In simple terms, it was a gesture of goodwill toward Liyue.
Only by doing that would Su Han not get angry.
Of course, a token gesture alone was far from enough.
There had to be more.
For example, even if they only put on a show, they still had to issue a warrant for someone from Snezhnaya.
That was because the person in question had a deep grudge against Snezhnaya.
But they could not do that.
If they offended Snezhnaya, a lot of trade would stop.
They would also lose a great deal of support.
So the scholar's idea was very sinister.
But it also matched what everyone wanted.
The others all nodded.
"This is a good method. In that case, take that scholar and make him apologize..."
"No, he should go apologize himself!" the Great Sage said something shocking.
But the others looked troubled.
Making someone go off to die on his own?
That was not really possible.
The Great Sage only sneered. "He caused this mess himself. He should deal with it himself. If he refuses, then his family will be completely erased."
When everyone heard that, their expressions changed.
But none of them dared to refute him.
Yes, if that man had not brought this up, who would have known about any of it?
Now that things had gone wrong, he should be the one to take responsibility.
The other sages all agreed.
They prepared to punish that man.
...
Inside a lavish palace.
The sage from the Vahuna faction was drinking tea.
The old man's face was full of gloom.
This whole affair had made him lose face completely.
He had to find a way to restore his authority.
But before he could come up with any plan, hurried footsteps sounded outside.
"Sage Vahuna, this is an order from the Great Sage and the other sages. You are to go to Gandharva Ville immediately and publicly apologize to the Tianquan, Ningguang..."
"What did you say? I already apologized in public, so why..."
Hearing the messenger's words, the sage flew into a rage.
The man, however, took out a document and said, "This is the statement from the Great Sage and the others. Please take a look..."
"I'd like to see how they dare to treat me like this."
The sage took the document and glanced at it.
In an instant, his whole body went cold.
His pupils shrank repeatedly.
What was he looking at?
"How dare they... launch such a large-scale invasion. Aren't they afraid of our retaliation..."
"I'm sorry, Sage. Our Sumeru does not have the troops to resist them, and this time, three nations are acting together.
There's something you may not have understood.
The Tianquan, Ningguang, is Su Han's woman.
Or to put it another way, his wife.
Do you know that Su Han has another wife?
It's the Raiden Shogun of Inazuma.
There is an official statement in the newspapers.
Ningguang's identity is recognized even by the Electro Archon of Inazuma. Do you understand now? Challenging that powerhouse is the same as challenging his entire family.
In other words, you were hopping around, mocking the Raiden Shogun.
The Great Sage said this is only a show of force. If we do not respond in time...
The next step may be the arrival of the three gods in Sumeru.
You wouldn't want to see that, would you?"
After hearing the messenger's answer, the sage collapsed to the ground.
His whole body was freezing cold.
Yes.
His former pride had been built entirely on the identity of a sage.
Even the Dendro Archon and the others were beneath his notice.
So what about some Tianquan from Liyue?
But arrogance is one of humanity's greatest flaws.
Now that things had come to this, he had only himself to blame.
"Did the Great Sage say what I should do?"
"I don't know, but the Great Sage said that we must calm Ningguang's anger, and we will publicly announce throughout Sumeru that this attack from Snezhnaya will be strongly condemned.
And we will investigate those criminals..."
"So it has already come to this..."
Now he finally understood completely.
Today's events were his own fault.
The sage stood up and said, "I know what to do... You may leave..."
"Yes."
The messengers all left.
The sage then glanced back at the palace behind him.
With his subordinates, he personally headed for Gandharva Ville.
At this time in Sumeru, the entire country had turned into a boiling mess.
No one had expected Liyue, Mondstadt, and Inazuma to suddenly strike like this.
But if one thought about it carefully, it was not hard to see.
This incident had been handled badly by Sumeru from the start.
Whether from a public perspective or a private one, the attitude had been far too arrogant.
Who was Ningguang?
A major merchant of Liyue.
The current ruler.
Su Han's wife.
A woman acknowledged by the Raiden Shogun.
And they had dared to offend someone like that.
They were truly courting death.
...
Inside the palace of the Dendro Archon.
Many believers came before the Little Lucky Grass King seeking help.
"We beg you... this matter has to be calmed down, otherwise our Sumeru will be in trouble..."
"Please, Little Lucky Grass King."
...
Facing the pleas of the believers, the Dendro Archon said calmly, "There is no need to worry. Tell the people below not to be afraid. This matter will calm down."
"But..."
"Believe me, it will calm down. The evil brought on by those sages will be settled by them. And Su Han is not someone who likes to invade other countries.
People outside always spread rumors that he seized Inazuma, that he seized Mondstadt.
In truth, they are all wrong.
Mondstadt is recognized by the Anemo Archon, though many problems have arisen there, just like here.
Inazuma is the same.
Rumors stop with the wise.
You should also calm down so you can see the truth.
This time, our Sumeru really is in the wrong.
Ningguang and the others came to help us, but after the attack, we even sent people to question them. How would you feel if that were you?
They came with goodwill.
Yet they were met with malicious suspicion."
After hearing the Dendro Archon's words, all the believers fell silent.
That was true.
No one would feel good if this happened to them.
"Alright, go back to your normal work. You do not need to worry about this."
After the Dendro Archon's reassurance, the believers all nodded and left.
Then the Little Lucky Grass King smiled and said, "How imposing... just a wave of the hand and there are so many troops. It would be nice if I had people protecting me too.
How enviable..."
Inside the palace, the Little Lucky Grass King's sigh echoed softly.
Relying only on her own people made it very hard to gain the upper hand in the country.
....
An hour later.
The sage arrived in person at Gandharva Ville.
Looking at the brand-new city before him, along with those complicated facilities, the old man's mouth fell open.
What was he seeing?
When had the old, shabby Gandharva Ville become so beautiful?
The workers were still busy building.
And the local residents were helping too.
"Sage, sir..."
"Yes, I understand..."
Under his attendant's reminder, the old man finally came back to himself.
Then he led a group of people into Gandharva Ville.
The nearby scouts had already spotted the sage's arrival.
So they notified the Tianquan, Ningguang, at the first opportunity.
A few minutes later.
Everyone met in a brand-new garden.
The sage looked at the noble and beautiful woman and immediately knelt on the ground.
"Please forgive me, Lady Ningguang. This entire incident was caused by my own muddled judgment.
Please withdraw your troops...
I will bear all the blame..."
Watching the old man kneel and refuse to get up, Ningguang said calmly, "Blame? What blame do you have?"
"The old me could not tell right from wrong. I believed the rumors of the Fatui, and I also wanted to seize control of Gandharva Ville, so I did such a foolish thing...
It was all my fault.
Please spare Sumeru..."
"That should be said to your Great Sage. I came on behalf of Liyue, and as soon as I entered Sumeru, I was attacked. That same night, I was attacked again.
Your first reaction after learning about it was not to investigate why the Fatui attacked me.
Instead, you turned around and questioned us.
That is your problem.
Second... you took enemies for friends and friends for enemies.
Is this what Sumeru is like?
If so, then we do not mind having a deeper discussion about what kind of country this is.
Using force is only to let you understand what my identity represents..."
Respect.
That comes first.
Second, your attitude already amounted to provocation.
Now that we have raised our fists, you are scared?
Sorry, I do not accept that.
Seeing Ningguang's unfriendly tone, the sage kept bowing and knocking his head to the ground, expressing his guilt.
But Ningguang said coldly, "You alone are not enough. Who do you think you are? Just a sage of Sumeru. The one in charge of this matter.
Could there be no problem with him either?"
After hearing her words, the sage finally understood.
Arrogance is a sin.
Even if he had made a mistake, then what about the Great Sage who supervised him?
The people around finally understood.
This matter was not going to end so easily.
And so, Ningguang did something that made the people of Sumeru extremely terrified.
"Since you do not respect us, then I'll give you a lesson... Ruo Ruo... could you help me out? These people of Sumeru really do not seem to understand what respect means."
"Sure..."
Ruo Ruo finished the chicken leg in her hand.
Then she flew into the sky.
A violent wind rose immediately after.
Whether it was because the seal in the Chasm had weakened, or because Ruo Ruo's consciousness had grown stronger, Azhdaha's body actually appeared in the sky.
"Sumeru has gone too far... this is your lesson. Thunder Dragon, Fury!!!"
The massive roar shook the heavens.
A huge sphere of power blasted toward the hillside.
The lush ring of forest was instantly swallowed by light.
At that moment, the ground shook violently. When the light faded, the sage and the others were all kneeling on the ground.
The green forest within a radius of a hundred li had been turned into a giant crater.
And that was only one strike.
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