Genshin Impact, all those behind-the-scenes big shots are me

The demons looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although Poseidon wasn't the strongest among them, he was definitely in the middle ranks in terms of strength. Yet he was so easily suppressed and sealed in the endless yellow sand.

Faced with your overwhelming power, these demons had no choice but to retreat temporarily. They were not after the land of Sumeru, so there was no need for them to fight you to the death.

[After the demons departed one after another, you stood watching your suffering people, mobilizing the power of the Sun Disc, its authority covering the entire desert. In an instant, the corrupting forces that had settled in the earth's veins were forcibly sealed away, and new oases sprang up across the desert, instantly restoring life to the desolate land.]

[But the root cause of all this disaster has not disappeared. You gathered faith and your will descended upon the people of Shurima, and it took nearly half a year to completely eliminate the taboo's influence on them.]

Looking at the revitalized Shurima, and the smiles on the faces of its people, you feel a genuine sense of joy.

"Perhaps this is what I've been pursuing all along." You suddenly realize that you seem to have fallen into the same obsession as the Red King. This is just a simulation; even death won't have any impact. And the simulation's outcome doesn't dictate that you must reach the top of the world and surpass everything.

In other words, the standard for simulated evaluation is not based on how powerful you are. If your obsessive pursuit results in a low score, you may not even acquire the original power of the template.

Therefore, after careful consideration, you have made a decision—to reduce the number of Ascended.

[Supporting Shurima's strength doesn't require so many Ascended, but when an individual possesses too much power, their desires swell, and the same applies to a nation. Moreover, in your view, a large portion of the Ascended born during your slumber were summoned for war, a result of Nasus being corrupted by the forbidden abyss.]

Even without these people, as long as you are in Shurima, the glory will continue.

[Thus, a recall ceremony for the Ascended began. You summoned Nasus, Renekton, Asna, and Sivir, extracting the remaining forbidden power from them and preserving their Ascended strength. Then, at Nasus's announcement, the remaining Ascended came to Narimar.]

[But soon an unexpected event occurred. Some of the ascended beings returned in accordance with the Emperor's will, but a few were unwilling to relinquish the power they had gained. Their will had been corrupted by the forbidden, and although they remained conscious, it had been distorted invisibly.]

[You imposed sanctions on these people. After a year, there were a total of thirty Ascended individuals remaining after the war. Excluding Nasus and the other five, you reclaimed the power of twenty-two of them, and the whereabouts of the remaining three are unknown.]

"Your Majesty, Lascaux has fled underground, and we have been unable to find his whereabouts."

Inside the palace, Nasus spoke respectfully.

Nasus was in charge of the sanctions. He felt remorse for his past madness, so he took the matter very seriously after Su Chen gave the order.

"As for Mesdona and Kaelin, Renekton and Sivir have already discovered their whereabouts and are hunting them down."

Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Lasco escaped?"

"Yes, he took everyone from the territory underground. That area is too complicated, and he was very careful, so..."

Lascaux was a powerful Ascended who learned of the sanctions in advance and led everyone in his territory to retreat.

"Continue the investigation."

Su Chen didn't care about the influence of an ascendant. The key was that Lascaux had some forbidden remnants on him. Although they were few, once they spread, the impact would be unpredictable.

Of the three ascended beings who fled, two were killed, and one disappeared into the desert underground. The underground ruins are countless, and if one intends to hide, the chances of finding him are extremely slim.

However, once Lascaux appears in the desert, the eyes of the sand will immediately tell you of his whereabouts.

Unfortunately, there has been no news for the past twenty years; the other party clearly intends to live underground for the rest of their life.

Five hundred years into the desert calendar, you abandoned your search for Lascaux and began to consider how to deal with that forbidden power.

[You step into the serpentine corridor and reseal it in the place where the Red King gained his power.]

"The prosperity of Sumeru doesn't need something like this to sustain it," Su Chen murmured to himself. His current strength has reached the peak of his previous simulations, comparable to the combat power of a fully-fledged dragon. If he were to summon the Sun Disc for assistance, his strength would increase dramatically.

In other words, he is now a being that surpasses even the Perfect Dragon.

Even if this strength is still not enough to defeat those who uphold the principles of Heaven, the gap is probably very small.

Su Chen wasn't really sure about the woman's strength, because she seemed to have been injured before the outbreak of the Kanria War. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to successfully ambush her while she was injured.

I wonder what kind of guy could hurt her.

"Forget it, it has nothing to do with me anyway."

Su Chen thought to himself.

[After six hundred years of desert history and a long period of recuperation, Shurima has fully recovered to its former prosperity. At your suggestion, Nasus has focused development on the economy, emphasizing research in humanities, academia, agriculture, and other areas, while reducing military spending and the number of garrison troops.]

Seven hundred years into the desert calendar, you built a library and named it the 'Palace of Wisdom.' It houses the largest collection of books in the entire desert, containing records of ancient civilizations unearthed from ruins.

Nasus was overjoyed. He immersed himself in the library every day and used his extraordinary knowledge to write numerous literary works. The general, whose hands were stained with blood on the battlefield, had now completely transformed into a learned librarian.

[In the same year, you founded the Hama Institute and recruited students from within the Shurima territory to study there.]

[Under your guidance, in less than fifty years, scholars flourished throughout Shurima, and academic discussions and technological achievements became a vibrant trend within the kingdom.]

Civilization continues to advance, and you are surprised to find that what was once a stagnant force has been amplified once again.

Having shed its superficiality and refined its essence, Shurima has laid the foundation for civilization... Now, it truly stands on the path to prosperity.

Inside a pavilion woven from vines in the forest.

“The present-day Sumeru is even more prosperous than before.” The Great Compassion Tree King poured two glasses of sweet fruit wine for Su Chen and the Flower Goddess and smiled. “I can’t help but go in and take a look at that Wisdom Palace every time I pass by.”

The Goddess of Flowers smiled and said, "Nasus has been studying the things inside day and night. He has even sorted and arranged all the books he has accumulated over the years. He has taken great care of the Palace of Wisdom. On the other hand, someone... apart from issuing that order, seems to have hardly ever been to the Palace of Wisdom, right?"

Su Chen, who was sipping fruit wine, put down his glass, spread his hands, and said, "I have already played my part. As for what will happen to the Wisdom Palace in the future, that is for the people to use, not for me."

"Hmph~ If it weren't for Nasus's tireless work, would you still have the leisure for this?" Flora joked. "When will our Emperor be able to give Nasus a long vacation?"

Su Chen thought to himself, "At worst, I can just contract a few more capable people. One is no match for Nasus, but having a few more won't be a problem. Three heads are better than one. Anyway, Shurima is no longer a big problem."

"Ascension... will you no longer bestow that power upon me?" the Great Tree King asked curiously.

Since the last recall of the Ascended, Su Chen has not initiated the ritual again. Although the chaos that time brought great disaster to Shurima, it was not entirely the Ascended's fault.

"Let's pick a suitable time," Su Chen said.

The number of Ascended Ones will continue to increase, but he decided that from now on, this power will only be granted to his summoned followers to avoid a repeat of what happened with Lascaux.

Just then, a tiny little thing popped up.

The adorable Lanalo ran over to the Great Tree King and whispered something to him. The latter replied helplessly, "I have something to take care of."

Su Chen chuckled: "Go ahead."

The mistress of the forest has left, and the goddess of flowers joked, "Stop looking, it's not like she's not coming back."

Su Chen withdrew his gaze and shook his head: "I was just thinking that those Lanaros are not like servants, but clearly like the children of the Tree King."

The Flower Goddess covered her mouth and laughed: "I'm going to tell her that."

"Go ahead and say it. I guess she just smiled and admitted it."

The forest is the Tree King's child, and everything here grows under her careful care. Compared to those demons who are constantly at war, the Great Compassionate Tree King is like a fairy who has fallen to earth, loving all living things.

"what about me?"

The goddess of flowers blinked her bright eyes.

“You,” Su Chen raised his glass and laughed, “a cup of honey laced with poison.”

The Flower Goddess gladly accepted your praise. She spends every day with you; you understand her, and she understands you just as well.

[You are both people who hold a rebellious heart towards the heavens, so you are always drawn to each other in many ways. You know the Flower Goddess's rebellious thoughts against the laws of nature, which is why you call her 'poison,' but you are willing to taste this poison, intoxicated by beautiful dreams and the gentle embrace of fragrant flowers.]

Sensing your emotions, the goddess of flowers nestled gently in your arms, whispering tender words until moonlight fell. You were completely open with her, and together you spent a beautiful evening.

[Achievement 'First Blood' obtained.]

[You have plucked the flower's mistress, and from this day forward, the flower goddess officially resides in your palace. Your people, upon hearing the news, offer their congratulations, and even the Great Tree King presents gifts.]

[Eight hundred years into the desert calendar, the conflicts between the seven continental kingdoms have gradually subsided, and the divine positions in many nations have been settled. You have reopened the Sun Disc, and two more ascendants have been born from among the summoned followers.]

With the seven gods' positions settled, the situations in various countries stabilized. However, Sumeru, which was the first to end the war, still failed to relinquish its royal power.

[You know this is the result of your unintentional ascension to the throne, so on the occasion of the Tree King's birthday once again, you came to the beautiful forest kingdom.]

The lush trees are full of leaves, and the sunlight shines through them, dappling the ground with patches of light.

Su Chen walked along the forest path, enjoying the rare moment. At this moment, he was not an emperor, nor did he have any attendants or thousands of troops following him. There was less noise and more tranquility.

Birds sang in the branches, and the adorable Lana birds would occasionally peek out from the bushes, playing tunes to warmly welcome your arrival.

"Azir is here, Azir is here."

The whispers traveled from the forest path all the way to the palace at the very center of the Forest Kingdom, where the Great Tree King, who was worrying about his birthday, was taken aback.

"Azir is here?"

When the Tree King traversed the lush meadows and flowing streams, he finally found Su Chen sleeping on the grass in a place where a patch of Calamity Lotus was in full bloom.

The Great Compassion Tree King quietly approached, and although the sound it made was very faint, Su Chen still noticed it. He opened his eyes and saw the exquisite face of the Great Compassion Tree King.

At this moment, the beautiful goddess of wisdom bowed her head, her snow-white hair falling down, her emerald-like eyes blinking slightly, and a faint smile on her lips.

"Oh dear~ Did I disturb you?" The Great Tree King's gentle voice carried a hint of playfulness. "Why did you come all of a sudden without saying a word?"

She sat down next to Su Chen.

Su Chen smiled faintly: "If I had told you in advance, it would have been a big fuss, which would have been troublesome."

"Really? I thought you preferred to make things bigger."

That being said, the Great Compassion Tree King knew that since his last awakening, Su Chen's aura had been slowly changing.

If Su Chen in the past was an arrogant emperor who pursued supreme authority.

Now, he is more like a scholar with a refined and gentle demeanor.

It's not that Su Chen has lost his edge, but rather that he has internalized it. The Great Tree King has no doubt that if any foreign demon god were to offend Sumeru or invade Shurima, Su Chen would immediately transform into the Desert Emperor who would suppress everything.

But for the Great Compassion Tree King, she preferred the current Su Chen.

"If you like, I'll have everyone in Sumeru come to celebrate your birthday next time," Su Chen smiled slightly, "a grand banquet like never before."

The Great Tree King smiled slightly: "It's going to be even more lively than the Human Emperor's Festival next door."

"Hmph~ A mere human emperor? We'll naturally make our celebration more spectacular than his."

"Then why don't your people hold a festival for you?"

Speaking of which, the Great Tree King is quite curious. Other places have grand ceremonies to defeat the Human Emperor, defeat the Emperor, or worship Barbatos, but Shurima doesn't have any. There are only small, spontaneously organized folk ceremonies. Nasus once proposed one, but Su Chen refused.

She had just mentioned this to the Flower Goddess not long ago, and the latter suggested that they organize a festival for Su Chen.

Even if it doesn't involve a nationwide celebration, it should at least look respectable and not diminish the prestige of the desert emperor.

"I'll forget it."

Su Chen isn't interested in this right now.

There are simply too many ceremonies commemorating him.

"This year's birthday celebration will be a little simpler," Su Chen said.