To put it bluntly.
The moment Nahida erased the Greater Lord from the Irminsul, the little moon vanished, and the Dendro Archon was born.
After all, memories, to a large extent, shape a person's character and personality. If those memories are altered, it can drastically affect one's way of thinking.
So!
When the Irminsul changed, Nahida was the most affected—that's correct. Because she was the very epicenter of it all.
And likewise!
When Kiana restored the entire truth to Nahida, the little moon returned, and the Dendro Archon disappeared.
There was no resistance, no friction.
It was as smooth as water flowing into a channel.
But Nahida was aware of everything the Dendro Archon had done. It was as if she had suddenly rediscovered her true self.
Even from a bystander's perspective, watching the Dendro Archon's actions was enough to make one's blood boil.
Let alone experiencing it firsthand!
She was tormented, utterly agonized.
She had always been a good girl… she endured it all. Even when wronged, she never cried.
But now!
She wept so loudly, so pitifully.
Let alone the fact that the Greater Lord never held any blame for her in the first place.
Even if she had, perhaps she wouldn't have the heart to anymore, right?
After all, the Dendro Archon was the Dendro Archon, and she was herself. The Dendro Archon was already gone. Wallowing in self-pity wouldn't change a thing.
It was better to find a way to make amends.
Even so, it was impossible to undo all the pain and suffering.
But at least doing something was better than doing nothing!
At that moment, the Greater Lord gently held Nahida, comforting her, stroking her small head, caring for her as a mother would.
She didn't rush her.
Instead, she waited until Nahida had cried herself out, then held her even tighter.
The grievances bottled up over so many years finally needed release.
She was still a child.
Even if she was a deity… so what?
In the eyes of the Greater Lord, this was another version of herself, her own reincarnation, yet also a newly born self, a daughter in desperate need of care…
She softly said to Nahida, "What we need to do now, first and foremost, is restore Irminsul."
"I… I know…" Nahida's nose sniffled between sobs.
Originally, Kiana had intended to handle it herself.
But the Greater Lord volunteered, explaining that the Irminsul had always been their responsibility. This time, it was Nahida's failure, and they had no excuses. Still, she begged for another chance, an opportunity to atone for their mistakes.
Whether it was correcting the Irminsul or completely locking down its permissions, letting them take care of it… would, in a way, lessen their guilt.
Kiana agreed.
Because she understood the Greater Lord's perspective.
If the Heavenly Principles handled most matters, then what would be left for the Greater Lord and Nahida to do?
They needed to atone through action.
No, no, no!
It wasn't even about merit…
Just cleaning up the mess they had made.
Wasn't that what they should have done anyway?!
The Greater Lord's reasoning was clear.
And with the Greater Lord by her side, the little moon seemed to find her anchor. Though her nose still sniffled, her gaze was firm and resolute.
"But before that… 'The Hat,' no! Scaramouche…"
She took a deep breath, "must be dealt with."
In fact, once the Irminsul's records were fully restored, Scaramouche could no longer hide behind his facade.
Who was he? What had he done?
Everyone would remember. The correct history had returned.
Without a doubt, another entry was added to Scaramouche's list of sins.
Unforgivable.
Nahida was asking the Greater Lord for advice.
The Greater Lord didn't hesitate, as now wasn't the time to guide Nahida's growth. So she stated plainly,
"Before I descended from Celestia, I already discussed this with Raiden."
She said, "Scaramouche will be extradited to Inazuma. Sumeru will send a delegation. Then, before all the people of Inazuma and the Sumeru representatives, each and every one of his crimes will be publicly exposed, and he will face execution."
"That's good." The little moon was the little moon.
The Dendro Archon might have pitied Scaramouche.
She did not.
She wasn't proud, nor arrogant.
In fact, she was somewhat insecure.
But she knew very well what could be done and what couldn't.
What she couldn't handle, what she wasn't good at—it was better to leave it to others than to boss around blindly.
Kiana's stance was actually quite clear.
Nahida might not see through it yet, but the Greater Lord understood perfectly.
Sumeru's biggest problems were only two.
One was the alteration of the Irminsul.
The other was Scaramouche and the Dendro Archon.
Once Nahida's true self returned, the Dendro Archon had completely vanished.
As for Scaramouche, not only could he not be easily spared, but he also had to be dealt with severely, as a warning to others.
Only then!
Would Sumeru be safer.
Kiana would be satisfied.
And Sumeru, naturally, wouldn't face excessive punishment.
Everything would pass.
Don't think the Greater Lord was merely merciful, or even saintly, as if she were easy to manipulate.
In reality!
If she truly had no resolve, if she couldn't be ruthless, she would never have been able to govern Sumeru properly in the first place. Even the mess left by the Goddess of Flowers and the Scarlet King, along with many other matters, were resolved by her own decisions.
Precisely because she knew how to weigh pros and cons.
Sometimes, it might not be entirely right, but it was never far from it.
This time was no exception!
Meanwhile,
Over in Fontaine.
Neuvillette felt a wave of relief seeing Furina return safely.
But when he saw Focalors beside Furina, gazing at him with a playful, smiling expression, he was utterly stunned.
"How did you…"
"The Heavenly Principles resurrected me, of course? After all, every debt has its debtor. That petty Heavenly Principles surely wouldn't let me off the hook."
Focalors cheekily poked fun at Kiana.
Then, with her hands behind her back, she tilted her head up, admiring Neuvillette's astonished expression. "Well? Surprised, Neuvillette?"
Neuvillette fell silent.
He truly couldn't grasp what the Heavenly Principles intended.
Because, this was indeed different from what he had initially thought.
But regardless, Focalors' return was a good thing.
He was happy.
Focalors didn't keep the little sea otter in suspense for too long.
Instead, she took Furina and Neuvillette to his office on her own.
Dismissed everyone nearby.
Only then did she begin, recounting everything she and Furina knew, everything they had learned and experienced on Celestia, clearly and in detail.
She told it all to Neuvillette.
Neuvillette listened quietly, but grew even more silent.
Because many of the secrets Kiana mentioned were completely unknown, even to him and the Hydro Archon. Looking back now, it seemed many of their assumptions had been presumptuous.
If the Heavenly Principles had awakened just a little earlier, back then divine punishment would surely have descended.
"Without a Gnosis, a nation knows no peace. If even the Divine Throne is gone, then the nation and its people have no reason to exist…"
Neuvillette murmured softly.
"Indeed… in the face of the world's stability, what is a single nation in the eyes of the Heavenly Principles…"
"From ancient times to now, how many human nations have perished? Too many to count…"
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