Paimon said, "Refusing subsidies? It seems these merchants do not only care about money."
Dunyarzad replied, "They all say that it is rare to have the chance to celebrate the Little Lord Kusanali's birthday, and the atmosphere matters more than money."
[Paimon: So there are still many people who remember the Lesser Lord Kusanali.]
[Ningguang: But there are not many people on the streets.]
[Nilou: And the number of participating merchants is also small. In Sumeru, not many people remember the Lesser Lord Kusanali anymore.]
[Paimon: Aah, it is all the fault of that despicable Akademiya! They imprison and weaken their own god. What are they trying to do?]
[Ningguang: Perhaps they want to usurp power.]
[Paimon: Like how you and Keqing took over Liyue's authority after Rex Lapis passed away?]
[Lumine: It is different. Ningguang has always respected Rex Lapis.]
Following Dunyarzad, Lumine and Paimon arrived at a stall selling fruits and vegetables.
Dunyarzad examined it carefully. "Is this where they sell the ingredients for the Seven-Course Feast?"
The shopkeeper said happily, "Oh ho! You recognized it right away. I thought not many people knew about it anymore."
Paimon looked closely at the stall. "Mushrooms, various fruits... Why does everything seem to be vegetarian? I am a little disappointed."
"So, what is this Seven-Course Feast you mentioned?"
Dunyarzad explained, "It is a custom of the Sabzeruz Festival. In the past, every household would set out seven kinds of dishes on their tables."
"Generally speaking, the most common ingredients are Rukkhashava Mushrooms, Lotuses, Roses, Sunsettias, Zaytun Peaches, Spices, and Harra Fruits."
Paimon spread her hands unhappily. "So the Sabzeruz Festival is a day for eating vegetarian?"
[Yae Miko: Little Paimon does not seem to like vegetarian food.]
[Paimon: Of course I like meat! Meat tastes better. Vegetarian food always feels like something is missing.]
[Lumine: What is the essence of a foodie?]
[Paimon: The essence of a foodie is to eat, eat, eat!]
[Yae Miko: The essence of a foodie is not being picky!]
[Paimon: I am not picky either. Meat just tastes better.]
[Navia: Does no one think that cake is the best food in the world?]
[Furina: Cake is definitely the best food in the world.]
[Thoma: Hot pot is the best. You can eat many kinds of ingredients at once.]
[Lumine: Provided that you do not intentionally prepare dark cuisine, like putting cake in the hot pot.]
[Yae Miko: The blessing of the Hot Pot God... not bad.]
[Thoma: Sigh, let us not mention that anymore. I no longer believe in the Hot Pot God.]
Dunyarzad quickly clarified, "It does not mean eating only vegetarian. These seven dishes are just symbols of the seven virtues of Sumeru's deity."
Paimon rested her chin on her hand. "So, if the deity of the Dendro nation is symbolized by various vegetables, then would the festivals in the Pyro nation be all about grilled meat, grilled skewers, grilled steaks, and the like?"
"Lumine, let us move our trip to Natlan forward."
Dunyarzad laughed as well. "I hope you get your wish, Paimon."
Paimon spread her hands. "Alright, let us go look at other stalls now."
Then, the two arrived at an alchemy divination shop.
Paimon said, "Alchemy and divination together? That sounds like a strange combination."
[Mona: It sounds more like a combination that wastes materials. If not done this way, a lot of materials could be saved.]
[Lumine: Would practicing this kind of divination not bankrupt someone?]
The shopkeeper, Kimiya, said, "Yes, I thought the same when I first started. Legend has it that the Lesser Lord Kusanali invented it. It is full of mystery."
Paimon asked, "So what exactly do we need to do?"
Kimiya replied, "The process is very simple. Please take any two items from your person that can serve as alchemy materials, and I will casually perform an alchemy."