Chapter 77. Grand Bazaar
La Signora? Why was she here?
As Futsu Mitama and the others looked at La Signora and the Akademiya Scholar walking together ahead of them, surprise inevitably appeared in their hearts.
The reason was simple.
By all logic, La Signora should not have appeared in Sumeru at this time.
The last time she appeared in Liyue, it had been said that her next destination would be Mondstadt.
Everyone knew a little about La Signora's grievances with Mondstadt because Lisa was familiar with her past.
Later, Albedo learned a great deal of inside information regarding La Signora from Lisa, and afterward, he shared that information with everyone in the Chat Group.
For a moment, everyone found themselves at a loss for words regarding La Signora's circumstances.
If one were to say she was pitiful, then she truly was.
She had traveled to Sumeru and later returned to Mondstadt, only to discover that her lover had already died.
Afterward, she transformed into the Crimson Witch of Flames and began burning monsters throughout the land.
Finally, for reasons unknown, she joined the Fatui.
Although her circumstances were indeed pitiable, that did not serve as a reason to overlook the many crimes she had committed.
Whether in Mondstadt, Liyue, or Inazuma, the things she had done were simply too numerous.
As a result, even Venti's attitude toward La Signora remained somewhat complicated.
From a certain perspective, he bore part of the responsibility. When he departed for Khaenri'ah, he entrusted Mondstadt to Dvalin and the Knights of Favonius.
Had he remained in Mondstadt back then, that tragedy might have been avoided.
Unfortunately, he was not there.
The same was true for Raiden Ei. Back then, she had gone to Khaenri'ah as well, entrusting Inazuma to Kitsune Saiguu. In the end, she failed to save her sister in Khaenri'ah, while Kitsune Saiguu, the other great yokai, and countless elites of Inazuma all perished.
But those events belonged to the past.
What mattered now was one thing.
Why was La Signora appearing in Sumeru City?
"This woman..."
Kuki Shinobu narrowed her eyes, her voice unconsciously lowering.
"Why is she everywhere?"
To be honest, Kuki Shinobu truly had not expected to encounter La Signora yet again.
She appeared in Mondstadt.
She appeared in Liyue.
She appeared in Inazuma.
And now, after they had arrived in Sumeru, this woman was still here. Sometimes, Kuki Shinobu could not help but wonder whether she and her companions were somehow fated to encounter La Signora, seeing her wherever they went.
"Signora..."
Black Aila looked at La Signora, a crimson glint flashing within her eyes. She had never gotten along with that woman back in Snezhnaya, and now that she had left the Fatui, she naturally wanted to kill her even more.
While La Signora's combat strength was not among the very strongest, in other aspects—whether manipulating people's hearts or devising schemes—she could be considered exceptional.
Futsu Mitama also stroked his chin, his gaze fixed on La Signora in the distance, feeling somewhat surprised.
Because she had not gone to Mondstadt and was instead here in Sumeru, which was rather unexpected.
However, in a sense, La Signora appearing in Sumeru City was not entirely strange.
She had once been an Akademiya Scholar five hundred years ago, so it was not impossible for her to return to the Akademiya now.
It was simply that her presence in the Akademiya at this moment was highly problematic.
If she were to discover them now, given that she was openly walking together with a Sumeru Scholar, they would likely face a city-wide pursuit.
At this point, even Faruzan's intervention might prove useless.
Both Cyno and Tighnari had said that Faruzan was a senior figure within the current Akademiya, someone whom even the Sages and the Great Sage would show a measure of respect.
However, the intelligence currently available confirmed that the Sages and the Great Sage were collaborating with the Fatui Harbingers in preparation for the so-called God Creation Project.
At a time like this, let alone Faruzan's intervention—even Cyno and Tighnari, if captured, would likely be imprisoned under orders from the Great Sage.
To avoid exposing themselves, Futsu Mitama told everyone in the Chat Group to conceal themselves first and then eavesdrop on their conversation.
Perhaps they might obtain some unexpected information.
Everyone nodded, concealed their presence, and quietly followed behind La Signora and the Akademiya Scholar.
Kuki Shinobu, who considered her own strength somewhat lacking, informed everyone in the Chat Group that she would go to the inn first to book rooms so that, if anything unexpected happened, the inn could serve as a temporary foothold.
After saying that, Kuki Shinobu led several pack beasts toward the inn.
Futsu Mitama indicated that it was fine. He focused his attention and began listening to the conversation between La Signora and the Scholar.
La Signora did not notice that she was being followed. She continued speaking with the Akademiya Scholar, a trace of arrogance in her voice.
"Have the orders been issued?"
"Yes, they have been issued."
The Akademiya Scholar walking beside La Signora frowned slightly, seemingly displeased by her tone, and said,
"I don't understand how you managed to convince the Great Sage to agree to this. But what is the purpose of this action, other than damaging the Akademiya's reputation?"
Even he could clearly tell that this matter seemed utterly meaningless. Yet because the order had come from the Great Sage, he could only obey it. The other informed Scholars of the Akademiya, along with the Thirty, likewise had no choice but to comply.
"Hehehe, what is the purpose?" La Signora let out a light laugh before leisurely replying, "The purpose is not for you to decide. If you have complaints, go speak to Azar. The order was issued by him. I merely offered a small suggestion."
Clear displeasure appeared on the Scholar's face. After taking several deep breaths, he said coldly, "If you cannot provide a reason—Then my teacher and I will speak to the Great Sage and state that this mandatory Akasha Terminal policy is wrong. This order serves no purpose other than damaging the Akademiya's reputation."
La Signora looked at the Akademiya Scholar, a trace of coldness flashing through her eyes.
This was precisely why she disliked Sumeru.
These people who prided themselves on being masters of wisdom always wanted to control everything.
Honestly, if Dottore had not instructed her to "assist" them, La Signora would have long since said, "Do as you please," and left for Mondstadt.
But with Dottore's warning hanging over her, she could not simply leave.
She could only reply calmly, "Go ahead and tell him."
"If 'that experiment' fails because of this, then you and your teacher will become Sumeru's sinners. Since Azar agreed to my proposal, he naturally has his reasons. Or are you, like those 'stubborn' people, trying to obstruct 'that experiment'?"
Upon hearing the words "that experiment," the Scholar's expression stiffened, his face filled with unwillingness and helplessness.
"Yes, that's the expression."
Seeing his reaction, La Signora revealed a satisfied smile and let out a malicious chuckle.
"Because you don't want 'that experiment' to fail either, do you? Since you don't want 'that experiment' to fail, then you should complain less, shouldn't you?"
The Akademiya Scholar seemed to realize that arguing further was pointless.
He let out a deep sigh and fell silent.
"Hahahahaha~~"
La Signora laughed pleasantly as she continued walking forward. All she had to do now was wait for Futsu Mitama and his group to arrive in Sumeru City.
According to the intelligence from Liyue, Futsu Mitama and his group had left some time ago, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should already have arrived in Sumeru.
Although she did not know why Dottore was so certain that Futsu Mitama and his group would inevitably come to Sumeru City.
Still, if Dottore said so, then he must have had his reasons. La Signora had no intention of arguing. She only needed to do her part.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, La Signora felt someone watching her.
Instinctively, she turned her head and looked toward the source of the gaze. She saw several Sumeru Scholars and Eremites looking in her direction together with the Scholar beside her.
'Am I being too conspicuous?'
La Signora could not help but think to herself. Walking side by side with an Akademiya Scholar was indeed somewhat eye-catching.
She unconsciously quickened her pace, intending to leave.
She was not accustomed to being observed like some kind of spectacle. And for some reason, she suddenly felt the urge to leave this place.
After La Signora and the Akademiya Scholar departed, Futsu Mitama and the others emerged from the corner.
"Let's head back to the inn first."
Futsu Mitama suggested returning to the inn. There were simply too many people here.
La Signora and the Scholar could openly discuss such sensitive matters, but they could not.
Doing so would attract far too much attention. No one objected, and everyone quickly made their way toward the inn.
Shinobu had already reserved the rooms. Originally, the innkeeper had intended to ask Shinobu why she was not wearing an Akasha Terminal.
However, the moment Shinobu placed a large pouch of mora on the table, the innkeeper immediately closed his mouth.
After all, the one paying was the customer. Whether she wore an Akasha Terminal or not was none of his concern.
Recently, the Akademiya's order requiring everyone entering Sumeru City to wear an Akasha Terminal had caused a noticeable decline in his business.
Under such circumstances, the innkeeper did not care whether Kuki Shinobu was wearing one. As long as she caused no trouble and no Akademiya officials came to investigate, then the one carrying the mora was the customer.
Even if the matter were exposed later, he could simply claim that he had no idea whether she had been wearing an Akasha Terminal or not.
Futsu Mitama and the others soon arrived at the inn and reunited with Shinobu. Shenhe also set up a small soundproof barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
"It seems that order was issued because of La Signora."
Black Aila was the first to speak.
She looked at her young master and said, "Young Master, should I capture her? I suspect she knows something. If we capture her, it will greatly benefit our plans moving forward. Not to mention— if it's that woman—"
"She should know what the Akademiya, Scaramouche, and Dottore are doing in Sumeru City."
Black Aila had always been at odds with La Signora, so her first suggestion was to capture her.
"No." Aila shook her head and replied very seriously, "Capturing her would be useless. That woman is tight-lipped. Moreover, if we rashly capture her, it would only signal Dottore and Scaramouche."
Sangonomiya Kokomi nodded.
Although La Signora's strength was respectable, their current lineup was simply too overwhelming.
Not to mention Futsu Mitama, whose power had already reached the level of a Demon God, there were also Aila and Black Aila, who stood among the strongest beneath that realm.
To deal with La Signora, only she and Shenhe would need to act. They could capture her without suffering any injuries.
"Our primary objective is still to find Lesser Lord Kusanali first."
Shinobu also opposed Black Aila's proposal. At the same time, she acknowledged the reasoning behind it and continued,
"After we find Lesser Lord Kusanali—we can make the first move. Whether it's capturing La Signora, killing her, extracting information from her, or forcing Scaramouche and Dottore to become cautious."
Kuki Shinobu's thinking remained clear.
Their foremost objective was still Lesser Lord Kusanali.
Only afterward would they deal with the Fatui Harbingers.
Hearing Kuki Shinobu's words, Black Aila pondered for a moment before finally nodding, finding the argument more reasonable.
Capturing La Signora now would indeed be easy.
However, doing so would only alert their enemies, and finding Lesser Lord Kusanali afterward would likely become far more difficult.
"So, what do we do next?"
Shenhe raised the key question.
What should they do now? Where should they begin searching for Lesser Lord Kusanali?
During their journey, Kuki Shinobu and Sangonomiya Kokomi had repeatedly asked Faruzan where Lesser Lord Kusanali was.
However, according to Faruzan, Lesser Lord Kusanali had always been protected within the Sanctuary of Surasthana, and only the Sages and the Great Sage possessed the qualifications to meet her.
Even a "senior" such as Faruzan was not qualified to do so.
Or rather—
The people of the Akademiya had almost forgotten about Lesser Lord Kusanali, the second Dendro Archon.
In their minds, the Dendro Archon remained Maha Rukkhadevata, the departed benevolent and great deity.
At that moment, everyone's gaze turned toward Futsu Mitama.
Because in a situation like this, he might be able to "see" information that ordinary people could not.
"The Grand Bazaar."
Facing everyone's gaze, Futsu Mitama smiled faintly and slowly said,
"We'll go there. There's a place called the Zubayr Theater. If we go there, we may gain something unexpected."
Although the story had likely not yet reached the Sabzeruz Festival, there was a young woman there named Nilou, and she knew many people.
Among them was one of Lesser Lord Kusanali's admirers—Dunyarzad.
Lesser Lord Kusanali, or rather Nahida, had always paid attention to Dunyarzad and secretly used her power in an attempt to improve her condition.
However, whether because she was still a young Demon God whose potential had not fully matured, or because she had been imprisoned by the Akademiya for five hundred years, Nahida's abilities seemed highly specialized.
Even in the original story, she had never displayed the power of "life."
The power of "life" could suppress Eleazar and stimulate a person's vitality, making them healthier.
Although it could not completely eradicate Eleazar, it could at least allow sufferers to live more comfortably instead of enduring constant illness.
Collei was a perfect example.
After Futsu Mitama infused her with the power of life, her physical condition had visibly improved.
Finding Nilou might lead them to Dunyarzad.
Finding Dunyarzad might lead them to Nahida.
A perfect chain of connections.