[welcome to genshin impact lore, g'raha, we have locked the doors and there's no way out.]

They were obsessed with the idea of technological advancement, I think. The Akasha was a marvel, but nothing like that had been made in Sumeru in five hundred years...

[He makes a small huff.] Well, it's not as though I agree with their outlook to begin with. But without the guidance of our Archon, I suppose Sumeru had lost sight of it's path a long time ago.