking.
In the distance, through the shimmering heat, King Deshret and the Goddess of Flowers finally saw the domain of the Greater Lord.
They beheld thriving life flourishing within the desert's sea of sand.
The two gods continued forward.
Soon, a scholar spotted them.
"Great Sage! Please come look!"
Gu Chen turned.
King Deshret, sovereign ruler of his land, radiated noble majesty — golden brilliance that instinctively made others want to kneel.
The Goddess of Flowers carried an ethereal, mysterious grace. She felt like a bloom from some unknown realm, begging to be explored.
Even the veil could not hide her stunning beauty.
Gu Chen was briefly taken aback, then bowed.
"I did not know such honored guests had arrived. Forgive us for not greeting you from afar."
King Deshret regarded him with mild surprise.
"You seem to possess great power… yet you are no god…"
"An interesting human," the Goddess of Flowers said with a soft laugh.
Her laughter was like a clear spring bubbling over stone.
King Deshret spoke.
"We have come to visit the Princess of Wisdom. People from distant lands sing praises of her brilliance. I wish to know if those tales are true."
Gu Chen nodded. "Naturally."
"Good. Then you shall guide us to her," Deshret said.
"Please follow me."
Gu Chen led the two gods eastward across the emerald earth.
Before long, they reached Buer, who stood upon high ground, looking out at the distant desert.
"Honored guests, forgive my late welcome," Buer said gently.
"Princess of Wisdom — we have long admired you," the two gods said with respectful nods.
The Flower God raised her hand. Flowers bloomed across the ground.
Petals opened to reveal spices, gold, and gemstones nestled within their centers.
She spoke:
"Praise the Winged One,
the King who rules all nations of earth.
I am a spirit formed from primordial days,
a flickering mirage,
a thread of light from the Creator's gaze.
People afar praise your wisdom —
so will you dispel the confusion that has long troubled me?
These spices, gold, and gemstones —
I offer them to you in gratitude,
in exchange for answering
my three riddles."
Upon hearing her words, King Deshret's expression turned respectfully solemn.
Gu Chen stood silently to the side, nearly invisible.
Buer glanced at the Goddess of Flowers, then at King Deshret.
Wisdom shimmered faintly in her eyes.
She sighed softly.
"Speak."
The First Riddle
The Goddess of Flowers asked:
"What remains cold and lifeless while alive,
yet after it fades, brings warm winds to humankind?"
Buer responded without hesitation:
"You speak of the late-spring rose —
thorny, yet its fragrance cannot be hidden.
Its petals are plucked to make rich perfume;
its stem cut for lamp wicks.
Throughout history, countless lovers have been enraptured by it.
Even the King of Crimson Sands admired its beauty.
Yet when has the rose ever longed for anyone?
It merely withers beneath the new moon and morning dew."
The Flower God's eyes flickered.
King Deshret fell silent, deep in thought.
[Chat]
Heizou: So this is the wisdom of the God of Wisdom?! She's literally hinting at the Flower God's fate! (Paimon shocked)
Kaveh: Wait — what does that explanation even mean?! (scratching head)
Nilou: I kind of understand… but not fully. (Collei buffering)
Sangonomiya Kokomi:
From Apep we know the Flower God was the first to die.
So "the late-spring rose" clearly points to her early death.
The lines about "the King of Crimson Sands admiring her beauty" and "yet the rose never yearns for anyone" hint at her relationship with King Deshret — he admired her, but she did not belong to anyone.
Her question about warmth after fading shows she still bore responsibility toward humanity.
I suspect she was planning something larger… but the Greater Lord already saw through it. (thinking)
Itto: HUH?! All that from ONE answer?! (scratching head)
Collei: Aaaah! Gods talk like they know everything, but in riddles! I hear it ten times and still don't get it! (Amber help me)
Kaeya: Ah! My head is itchy… I think I'm growing a brain!! (meme)
Gu Chen: Tumor: Didn't expect it to be me, did you? (meme)
Paimon: So King Deshret… really had a crush on the Flower God?! (shocked)
Gu Chen: I get Deshret. Even with a veil she's beautiful enough to make flowers pale. Take it off and the world would lose its color. (Zhongli smirk)
Kaeya: Leader Gu — who's prettier, the Flower God or the Greater Lord? (Hu Tao smirk)
Gu Chen: Only children compare. Adults know both wings are necessary — how else do you fly? (Zhongli smirk)
Aether: …
Guizhong: (facepalm)
Raiden Makoto: (Paimon shocked)
Ganyu: My head itches… I feel like I'm being spun around… (Kokomi dizzy)
Venti: Bro, open a class — I'll kneel and listen! (Klee begging)
Kaeya: Learn one minute a day with Gu Chen, and you too can start a harem in Teyvat! (Venti sparkles)
Gu Chen: Alright — let's hear the second riddle.
The Second Riddle
The Goddess of Flowers asked:
"What rises from earth to sky,
then descends from sky to earth?
No one sees it,
yet it observes all.
Above mirrors below,
below mirrors above —
yet it may only descend,
never ascend?"
Buer pondered only briefly, then answered:
"You speak of the law standing firm in the high heavens —
the sacred ordinance forged in primordial times.
No mortal has seen these eternal laws,
yet they govern all phenomena under the sky.
One may bow to the heavenly Valinana,
but must never imitate forbidden arts.
For those who dare replicate such taboo knowledge —
only calamity awaits at the brink of revelation."
The Goddess of Flowers sighed.
"Truly, you are the sovereign of insight —
you who understand what lies between stars and abyss.
Yet the world does not contain only fleeting things…
there is brilliance worthy of eternity."
[Chat]
Nilou: I don't understand… what are they even saying? (Nahida curious)
Collei: Master Tighnari, help! (buffering)
Tighnari:
My humble take: this hints at Deshret's fate.
The first lines refer to the sacred order set by Celestia or some higher existence.
The latter warn that touching forbidden knowledge leads to ruin. (chalkboard)
Collei: Oh! So Deshret touched forbidden knowledge and doomed himself! Rukkhadevata already saw everything! (Paimon shocked)
Zhongli:
By ordinary logic, none can rival the Greater Lord's wisdom.
The past is as clear to her as lived experience,
and fragments of the future reveal themselves before her. (tea sip)
Azhdaha: Enough! Do all wise people talk like this?! Half-understandable riddles! Riddle-speakers should GET OUT OF TEYVAT! (roaring)
Gu Chen: Agreed! First — kick Venti out! (angry)
Venti: Why ME?! (meme)
Paimon: Deshret is so tragic…
Unrequited love…
Touches forbidden knowledge and kills himself…
Then gets eaten by Apep…
SO TRAGIC! (shocked)
Neuvillette: But Deshret shouldn't be stupid. He should understand these hints.
Furina: Or — maybe he loved the Flower God so much…
Knowing she was exiled because of forbidden knowledge in the past,
he wanted to study it himself
to reverse her fate?
Gu Chen: Deshret: CELESTIA!! You hurt my goddess! I'll master forbidden knowledge and END YOU! (angry)
Sustainer: Heretic.
Venti: Deshret resurrects only to find this chat full of haters. (Hu Tao grin)
Hu Tao: Don't worry — just hold down the coffin lid! (cute)
Furina: See? My theory makes perfect sense! If the Flower God died, Deshret would absolutely try to revive her! (proud)
Zhongli: Abstract… yet disturbingly plausible. (facepalm)
Apep: At this rate, Aḥmar will resurrect out of sheer anger.
The Third Riddle
The Goddess of Flowers asked:
"What cannot withstand an arrow,
yet withstands destruction?
What cannot break armor,
yet can topple cities?
What bows to no heavenly envoy,
nor to any nation on earth?
What neither gods nor demons,
even with all their might, can overcome?"
Buer spoke softly:
"You speak of wisdom —
endless, eternal wisdom —
the shield that protects civilization.
It dies as … and returns as …
enduring forever like …
Though time stirs dust at its feet,
after ten thousand years it remains …
People shall rejoice because of it,
and it shall … because of them…"
Several key phrases were intentionally left blank — as though meant to be filled by Sumeru's future history.
[Chat]
Kaeya: Wait! Why are there BLANKS in her answer?!
Venti: Oh great — the riddle is inside another riddle?
Gu Chen: What kind of fill-in-the-blanks nonsense is this?! (angry)
Paimon: Even YOU don't know?!
Gu Chen: I'm not the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! (scratching head)
He truly did not understand her meaning.
He suspected the missing parts were meant to be completed by Sumeru's destiny in later eras.
Heizou: Three riddles — three gods.
The first two clearly correspond to the Flower God and King Deshret.
So the last must be about the Greater Lord herself.
Even with blanks, it implies wisdom as an eternal concept —
possibly hinting that she will be reborn? (thinking)
Kokomi: Still confusing… (dizzy)
Paimon: Just call the walking encyclopedia — Zhongli! @Zhongli
Zhongli: I don't know!! (hands spread)
What, do you think I'm omniscient?
When it comes to wisdom, Rukkhadevata is far beyond me.
She could glimpse the future in the ancient era —
I can't hope to guess what she meant.
Furina: Skip it! Pretend we never saw this part!
Gu Chen: Brothers, I read something that made my brain hurt, so I turned away and immediately forgot it. Is that self-defense? (Zhongli meme)
Kaeya: Excellent strategy.
Paimon: Alright — let's move to the three-god alliance!
The Three Gods Form an Alliance
All three riddles answered, the Flower God showed clear admiration.
Buer's responses greatly satisfied her.
The Flower God proposed:
"We each have strengths. Why not form an alliance and share what we possess?"
King Deshret nodded. "I agree."
Buer considered briefly, then nodded gently. "Very well."
Thus, the three gods formally allied.
Filled with joy, the Flower God began to dance —
light and graceful, like a butterfly among blossoms.
Beautiful, dreamlike.
She was so beautiful that even flowers seemed pale beside her.
Even a sovereign such as King Deshret was entranced.
Gu Chen quietly admired her dance.
He noticed Deshret watching as well —
but while Gu Chen admired her beauty,
Deshret's eyes overflowed with deep affection.
[Chat]
Nilou: She's so beautiful!! I want to learn this dance! (Nahida excited)
Collei: Eek — Deshret's love is practically overflowing from his eyes…
But it's obvious she feels nothing for him. (shocked)
Paimon: Poor Deshret…
He must've understood the line
"yet the rose never yearns for anyone."
Flowers and crimson sand — totally impossible. (shocked)
Lyney: Classic one-sided love.
But judging by his expression, he'll just love her silently forever. (Childe shocked)
Childe: Shallow! Forget romance — focus on your career! Build a great kingdom! (surfing)
Furina: See? This supports my theory!
With how deeply Deshret loved her —
if the Flower God died, he would stop at nothing to revive her! (proud)
Gu Chen: I now bestow the title "Sumeru's Greatest Devotion" upon King Deshret. Any objections?
Kaeya: None — if the story really goes that way.
Venti: Devoted to the point of madness — trying to rewrite fate with forbidden knowledge, huh? (meme)
Heizou: Now let's see what happens next.
If forbidden knowledge spreads…
the world is done for. (Zhongli sigh)
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