Chapter 150: How to Obtain the Second Gnosis

That canned knowledge that Nadixa tampered with.

Actually, it basically has no live-streaming function.

It merely has the functions of recording audio and inputting text.

She, whose Gnosis was taken away, has very low permission to manipulate the Void and cannot surpass Azha'er's modifications to it.

This is where Luo De deceived Azha'er.

But this is enough.

Blind trust in the Void made Azha'er, upon seeing and hearing his own confession, throw his own formation into disarray, and also planted the seeds for the later collapse of his mental defenses.

Actually.

There are exactly two such canned knowledge items, both in Ai'ersensen's hands.

Naturally, the purpose of preparing two is to handle various situations.

Ai'ersensen's contact time with Luo De was extremely short; during most of his investigation and evidence gathering, he had no interaction with Luo De.

Moreover, his investigation report on Luo De can be described as exceedingly detailed.

Just relying on this report.

Even without finally using Saitalei to confirm the information, Azha'er could easily conclude that Luo De already possessed the Red King's knowledge.

Therefore, inferring from Azha'er's character and Void logic.

At this point, Ai'ersensen still has over a ninety percent chance of being trusted by him.

But just in case.

Nadixa still produced an extra Void Terminal, so that if Azha'er did not trust Ai'ersensen, or even saw through his collaboration with Luo De, Ai'ersensen would have ample opportunity to replace an already issued canned knowledge.

That is, the canned knowledge that Azha'er himself had previously used to issue orders calming the populace and investigating the Dendro Archon's followers.

Speaking of this.

This brings up Nadixa's understanding of Azha'er.

She knows all too well what Azha'er will do when faced with a sudden situation.

This also gave Luo De and Ai'ersensen plenty of room to find strategies to cope.

By the way.

Saitalei's earlier revelation, when Azha'er questioned her, that Luo De possessed the Red King's knowledge was also part of the plan.

However, Azha'er's patience is simply too strong.

Or rather.

This guy's suspicion is simply too heavy.

From Ai'ersensen's intelligence to Hafusai's report, he had repeatedly verified them; the information about Luo De in his hands piled up like a small mountain, and yet he still had the patience to question Saitalei again, whereupon he finally decided to issue the order to capture Luo De.

And he finally waited for the Saitalei whom he had questioned.

After Luo De was brought by Ai'ersensen to the Great Sage's Office, he immediately ordered the guards stationed here to search for Luo De's hiding place.

Logically speaking.

Without receiving orders from the Void Terminal, these guards would not obey Saitalei's commands.

But Saitalei is after all the Great Sage's assistant.

Previously, she had often acted in place of the Great Sage, issuing verbal orders when it was inconvenient for him to use the Void Terminal.

Thus, after her command.

The guards stationed here were all transferred away.

As for the Great Sage's safety.

A joke.

This is the innermost part of the Academy; even if all these guards left, even if many guards went out to apprehend the rioting mercenaries and followers of the Little Auspicious Grass King, the number of guards left behind here would still be sufficient to guarantee the Great Sage's safety.

Therefore, these guards had no hesitation, and under Saitalei's leadership and then Ai'ersensen's who came out afterward, they began searching the Academy for Luo De's hiding place during his evasion of capture.

Such a vacuum defense, together with the soundproofing of the Great Sage's Office itself, meant that Azha'er's cries for help did not leak out at all.

At this moment, seeing the surroundings completely normal.

Azha'er naturally also realized that he had just been deceived.

However, no matter how angry he was, Luo De's hand remained like an iron clamp, tightly gripping his neck; although he didn't intend to strangle him to death, it merely left him enough space to breathe.

Just like that.

Luo De grabbed Azha'er, and as if sightseeing, leisurely watched the scholars below walking back and forth, until someone shouted, "The Dendro Archon has come out of the Pure Good Palace!"

Inside the Academy.

There is a well-known fact.

That the Little Auspicious Grass King resides within the Pure Good Palace, but has not shown himself for hundreds of years.

Although this fact indicates that the divine blessing has not disappeared from the land of Sumeru, no one can know anything else about the Little Auspicious Grass King; the Academy's sages are evasive about her existence, this pure avoidance has left the people of Sumeru desperate, no longer hoping for divine wisdom to descend out of nowhere.

But now, the Pure Good Palace, sealed for hundreds of years, suddenly opened, and a petite girl who exactly matches the records of the Dendro Archon in the classics walked out, and is now heading this way.

This made the scholars who had doubted the Little Auspicious Grass King's existence suddenly become curious; after the news of the Dendro Archon's manifestation spread, they flocked toward the Pure Good Palace, wanting to see whether this Dendro Archon, missing for hundreds of years, had truly appeared.

In this process.

Finally, someone discovered Azha'er being held by Luo De in his hand.

Luo De is not known to everyone, but the Great Sage is known to every scholar who has earned a degree.

Soon.

The commotion shifted from going to the Pure Good Palace to see the deity, to how the Great Sage was caught by a novice monk and made to look so embarrassed.

Seeing the crowd beneath his feet grow ever larger.

Although the already powerless Azha'er didn't know where the strength came from, he suddenly began to violently twist his body; but with his frail, aged physique, facing Luo De he could not even muster the strength of a mayfly shaking a tree, let alone break free from his bonds or even speak.

Luo De ignored him.

He waited until the Academy guards came rushing in with weapons, then he loudly said: "Great Sage A Zhaer is suspected of imprisoning the Dendro Archon; following the Dendro Archon's order, I have already captured the chief culprit A Zhaer, and anyone who comes to rescue will be treated as an accomplice."

It's over.

After Luo De announced this publicly, that was the only thought in A Zhaer's mind.

He couldn't imagine what look the scholars who had heard the news would give his A Zhaer, so he simply tilted his head and fainted.

And those guards, upon hearing the news,

Just like the scholars who had suddenly learned of this, they too stood frozen in place, dumbfounded, looking at the unconscious A Zhaer in Luo De's hands, at a loss.

Imprisoning a god.

This act could be called unprecedented in all of Tiwatedalu, possibly never to be repeated.

According to the Academy's definition of the root sin,

This is clearly a grave sin against the gods.

What further confused the scholars and the guards unaware of the situation was

The Dendro Archon hasn't been seeking knowledge in the Pure Good Palace these past few centuries; instead, she's been imprisoned?

After a brief silence,

A huge buzzing sound echoed in the hall.

Including the bewildered guards, everyone was discussing how the Great Sage had imprisoned the Dendro Archon.

Such discussion sounds.

It only ceased when Nadixa walked in.

Everyone turned their gaze to this deity they had never seen yet somehow felt familiar.

Strangely,

Although it was the first time seeing Nadixa,

The people present and those following Nadixa were utterly convinced that this little girl was the legendary new generation Dendro Archon, the Little Auspicious Grass King.

When Nadixa spoke her first words,

Many in the hall suddenly realized how familiar the voice was, as if they had heard it somewhere before.

Soon,

someone soon remembered.

It was the gentle voice that accompanied them through difficult nights when they were children, when they would dream, when they faced setbacks and losses, when they were mocked and ridiculed, giving them back confidence in reality and making them self-assured and happy again.

The news of the deity's return spread like lightning through the Academy and quickly reached all of Xu Mi Cheng.

Along with it spread

was the Great Sage's grave crime of imprisoning a deity.

The mercenaries who had previously spread the Little Auspicious Grass King's divine traces in the city were also personally acknowledged by the Dendro Archon as heroes who saved her; they not only walked out of prison but also received flowers and cheers as vast as the ocean.

Within the Academy,

this time in the Pure Good Palace.

Nadixa stood before the cage, staring unblinkingly at the device that had once imprisoned her for centuries.

After a long while,

She sighed, turned to Luo De, and said: "Everything has been investigated; everyone involved has now been thrown into prison."

Retaking control of the Academy went very smoothly.

In Teyvat, a world with gods,

deities are the supreme beings.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Nadixa was imprisoned for so many years; as soon as she appeared and spoke, the Academy from top to bottom and the populace of Xu Mi Cheng had no doubt about A Zhaer's blasphemy, and control of the Void naturally returned to her grasp when she escaped confinement.

Everything fell into place as naturally as water finding its channel.

Everyone involved in imprisoning the Dendro Archon was arrested after she appeared, needing no evidence—her word alone was proof enough.

"What are you going to do? Release them?"

As the only person who could enter the Pure Good Palace at that time, Luo De showed no respect fitting for seeing a deity; instead, he lounged against the pillar, yawning while speaking, looking half-asleep.

To carry out this plan smoothly, he hadn't slept well for days, and now he was indeed feeling drowsy.

Moreover, although this was their first real‑life meeting, they had already met countless times in the dream world, so meeting in person felt no stranger than old friends who had known each other for years.

"Lock them up."

As expected, that was the reply.

Luo De did not object to Nadixa's decision as he used to.

That's just Nadixa's nature.

Toward humanity, she seems to have boundless tolerance.

Even though A Zhaer had openly said he would spare no effort to kill a god in pursuit of omniscience, Nadixa could not bring herself to punish him more severely.

Originally, as a deity,

Nadixa, having retaken control of the Academy, possesses absolute authority.

But she still earnestly explained to Luo De: "Imprisoning a god, this alone is enough to ruin his reputation and name; for a scholar, nothing is harsher than disgrace, so harsher punishment is unnecessary—let them go to Path Completion Forest to repent."

Luo De nodded and replied: "Whatever you decide is fine; no need to explain to me."

Nadixa looked at Luo De's face, trying to read the information she wanted from his expression.

But after staring for a long time she saw nothing unusual, so she gave up and continued: "I have already revoked the sages' permission to manipulate the Void, returning control of the Void solely to the deity."

"Hmm."

「After Azhaer steps down, the Academy's Great Sage position is vacant; currently three sages have submitted applications to me, wanting to compete for the Great Sage position, without your teachers Nafisi and Juleshi. 」

「Hey, those two actually have no interest in the Great Sage position. 」

「Now there is an even more important issue. 」

「The contamination of the World Tree, I know. 」

「. 」

Everything Luo De said has been said, Nadixa shook her head helplessly and said: 「My power is too weak; although I am already using my own body as that of a god, but you know, gods need to rely on people's faith to gain power, but I am not as beloved as the Great Merciful Tree King, therefore relying solely on my power, I cannot open the contaminated consciousness left by the Great Merciful Tree King. 」

「Hmm. 」

Luo De, who already knew this, chuckled and said: 「So, you still need the power of a Gnosis to assist you in entering that consciousness of the Great Merciful Tree King. 」

This answer left Nadixa silent for a long time.

Quite a while.

She then muttered: 「If I couldn't read your mind, I would definitely take a look at what you're thinking no matter what. 」

She said.

Nadixa continued: 「A god's Gnosis is not something that can be lent out casually, and since my birth I have been imprisoned in the Palace of Purity and Kindness, having no contact whatsoever with other gods, so borrowing a Gnosis would be extremely difficult. 」

「This one. 」

「I have a way. 」

Regarding the second Gnosis, Luo De had already thought of a solution; he didn't beat around the bush, pointing far off to the northeastern direction of Mount Sumeru: 「I have a way to bring back a Gnosis from there, but I'll need to wait some time. 」

The direction Luo De pointed.

That is Mondstadt, one of the seven nations of Teyvat.

The land of the Wind God.

Nadixa's face once again showed a puzzled expression, just as before, she still couldn't understand why Luo De could be so certain that he could borrow a Gnosis from Mondstadt.

Especially.

「The Wind God also disappeared for several hundred years; do you have a way to contact him? 」

Although she has no contact with other gods, Nadixa still knows that the Wind God Babatos has disappeared for several hundred years, and unlike her merely being imprisoned and unable to send news, he has truly had no news at all.

However, Luo De still spoke with full confidence.

「Yes. 」

「But we need to wait for the right time. 」

Hearing this answer,

Nadixa stared at him for a long time; as usual, she still couldn't see anything, so she finally had to helplessly shake her head and say: 「Fine, then we'll wait for the right time you mentioned. 」

(End of chapter)