Setaria stood frozen in place.
The scenes from earlier flashed through her mind one by one.
She crouched down in pain, but it didn't last long. Then she said softly, "Sigh, no matter where I run today, I keep running into you followers of King Deshret. I'm quite familiar with this feeling."
"I've been running from my guilt—like helping the Sages with those things, like ignoring the letters the children from my hometown sent me."
"But no matter how I avoid it, the guilt always catches up to me. I can never shake it off."
Lumine said, "Then you should follow your heart."
[Paimon: Good thing she believes in King Deshret deep down. She just couldn't bear to give up the comfortable life at the Akademiya.]
[Nahida: Yes, persuading someone to adopt a new faith in a short time is very difficult.]
[Lumine: Believe in Nahida.]
[Paimon: We're all followers of the Dendro Archon.]
[Yae Miko: Converting to a new god is simple too—just make people like them.]
[Paimon: Nahida is a very likable deity.]
[Nahida: Thank you, thank you all.]
"Facing the problem directly doesn't necessarily mean losing your current research environment. And conducting research in pain probably isn't what you want either."
Setaria asked, "How... how do you know me so well? Are you a follower of King Deshret, or King Deshret himself?"
Lumine said, "That doesn't matter. What matters is that we're going to punish the Akademiya and those Sages, and correct these wrongs."
"If you can provide help, it might count as a form of redemption for yourself."
Setaria thought for a moment and said, "I don't actually believe in any god. But I've always believed in fate. Your appearance must be the opportunity I need to break free from my current situation."
"What can I do for you?"
[Paimon: Secured through mystical means!]
[Ningguang: Good, very smooth.]
[Lumine: When someone you know suddenly changes their beliefs, it's easy to convince yourself that this is the power of the divine—that the god is calling to them. If it weren't divine, such a thing couldn't happen.]
[Paimon: A miracle. Yes, just like a miracle. Even though she knew the rumors about King Deshret were false, now she's starting to believe.]
[Ei: All these years, I've neglected the people. They've been waiting for a miracle to appear, but I was late.]
[Nahida: Isn't it here now?]
Lumine was delighted. She had finally persuaded her target. Then she asked the first question: "How much do you know about what the Sages are doing?"
Setaria said, "I'm just one of the designers of the mass dream production process—the Sabzeruz Festival matter. I don't know the full scope of the project. Only the core personnel have access to those confidential documents."
"I just follow the Grand Sage's instructions and complete the work assigned to me."
"However, there is one thing that concerns me. I heard that a scholar who was once exiled by the Akademiya has returned, and the Sages seem wary of him."
Lumine said, "An exile even the Sages are wary of..."
[Ningguang: If they made a serious mistake and were exiled, why allow them to return? In Liyue, those who commit grave errors are simply imprisoned.]
Lumine then asked, "To oppose the Akademiya, we need to understand exactly what they're doing. Is there a way to get hold of those confidential documents you mentioned?"
Setaria thought for a moment and gave an affirmative answer. "There should be a chance, with some risk. After all, I'm the Grand Sage's assistant. Aside from the current project, I handle all the other arrangements."