bookbashuk Chapter 1040: Alliance with Nashida
Chapter 1040: Alliance with Nashida
When Alice left the Zubair Theater, her steps were much faster than when she came.
Her purpose of coming to Xumi was not just to watch Nilu dance.
While the child's dancing was indeed dazzling, compared to the immediate task at hand, this little bit of elegance was merely an interlude. What she was really looking for was the little grass god in the Jingshan Palace.
It was late at night, and the warm yellow lights were on in Jingshan Palace. The air was filled with the faint fragrance of plants and books.
Nashida was sitting by the window in the hall, reading a book in the moonlight.
(I don’t understand why the lights were on in the house, but Nashida insisted on using the moonlight. Maybe it’s because it makes the scene more artistic.)
Ever since the Void Terminal ceased functioning, acquiring knowledge has returned to books.
As the grass goddess and the leader of Xumi, Nashida naturally needs to lead by example.
However, the God of Wisdom reading a book seems to be just killing time.
Suddenly, Nashida heard the palace door being pushed open with a creaky sound.
She looked up and saw Alice walking in. Her golden hair glowed softly in the light, and the tips of her elf ears moved slightly.
"Oh? What a rare guest." Nashida put down the book, jumped down and looked at her with her head tilted. Her emerald eyes were full of confusion, but she still greeted her politely.
"It's Ms. Alice."
Alice waved shyly and said, "Hello, Little Lucky Grass King."
Hearing this respectful address, Nashida shook her head slightly and said in a casual tone, "Just call me Nashida. What's the matter with you coming to see me at this time?"
Alice didn't rush to talk about business. Instead, she smiled and said, "Let's not talk about anything else for now. Let's catch up and see old friends."
"By the way, where's that little girl named Elani?"
Alice remembered this name because she met the girl at Puspa Cafe when she was preparing for the Teyvat girl group.
At that time, Ailani was looking at the paper with a frown on her face, her fingers turning the quill pen rapidly and muttering to herself. The look of her competing with herself left a particularly deep impression on her.
"When I first came to Xumi, I saw her sighing over her paper in a cafe."
Alice rubbed her chin and speculated, "She should have passed her thesis by now, right? Has she been promoted from 'Dhritarashtra' to 'Dhāsata'?"
Upon hearing this, Nashida's emerald green eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of gray, and she said lightly: "She is dead..."
"what?"
The ease on Alice's face suddenly faded, her pupils suddenly contracted, and the tips of her elf ears trembled slightly.
"How did you die?"
"He was killed by the sulfur rain that Shao Yun summoned using a quarter of the Xumi people." Nashida's voice was very low, and her originally calm face was now so gloomy that it seemed like water was about to drip out.
"He was killed by a burnt tree while trying to rescue his thesis from the camp."
When Alice heard that it was related to Shao Yun, the disaster star, she realized that this time she basically didn't need to spend so much time and effort to win over Nashida.
However, Alice still showed an indignant look on her face and said, "I knew that guy was beyond redemption!"
The hall fell into a brief silence.
Nashida lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow under her eyes.
Alice looked at her tense profile and decided not to beat around the bush. She leaned forward slightly and asked, "Do you want revenge?"
"Of course I do!" Nashida blurted out, and flames instantly ignited in her emerald eyes, which were the anger and grief that had been suppressed for too long.
But the fire only burned for a few seconds before she forcibly put it out.
She put her hand to her forehead and thought rationally, "But... the situation was too complicated. I've been feeling conflicted."
"Although the rain of fire was caused by him, it was the Doctor who fanned the flames behind the scenes."
If we really want to blame someone, we should blame that big beast Dr. "Dottore", right?
Alice didn't care about Nashida's inner conflict. She took a half step forward and said with certainty, "Of course it's Shao Yun's fault, and the devil hiding in the shadows behind him!"
"That thing is playing with everything we have, using sweet words to deceive people and causing unrest in the entire Teyvat!"
"Furthermore, if Shao Yun hadn't repeatedly intensified the conflict and trampled on people's reverence, how could Ailani have died? You and I both know that he has no idea what restraint is!"
"Killing Shao Yun is the best solution right now!"
Although Nashida really wanted to sort out the complicated past, she didn't have the time now.
Then, Nashida lowered her eyes and stared at the lines on her palm, the complicated past swirling in her mind.
After a while, she raised her head, and the hesitation faded from her emerald eyes.
"No need to say so much. Shao Yun is indeed a bomb that can explode at any time. It would be best if we can get rid of him."
Changing the subject, she looked up at Alice and raised her chin. Her tone was childishly straightforward, yet concealed with the caution of an adult.
"But what can you do? You can't just rush up and fight him in hand-to-hand combat out of sheer passion."
Although Nashida hated Shao Yun, she was not stupid. She could still vividly remember how the aura of Shao Yun's apocalypse horse "Famine" scared her to death.
If you attack at this time without caring about your life, wouldn't that be seeking death?
Alice had expected that she would worry about this, and a confident smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"Unite!" She held up two fingers.
"Now, I have established cooperation with the Rock God Morax and the Third Thunder God Yae Shinko. Both of them support me fully."
Then, Alice raised her chin slightly, as if waiting for the outcome of a bet that was destined to win.
"So, what are your options?"
When she heard that both gods chose to help Alice... Now, Nashida used her own "diapers" to figure it out clearly, they must have killed Shao Yun together with Alice!
"So what do you need me to do? Use the World Tree?" Nashida quickly calculated her own value in her mind.
Books and knowledge are of no use at this moment, and his own combat capability is even less worth mentioning. He still hasn't forgotten the feeling of being frightened into incontinence by Shao Yun's apocalypse horse named "Famine" last time.
If Shao Yun could be dragged into the dream world (Infinite Tsukuyomi), it would be of some use.
Overall, the only useful thing in my hand is the World Tree...
When Alice heard the words "World Tree", her eyebrows raised slightly.
To be honest, she had only wanted to win over Nashida and had not thought about the use of this sacred tree.
"Maybe... but I haven't figured out how to use it yet. What I need most right now is for you to clearly stand on our side."
Although Nashida wanted to use the World Tree, out of duty and caution, she reminded him, "If you can avoid using the World Tree, try not to."
"If we are not careful in tampering with 'memory', it will trigger a chain reaction. The tampered past may give rise to an even more terrifying future, which we may not be able to afford."
Alice didn't say much. Anyway, the most important goal at the moment had been achieved, and Nashida's support was more real than anything else.
"Is that so? Well then, I haven't decided whether or not to use the power of the World Tree anyway."
Seeing that the alliance was almost settled, Nashida took the opportunity to ask the question that had been bothering her for a long time.
"By the way, Ms. Alice, do you think destiny can be edited and changed?"
Upon hearing this, Alice raised her eyebrows under her golden hair.
"What do you mean? Edit destiny?"
Nashida recalled that a long time ago, Shao Yun brought Kong to show her the Abyss Cult's magical tool, the "Loom of Destiny".
"The Abyss Cult once showed me a device called the 'Loom of Fate'."
She paused, repeatedly confirming the authenticity of that memory in her mind.
"I've seen firsthand how it can change lives, as easily as...scribbling words on a page."
"And Shao Yun..." She bit her lower lip, confusion ripples in her emerald eyes.
"He told me about some other timelines."
"He said that if the Skirmisher hadn't died, I would have taken him in and trained him at the Order's House. Is this... true?"
The intertwined timelines and tampered fate were like vines that suffocated her. Nashida raised her head and pleaded:
"These thoughts torment me day and night. Can you help me understand?"
When Alice heard this, she was speechless. She knew something about fate.
"This all sounds confusing, but, how should I put it... I should be able to give you some guidance." Alice agreed.
When Nashida heard that Alice could give her guidance, she immediately promised, "If you can help me solve my doubts, I will spare no effort to support you!"
Upon hearing this, Alice took out her Dudu communication device and made a call to the witch "N" in order to get Nashida's absolute support.
"Nico! Are you there?"
……
Easter eggs:
(Niko: "Hello, Liberty City Express Car Service Company, Brick Enterprises, are you in need of a taxi?")
(Alice: Sorry, wrong number! I'm looking for Nico...)
……