Port Ormos was filled with the sounds of various vendors hawking their wares.
“Paimon: It’s so lively here! As expected of Sumeru’s largest trade port. But I wonder if it’s because I listened to Dehya, I always feel like some people here are a bit dangerous.”
“Qixuan-jie: Paimon is scared of this? We’re here.”
“Paimon: Hmm… Alright, alright, it seems I was overthinking it.”
“Lumine: Then let’s start investigating.”
“Paimon: Hmm… But where do we start? The information we have is limited…”
“Lumine: Hmm… How about we ask around nearby first? The market is always so crowded every day.”
“Qixuan-jie: Let’s split up then, that way it’ll be faster.”
“Paimon: Okay! Let’s go.”
Everyone dispersed to inquire at nearby merchant stalls.
Paimon and Lumine walked up to a stall.
“Ailam: Welcome, what would you two like to buy?”
“Paimon: Boss, we’d like to ask you something. Are there usually students here in Port Ormos?”
“Ailam: Haha, of course there are! Especially this time every year, many students about to graduate from Sumeru City come here to relax.”
“I’ve heard them say countless times how hard it is to get into and graduate from the Akademiya, and how much hardship they endure to become researchers and stay there to work. The scenery here is beautiful, and the atmosphere is more relaxed than the Akademiya. Plus, some people say that coming here brings good luck, making their studies and research go smoothly.”
(So competitive.)
After the boss finished speaking, he pointed to two Akademiya students over there and said, “Look, aren’t those them?”
“Lumine: They look so worried.”
“Ailam: They’ve been looking so gloomy since they arrived a few days ago. It’s good to be in business like us; as long as we have what the Akasha gives us, we can live very comfortably.”
“Paimon: What are they talking about now? Should we quietly go over and listen?”
Lumine nodded, and then the two quietly walked over.
On the other side, Qixuan was also slacking off… Ahem, asking for information. In fact, she was chatting happily with a young lady who had a stall.
Suddenly, Qixuan seemed to sense something and turned her head to look. She saw several Aranara jumping and hopping above a tree, waving at Qixuan.
“Qixuan: Hmm? What do these little guys want?”
Then Qixuan bid farewell to the stall-owning young lady and walked in the direction of the Aranara. Strangely, for every step she took, those Aranara moved further away.
“Qixuan: Are you toying with me here?”
Then Qixuan kept walking and eventually left Port Ormos, arriving at a forest.
“Rankaka: Hello, hello, good Nara in white.”
“Qixuan: Hmm? How do you know I’m a good Nara?”
“Lanzhousi: Because Lesser Lord Kusanali told us!”
“Lambad: Yeah, yeah, Lesser Lord Kusanali wants to see the Nara in white, so we came to find the Nara in white.”
“Qixuan: Hmm… Alright, you can go back. I can go by myself.”
“Rankaka: Okay, bye-bye, Nara in white.”
Immediately, the little guys hopped and skipped away. Just in case, before Qixuan left Port Ormos, she left a clone there to continue chatting with the young lady… Ahem, to gather information. Yes, that’s right. Then Qixuan tore through space and teleported directly to the entrance of the Sanctuary of Surasthana, then pushed the door open. As for the guards? She simply made them dream.
At this moment, on the other side… Paimon and Lumine were still eavesdropping.
“Xidu: Ugh, no, I haven’t found any useful information at all. There are also a lot of Eremites standing on the streets lately, looking quite scary.”
“Bandi: Recently, the Eremites in Port Ormos have been fighting fiercely among themselves. If we’re moving alone, it’s best not to go where they gather.”
“Especially that group who always mutter about the ‘Crimson King’ and ‘revenge.’ I heard even the House of Daena finds them troublesome. What were they called? Akhe… something?”
“Kudari: They’re called The Eye of Ahernar. Actually, I heard a piece of news today: this mercenary group has information about the ‘thing’ we’re looking for.”
“Xidu: What did you say?!”
“Kudari: You still don’t know? Many of the Eremites in Port Ormos are also involved in trading this kind of thing. Although they are very wary of strangers, they don’t actually reject students, because they generally don’t want the goods students need. As long as you state your identity, there’s still room to talk.”
“Bandi: I heard that too. People from that mercenary group often appear at the Djafar Tavern. You can buy information about the item from them for 500,000 Mora.”
“Xidu: Wait a minute… 500,000?! If the information alone costs 500,000, then we won’t be able to afford the item at all? Ugh, it’s over. It seems I can forget about graduating with this.”
“Kudari: Not necessarily. The research directions of a few of us are very niche. Besides us, who would buy such obscure knowledge? It definitely wouldn’t sell for much.”
“Xidu: That makes sense. The most crucial thing now is to find someone to guide us. Why don’t a few of us pool our money and ask them for information?”
“Paimon: Wow, what they’re discussing sounds so suspicious! Did I hear that right? ‘Besides us, who would buy such obscure knowledge’? Can ‘knowledge’ be bought?”
“Lumine: The item the Akademiya lost is also related to ‘knowledge’.”
“Paimon: What are you going to do?”
“Lumine: Let’s go find Qixuan-jie first and see if she has any information. If not, we’ll go find that Eremite group.”
“Paimon: Eh? But they said buying information costs 500,000 Mora! Are you serious?”
“Lumine: Valuable information is worth it.”
“Paimon: Alright, alright. Although it hurts a bit, since you say so, I’m relieved. Let’s go find Qixuan-jie first, then try it out.”
Paimon and Lumine found Qixuan’s clone.
“Paimon: Did you find any information?”
“Qixuan (clone): Hmm… A nearby Eremite group is very popular.”
“Paimon: We already heard about that! Is there anything else?”
“Qixuan: That’s all.”
“Lumine: I saw Qixuan-jie chatting very happily with the stall owner.”
“Qixuan: Eh-heh.”
“Paimon: Alright, alright, let’s hurry to the Djafar Tavern.”
Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana… After Qixuan entered, two pairs of large eyes stared at each other for a long time without a single word being spoken.
After a long while, Nahida finally spoke first, “Um… Your name is Qixuan, right? Hello, nice to meet you. You can call me Nahida.”
Qixuan didn’t speak, but instead walked forward and easily passed through the sealed barrier. Nahida didn’t understand what she was doing, but she didn’t feel any malice.
Then, under Nahida’s shocked gaze… Qixuan pinched her… foot, and then muttered to herself, “Hmm… soft, just don’t know…”
“Nahida: ……”
One minute later… Qixuan looked at Nahida with an embarrassed expression.
“Qixuan: My apologies, hehe.”
“Nahida: It’s alright. Is this a greeting custom from Liyue?”
“Qixuan: Hmm… (seriously) It’s a courtesy reserved for important people. (What she didn’t say was that strangers would get beaten up.)”
“Nahida: I see. Irminsul has no record of it. It’s a new piece of wisdom.”
“By the way, I called you here this time to ask, are you here in Sumeru for…?”
“Qixuan: Nothing, I’m just strolling.”
“Nahida: Is that so? Alright.”
“Qixuan: (She actually believes it. Actually, I’m here to abduct you.)”
“Nahida: Hmm… Speaking of Irminsul, I don’t know what’s been happening lately. I can only access the knowledge within it, but… the external pollution seems to have disappeared? This should be a good thing, right? But I always have a bad feeling… Maybe I’m overthinking it.”
“Qixuan: Dreams are always the opposite, aren’t they? A sage actually believes in feelings one day.”
“Nahida: Alright, I have another question. Can you help me think about it?”
“Qixuan: Tell me.”
Just like that, one person, whose thoughts, if placed in their original location, could land them three years with a fixed term or ten years with an indefinite one… and another person, whose thoughts were on a completely different channel, these two could still chat.
“Nahida: I don’t know how I descended… As Nahida spoke, a scene unfolded.”
“Qixuan: She can even project it live?”
In the scene, Nahida’s voice came through…
“The flower float bounced and bounced, Nahida opened her eyes, and she said… Nahida’s birthday is today, and the Knights of Flowers and their attendants found her.”
“Lumine: Oh, Archon, we finally found you. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you.”
“The Sabzeruz Festival began, people happily danced around her in circles, and the Knights of Flowers and their attendants prepared a surprise for her. Sweet candies bloomed around her like fireworks.”
As the scene played, a magnificent flower float appeared in the image.
“Nahida: The flower float met colorful birds, and rainbow joy swirled before people’s eyes.”
Then Nahida summoned the Aranara, giving a surprise to the people present. The people in the scene were so happy.
“The flower float bounced and bounced, Nahida opened her eyes, and she said: I’ve never seen such a wonderful celebration.”
Just then… the style of the scene abruptly changed, and even the background music changed. Nahida opened her eyes again, and she said she had a dream, dreaming that Nahida’s birthday was today.
The scene showed an endless Desert. Nahida lay in the Desert, and the so-called Knights of Flowers were that group of self-righteous sages.
“Oh, Archon, we finally found you. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you.”
The Sabzeruz Festival began, people happily danced around her in circles, until… Nahida sat on the flower float and waved goodbye to everyone.
“Happy birthday, Nahida.”
Before the scene closed, it showed Nahida being confined in the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
“Qixuan: (Although I’ve seen worse births.)”
“Nahida: Actually, my situation is like the latter. I was found in the Desert, and then I heard about Greater Lord Rukkhadevata’s deeds. I felt that the wisdom I possessed was not enough to be the Grass God of Sumeru, so…”
“Qixuan: If this is the Grass God, the God of wisdom, then that’s too disappointing.”
“Nahida: Hmm?”
“Qixuan: Just some personal evaluation, mind you. As the God of wisdom, how can you be trapped in a place like this? Compared to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, you do have some shortcomings, but why ignore your own strengths because of shortcomings in comparison?”
Nahida fell silent…
“Qixuan: I’m acquainted with a few Archons…”
Upon hearing this, Nahida excitedly said, “Then can you tell me how they are qualified Archons?”
Qixuan thought… Oh no, one who never does anything proper, one who always wants to retire, and one who just… never mind. If Nahida were to let their Archons loose, they’d be overjoyed.
“Qixuan: Then why not proactively go and meet them?”
Nahida shook her head and said, “I cannot leave Sumeru. Occasionally, I can go into Sumeru City and see what people are doing, and gain a lot of wisdom.”
In reality, Qixuan could tell that Nahida also really wanted to go out and explore.
Then, without another word, Qixuan picked Nahida up from inside that large barrier.
“Nahida: Eh?”
Then Qixuan waved her right hand, and a brand new Nahida appeared inside.
“Nahida: This is?”
“Qixuan: It’s a type of my clearance. Don’t worry, those sages won’t be able to tell, unless it’s the Seven Archons who might notice a slight anomaly.”
“Nahida: But…”
“Qixuan: If you don’t experience it yourself, you’ll lose a lot of fun. And your birthday party is still being prepared.”
“Nahida: Hmm… Alright, I also want to personally see the Flower God's Festival.”
Then Nahida transformed into a little girl. Her appearance didn’t change much, only some iconic features were hidden.
Qixuan opened a space and then stepped inside.
On the other side…
Paimon and the others had already arrived at the Djafar Tavern.
“Paimon: Let’s sit here for a while and see if those people show up.”
After they waited for a while… two members of The Eye of Ahernar arrived at another table.
“Tarik: With their pathetic behavior, they dare to challenge the boss. When we retrieve the power of the Crimson King, the boss will definitely deal with them first.”
“Tumat: They are certainly not to be feared. Our biggest competitor now should only be the Lynx Gang. They also got a lot of Mora this time, so we can’t let our guard down.”
“Tarik: Those people are all greedy opportunists. How can they compare to the boss?”
“Tumat: Indeed, the boss is so devout, he will surely welcome back our Archon.”
Qixuan (clone) made an excuse to go to the restroom, while Lumine and Paimon discussed the two people over there.
“Paimon: These guys are talking all about the Crimson King. The people we’re looking for must be them.”
The two people over there were still insulting Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Qixuan, who had returned with Nahida, heard these words. Then Qixuan moved her finger, and a stream of light flew into the bodies of the two Crimson King believers.
“Nahida: This is?”
“Qixuan: A small lesson. It won’t threaten their lives, but they’ll have to lie down for ten days to half a month.”
“Nahida: Thank you.”
Qixuan then rubbed Nahida’s little face.
“Paimon: Eh? Qixuan-jie, who is this child?”
……