In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

Time flies, and ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Since the last attack by the Hilichurls, the caravan's journey has been smooth, and they haven't even encountered a single rainy day.

The caravan arrived safely on the outskirts of Sumeru City.

Standing on the last high slope leading to Sumeru City, Wang Yan involuntarily stopped, his breath catching in his throat.

The scene before him exceeded all his imagination based on the game's visuals or text descriptions.

In the game, it's hard to feel the sheer size of the sacred tree.

However, in reality, a giant tree capable of supporting a palace is simply breathtaking in its scale.

The tree trunk, as thick as a mountain range, has clearly visible veins. Its incredibly lush branches and leaves spread out in all directions, forming a vibrant green canopy that covers the sky. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled, almost tangible beams of light.

And the city of Sumeru relies on this incredible sacred tree, surrounding, clinging to, and growing upon it.

The wood and stone structures of the houses, arcades, and platforms blend perfectly with the texture of the sacred tree, layer upon layer, spiraling upwards from low to high.

Countless piers, spiral staircases, and suspended walkways, like an intricate neural network, connect these architectural units into an organic whole.

The city below ground is bustling with activity, with markets, workshops, and residences densely packed together; the higher one goes, the more solemn and exquisite the buildings appear, where the various schools of thought of the Chancellery, the library, and the residences of the Wisdom Officers reside, all the way to the Pure Good Palace, which is faintly visible deep in the canopy and shrouded in a soft halo.

The air is filled with the unique fresh scent of plants, mixed with the faint aroma of ink and spices wafting from afar.

A gentle breeze blows, and the whole city seems to breathe and pulsate slightly with the gentle waves of the Sacred Tree Sea.

"Every time you see it, you find it incredible, right?" Liam's gruff voice rang out from the side, a proud smile on his face. "This is the heart of our Sumeru, the city-state where the god of wisdom resides—Sumeru City."

Wang Yan nodded silently.

His previous understanding of the Council of the Church was mostly limited to schools of thought, scholars, and knowledge.

He even complained about the infrastructure of Sumeru.

But compared to this city-state built around the sacred tree, everything else paled in comparison.

"Haha, alright, we should part ways here. Even with the Miaolun School's preservation equipment, if the fruit isn't delivered to the Grand Bazaar soon, it will really be too late."

Liam patted Wang Yan on the shoulder: "Kid, if you ever need any help in the future, you can come to the Grand Bazaar and find me. The fruit vendors over there are all our people."

After saying that, Liam walked toward the thirty guards at the city gate to complete the formalities for bringing his pack animals into the city.

Ian and the other two came to Wang Yan's side: "We need to go back and report on our project. Wang Yan, where are you going? See if it's on your way."

Wang Yan was overjoyed and said, "I want to find Senior Falushan of the Zhilun School."

"Senior Farusan!" Ian and the other two were startled.

Wang Yan had never mentioned having a letter of recommendation before.

After all, one should always be wary of others.

Right now, they're only saying they're looking for someone, not that they need a letter of recommendation.

"Then we'll have to go to the Order House. It's on our way. Wang Yan, why don't you come with us to the Order House?" Ian and the other two invited.

Wang Yan naturally wouldn't refuse: "Okay, then I'll trouble you."

"Haha, no trouble at all, no trouble at all," the three said with a smile.

In their view, Wang Yan's joining the Order Academy was a sure thing; he was one of their own, so this little favor was nothing.

Because of the Little Auspicious Grass King's open attitude, individuals other than caravans do not need to pay an entrance fee or disclose their identity to enter Sumeru City.

Led by Ian and his two companions, Wang Yan entered this city of wisdom.

Upon entering Sumeru City, the first thing you see is a wide street lined with stalls on both sides.

There is also a group of thirty mercenaries patrolling here.

Ian said, "Because people from other places often come to Sumeru City to study, it's a mixed bag, and there are quite a few petty thieves here. Wang Yan, you should be careful."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan was startled and instinctively tightened his clothes.

The ranger's uniform had inner pockets, and he put the money in his pocket.

The hard touch brought Wang Yan a little reassurance.

This is the money he earned through hard work writing documents; it can't be stolen.

"Hey... Ian, Perry, Hawke, you're back! How's the project going? Is it going well?" A young female scholar appeared in the distance, waving and greeting the three of them.

When Ian and the other two saw each other, they smiled and waved: "Long time no see, Faliha."

"Long time no see." Fariha approached, only then realizing there were four people, not three. "Um, this is... the ranger?"

"Haha, no, Wang Yan is a scholar from Liyue. He lost his luggage and received help from Senior Tinari in Huacheng Guo," Ian explained. Then he introduced Wang Yan, "This is Farihar, a secretary who is in charge of the viziers in the surrounding commercial district."

"To be precise, it's assisting Mr. Nizam in his vizier duties," Fariha said seriously.

As she spoke, Faliha noticed the confusion on Wang Yan's face and explained, "A Vizier is an official position in the Cult of the Order, equivalent to... well, the General Affairs Officer of Liyue."

Wang Yan nodded in understanding.

He didn't know the official positions in the Liyue General Affairs Department, but he could understand the term "miscellaneous affairs officer".

Farihar smiled and asked, "You came from Liyue to study... what are you studying?"

Before Wang Yan could speak, Ian and the other two began to introduce themselves to Faliha, mentioning the Hilichurl attack they encountered on the way and Wang Yan's mission to deliver a message to Falushan.

"Senior Farusan?" Fariha frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Then you've come at a bit of an inopportune time. This senior only recently left Sumeru City, saying she went to the desert for research."

As the Vizier's Secretary of the Sumeru City Commercial Street, Faliha was quite familiar with the comings and goings of the high-ranking members of the Church of Christ in Sumeru City.

"Huh?" Wang Yan was taken aback and quickly asked, "Did Senior Farusan say when she'd be back?"

Fariha shook her head: "I don't know. I'm just a secretary. Senior Farusan is a senior [Habantha], how could I know her arrangements?"

Ian and the other two also became somewhat worried for Wang Yan: "Now that Senior Farusan isn't here, Wang Yan, do you have anywhere to go?"

Wang Yan smiled somewhat reluctantly and nodded: "Yes, Tina also asked me to deliver a letter to Khalid at Menakali's shop."

Upon hearing this, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that they had found a place to stay.

"Then we'll take you to Menakali's shop first," Ian said.

Wang Yan expressed his gratitude again: "Thank you all."

"Haha, we're all friends, then goodbye Fariha, I'll treat you to dinner sometime." Ian smiled and waved to the secretary next to him.

Fariha nodded: "Okay, goodbye, I have to go help Mr. Nizam with his work too."