Lumine said, "Then I can't think of any good ideas either."
Paimon was very dejected. "Are we really out of options? Nahida, you probably have a way, don't you? You're so smart. Stop keeping us in suspense."
Nahida replied seriously, "First ruling out some unworkable plans makes the plan we eventually propose seem more weighty. This is a very mainstream view in the Akademiya's Vaahumana school."
Paimon said, "Alright, alright. You're the God of Wisdom—you don't need to use such tricks to make us take your words seriously."
[Nahida: I still don't understand humans very well. Many methods that work for humans are no longer applicable to gods.]
[Dehya: After all, a deity represents authority itself. No one would question a deity, right?]
[Furina: That suddenly brings back some unpleasant memories.]
[Paimon: Being doubted by everyone around you, sitting alone in a chair crying... so pitiful.]
[Furina: Paimon, I need to remind you that joke is not funny at all.]
[Lumine: Paimon, apologize.]
[Paimon: Furina, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made that joke.]
[Furina: Forget it. You'd probably do it again anyway. It's in your nature, as natural as your love for good food.]
[Paimon: Actually, you're not really angry, are you, Furina? After all, that happened in the future.]
[Furina: It feels like it happened to me. I got too immersed when watching the video.]
Nahida said, "Alright. My idea is this: since we can't directly possess the consciousness of key figures, and we can't involve ordinary citizens, we should find someone who isn't innocent but has a weak will to help us."
Paimon spread her hands. "So you mean to cultivate a mole? That's one way."
"I know a guy named Alhaitham. But he seems to act alone and likes to do things behind the Akademiya's back. He's probably not one of them."
Nahida continued, "Actually, I already have someone in mind. Do you remember a female scholar named Setaria?"
Paimon found the name very familiar and thought for a moment. "That's the one who's always following the Grand Sage, isn't she?"
"After all, we saw her every time during the Sabzeruz Festival. You could call her an old acquaintance. I remember she always spoke to Nilou in that arrogant, aggressive tone."
[Arataki Itto: As a follower, she's quite unqualified.]
[Dehya: Setaria is a once-in-a-century genius from the desert—an academic prodigy. How dare you, an idiot like Arataki Itto, criticize one of us desert folks?]
[Kuki Shinobu: The boss can be a bit stiff, but he's a good person at heart.]
[Lumine: His brain just has a few screws loose, that's all.]
Nahida said, "Yes. I've always enjoyed observing all kinds of people, and Setaria is a very special one among them."
"She was born in the desert and is the most brilliant academic talent among the desert dwellers. That's why she was exceptionally admitted to the Akademiya and became an assistant to the Sages."
Paimon said, "So she's from the desert. That is indeed a bit special. It seems that most desert folks you see in Sumeru City are mercenaries and the like."
[Dehya: That's the tragedy of the desert people. We have no right to education. We can only do rough work like being mercenaries.]
[Paimon: So that's why you feel so strongly about Setaria.]
[Dehya: To have made it this far, her excellence needs no questioning. She is our desert's pearl.]
Nahida looked up at the sky. "The name Setaria means 'star.' And in the desert, she was like the brightest star in the night sky."
"But then the sun chose her. She came to the daytime sky as a star, reflecting the sun's radiance."