Everyone followed Dina to the Grand Bazaar.
There, Nilou was chatting with someone.
“Dina: Nilou, I’m sorry I’m late.”
Nilou saw that it was Dina who had arrived and excitedly said, “Wow, Dina! I thought you hadn't come for so long because you were definitely stuck at home. I didn't expect you to actually manage to get out.”
“Eh? Dehya is here too? Could it be that you were caught by him?”
“Dina: Something similar did happen, but it’s alright. Dehya is one of us now.”
“Dehya: Cough, cough! Not entirely.”
“Qixuan: Tsundere.”
“Lumine: I think so too.”
“Paimon: Already tired…”
“Nilou: Speaking of which, who are these people?”
Nilou looked at Paimon and the others.
“Dina: Oh, these are new friends I just met. They are Travelers who just arrived in Sumeru City and want to know some news about Lesser Lord Kusanali.”
“Paimon: Hello, hello! Nilou, I’m Paimon, this is Lumine, and this is Qixuan.”
“Nilou: Hello everyone, so you are also foreign admirers of the Grass God?”
“Qixuan: That’s right, I am the Grass God’s dog… cough cough, no, no, I am an admirer.”
“Lumine: That’s right, me too.”
“Nilou: Uh, haha… Since that’s the case, then you definitely can’t miss The Sabzeruz Festival we’re preparing this time!”
“Oh, by the way, Dina, look, we’ve already started decorating the Grand Bazaar. Thanks to your sponsorship this time, we were able to make the festival so grand.”
“Dina: You’re welcome, this is all I can do. By the way, is there still enough money?”
“Nilou: So-so, hehe… But you don’t have to worry. We’ve already finished renovating the entire stage of the theater. Come on, I’ll take you to see it.”
Everyone followed Nilou to visit the stage. A huge platform had a flower printed in its center, and various decorations were also present.
“Paimon: Wow, what a magnificent stage!”
“Dehya: Not bad. Last time I passed by here, there was still a hole in the stairs.”
“Nilou: The stairs are a small matter. Some time ago, we found a large piece of bark on the tree hole at the top of the stage was about to fall off. Mr. Zubayr was so worried. We reported it to the Akademiya several times, but they never sent anyone to deal with it. For those few weeks, we were afraid of accidents, so we had to stop the theater performances.”
“Lumine: Why didn’t anyone deal with it?”
“Dehya: Heh, it’s probably because of the theater’s request.”
“Nilou: The Akademiya people always look down on us who sing and dance. They probably think it’s best if the theater never opens again. But if it drags on, not only will everyone in the theater have no food, but even The Sabzeruz Festival won’t be able to happen.”
(sage: If it can’t be done, then don’t do it.)
“Thank goodness, Dina promptly sponsored us, allowing us to hire people ourselves to repair the tree hole roof, and we even had money to renovate the entire stage. By the time of the Flower God's Festival, the stage will be even more beautiful than it is now. Just look forward to it.”
“Dina: Mm, I’m super excited to see you standing on it! You’ve practiced for The Sabzeruz Festival for so long, and this time you can finally realize your dream.”
“Nilou: It’s 【our】 dream. On that day, I will work hard for your part too.”
“Paimon: What performance will Nilou be doing?”
Everyone looked at Nilou with anticipation.
“Dina: Nilou will perform the 【Dance of the Flower God】, which is the most important performance of The Sabzeruz Festival.”
“Nilou: That’s right. Actually, it also has a legend. The reason why this day is called the 【Flower God's Festival】 originally meant 【Flower God’s Birthday Celebration】. A long, long time ago, when Lord Tree King had her birthday, her friends held a banquet to celebrate her.”
“At the banquet, several divine lords got drunk. One of them, in high spirits, played a musical instrument (a certain god who wasn’t doing anything serious sneezed), so Lord Tree King sang, and Lord Flower God began to dance.”
“As Lord Flower God danced, countless beautiful Padisarahs grew on the grass she stepped on… Bright magenta flowers formed a brilliant stage, and the gods all said: 【Ah, if only time could stay here forever】.”
“Lumine: Why does it sound a bit sad?”
“Qixuan: You heard correctly.”
“Nilou: Huh? Is it? Oh, you’re probably thinking of those gods in the story who have all passed away now, right? Although these gods are no longer here, the tradition of offering a dance to celebrate birthdays has been preserved. The outfit I’m wearing is said to be designed to imitate the posture of Lord Flower God.”
Lumine looked closely, and her face immediately turned red.
“Paimon: Control yourself, hey!”
“Nilou: Hmm? What’s wrong with him?”
“Qixuan: Nothing, Nilou, you continue. Lumine is just a little excited.”
“Nilou: Ah, I’ll continue then. We plan to fill the entire stage edge with Padisarahs, after all, Padisarahs are the symbol of Lord Flower God. It’s just a pity that the true Padisarahs have long been extinct with the passing of the Flower God.”
“Dina: Yes, the Padisarahs that Lord Tree King created to commemorate Lord Flower God ultimately failed to reproduce that vivid magenta color.”
“Nilou: (Infatuated look) Just thinking about the scene of Lord Flower God dancing in the legend makes me feel so envious. Oh, by the way, Lumine, are you going to participate too?”
“Dina: On Lesser Lord Kusanali’s birthday, all her admirers will gather here. If you want to know more about her, it’s also a good opportunity.”
“Paimon: Mm-hmm, I think Dina is right.”
“Qixuan: Are you sure Paimon doesn’t just want to see it himself?”
“Paimon: Hmm, of course I want to see it too! But these two things aren’t in conflict.”
“Dina: Hehe, then shall we agree to participate in The Sabzeruz Festival together?”
“Lumine: Okay.”
“Nilou: Dina, I’ll take you to see the stage decorations we’ve chosen now. Paimon, if you’re not interested in the stage setup, you can look around nearby.”
“Paimon: Then let’s go look around nearby.”
Then Nilou took Dina to check the stage decorations, while Paimon and the others wandered around nearby, occasionally chatting with people about the 【Flower God's Festival】.
“Paimon: Everyone is really looking forward to it.”
“Lumine: Huh? Isn’t that Katheryne over there?”
“Paimon: Eh? It really looks like him!”
Katheryne in the distance was humming a song and strolling nearby.
“Paimon: Come to think of it, in my impression, Katheryne is always behind the Adventurers' Guild counter, and I’ve never seen him when he’s resting.”
“Katheryne: Hmm? It’s Traveler and Paimon, and Miss Qixuan, hello everyone.”
“Qixuan: Katheryne really looks beautiful today.”
“Paimon: Wow, is this Katheryne in resting mode? The difference in his demeanor is indeed huge. I thought you would always say 【Ad astra abyssosque!】 first, no matter what.”
“Katheryne: Thank you for the compliment. Although standing behind the counter doesn't require such complex functions, always saying the same thing and doing the same thing, wouldn't life become as boring as constantly playing the same Fontaine movie?”
“Paimon: We also really enjoy experiencing the customs of various places, but it’s more for finding clues about his family.”
“Katheryne: It’s good to keep it that way, because the real answer isn’t necessarily at the destination, but along the journey.”
“Paimon: I feel like I’ve heard something similar recently… Oh, by the way, Katheryne, why are you here?”
“Lumine: Does Katheryne also like The Sabzeruz Festival?”
“Katheryne: Rather than liking it, I came to stroll around because I feel the atmosphere here has been very good lately. If a festival can bring joy to people, then it should have meaning. Ah, it’s time to go back.”
“Paimon: Katheryne, we’ll see you next time at the Adventurers' Guild. Oh, by the way, thanks to your help today, we were able to meet new friends.”
“Katheryne: No need to thank me, because you have the blessing of the Grass element. I’ll be going now.”
Katheryne turned and left.
“Paimon: I feel like Katheryne today is indeed a bit different from usual…”
“Qixuan: Maybe today’s Katheryne is Lesser Lord Kusanali?”
“Paimon: How could that be?”
Just as everyone was chatting, Dehya walked over.
“Dehya: Having a good chat, aren’t we?”
“Paimon: It’s Dehya. Is something wrong?”
“Dehya: It’s like this: Miss knows you’re looking for a way to meet the Grass God, and she also really wants to help you. I might be able to point you in the right direction.”
“Paimon: Really?!”
“Dehya: Don’t get your hopes up too high. It might not even be useful to you. I’ll take you somewhere to ask someone about something.”
“Lumine: Where’s Dina?”
“Dehya: Miss is a bit tired and is resting with Nilou right now. I’ll take her home first. We’ll meet in front of the Grand Bazaar later.”
“Paimon: Okay, it’s a deal.”
Some time later, outside the Grand Bazaar…
“Dehya: Sorry I’m late. After I went back, it was hard to convince the master and madam that Miss was just in a bad mood and sat by the Port Ormos for a bit.”
“Thanks. Miss hasn’t been this happy in a long time. If it weren’t for you today, he would probably have been taken home already.”
“Qixuan: Dehya really cares about Dina, huh~”
“Lumine: Oh~~~”
“Dehya: You… what are you talking about (face slightly red)? I’m a bodyguard, and now Miss has hired me. This is called professional ethics.”
“Lumine: We understand~.”
“Paimon: Hehe, he’s shy.”
“Dehya: Hey, I’m telling you— never mind. This job won’t last much longer, at least I hope to complete it well… No more idle chatter, let’s go. Whether I can point you in the right direction depends on the person inside.”
Everyone walked into the Grand Bazaar.
“Asfand: Isn’t this Dehya? Why are you here? Oh, how did you all get together?”
“Dehya: Ho, so you know each other.”
“Paimon: Yes, earlier today, the Adventurers' Guild introduced us here to inquire about Lesser Lord Kusanali’s information.”
“Dehya: I see. Old man, why isn’t Brother Rukhsar here? I want to ask him about that stolen item for them. Can you tell them about it?”
“Asfand: He went to the Akademiya. Recently, the Grand Sage requested to strengthen Sumeru City’s defenses, so we need to recall some of our people from various places.”
“But since you asked, I can make the decision on this matter. I’ll tell them about it.”
“Dehya: Thanks, old man.”
“Paimon: What exactly is it about?”
“Qixuan: Is it related to the Grass God?”
“Dehya: That’s right. It’s like this: The Akademiya lost something a while ago that might be related to the Grass God. It might help you meet him.”
“Asfand: Eh, that’s still a bit rash to say. If you ask me, that matter is more related to the Akademiya. In short, a while ago, when the Akademiya went to Aru Village in the Desert to retrieve an important item, word got out, and the item was intercepted halfway.”
“Dehya: Those sages attach great importance to this matter. Not only did the matra mobilize, but the old man and his people are also helping to investigate clues. Now, it can be roughly confirmed that the item ended up in Port Ormos.”
“Oh, have you heard of Port Ormos? Starting from Sumeru City, if you go south along the river by water, you can reach this port. It is Sumeru’s largest commercial port. Because the Akademiya’s reach doesn’t extend that far, the atmosphere there is relatively relaxed, but of course, it’s also a mixed bag, with all sorts of people.”
“Asfand: The lost item is related to 【Akasha】, 【knowledge】, and this time it also involves 【gods】. However, from my position, I cannot go into more detail.”
“If you are interested, you can inquire at Port Ormos. Here’s a tip for you: it will be more convenient if you say you are Akademiya students.”
“Lumine: We have to study when we come to Sumeru.”
“Qixuan: Which darshan are you going to?”
“Paimon: That’s not the point, is it?!”
“Dehya: Old man, aren’t all students in Sumeru City? What would they go to Port Ormos for?”
“Asfand: Haha, if you’re interested, go inquire yourself.”
“Dehya: I’m not interested. Besides, the Humai family has a lot of work lately. Oh, by the way, if you’re going to Port Ormos, be careful. There are some Eremites there who don’t act as rule as in Sumeru City. There are even extreme Eremites who chant slogans like 【Reclaim Sumeru for the Scarlet King】. They’ve grown very quickly recently, which gives the old man and his people a headache.”
“Asfand: Hmph, the Scarlet King of the Desert has been dead for over a thousand years. It’s a joke that rumors of the Scarlet King’s resurrection are still spreading now.”
“Dehya: Not everyone is like you, old man. After all, some Desert people still want their own god, even if they’ve left the wilderness.”
“Lumine: If they don’t understand words, we also know a bit of fisticuffs.”
“Paimon: Hmph hmph, that’s right!”
“Qixuan: Hmph hmph!”
“Dehya: Haha… Uh, seeing you like this puts my mind at ease. Miss is very much looking forward to meeting you at the Flower God's Festival, so you must come.”
“Lumine: No problem.”
“Dehya: Okay, then I’ll see you at the Flower God's Festival.”
………………