Faruzan, her head buried in a pile of books, didn't dare lift her face—afraid her reddened eyes would give her away—so she could only grumble in a muffled, nasally voice. No one could make out what she was saying.
"What's the sweet girl muttering about? Speak up a little, I'm getting on in years and can't hear so well."
Lucian, of course, knew exactly what was happening. He leaned close to Lumine's ear, whispering secretly, quietly explaining the situation to her.
Paimon scooted closer. "Let me hear too!"
Seeing that most people didn't understand, Cyno was about to open his mouth to explain.
Tighnari clapped a hand over Cyno's mouth. "Shut it, thanks."
Cyno shut it, but some of the readers found their own mouths wouldn't close—this was too good a story to keep from friends who had pets at home or who had kids!
Some people don't read prophecy books because they aren't interested in the future, but that's fine—never mind the future, just enjoy a heartwarming little tale.
The "Lucian virus" appears to have begun person-to-person transmission.
And through that transmission comes the second act of Sumeru's story—The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings.
Now those who were dragged into reading the prophecy book are in for a treat: a heartwarming short story followed, just days later, by a heartwarming long one.
Everyone will surely want to thank Lucian for sharing it.
After all, on such a beautiful day as the Flower God's Birthday Festival, of course we should spend it smiling.
A festival—shared with you.
The story begins with the Traveler and Paimon, having just finished dealing with the events at Port Ormos, returning to Sumeru City to attend the Flower God's Birthday Festival.
[Paimon: "The Flower God's Birthday Festival—we didn't miss it, did we?"]
[Dunyarzad: "Traveler and little Paimon! You really kept your promise. I'm so glad you made it back in time to celebrate Lesser Lord Kusanali's birthday together."]
As a faithful devotee of the little Dendro Archon, Dunyarzad was overjoyed to see the Traveler coming to join the festival.
The readers felt the same. Everyone had seen Nahida's PV and was looking forward to the scenes of celebrating her birthday.
But everyone was also a little curious—how would Nahida, still imprisoned, be able to participate?
[Dunyarzad: "Oh, right—did you go to Port Ormos? Did you find anything there?"]
[Paimon answers: "Of course we went, and… we ran into a lot of things…"]
The Traveler had gathered quite a bit of information on this trip, but none of it was a clue about Lesser Lord Kusanali.
If anything counted as a discovery, it was probably finding a civil servant who moonlighted as a petty thief.
Normally he just skimmed a little off taxes, but this time he actually got hands-on!
Still, Alhaitham's aura was so commanding that even when people saw him doing something shady, they assumed he had some deeper purpose and didn't treat him like a common thief.
Thinking back on that experience still made the readers smile—the journey with Alhaitham had been reassuring and fun, and Port Ormos offered nice scenery for those who hadn't yet visited Sumeru.
Master Albedo's painting skills are undeniable; unlike Lucian, who only excels at drawing people, landscapes are well within Master Albedo's comfort zone.
The Traveler themselves had been very comfortable too—with a "brain" giving orders, the Traveler simply followed the plan, and somehow everything resolved itself. The trip felt much lighter.
Other than using a little "Technique · Eight," there wasn't much else to do.
[Dunyarzad's soft voice carried a trace of envy: "Oh… I see. It sounds like you had another adventure worth envying…"]
[…If I ever get the chance, I'd love to…]
Dunyarzad's words, paired with the illustration of her frail, wistful expression—her brows seemed to spell out "pitiful"—made the readers pull back their grinning teeth.
That single line yanked everyone out of the past few days of waiting and back into the "story proper."
Shikikan, if you don't throw in something like this, are you really afraid we won't know you wrote it?
Dunyarzad's frail image had truly engraved itself into the readers' minds.
The mood grew heavy; the aura of a tragic character emerged. The atmosphere made it feel as though Dunyarzad didn't have long to live.
Fortunately, Dehya's appearance broke that spell.
[Dehya, in a teasing tone: "Sigh, miss, with your health, going to Port Ormos might cause me more than just a little trouble."]
She didn't deny that Dunyarzad could go to Port Ormos. Dunyarzad thought she had no chance; Dehya was telling her: you do have a chance.
Dehya's words successfully lifted Dunyarzad's spirits. Her mood brightened, and she spoke in a slightly spoiled tone:
["All right~, Dehya."]
["Tomorrow's the festival—relax a little. You've always gone to so much trouble for me. I'm fine."]
["Don't worry, my guardian knight."]
Hm? Huh? Wait—what? The readers somehow felt this exchange between the two was a little sweet.
Is something wrong with us, or is something actually going on with you two?
With this kind of dynamic, you could write an entire novel about them—wait, we are reading a novel right now.
The last time readers got this feeling was with Yae Miko and Raiden Ei—and those two really do have novels! More than one, even!
Their books were bestsellers all the way in Natlan.
Come to think of it, besides Inazuma, Mondstadt has Mona and Fischl; Jean and Lisa.
Liyue has Hu Tao and Xiangling; Keqing and Ganyu; Guizhong and Streetward Rambler would work too.
Now even Sumeru has a pair—will every nation end up with one?
Whether they're all yuri is unknown, but at least in this story Dunyarzad is also extremely kind to the Traveler.
Thinking the Traveler might be tired from just returning, she had already arranged a place for them to stay.
She's too gentle—maybe Dunyarzad is simply gentle to everyone.
[Dunyarzad smiles softly: "When you get the chance later, just tell me more of your adventure stories."]
Telling stories can be left to Paimon—she's best at embellishing them; she's unbeatable at spinning a tale.
In the story, after the Traveler promises Dunyarzad to stroll the festival together tomorrow, they head inside and sleep.
They wake up refreshed—new day.
The Traveler and Paimon head early to the meeting spot arranged with Dunyarzad; she's already waiting.
[Dunyarzad calls out: "Traveler, Paimon! I've been waiting for you."]
[Dunyarzad laughs playfully: "Phew—this day has finally come. Every minute and second feels as precious as gold."]
Dunyarzad mentioned gold—at this point Lumine should say, "My good Eden."
Ahem, no voice-actor jokes. The Traveler and Dunyarzad wander and play together through the festival.
Most of the vendors came spontaneously; they all revere Lesser Lord Kusanali, so more than money, they care about the festival atmosphere.
Thus, though attendance isn't huge, the mood is wonderfully warm—like a small, tight-knit gathering.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice Lines · Nilou: About the "Flower God's Birthday Festival"
"They deliberately chose the day of Lord Kusanali's birthday—the Akademiya did it on purpose!"
"I hope my final performance satisfies Lord Kusanali and makes up for this regret."