In Teyvat, it all begins with rescuing the grass god.

She has already achieved her goal of coming to Sumeru, and can now set off back home to report back before heading to Liyue to carry out the next step of the mission to obtain the Geo Archon's Heart.

But after a brief conversation with Rhodes...

The woman has now changed her mind.

She decided to stay in Sumeru for the time being and observe Rhodes, this extraordinary guy, to see what made him so different.

So the lady's answer to Rhodes became like this.

"I've heard that Sumeru is currently building a new city. Out of respect for Her Majesty the Queen's goodwill, I will visit that new city. If there is anything we can help with in winter, we will do our utmost to assist. Mr. Rhodes, you can go and inform the Grass God first. I hope you will not disappoint Her Majesty the Queen's good intentions."

Translate it in plain language.

It means that we, the Fools, want to interfere in the internal affairs of your Sumeru. You'd better not make excuses, lest things end up looking bad for everyone.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 194: What if the Winter's Emissary, who had stolen the Heart of the Wind God, ran into the Mondstadt people?

Chapter 194 What if the Winter's Emissary who has stolen the Heart of the Wind God collides with the Mondstadts?

Rod agreed much more readily than the lady had imagined.

In the lady's imagination.

Rhodes should have declined her use of diplomatic language that implied pressure from the nation's power.

But the reality is...

Rod seemed completely oblivious to the hidden meaning in her words, readily agreeing and even setting a time with her.

What puzzled the woman even more was...

Rod even said that he would personally guide the lady.

“I’ve been managing that new city recently, and no one knows it better than me.”

"Oh, right."

“Nasita is there too. Didn’t you want to see the Grass God? Perfect, you can see her there.”

Rod gave the lady a very enthusiastic introduction to the situation in Hope City, and kept talking until she became a little impatient. Only then did he leave the foreign guests' reception room with a smile, as if he had finally said enough.

But they had only just stepped out the door.

Rod's expression immediately changed.

He flexed his wrists, glanced behind him, chuckled, and quickly left.

They want to interfere in the internal affairs of Sumeru.

If Hazard were still in charge, he might have succeeded.

But now.

This is not something that Zhi Dong can simply interfere with as he pleases.

After going out.

Rhodes turned left and headed straight for the Great Sage's office.

Just like when Hazard was still in charge.

The most heavily guarded place inside the Order of the Sage is still the office of the Great Sage, which is protected by even more guards than the Pure Land Palace.

Fortunately.

Given Rhodes's status, the guards didn't dare to stop him for a moment, allowing him to travel unimpeded to meet the current Great Sage, who was also his teacher, Nafis.

"Hey, look who's here?"

"Isn't this our great hero of Sumeru, the divine messenger of the Crimson King? How come you, such a busy man, have time to visit this old man?"

As usual, the meeting between the master and apprentice began with Nafis's sarcastic remarks.

As a disciple.

Rhodes is actually not very qualified.

Despite having many reasons, such as going to Mondstadt on business or helping the Grass God to create a new oasis, etc.

However, it is a fact that he has rarely visited his teacher recently.

Nafis was not one of those scholars with a particularly good temper.

in contrast.

He was known for his volatile temper at the Order of the Church.

This temperament led him to frequently and severely punish scholars who broke the law and violated discipline when handling the affairs of the Academy, causing widespread lamentation within the Academy.

Anonymous whistleblower letters were sent to Naxida like snowflakes.

The content was simply that the scholars unanimously believed that Nafis's methods were too radical, and therefore hoped that the Grass God could order a new election of a more moderate Great Sage to reduce the daily pressure on the scholars.

As a result, all of these anonymous letters disappeared without a trace, and no feedback was received.

This made those scholars with guilty consciences or those planning to do something uneasy, worrying that their problems might have been discovered by the Grass God.

What they don't know is.

The reason why Nafis, a sage who never applied for the selection, was able to become a great sage was because Nasita did it on purpose.

In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary.

These are the words that Rhodes once said to Nasita.

Although Sumeru is not yet associated with the word "chaotic world," Rhodes believes that the Church's five hundred years of reckless actions have turned Sumeru into a mess.

To quickly sort out this chaotic situation, we need a truly ruthless person.

So after careful consideration, Narcida chose Nafis, who had no desire to become a great sage, to be the great sage.

It has indeed yielded remarkable results.

This hot-tempered sage was intolerant of any wrongdoing, and his strict enforcement of the law was arguably the most rigorous in the nearly five hundred years since Sumeru was founded.

Moreover, it's not just about the Council of Religion. When Nasita's decree is delivered to him, if he sees anything extremely outrageous, he will also fly into a rage and deal with it severely. No matter who the high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, or politicians are, even foreigners will be treated equally, without any mercy.

Fortunately.

When Rhodes arrived, judging from Nafis's state, he didn't seem to have encountered any troubles. At least he was just speaking in a sarcastic tone, not immediately resorting to insults and criticisms.

"Hey, teacher, I've come to see you."

Rhodes chuckled and bowed to Nafis.

"Look at me?"

"I think he wants something from me!"

"Heh, when did you get the idea?"

Nafis grew increasingly dissatisfied as he spoke: "Tinari is like this, and so are you. None of you show any respect for your teacher. I only took in a bunch of disciples because I acted impulsively back then, humph—"

Rod remained silent, bowing his head and taking the scolding.

Only when Nafis stopped talking did he step forward, smiling ingratiatingly, and massage Nafis's back and shoulders.

"Hmm, better than your senior brother, at least he has some conscience."

Nafis enjoyed the moment comfortably, then asked, "So, what did you want to see me about?"

I'd like to borrow some people.

Rod answered honestly.

"Borrow someone?"

"To that City of Hope?"

Nafis frowned slightly and said, "The Grass God has already transferred many people there, so it will be difficult for me to allocate any more manpower for you."

talking.

He shook his head slightly and said, "I know that Lord Grass God attaches great importance to this project, but I can't ignore the normal operation of the Academy. Now, under Lord Grass God's call, more than half of the scholars have gone to that new city. Sending more people there would be exhausting. Are you trying to kill me?"

Nafis's tone was much gentler than before.

Even though he felt that Rhodes's request was unreasonable, he did not refuse it outright, but simply stated the reality of the Church Council's current shortage of manpower.

“I did not borrow scholars from the Council of the Church.”

"I need to borrow Hazard."

Rhodes' words made Nafis sit up straight and turn around sharply, asking, "What do you want with him?"

Who is Hazard?

Imprisoning the Grass God, a sinner who blasphemes against the gods.

In addition, there was his status as a great sage.

That would be adding insult to injury.

According to Naxi Da's verdict at the time, she was forbidden from leaving Daocheng Forest for the rest of her life and had to stay there in seclusion to reflect on her mistakes.

What does Rod want from him now?

"I am busy."

"We need to use his brain."

Rod chuckled.

His voice was calm, but Nafis sensed a chilling murderous intent in his words.

without any exaggeration.

Even knowing that Rhodes's murderous intent was directed at Hazard, Nafis still couldn't help but shudder.

"You want to kill him?"

Nafis hesitated before asking, "But what about Lord Grass God?"

What he meant was very simple.