Meeting Nahida

"It seems you wish to meet the Lesser Lord Kusanali?"

These words caused the assembled sages of the Akademiya to exchange uncertain glances. Clearly, Felina's proposal had put them in a difficult position.

"Hydro Archon, may we ask why you wish to meet with the Lesser Lord Kusanali?"

Felina, understanding their concerns, spoke without hesitation. "As everyone knows, the consciousness of the Dendro Archon is linked to Irminsul. I know a method to save it, but this method requires the assistance of the Lesser Lord Kusanali."

The sages remained silent for a moment before eventually nodding.

"If it can save Irminsul and protect Sumeru, then we have no objections."

That evening, the gates of the Pure Goodness Palace creaked open.

Felina stood before a cage.

It was the first meeting between the Archons of Dendro and Hydro.

"A pleasure to meet you at last, the God of Justice, Focalors."

"I have long awaited an opportunity to converse with you. However, I must admit, I did not expect our meeting to take place under these circumstances."

The God of Wisdom, Buer (Nahida), opened her eyes and gazed at Felina from within her prison.

"I am aware of the agreement you have made with the sages of the Akademiya," she said.

"So, let us have an honest and open dialogue."

Nahida began, her tone firm. "I cannot condone the sages' actions. The desert has been an inseparable part of Sumeru since ancient times. Trading away half of the nation's territory to another is not a choice I can support."

She made her stance clear from the outset.

Felina listened, unperturbed. A large bubble formed behind her, serving as her makeshift seat as she gracefully settled upon it, nodding calmly.

"I can understand your sentiments, but I must also state my position," she said with unwavering resolve.

"The desert is mine to claim."

Hearing this, Nahida's expression grew noticeably colder.

"God of Justice, do you realize the gravity of what you're doing?"

"Do you understand the consequences if I reveal your dealings with the sages to the public?"

Despite the warning, Felina remained composed, her demeanor unshaken. She offered a faint smile.

"I understand perfectly. As the Dendro Archon, you possess the ability to manipulate the Akasha System. You could expose my agreement with the Akademiya to the populace through the terminals."

"However, God of Wisdom, you are far too idealistic."

Yes, idealistic. This was Felina's evaluation of Nahida.

As a player, Felina liked Nahida's character.

But as a ruler, Felina could not agree with her approach.

Why did she consider Nahida overly idealistic? The answer was evident from the game's narrative itself.

First, let us discuss how Scaramouche was handled.

To turn Scaramouche into a god, the Akademiya forcibly commandeered the citizens' minds to provide computational power, causing tremendous harm to the populace.

Scaramouche was fully aware of this during the process, yet he agreed to it regardless.

Therefore, it's fair to call Scaramouche a criminal to the entire population of Sumeru, correct?

And yet, after the events, Nahida granted Scaramouche extremely favorable treatment.

Granted, Sumeru lacks top-tier combat power. From a ruler's perspective, taking Scaramouche in can be understood.

However, if you were to use a tiger as your bodyguard, you might provide it with excellent living conditions to secure its loyalty. But simultaneously, you would need to prepare chains to ensure the tiger couldn't turn on you one day and bite.

The same principle applies to Scaramouche. He is a war criminal and an emotionally unstable individual. While offering him generous treatment to rehabilitate him is an option, you must also prepare for the possibility that he might one day betray you.

Both the carrot and the stick must be wielded in tandem—this is the art of ruling.

It's not a matter of trust; rather, as a ruler, you must always prepare contingency plans. This is a responsibility owed to your citizens.

Yet, looking at all the events that unfolded, Nahida never had that iron chain ready to restrain Scaramouche.

Some say Nahida is kindhearted, while others claim she possesses political wisdom.

Is this assessment accurate? Let's evaluate this based on Nahida's decision to allow Scaramouche into Irminsul.

Why did Nahida let Scaramouche accompany the Traveler into Irminsul?

First, the Traveler had just saved Sumeru—a hero deserving of gratitude. Meanwhile, Scaramouche had attempted to kill the Traveler on three separate occasions, making them bitter adversaries.

Having just saved Sumeru, the Traveler would naturally be displeased if Nahida took Scaramouche in immediately afterward. Therefore, to bring Scaramouche into the fold, Nahida needed to reconcile their enmity.

Allowing Scaramouche to accompany the Traveler served two purposes:

 1. To let the Traveler witness Scaramouche's past and cultivate sympathy for him.

 2. To have Scaramouche assist the Traveler in finding clues, thereby earning the Traveler's goodwill.

Likewise, later encouraging the Traveler to name Scaramouche was also deliberate. If the Traveler refused, it signified their continued inability to forgive Scaramouche. However, if they accepted, it meant they had extended their forgiveness, which would pave the way for Nahida to welcome Scaramouche fully.

Additionally, there was another reason Nahida sent Scaramouche into Irminsul.

As a Fatui Harbinger and a creation of the Electro Archon, Scaramouche was intricately tied to both Snezhnaya and Inazuma.

By having Scaramouche enter Irminsul and erase himself from existence, the Fatui would forget his presence, and the Electro Archon would no longer recall him as her creation.

This severed his ties to Snezhnaya and Inazuma, leaving Sumeru as his only haven.

However, this raises another question:

For the sake of a single individual, Scaramouche, was it truly justifiable to let him tamper with Irminsul and alter the memories of everyone in Sumeru—and the entire world?

In the aftermath, the citizens of Sumeru remained blissfully unaware that the man known as "Hat Guy" among them was the very same person who had exploited their minds as computational units in his bid to ascend to godhood.

They greeted him with smiles and addressed him as "Mr. Hat Guy," completely oblivious to his crimes.

Was this fair to Sumeru? Was it fair to the world? Should people's memories be tampered with so casually?

Some argue that Nahida might not have anticipated Scaramouche erasing himself.

But this claim doesn't hold up, as Nahida had preemptively backed up her memories before Scaramouche entered Irminsul.

This indicates that she had already foreseen Scaramouche's actions.

Yet, despite this foresight, she chose not to restore those memories into Irminsul, leaving the populace unaware of Scaramouche's crimes.

Let us revisit the events of the second chapter of Nahida's story quest.

In her effort to save the Dendro Dragon Apep and, by extension, Sumeru, Nahida carried the "Seed of Life," a creation of the late Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, to the dragon.

It was made explicitly clear that the Seed of Life was the key to saving the Dendro Dragon and that it was directly tied to Sumeru's future.

Furthermore, the old mushroom beast had explicitly warned Nahida that the Seed was highly unstable and could break if used multiple times.

Yet, despite knowing this, Nahida used the Seed to save a group of small fungi, which ultimately caused it to break when it was most needed—inside Apep.

In the end, Nahida chose to sacrifice her own power to save the Dendro Dragon. The cost? She would revert to being a simple blade of grass or a branch.

Many have argued that Nahida's actions stemmed from her innate kindness, using the Seed to save the fungi.

However, this also underscores why Felina considered her overly idealistic.

From one ruler to another, Felina's worldview is fundamentally opposed to Nahida's ideals.

Felina believed that if she were in Nahida's place and fully understood the Seed's importance and the risks of using it, she would never have expended it on saving the fungi.

As a ruler, Nahida is responsible for the lives of countless Sumeru citizens standing behind her.

Imagine, if the fungi hadn't volunteered to ignite the Seed in Nahida's place, and she had truly become a branch or a blade of grass. What would have happened to Sumeru?

At that time, Sumeru had just undergone significant upheaval. The faction led by Azar, who once managed the nation, had been dismantled.

The nation was only beginning to recover from chaos, with desert-rainforest tensions finally showing signs of easing.

If Nahida, the newly established Archon, were to suddenly revert to a plant, who would take charge of Sumeru?

What kind of chaos would have ensued?

Had she considered what would happen to Scaramouche, the unstable and dangerous figure left in Sumeru, if she were no longer there to manage him?

Felina's reflection is not to criticize Nahida out of malice but to provide a deeper understanding of her character.

Nahida is a figure full of contradictions.

She is kindhearted, gentle, and somewhat naïve by nature.

She would excel in roles brimming with romanticism—like a storyteller, poet, orphanage director, or adventurer—but fate cast her as a god.

Her fundamental contradiction lies in her excessive kindness and idealism paired with insufficient strength.

She wants to be a politically adept Archon, but her kindness and idealism often hinder her.

For example, in her effort to save the Dendro Dragon, her role as a ruler demanded prioritizing the greater good. Yet, her kindness and compassion led her to use the Seed to save the fungi, risking the future of Sumeru.

On the other hand, if she sought only to be a kind person, she still fell short due to her lack of strength.

Her inability to control Scaramouche forced her to allow him to enter Irminsul and erase himself from existence. This left him no choice but to align with Sumeru.

However, this came at the cost of tampering with countless people's memories, infringing on their rights, and violating her own principles of kindness.

She aspires to be an excellent ruler, but her kindness hinders her from becoming a strong Archon.

Conversely, she wishes to be a kind-hearted god, but her role as an Archon compels her to compromise her kindness due to her lack of ability.

Her lack of strength prevents her from safeguarding her kindness, while her kindness drags her into challenging predicaments.

These two forces entangle her in a vicious cycle.

Ultimately, the root cause lies in her insufficient strength.

If she possessed the overwhelming power of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she could maintain her benevolence and gentleness while firmly seated on her throne.

This context explains why Felina deemed Nahida too idealistic.

There are many instances where Nahida handles situations with a one-sidedly optimistic perspective.

For example, when dealing with Scaramouche, she made no contingency plans. She focused solely on treating him well without considering what to do if he turned against Sumeru.

For example, in handling Scaramouche, she focused solely on treating him well without preparing any safeguards should he turn against Sumeru.

Similarly, when saving the Dendro Dragon, she failed to prepare for the possibility of the Seed of Life breaking. What would happen if she sacrificed herself? How would Sumeru manage without her?

Scaramouche will definitely change. He won't betray Sumeru, so I only need to treat him well, and he will be reformed. There's no need to prepare for the worst.

It's fine to use the Seed of Life one more time. It won't break.

Even if I sacrifice myself to save the dragon and turn into a branch or blade of grass, Sumeru won't fall into chaos.

Yes, she thought like a fairytale author, believing that the ending would always be beautiful and happy.

Had she been a poet or a storyteller, she would have created wondrous tales.

But she wasn't. She was a god—a ruler of a nation. And politics, more often than not, demanded cold pragmatism.

Now that the foundation had been laid to understand Nahida's character, the discussion returned to the present moment.

Felina studied Nahida quietly.

As a player, Felina had liked Nahida.

But as a ruler, she couldn't agree with Nahida's ideals.

Still, there was no need for animosity. Those were merely events in the game's narrative, and the Nahida before her hadn't yet committed any of those actions.

As Felina mused, she thought: Nahida was nothing more than a character shaped by another's pen, devoid of the freedom to choose her destiny.

For now, since Nahida hadn't acted as depicted in the game's story, there was no reason to harbor dissatisfaction.

Sitting across from Nahida, Felina decided she would attempt to correct her.

"Me? Idealistic?"

Nahida blinked in surprise at Felina's words.

"Why would you say that?"

Felina understood she couldn't use the events of the game's story as examples for Nahida, who had not yet experienced them.

After a moment of thought, Felina proposed, "In Sumeru, scholars often use debates to test the validity and correctness of their perspectives."

"So why don't we have a debate on this topic?"

Nahida's interest was piqued. "How interesting. This will be my first time debating with another god."

"Then let us begin," Felina replied calmly.

She initiated the debate with a straightforward question. "Do you love the people of the desert?"

Nahida nodded without hesitation. "Of course. The people of the desert are as much a part of Sumeru as those of the rainforest. Naturally, I love them."

Felina pressed on. "Then why, despite knowing that the Akademiya has long neglected the desert, have you, as their god, never voiced any objections?"

Nahida hesitated briefly before replying, "I… you should know that my authority in Sumeru isn't substantial."

Felina acknowledged her words but countered, "True. But is that the entire truth? Or is it because you also understand that the issues in the desert are so deeply entrenched that they would take centuries to resolve? Right now, Sumeru simply doesn't have the capacity to govern the desert properly. Isn't that correct?"

"I..."

Nahida's voice faltered, and she momentarily fell silent.

Felina's observation had hit the mark.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven