Before the Grand Sage could finish speaking, Ying delivered a powerful whip kick to his chest. He was sent flying backward, embedding himself in a stone pillar before crashing heavily to the ground, unconscious.
"Whew, that's much better."
Clapping her hands, having dealt with the annoying fellow, Ying ignored the stunned soldiers before her. She casually summoned a silver sword she had found and unleashed an Anemo blade at the device imprisoning Nahida.
*Clang—Crack!*
In an instant, the massive orb shattered into two halves. Nahida, who had been sleeping inside, slowly descended to the ground.
Nahida slowly opened her eyes, which she hadn't closed for who knew how long. She looked at her small hands with a hint of confusion.
"Am I… being rescued?"
Seeing Nahida's disbelieving expression, Ying instantly appeared beside her, smiling as she asked, "How was that? Wasn't I fast?"
Hearing Ying's voice, Nahida paused for a moment before replying with a smile, "How should I put it? You were so fast that I can hardly believe I've been rescued."
"Hehe~ You flatter me~"
Looking at Ying's face, identical to how she appeared in her dreams, Nahida couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Speaking of which, this should be our first time meeting in reality."
"If I'm not mistaken, you are as wonderful as I remember. (^_^)"
Ying lightly tapped Nahida's forehead.
"While I'm happy you think so, I didn't save you just to hear your praise."
"As a god, being imprisoned by your own people is quite shameful. Since I've already rescued you, let's begin our second lesson."
As she spoke, Ying looked back at the bewildered Sumeru soldiers.
"As for the title of this lesson, let's call it 'The Majesty of a God.' After all, I can save you once, but I can't necessarily save you twice or thrice. So, let me give you a demonstration first."
Ying said as she raised her right hand, aiming it at the clueless Sumeru soldiers in the distance.
Instantly, a hurricane formed behind Ying with a surge. The Sumeru soldiers felt an immense force push them, and the next second, they were all swept into the air by the gale.
"Just like that~ (^_^)"
After witnessing Ying's actions, Nahida nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes. Don't worry, after our heartfelt conversation, I've also been thinking a lot."
"I am truly sorry. It is because of my tolerance that the Akademiya has become this way, and I have indirectly caused you trouble."
"Rest assured, everything the Akademiya has done to me, all the foolish acts committed in the name of wisdom, I have deeply ingrained in my heart."
Saying this, Nahida clenched her small fists in anger.
"I swear, I will retaliate for every single one of these things."
Seeing the determination and murderous intent in Nahida's eyes, Ying nodded with satisfaction and reached out to ruff her hair.
"I'm relieved that you feel this way."
"Since that's the case, I should attend to another matter as well."
With that, Ying turned to face the Grand Sage she had just kicked unconscious.
"As for matters requiring a brain, like 'bottled knowledge,' you can handle those yourself. However, I am quite interested in that plan to create a god…"
Hearing this, Nahida suddenly remembered something and quickly spoke up.
"Speaking of which, after you left earlier, I suddenly noticed someone observing me in secret. After some counter-investigation, I discovered he was a Fatui Harbinger named Dottore."
"I intended to investigate further but found that he was also continuously stealing my knowledge. Under duress, I had to temporarily seal my consciousness until you rescued me just now."
After listening to Nahida's words, Ying thoughtfully pinched her chin.
"So, he must have known I was coming to Sumeru to rescue you, which is why he got here first and moved the Divine Idol before me."
He mentioned earlier that Scaramouche was in Inazuma, but even with the Fatui's secret operations, it's unlikely the Akademiya would set up a god-creation plan in another nation. It seems that place was indeed a trap…
With this thought, Ying immediately contacted Paimon.
"Hello? Paimon, are you there? Is this a convenient time to talk?"
A moment later, Paimon's somewhat lazy voice came through.
"Yes, Host. We've found the place Dottore mentioned."
"We've completed our objective here. How is your situation?"
"Well…"
Paimon glanced at the tide of monsters below her, then at Lumine and Childe effortlessly slaughtering them. After gathering her thoughts, she replied, "Hmm… Childe, that bad guy, is indeed here. But after Lumine interrogated him, she learned that he was indeed ordered by Her Highness the Tsaritsa to capture Scaramouche."
"However, we've turned this place upside down and still haven't found any trace of Scaramouche. Instead, there are a large group of monsters infected by that energy."
Upon hearing this, Ying anxiously inquired, "Can you handle it? I'll be there immediately."
Paimon quickly reassured her Host.
"Ah… Don't worry. Although there are many of them, they're no match for those two."
Afterward, Paimon also shared her speculation with Ying.
"Speaking of which, Host, I have a feeling that he told us Scaramouche was in Inazuma specifically to drive a wedge between you and Lumine, so he could defeat you one by one."
Ying pondered for a moment.
"I did consider that possibility, but what can be done? Better safe than sorry."
"Besides, his target is me. Even if there is a conspiracy, he will definitely come for me. There's no need to worry too much."
Paimon felt a bead of sweat.
"If he's after you, how can I not worry…"
"Hehe~ Anyway, you guys be careful."
After chatting with Paimon, Ying explained the situation to Nahida. Upon learning that Ying needed to go to Inazuma first, Nahida immediately nodded, stating that she would use this time to find the location of the false god created by the Akademiya.
After Nahida departed, Ying intended to teleport directly to Inazuma with Paimon, but just as she was about to move, she suddenly paused, looking towards the main entrance, a glint of caution flashing in her eyes.
"Who is it?"
Seeing that Ying had instantly discovered her, Dottore, who had deliberately exposed himself, slowly walked in from outside.
Recalling Ying's words from just now, Dottore nodded thoughtfully, looking at her face and agreeing, "That's right, you are my target."
With that, Dottore changed his tone and said with a smile, "However… that is the ultimate goal. And sometimes, to achieve a goal, one also needs the help of others…"