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

"At that time, the heavens and earth were covered by yellow sand. Countless sandstorms blew into our houses, taking away our remaining food and water. The Lord of Wisdom and the Emperor of the Desert descended upon this place, summoning a huge creature that could call for torrential rain. Then came the roar of the 'tiger,' and the earth grew green grass, flowers, and forests." —Excerpt from an archaeological inscription.

The Great Tree King stood singing in the forest, summoning his retinue of Lanararas. These lovely spirits entered the forest, bringing blessings and becoming its messengers, befriending the humans who lived there.

"It's finally completed." Standing before the lush forest, the Great Tree King spoke with a tone of satisfaction and pride: "Azir, this forest will nurture the wisdom of Mount Sumeru."

[You know this is what Sumeru originally looked like. Shurima's glory is like an outsider forcibly entering this epic story. You suddenly have a bad feeling. Everything seems like an inevitable historical evolution. Perhaps Shurima's civilization will also be buried under the yellow sand, just like the Red King's civilization.]

You didn't tell the Great Tree King and the Flower Goddess about your worries, but the sorrow in your heart only grew stronger. If everything is predetermined, then what is the point of your efforts?

Even the wisest can be confused. You possess all the wisdom of an ancient civilization, yet you cannot find the answers you seek. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink into despair. The Great Tree King and the Flower Goddess sense your unease and invite you to ride in a moonlit chariot, across a river teeming with spirits, to the Emerald Palace surrounded by flowers and trees.

[It turns out, these two secretly built a beautiful palace for you without your knowledge.]

The palace wasn't large, but it was filled with all the world's finest wishes. As you stepped inside, the hall instantly transformed into a grassland, the illuminating crystals became the high-hanging sun, and the Great Tree King sang—a song so beautiful that it instantly immersed you, making you forget all your troubles.

You and the two of you lost track of time here, as if years had passed, only to realize upon leaving the palace that a single day had gone by.

The forest spirits called this day 'Hegalo's Day,' meaning the joy of the gods. This name later spread throughout the desert, and the great priest consulted the oracle, which designated this day as the emperor's birthday, because it happened to be the same day you descended into the desert.

After leaving the palace, the anxiety in your heart completely disappeared. Regardless of what happens next, you intend to work with the Great Tree King and the Flower Goddess to make Mount Sumeru even more prosperous.

[In the 1200th year of the Desert Calendar, with the formation of the Rainforest, countless people from the Shurima realm migrated there, beginning a new civilization. The Great Tree King awakened the Tree Kings deep within the earth, using its body as a foundation, and the ancient trees lifted high the palace they had built for you, which the Great Tree King named 'Pure Good Palace'.]

[Around the Pure Goodness Palace, you led your people to build a city here, which you named 'Sumeru City'.]

[In the 1300th year of the Desert Calendar, the city of Sumeru was completed. You consulted with the Great Compassionate Tree King and established the Academy of Teachings, which comprised six major schools, each managed by a sage. A vast library was also built, named the Palace of Wisdom. The Academy of Teachings absorbed scholars from Sumeru, facilitating exchanges with the Hama Academy and jointly conducting academic discussions.]

[Through a century of effort, and through your hard work, the Academy has become a renowned sanctuary for scholars throughout the Seven Kingdoms.]

[You initially intended to limit the power of the Six Sages, but then abandoned the idea. The root cause of the future situation is the fall of the Tree King, rendering the Grass God unable to govern. With people losing their reverence and restraint, even without the Six Sages, there might be many other relatives. Therefore, the best way to prevent this tragedy is to save the Great Compassionate Tree King from that calamity.]

Sumeru City!

"The prosperity here is almost on par with Narimar!"

The Flower Goddess looked around with curiosity, marveling at the changes in Sumeru City.

She only came to Sumeru City when it was first built, and has stayed in Moon Maiden City ever since.

As she said this, the Flower Goddess glanced at Su Chen jokingly.

The latter laughed and said, "So be it, we've caught up with them anyway, since we're all Shurima people living here."

King Dacishu smiled and said, "The civilization of Sumeru has always been one. Sumeru City can be said to be a microcosm of Narimarjad, but with it there, it can serve as a place to connect with other countries."

She knew that within the royal city of Shurima, there existed something that could potentially touch upon Su Chen's secrets, which was why Narima could not be open to the public regularly.

In this situation, Sumeru City happens to bear this effect.

Su Chen stroked his chin: "To connect with other countries, having a place isn't enough; there needs to be a route. To the east of Sumeru City is Liyue, but that road is rugged and treacherous, with towering cliffs. It's manageable for a few people, but large caravans or tour groups wouldn't dare to come here. And to the west of Sumeru City is the desert, unbearably hot, so few people would be willing to cross the desert to come here."

The Great Tree King seemed to be deep in thought: "You mean...to open up a sea route?"

Su Chu smiled and said, "No one understands me better than the King of Trees."

The Flower Goddess snorted: "Indeed, only the Tree King truly knows you in this world. Others are but fleeting grains of sand in the sand, all just passersby."

"Why are you being so sour?" Su Chen laughed. "It was just a joke. How could you not know me? You know me better than the Tree King."

The Flower Goddess chuckled.

The Great Compassion Tree King shook his head helplessly.

As the three walked through Sumeru, the people who passed by bowed respectfully or watched from afar, marveling and envious. With two goddesses by their side, such a blessing could probably only be enjoyed by the emperor of Shurima in the entire Teyvat.

[Having heeded your suggestion, the Great Tree King ordered the construction of a port south of Sumeru City, named 'Omos Port,' and also opened up waterways between Sumeru City and Omos Port to facilitate travel.]

[Once the waterway was completed, the people of Sumeru established villages along the route, the most famous of which was Vimalakirti Village.]

In the year 1400 of the Desert Calendar, Morax once again invited the Seven Gods. The result of this gathering was the establishment of a unified currency for the seven nations of Teyvat—the Mora.

The emergence of Mora propelled trade between nations to a fever pitch.

[For 1,500 years, the desert has witnessed the rise and prosperity of Sumeru City. One evening, the Great Tree King nestled beside you, suddenly raised his hands, and looked down at you. His snow-white hair fell across your cheeks, and his emerald-like eyes shone with excitement through his hair.]

She looked at you and said, 'I have a bold idea.'

You asked: 'Shall we build a small tree?'

The Great Tree King was taken aback, and it took him a while to realize the meaning behind your words. His cheeks flushed red, and he gave you a disgruntled glare.

[Although you have united your bodies countless times, the possibility of a deity conceiving offspring is extremely low. The more precious the bloodline, the lower the chance of offspring being born. With the divine power within you and the Great Tree King, even thousands of years of tireless labor would not be enough.]

The Great Tree King wasn't trying to create saplings; her so-called bold idea was to use the heart of God as a source of power to create a divine creation capable of encompassing the 'wisdom' of Mount Sumeru.

Wisdom is intangible; it can be presented in any way. To attempt to unify it is such a monumental feat that even the very idea of ​​it is astonishing, let alone its realization.

In the darkness, the Great Tree King whispers her thoughts in your ear; you simply listen, respond with a smile, and do not stop her.

The Great Tree King was quite surprised. She had thought you would at least try to stop her, since using the Heart of God as the core was, in a sense, a transgression, especially since it was a reward bestowed upon the seven gods by Heaven.

You didn't offer any opinion on this, after all, you knew that the Great Compassion Tree King's idea would ultimately succeed, and that Mount Sumeru would use this as an opportunity to enter a new era.

[Thus, with your support, the Great Tree King began to immerse himself in the creation of the void.]

[You did not disturb them, and returned to Narimar, where you saw Flora standing alone before the door deep within the dungeon.]

"what happened?"

Su Chen walked over.

Hearing the voice, the Flower Goddess turned around and smiled, "It's nothing, I was just passing by... Has the matter with the Tree King come to an end?"

"I suppose so. Sumeru City doesn't need management anymore. She's planning to use the Heart of God to create something that can coordinate the wisdom of her people."

"That's truly an amazing feat, but if it were the Tree King, it should be able to succeed."

The goddess of flowers lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

Su Chen looked at her and said, "My priest told me that you lingered here for a long time."

The Flower Goddess paused slightly, then responded softly.

The two understood each other well. Su Chen could actually tell what the Flower Goddess was thinking at a glance. In the two hundred years that he and the Great Compassion Tree King had created Sumeru City, the Flower Goddess had come to the underground palace more than once to watch quietly as she presided over the ascension ceremony.

Feeling Su Chen's gaze, the Flower Goddess hesitated for a moment before telling him what she had done over the past two hundred years.

[The mistress of the flowers, her wisdom is equally astonishing. Over the past two hundred years, she has discovered the source of the ascended beings' power, which originates from beyond this world. The taboo you sealed away was like the 'key' to unlocking this power, but the key was afflicted with a curse. The Flower Goddess knows you love your people, so she chose to discard the key.]

"Walk with me," said the Flower Goddess.

You walk with her on the oasis, through a garden full of blooming Padissa flowers, the moon sets and rises again, and she tells you stories from the past.

That was a peaceful and distant era, when messengers from the heavens walked the earth, communicating with mortals, teaching them manners, and spreading knowledge.

The Flower Goddess was once one of many messengers, born from ancient celestial beings. However, she later encountered calamity when invaders from beyond the heavens descended, causing the mountains and rivers to reverse and plagues to rage.

This power broke through the shackles of the earth, allowing delusions and transgressions to grow in the hearts of mortals. The one on the throne sent down celestial nails to repair the earth, but could not completely destroy the invaders' power. In the years that followed, the civilizations on the continent seemed to repeat a tragic cycle governed by some kind of order.

The messengers were banished by the heavens, cursed with an irreversible calamity. The goddess of flowers, thus losing her power to teach, witnessed the rise and fall of humanity over countless years, and consequently developed a rebellious and defiant heart.

This is the first time the Flower Goddess has revealed these secrets to you, but you already knew her thoughts, so the reasons aren't important.

“Azir, you are a born monarch, a person who will replace the rules with your abilities and establish a new order... I have imagined the day you will ascend the throne, but I also fear the day that will come, because the master of the four shadows is not so easy to deal with. I hope and I fear, because I do not want to lose you, but the voice in my heart compels me to linger at that door.”

The Flower Goddess spoke with a sorrowful expression.

Obsession is like a curse, fatal to both humans and gods. The Crimson King once went to destruction because of his delusions, and Su Chen almost stepped into the abyss. As for the Flower Goddess, she was once an envoy to enlighten the insignificant humans and loved these little creatures more than any god.

While dangerous arrogance is certainly not allowed, and those who disrupt order and overstep their bounds should be punished, the goddess of flowers is dissatisfied with the way the natural order is handled. This indiscriminate killing is a contempt for life itself.

Therefore, she hoped that a new order would be born, an order that could truly bring hope to mankind.

"If I become that key, Azir, will you gain power beyond everything?" Flora voiced her thoughts.

Su Chen shook his head: "Marikata, I can't guarantee that... or rather, the possibility of failure is greater, which is why I chose to stop."

Considering the possibility of simulated limitations and the fact that his people were being corrupted by the forbidden power, Su Chen gave up on continuing to use the forbidden power to increase his strength.

Moreover, even if he does break through his current level, he is still far from breaking the order of nature. After all, there is a level of maintainers above the perfect dragon, and the maintainers are just four shadows created by nature.

Even if he truly succeeded in dismantling the natural order in this simulation, everything would revert to its original state upon returning to reality. Moreover, because the destruction of the natural order would cause the collapse of social order, no one knows what reality would become afterward.

Seeing the Flower Goddess remain silent, he said softly, "Marikata, don't worry, one day in the future, I will gain even greater power than I have now."

You talked with the Flower Goddess for a long time and finally persuaded her to give up that plan. You didn't want to lose her, and she didn't want to lose you either.

[Afterwards, you had an in-depth discussion about how to conceive a child.]

In the 1800th year of the Desert Calendar, the Great Tree King spent 300 years finally completing the construction of the Void. She recorded everything that was beyond her comprehension within the Void, translated it into information that her people could understand, and then created Void Terminals. Her people could use these terminals to connect to the Void and obtain the information they desired.

To ensure that its people do not lose their thirst for knowledge and exploration due to the existence of the Void, the Great Tree King established access restrictions within the Void. Only after acquiring the corresponding level of knowledge within the Academy of Teachings can one unlock the same access and obtain the corresponding wisdom-related information.

The news of the Void's creation shocked other nations, drawing countless humans to it. Even the gods were astonished. Morax came to Sumeru to personally experience the wonders of the Void, as did Barbatos. He used the Void to find out where Sumeru's most delicious wine was, and then, posing as a friend of the gods, he ate and drank there for a full half-day before leaving.

[You used your divine power to construct a rudimentary version of the Void in Narimar, which nearly made Nasus, who had been eyeing the Void for a long time, jump for joy.]

Over the next three hundred years, under the deliberate modification of the Great Tree King, the Void's coverage area grew larger and larger, almost covering half of the desert. Thus, the Shurima people living in the desert could also use the Void to obtain the information they needed.

You gradually realize that the people of Shurima have grown accustomed to the rule of the Grass God. Of course, for them, Emperor Azir is their only faith.

[In the year 2400 of the Desert Calendar, as you gaze upon the flourishing world of Shurima, suddenly the heavens and earth darken, and countless meteors fall from the sky. This spectacle attracts the attention of all, and the people marvel at the grandeur and beauty of the meteor shower. Yet, a profound sense of foreboding wells up within you.]

You have a premonition that something is about to happen, and something is about to end.

That same year, Nasus suddenly reported news about Lascaux... Lascaux... He racked his brains for a long time before he remembered that Lascaux was the Ascended who had escaped.

Nasus tells you about the human kingdom beneath the desert, where a statue of Lascaux has appeared, known as the 'King Who Guided Civilization.' Yet, Nasus senses the same ominous aura emanating from that civilization as he did before.

It was as if fate was playing a cruel joke on you; you remained silent for a long time after hearing the news.

"Your Majesty, shall we attack Kanria?" Nasus asked.

And you, too, do not know how to choose. If the reason Kanria acquired forbidden knowledge is because of you... or even if Kanria's origins are part of Shurima itself, then who should bear the consequences of this blossoming of sin?

There's no time left.

The calamity of Kanria could occur at any moment, engulfing the entire continent and causing widespread devastation in Sumeru.

Moreover, if fate were to repeat itself, those who would perish in the War of Kanria might even include the Great Tree King.

"Then let's embark on another expedition."

Su Chen rose from his throne and issued his final command to Shurima, which had been silent for over a thousand years.

At this moment, the seven nations of the continent were once again shocked.

Countless lurking demons, or perhaps the Seven Gods, simultaneously had the same thought: