The great city of Sumeru—the envy of Teyvat—was now a barren ruin. A once-upon-a-time great city. Its structure sat grand atop the Divine Tree in Sumeru city with its people enjoying a life of flourish. During the day, Sumeru City was as busy as how a big city would be—inhabitants going about their daily lives; with smiles plastered across their faces, they greeted each other as they passed by, children ran and played about amongst themselves, occasionally bumping into adults going by. Sumeru's port docked ships from all over Teyvat that carried rare and precious goods from across the seas for their equally bustling market, peddled by their fiercest traders and in return, the docked ships sailed to the open seas with Sumeru City's finest specialties. From the Treasure Street all the way towards the Grand Bazaar, smiling vendors would promote their wares with fervor that one couldn't help but to stop and see what kinds of goods they were peddling. At night, beautiful street lights illuminated the city, their lights reflected on the foliage of the Divine Tree, scattering the illumination across the leaves like a huge lantern.
The once great city of Sumeru was also the hub of knowledge; people from all across Teyvat would travel just for the opportunity to enroll in its prestigious institution—the Akademiya. The ships that docked in the port carried not just cargo, but also passengers—outlanders, curious and enthused for, to them, the greatest treasure Sumeru City has to offer:
Wisdom.
Sumeru City housed the greatest library known to men—the House of Daena, and to access this lush tome of knowledge, one must be enrolled in their institution. The once great city of Sumeru welcomed all; was more than willing to share their knowledge to the people, more than willing to share what made the city great. What separated Sumeru City from the rest of the nations was the Akasha System—an invention attributed to their patron god, the Archon whom the citizens call Rukkhadevata. Upon entering the city, visitors of the city would be given an earpiece that fed knowledge from the Akasha System to their minds that gave questioning people their desired answers. It took a little acclimatization, as the vast depository of knowledge flowing into their minds was overwhelming. The answers they sought were not told orally, nor literally. Instead, it was like a divine whisper. Questions such as which stall sold the freshest produce to who in Sumeru is the best candidate for their daughter to be betrothed to were elucidated promptly. The Akasha System knew everything. It was as if… as if god heard their prayers.
All was well in the once great city of Sumeru.
Until god died.