Chapter 156: Astrology and the God-Making Plan

"Speaking of which, little witch, you came to Mondstadt to find Lord Anemo Archon and seek answers from him, didn't you?"

Nao asked casually.

The little witch nodded.

At this moment, Paimon also spoke up,

"Yeah, yeah! The Traveler came from beyond this world and wants to ask the Seven Archons how to return to their own world."

Nao nodded and then made a thoughtful expression.

"I don't know much about Lord Anemo Archon, only that he is the god who watches over Mondstadt. He is a gentle yet powerful existence, always using the wind to rescue the people of Mondstadt whenever they are in trouble. But if you want to find Lord Anemo Archon, I do know a place where you can look up information."

As she spoke, Nao pointed to a loft-like building in Mondstadt.

The little witch and Paimon followed her gaze and saw the mysterious attic.

"That's the Knights of Favonius' library, where a mysterious and powerful librarian resides. She is knowledgeable and wise. If anyone in Mondstadt is most likely to know about Lord Anemo Archon, it would definitely be that librarian."

Upon hearing this, the little witch immediately said,

"Then I'll go meet this mysterious librarian right away!"

She was about to use the Wind Glider to fly directly to the library in Mondstadt.

But Nao quickly stopped her.

"Little witch, did you forget? You can't use the Wind Glider inside Mondstadt! Besides, this librarian is not easy to meet. You have to solve the riddle she set up first."

Then, Nao handed a riddle to the little witch.

Of course, it wasn't a particularly difficult puzzle.

This step was just meant to create some conditions for the 'librarian' to appear.

Only when the little witch put in effort to meet the 'librarian' would the words of the 'librarian' feel more credible.

After all, when people work hard for something, they are more likely to believe in the results they obtain.

After that, Nao left.

The little witch, after racking her brain, finally solved the puzzle.

Excited, she took the solution and ran towards the Knights of Favonius' library. Upon entering the library, she saw rows upon rows of books.

In reality, these books were not just decorations, they were compiled by the Foundation, recording Mondstadt's history and culture.

If the little witch suddenly felt curious and wanted to read them, she wouldn't notice anything unusual.

Following the guidance, the little witch arrived at the second floor of the library.

There, a tightly shut door stood before her.

At the entrance was a mysterious-looking device with an opening, seemingly waiting for something to be placed inside.

The little witch hesitantly inserted her solved riddle into the slot.

After a brief moment of waiting, the door suddenly rumbled open.

"Oh? Someone actually solved my riddle? Come in, little one, how interesting."

A woman's voice, filled with amusement, came from within.

The little witch stepped inside.

She found herself surrounded by even more bookshelves, some adorned with mysterious symbols, while the floor bore intricate patterns.

Feeling a little nervous, the little witch weaved her way through the bookshelves and arrived deeper inside.

There, she found a desk.

A vase on the desk held a blooming rose.

Behind the desk sat a woman with long, flowing black hair, wearing a pointed hat, resembling a shrine maiden.

"Hello, little one."

The woman greeted her with a smile.

"I'm the little witch. I'm here to ask about Lord Anemo Archon. I wish to meet him and ask a question. I heard from Nao that the librarian here is very knowledgeable, so I came to seek guidance on how to meet Lord Anemo Archon."

The little witch spoke, feeling somewhat nervous.

Clearly, this mysterious librarian gave her a sense of unfamiliarity.

"I see. You must be a traveler from another world, aren't you, little one?"

The woman suddenly stood up, looking at the little witch with a sly smile.

The little witch's eyes widened in surprise.

"How do you know that?"

The woman walked over and gently led the little witch to sit in the chair opposite the desk.

"My name is Kasumigaoka Utaha. I am Mondstadt's librarian and also a shrine maiden."

Utaha introduced herself with a smile.

Her mature and composed demeanor, along with her ability to read people, was a natural talent.

The little witch blinked.

"A shrine maiden?"

Utaha nodded.

"Yes, a shrine maiden who studies astrology. Through the stars, I can gain knowledge. I saw a star representing a traveler from beyond this world, falling into Mondstadt. So, I guessed you would come. I just didn't expect it to be today."

Hearing this, the little witch was amazed.

"Can I learn astrology?"

She asked curiously.

Utaha nodded and handed her a thick book from the desk.

On the cover, a simple word were written: Astrology.

The little witch opened the book and started reading carefully.

But soon, she gave up.

This astrology book was far too complex, and for an eight-year-old girl, the wording was too obscure and difficult to understand.

Meanwhile, at the Foundation's research facility, staff members were attempting to use astrology based on a replicated astrology book.

Soon, one of the researchers started having a nosebleed.

However, instead of panicking, he looked excited.

Then, he took out a coin and tossed it into the air.

As the result was revealed, he reported,

"President, it worked. The astrology system can function properly, but it seems to consume some kind of energy."

Since the researcher had no special power within him, he had unknowingly used his lifespan as a substitute.

However, he had only performed a small-scale divination, predicting the outcome of a simple coin toss.

So the 'backlash' was minimal.

Haruto nodded in satisfaction.

With astrology, the Foundation had gained another method of obtaining information.

Back in the trial room—

The little witch pushed the astrology book back across the table, looking slightly dizzy.

"Ugh, I can't understand this at all. Traveler, let's just ask about Lord Anemo Archon instead."

Paimon, looking equally dizzy, agreed.

The little witch nodded and completely gave up on learning astrology.

"Au... uh, big sister, I want to know about Lord Anemo Archon."

The little witch had originally intended to call her "Auntie."

But under Utaha's sharp gaze, she quickly changed it to "big sister."

Utaha nodded and then said,

"I do know some things about Lord Anemo Archon. Perhaps I can help you."

"Long ago, Lord Anemo Archon was merely a wisp of wind spirit. At the time, Mondstadt was completely enveloped by raging storms."

"The winds were so strong that even birds could not pass through. The endless gales wore down the land and rocks, turning them into fine dust like water."

"Amidst the thousand winds, the wind spirit met a human in Mondstadt, and they became close friends."

"In time, this friend raised their sword against the Demon God of Tornadoes, hoping to liberate Mondstadt from the storm."

"In the end, the dear friend perished in the rebellion, and Lord Anemo Archon carried on their dream, defeating the Demon God of Tornadoes and becoming the Anemo Archon."

"And so, Lord Anemo Archon cherishes humanity, just as his friend once did, and protects the land of Mondstadt, saving its people with the wind."

"But five hundred years ago, a rift suddenly tore open in the sky of this world. Lord Anemo Archon and the other six gods went to investigate."

"Before leaving, Lord Anemo Archon entrusted his companion, the Stormterror Dragon, to guard Mondstadt in his stead."

"However, while protecting Mondstadt, Stormterror Dragon was tainted by corruption from beyond this world. Not only was it wounded, but it also fell into madness."

"If you, Little Witch, can rescue the fallen Stormterror Dragon, perhaps Lord Anemo Archon will be grateful to you and appear before you in person."

Utaha slowly narrated the background of Lord Anemo Archon and the origins of the upcoming Stormterror Dragon incident.

This was a setup for the eventual appearance of the Anemo Archon.

After all, 'gods' are not the same as ordinary humans.

For the Little Witch to accept and truly understand the power that an Archon should possess, a long period of preparation was necessary, guiding her step by step.

This was also the Foundation's next key objective: the God-Making Project.

Although in Teyvat's worldview, the gods they created wouldn't be as truly divine as actual deities, atthe very least, they would be formidable combat forces.

As for further enhancing the gods' power—

Leaving aside whether the Little Witch's abilities could create even stronger gods, even if she could, she must never be allowed to come into contact with uncontrollable concepts. That would be far too dangerous.