He changed Tiwat

At this point, things had developed very differently from the first "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival".

Azar didn't know what had happened to the kidnappers, but he was certain that they had gone missing—and for some reason, Sumeru City had already been sealed off by the "Thirty-Man Group" mercenaries. Azar was absolutely certain that the missing kidnappers were inside the Grand Bazaar and hadn't escaped Sumeru City.

He couldn't let this group just disappear like that. In order to "silence" them, he had to send people to continue searching for these gilded brigades who had dirt on him in the Grand Bazaar. At this time, Han Fulai deliberately had people spread the word about the Zubair Theatre's new play all over the world. Azhar would naturally hear the news that the Zubair Theatre would be performing "The Trial of the Great Sage" tonight.

Azar naturally connected the kidnappers' disappearance with the Zubair Troupe's audacity, realizing that they dared to do this because they felt they held leverage over him and were blackmailing him. So Azar brought more soldiers to forcibly suppress the Zubair Troupe, even preparing to arrest and imprison everyone in the troupe.

—This is Han Fulai’s purpose. He couldn’t guarantee that Hazard would still come to the Grand Bazaar after the kidnapping case changed, so he created a reason that would force Hazard to come.

"Clickbait" headlines are a great method.

If the "audience" he wanted to attract was Ying, then he would definitely change the title of the play to "Public Trial of the Executioner"...

His reason for attracting Hazard to watch the show was certainly not just to satirize Hazard.

"The 'protagonist' of 'The Trial of the Great Sage' is actually not me or Nel, but 'Hazar'." Ying's expression grew increasingly confident.

"The theme of this story is very similar to the legend of Liyue, 'The Dream of the Yellow Millet,' where all the so-called wealth and glory is just a dream, and when you wake up, everything is an illusion... Just like the hint that Narcida gave us: 'The moon' represents 'illusion' and 'lies.'"

"Dreams are also 'illusions' and 'lies'."

"And the most important line in this play, 'The Trial of the Great Sage,' which you and I emphasized was the line that had to be read aloud in front of Hazard, is: 'Hazard, it's time for you to wake up from your dream.'"

"This means that the truth about 'reincarnation' is actually..."

Ying suddenly stopped talking at this point.

She realized that the "truth" could not be told by others, but had to be found out by the parties involved themselves.

She had thought of that "truth," but what about Paimon? If Paimon hadn't thought of that "truth," and she just revealed it, wouldn't that hurt Paimon?

Fortunately, her worries seemed unnecessary, because Paimon had already "answered" first: "Could it be...could it be that the 'cycle of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival' that we are experiencing is actually a...dream?"

The moment Ying and Paimon uttered the answer, they were both stunned. A sense of clarity, as if waking from a dream, spread through their bodies, making them feel much lighter.

Although the surrounding environment had not changed, they had a strange intuition—that after they were dreaming, the memories of "reincarnation" would not disappear.

Han Fulai breathed a sigh of relief and said to Naxida, "They found the 'truth' themselves."

“I think you said that the ‘truth’ cannot be told by others because of the dream, right? I’ve heard that people who are ‘sleepwalking’ cannot be woken up by others. If they are not aware that they are dreaming, but are forcibly woken up by others, they may suffer a mental shock and experience symptoms such as confusion or even convulsions.”

"This dream of the 'Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival' is a dream that covers at least the entire city of Sumeru. It's hard to estimate the consequences of forcibly waking up the people in the dream. So you had to carefully give us hints through methods like 'alchemy divination' so that we could discover the truth ourselves."

Nasita looked at the three of them in surprise. She hadn't expected them to get so close to the "truth" so quickly, and they even knew so clearly the reason why she dared not easily reveal the "truth".

"You are a very good teacher, and they are very good students."

She gave her comments very seriously.

Although this comment may not sound impressive, it is a very high compliment for this young "goddess of wisdom"—this is probably what Nasita's ideal teacher-student relationship is like.

To be honest, she deeply envied this kind of "good teacher and helpful friend" relationship.

Han Fulai smiled modestly: "I only gave a hint. Ying and Paimon are very smart. Even without my hint, they would have been able to come to the answer after going through a few more 'cycles'."

“That’s right!” Ying and Paimon agreed, putting their hands on their hips in the exact same gesture.

Nasita looked at him and asked with some curiosity, "People who dream are almost unaware that they are dreaming, and since our dreams are based entirely on reality, it is even more difficult for people to notice anything unusual in their dreams."

"Moreover, people spend half of their lives dreaming, but very few dreams are remembered, which in itself shows that dreams are difficult to remember. Even if people experience this 'flower goddess's birthday festival cycle' many times, they will simply forget the previous 'dream'. For most people, it is a 'dream that cannot be woken up'."

"They only realized they were dreaming after you pointed it out, so what about you? How were you able to realize that?"

"Oh, the reason is simple. I told you before that I'm a rather introverted person, and I have some embarrassing memories that I don't want others to see, so..."

Han Fulai smiled, raised his hand, and tapped his ear.

He wore a small, green leaf-shaped "Void Terminal" on the side of his ear, but unlike Ying and Paimon's "Void Terminals," the one on his ear was gray.

“I tampered with that ‘void terminal’ from the beginning, so it couldn’t read my memories.”

Chapter 79 The scholars of the Citadel are fostering folly, and the wisdom of God has no objection to it.

"You even know the purpose of the 'Void Terminal'?"

Nasita looked surprised once again.

This Han Fulai not only saw through her illusion and found the truth of "reincarnation", but also took precautions against the "reincarnation of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" from the very beginning... It was precisely because of this that he was able to retain his memories in the "reincarnation of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" and quickly find a way to break the deadlock.

She even had a strange premonition—that the surprises he brought her would not be limited to just a few times.

In the future, she will surely gain more unknown surprises from him... or perhaps, delightful surprises?

To Nasita's question, Han Fulai simply nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, free things are always the most expensive."

“If merchants in Liyue give customers free samples, they are definitely trying to make money off you in the future; the ‘Northern Bank’ in Winter’s Day lends money without charging interest, so they are definitely after your principal; similarly, if the Order of Sumeru gives away ‘Void Terminals’ to everyone in Sumeru for free, they will surely take something even more valuable from people.”

“Memory, or rather, information, is something more precious than the ‘void terminal’.”

As a modern person born in the information age, Han Fulai was all too familiar with the methods used to steal personal information.

Do you casually scan a QR code on the street to claim a prize? Leave your personal phone number when applying for a loyalty card at a supermarket? Try to "cut a few cents" in a chat group to save money on shopping? Enter your real identity information on video-sharing websites? Then don't ask why you get spam text messages and harassing phone calls...

He had seen all sorts of "gates" like "Watergate" and "Prism Gate." In his time, "personal privacy" was simply a non-existent concept.

Upon hearing that the "Void Terminal" could connect to a person's consciousness, Han Fulai's first reaction was that it was a "buffering device." However, it now seems that the conspiracy behind this thing is even more enormous.

"Before coming to Sumeru, I had already investigated the situation there. I have no way of knowing the secrets of the Order of the Church, but I do know that the Order of the Church distributes 'Void Terminals' to every visitor to Sumeru."

"The Void Terminal is very powerful and its manufacturing process is very complex, requiring many expensive and rare materials. I heard that ordinary people couldn't afford it in the past. Even scholars in the Institute of the Order of the Gods considered it an honor to own a Void Terminal, regarding it as a symbol of status—after all, the Void is a miracle left behind by the Great Tree King, and the Void Terminal, which can connect to the Void, has always been regarded as a precious item for getting close to the wisdom of the gods."

"The fact that the Council of the Order is suddenly being so generous, distributing such valuable items to everyone within the Sumeru Realm, indicates that the 'profits' they gain can cover the 'costs'."

"Furthermore, I also know about the 'sensory mimicry' experiment that took place on the 'Golden Apple Islands,' and that the Fools attempted to steal the power of the Grass God through that experiment..."

"The grass god of Sumeru possesses powers related to dreams and consciousness. And this 'cycle of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival,' which uses dreams as its medium, should also have special significance."

"The Great Sage's 'secret project,' distributing 'void terminals' to everyone within the Sumeru Realm, and the Fools' 'sensory mimicry' experiment—these three events occurred almost simultaneously. I believe they are closely related, and may even be the same thing—"

"Stealing the authority of the gods, that is, your power."

He gazed silently at Nasita.

Naxi Da remained silent.

After a long silence, she said softly, "I... don't know why the Order of the Fathers is doing these things. I've never heard of the 'secret project' and 'sensory mimicry' that you mentioned before. But I will try to investigate."

Han Fulai did not continue the topic, but instead took off the "void terminal" from his ear and flipped it between his fingers like a walnut.

“I think the Council of the Vatican’s ‘secret project’ requires extracting people’s dreams, and this thing must be the tool the Council of the Vatican uses to extract people’s memories.”

"Although people generally don't remember the content of their dreams, repeating similar dreams in a short period of time will inevitably create a sense of déjà vu. If I were the Great Sage of the Order of the Church, I would definitely prepare some methods in advance to ensure that people forget their previous 'reincarnation'."

The "Binding Spirit True Seal" he used on Ying and Paimon at the Lambad Tavern a few days ago was originally a belated attempt to remedy the situation in response to the "Void Terminal's" spying. As for himself, he had, of course, taken precautions long ago.

To him, this "void terminal" was merely a "fake passport." He simply used it to input the false identity of "Han Jiangxue" to deceive the authority's identity verification. Afterward, he secretly enveloped the "void terminal" with his immortal power, isolating it from his consciousness and ensuring it had no chance to spy on him.

Ying was slightly taken aback upon seeing this, and then quickly removed the "Void Terminal" from her ear.

Paimon looked terrified and threw the "Void Terminal" far away: "I should have thrown this thing away!"

That's what they say, but in reality, Paimon is probably the one who uses the "Void Terminal" the most—to protect her title as "Best Guide in Teyvat," she uses the "Void Terminal" to check travel information every day. She even used it to check festival food this morning after she woke up.

Ying held up the "Void Terminal" as if she wanted to smash it, but she hesitated for a moment and suddenly asked, "By the way, if the 'Void Terminal' is related to the 'Reincarnation of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival' and is a tool used by the Order of the Church to extract people's memories, then if we destroy this thing, will we be able to wake up from this dream?"

Han Fulai shook his head: "It's no use. This 'void terminal' on me couldn't extract my memories, but I'm still in the same dream as you."

"Furthermore, I've already tried to see if destroying the terminal could help people escape from the dream. Remember? In the last 'cycle,' I had you destroy the terminals on the ears of those Gilded Brigade kidnappers, not only to guard against the Order of the Church, but also to experiment with whether this method could help people escape from the dream. And you've all seen the result: those kidnappers are still in this dream."

"If nothing unexpected happens, this 'void terminal' in our hands is just an illusion. The Sumeru City we are in now, the flowers, trees, and plants we see, and the sweets and delicacies we eat are all just illusions in a dream. The people we encounter, and even our own bodies, are just consciousness in a dream, not physical entities."

"The time in dreams is different from the time in reality. The short time it takes to cook millet rice is enough for a person to live a lifetime in a dream. Our real bodies are probably lying in bed dreaming right now."

“Yes,” Nasita nodded in agreement.

“You are currently just consciousness existing within the dream space, like most people here, without physical form. Destroying the ‘Void Terminal’ in the dream will not affect the continued operation of the ‘Void Terminal’ in reality. Even if you realize you are dreaming, it is only equivalent to a ‘lucid dream.’ If you cannot truly wake up, you will never be able to escape this dream. And…”

She glanced at Dina Zede lying on the hospital bed, her expression somewhat serious: "I must remind you that dreaming consumes a person's mental energy. Dreams are a form of brain activity, and many people feel mentally exhausted after waking up, which is proof of mental depletion. This 'cycle of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival' is particularly exhausting for people's mental energy."

“Your mental fortitude is very strong, capable of withstanding the consumption, or rather… the wear and tear, of ‘reincarnation’. But ordinary people do not have such strong mental power as you.”

"For example, Dina Zede, because her body was being eroded by 'Demonic Scale Disease' and her spirit was also very weak, she could no longer withstand the consumption of dreams. As a result, her consciousness fell into a coma, her consciousness in the dream disappeared, and what appeared in the form of a 'doll' was the result."

“‘Doll’…” Ying murmured, repeating the term. “Speaking of which, what’s the deal with that strange Dina Zede we met today, who is also a ‘doll’?”

“It’s a component that ‘Void’ automatically generates to keep the dream going,” Nasita replied.

"After the original Dina Zede's consciousness could no longer sustain itself and could no longer 'play' her 'role' in the dream... a 'doll' of hers was born in the dream as a replacement, just like every blade of grass and every tree in the dream, which is only a component to constitute the dream and make it continue."

“But that ‘doll’ is completely unlike the original Dina Zede’s personality!” Paimon raised a question.

“‘Dolls’ are indeed rather dull and cannot fully reproduce human vitality, after all, they are only there to complete their ‘role’. They are products formed by ‘the void’ extracting people’s past memories, and the former Dina Zede… perhaps, was similar to ‘dolls’.”

"Back then, she was overprotected by her family. No one cared about her personality or thoughts, as if she was living only to delay the onset of her 'demonic scales' disease. That's when I met her and told her that she could rediscover her life and regain her 'self'. But even she is now... This is my inadequacy."

Naxida lowered her head sadly.

The "Void" is closely associated with her as the "Goddess of Wisdom," and even the "cycle of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" is generated using the "Void." Strictly speaking, this is tantamount to using her power to harm her people.

Tragically, as the "goddess of wisdom," she lacked the power to control the "void" and save her people.

The Great Compassion Tree King created the Sumeru Rainforest and bestowed wisdom upon the people through the Council of Teachings. Even after her passing, her beautiful name continues to be sung in well-known stories.

The Little Auspicious Grass King, who was welcomed back to the Pure Land by the sages after the fall of the god, is more like a symbolic representation—demonstrating that the god's protection has not disappeared from this land.

A harmless idol doesn't need to have any power.

Therefore... she is an "incompetent god".

Seeing Narcida's sorrowful expression, Paimon quickly comforted her, "Don't say that. Dinazedai told us before that she almost gave up hope of living when she was seriously ill, and you came and saved her. You've already saved her once, you can definitely save her a second time!"

Ying also chimed in, "That's right, you are a very kind deity. Your existence is of great significance to Dina Zede and the people who worship you in the Grand Bazaar."

Nasita gently shook her head: "...I'm still far from it, far from qualified to become a true god. At least I couldn't save her, or them..."

"If a deity were truly worthy, how could they allow their most devout followers to depart with such regret on the 'Birthday of the Flower Goddess'..."

Paimon quickly said, "The blame lies with that great sage who did the wrong thing. Nasita doesn't need to blame herself!"

Nasita's tone remained very somber: "I... am not blaming myself, but making a rational judgment. This is the distance between me and a qualified god."

Who is the Little Lucky Grass Queen? How was she born? What kind of wisdom does she possess? What kind of power does she have? — After welcoming the Little Lucky Grass Queen back, the wise men in the city kept giving evasive answers to the people's questions. Gradually, the people read the answers from her evasive attitude and no longer hoped that the wisdom of the gods would descend out of thin air.

"Void" is a miracle left behind by the Great Tree King; it is both efficient and convenient, representing the true wisdom of the gods. With "Void" present, the existence of the Lesser Auspicious Grass King seems irrelevant.

What people don't know is that "emptiness" also became the ears and eyes of the newly born gods.

She used the "Void" to experience people's joys and sorrows, and of course knew their worship of the old gods and their disappointment with the new gods, as well as their assessments such as "the god of wisdom no longer exists."

...Whether she is misunderstood or not valued, Nasita has no objection to it.

However, some people have objections.

Han Fulai frowned as he looked at Naxida.

Nasita was very small in stature, and her appearance was also very small, including her voice, her expression, and even her personality, all of which were as delicate as her appearance.

Han Fulai never dared to underestimate any demon god.

Herria, Orobas... these gods who were defeated in the "War of the Demon Gods," their strategies and abilities were beyond the reach of humankind, let alone the pinnacle of the demon gods, the "Seven Rulers of the Mortal World."

In fact, the power that Naxida displayed, such as the "Seed Seal" and the "Hall of Maya," made Han Fulai deeply wary.

Han Fulai didn't know why Nasita, who possessed such power, allowed the Order of the Church to act so arbitrarily. He sought out Nasita and cooperated with her, hoping that this little auspicious grass queen could demonstrate her abilities and lead them and her people out of their predicament.

Nasita was well aware of the harm caused by the "cycle of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" and wanted to save her devout followers, so why didn't she do it?

"The scholars of the Citadel are fostering folly, and the wisdom of God has no objection to it? But I do have an objection."

Han Fulai stared into Naxida's eyes and slowly uttered those words.

Chapter Eighty: The Incompetent God [4k]

Han Fulai's voice wasn't loud, but Ying and Paimon immediately sensed that he was angry and furious.

That cold tone was a clear indication of his anger.

Han Fulai's next sentence confirmed their thoughts—

“Nasita, you were right about something just now... You are still far from being qualified to become a true god.”

Nasida stared blankly at Han Fulai. She didn't understand why he would suddenly say that, nor did she understand why he was angry.

Did I do something to upset him?

Han Fulai's tone remained icy: "An incompetent god is unworthy of the people's faith."

“Wait a minute, this isn’t Nasita’s fault! She must have had her reasons!” Paimon protested on Nasita’s behalf.