Chapter 154 - 152: The Power That Will Be Lost

Words : 1177 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

After seeing Venti arrive through Astrea, Ye came over directly. Don't ask why he came. The answer is simple: he was bored and came to find some amusement. All the documents that only he or Furina could handle had already been dealt with, and the rest had been sent to Neuvillette. So, work matters were no concern, and there was no need to worry. Now, it was time to focus on finding some fun. "If you have any questions, you can ask me directly. You know me—I've always been open and honest, holding nothing back." After the wine arrived, Ye quickly downed a cup before leisurely speaking: "It just so happens that I'm in a good mood right now. If what you're asking is something I can talk about, I'll tell you." "...Don't you think those two sentences of yours are particularly contradictory?" Venti rubbed his forehead, feeling the urge to run. After all, with his creditor right in front of him, even a god couldn't help but feel uneasy. Zhongli, however, quickly accepted Ye's new "open and honest" persona and got straight to the point: "Then answer my question. What exactly is the situation with the Lesser Lord Kusanali in Sumeru? Why is she allowing you to be so aggressive toward Sumeru?" Faced with this question, Ye's expression turned serious as he spoke gravely: "Wisdom is the enemy of the God of Wisdom. 'Knowledge' is the bait floating on the surface of the sea of ignorance. The scholars of the Akademiya are breeding folly, and the wisdom of the gods has no objection to this." "Old man, just stab him to death with your spear." "Just kidding." Seeing that Zhongli seemed about to actually pull out his spear, Ye quickly stopped him. "The truth is actually quite simple. The Lesser Lord Kusanali has been imprisoned since five hundred years ago." "I see." Zhongli and Venti nodded in understanding, not particularly surprised. After all, this explained why the current Dendro Archon had been so indifferent to Sumeru. "So, if the news of a god being imprisoned were to leak, Sumeru would surely fall into the same situation as Mondstadt in terms of diplomacy. That's why the Akademiya has been hiding the news, right?" Zhongli shook his head slightly. "What a foolish idea. Although the relationships among The Seven are not all harmonious, if the Akademiya had sought help earlier regarding such a major event as a god being imprisoned, the Lesser Lord Kusanali would have been rescued long ago. It wouldn't have come to this, where you've discovered the truth and are now taking advantage of the situation." Zhongli wasn't too surprised by the imprisonment of the Lesser Lord Kusanali. After all, five hundred years ago, the Lesser Lord Kusanali had just been born and couldn't have been very powerful. What Zhongli found foolish was the Akademiya's decision to hide this matter. After all, The Seven do not have openly hostile relationships. Faced with such a situation, some gods might remain indifferent, but others would surely step in to help, as this was tantamount to a challenge to all of The Seven. Thinking this, Zhongli asked directly: "So, who imprisoned the Lesser Lord Kusanali? It couldn't be that some ancient god has returned to Teyvat, could it? Or was it the Fatui? Or... was it you?" Regardless of how other gods might react, Zhongli himself could not stand idly by in such a situation. "The Akademiya." Zhongli: "..." Venti: "..." "It was the Akademiya that imprisoned the Lesser Lord Kusanali." Zhongli: "?????" Venti: "?????" The two gods were utterly speechless. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't understand this move. What reason could the Akademiya have for doing such a thing? What benefit could it bring to Sumeru or the Akademiya? In the end, it was Astrea who spoke up, her face full of disbelief: "Why would the Akademiya of Sumeru do such a thing?" Ye glanced down at Astrea with an expressionless face: "Are you trying to make me understand the thought process of a bunch of idiots?" "S-Sorry! 乛" Astrea quickly stood up and bowed in apology. Ye reached out and patted her head, signaling her to sit down: "Astrea, you need to understand one thing. There are some unreasonable people in this world, and trying to figure out why they do such things is an insult to your own intelligence. So don't ask, don't think. Just know that when you encounter such idiots, stay far away to avoid being infected." "But... Supreme Bishop... isn't the Dendro Archon too pitiful?" Despite her nervousness and fear as someone with a criminal record facing the Supreme Bishop, Astrea mustered her courage to speak: "She was probably just born and didn't understand anything before being imprisoned. I... Supreme Bishop, can I go save her?" Ye wasn't surprised by Astrea's words. After all, this was part of her programming. He simply replied calmly: "You don't need to. If she wanted to escape, she could do so at any time—didn't I just say? The scholars of the Akademiya are breeding folly, and the wisdom of the gods has no objection to this." Astrea tilted her head, not understanding what this meant. Zhongli, however, immediately grasped the meaning. Crossing his arms, he said calmly: "It's not that the 'god' has no objection, but that the 'wisdom of the god' has no objection. In other words, from her own perspective, the Lesser Lord Kusanali might have objections, but from the perspective of 'wisdom (rationality),' she has chosen to withhold her objections, believing she shouldn't object—that's what you're trying to say, right?" Venti also caught on: "In simple terms, although the Lesser Lord Kusanali was imprisoned by the Akademiya, she believes they weren't wrong to do so, which is why she hasn't resisted. But if she wanted to, she could escape at any time, right?" "Exactly. The previous Dendro Archon, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, had a place for secluded meditation called the Sanctuary of Surasthana. The Akademiya repurposed it into a prison for the Lesser Lord Kusanali, using the methods of a god to imprison a god. But in the end, it's just a place for meditation. The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata wouldn't have restricted her own powers while meditating, and the Akademiya didn't have the ability to add such restrictions to the sanctuary. Therefore, the Lesser Lord Kusanali's powers remain fully usable." Ye took another sip of wine and spoke lightly: "With the powers of the Dendro Archon, escaping would be a trivial matter—though that only applies to the past." "What do you mean?" Astrea, who had just started to feel relieved, suddenly looked nervous again. "What I mean is..." Ye said meaningfully: "In the past, the Lesser Lord Kusanali always had the freedom to choose whether or not to escape. But soon... she will completely lose that power."

Chapter 154 - 152: The Power That Will Be Lost

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