Just Go For It!

Dealing with Apep obviously couldn't be done the same way as with Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. After all, 'consuming' something this massive would be quite difficult.

However, this didn't stump Jiang Qiao, especially after 'consuming' Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. He had learned some methods the Archons used to deal with Forbidden Knowledge from her.

...Oh, so this is the Authority of the Ancient Dragon of Dendro... Placing his hand on Apep's rough, scaly hide, [Greater Lord Rukkhadevata]—Jiang Qiao—closed his eyes, sensing the various powers contained within this immense body.

He tried comparing it to the Authority of the Ancient Dragon of Hydro he had encountered before, gaining a new understanding of the world's underlying rules.

"Ngh... Nnngh..."

Apep's enormous dragon eyes narrowed. The sensation of her body being 'invaded' and 'explored' was extremely uncomfortable. After all, each Elemental Dragon King was exceptionally pure, making them countless times more sensitive to external interference than other beings.

Suddenly, the massive Dendro Dragon raised her long neck and let out a cry:

"Aaaaooo~~"

For an Elemental Dragon like Apep, mentioning shame might sound strange, but facing this unprecedented, peculiar sensation, Miss Dragon was indeed having trouble enduring it.

...My body, was it always this sensitive?

Suppressing this thought, Apep, her voice low and strained, asked impatiently:

"Tree Lord, aren't you done yet?"

"I can't rush it. Your kind's ability to adapt to environments is just too strong. It's already fused with the Forbidden Knowledge. Trying to handle it non-violently will inevitably take some time."

[Greater Lord Rukkhadevata], still probing beneath the massive dragon's body, wore a helpless expression and sighed.

Hearing this, Apep couldn't help but say:

"Then you can use more forceful methods."

An Elemental Dragon like her had pain tolerance far beyond imagination. Mere pain was nothing! To avoid losing too much composure in front of this old acquaintance, Miss Dragon could only choose the method that preserved more 'face'.

"Hmm, are you sure? It will hurt a lot~"

"I am the Dragon King of Dendro. Just go for it!"

Apep declared, raising her dragon head. Although Jiang Qiao found this request strange, he didn't try to dissuade her. "Alright then."

The next moment...

"ROAR—!!!"

The enormous dragon head thrashed about wildly, devastating Apep's subterranean palace, and her Dendro power began to run rampant.

She quickly roared, trembling:

"Stop... S-Stop!!!"

"Let's... let's go back to how we were doing it before," Miss Dragon said, sounding somewhat weak.

No, this... I can't take this!

She had initially thought the pain would be tolerable. After all, she had endured the torment of Forbidden Knowledge for so many years; what pain could a battle-hardened Dragon King fear?

But as an elemental sovereign, Apep directly experienced 'soul-rending' agony—the Forbidden Knowledge being ripped directly from her soul.

This simple and crude method, besides being extremely painful and having significant side effects, was primarily fast.

Of course, fast it might be, but Apep was thoroughly tormented. She had a 'premonition' that if this continued, she might uncontrollably 'spew' something out.

Although the original method might not have preserved much face either, at least it was comfortable.

Miss Dragon, following her instincts, once again enjoyed Mr. Jiang Qiao's massage service.

A short while later, a surge of Dendro energy transformed the territory that should have been covered in yellow sand—it became a green land.

Apep, stretching comfortably, looked at the massive [Greater Lord Rukkhadevata] before her and froze.

She glanced at herself, then at the surrounding environment, and her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no... I accidentally expelled all my elemental power.

Sensing her pitifully depleted elemental reserves, Apep, whose form had shrunk from draconic to serpentine, felt both grief and indignation.

But... it felt so good, I want to keep going...

Miss Dragon, swishing her tail, savored the recent comfort and inexplicably wanted to continue, but unfortunately, her body had shrunk significantly from the expulsion, and there wasn't a drop left...

"Wow, you've become so cute, Apep." The white-haired girl poked Apep's miniature dragon head with her fingertip, making a remark that filled the latter with utter despair.

Miss Dragon, not known for her good temper, immediately wanted to whip her tail at the detestable person before her, but after a moment's hesitation, she gave up.

After all, the other party had just helped her. Although it was embarrassing, it was her own lack of restraint. She couldn't possibly blame the Tree Lord for saving her, right?

A fragmented piece appeared in [Greater Lord Rukkhadevata]'s hand. Gazing at the crimson glow upon it, she couldn't help but marvel: "But you really digested it cleanly~ Not a single bit left."

"A fragment of King Deshret's Archon residue?!" Rukkhadevata couldn't help but be startled upon seeing this item.

In the earliest days of Teyvat, Archons did not exist.

It wasn't until Phanes descended, and due to the war that ravaged the land, 'fragments' scattered from that conflict fell across Teyvat.

These were effectively the origin of most Archons, and the authorities they possessed were largely based on these fragments.

For example, Egeria and Focalors' 'Authority of Justice', and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Lesser Lord Kusanali's 'Authority of Wisdom'.

Essentially, they were all granted by Archon residue fragments.

And from the fragment in Jiang Qiao's hand, she smelled the aura of her old friend, King Deshret.

But Rukkhadevata, connected to Jiang Qiao, also understood that King Deshret was well and truly dead. Unlike herself and Egeria, who could compete for resurrection with their remnant consciousness, the Scarlet King had left nothing behind except this Archon fragment.

After all, Nabū Malikata and King Deshret had been far too active in stirring things up...

"What's the divine authority in this?" Focalors, however, stared curiously at the Archon fragment, somewhat excited. An Archon fragment whose owner was completely gone? This was a rare find.

If she could use it, she would gain another authority.

Although she wasn't particularly interested in combat power, if Fontaine faced a crisis in the future, she could be stronger and wouldn't have to let him fight alone.

"King Deshret's divine authority was over Sand, with the effect of disintegrating, weathering, and eroding things." Greater Lord Rukkhadevata recalled the details of her old friend.

Though it sounded somewhat average, in terms of immediate combat power, King Deshret was arguably the strongest fighter among the Archons in the Sumeru region back then. If they hadn't allied, she wouldn't have known how to handle him.

"You actually managed to extract it?" Apep also noticed the situation, looking surprised, then shook her head. "Forget it, since it's out, it's yours."

In fact, the massive sandstorm in this area was created by her using this Sand Archon fragment from King Deshret. But due to the Forbidden Knowledge, she hadn't been able to digest it for all these years.

Now that it was removed, although she lost an authority, Apep didn't really care. As the Dendro Dragon, she didn't particularly like this authority, especially since the fragment belonged to that usurper. As a persecuted Elemental Dragon, Miss Dragon had always felt uncomfortable about it.

With the influence of the Sand authority gone, coupled with Apep's 'generous' contribution of an entire elemental dragon's worth of 'Dendro' power, this originally sand-swept wasteland instantly welcomed new life, giving birth to an oasis.

Miss Dragon, extremely adaptable to her environment, also changed color, shifting from earthy yellow to a vibrant green.

"Indeed, I still prefer this color."

Noticing this change, Apep mused, her previous distress over expending too much elemental power instantly forgotten.

Dendro represented vitality, while sand was full of stillness. As the Dendro Dragon, she actually quite disliked such dry environments. But she disdained going to Sumeru's rainforest, as that was the territory of the Seven Archons. Coupled with the Forbidden Knowledge, she had just made do here over the years.

As for elemental power, that stuff would eventually accumulate again.

"Indeed, compared to your yellow appearance, I prefer the green you~"

"How about it, want to take a trip to Fontaine?"

"Hm? Why would I go there?" Apep was puzzled.

"The Hydro Archon's throne seems to have collapsed. Don't you want to see Fontaine's newborn Hydro Dragon King?"

"...?! No wonder I felt the water veins of Teyvat become more active than before. So that's why." Miss Dragon nodded, surprised.

Dendro and Hydro had always been the closest elements since ancient times; both symbolized life. As the Dragon King of Dendro, although her Dragon Sovereignty wasn't complete, Apep could still sense changes occurring in Teyvat. However, unlike the Seven Archons, being outside their system and tormented by Forbidden Knowledge, she hadn't noticed this specific event.

"An Elemental Dragon who obtained complete Authority of the Ancient Dragons... Interesting, but..." Apep, as the oldest surviving Dragon King, was naturally delighted that one of her kind had become a complete dragon.

According to the ancient pact, they were allies, not to mention she had a good relationship with the Hydro Dragon King back then. But she also had her reservations and dissatisfaction.

Because according to prophecy, this generation's Hydro Dragon King would be born in human form. The incredibly proud Apep was clearly not pleased with this situation.

"Then forget it. I was originally thinking of giving Neuvillette a surprise."

The water curtain dispersed. The sighing [Greater Lord Rukkhadevata]—no, the blue-and-white-haired girl now reverted to [Furina]—shook her head regretfully.

"?!"

"You..."

"Fontaine's usurper!?"

"Ah, sorry~ It would probably be hard to communicate with you using this body's original form, so I borrowed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's appearance for a bit~ But don't be angry, the Tree Lord didn't mind either~"

Seeing the dragon's somewhat shocked and angry expression, [Furina] waved her hand dismissively. Rukkhadevata sighed inwardly, Could I possibly object? I've already been eaten; can't exactly ask him to spit out the skin, can I?

However, Miss Tree Lord felt a slight regret that this body had returned to its original form. Although different from Focalors, after being 'eaten', she could also feel this body's actions.

Compared to the former's somewhat 'cup-set' (pun on '悲伤', bei shang - sad, and '杯', bei - cup, referring to Furina's flat chest) low field of vision, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata definitely preferred her own 'Greater Lord Rukkhadevata form'.

Even if it was just a hydro mimicry, it gave her the feeling of returning to the past.

"Alright, I've completed the Tree Lord's request~ Since you don't want to go to Fontaine, I'll be leaving first."

"Wait—"

"...You don't want to fight, do you?"

"..." Apep didn't speak, just stared intently at Jiang Qiao—her miniature form looked quite 'comical'.

She did want to beat up this usurper who tricked her, but her current condition didn't allow it.

I'm almost completely drained!

Wait... Could this also be part of that detestable usurper's plan?! Damn it... I'll remember this grudge!

"Alright, what do you want to say?"

"What happened to the Hydro Archon's seat?"

"Oh, you mean that? As you can see, it's gone."

"That's not what I asked!"

"Let me guess, you want to ask how the Hydro Archon's seat disappeared so you can do the same to the Dendro Archon's seat?"

Apep became somewhat irritated. "That was originally stolen from us by those damned usurpers. I am merely taking back what is rightfully mine."

"Then you're probably going to be disappointed, because I smashed the Hydro Archon's seat myself."

"The current Dendro Archon probably can't do something like that."

"...Smashed? You...?"

"Well, that thing wasn't useful to me anyway~ So what if I smashed it? Neuvillette worked for me for so many years; what's wrong with smashing the Hydro Archon's seat as a reward?"

This statement left Apep feeling somewhat suffocated.

She had schemed, even risked contact with Forbidden Knowledge, and nearly died, all to reclaim her Dragon Sovereignty. And yet... you just smashed the Hydro Archon's seat to reward someone? Gave the Dragon Sovereignty back just like that?

Miss Dragon felt her entire worldview shatter.

Is the Authority of the Ancient Dragons so worthless? No... Do you think the Seven Archon seats are walnuts?! You can just smash them whenever you want?!

Suddenly thinking of something, the blue-and-white-haired girl spoke: "Hmm~ How about you come work for Fontaine too? I'll help you smash the Dendro Archon's seat later~ How about it?"

"In your dreams! A proud dragon will never yield to you usurpers!"

Apep wavered upon hearing this, but her pride ultimately overcame her desire for the Dragon Sovereignty.

"But Neuvillette is having a great time at the Court of Fontaine, you know? He's the Iudex now~ If you come, although the Iudex position is taken, your benefits can be excellent~" [Furina], sitting on a bubble, rested her cheek on her hand and said this. Apep flew into a rage, then stated firmly:

"What, that self-degrading fellow... Don't even think about it! I am the Dragon King of Dendro, a dragon with dignity!"

"Really don't want to come? There's Dragon Sovereignty involved~ Plus, later there might be a chance to stomp on the Heavenly Principles' head together~"

"No! Don't think you can insult my draconic dignity!" Apep's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but the next moment she gritted her teeth.

"Really?"

"Hmph!"

"Ai, then forget it..."

Watching [Furina] make a move to leave, Apep, still rooted to the spot, started to panic.

Hey, can't this person persuade me just one more time? Just one more time, and maybe I would have agreed!

Seeing the blue-and-white-haired girl walk further and further away, the anxious Apep finally couldn't hold back and quickly called out: "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"I thought about it, and I've decided to go to Fontaine to see the newborn junior. After all, he has become a complete dragon. As a senior, I have a duty to congratulate him."

"Oh~?"

The drawn-out syllable made Apep flush with embarrassment, and she mumbled, "I'm just going to see my junior, I didn't agree to your invitation!"

"Ah, what a pity then..."

In the oasis, a small, multi-headed serpent appeared on the shoulder of the blue-and-white-haired girl.

The latter hummed: "Hmph, a mere usurper, thinking you can command an Elemental Dragon King?"

"...Can you really smash an Archon seat?" she suddenly asked in a low voice.

To this, [Furina] replied with a smile:

"Depends on your performance~"

Rukkhadevata, having witnessed the entire process of Jiang Qiao luring Apep away, looked utterly constipated.

Although the Dendro Dragon and Sumeru weren't subordinate to each other, and were even somewhat hostile, having such a large Elemental Dragon there served as a significant deterrent.

And yet...

You brat, do you just want to snatch away every good thing you see?!

Constantly pulling things towards Fontaine... What, is Fontaine your mother's house or something?!

Miss Tree Lord, whose body was with Jiang Qiao but whose heart remained in Sumeru, truly couldn't stand this extreme bias.

If Sumeru didn't need an Archon, would this guy have planned to pack up Buer and take her away too?

"You..."

The sour Miss Tree Lord directly transmitted her full resentment to Jiang Qiao.

Focalors, sensing this as well, showed an expression of both satisfaction and smugness.

Folks, who understands this feeling? A trip to Sumeru not only brought back our lost old Hydro Archon but also transplanted Sumeru's tree here, and even snagged a dragon~ Taking off, woohoo, directly taking off!

Well done, Jiang Qiao! As expected of the person I chose!

What? Jealous?! Well, too bad your Sumeru has no one comparable!

The sensitive Greater Lord Rukkhadevata directly perceived this subtle provocation. Normally, her maturity would prevent her from caring about such things.

But thinking about Jiang Qiao's constant favoritism, Miss Tree Lord felt that if this continued, Sumeru might actually be doomed.

Fine then, I'll just have to put in a little effort.

Although she really wanted to just lie flat and do nothing, for Sumeru's sake, for Buer's sake, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, having secretly taken a 'sip' from Jiang Qiao, thought—Well, I've already been 'eaten'. If I don't use this advantage, who knows how long Egeria's girl will remain so arrogant!

So what if we play dirty? Anyone can do that!

Just go for it!