When Momonga's massive skeletal body, carrying Nahida on one of his shoulders, appeared in the central plaza of Sumeru City as if returning from a stroll, all the surviving Sumeru citizens, whether newly resurrected or still alive, were completely dumbfounded!
The air was deathly silent.
Countless gazes swept back and forth between Momonga's smooth skull and Nahida's small, bewildered face.
This... this combination is just too bizarre, isn't it?!
That skeleton, at a glance, was clearly the leader of that terrifying undead army, the super big shot who annihilated the terrifying giant god with one move and then resurrected thousands of dead with another!
And the little girl sitting on his shoulder... isn't that our Lesser Lord Kusanali?
Although most people had never seen her, the sense of familiarity and divine fluctuation originating from Irminsul could not be faked!
But... but why is our god sitting on the shoulder of that big shot who clearly isn't good... (He glanced at the golden skeletal soldiers lined up nearby)
Uh, that big shot who looks very "death-like"?! And they seem to have a very good relationship?
(Nahida's small hand was still gripping Momonga's mage robe collar to maintain balance)
This is simply... simply... everyone's CPUs were practically overheating, unable to find suitable words to describe this scene that would shock them for an entire year.
Just then, Momonga seemed to feel the atmosphere wasn't quite right.
His bony fingers elegantly swiped through the air, and a small amplification magic circle, shimmering with magical light, instantly formed. He held it like a microphone to his mandible (though he had no mouth).
"Silence!"
A majestic voice, echoing with magic, instantly spread throughout Sumeru City, making everyone's ears buzz and instantly drawing back their attention.
"Everyone, listen to me!"
Momonga began his "impromptu" speech (which was actually Zane remotely passing him notes via the chess piece). Although he felt very embarrassed, he had to maintain the prestige of a Supreme Being!
"Azar, the former Grand Sage of Sumeru, and his cronies! Their crimes are heinous! Too numerous to count!"
Momonga's voice was like a cold judgment.
"Firstly, they were incredibly audacious, daring to imprison a god for five hundred years! This is a great sin of blasphemy!"
(The Sumeru people below: ??? We didn't know that!)
"Secondly, they conducted inhumane forbidden experiments! Created evil weapons! Causing many scholars to suffer mental breakdowns and become mad sages! This is a crime against humanity!"
(The Sumeru people below: (Looking at the giant pit) It seems... it's true?)
"Thirdly, they allowed or even caused a large amount of forbidden knowledge to spread, endangering all of Teyvat! This is a crime against the world!"
(The Sumeru people below: (Although they don't quite understand, it sounds very serious))
"And your Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
Momonga's voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of (feigned) indignation.
"She spent five hundred years in a dark, sunless prison! Suffered endless hardships! And finally, with no other recourse, she had no choice but to implore me! To request me to set things right! To put Sumeru back on track!"
Nahida, sitting on his shoulder: "?????"
The Dendro Archon was completely bewildered, her small head filled with big question marks.
When was she at her wit's end? When did she implore this skeleton?
Didn't you forcibly "borrow" me for a trip, and then directly attacked the city?!
She opened her mouth, intending to explain, but Momonga seemed to have anticipated it. A small current of silencing magic quietly enveloped her, allowing her to only make "mm-mm" sounds, making her appear even more like she was too emotional to speak.
"And I!"
The red light in Momonga's eyes flared intensely, his aura soaring to its peak.
"Am tired of endless quibbling and conspiracies! I only believe in one thing—"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As he spoke, all the remaining undead legions in the plaza and on the streets, whether the golden Elite Guards, the silver Veteran Guards, or the black Senior Guards, uniformly struck their shields with their weapons or beat their chests with their fists, producing heart-stopping metallic clashes!
This sound was like a war drum, beating in the heart of every Sumeru citizen!
"End killing with killing! End war with war!"
Momonga's voice was cold and oppressive.
"Lesser Lord Kusanali Buer will once again take charge of Sumeru and manage everything! And I and my army will be temporarily stationed here!"
(The Sumeru people below: !!! No!)
"If there are still those who don't know what's good for them, those with ill intentions..."
Momonga's threat was self-evident.
"Then next time, it won't be just these mere six thousand vanguards descending upon Sumeru!"
After delivering this declaration of "both grace and might," without giving the crowd time to process or react, Momonga's figure, along with Nahida on his shoulder, instantly teleported and vanished from the spot.
Leaving behind a city of dumbfounded, bewildered Sumeru people.
Akademiya, Grand Sage's office.
Nahida only felt a blur before her eyes, then she was placed on a luxurious chair that was too tall for her.
She looked around, the familiar office, but the mountain of documents and dossiers piled on the desk, almost burying her, instantly made her stunned.
"These... these all need to be processed?"
Nahida's small face crumpled into a frown, and she looked pleadingly at Momonga, who had just appeared beside her.
Momonga crossed his arms and pointed his mandible at the mountain of documents: "Don't look at me. Since you are a god, these tasks will eventually be yours. Don't worry, my army will be responsible for maintaining order and security, ensuring no one dares to rebel."
He paused, his tone becoming somewhat... righteously incompetent?
"But clerical work and such... forget it, I don't know how to do it either."
Are you kidding? I was just a mascot in the guild; most of the guild's affairs were handled by Touch Me and Ulbert! In reality, I'm just an ordinary corporate slave; I hate overtime and writing reports the most!
Actually, the chess box contains top-tier geniuses for handling government affairs like Demiurge and Albedo, who are super efficient and can ensure Sumeru is managed in perfect order and even engage in some "side businesses"... but Momonga, thinking of their -500 justice value and their overly "Nazarick" management methods—such as turning inefficient people into decorations or throwing them to the torturers—decided against it.
If these two big shots were unleashed, Sumeru's population would probably be halved within a month due to various "optimizations"... This seems a bit contrary to the goal of "setting things right"?
And so, our poor Dendro Archon Nahida, who was just "forced" to be at her wit's end, "forced" to implore for external aid, and "forced" into her position, had no choice but to make a bitter face, pick up a document larger than her face, take a deep breath, and begin her arduous journey of divine employment.
She even needed to summon small vines to help her turn pages and hold a pen.
Meanwhile, Momonga, who thought he had solved the trouble, was not much better off.
He was just about to find a quiet place to ponder life when he was besieged by a swarm of Sumeru merchants, nobles, and scholar representatives.
"Lord Supreme Being! A small token of respect! Thank you for saving Sumeru!"
"Lord! This is my family heirloom gem! Please accept it!"
"Lord Supreme Being! Are you in need of someone to serve tea and water? What do you think of me?"
These people's faces were plastered with fawning (and fearful) smiles, practically sliding on their knees, offering all sorts of glittering, treasure-radiating gifts with both hands, wishing they could empty their entire family fortunes.
Momonga: "..."
Ahhh! So troublesome! So awkward! Don't come over here!
This socializing wasn't in the plan! Demiurge! Someone help me deal with this!
Finally, a green light appeared. Momonga maintained his aloof demeanor, using a magical hand to push all the gifts back to their original owners, and dismissed them with a cold voice: "I do not need these vulgar things. Doing your duty is the greatest reward to me."
"Now, immediately, leave my sight."
Watching those people scramble away, as if granted a great pardon, Momonga felt utterly exhausted.
Managing a country is much harder than farming world bosses... He now just wanted to soak in a hot spring and then discuss figures (crossed out) equipment maintenance with Pandora's Actor.
It seems that the new lives of this Supreme Being and his "contracted" deity in Sumeru are destined to be full of unexpected "surprises" and utter chaos.