After the four Archons departed, silence lingered over the Akademiya plaza.
Then Sumeru exploded.
The citizens were beside themselves with excitement. Whether they knew the person beside them or not, they grabbed arms and began speaking animatedly.
"Lady Nahida is incredible! I never imagined she was such close friends with the Four Archons!"
"Didn't you hear them personally wish her a happy birthday?"
"Even Rex Lapis came in person! That's not just an alliance, that's friendship!"
"Weren't they here to sign a contract?"
"Use your head! If it were just for a contract, Lady Nahida would've gone to Liyue. The fact that they came all the way here means celebrating her birthday mattered most!"
"In that case, now that we've joined the alliance, we have powerful backing!"
"Not just Lady Nahida, four Archons stand behind us!"
"I heard the Four-Nation Alliance is thriving. Their citizens live peacefully and happily. Now it's our turn!"
A Liyue merchant chimed in proudly.
"I'm from Liyue. It's not just peaceful, it's unbelievably prosperous. We barely spend Mora on food, clothing, housing, or medical care anymore."
"That amazing? Lady Nahida is truly bringing us better days!"
"But didn't Liyue suppress trade with the Akademiya?"
The Liyue merchant sighed.
"They suppressed the Akademiya, not Sumeru. And the policy ended once Azar fell. Think carefully. Was that against Sumeru? Or against Azar's faction?"
Realization dawned.
"So Liyue was blocking Azar's 'God Creation Plan' all along?"
"Obviously! If your friend is wronged, you help them."
"Official intervention would've been too blatant, so they applied economic pressure."
"So the alliance was helping even before today…"
"And Mondstadt sent two hundred Dragon Riders during the operation against Azar!"
"Two hundred? That's the alliance's foundation?"
"Enough speculation. Lady Nahida will explain."
The crowd gradually calmed, gazes fixed expectantly upon Nahida.
Now,
They believed anything she said.
Nahida folded the contract scroll away and spoke gently:
"From this day forward, the Five-Nation Alliance is officially established."
"Please regard the other four nations as family."
"We share life and death, honor and disgrace."
"Detailed policies will be issued by the Akademiya."
"I also encourage trade and travel among the nations. Within the alliance, preferential terms apply. When you go to the other four nations, their armies will protect you as they would their own."
That was tangible benefit.
Merchants applauded enthusiastically.
In commerce, opportunity is everything. Anyone insulting Nahida now would face an entire merchant guild.
To block someone's livelihood is to kill them.
To open it is to become their benefactor.
In that moment, Nahida became the shared "mother" of Sumeru's merchant class.
Even foreign traders smiled. Soon they would enjoy Sumeru's advantages as well.
Seeing her people's joy, Nahida felt warmth spread through her.
She glanced at Ryen.
He immediately understood.
This was her birthday.
His only task was to make her shine.
He nodded.
Nahida continued:
"You likely have many questions. Before today, I could not explain, because the contract was not yet signed."
"But now that we are officially part of the alliance, I can tell you more."
"Long ago, I visited Liyue and witnessed its transformation."
"The Guili Plains were once ravaged by sea water, uncultivable. Yet within two months, the land was replaced with fertile soil."
"Liyue established its largest farms there."
"The transformation required about one month. And the method can be replicated."
"That is why I say desert restoration will succeed."
Before excitement could erupt, Nahida took out several blocks of soil and placed them on the ground.
Then she dropped a sapling upon them.
Most citizens were confused.
Only Candace and Rahman, who had seen such things before, felt chills.
"This is soil," Nahida said softly. "And this is a sapling of a Skyroot Tree."
She scattered bone meal over it.
In an instant,
Before thousands of stunned eyes,
The tiny sapling surged upward.
What should have taken decades happened in seconds.
A towering tree dozens of meters high erupted skyward.
Leaves spread wide, filtering sunlight into dappled patterns that fell across Nahida.
In that moment,
She looked like an angel.
It was as if an ancient legend had come to life.
Like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata herself transforming desert into forest.
Nahida gazed upward at the great tree.
"This… is hope."
Silence fell.
Then,
A scholar from the Akademiya dropped to his knees.
"This is divine knowledge! A miracle! The great feat of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata reborn!"
"Five hundred years without a god, and now we have welcomed a great one again!"
The scholars went mad.
This scene mirrored the ancient transformation of desert into rainforest recorded in their history.
It was myth reenacted.
They were witnessing history.
Perhaps even participating in it.
Tears streamed down faces.
The Amurta scholars nearly collapsed in ecstasy.
This defied every biological principle they knew.
Naphis stood stunned.
He had expected the Minecraft world to be wondrous for research.
He had not expected it to be absurdly miraculous.
Then he snapped into action.
"Guards! Surround the tree! No one is to approach!"
"This is the Tree of Hope! A manifestation of Lady Nahida's wisdom!"
"Whoever damages it will be treated as a traitor!"
He rushed to the trunk, gently stroking it as if caressing sacred scripture.
"Incredible… How can it grow instantly? Why?"
"Have I glimpsed the ancient achievements of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?"
"We finally have the chance to recreate that greatness!"
The guards hurried to form a perimeter, especially wary of Amurta scholars, who were practically vibrating with obsession.
Only Naphis had touched the tree, and he now clung to it, inhaling deeply like a devotee.
Nahida suppressed a laugh.
"There is no need for such tension. We have many such trees, and much soil. Within the alliance, they are among the most common materials."
"We will need everyone to learn these methods for desert restoration."
Naphis shook his head firmly.
"My Lady, even if this tree is common elsewhere, this is the first planted in Sumeru. By your own hands."
"It is like the first tree planted by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata when she restored the desert."
"This is not merely a tree."
"It is the future."
"It is hope."
"For generations, the people of Sumeru will look upon it with reverence."
He straightened and bowed deeply.
"Please allow me, on behalf of all scholars and all citizens of Sumeru, to offer our purest respect."
"Thank you for descending to guide us after Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's departure."
"With your leadership, we shall recreate the ancient glory!"
"Sumeru shall usher in an age of hope and light!"