As soon as Nahida finished speaking, Dunyarzad nodded.
"I'll do as you say."
Still, she hesitated when it came to addressing Nahida by name. In the end, she added "Miss" to show her respect.
She stayed for a while, helping Lora and Nahida sell flowers. When Nilou noticed her, she walked over curiously.
"Huh? Dunyarzad, why are you selling flowers with Miss Lora and Nahida?"
"Because I want to," she said, then asked, "How are the preparations for the Sabzeruz Festival going?"
"With me around, how could anything go wrong?" Nilou replied with a confident nod. "Everyone's busy getting ready. On the day itself, we'll definitely give Lesser Lord Kusanali the most wonderful birthday celebration."
"That's good." She nodded, finally relaxing.
This time, the ceremony would be witnessed by a god in person. It had to be perfect.
She couldn't stay long, so in the end, she said her goodbyes and left the Grand Bazaar, reluctant as she was.
Nahida watched her leave, remaining silent for a long while.
Standing beside her, Lora said, "There are people in Sumeru who need you. Dunyarzad does. Nilou does. The people here in the Grand Bazaar do too. And beyond them, many more. They may not be able to speak for themselves, but they all need you."
"Need me?" Nahida murmured.
"Yes. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is gone. What they need now is you, the Dendro Archon." Lora gave a slight nod as she gathered up the Padisarah from the stall. "Come with me. I'll take you to my place."
She took Nahida's hand, said goodbye to Nilou, and led her out of the Grand Bazaar toward her temporary residence in Sumeru.
"Auntie, are you staying at an inn in Sumeru?" Nahida asked.
Lora shook her head. "No. Inns are too expensive."
"Expensive? But..." Nahida looked at her, puzzled. She couldn't understand how a word like "expensive" could come from a god, let alone one of the Seven Archons.
Lora let out a helpless sigh. "Your aunt's a little short on Mora right now."
Neuvillette wouldn't refuse to reimburse her, but he had someone pass along a message.
Since Fontaine was hers anyway, any reimbursement would still come out of her own pocket.
That alone was enough to wear her down.
"I even sent some bills to Northland Bank, but they only covered part of them. They said something like, 'Since Tartaglia isn't in Sumeru, why are there so many bills?'" The more she spoke, the more exasperated she sounded.
Once she got back to Fontaine, she was definitely going to make proper use of Northland Bank's money.
After walking for quite a while, Lora finally brought her to where she was staying. It wasn't an inn, but a small, slightly run-down house—though it was spotless inside and out.
"Well? This is the perfect hideout I found in Sumeru... ahem, place to stay." Lora pushed the door open and led her inside.
"It's a little small, but more than enough for the two of us. And if it really comes down to it, you can share a bed with me."
She guided Nahida over to the bed as she spoke.
Nahida's eyes were filled with confusion. Looking at her, she asked, "You're a god. Why do you live like this?"
Lora paused for a moment, then replied, "Because I want to, I guess."
That really was the reason. She simply enjoyed it. This kind of life appealed to her.
Without a bit of fun, life would be unbearably dull. For gods, that "fun" could take many forms. One idle bard preferred listening to stories and walking his birds. Another carefree poet enjoyed performing and joking around. A reclusive tinkerer devoted herself to creating and inventing.
As for her, this was enough.
Living as she pleased.
If she wanted to stay in a shabby little house, she would. If she felt like living in a luxurious villa, she would do that too.
"This is the wisdom of life," Nahida said softly. "Your wisdom truly is profound."
Over the next few days, she remained by Lora's side almost constantly. Lora felt she should try going out on her own, but Nahida showed little interest in wandering the streets alone.
Moving around outside in her own body still made her uneasy.
After all, the closest she had ever come to interacting with the people of Sumeru was through Katheryne. Back then, she had been hidden behind that borrowed form, without having to worry about being recognized.
So Lora had no choice but to put her flower stall on hold for the time being and take Nahida around Sumeru City and the surrounding rainforest, doing her best to build up the confidence she lacked most right now.
Then the Flower God's Birthday arrived.
Lumine and Paimon returned from Port Ormos to attend the Sabzeruz Festival.
When they learned that Nahida was Lora's niece, both of them stared in disbelief.
"Huh? Isn't Lora an Adeptus from Liyue? Why would she have a niece in Sumeru?" Paimon asked, glancing at Nahida beside her. Then she added, "And why doesn't she look very human...?"
"She's not human," Lora replied flatly, "and neither am I."
"Uh... I guess that makes sense." Paimon scratched her head.
Lumine, however, kept her gaze on Nahida.
Paimon didn't know Lora was a god, but Lumine did. Now that she understood their relationship, several possibilities immediately came to mind.
Lora was a god, and Nahida was the descendant of one of her friends in Sumeru. She wasn't human either...
At that point, the answer was obvious.
Though questions crowded her mind, this clearly wasn't the time to ask them.
They met up with Dunyarzad on the street and spent the day wandering through Sumeru City together. With the Sabzeruz Festival in full swing—and Lora footing the bill—the entire city had been beautifully decorated and felt incredibly lively.
As they walked, they listened to her recount old legends from a distant past.
Stories no ordinary person had ever heard—tales of the Lord of Verdure and the Mistress of Amrita.
No one spoke. Given who she was, they all understood that these "stories" were likely real history.
As evening drew near, it was finally time to head to the Grand Bazaar and watch Nilou's Dance of the Flower God.
Dunyarzad went along with the others, her heart brimming with excitement.
This time, she would be able to watch that beautiful dance together with a god.
She had to be the happiest believer of the Dendro Archon in the world.