Chapter 602: The Desert Forgot Everything

It has to be said that Sumeru's story really has a Lovecraftian flavor.

Communing with gods leads to madness, minds filled with mad whispers, even physical changes—all these manifestations are far too similar.

The story continues. In the illustrations, the people's wails grow quieter because more and more are dying.

[The earth also seemed to have been robbed of life, leaving only despairing silence]

Plants withered, the land turned ashen—everything "alive" seemed to be disappearing; everyone was "dying."

At this moment, the rainforest gained the memory of "death." Everyone understood Arama's words.

Alhaitham's earlier guess was verified—he was right; the origin of the Dead Zones really was in the desert.

Ashen land, withered forests, suffering people, "a sun flowing with black water."

Such scenes were truly too despairing. Just looking at them created a sense of oppression.

The readers momentarily forgot to breathe—this kind of thing happened in the Teyvat they lived in!

Right beside them, it could make a comeback at any time!

And in this despair, branches grew wildly, filling the entire image.

Yellow-green branches full of vitality replaced the previous ashen feeling, making people unconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, they held their breath once more—this time not because of oppression.

After turning the page, the branches revealed the figure behind them—a white-haired woman so beautiful it took one's breath away, for fear of disturbing her.

Her pure white robes accented with emerald green were so holy. With a wave of her hand, specks of green light covered the desert.

[If not for Greater Lord Rukkhadevata of the forests extending her aid, everything would have long been irreversible]

The compassionate Tree King gazed with eyes full of tenderness. She smiled at the corners of her mouth, smiling as she offered all her power.

[She gathered priests to build several temples and poured in the divine power of life]

In the illustration, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata floated above the scene, while the temples on the ground absorbed the black water.

[Calamity was miraculously contained, and the spark of civilization was preserved in Aaru Village]

[But "miracles" cannot last forever. As long as forbidden knowledge exists, it will forever be this world's "lesion"]

Now everyone understood why the ruins in the Mausoleum of King Deshret were filled with the Dendro Archon's power.

It turned out that the Mausoleum of King Deshret was built under Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's orders, filled entirely with the Tree King's life divine power.

Seeing this, some radical desert people were already confused—so... what exactly are we hating?

They resented the Akademiya because their lives were too bitter, and the Akademiya was the root of it all.

The Dendro Archon controlled the Akademiya, so they naturally hated the Dendro Archon.

This hatred filled their hearts. Without it, some couldn't even go on living.

It was tragic, but for some desert people, hatred was their motivation to survive.

They just wanted one day in the future to launch a glorious rebellion against the rainforest, so until that day came, they couldn't die.

But at this moment, the "hatred" that drove them to this point became a joke. The one they hated was actually their benefactor.

Then what were they? Ungrateful wolves? But... why...

Why did it turn out like this? Lord Scarlet King, please tell us... why?

Weren't you supposed to have died because of betrayal?

[Until the end, the desert's proud king... my king...]

Lord Scarlet King...

The desert people's hands were trembling. Some didn't dare to turn the page.

[Chose self-sacrifice]

What had to come would come. This was the truth.

Their god did not die from betrayal. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had never betrayed them—she had even saved them.

In an instant, beliefs collapsed, emotions shattered!

Aaaaaah—!!! What... have we been doing!!!

The desert people were in agony. Tears and wails added a touch of seasoning to the silent desert.

Hands trembled, tears soaked the pages. The desert people closed their eyes tightly, letting the tears flow.

What... have we been doing—!???

Tears soaked their clothes, but no one wiped them away. The desert people just stared blankly at Greater Lord Rukkhadevata in the illustration.

Outside the window, sandstorms blew. This layer of sand had "blinded" them for five hundred years. This sandstorm had "cried" for this goddess for five hundred years.

The sandstorm "cried" for five hundred years yet never moistened the ground. But now...

The desert people wiped their tears—it was beginning to moisten. The sandstorm would cease.

This was perhaps Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's "second salvation" for the desert.

Not to mention the radicals who had opposed fiercely—even ordinary desert people now felt deep regret.

Even if they weren't radicals, they had to admit they had once hated the Dendro Archon. All their dissatisfaction with the Akademiya had been placed on the Dendro Archon's head.

At this moment, seeing these illustrations and recalling the previous experiences of the Dendro Archon, the desert people were so furious they nearly ground their teeth to pieces.

—The Grand Sage!!!

The two Dendro Archons were not the same person, but in appearance, personality, and authority, they couldn't be completely separated—so everyone hated the Grand Sage even more.

Dehya's eyes were bloodshot. She raised her head like a lioness, her gaze fixed on the place where the Grand Sage was imprisoned.

She too had once been dissatisfied with the Dendro Archon, so when she saw the truth in these illustrations, she was angry at herself—yes, at herself.

Beside her, Dunyarzad was already sobbing uncontrollably. Though she was a follower of Nahida, that didn't mean she didn't love Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.

The rainforest people all loved Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, so at this moment, the rainforest people were truly crying rivers.

If the Grand Sage also had Lucian's system, he could harvest quite a few emotional points—the system notifications would be flooded with hatred.

The illustrations weren't over yet. Though the Sumeru people were all on the edge of collapse, they had to see the truth!

Turning the page again, the illustration showed the figure of that priest. His attire somewhat resembled Cyno's, and he wore a jackal head.

[My remaining life has been spent guarding one of the temples of the gods. Now this duty is also reaching its end]

[When I finally close my eyes, the figure of that noble god will appear before me once more...]

In the illustration, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's profile appeared—beautiful and moving, her pure white long hair fluttering in the wind like the purest thing in the world.

The long hair swayed, and using the swaying long hair as a transition, what appeared next was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata after shrinking.

[To cooperate with the Scarlet King in eradicating forbidden knowledge, she overexerted her power, and her form became like that of a child]

That figure looked even more like Nahida, just a bit larger than Nahida.

Not as large as Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, but larger than Little Dendro God—perhaps Medium Auspicious Grass King.

[It's truly strange... Thinking of her, I no longer fear death...]

[Because I feel... the breath of life will accompany me in eternal slumber]

[Children of the desert, cling no longer to past grievances]

[But hold tight to memory this act of benevolence]

However, the desert forgot everything.