Genshin Impact: Towards Godhood

The assembly reached a unanimous conclusion.

Shahzaman, without any ulterior motives, pledged Dunyazard's safety and a portion of the Homayani family's wealth to the Akademiya to prove his innocence.

Despite the skeptics lacking concrete evidence, it was Shahzaman who had to prove his innocence rather than the accusers proving his guilt.

This is the privilege of the Akademiya.

As the receiving party, the Akademiya had to take appropriate measures to reassure Shahzaman and others that the Akademiya did not suspect them and that they were still part of the same family.

This is an exchange of trust.

The Akademiya's response would manifest in benefits bestowed upon Shahzaman. The extent of these benefits would indicate the Akademiya's response.

The consensus was to make Dunyazard a sage's student.

In a scholarly society, the value of a teacher is self-evident. Everyone knew that Dunyazard's frail health wouldn't allow her to engage in rigorous studies. This was merely part of the exchange of interests.

A reasonable exchange of interests is the compensation an innocent victim deserves when proving their loyalty.

This consensus quickly reached the ears of the sages, and Azar convened an emergency meeting.

Strictly speaking, he detested the meeting system, where many decisions required majority approval. He found it foolish.

But he was just the Grand Sage, while the Six Sages represented the collective interests of Sumeru over millennia.

He couldn't defy the rules.

The Akademiya and the Six Sages were the rule-makers, and Sumeru's laws naturally favored them.

The Grand Sage was merely the most powerful among the Six Sages, not the sole authority.

**"Perhaps an opportunity should be sought to make the Six Sages into a single Grand Sage?"**

Azar's thoughts wavered, but his resolve solidified.

Six Sages were still too many.

"This is their response. Shahzaman reacted swiftly, directly involving his companions and forming a temporary alliance based on his unique circumstances."

A sage spoke gravely, "We now face not just an individual, but an entire alliance of interests within Sumeru City."

"The alliance was founded on the defeat of the [Corps of Thirty], whose failure made us seem untrustworthy to most people."

People who seemed untrustworthy were responsible for protecting your property and even your life. Seeking alternatives was understandable.

"This response is reasonable."

Another sage's voice was hoarse, "After all, we have no real evidence, just reasonable suspicion."

He framed the matter as simple reasonable suspicion.

Although suspicion without evidence is inherently unreasonable, the sages naturally considered it from their own interests.

"Shahzaman is using his status. If we continue to doubt him, it will shift from reasonable suspicion to retaliation, which doesn't solve the problem but rather enlarges it."

"It's not worth it. I suggest abandoning the investigation into the Homayani family."

He sounded weary.

Everyone knew whether there was actual suspicion or just a frantic chase of every possibility.

While they were undoubtedly engaging in retaliatory actions, they still needed a reasonable facade and pretense at this point.

Without even a pretense, the matter had to be concluded.

"Their sincerity is indeed sufficient," a sage remarked, flipping through a report. "But his actions themselves warrant our consideration."

He put down the report. "Doesn't he have any ulterior motives?"

His argument was somewhat baseless, but it was the answer Azar wanted.

Regardless of how justified the reasons seemed, if you expose the matter publicly, it's a threat and defiance.

If you truly had no ulterior motives, why not submit quietly to our examination?

Since you resisted, even if you appear loyal, you are no longer loyal enough.

This neurotic logic is common throughout history, emphasizing, **"When I want to kill you, the only way to prove your innocence is to actually die."**

Because I am nobler, because I am your superior.

The reasoning is simple.

By forming alliances and publicizing the matter, forcing me to restrain my actions, you've essentially defied my will.

Everyone knows I want to deal with you. You offered your daughter and wealth, appearing loyal.

But if you were truly loyal, why resist?

Resistance is a sign of disloyalty. In the eyes of those in power, partial disloyalty is total disloyalty.

This seemingly paranoid notion is mainstream enough, though not widely applied. Those with the right to think this way have enough influence to make it mainstream.

Azar and the Six Sages were among them.

"He wants to use collective power to protect himself. Clearly, Shahzaman's stance has already shifted."

"He doesn't trust us, and currently, Sumeru only has two factions."

He didn't continue.

If you distrust the Akademiya, your only option is the other side.

Just like the [Deshret's Relic], if Rama rejects you, you can only choose the Akademiya.

The weak must find support during crises. If you don't choose one side, you've chosen the other.

Coincidence might be a possibility for Shahzaman.

But destroying him is easier than verifying his loyalty.

"This matter can be dealt with later. Shahzaman's motives may not be pure, but in the current environment, we can't find a better reason."

An elderly sage's expression was calm. "It's not about finding evidence, but evidence that the public can accept."

"Once people believe we intend to persecute the Homayani family, any valid evidence we produce will be seen as forced and deceptive."

"This is a large-scale push, and Shahzaman is merely using reasonable means to protect himself."

He stood and looked around at his colleagues. "Ultimately, their thoughts and ideas revolve around one core truth: we lost."

"Let's discuss our more troublesome enemy—the [Corps of Thirty]."

To the Six Sages, the most troublesome enemy wasn't even Rama but the [Corps of Thirty].

"Failure is the root of all suspicion, and I fully agree with that," Azar nodded slightly.

His expression remained unchanged, calm among the varied reactions of the sages.

"The [Corps of Thirty]'s foundation is also desert people. They control the rainforest's border defenses. If they choose to betray, we might truly lose."

The external world refrains from action because the Dendro Archon supports them.

Even if there's a chance the Archon is weak, compared to the Seven Archons, people still believe she's powerful.

Having a god-backed Akademiya against a godless desert provides confidence.

Because of this, the Akademiya cannot further harm Shahzaman.

It would appear too desperate.

Baseless anger often stems from fear and unease. Overreacting would lead to unwarranted suspicions.

The Six Sages lacked this confidence.

They knew the Dendro Archon couldn't be trusted.

If the Lesser Lord Kusanali was revealed, she would likely support the desert rather than the rainforest.

After all, successive Six Sages made such decisions. Relying on the Archon to help maintain their rule during crises—was arrogance, not stupidity.

Everyone exchanged glances, eventually falling into silence.

The problem was obvious but unsolvable.

"The [Corps of Thirty]'s rebellion is a foregone conclusion. Regardless of our intentions, everyone believes we will act against them."

"At this point, the [Corps of Thirty] have only one path left."

When everyone thinks something is inevitable, it becomes a matter of time.

With this understanding, the [Corps of Thirty]'s betrayal is only a matter of time.

"But we don't have enough time to reclaim that power from the [Corps of Thirty] perfectly."

A sage spoke diplomatically.

The crackdown on the [Corps of Thirty] began recently. During Sumeru's stable period, although they had time and resources, the sages lacked the will to deal with the [Corps of Thirty].

As for Asfand's oppression and injustice…that was routine.

Daily oppression of desert people wasn't considered unusual.

When they finally decided to act, the situation no longer allowed drastic measures.

"We all know the [Corps of Thirty]'s betrayal is a matter of time, and they know we want to eliminate them."

Everyone knew the answers but hadn't acted.

"But none of us will act."

Azar continued to describe the difficulty of the problem.

Usually, when someone delves into the complexity of an issue, it means they are about to ask for a price that you wouldn't normally accept.

Because the problem is tough, the reward for solving it should reasonably be high.

"The [Corps of Thirty] need Rama's stance. They don't want to fight us only to have Rama come here and label them as traitors to the desert and execute them all on the spot."

"After all, it was they who first betrayed the desert and chose to ally with the rainforest long ago."

Early traitors living better than all other desert people are well understood. Hatred for internal traitors often surpasses hatred for external enemies.

The [Corps of Thirty] need Rama's promise, a guarantee that they will be accepted. Only then will they have a reason to betray the Akademiya.

Otherwise, they risk being labeled as traitors after betraying the Akademiya, losing on both fronts.

"And we can't act first at this moment, because any action weakens the rainforest's strength."

"The desert will sit back and watch, benefiting no matter what."

This is the problem.

After restating the problem, Azar observed his colleagues' expressions.

Clearly, they all understood the complexity of the issue.

In a sense, Shahzaman's issue is a microcosm of the [Corps of Thirty] problem.

Their hesitation on Shahzaman's issue was a way to think about how solving Shahzaman's problem could help them tackle the [Corps of Thirty]'s stance.

The answer came: it couldn't be solved.

"I'm afraid there's only one way left. We need to seek aid from the rulers of other nations in the name of the gods."

Azar proposed.

This was a suggestion that no one would ordinarily agree to.

But after repeatedly describing the problem and admitting it couldn't be solved, his proposal suddenly seemed worth considering.

"Seeking aid from the rulers of other nations..."

The loss of face could be deferred; after all, given the current direction, Sumeru might soon have new rulers.

While face is valuable, losing power for it would be foolish.

"You all know the internal strength of Sumeru. Without the trust of the god, we have almost no reliable forces left."

Azar maintained as calm an expression as possible.

In other nations, the main military strength typically comes from the god themselves and their retainers.

Mondstadt has the Anemo Archon and the Dragon of the East, Dvalin, Liyue has the Geo Archon and the Adepti, Inazuma has the Electro Archon and her retainer, the High Priestess Yae Miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine, and Fontaine has the Hydro Archon and her Chief Justice, Neuvillette of the Court of Fontaine.

As for the Knights of Favonius, the Millelith, the Garde, or the Shogunate, human strength alone isn't enough to rely on.

The core military power is clearly the gods and their retainers.

But in Sumeru...

Sumeru's god is imprisoned, and the retainers of the previous Dendro Archon are the Aranara. The Lesser Lord Kusanali seems to have no retainers of her own, only inheriting what was left by the previous Dendro Archon.

So, which sage would trust the Lesser Lord Kusanali or the Aranara?

Thus, issues that aren't problems in other nations become difficult to manage in Sumeru.

This is the result of lacking core military power.

Seeking aid would expose many issues and might even put them on the path of disgrace.

But no outcome is worse than losing the Akademiya's control in their generation.

"Arrangements for seeking aid must be made quickly." The elderly sage nodded. "But seeking aid will confirm the weakness of our god."

"How do we address this?"

Decisiveness is needed.

Having reached the point of seeking aid, worrying too much might mean that by the time they get a response, the flags on the city walls might have already changed.

"The god's weakness is a fact, but the greater truth is in our hands," Azar met the elder's gaze. "Isn't it?"

(End of the chapter)