After strolling through the lively streets of Sumeru City for a while, the six finally arrived at the Lambad Tavern.
Inside, exotic melodies drifted through the air, mingling with the rich aroma of wine. The moment Venti caught the scent, his feet seemed glued to the floor.
Nahida stepped forward and ordered a few of the tavern's specialties—fish rolls, curry shrimp, bean soup—before the owner himself, Lambad, enthusiastically recommended his personal favorite: coconut charcoal cake.
"Coconut charcoal cake..." Nahida glanced at the locals' tables. The dish was pitch black and dry-looking, strange in appearance. She knew it tasted good, but its looks were so unappealing that she doubted Lu Chen and the others would enjoy it very much...
"Better not..." Nahida smiled. "Just bring the dishes I ordered earlier. Oh, and my friend here loves to drink—bring your best selection of wine."
She was, of course, referring to Venti. On hearing this, Venti nearly burst into tears of gratitude. "Nahida, you're the best!"
Nahida scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
Just then, Lu Chen noticed that Ei and Zhongli had already taken their seats, and a sudden realization struck him.
He leaned over to Nahida and muttered, "Uh... there's something..."
"What is it?" Nahida blinked, puzzled. "Why do you look so serious?"
Lu Chen glanced at Lambad, then lowered his voice.
"Uh... did you bring Mora?"
Nahida's eyes widened slightly.
That was all it took for Lu Chen to realize—this was bad. Even with four Archons at the table, they probably couldn't scrape together a single Mora.
What now? They'd ordered so much already—wouldn't it look like they were here to dine and dash?
Seeing his awkward expression, Nahida suddenly gave a mischievous wink.
"Ehe~ just kidding!"
"Huh?"
Lu Chen stared as she pulled out a small, ornate purse and gave it a playful shake.
"You tricked me!" Lu Chen groaned. He couldn't believe Nahida had actually learned to tease them like this.
Nahida's smile curved like a crescent moon. "I'm not brainless, how could I forget something this simple? You really overthink things~"
"Uh... right..." Lu Chen glanced at the table of gods still waiting for their food.
Who exactly was she calling brainless here...
"The young lady must be local, huh? You sure know a lot about Sumeru's specialties," Lambad said, striking up a conversation while the kitchen bustled.
"I'm from Sumeru, but this is actually my first time in the city," Nahida said with a smile. "Besides, Lambad Tavern's fame reaches far beyond the city. Even outsiders know the great name of its owner~"
"Hahaha, is that so?"
The little compliment made Lambad beam with pride. Stretching and yawning, he said happily,
"Didn't think I was that famous! Haha! I wonder if the rumors also tell of my adventures back in the day. Once, I was the greatest sailor on the Sumeru Sea—no exaggeration! I braved storms that blotted out the sky, fiercer than the wrath of the Raiden Shogun herself. I shattered glaciers thicker than even the Tsaritsa's frozen might. I—"
Another yawn cut him off. Lu Chen noticed the man's bloodshot eyes, the exhaustion clear on his face.
Yet despite his fatigue, Lambad was determined to regale his young guests with tales of his past.
"And there was also—"
"Boss Lambad..." Nahida interrupted gently, "how long has it been since you rested properly? You should stop and get some sleep..."
"Eh..." Lambad rubbed his forehead. "I go to bed on time every day, but lately—for some reason—I just feel exhausted..."
"Exhausted?" Lu Chen caught on to something odd.
"Yeah..." Lambad shook his head with a sigh. "Maybe it's just age catching up to me. Sleep quality isn't what it used to be."
While they spoke, a sharp crack suddenly rang out from Venti's side.
Everyone turned to look. Venti was staring, puzzled, at the server who had brought him the wine. The bottle had slipped and shattered on the floor.
"What's wrong with you? So clumsy!" Lambad scolded, clearly annoyed.
"Sorry, boss..." the waiter stammered, looking ashamed. "I don't know what's been wrong with me lately. My head's been foggy... Really sorry, sir, I'll get you a new bottle right away."
He hurried back into the kitchen and soon returned with a replacement.
"It's okay! I'll cover the cost of that one, don't dock it from his pay~" Venti said cheerfully.
Then he looked at Lambad. "But seriously, why do all your staff look half-asleep? Are they overworked?"
"Not really... we haven't had many customers lately," Lambad muttered. Looking around at his employees' weary faces, his anger quickly faded.
"Has anything happened recently?" Lu Chen pressed. Something about this didn't sit right with him.
"Recently..." Lambad thought hard. "Not really... Oh! Right!"
He snapped his fingers. "Last week was the Sabzeruz Festival—the Flower God's Birthday. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary."
"Sabzeruz Festival?" Lu Chen turned to Nahida.
Nahida explained, "It was originally called the Flower God's Birthday. In the beginning, it celebrated the birthday of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's friend. After the Lord of the Woods passed, the festival continued, but its date was changed to the birthday of the Lesser Lord."
"That's right!" Lambad chimed in. "I heard that in the old days, people celebrated with great fanfare. But after the Little Lord stopped appearing in public, the festival lost its luster. Hardly anyone celebrates it now."
"Yes... that's true..." Nahida's eyes softened with faint emotion.
Lu Chen glanced at her, thinking silently. The decline of the festival wasn't natural—it had to be the Akademiya's doing. They'd spent years erasing the Lesser Lord's influence, making people remember only the Greater Lord.
Still, the festival had already passed last week, and it didn't seem connected to the strange atmosphere in the tavern. Looking around, Lu Chen realized it wasn't just the staff—the customers all seemed equally fatigued.
Nahida noticed too. She walked straight over to a table of patrons with tired faces.
"Uh... I'm a sailor. I'm always traveling between Port Ormos and Sumeru City. Probably just been too busy lately, not enough sleep..."
"I botched my thesis recently... couldn't sleep well at all..."
"Huh? You think I look pale? Oh no, no no—I've got a date later today, I can't show up looking like this..."
Lu Chen followed her, asking questions at several tables, but got nothing useful.
When they returned to their own table, he and Nahida exchanged a silent glance. Even the spread of food before them couldn't stir their appetites.
"Huh? What's wrong? You guys don't feel like eating?" Venti asked, lowering his bottle.
"Chen?" Ei studied him. "You kept questioning the customers earlier. Did you notice something strange?"
Lu Chen told everyone what he'd observed. As they listened, silence settled over the group.
"This strange sleepiness... is it just confined to this tavern, or..." Zhongli's calm voice carried weight. "...is the entire city of Sumeru affected?"
"Easiest way to know is to go check," Scaramouche said coolly, folding his arms. He looked completely unconcerned.
"Let's finish up and head out," Lu Chen decided quickly.
He lowered his voice as he looked at the others.
"If the whole city's like this, then we need to find Lumine and Paimon. They're bound to have more intel than we do."
Their exotic meal ended in heavy silence. Lu Chen hadn't even begun tackling the Irminsul issue, and already, another troublesome problem had appeared.