Alhaitham nodded. "Of course. It completely violates my understanding of rules."
"Academics, knowledge—everything has its boundaries. Once you cross that line, the order and rules governing all things are destroyed."
"Things like this are like typos in a book. They need to be corrected."
[Paimon: That sounds really complicated.]
[Furina: Isn't that just the law? The law is the boundary for these things. It could have been explained simply as 'don't break the law.']
[Paimon: 'Don't break the law'—now I can understand that.]
[Neuvillette: A unified law that everyone must follow—that is justice.]
[Paimon: The Grand Sage of the Akademiya didn't follow the law.]
[Cyno: Based on what we know, the Grand Sage is guilty of three major crimes: deceiving the people of Sumeru, stoking conflict in the desert, and extracting Divine Knowledge Capsules from humans. These three offenses are enough to sentence him to death.]
"Wait." Paimon noticed something off. "Aren't you helping because you feel sorry for those people?"
Alhaitham said, "Sorry, but I'm not that free."
"By your logic, there are plenty of pitiable people in Sumeru—even in all of Teyvat. Can you save everyone?"
Paimon was left speechless.
[Paimon: I really can't argue with that.]
[Furina: I don't know how to argue with that either.]
[Alhaitham: What I said was correct, so of course you can't argue. If I had to help every pitiable person, I'd never get anything else done. And I might not even get any gratitude in return.]
[Lumine: That's indeed a very real problem.]
Lumine said, "I understand. Your motivation is more unique—more personal."
Alhaitham said, "You could say that. Simply put, I don't blindly believe in power or heroism. I only do what I want to do."
"Divine Knowledge Capsules are what I want to investigate. But that doesn't mean I'll act for the sake of individual strangers."
Lumine fell into thought.
(Though he denies grand notions of justice and responsibility, he acknowledges a highly personal logic of action. Someone like that might actually make a better companion.)
Paimon puffed out her chest. "I was just about to say—there are plenty of bad people in the Akademiya, but you're different. You're the odd one in the Akademiya."
Alhaitham said flatly, "Perhaps. I rather enjoy being different."
[Paimon: He... he actually enjoys it? That's so strange.]
[Alhaitham: Aren't I an odd one? An odd person doing odd things—what's so strange about that?]
[Paimon: That's... that's...]
"Being special is also a form of wealth, isn't it?"
Paimon commented, "You have such a great attitude. I almost admire you. If Miss Shani had your personality, she wouldn't have to live so carefully."
Alhaitham said, "It's just that my personality is better than hers. You don't need to dwell on it."
Paimon looked at the mad scholar and asked, "What should we do with him now?"
Alhaitham said flatly, "Leaving him here is a death sentence. Take him with us."
"Let's go back to Aaru Village first, then figure out the next step."
Back in the village, Lumine and Paimon recounted everything they had seen and heard.
Cyno summarized, "So that abandoned Eleazar hospital was once a base used by the Akademiya to extract Divine Knowledge Capsules."