The only thing missing tonight was Idris's stamina. He'd burned through a lot and needed a full day to recover. Tomorrow, he'd escort Nahida into the Great Tree King's memories and the Irminsul's inner realm.
As for today…
Eat well. Drink deep.
Enjoy first, talk business later.
Let the one fuming be the Doctor—what did that have to do with him?
A few hours passed. As the victory banquet wound down, Idris realized Nahida had vanished. Now that she had a body, she moved far more freely, and he couldn't sense where she'd slipped off to.
So he made a circuit of farewells to the foreign guests.
First stop: Fontaine. The order mattered—protocol demanded he greet the nation hosting a god first.
Facing Furina and her entourage, he cupped his hands with a smile. "Lady Furina, thank you for staying in Sumeru so many days. As a token of thanks—just a small courtesy—please accept these Beauty-Preserving Pills."
He placed three pills in Furina's, Navia's, and Clorinde's hands.
Furina had of course heard the pills' reputation. Her eyes lit up at once, though she cleared her throat to play it cool. "Ahem. I was born beautiful, and as the Hydro Archon no cosmetics can hide my radiance." She paused, then softened. "But in honor of Grand Sage Idris, I'll accept this little thing. And since taking too many can't be good, you two keep yours as well."
"Thank you, Lady Furina—and thank you, Grand Sage," Navia and Clorinde replied, smiling as they tucked the gifts away.
Knowing they'd sail at dawn, Furina added, "If you have the chance, do visit Fontaine—clear your head, rest. They say you handle nearly everything in Sumeru personally. It reminds me of… someone from Fontaine. A young and handsome man who overworks until wrinkles set in—dreadful."
Idris smiled. "If the Hydro Archon invites me, how could I refuse? If time allows, I'll come as a tourist."
Though by then, you'll probably be the ones inviting me earnestly. The Bloodline Pill he'd gifted was already a fuse laid. Sweet Furina had no idea—free things are always the most expensive. A villain's "favor" is never so easy to pocket.
From there he moved to Liyue and Mondstadt to pay respects and deliver more pills.
"You've stayed five days and bore witness today," he said, setting six Beauty-Preserving Pills before Keqing and the others. "A little keepsake for each of you. Nothing more—forgive me, alchemy takes time, and I am busy."
Keqing's eyes brightened. At first, beauty pills were one of the reasons they'd come. They hadn't expected lessons in grafting techniques, much less to witness Sumeru's epochal battle. Now they would return home as witnesses, megaphones to broadcast this new Sumeru to the world.
Accepting her pill, Keqing bowed lightly. "Thank you, Grand Sage Idris. You've said you like Liyue—yet you've never visited. We'd welcome you."
Idris rubbed his nose. "I'll come… on a festive day."
New Year, perhaps? No matter where he'd come from, a proper Spring Festival still tugged at him.
He handed pills to Hu Tao and Xiangling. Hu Tao grinned, eyes dancing. "Awoo? Grand Sage, I noticed plenty of Sumeru girls like you. Are you thinking the local supply isn't enough and planting good impressions in other nations now?"
Beside her, Xiangling's cheeks flared pink; she suddenly wasn't sure if she should accept.
Idris waved her off. "Miss Hu Tao, you jest. It's a gift between friends. If you don't like it, pass it on."
"How could I not?" Hu Tao chirped—and swallowed the pill on the spot.
This girl… Far off, a hidden Zhongli sighed faintly.
He moved on to Mondstadt. Eula accepted her pill with a flicker of surprise. In her homeland she met far more cold stares than kindness; to receive such a treasure so easily from Idris felt… unexpected.
Passing a pill to Amber, he found his arm caught. Amber leaned in, whispering, "Also, Grand Sage—Collei is still young. Don't do anything… too much. At least, um… wait until she's seventeen. And don't… you know… let her down."
Her face was scarlet. Collei was only fourteen or fifteen—youth and impulse made mistakes easy.
Idris sensed the misunderstanding but let it pass. If there was one thing a villain never lacked, it was being misunderstood.
Lastly, he stopped before Lisa and offered her a pill. She accepted with a languid, bewitching smile. Among the Mondstadters, she was already "senior"—even Auntie to Klee. A Beauty-Preserving Pill was a delight.
"In the past," Lisa said, "Mondstadt had little fondness for Sumeru sages. But you, Grand Sage Idris, are the exception. You're always welcome to visit."
"I'd rather you accept a post as an elder of the Akademiya," Idris replied without changing his stripes. "You'd save me a lot of trouble."
After all, he'd executed so many high-ranking Akademiya officials that several factions still staggered. A steady Lisa could anchor at least one division.
But she only shook her head, regretful. "Better not. If I left, Acting Grand Master Jean would collapse from exhaustion. You're tenderhearted—you wouldn't want that, would you?"
Tenderhearted? Idris almost laughed.
She had no idea he'd made the little loli Nahida cry more than once, nor how many Gilded Brigade traitors—men and women alike—he'd butchered beneath the Sanctuary to settle matters quickly. "Tenderhearted" and villain did not sit at the same table.
Since Lisa declined, he didn't press.
"If you depart tomorrow," he told them all, "forgive me for not seeing you off. I have other matters."
Tomorrow he would rest and then address the Great Tree King. To do that, his condition had to be perfect. The God of Pure Reason (the giant puppet) also needed repairs after trading blows with Valuka—he had no time to ferry guests.
Keqing and Lisa understood. Idris's busyness inspired not just sympathy, but respect—because his execution was unmatched.
—
Near dawn, the banquet finally ended. Idris returned to his room atop the Sacred Tree. Even his tempered body felt a little dizzy. After all, the toasts hadn't stopped—Sumeru's F4 minus building-addled Kaveh, Rahman, the Thirty's captains, mercs, adventurers… rough men all, goading each other on when they saw him seemingly bottomless.
After a quick wash, he was ready to collapse—and had already decided there'd be no morning court tomorrow.
Then he noticed it: a small hill in his bed.
Ah. No wonder Nahida had disappeared midway through the banquet.
She'd come to warm the bed again.
Without thinking—still buoyed by wine—he stepped over and patted the quilt. "Little Auspicious Princess, up you get. This is my bed. You're not planning to sleep here, are you?"
The next instant, a soft, helpless "mm—" sounded from under the covers.
Wait… he'd actually touched her?
Before, whenever his palm neared that petite figure, Nahida would switch to a spiritual state at lightning speed and zip away. He'd never landed the swat. He wasn't actually trying to spank her—so he'd never chased.
But the sensation just now felt… different.
While he puzzled it out, Nahida panicked under the quilt. It's over!
After a month of bed-warming she'd gotten used to it; tonight she'd snuck back early again. She'd simply forgotten—she had a body now, not a drifting consciousness. No insta-phase to spirit-form, no perfect escape.
She'd even planned to assist Nilou—let the dancer be the first girl to pull off a stealthy "success." How had the stealth-runner… turned into herself?
I'm finished!
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