Rewinding time to a few days earlier...
While Rover and Alhaitham were working to stabilize Sumeru City,
Nahida received the latest report from her familiars, the Aranara. A girl named Verina had come into her sight.
Out of curiosity, Nahida quietly made her way to Gandharva Ville.
"This method of identifying mushrooms really is best taught by you."
Tighnari stroked his chin, nodding repeatedly.
Verina glanced at the mushroom in Tighnari's hand, quickly lowered her head to take notes, and said:
"I just made slight improvements to your identification method, Mr. Tighnari. This way, other forest rangers shouldn't accidentally eat the wrong ones, right?"Tighnari couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
"That's hard to say. Some people will still make mistakes even if you stick the warning right in their face."
Hearing this, Verina sighed. It seemed their work still needed more effort.
"Ah, hello there."
Verina waved at Nahida, who had been listening nearby for a while.
"Hello."
Nahida shook Verina's hand.
The moment they touched, Nahida froze slightly and couldn't help but take a closer look at Verina.
For some reason, this girl had a natural warmth about her, making even Nahida unconsciously want to grow closer to her.
Just as Tighnari was about to speak again, another forest ranger called him away, reporting the discovery of another Withering Zone.
Verina took Nahida's hand and led her to a hidden spot in the rainforest.
It was a cleared-out open area where familiar plants grew on the damp soil. But soon, Nahida noticed something different—some of the species had mutated, with variations in form, color, and function compared to their original kinds.
"I used to work as a breeder. I was thinking, maybe through special methods, we could cultivate plants that can adapt to the Withering Zones. That way, the Withering could be resolved naturally."
Verina expertly introduced the plants she had been cultivating these past few days.
Nahida bit her finger lightly, sensing a unique energy within these plants—something not found in Teyvat.
"Your grafting techniques are clever, but your understanding of the plants themselves is still shallow."
Nahida pointed out Verina's shortcomings, then crouched down to explain the unique traits of these special plants.
Verina's eyes lit up as she pulled out her notebook to record knowledge that would otherwise take dozens of days or even months to uncover.
"Nahida is amazing! Now we can adjust our cultivation direction going forward."
The words of encouragement made Nahida pause again. Aside from Dunyarzad, few of her faithful people had ever affirmed her like this.
Especially after her battles with Rover and the Wanderer, Rover's resignation, Alhaitham's frowns, the skepticism of most citizens toward her... and all her decisions.
All of it had made her question whether she truly deserved the title of God of Wisdom—or if she was even fit to govern this nation.
"What's wrong? You look a little unwell.
Verina was observant. She clasped her hands behind her back, giving Nahida a warm smile before wrapping her arms around her in a hug.
"If you're feeling wronged, it's okay to cry. The Aranara told me you were imprisoned for five hundred years. You must have been so lonely, right?
It's alright. I'll be your friend."
The warmth between them was something Nahida had never felt in the cold confines of her vessel.
She tried to hold back her tears, but they fell anyway.
"I... I just wanted everyone... to live better lives... with no sacrifices... no tragedies..."
Her voice cracked under the weight of her crumbling emotions.
After the Grand Sage's actions were exposed, though Alhaitham tried his best to keep the public from focusing too much on Nahida, the Fatui had interfered behind the scenes.
The fact that an Archon had been imprisoned was absolutely not something outsiders should know. Yet, some voices began criticizing Nahida for her inaction over the years and for allowing the Grand Sage to conduct such harmful experiments.
The Fatui's motives were simple: they wanted to gain the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations. More importantly, they aimed to secure the Dendro Archon's Gnosis, and they had prepared extensively for this.
Nahida didn't know how long she cried before she finally looked up at the girl who had been silently listening. After a long pause, she spoke again.
"Thank you."
Verina pulled out a piece of paper, gently wiping away Nahida's tears before leading her to sit on a thick tree root.
Then, she handed her something.
Nahida took it—a glass container with a blue flower preserved in full bloom.
The four petals swayed as the container moved, emitting a faint glow under the darkening sky, illuminating Nahida's youthful face.
Verina leaned close to Nahida's ear, her voice as soft as a passing breeze.
"This is a flower I brought back from my first field survey. I've carried it with me all these years.
The moment it bloomed, I preserved it. Because I know that for every flower, blooming is the most beautiful eternity of its life. So I hope Nahida can cheer up too—just like this flower, showing your best side to the world."
Nahida clutched the container tightly and let out a soft "Mm," then leaned her head against Verina's shoulder.
"Thank you."
This time, her gratitude came from the heart. In the past, she had always been the one comforting her people. Never had she imagined that one day, a kindhearted girl would comfort her instead.
"Verina."
"Hm? What is it?"
Verina had been deep in thought, observing the plants she had cultivated, when Nahida suddenly called her name.
"I can tell you really love cultivating plants, especially flowers. Can you tell me why?"
Verina thought for a long time—so long that Nahida wondered if she wouldn't answer. But Verina was simply organizing her thoughts.
"Because the people of Jinzhou love flowers. Sometimes, during tense battles, the rear would send flowers along with supplies. But flowers don't last long—by the time they reached the soldiers, they'd already wilted. Back then, I didn't understand. But then I saw an order that read:
'I want to honor my comrade. He contributed to Jinzhou's peace, but no one remembers him. If his name is forgotten, then let the language of flowers commemorate him instead.' That's when I realized..."
Verina stood up, looking at Nahida as the blooming flowers around them swayed in response.
"People don't just love flowers for what they are. Maybe they love the meaning behind them—a story, or a fleeting emotion.
So I carefully select seeds, then cultivate them over and over. I want to remember these stories. I want to preserve these emotions.
If flowers could bloom just a little longer, then the soldiers could see them at their most beautiful—and feel the sincerity behind them.
As the Dendro Archon, you must understand, right?"
Nahida opened her mouth but couldn't find the words. In the end, she closed it again and gave Verina a gentle smile.