After breakfast, everyone headed toward the competition venue.
As they passed through the streets, Amber suddenly called out happily to someone ahead: "Eula!"
It was a slim, solitary-looking figure. Even though the street was crowded with people, she still gave off the feeling of being out of place.
Hearing Amber's voice, she stopped and turned around.
"Amber."
The girl named Eula looked slightly surprised to see Amber running toward her.
"Are you free today?" Amber hugged her briefly, grinning. "Of course! I finished my mission in the wild two days ago, so I just happened to have today off. I can come and watch your competition!"
Eula's heart warmed, though her face didn't soften much. Her tone stayed calm: "I see."
"Eula!" Klee waved excitedly, greeting her with a big smile.
Eula nodded to her. "Klee's here too."
"Mm! Klee will cheer you on as well!"
"Thank you."
Amber then introduced her to the group. "This is the friend I told you all about—the Spindrift Knight, Eula! And Eula, these are some new friends I've made…"
After the introductions, Eula's gaze fell on Xia Zhi. Her eyes flickered slightly as she spoke: "So this is Mr. Xia. I've heard of you…"
"Oh?" Xia Zhi asked curiously.
"Just a few days ago, I ate a meal you cooked at Noelle's place. It really was delicious."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Yanfei once mentioned it in a letter too—she said your cooking was extremely, extremely, extremely tasty. I didn't believe her at first."
"You know Miss Yanfei as well?" Xia Zhi asked.
"We've had some interactions before."
And the friend of a friend… is always easier to become friends with.
After a few exchanges, Xia Zhi felt that Eula's tone was no longer as cold as when she first spoke.
Glancing at the silver progress bar above her, he asked, "Miss Eula, are you also entering the dance competition?"
"Yes."
"We are too. Perfect, we can go together."
"Mm."
At that moment, Amber grinned. "You guys probably don't know this, but Eula was last year's dance champion."
Everyone turned their eyes toward her.
Eula remained composed. "That was just luck."
Amber immediately protested: "How could it be luck! Your dancing was beautiful!"
Eula fell silent. She remembered last year—how, despite her excellent performance, barely anyone in the audience clapped for her. Thankfully the judges had been fair and gave her the score she deserved.
Another grudge added to the list…
She shook the thought away and asked, "You're all participating as well?"
"Yes," Xia Ci nodded. "I'm entering too."
Eula looked her over. For the competition, Xia Ci had dressed in bright Sumeru-style clothes. "So you're going to dance…"
"That's right." Xia Ci smiled. "I'm going to perform the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers."
Eula's eyes widened slightly at that.
Of course she knew the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers.
Anyone who cared about dance would have heard of that legendary performance.
It was the centerpiece of the Sabzeruz Festival in Sumeru.
According to legend, a long, long time ago, the Lord of Verdure had a birthday. Her friends gathered to celebrate. At the banquet, the gods grew drunk—one strummed a tune, the Lord of Verdure sang, and the Goddess of Flowers rose to dance.
Wherever her feet touched the grass, countless beautiful Padisarahs bloomed.
Brilliant violet blossoms built a dazzling stage. The gods sighed: Ah, if only this moment could last forever.
Those gods were gone now, but the tradition of dancing in celebration had lived on.
Even so, among the many dancers in Sumeru, very few could truly perform the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers.
Eula doubted the girl before her could manage it, yet Xia Ci's relaxed smile didn't look like she was joking. "If you can truly dance the Dance of the Goddess of Flowers, then this year's championship will surely be yours."
"I think so too."
The familiar voice drifted over. "And if you wore a pretty flower crown while dancing, it would look even better… Ah-choo!"
"…"
The girls turned toward the sound. A few delicate blossoms trembled in the breeze, woven into a flower crown held in a hand desperately trying to cover its nose.
"Venti?" Xia Zhi spotted the bard standing by the roadside, in front of a stall displaying flower crowns.
He seemed to be selling them. And right beside his stall was another lined with stone carvings—manned by none other than the Dragon King himself, beaming like a shopkeeper.
A little further down stood a fortune-telling stall and a painting stall, where Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper wore helpless expressions.
"Ah-choo! …" Venti sneezed twice more, retreating. "Diona, don't come near me…"
The little cat glared at him with annoyance, but still stayed at the back of the group, keeping her distance.
Charlotte leaned closer curiously. "Uncle what are you all doing?"
The Dragon King rubbed his hands together with a sigh. "Sigh, we've been drinking at taverns these days and nearly emptied our pockets. So we thought we'd set up some stalls to earn a little Mora—better than ending up on the streets."
The girls, while unaware that Venti was the Anemo Archon, knew full well who the Dragon King and the two adepti were. Seeing them do something so mundane, their expressions grew a little odd.
Especially Madame Ping and Cloud Retainer, who gave Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper strange, unreadable looks.
Amber and Klee had already shared a meal with the Dragon King before, so they just found it funny.
But Eula didn't know these details. She looked at the Dragon King's thin, shabby clothes and callused hands, and felt a pang of pity.
From the conversation, these stall-keepers seemed to be friends of Mr. Xia's. And Mr. Xia actually had such acquaintances?
Eula glanced at Venti too. She vaguely remembered the bard, but her impression of him wasn't great. She walked up to the Dragon King's stall and picked up one of the stone carvings.
"These carvings… are actually pretty good."
She had expected rough trinkets, but in her hands the craftsmanship was detailed and fine.
Eula wasn't an expert in stone carving, but as a noble, she had been exposed to all sorts of art since childhood. She could feel the beauty in them.
Her eyes softened with appreciation. Wanting to help this poor old man, she asked: "Could you sell one to me?"
The Dragon King smiled. "Of course. Sharp eyes you have, little one. Not a single piece has sold yet. You'll be the first. I'll give you a twenty percent discount."
"Thank you."
Eula lowered her head and selected carefully, finally choosing one carved like a Mist Flower.
She planned to place it on her bedside table as decoration.
"This one then. How much?" She took out her purse.
The Dragon King glanced once and chuckled. "Eight thousand Mora."
"Eight… huh? How much?"
Eula had been about to pull out eight coins when she realized something was off. She looked up at him sharply.
"What did you just say?"
He gave a simple, honest smile and held out his hand. "Eight thousand Mora."
Her voice chilled. "Why eight thousand?"
"The original price was ten thousand. I gave you a discount—eight thousand. That's right."
Eula fell silent, staring at the little carving. Exquisite, yes, but nothing extraordinary. "Even if this were crystal, it wouldn't cost that much. And this is just ordinary stone…"
The Dragon King answered solemnly: "The stone may be ordinary, but carved by me, it is no longer ordinary."
That pompous "artist" tone again—as if anything, no matter how worthless, could become treasure just by slapping the word art on it.
So much for her sympathy. No wonder nobody had bought one—she was about to be the first.
Eula set the carving down and closed her purse, her voice icy. "Sorry, not at that price."
A noble like her wouldn't curse aloud, no matter how much disdain and disgust she felt.
But before she could finish refusing, Xia Zhi stepped beside her, picked up the very carving she had set down, and examined it with an amused tone. "I didn't hear wrong, did I, old friend? This thing costs that much?"
The Dragon King sighed. "That's right. What can I do? People here don't recognize its worth. I've already lowered the price—I just want a little drinking money. I still owe tabs at the tavern. In Liyue, this would fetch at least a hundred thousand Mora."
Eula was dumbfounded. Was this old man crazy? Even if Liyue folk had deeper pockets, that didn't justify a scam.
This kind of trinket—at Mondstadt General Goods, you could buy a handful for a hundred Mora.
Xia Zhi nodded. "All right. I'll take them all."
Eula turned to him in shock. "???"
What?!
Mr. Xia, what are you doing?
Sure, she knew his juice shop was lucrative, but this was just throwing money away! Was he only doing it to spare his friend's fragile pride?
She couldn't understand.
Then she saw Xia Zhi pay in full and walk over to the bard's stall. He picked up a flimsy flower crown that looked like it had been slapped together by a child.
"How much for this one, Venti?"
Venti beamed. "Same as next door. Original price, ten thousand Mora. But since you're my dearest friend, I'll give you half off—just five thousand. How's that?"
Xia Zhi smiled. "Perfect. I'll take them all—"
Before he could finish, Eula grabbed his sleeve. "Are you insane?"
Xia Zhi blinked. "Why do you say that, Miss Eula?"
Her temper flared. "These flower crowns—go to a florist, buy a few flowers, make one yourself—it wouldn't even cost a hundred Mora!"
Venti interjected quickly: "Not the same!"
Eula shot him a glare. "How is it not the same? These are just ordinary Cecilia flowers!"
Venti straightened his face. "They may look like ordinary Cecilias, but having passed through my hands, they're no longer ordinary."
Eula snorted. "People like you are what tarnish Mondstadt's reputation."
"Hey! Don't slander me like that!" Venti protested.
Eula picked up a crown. "Ten thousand Mora? What, are you going to claim this is blessed by Barbatos himself?"
Venti coughed and nodded solemnly. "Exactly. This crown has been blessed by the Anemo Archon. Wear it, and you'll find good fortune."
Eula stared at him, utterly speechless.
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Miss Eula, I appreciate your concern. But I really do like these flower crowns…"
Eula frowned, then sighed, relaxing. "You… forget it. If you insist on buying them, do as you wish."
Xia Zhi paid, picked up a crown, and handed it to her.
She frowned. "What are you doing?"
"A gift for you."
"I don't need it."
"Take it. It's a first-meeting gift from me. There are plenty—I'll give one to everyone."
He pressed the flower crown into her hands, then went on distributing them to the girls.
"Thanks, boss!"
"This is the first time I've worn an accessory worth ten thousand Mora!"
"Me too!"
Meanwhile, Xia Ci had wandered to Moon Carver's fortune-telling stall, eyeing the old Mora displayed there with great interest.
Moon Carver's scalp prickled. He lowered his voice. "Miss Xia Ci, what are you…"
She asked curiously: "How much is a reading?"
"It depends. For romance, ten thousand Mora per reading. For future prospects, twenty thousand."
"Why is romance half-price?"
"Promotion. Special offer."
"I see." Xia Ci nodded. "I'm entering the dance competition today. I want you to tell me if I'll win the championship."
Moon Carver wiped sweat. "That…"
Xia Ci's smile turned sly. "Can't you?"
He grimaced. "Please don't make it hard for me… Oh look—Mr. Xia is calling you!"
"Coming, cousin!" Xia Ci clicked her tongue and turned away.
Moon Carver finally let out a long sigh of relief.