As soon as Paimon heard that the missing item was connected to "the wisdom of the gods," her little brain instantly went into overdrive.
She blinked her bright, expressive eyes, mumbling to herself.
"Wisdom of the gods? Could that be the Dendro Archon's wisdom? Maybe they want us to find that thing and use it to get in with the Akademiya? But… would just finding an item really let us meet the Archon?"
Dehya crossed her arms, thinking for a moment before offering her take.
"Even if it doesn't get you a direct audience with the Archon, forming a good relationship with the Akademiya could still be helpful for you."
At that, Shao Yun realized the conversation was drifting toward another fetch quest. He quickly raised a hand to interrupt Paimon's train of thought.
"Hold on a sec! Don't get ahead of yourselves. What if the Akademiya never intended to 'befriend' us in the first place? Wouldn't we just be wasting our time chasing our tails?"
"In that case, this lead might not be all that useful."
Dehya, who had been rather confident about her suggestion, hesitated after hearing his reasoning.
As a desert-born mercenary, she knew better than most what kind of people the Akademiya harbored—and Shao Yun's concerns weren't unfounded.
"Hmm… you're right. The Akademiya does have a reputation for using people and then tossing them aside. If this clue turns out to be a dead end…"
She paused briefly, then added thoughtfully, "Then unless you somehow become a sage, there's probably no real way to meet the Archon directly."
Paimon's excitement immediately deflated when she realized Shao Yun thought the lead was useless. But she quickly regained her spirits and decided to set aside the plan to visit Port Ormos for now.
Even though the information hadn't led anywhere, she still gave Dehya a grateful smile.
"I see… well, even so, thanks a bunch, Dehya! You really went out of your way to find all that."
Feeling bad that her intel hadn't helped, Dunyarzad quickly spoke up to comfort them.
"Oh, don't be disheartened!" she said warmly. "Maybe during the Sabzeruz Festival, the Dendro Archon will secretly take on the form of a cute little animal and appear among the people!"
Her hopeful, almost childlike smile radiated pure faith.
Dehya, however, couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle.
"My lady, that's… a bit too fanciful, don't you think? You're imagining the Lesser Lord Kusanali turning into a cat, a dog, or even a fungus like in a children's tale? No matter how you look at it, that's extremely unlikely."
Shao Yun listened quietly, suppressing a smirk. Nahida turning into a cat or dog? Not a chance. But a fungus…? Now that one's not impossible.
Dunyarzad, still bright and hopeful, continued with unshaken enthusiasm.
"Anything is possible! As long as we all work together to make this year's festival lively and full of joy, I'm sure the Dendro Archon will sense our sincerity and appear to celebrate with us!"
Shao Yun couldn't help but think, Oh, she'll appear all right—just not as a little animal. More like… as Katheryne.
…
During dinner, Dunyarzad and Nilou began eagerly sharing stories about the Lesser Lord Kusanali with Lumine and Paimon.
They spoke animatedly about the Archon's miracles, her kindness, and her deep care for the people of Sumeru.
As time passed, the four girls became completely engrossed in conversation, laughter flowing freely between them.
If not for Dehya's worry that Shahzaman might come looking for them, they probably would've chatted until dawn.
They truly were kindred spirits, and by the end, Dunyarzad enthusiastically invited Lumine and Paimon to attend the upcoming Sabzeruz Festival with her.
When they accepted, Dunyarzad's smile shone brighter than any lantern in the bazaar—this festival, she felt, would surely be the happiest day of her life.
…
Later that night, Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon returned to their lodgings.
As soon as they entered, Lumine plopped down onto the bed with a soft thump.
She removed her hat and glanced toward Shao Yun, who was pouring her a glass of water. "So, Shao Yun," she asked curiously, "are you planning to go to Port Ormos?"
Shao Yun handed her the glass and gently brushed her chin with his fingers before shaking his head.
"Not a chance. We're trying to meet the Dendro Archon, not fetch trinkets for those Akademiya bureaucrats. No need to go sucking up to them for nothing."
Lumine took the cup, downed it in one go, then passed the empty glass back.
Though Shao Yun dismissed the Port Ormos lead, Lumine looked conflicted.
Frowning slightly, she said softly, "Still… it's the only clue we have right now that's even remotely related to the Archon."
He wanted to tell her the truth—that he already knew about Nahida—but he'd promised to keep her secret.
So instead, he simply reached out and gently caressed her cheek, his voice low and reassuring.
"Trust me, sweetheart. I've got a plan, and everything's moving according to it. You've already left the matter of finding the Archon to me—so relax. Look at what I accomplished today, huh? Not bad, right?"
He wasn't entirely happy about how Nahida had acted on her own, but she had delivered results worth showing.
Seeing his confidence, Lumine gave a small laugh. She knew him well enough—Shao Yun wasn't the type to make promises lightly or slack off once he did.
"Alright," she said, smiling faintly. "I'll leave it to you then."
With that, the matter of finding the Archon was temporarily set aside.
Shao Yun sat down beside her, his tone light as he changed the topic. "So, how was Vimana Village today? Anything interesting happen?"
At the mention, Lumine pouted slightly and shook her head.
"Hmm… not exactly. Things were… pretty rough, actually."
Shao Yun's expression turned serious. "Something happened?"
Lumine nodded, rubbing her neck as she sighed. "Yeah, it was quite a difficult situation."
She then recounted everything that had happened in Vimara Village that day.
When Shao Yun heard about Rana being trapped in the Withering Zone and protected by the Aranara inside the Vanarana, he immediately understood—Lumine must have completed the "The Lost Child" section of the Aranyaka questline.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "So you and Paimon are working with the Aranara to fix the rainforest problem, celebrate the Festival Utsava, get the Bija Fruit, and save Rana?"
Lumine nodded firmly. "Mhm! Rana's our friend—we have to save her no matter what!"
Shao Yun gave her shoulder a gentle pat. "If you need help, you know you can call me."
This time, Lumine didn't refuse like she often did. Instead, she met his gaze with rare seriousness. "I just might take you up on that."
He blinked, then smiled. "You got it."
In his mind, Shao Yun already knew what she was worried about—Alphonso, the "Bad Guy," or perhaps Trofin Snezhevich.
What choice would Lumine make? Would she let Alphonso go… or end his life?
Only after saving Rana would the answer become clear.
…
As bedtime approached, Shao Yun stretched lazily and started heading for the loft upstairs.
Seeing him climb the stairs, Lumine tilted her head. "Hey, Shao Yun, what are you going up there for?"
He looked back, completely casual. "To sleep, obviously. I promised Paimon yesterday, remember?" He pointed toward the bed.
Following his gesture, Lumine saw that Paimon had already sprawled out comfortably on what used to be her and Shao Yun's double bed.
Her eyes gleamed mischievously. With a sly grin, she called sweetly, "Hey, Paimon~ come here for a sec~"
Paimon, half-drowsy and cozy under the blankets, turned her head in confusion.
When she saw Lumine's mischievous smile—a little too mischievous—she immediately got nervous.
Still, she floated over cautiously. "Uh… w-what is it, Lumine? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Without warning, Lumine reached out, scooped Paimon into her arms, and nuzzled her cheek against the little fairy's soft face.
Then, in a teasing tone, she murmured, "Aww, my dear Paimon~ If I make you extra yummy food every day, could you maybe, maybe let Shao Yun sleep next to me tonight, hmm?"
Paimon froze, her face turning pink as her brain short-circuited.
After several stunned seconds, she stammered, "H-huh?! N-no way! We agreed we'd sleep together! And getting tasty food from you two is just… what I deserve!"
Lumine pouted dramatically, then decided to escalate her tactics.
She cupped Paimon's chubby cheeks and planted a flurry of loud kisses—smooch, smooch, smooch!
Each one made Paimon squeal and blush furiously.
"Please? Pretty please?" Lumine coaxed between kisses. "You're the cutest, sweetest Paimon in the whole world! If you agree, I'll make your favorite Sweet Madame tomorrow!"
Overwhelmed by affection and culinary temptation, Paimon finally broke down laughing.
"Ahaha— o-okay, okay! I give up! Just stop kissing me already, it tickles! Hahaha!"
Satisfied, Lumine released her, grinning triumphantly.
Paimon, face still flushed, rubbed her cheeks with tiny hands and muttered grumpily, "Fine, for the sake of Sweet Madame, I'll take the baby bed tonight."
And so, Lumine successfully bribed Paimon with food, freeing up space for Shao Yun.
As for the single bed upstairs—well, that was no longer her concern.
Meanwhile, while the two girls were bathing, Shao Yun stood just outside, holding something in his hand.
It was Huachu's secondhand qipao.
Even stripped of its jewelry and adornments, the dress's former elegance was still visible.
Even at a bargain price, it would've been worth tens of thousands of Mora.
But without hesitation, Shao Yun struck a match and set it aflame.
As the fire consumed the silk, the qipao turned to ash.
He watched silently, eyes reflecting the flickering glow.
And with that, the last trace of the De'an family was gone—the story finally laid to rest.
As for not burning it for Huachu herself…
Well, if only she could actually receive it.