Sumeru City was basked in sunlight that day. The bright sun hung high above the sky, draping the entire region in a gentle spring warmth.
Birds flitted above their heads with cheerful chirps, and their light-hearted flight mirrored the joy in Nahida's eyes.
At that moment, Nahida was holding Yilan's left hand and Rukkhadevata's right hand. Her small frame skipped lightly between them, her wide eyes brimming with wonder at every sight they passed.
There's a saying: "If I have never seen the sun, I can endure the darkness."
But conversely, "Only those who have endured darkness truly understand the value of light."
To most, this was simply a casual stroll through the city.
And because it was aimless, many might even call it a waste of time.
But for Nahida—who had once been imprisoned in the Sanctuary of Surasthana—and Rukkhadevata—whose consciousness had been trapped in Irminsul for five centuries—walking openly through Sumeru City with their loved ones was happiness in its purest form.
Of course, to avoid causing panic or confusion, Yilan and the others disguised their appearances through the Void Terminal.
It wasn't difficult. If the Doctor could do it, then surely Rukkhadevata—the original creator of the Void System—could accomplish it with ease.
In fact, Rukkhadevata now existed solely as a consciousness entity, making her functionally similar to an AI in a science fiction novel: the highest authority over the entire Void System.
This was one of the reasons Yilan preserve it.
—As long as he, Rukkhadevata, and Nahida stood together, no one could ever seize control of the Void again.
What happened in the game, with the Doctor manipulating the citizens of Sumeru through the Void Terminals, would never happen again.
"Dad! Nahida wants that Yalda candy!"
Nahida's lively voice pulled Yilan back from his thoughts.
"Okay, which flavor do you want?" Yilan asked with a smile. "This one's Sunsetia… or maybe Violet Melon?"
Yalda Candy—the special snack featured in the Sabzeruz Festival during the Goddess of Flowers' birthday—was surprisingly available even on ordinary days.
It was still a long way off from Nahida's birthday, but if it were closer, Yilan would've thrown her the grandest celebration imaginable.
"Hmm…"
Nahida tapped her lips with her index finger in thought, then beamed. "I want all the flavors!"
Yilan blinked. He'd expected her to pick something sweet, like most children—but not everything.
He laughed and patted her head. "Is one flavor not enough to satisfy you? You're quite the greedy one, Nahida."
"It's not that Nahida is greedy."
She stuck her tongue out with mock guilt. "I'm the God of Wisdom! It's only natural I'd be curious about how different flavors taste when combined!"
"Sir, did your daughter just say she's the God of Wisdom?" the candy vendor asked, confused.
To the merchant—whose perception had been altered by the Void Terminal—Yilan's group appeared to be a perfectly ordinary family of four.
"Yes," Yilan said with a straight face, casually wrapping his arm around Rukkhadevata's waist.
"My daughter is the current Dendro Archon, the Little Lucky Grass King. My wife is the former Dendro Archon, the Great Compassion Tree King. And my son? He once challenged the entire Akademiya. What do you think—am I amazing or what?"
The vendor paused for a beat before chuckling awkwardly.
"Sir, you're quite the joker. But maybe don't say things like that too loudly in Sumeru. Some people might not take it as a joke."
Yilan sighed dramatically. "Why doesn't anyone believe me when I tell the truth?"
Scaramouche, arms crossed, gave him a flat look.
Rukkhadevata, meanwhile, watched Yilan's playful boasting with a serene smile.
She couldn't feel with a physical body anymore, but warmth still bloomed in her heart.
This, perhaps, was the joy of being a wife—and a mother.
Yilan bought a box of every candy flavor and handed the large bag to Nahida.
She eagerly took it and turned to Scaramouche. "Do you want one?"
He shook his head. "No."
So Nahida opened one of the boxes and popped a candy in her mouth.
A second later, her adorable face scrunched into a grimace.
It was the beetle-flavored one.
Yilan couldn't help but chuckle. "If you don't like it, just spit it out."
"No! I'm the Archon of Sumeru. I can't waste food!"
…Should he say it?
She really is just a little girl.
Despite her usual serious tone and the wise demeanor she carried, whenever she was with Yilan and Rukkhadevata, her childlike side shone through.
Yilan smiled warmly, watching Nahida stubbornly chew the nasty candy with a face full of regret.
Just then, a disturbance echoed up the street.
Yilan glanced ahead and saw members of the Ordinance Enforcement officers escorting a group of disgraced sages.
"They're the ones who imprisoned the Little Lucky Grass King, right?"
"I heard they were working with outsiders to create a fake god."
"The latest official report says Azar stole all his research from his adopted son. What a disgrace."
People on the street were murmuring. Then—someone threw a rotten vegetable.
Then another.
Rotten eggs and spoiled leaves suddenly flew from the crowd.
Azar raised his hands to shield his face—not just out of shame, but to block the barrage.
A guard deliberately kicked his leg, forcing him to stumble and lower his arms.
Splat.
An egg struck him square in the face. The sulfuric smell clung to his beard and hair, making him look like a deranged old lunatic.
His thoughts spiraled.
How did I fall this far? I was once the Grand Sage of Sumeru… and now… this?
The plunge from prestige to humiliation was more painful than death.
Nahida winced. Her kind heart couldn't bear the scene. She stepped forward—only for Yilan to stop her.
He shook his head.
"This is the will of the people. As the Archon of Sumeru, will you stand against them?"
Nahida fell silent.
Yilan watched as the three sages and their co-conspirators were paraded like rats through the streets.
This was justice.
What happened in the game? That was nonsense.
Treason against their god, collusion with foreign powers, endangering Sumeru's future…
Any one of those crimes warranted death.
Yet in the game's version, they were merely exiled to the rainforest to "continue their research"?
Yilan still remembered how furious he'd been when he saw that plot.
The screenwriter must have been kicked in the head by a Sumpter Beast.
Even if they wanted to showcase Nahida's compassion, this ending was unjust and absurd.
He didn't know what mindset the developers were in when they wrote that nonsense—but in this version of Sumeru, under his watch…
Those sages would wish they had died instead.
***
Yilan and his three companions wandered outside for the whole day and did not return to Jingshan Palace until evening.
By the way, at Yilan's suggestion, they had renovated Jingshan Palace.
Although, according to Rukkhadevata, the Dendro Archon of Sumeru should traditionally possess a palace of her own—and Jingshan Palace was originally just a secluded place for meditation—scholars had since transformed the structure into a comprehensive academic building. Nahida had never considered reclaiming it.
In his heart, Yilan once again sighed at the kindness of the Dendro Archons throughout Sumeru's history and the ingratitude of the Akademiya scholars.
With no other choice, Yilan could only think about renovating Jingshan Palace.
After all, the villa he had lived in within the simulated scenario had now been confiscated as Azar's property. So currently, he had nowhere to stay in Sumeru.
As for Jingshan Palace, any player who's explored it in the game would know—it was not a place meant for people to live in.
The transformation process, however, was simple.
The immortals of Liyue can expand inner realms and craft entire cave abodes. As the complete God of Wisdom, Rukkhadevata certainly could do the same.
Yilan gave her control of his body, and with just a touch of divine power, she transformed the entire Jingshan Palace into a residence as beautiful as a celestial paradise.
…
After a soothing soak in the hot spring, Yilan put on a bathrobe and was preparing to return to his bedroom for a well-earned sleep.
Strictly speaking, with his current attributes, it wouldn't matter even if he didn't sleep for a week.
However, during the battle with Dark Rukkhadevata, his soul had suffered severe injuries, and his Soul Attribute had dropped from 30 to 24. He needed time to recover.
But when he opened his bedroom door, his eyelid twitched—because he found Nahida's petite figure sitting neatly on his bed, looking up at him with a well-behaved expression!
"…"
Yilan silently closed the door, looked at the number plate again to confirm it was indeed his room, then opened it once more and asked:
"Nahida, why are you in my room?"
"Dad, didn't you promise to tell me the story of 'The Seven Lanaros vs. the Snake and Scorpion' before bed?" Nahida said with a slightly aggrieved tone. "Did you forget?"
"Well, of course I haven't forgotten…"
Yilan sighed in relief. He didn't want to be a deadbeat dad—especially with Rukkhadevata still within his consciousness.
"By the way, Rukkhadevata, come out and listen with us."
"Okay." Rukkhadevata projected her consciousness through the Void Terminal and smiled at him. "I'm also curious to hear this story of yours, Yilan."
"Okay, Mom, come and listen to Dad's story with me!" Nahida patted the inside of the bed cheerfully. "Mom, you sleep here!"
A faint blush rose on Rukkhadevata's elegant face, but at Nahida's insistence, she still lay down on the bed with a gentle smile.
"Dad, you sleep here!" Nahida patted the outer side of the bed.
Yilan chuckled and lay down beside them.
"Nahida sleeps in the middle!"
Nahida giggled, curling into Rukkhadevata's arms and blinking her emerald eyes at Yilan.
"Dad, you can start now!"
Propping his head up with one hand, Yilan lay sideways, looking at his wife and daughter nestled together. A warm smile curled the corners of his lips. After collecting his thoughts, he began:
"Legend has it, there was once a country with highly advanced technology, where humans and monsters lived in harmony."
"In this country lived an old man who adopted seven homeless Lanaros."
"To repay his kindness, the Lanaros studied hard and eventually developed great abilities."
"The eldest could grow gigantic and had unmatched strength. The second could see and hear things from far away. The third had a head of steel and arms of iron. The fourth could breathe fire. The fifth could control water. The sixth could turn invisible. The seventh… refined a magical artifact."
"But just before they reached adulthood, Grandpa was captured by foreign monsters—snake and scorpion demons!"
"The Lanaros wanted to save him together, but the country's rules said only adults could apply for an international travel permit. The eldest was the only one eligible."
"With no choice, he set off alone…"
Originally, Yilan had intended to localize the tale of Calabash Brothers and share it with Nahida. But thinking she'd grown tired of Sumeru's fairytales after being stuck in the Void System for centuries, he added a few modern twists—warping the story well beyond recognition.
But in fairy tales, logic isn't everything—as long as the story is fun, it's good enough.
Midway through his storytelling, he noticed Nahida's eyes closed, her breathing gentle—she'd fallen asleep.
He scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… was I too boring?"
"No," Rukkhadevata said warmly. "I thought it was very interesting. Much of it came from the world you lived in before, didn't it?"
Yilan nodded. "Yeah."
Rukkhadevata sighed gently, brushing a hand through Nahida's hair.
"Yilan, I'm not afraid to sound foolish, but… I used to think I'd mastered all knowledge—except for the few secrets beyond reach. But just hearing this simple fairy tale, I realized there's still so much I don't understand. I've been far more ignorant than I imagined…"
"That's completely normal," Yilan said reassuringly. "As the saying goes: the more you know, the more you realize you don't. In the end, all questions boil down to just three."
"Oh? Which three?" Rukkhadevata asked curiously.
"Where am I, who am I punching, and who the hell is punching me."
Rukkhadevata: "…"
"Ahem… just joking." Yilan coughed. "The real ones are: Who am I? Where did I come from? And where am I going?"
"Who am I… Where did I come from… Where am I going…" Rukkhadevata repeated softly. "They seem like simple questions, but I can't even answer the first."
Suddenly, her emerald eyes locked onto Yilan's, full of reverence. Like a devout believer before her god, she whispered:
"Yilan, meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life. I swear by the name of the demon god Rukkhadevata—so long as you're willing to share your knowledge, the God of Wisdom shall be at your service."
Yilan looked at her, half amused. "Why so serious all of a sudden? You're my wife now—I'll naturally share everything with you."
"But since you're so curious… let me teach you some knowledge from my world."
"Okay." Rukkhadevata responded excitedly, but then noticed the mischievous glint in Yilan's eyes and suddenly realized what kind of 'knowledge' he meant.
"Wait… Nahida is still here."
"Don't worry—she's asleep. But Madam, you should try not to make too much noise. After all, you wouldn't want your daughter to see you like that, right?"
"…Mmm."
…
'I'M NOT ASLEEP!!!'
Nahida screamed inwardly. She'd only pretended to be asleep because she'd heard children often doze off listening to bedtime stories.
Now she couldn't even conjure cotton to plug her ears! If her parents realized she was faking, it would be unbearably awkward!
"It's over. Nahida is no longer pure. Nahida's going to be ruined…"
She murmured to herself in her mind.
But…
Was it really that fun to do that with Dad?
Mom… looked really happy.