Dori's caravan marched through the forest on their way to Sumeru City. It consisted of six yaks: the usual five for Dori's everyday business, plus a sixth one for carrying the essentials needed for Sucrose's new bedroom. They walked in a single file, each one guided by one of Dori's employees. Amongst them, along with the other employees going with the caravan, Sucrose only knew Shaghayeh. She had only a brief greeting with the rest of them when Dori introduced her and explained everything to everybody.

Some steps ahead of the caravan walked Dori and Sucrose. Although it would now be a good chance for her to get to know some of the other employees, given that Dori was present, Sucrose didn't even consider it. She had been gazing at Dori the whole time since she had become aware of the tycoon's real status.

"If you keep staring at me, I may begin to charge you for it," Dori teased suddenly.

"Sorry." Sucrose turned her head. "It's just that I still can't believe that you're so rich."

"Rich I am, indeed! Nobody knows the ins and outs of the merchant world better than little old me!" Dori boasted. "If you want it, Dori has it. If you pay the bill, Dori sells it with a grin!"

Dori then began to tell her everything about the life of a merchant: knowing what, when and where to sell; how to determine whether something or somebody was trustworthy or just a sham; how to buy cheap and sell dear… Sucrose didn't understand a thing about what she was saying; nevertheless, she listened to her with enthusiasm, not only out of her own curiosity, but also because of how happy Dori was while she talked about this subject, in particular each time she talked about money: every time she mentioned Mora, her eyes sparkled. It reminded Sucrose of herself whenever she talked about her alchemic experiments or discoveries: those were the only times in which she rambled on and on and had to be stopped.

Once Dori had finished talking about Mora, she was so excited that she began to sing:

I love Mora,
and Mora loves me!
I make Mora,
and it makes me happy!

Dori wasn't a good singer. In fact, saying that her singing was bad could even be taken as a compliment. Sucrose felt both embarrassment and admiration for her and how she paid no mind whatsoever to be the center of attention. Sucrose would like to be more extroverted herself, but not to that extreme.

Dori didn't lie when she said that there wasn't anybody around in kilometers. They had been walking for a while now and yet their surroundings were still nothing but woods.

"How much until we arrive in the city?" Sucrose asked.

"Still a while longer," Dori replied. "Are you tired?"

"A little," Sucrose admitted. "I think that I'm not as fully recovered as I thought."

"Just mount a Stumper Beast, then."

"Thank you, but… it's a bit embarrassing."

"Don't be silly!"

Dori pulled Sucrose's hand and went towards the first Beast. She mounted it first and then made Sucrose do the same by pulling her. Sucrose was baffled by how sudden everything had been, but she also realized that it wasn't as embarrassing as she thought it would be. Perhaps because Dori was there with her.

"Don't be ashamed. Anybody can mount a Stumper Beast if they need some rest," Dori told her. "Even I do so whenever I'm tired of going here, there, and everywhere. Be assured that nobody will reprimand you."

Sucrose saw the employee guiding that Beast nodding at her, asserting Dori's statement. Everything was fine. She felt relieved. Dori spoke again:

"Every other tycoon prefers to have their employees do all the work while they remain all cozy in their estates and the only thing they do is counting their fortune," she explained. "As for me, I prefer doing my business in person. That way, I discover every state of affairs firsthand and without any communication issues."

"Is that why you were in the seaport the other day?" Sucrose wondered.

"Indeed I was. And look what I found!" Dori replied proudly, pointing at Sucrose. "But now that I think about it, to go from Port Ormos to home we had to trek quite the distance, and it took us the whole afternoon. It's quite astonishing that you managed to arrive, even if barely."

"Honestly, I can't tell how much we walked," Sucrose sighed. "All I know is that my head was somewhere else and that there were always trees everywhere."

"Perhaps that played a part somehow?" Dori supposed. "Nonetheless, I think that we can say for certain that you have quite robust health."

Sucrose hadn't thought much about it until then, but she hadn't slept for days except for that blackout between Liyue and Sumeru, hadn't eaten for days either, and then had to walk a long distance while she was falling ill. And the price to pay for all of that had been a simple cold from which she had recovered in a single day, even if some fatigue still remained. Even she, herself, was surprised by her own health.

At long last, Sumeru City was in sight in the distance. It was located next to a large lake, to which it had a small harbor for up to medium-sized ships. Its humongous Divine Tree stood out, towering imposing over the small buildings around it. Upon its trunk rose some buildings of considerable size and unique design. Sucrose knew about those already: that was the Akademiya, the cradle of all knowledge in Teyvat. She had always desired to study there and broaden her horizons about alchemy in hopes to get closer to her dream. A desire which had to be put on hold for the time being.

Sumeru City was mostly surrounded by white walls with green rooftops, which had two gates: a northern gate and a southern gate. The city had barns for Stumper Beasts at both gates for public use, as they weren't allowed inside the city. Dori, however, had her own barn at the southern gate. Although it looked more like an amusement park for Stumper Beasts than a barn.

After the caravan crossed a bridge over a river, Dori dismounted the Stumper Beast and the employee from before helped Sucrose do the same. Dori turned to her employees.

"All right, then. Everybody knows what to do," she informed them. "We will gather here at the appointed hour."

Dori and Sucrose went towards the city's southern gate, whereas the rest of the caravan went to put the Stumper Beasts in the amusement park. Atop the southern gate there was a big, white stone arch that separated the city's urban area from its outskirts. Under said arch stood a boy who was looking at them both. He looked like he was around Sucrose's age. He had tan skin, shoulder-length gray hair and orange eyes. He was wearing a black headpiece with the shape of a jackal head, black long fingerless gloves, short black pants with a blue waist cape around them, and black stirrup legwear that had his toes exposed. As for his chest, he had it bare. Dori approached him without the slightest concern.

"Well, well! Has perchance the General Mahamatra come to receive us in person?" she greeted him.

"That's right. Lesser Lord Kusanali asked me to escort the newcomer to the sanctuary," he explained, then looked at Sucrose. "It's her, I presume."

The boy's inexpressive gaze made Sucrose uneasy. She wasn't sure whether she should feel relieved, scared or just scream. She put her hand on Dori's shoulder and looked concerned at her. Dori guessed what she wanted to ask her.

"That's Cyno, the General Mahamatra," she told her. "In other words, he leads the Matra."

Sucrose became petrified the moment she heard the name of the Matra. She looked at Cyno while cowering behind Dori, as if she wanted to hide from him. Only that Dori's quite smaller stature made such a feat impossible.

"We're not going to arrest you. Lesser Lord Kusanali never wanted such a thing to happen," Cyno assured. "If that has been cleared up now, I'd appreciate it if you came with me. She will explain everything to you."

"Do you mind if I come, as well?" Dori asked. "I don't want to leave her on her own."

"Not that you'd change your mind if I said that I did," Cyno accepted in a teasing manner.

The streets were bustling with activity. Shops and stalls of all sorts took up both sides of the streets, with their storekeepers advertising their wares and sales. Many people coming and going, carrying on with their everyday lives, packed the streets. Sucrose tried her best not to pay attention to any of that, because she thought that it would make her look like she wasn't taking the matter at hand with enough seriousness. She was feeling overwhelmed by Cyno's mere presence; if Dori weren't there with her, she would have had a difficult time withstanding the pressure.

They began their way up to the higher part of the city. They arrived at a residential area first. From there, they walked up a paved road built upon one of the Divine Tree's roots. They crossed some large stone platforms, also built upon the tree's roots, and on which there were tables, stalls and even houses, as they continued their way up. They reached the top at last. Sucrose was a little out of breath, but the sight before her took whatever breath she had left: she was in front of the Akademiya's main gate.

"Are we going inside the Akademiya?" she asked, without containing her excitement.

"Not exactly," Cyno refused. "We're only going through the lobby. The path to the sanctuary goes on outside."

"Myself, I would avoid this part if I could…" Dori grumbled.

Therefore, Sucrose could only see the Akademiya's lobby, which was huge and even had a fountain in the middle. Someday, she would get to see more; she was certain of it.

They went through a door on their right and thus they were back on the outside, to a path which kept going further up. They kept going onwards and upwards, and upwards, and upwards… Sucrose was panting and had to stop to catch some breath.

"Hey, Cyno. Could we stop for a moment?" Dori interceded. "Sucrose has just been sick and hasn't fully recovered yet."

"I'd rather not keep our Archon waiting, but it doesn't look like we have another choice," Cyno said, looking at Sucrose. "Wait, maybe we have one."

Cyno approached Sucrose and, without so much as a word, took her in his arms. Such action caught Sucrose by surprise and turned her bright red. She tried to protest, but she only managed to utter unintelligible babble. The rest of their way up happened with Cyno carrying in his arms a dying of embarrassment Sucrose, who was hiding her face with both her hands, and Dori smiling mischievously. That scene, luckily for Sucrose, was seen by nobody.

They reached the topmost part of the city at last: the Sanctuary of Surasthana stood in front of them, at the end of a passage. Cyno put Sucrose down with care.

"Lesser Lord Kusanali is waiting for you inside," he told her. "Sorry, Dori, but from here on she must go alone."

"Oh well. I guess I will go handle Sucrose's paperwork for her citizenship, then," Dori shrugged. "Once you are done, Sucrose, wait for me here if I haven't come back yet."

Sucrose made several short and quick nods of assent to both of them. She was still feeling her face hot and her heart beating fast.

She turned around and looked at the sanctuary. Inside was none other than the Dendro Archon. The mere thought of meeting her made her feel anxious; moreover, she was still flustered by having just been carried. She couldn't get her feet to move forward. She needed to calm down.

"Breathe in, breathe out, Sucrose," she muttered to herself. "Breathe in… Breathe out…"

She managed to calm down, at least enough to be able to move her feet again. She looked back. Dori and Cyno were still there. Both nodded at her. She nodded back, looked forward again, gulped, and made her way towards the sanctuary.

The interior of the sanctuary was just as Sucrose remembered from her dream. Now that she could think clearly, she managed to identify the shape of that structure in the center: it looked like a bulb. Her surprise, this time, was another: the whole room was humongous, and yet from the outside it seemed like it was only as big as a house. She thought that there had to be some kind of divine power at work there.

In front of her, before the structure, was the girl who had visited her in her dream: Lesser Lord Kusanali herself. With a gentle smile, the Archon gestured her to come closer. Sucrose walked towards her with stiff steps. She was feeling overwhelmed from having such an important figure before her.

"You have come," the Archon greeted. "I am glad to meet you at last, Sucrose."

"D-do you know my name?" Sucrose stuttered, words barely coming out from her mouth. "A-and what d-did you want f-from me, Le-lesser Lor―?"

"Please call me Nahida," Nahida interrupted. "And you can be on familiar terms with me. Actually, please do so."

Despite Nahida's petition and casual tone, Sucrose didn't feel any less overwhelmed; quite the contrary, her nerves were worsening and she even started to tremble. Seeing her in such a state, Nahida opted to do what she thought would be best to calm her: she hugged her by her waist. Sucrose was so startled, perplexed and dumbfounded that every thought in her head just spiraled out of control.

"W-w-w-what is the meaning of this!?" Was the only thing Sucrose managed to say.

"Huh? This is just to tell you that you don't need to give me any special treatment; that you can just be yourself around me," Nahida explained with concern. "Did I do it wrong?"

Sucrose gawked at Nahida. The former couldn't even begin to fathom why the latter would think that that was a good idea.

"When it comes to interacting with others, I am like a bird trying to write with its wings," Nahida confessed, still hugging Sucrose. "This is something that I have never got to learn. I cannot understand how others feel and I usually am too blunt whenever I speak."

Sucrose's anxiety vanished all of a sudden. In an instant she went from overwhelmed to ecstatic. She had finally met somebody socially awkward like her, and it was none other than the God of Wisdom herself. She felt as if her problem had never had the importance that she had always given to it. She was so overjoyed that, without realizing, she had hugged Nahida back and was patting her head as well, to the latter's content.

After they finished hugging each other, they sat down on a flower-shaped platform inside the central structure, which was surprisingly soft and comfortable. Nahida commented that that was her bed. Sucrose tried her best not to pay it any mind and asked her what she couldn't before, now more at ease with her:

"So, what do you want from me, Nahida?"

"In the first place, allow me to apologise for the Matra's misunderstanding the other day. I was the one who sent them."

Nahida explained to her that she had been made aware of her arrival in Sumeru at exactly that time. Therefore, she had instructed the Matra to go in her search and bring her to her presence. Those instructions, however, were misunderstood and they interpreted it as 'find the stowaway and arrest her', which led to the turn of events that Sucrose had to go through. She apologized again to her. Sucrose accepted her apologies with a smile. She guessed that she had been worried about her, so she wanted her to know that she was fine now.

"But still, how were you constantly aware of my whereabouts?" she asked. "I've been eager to know since Dori mentioned it."

"I know many things, and I have my means to know," Nahida answered. "Thanks to them, I know about your situation: I know that you were arrested and imprisoned for crimes which you did not commit; that you had to abandon your home in order to escape from the Fatui's clutches; that you arrived here, in Sumeru, without knowing how; and that you are currently under Dori's care."

"Then, do you know what really happened that night!? Or how I arrived here!?" Sucrose begged, anxious for knowing the answers.

Nahida, however, looked at her with a solemn expression and shook her head.

"Forgive me. I am afraid that I cannot answer those questions," she said. "Nevertheless, I can tell you that everyone in Mondstadt is fine. You need not worry about them."

Although that wasn't what Sucrose had expected, she still felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. At least, it seemed like nobody had to pay the consequences of her escape.

"As for what I had planned for you, I intended to give you a place to live from the beginning." Nahida resumed her explanation. "It will not be what I had originally expected, due to the misunderstanding of that day, but I have already taken care of everything regarding your current situation, nonetheless. As of today, you are officially a citizen of Sumeru."

"What!? Just like that!?"

"Not just like that. I just told you that I have already taken care of it. Dori just needs to sign the paperwork and you will be registered at the Palace of Alcazarzaray."

Which would mean that Sucrose's life in Mondstadt was left behind for good, and that she would start a new one in Sumeru. Sucrose found herself struggling to come to terms with it. She still sorrowed over everything that she had lost. Even so, she had already decided that she would keep looking forward. She had made a promise and hadn't any intention of backing down.

"And here you have committed no offense whatsoever," Nahida detailed, "so the Fatui would not be able to lay a finger on you even if they found you."

Sucrose saddened. "So it's true that they were after me…"

Nahida took Sucrose's hand with both of hers. She looked at her in the eyes.

"Sadly, it is. However, you will be safe here," she comforted her. "They will not dare to try any funny business in Sumeru."

Sucrose was feeling down, her ears drooping. She was still brooding over it. She was scared to think what would have the Fatui done to her if they had managed to get their hands on her. She breathed in and out several times, then looked at Nahida, who was tapping her hand.

"I don't know how to thank you for helping me," she said.

"I have an idea," Nahida responded. "Just let me touch your ears."

Sucrose blushed and covered her ears while she cowered from embarrassment once again.

"M-my ears?…"

"Yes, your ears. They seem to be quite soft," Nahida insisted. "You let me touch them and then you can say that you do not owe me anything."

Slowly, Sucrose took her hands off of her ears and leaned her head towards Nahida. Nothing embarrassed her as much as her ears being noticed, and letting them be touched was out of any question. Even so, after everything the Dendro Archon had done for her, she thought that she should at least indulge her whim.

Nahida stroked Sucrose's ears, scratched their backs, and rubbed their tips with her fingers. That made Sucrose ticklish and she twitched them unintentionally from time to time.

"Wow… They are softer than I had anticipated. And fluffy, too," Nahida praised excitedly. "And they are quite cute when they wiggle."

"Please, don't say that…" Sucrose moaned.

"Why not? Are you perhaps ashamed of them?"

Sucrose gave her a weak, shy nod.

"Well, you shouldn't!" Nahida shouted angrily, looking her in the eyes. "Your traits are what define you! They make you be your own person! And nobody has any right to make you feel ashamed of them!"

Sucrose looked stunned at Nahida. She didn't know if she was scolding her or encouraging her; though judging by her expression and the way she was holding her hand, she guessed that it was the latter. Nahida, still looking in her eyes, relaxed her expression into a smile.

"I think that I have already said everything I wanted to tell you," she said. "Do you still have something you wanted to ask me?"

So many emotions had gone through Sucrose in such a short amount of time that she was now drawing a blank. She couldn't even tell if there was something that she wanted to ask her to begin with. She couldn't think of anything else, either. Therefore, they decided to end their conversation there.

"Where do you plan to go now?" Nahida asked.

"I agreed with Dori to meet her just outside," Sucrose replied.

"In that case, let me accompany you. I would like to have some fresh air."

The orange colors of the afternoon had begun to paint the sky. Sucrose was leaning on the railing in front of the sanctuary, contemplating the vast views such a high place offered. The immensity of Sumeru's rainforest lay before her, and an endless sea of sand beyond it. Between both of them stood a great wall of rock which separated such opposite locations. There wasn't anybody else with them, so Sucrose and Nahida just remained there in silence, enjoying the pleasant breeze and the singing from the native birds.

At one point, Sucrose broke the silence: "Nahida, can I ask you a question?"

"Tell me."

Sucrose wavered for a moment. "Do you think I'll get used to my new life?"

"I cannot know that," Nahida answered. "Not even the greatest astrologists can know whatever lies in the future with complete accuracy. The path ahead is always yet to be written."

Sucrose sighed and rested her head over her arms on the railing.

"Nonetheless, I know that you are strong. Stronger than you think," Nahida continued. "And determined to an impossible extent. That is why I know that you will fulfill whatever you decide and overcome any barrier you may find in your way."

"You overestimate me…" Sucrose disagreed.

"Am not. I know perfectly what I am saying."

Moments later, they heard someone panting and turned their heads towards the way up there. Then, Dori slowly came to view from the incline.

"I'm shattered from going up and down so much!" she gasped. "Where is Cyno to carry me?"

"Do you know what is she talking about, Sucrose?" Nahida wondered puzzlingly.

"No! Not a clue! Not in the slightest!" Sucrose jabbered, red-faced.

After she caught her breath, Dori approached them.

"Good afternoon, Nahida," she greeted. "And thank you for sparing me the bulk of the paperwork. Everything is up to date now."

"You are welcome," Nahida smiled. "I leave her in your care."

"Did you ask Dori to be on familiar terms with you, too?" Sucrose asked.

"Everyone, actually," Nahida revealed. "I do not want any special treatment just because of who I am; I just want to be like all the rest, and yet… it seems like many people prefer to let themselves be blinded by the radiance…"

Seeing Nahida's melancholic expression, Dori approached her and patted her shoulder.

"Just pay it no mind. You just need to give it enough time without letting it go," she cheered her up. "For instance, I haven't amassed my fortune in just two days."

"You are right: I just need not to quit," Nahida realized. "Thank you, Dori."

Sucrose watched the two little ones. She would have liked to say something to cheer Nahida up, too; but she had drawn a blank and now she thought that she was already too late. She felt a little helpless.

"Well, then, Sucrose, I think it's time we were on our way back," Dori suggested. "We need to prepare your new room as soon as possible if you want to sleep in it tonight."

Sucrose didn't have any objection. She was about to bid Nahida farewell when the latter hugged her by her waist again.

"I hope that you may live a happy life here, in Sumeru," Nahida wished her sincerely.

"Thank you very much. For everything." Sucrose hugged her back.

Sucrose and Dori bid Nahida farewell and began their way down to ground level. Once they had disappeared down the slope, Nahida returned to the sanctuary. However, before she went inside, she turned around and took both her hands to her chest. She had a contrite expression which had nothing to do with how she had been just a few moments ago.

"Forgive me, Sucrose. I truly am glad to have met somebody with so much curiosity as you. But curiosity can also be harmful," she apologized. "For your sake, you must not know the truth about back then. I hope that you understand…"