"I have returned."
Momonga's figure appeared inside the Palace of the Sumeru Sage, accompanied by a slight spatial fluctuation.
He had originally expected to see Nahida diligently reviewing documents, or Greater Lord Rukkhadevata elegantly drinking tea and reading a book.
However, the peaceful scene he had envisioned did not appear.
"Mr. Suzuki Satoru!!!"
A cry, choked with sobs and completely devoid of its usual benevolence and majesty, suddenly rang out!
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata Buer, the mature and gentle God of wisdom, performed an extremely standard sliding kneel, pouncing forward as if seeing a savior, and tightly gripped Momonga's... thigh bone!
Momonga: "???"
Countless question marks seemed to pop up above his smooth skull, and the red light in his eye sockets flickered violently due to the shock.
He tried to pull his leg out, but Greater Lord Rukkhadevata held on tightly.
"Wait! Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! Calm down! What are you doing?! Have some decorum!"
Momonga's voice carried a hint of panic and embarrassment.
"Please save Sumeru! Supreme Being! If this continues, Sumeru will be ruined!"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice filled with despair and pleading, as if Sumeru were being invaded by the Abyss.
"Huh? Save? What happened to Sumeru now?"
Momonga was completely bewildered.
Wasn't Sumeru fine before he left? Eleazar was resolved, the withering zone disappeared, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was resurrected—everything was developing positively, right?
Subconsciously, he pulled out a Magic Water Mirror from his Dimensional Space, capable of viewing the situation throughout Sumeru, wanting to see what earth-shattering event had occurred.
Ripples spread across the mirror surface, and the scene gradually became clear—
"Come on! Sing along!!"
A highly penetrating roar, accompanied by the distorted sound effects of an electric guitar, was the first sound to emerge from the mirror!
Jesse—that Wind-Wielding Hilichurl Ranger—was now dressed in a studded leather jacket and ripped jeans, wearing exaggerated sunglasses, and holding an electric guitar shining with elemental light. He stood on a massive, temporary stage, making the classic rock gesture toward the dense crowd below!
Elliot—sat behind a set of glittering golden drums, wearing a pirate bandana on his head. The drumsticks danced intricately in his hands, pounding out a series of intense introductory beats.
Zane—calmly (his face covered by a mask) operated the electronic keyboard, his fingers flying.
Matt—this seven-meter-tall Electro Lawachurl, surprisingly held a specially made bass guitar, not much smaller than his own body, and carefully plucked the strings with his massive fingers, producing a deep, earth-shaking roar!
the quartet was actually holding an open-air rock concert in Sumeru City's largest plaza!
As the passionate prelude sounded, Jesse, the lead singer, screamed at the top of his lungs: "Sing along! 'Desert Camel'!"
"I want to cross this desert! To find my true self! With only one camel by my side!"
Tens of thousands of Sumeru citizens below the stage, men and women, old and young, even including some wearing scholar caps, were acting as if they had been brainwashed, their faces flushed, their expressions agitated, waving their arms and roaring along with all their might!
The sound waves nearly overturned the sky!
The reason the quartet chose this song was simple: it fit the scenery! Sumeru really does have deserts!
Furthermore, thanks to their previous "governance" (physical salvation of desperados + Undead Legion patrols + Momonga creating oases), the Desertfolk truly no longer had to live life on the edge of a knife and could safely seek their "true selves."
As for those desperados who still weren't behaving? They were probably still lying in Bimarstan, covered head-to-toe in casts.
The concert atmosphere grew wilder, quickly reaching the climax:
"What ghost legend! What demons and monsters! Only the Egret Hawk sings mournfully!"
Full-venue chorus!
The voices were loud, synchronized, and filled with a feeling of frenzied release!
It had even more cohesion than when the Akademiya held major meetings!
Momonga watched the fiery, nationwide carnival scene in the Magic Mirror and grew even more confused. He turned his head toward Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who was still hugging his thigh: "This... isn't this quite lively, positive, and unifying? The public morale seems very high?"
"Then... then please look at these..."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's voice was weak and trembling. She let go of Momonga's leg and shakily pulled out a long scroll from her embrace, covered in song titles, and handed it to Momonga.
Momonga took the list and his gaze swept over it—
"A Decent Breakup" - (Breakup classic, tearjerker)
"The Brightest Star in the Night Sky" - (Nostalgia and confusion, depressive)
"Father" - (Family killer, nuclear-level tearjerker)
"The Bottom of the Sea" - (Depressive peak, King of Emo)
... Following that was a string of songs like "Later," "Goodbye Youth," "Flowers All the Way" (sad interpretation), "Mohe Dance Hall," and so on—songs whose names alone made one feel heavy-hearted!
Momonga: "!!!"
His skeletal jaw nearly dropped (if his musculature had allowed it)!
"So many sad songs?! Are they holding a concert or a memorial service?!"
He quickly controlled the Magic Mirror again. This time, he zoomed in, carefully observing the ground beneath the feet of the passionately singing crowd... Sure enough!
On the ground in front of the stage, a thick layer of crumpled, tear-soaked tissues had accumulated!
It looked just like a fall of white snow!
Many people were vigorously waving their arms to the rhythm while simultaneously weeping and wailing uncontrollably!
The emotional investment was intense, the breakdown complete!
"In the morning, 'Desert Camel' and 'The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style' get everyone pumped up, but in the afternoon, 'A Decent Breakup' and 'Later' make the entire venue cry over heartbreak, and then at night, they sing 'Father' to collectively mourn their childhoods... and it repeats the next day..."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata clutched her chest, as if suffering from angina.
"If this continues! Sumeru will become the nation with the highest depression rate in Teyvat! The public's emotions are bouncing back and forth every day between extreme euphoria and ultimate sadness! Their psychological defenses are about to collapse!"
She looked at Momonga in despair: "For five hundred years! Sumeru has had extremely scarce entertainment options; the biggest form of recreation was probably academic debate! What they are facing now is practically a Dimensional Reduction Strike! It's a Saturation Bombing on a spiritual level! They have no resistance whatsoever to this intense emotional catharsis!"
Momonga: "..."
He put away the Magic Mirror, silently glancing at the earth-shattering music and crying (?) coming from the direction of the distant plaza, then looked at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, who was on the verge of collapse.
Jesse... Elliot... Zane... Matt... You four... If you're going to play rock and roll, fine... but can you at least try to be human... or even just normal Hilichurls!
It seems the Supreme Being's next mission might not be fighting some powerful enemy, but rather stopping a... national psychological health crisis triggered by four Hilichurls.