Check out my new translation!
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Sumeru City had a Divine Tree.
Or rather, a Sumeru City had grown on top of the Divine Tree.
The Divine Tree was simply enormous—so enormous that while walking anywhere within Sumeru City, one could constantly touch its roots and see its crown overhead.
Because of this, the air in Sumeru City was exceptionally fresh and pleasant, and the scenery was wonderful. But since Qi Xiuming kept dragging Victor Wang around to argue with the Akademiya, sightseeing became Victor Wang's only way to relieve boredom.
As for persuading the Akademiya?
Not even remotely possible.
Indeed, few people would blow bubbles in a formal setting, but calling it "inelegant" was too harsh. It all depended on personal aesthetics. But this sort of thing… simply couldn't be reasoned with. The only real solution was to wait until Nahida took office.
But after asking around, it turned out the Sabzeruz Festival was still some time away. Whether Qi Xiuming could hold himself back until then… probably not.
"Is there really no room for negotiation?"
"Forget bubble gum—have you been to the Grand Bazaar? There's a long-established Zubayr Theater there, but because the shows are considered too mundane, not 'wise' enough, there are even people hoping to shut it down."
"There's actually something like that? Isn't culture supposed to be the crystallization and inheritance of wisdom? It should be able to embrace diversity…"
"Exactly—" Lakshman shook his head and prepared to send them off, but Qi Xiuming suddenly presented a golden piece of fine jade.
"Thank you for discussing this with us for so long. Here is a piece of Stone Heart Jade. It may not be worth much, but jade is something we Liyue people consider an emblem of good fortune. As friends, please accept it."
The quality of the jade looked excellent… and felt even better when held.
Lakshman cleared his throat twice. "As for the Zubayr Theater or bubble-blowing competitions—I don't really care about either. But my authority is limited. I'm not the one handling approvals."
Qi Xiuming pressed on: "Then who should we speak to?"
Lakshman explained in detail:
"Pravina. You need to find a Haravatat named Pravina. Outsiders usually only hear of the sages, but in all of Sumeru, there are only six sages. A Haravatat is the honorific just one level below them.
"So, Pravina's status is already quite high. She is the highest supervisor of our approval department. Above her are only the Sages and the Grand Sage.
"As it happens, the sages managing the Akademiya have been especially busy since last year—lately even more so. I doubt they have time to concern themselves with this matter.
"So, once you convince Pravina, you can essentially ignore all other opposition… But Pravina isn't particularly interested in money, and she's incredibly stubborn. That's all I can say."
"Pravina, huh… understood. Thank you!"
"No need to thank me. What you said earlier was true—culture should be diverse and inclusive. Who knows… maybe bubble-blowing could even become a form of culture someday, haha."
After seeing Lakshman off, Victor Wang asked curiously, "Since Pravina probably can't be bribed with Mora, what's your plan?"
"That's impossible. Our event is trivial to Pravina—she just doesn't like bubble-blowing. This has nothing to do with ethics or dignity. If I gave her ten billion Mora, do you think she'd still hold firm?"
"…Ten billion Mora already exceeds the total profit bubble gum has ever made. That would be a huge loss."
Qi Xiuming sighed, sounding troubled:
"I know. Lady Ningguang only gave me fifty million Mora for this mission.
"If we forcibly host the competition in Port Ormos, according to Miss Yanfei's estimate, the fine would only be about thirty million. But then it'd be hard to advertise in Sumeru City, and the event would lose its impact…
"Investigating Pravina's dark history—if we found something, we could get her removed. The funding might be enough for that. I just worry she has no dark history…
"The best outcome is that Pravina accepts the fifty million Mora and everything goes smoothly. Or maybe we come up with a better idea before then…"
Another shady idea?
Victor Wang silently shook his head, mentally removing himself from that "we."
"Let's go to the Zubayr Theater first. They're facing a similar predicament. Maybe we'll find a lead."
Though troubled, Qi Xiuming was visibly enjoying himself, his energy sky-high. He immediately headed toward the Grand Bazaar.
But halfway there, he suddenly halted. "Hold on. I almost forgot something—I need to stop by that bookstore and buy some books. Heh heh."
Spooked by that strange laugh and expression, Victor Wang put two meters between them before following.
"Boss, do you have any of Dust's books—ah, I see them. I'll look myself. You do have them…!"
"Hehe, customer, you must be a true fan of Dust. This batch of limited editions with Opéra Épiclèse stage photos is the first shipment outside Fontaine. They were always sold out back in Fontaine! They just arrived today—I haven't even advertised them yet!"
"Good thing I came early. Any later and I might not get them even in Sumeru… These two, right?"
"Yes, yes—The Merchant of Fontaine and Hamlet. They both secured slots for the Opéra Épiclèse's New Year's programs two years in a row. And there's also the deluxe edition of Sherlock Holmes, very popular in Fontaine!"
"Right, right! Then I'll take the Sherlock Holmes one too!" Encountering a fellow book lover brightened his mood. But after scanning Dust's dedicated shelf, Qi Xiuming's smile faded. "Isn't there a book missing?"
The shop owner froze, then realized: "You must mean Alice in Wonderland. That one failed Sumeru's review. The Akademiya banned its sale."
"Review, review—always the review. Why can't they allow a perfectly fine book?"
"We Sumeru people are blessed by the Archon… we don't dream. The sages also deem dreams foolish illusions. So that book was listed as forbidden. A shame, really."
"Tsk!"
Qi Xiuming was rarely seen angry, but his gentlemanly self-discipline kept him from lashing out inside the store.
After buying the three books and reaching a quieter spot, he finally vented: "The Akademiya has gone too far. A perfectly harmless book—how did it become contraband?!"
Victor Wang felt a cold shiver. Big bro, please don't… You didn't get upset over Ningguang's multi-billion-mora deals, yet you're furious over a book? That's… true love…
The key was that Alice in Wonderland really was considered harmful by the Akademiya. They intended to use the Akasha Terminal to harvest people's dreams and encourage them to take pride in dreamlessness. A book full of imagination and absurdity, capable of prompting reflection on the concept of dreams—even if not actually about a dream—would obviously threaten the Akademiya's interests.
"Teacher Dust, what do you think?!"
"Calm down first…"
"You're right. We have to fight this injustice—if only to defend our dignity!"
"…Huh?"