A week later.
For this entire week, Lumine had been setting out with Paimon before dawn every day, traveling through the Sumeru rainforest to help the Aranara, trying to pass the Festival Utsava and obtain the Bija Fruit to save Rana.
Meanwhile, Shao Yun seemed much more relaxed.
He spent his days wandering leisurely around Sumeru City, killing time while waiting for the coming Sabzeruz Festival.
As the days passed, the long-awaited day before the Sabzeruz Festival finally arrived.
Every corner of Sumeru City was now adorned with a myriad of colorful flowers.
From the bustling streets to narrow alleys, from houses to lamp posts and fences—everywhere bloomed with vivid blossoms, filling the air with a fragrant sweetness.
Many residents of Sumeru City were experiencing such a grand "Sabzeruz Festival" for the first time.
After all, since the Akademiya had long prohibited any large-scale worship or celebration of the Archons, even the liveliest areas like the Grand Bazaar had only ever seen modest little festivities in the past.
Now that they finally had the chance to truly celebrate, the citizens of Sumeru were naturally overjoyed.
That morning, at the section of Treasure Street near the Grand Bazaar entrance, Shao Yun stood atop a tall ladder, carefully placing the last bunch of decorative flowers in position.
Once he finished, he looked down at Dunyarzad and asked, "All the flowers are set up now, Miss Dunyarzad. What do you think of the arrangement?"
Dunyarzad looked up at the floral decorations Shao Yun had arranged, nodded approvingly, and said, "Hmm, it looks wonderful! Tomorrow is the Sabzeruz Festival, and it's all thanks to your hard work helping us decorate these beautiful flowers, Mr. Shao Yun."
Hearing her praise, Shao Yun simply climbed down the ladder, muttering, "No need to thank me. I like to see things through once I start them."
Just then, Dehya approached Dunyarzad, her face full of satisfaction, and said, "Miss, I've delivered all the gifts for the Bimarstan patients suffering from Eleazar. Everyone's really happy."
Dunyarzad's joyful face brightened even more.
"That's wonderful! Now all that's left is to wait for tomorrow's festival."
Then she tilted her head slightly upward, her eyes full of hope, and murmured, "I truly wish that the Lesser Lord Kusanali herself could witness this celebration. We even built a special parade float for this occasion."
The moment Shao Yun heard the word float, he froze in disbelief.
A float? Who's supposed to ride that? Don't tell me it's going to be that kid, Isak!
Dunyarzad nodded enthusiastically and said, "That's right! Since the Lesser Lord Kusanali sent her 'familiar' to help suppress my Eleazar, I think there's a pretty good chance she might appear during the Sabzeruz Festival!"
Shao Yun could only stand there silently, expression blank, thinking to himself that Dunyarzad still truly believed that demon thing was a familiar of the Dendro Archon.
But at this point, he could only play along.
"Well, having something to look forward to isn't a bad thing," he said.
At that moment, Nilou appeared, her expression clouded with worry.
Dunyarzad immediately noticed her friend's unease and asked with concern, "What's wrong, Nilou? Did something happen?"
Nilou took a deep breath, trying to steady herself before explaining, "Dunyarzad, the situation isn't looking good… We've gone over budget. We don't have enough Mora to pay for the rest of the decorations."
Dunyarzad's smile froze, and after a long moment she blinked in disbelief. "What? We're out of money? How could that be? I thought we calculated everything carefully…"
Nilou pursed her lips and explained awkwardly, "Originally, our budget was enough, but a few days ago we added a new parade float project. We were too excited at the time and completely forgot to consider the cost, so now…"
Hearing that the float had caused the shortfall, Dunyarzad pinched her chin and sighed deeply. "Ah… we only thought about making it grander and ignored the budget."
Now, the situation was this: if they paid for the float, they wouldn't have enough for the decorations, and vice versa.
After some thought, Dunyarzad decided to use her usual solution.
"How about this—I still have a few outfits I rarely wear. Maybe we can sell them to make up the missing funds."
Nilou checked her own wallet, then sighed helplessly. "I've got a little Mora left. Not much, but it's better than nothing."
Watching Nilou and Dunyarzad fret over money, Dehya bit her lip, clearly struggling with a difficult decision.
Then she waved her hand lightly and said with forced nonchalance, "Oh, everyone, I just remembered something I need to take care of. I'll be right back."
She patted Shao Yun's shoulder, signaling to him, "Mr. Shao Yun, please keep an eye on Miss Dunyarzad for me. I'll return soon."
Shao Yun knew perfectly well that Dehya was going to sell her greatsword, but he didn't stop her.
After all, why should he pay out of his own pocket for a festival? He simply nodded. "Sure, no problem."
Later, Dunyarzad took Shao Yun and Nilou back to her home.
She picked out a few outfits and quickly sold them off.
Because time was short and they desperately needed Mora, she didn't bother bargaining.
Even after pooling everything together, Dunyarzad looked down at the Mora they'd managed to scrape up and sighed in frustration. "It's still not enough…"
Seeing Dunyarzad and Nilou's troubled faces, Shao Yun frowned in confusion and asked, "Dunyarzad, why don't you just ask your family for some Mora? I mean, it's not like your family's short on money."
Dunyarzad replied, "Because I'm organizing the Sabzeruz Festival behind my father's back. The Akademiya forbids private worship of the Archons. If he found out, he'd never allow it. That's why I never told him. If I ask now, it'll all be exposed…"
Shao Yun smirked slightly. "So basically, we're breaking the law here?"
Dunyarzad immediately protested, "That's not fair! If anyone's breaking the law, it's the Akademiya for ignoring the Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
Seeing her so serious, Shao Yun quickly waved his hands. "Alright, alright, don't worry. I was just joking. I'm not really into politics anyway."
Afterward, Shao Yun leaned against the doorframe, glancing at the time, and thought Dehya should've already sold her greatsword by now.
He suggested, "We're not going to conjure Mora by staring at each other. I'll go find Dehya and bring her back. Maybe she's got an idea."
Dunyarzad nodded. "Then I'll trouble you with that, Mr. Shao Yun."
Following the system's navigation, Shao Yun made his way through the winding streets of the Grand Bazaar until he spotted a familiar figure standing in a secluded corner—Dehya.
At that moment, she was speaking with Dori, clearly in the middle of a secret transaction.
In truth, she was trying to sell her greatsword, "Beacon of the Reed Sea."
Dehya handed the heavy, worn-looking sword to Dori and asked with hopeful eyes, "Miss Dori, I've gone through a lot to find you. Could you take a look and tell me how much this sword's worth?"
Dori sighed helplessly at the sight of the mercenary's urgency.
"Miss Dehya, I run a legitimate business here, not a pawnshop! If you're looking to pawn something, you might want to try somewhere else."
But Dehya wasn't about to give up so easily.
"Oh, come on, Miss Dori, please help me out! I really need some Mora right now—just this once!"
Dori frowned but eventually relented under Dehya's persistent pleading.
"Alright, alright. I'll take a look."
She examined the weapon carefully for a while, then frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm… how should I put this…"
Then, using her finger, she traced a number in Dehya's palm. "This much. What do you think?"
Dehya looked at the number, forcing an awkward smile. "That… seems a little low, doesn't it?"
Dori blinked, folded her arms, and after a moment said, "Fine. I'll raise the price by ten percent, but that's the best I can do!"
Dehya patted the blade of her sword, biting her lip slightly as she explained, "This sword… this sword dates back to the era of the Scarlet King! Its value is far beyond that."
When Dori heard that, her eyes lit up—she realized this was a relic from ancient times.
"Oh, a historical artifact, is it? I believe you, Flame-Mane, but I'll need an expert appraisal to confirm its real worth."
She paused, then added, "How about this—I'll contact a friend of mine tonight who specializes in relic identification. He can appraise it for you."
But Dehya shook her head immediately. "I don't have that kind of time. I need the Mora now."
Normally, Dori would've seized the chance to lowball her, but given her past collaborations with Dehya's mercenary crew, she decided not to take advantage.
"So urgent, huh? Well, since we've worked together before, I'll be generous. This price—final offer."
Once again, Dori traced a number in Dehya's palm.
Dehya's eyes widened, and after a brief hesitation, she said firmly, "Deal!"
She handed over the Beacon of the Reed Sea before Dori could change her mind.
Despite her small frame, Dori easily lifted the greatsword.
Then she pulled several bulging pouches from her bag. "Here, take your Mora. Keep it safe. I'll store your sword for now—it'll be perfectly safe with me."
Dehya's relief was palpable when she realized Dori wouldn't resell her sword. "Thank you so much, Dori! May your business prosper and your Mora multiply endlessly!"
Dori chuckled gleefully at the praise. "Hehe, music to my ears! Don't worry, your sword's in good hands."