Seeing that the ritual seemed to have ended, Sangonomiya Kokomi approached. Ji Feng's body lay on the ground, while Nahida stood there calmly.
Naturally, she assumed Ji Feng was still using Nahida's body.
"Did it work?" Kokomi asked.
"In my eyes, it failed, but by his standards, it probably counted as a success."
Nahida glanced at Kokomi and added, "I'm not Ji Feng. I'm the Nahida he summoned."
Kokomi stopped dead in her tracks. Her weight shifted silently backward as she slipped into a guarded stance, while a gentle, polite smile appeared on her face.
"Greetings, Lesser Lord Kusanali. I am Sangonomiya Kokomi, the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island in Inazuma."
Nahida's expression was serene as she suddenly began speaking with measured grace. "I have heard that Watatsumi Island's Divine Priestess aids the world with a compassionate heart and possesses great strategic wisdom-a model of benevolence and virtue, a righteous soul who sacrifices herself for the common good. Her resolve is steadfast, her deeds shine brightly. To possess such a Pearl of Wisdom is truly Watatsumi Island's great fortune."
At Nahida's sudden flood of praise, little Kokomi's Pearl of Wisdom kicked into gear. She had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, Nahida abruptly changed tack, her voice full of resentment. "Yet meeting you today has left me bitterly disappointed!"
"You and I came to this other world together, Kokomi. We should have shared a boat through the storm and supported each other. Yet you failed to distinguish right from wrong and helped a tyrant commit his cruelties, letting a lecher's few glib words beguile you, subjecting me to suffering and humiliation and reducing me to this state. Such conduct can only be called a corruption of virtue!"
"Upon arriving here, rather than thinking of your homeland in another world and remembering Watatsumi Omikami's kindness, you lingered so happily that you forgot to return, giving no thought to serving your country or caring for its people. That is heartlessness. Repeatedly slandering your former sovereign, Inazuma's Electro Archon, is unrighteousness."
"A person so corrupt in virtue, so heartless and unrighteous, however skilled in strategy, is nothing more than a sinister schemer. How could you not be a bitter disappointment?"
Nahida, the God of Wisdom, immediately displayed her outstanding literary accomplishments, verbally flaying Sangonomiya Kokomi until not a patch of skin remained intact!
The more little Kokomi heard, the darker her expression grew. Even her polite smile was becoming difficult to maintain.
"Hehe. Thank you for your words, Dendro Archon. I have learned a great deal."
Kokomi smiled faintly. If one ignored the bulging veins on her forehead, she still looked exceedingly elegant and composed.
"Since I have the good fortune to meet the God of Great Wisdom today, I hope Your Grace will clear up a few questions for me."
"You say that you and I are 'compatriots.' Forgive my dullness-"
Kokomi's tone abruptly turned cold as she launched a fierce counterattack.
"You and I have never met before. What bond of shared homeland could we possibly have? Has Your Grace perhaps placed Sumeru under Watatsumi Island's rule, giving you grounds to say this? If merely coming from Teyvat makes us compatriots, wouldn't creatures of the Abyss be your compatriots as well?"
"Forgive me, but I cannot agree with such reasoning. It sounds more like twisting words to force an argument, tarnishing the illustrious name of the God of Great Wisdom."
"Furthermore, I was created by my lord's Martial Soul. Having received the grace of creation from him, I should naturally repay that kindness with unwavering loyalty. My words and deeds are consistent. Where is this supposed heartlessness and unrighteousness?"
"As for your claim that I neglect my homeland and forget my former sovereign, that is nothing more than inventing charges to condemn me. Though I am here, Sangonomiya Kokomi on Watatsumi Island has never left for even a single day. Your Grace has confused me with my original self, putting one person's hat on another's head and grafting flowers onto the wrong tree. It sounds rather like senseless talk and obstinate nonsense."
Sangonomiya Kokomi was renowned for her strategic skill and was naturally an eloquent debater as well. She immediately refuted every accusation in turn.
Nahida considered herself exceptionally intelligent and had no fear of debate. With a pleasant smile, she replied in a gentle, clear voice, "Very well! Then I shall answer each of your questions!"
She raised a delicate, pale finger and began counting them off without haste:
"First, you say we have never met and are not compatriots. Yet we were summoned by the same person, arrived in another world together, share the same room, and face each other morning and night. If that does not make us compatriots, what does?"
"Second, you say you received the grace of creation and are returning a peach for a plum. But if that kindness alone makes you ignore right and wrong and willingly serve a villain, how can you be considered benevolent or virtuous?"
"Third, if you are not the same person as the Kokomi of Watatsumi Island, why do you act under her name? This is nothing more than a hypocritical excuse built on borrowed life."
Seeing that Nahida had run out of arguments, Kokomi gave a soft snort. "Today is the first time I've met you. When did we ever arrive in another world together or share a room? By your reasoning, my lord would be my true compatriot. Such absurd claims are not worth discussing!"
"Nor does serving him mean I disregard right and wrong. I can judge good and evil for myself. I am the only Kokomi here, so what false reputation could I possibly be coveting? Whatever nonsense you spout, you cannot change the fact that we are both merely phantoms in this world. If I were the actual Kokomi, I would likely never have had the chance to meet Your Grace."
"Urgh!"
Nahida looked sullen. She knew she was being unreasonable; she was simply angry and had wanted to mock Kokomi to vent her frustration! She had never expected to lose the argument!
Kokomi had also seen through Nahida's thoughts and could not help trying to console her. "Lady Nahida, as the esteemed God of Wisdom, why let yourself get so caught up in this? It is merely a projection being used by someone else. Surely Your Grace does not cling to life and fear death like a mortal? Is that why you are so unwilling to accept it?"
Nahida stared blankly at Kokomi for a long moment, her little mouth hanging open. For a time, she did not even know what expression to make.
Now she finally understood what it meant to say that someone standing up could talk without feeling the ache in another person's back.
You're not the one having your body possessed all day. Of course you're in no hurry!
I finally get to visit a new world. Is wanting to see it for myself really too much to ask?!
Gods may not cling to life and fear death, but that doesn't mean we enjoy serving as someone's tool just because we have nothing better to do!
Under the unwavering stare of Nahida's emerald eyes, Kokomi began to falter as well. She coughed lightly twice. "Ahem... If Your Grace is willing to lower yourself to assisting my lord, I will naturally put in a few good words for you and ensure that he does not mistreat you."
Nahida's eyes lit up, but then she sighed. "I'm afraid that won't work. My wisdom and authority are not something a mere shrine maiden from Watatsumi Island can compare with. He probably cannot bear to let power like mine slip out of his control."
The mere shrine maiden from Watatsumi Island: ...
Kokomi looked somewhat puzzled. "But he has already fainted, and I certainly cannot stop you. Why doesn't Your Grace simply cast a spell to escape your restraints?"
"It's useless. My very existence is a creation of his Martial Soul. In essence, I am a clone. I depend on him, so how could I separate myself from him? I would die the instant I broke away. By the same token, if Ji Feng dies, we die with him. Didn't you know that?" Nahida frowned.
Kokomi naturally knew. She had only wanted to confirm it with Nahida, thinking that the God of Wisdom might actually have a solution. Now it seemed she was nothing special after all.
Kokomi's itch for scheming flared up, and she could not resist suggesting, "In that case, why not use your current main body as a basis to split off another clone and pour your consciousness into it? A clone of a clone could naturally separate from Ji Feng, the original host. Though it would still be bound by Nahida's main body, you would only need to make those restrictions a little looser. Ji Feng could hardly bear to kill the Dendro Archon's main body just to get rid of you."
Nahida froze briefly, then said, "Little Kokomi really is... full of wicked schemes."
Kokomi, who had offered advice out of kindness: ...
"I see, I see. Planning for both sides, leaving each a path of retreat. The Pearl of Wisdom certainly lives up to her reputation."
There was a strange note of admiration in Nahida's voice. Her emerald eyes shifted thoughtfully, and she immediately sat down cross-legged to put Kokomi's plan into practice.
Kokomi: ...
Is it too late to say I was just talking off the top of my head?
Before you continue