Sumeru's western Desert, Aaru Village.
Here, there is a magnificent sight: the sand wall built by the power of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
Originally, the sand wall's initial purpose was merely to serve as a boundary between Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's and Akasha Pulses's territories, and also to prevent the rainforest from being encroached upon by sandstorms, thus avoiding desertification.
However, later, Akasha Pulses unexpectedly fell, and his people were consequently taken in by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. As time passed, that massive sand wall not only blocked sandstorms but also rejected the Desertfolk.
Prejudice in people's hearts is a great mountain, and this mountain is far more threatening than Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's sand wall.
Aaru Village, as the largest settlement in the Desert region, due to its remote location and sparse population, its residents have always lived a relatively peaceful and primitive life.
But in this small village, several strange incidents have occurred recently. One is that the village's Guards have collectively disappeared.
It is important to know that Aaru Village has long been a place used by the Akademiya to exile the mentally unstable. Therefore, the number of Guards was not small, and many of them had even stayed in Aaru Village for decades. Such a serious incident had never happened before.
The village chief of Aaru Village reported this matter to the Thirty Personal Guards at the nearby Caravan Ribat, requesting a search for their whereabouts. However, all requests received no reply. Even the Guards in Caravan Ribat were unwilling to send people to Aaru Village for such a necessary task.
Another strange incident is that this remote small village has continuously received many important figures who are usually never seen.
There was General Mahamatra Cyno, Akademiya Scribe Alhaitham, Dehya, who holds the reputation of the 'Blazing Mane Lion' in the mercenary world, the golden-haired Traveler who has made a name for herself in Teyvat, and the white emergency food accompanying her.
Initially, they thought they had arranged to meet at this place, but in fact, they had not made any prior arrangements. It was as if there was a thread pulling them, guiding them step by step to this location.
When Lumine and Paimon truly stepped into this area of the Desert, they realized that everything Miyashiro had told them before was true. Sumeru, like Inazuma during its isolation that they had experienced, had two different cultures and different beliefs clashing fiercely, creating countless conflicts.
Sumeru is controlled by great sages. In their hearts, the Desertfolk are simply irrelevant, merely tools that exist only when necessary.
Even if children in the Desert had the opportunity to obtain an Akasha Terminal, almost all knowledge applications they submitted were rejected. In the Akademiya's eyes, the Desertfolk were not worthy of possessing knowledge; it was better for them to remain cheap labor and easily commanded livestock for their entire lives.
The Desertfolk's attitude towards the Akademiya cannot be described as a deep-seated hatred, but it can certainly be called abhorrence.
If it weren't for the Eremites in the Desert region being truly like a scattered 盤 of sand, with no one obeying anyone else, unable to form a significant force, if there were a leader like Kokomi of Watatsumi Island who could unite the entire region's Eremites, then the Akademiya would have been destroyed dozens of times over by now.
At this moment, Lumine and Paimon truly realized that the current Sumeru was indeed in a state of both internal and external troubles, and the situation was even worse than in Inazuma.
A group of people with different objectives gathered in this small Aaru Village, and revolving around the case of the missing Guards, intense sparks immediately flew.
The abandoned House of Daena Hospital, the origin of god-canned knowledge, the fanatical forces wanting to revive Akasha Pulses, Akasha Pulses's temple buried deep beneath the yellow sand, and so on—a few short days of experience were more exciting than some people's entire lives.
Finally, at the headquarters of the 'Akasha Pulses's Eye', after interrogating two scholars involved in the God Creation Project, the full truth came to light.
At this moment, the people who had come with different objectives were surprised to find that they now had a common goal: to overthrow the rule of the Akademiya's sages, stop the sages' God Creation Project, and save Lesser Lord Kusanali.
Returning to the village chief's house in Aaru Village, in a suppressed atmosphere, Lumine, who knew the most, finally decided to make the information she possessed public at this moment.
Alhaitham said calmly upon hearing this, 'As expected, you were still holding back.'
Lumine said with some embarrassment, 'Hmm, I apologize. There were some things I wasn't sure about before. But after all we've been through together, we've become comrades in the same trench.'
'Moreover, since Paimon and I parted ways with Nahida, we haven't received any news about Nahida for so long. I have an ominous feeling; perhaps Nahida's situation has changed during this time.'
Subsequently, Lumine recounted the entire story, detailing her experiences and observations in Sumeru, the feelings she had, and the confidential information she had acquired. All of this was laid out openly, sharing this information meant that everyone was a comrade, and from this day forward, they would fight for a common goal.
However, as Lumine continued her explanation, a strange feeling arose in Alhaitham's heart, making Alhaitham, who already knew the truth, feel very displeased, with a sense of déjà vu as if he was being led by the nose. The man he had encountered in his home earlier immediately came to his mind.
His existence, in Alhaitham's mind, might be even more terrifying than the Akademiya's plan.
Paimon, seeing Alhaitham's sulky face, ignoring everyone, put her hands on her hips and said discontentedly, 'Alhaitham, what are you thinking about? Why do you look even worse than the first time I saw you?'
Alhaitham said calmly, 'I'm fine. It's just that everything at hand is far too out of line with the rules. We cannot let the situation continue to worsen. Hmm, since that's the case, let's formulate a battle plan together.'
Paimon: 'Eh?! Alhaitham, you actually have such resolve? That's truly surprising.'
Alhaitham: 'I just don't want the sages' crazy plan to cause me to lose my comfortable work environment and atmosphere in the Akademiya in the future. This point is crucial!'
Paimon: 'Uh... why does your obsession remind me of a certain social outcast in Liyue...'
As the saying goes, 'know yourself and your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.' Now, all of the Akademiya's plans can be said to be laid out in the open. Even if the Akademiya still holds an absolute advantage, as long as they implement targeted strategies step by step, this operation may not necessarily fail.
Initially, Lumine had a wait-and-see attitude regarding Miyashiro's high praise for Alhaitham, but after witnessing Alhaitham's meticulousness and reliability in formulating the battle plan, she was finally convinced.
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