He changed Tiwat

Chapter 53 The Inevitable "Birthday of the Flower Goddess" [4k]

To prevent the church from sending people to the theater to cause trouble again, Ying and Han Fulai stayed in the Grand Bazaar for the next two days to "keep the place in check".

Sure enough, with Mondstadt's "Honorary Knight" and Liyue's "River Dragon" in charge, the Order of the Fathers really didn't send anyone to cause trouble again.

Actually, it wasn't that Ying and Han Fulai, these two "foreign masters," had any reputation that could intimidate the Church of Jesus. It was mainly due to the covert efforts of Saidaf's "Pulbiruni family" and the Humayi family.

Han Fulai had previously used his magic to temporarily suppress the development of the "Demon Scale Disease" on Dina Zedai's body, and the Humayi family naturally owed him this favor. Dina Zedai's father, that Humayi lord, couldn't openly oppose the Religious Council, but secretly providing them with some conveniences was a simple matter for him.

They originally planned to stay with the Zuber Theater Troupe, eat and live with everyone, and help with the preparations for the festival. However, after hearing about this, Dixia specially found them a large house with its own courtyard in the Grand Bazaar.

The house belongs to Humayi's family. According to Dixia, they can stay as long as they want. If Yingmei is interested, the property certificate can be in Yingmei's name.

This was naturally a thank-you gift from that Mr. Humayi.

Including their expenses at the Grand Bazaar over the past two days, all of it was put on Humayi's tab—Yingmei took Paimon from the west side of the Grand Bazaar to the east side, and then from the south back to the north, thoroughly satisfying their four-dimensional stomachs; Han Fulai, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the treatment of a domineering CEO, seeing any suitable clothes or accessories and saying, "I don't want this or that, but I'll wrap up everything else for you..."

Then, the calendar turned to November 11th, the day of the "Flora Festival".

Demons and gods are summoned by the laws of heaven, and in reality, they do not have the concept of "birthday".

For example, the birthday of the Rock King Emperor was the day of the "Invitation to Immortals Ceremony," which was celebrated together with "New Year's Day." Essentially, it was just to make it easier for people to celebrate. After the Emperor "passed away," Mr. Zhongli, a guest of the Rebirth Hall, claimed that his birthday was December 31st because that day was the end of the year, and he could have a feast at the Rebirth Hall's annual meeting.

Similarly, if you ask Wendy when his birthday is, he'll casually reply with a day suitable for drinking. If he happens to be short of money, he'll probably change it to the day of the Wind God's birthday. When it comes to feasts, there's no better time than the perfect day!

The same applies to the "Flora Festival".

The "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" originated from the story of the Flower Goddess performing a dance for the Tree King more than two thousand years ago, but the exact date is unknown.

At that time, the three gods of Sumeru made a pact in the desert and jointly built the oasis paradise "Wali-Vege," bringing precious peace to Sumeru, which was suffering from the war between demons and gods. The so-called "celebration of the Tree King's birthday" was actually just the three gods finding an excuse to get together and drink.

The party lasted for nearly a month, and even the gods present couldn't pinpoint the exact date of the Flower Goddess's dance. Later, the alliance of the three gods disintegrated, and the Tree King led his followers back to the rainforest, remaining tight-lipped about his desert allies and the oasis paradise. Now that all three gods are dead, this past has become even more obscure.

According to later scholars, the banquet was roughly held between late October and mid-November, and the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" was also set to be held between late October and mid-November each year.

When the Tree King was alive, the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" usually lasted from the end of October to the middle of November, a festival that lasted for half a month, which was considered a "national holiday" in Sumeru. However, after the Tree King passed away, this "national holiday" was canceled by the Order of the Monarchy, and the date of the festival was compressed to November 11.

Now, if people want to celebrate the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival," they have to take time off work themselves, so naturally even fewer people are willing to participate.

As for why November 11th was chosen, perhaps it's because this date seems as lonely as the little auspicious grass king who lives alone in Jingshan Palace...

On the morning of the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival," someone knocked on the gate of the courtyard where Han Fulai and others were temporarily staying.

Han Fulai, who always gets up early, opened the door and welcomed Miss Dina Zedai in.

Sleepy-eyed Yingmei and Xiaopaimeng yawned as they got up, and were both taken aback when they saw Dina Zedai wearing a flower crown and dressed up in her finest attire.

"Oh no...did I miss the meeting time?"

"Did we oversleep?"

The Grand Bazaar is built underground, so sunrises and sunsets are unseen, and timekeeping relies on mechanical clocks. Ying and Paimon, however, have never worn pocket watches, let alone set alarms. For the past two days, they've simply played until they're tired, then slept, then ate—their biological clocks are basically in sync with those of the students on summer vacation at the Faculty Academy…

They had arranged to meet Dina Zede at the theater on the day of the festival, and Dina Zede came all the way to find them, probably because they had been waiting for too long and had come to check on things.

Seeing that the two had misunderstood, Dina Zede shook her head shyly, "No, it's just that I came too early... I had insomnia last night, so I came before dawn and disturbed your rest, I'm sorry..."

Han Fulai smiled faintly upon hearing this: "After all, Miss Dina Zede has been looking forward to today for a long time, and we Liyue people feel the same way when we celebrate the 'Lantern Festival'."

Paimon clapped his hands: "That's right, Dinazede has put in so much effort for this festival, of course we should come and enjoy it early!"

Dina Zede lowered her head shyly: "It may sound childish... but today is my first time attending a festival, and it's for the birthday of my beloved Little Lucky Grass King. I'm really looking forward to today's festival. Every minute and second of the festival is as precious as gold to me, no, I should say, even more precious than gold..."

Ying waved her hand dismissively: "Don't worry, we'll definitely have a blast with you today!"

She looked around and realized that someone seemed to be missing from Dina Zede's side.

"By the way, why didn't Miss Dixia come with you?"

“Dishia…” Dina Zede glanced back at the courtyard.

A black and gold high ponytail flashed by under the trees in the distance.

“She said that if I were surrounded by a bunch of bodyguards, not only would I not be able to relax, but my friends in the Grand Bazaar would also feel disappointed, so she ‘secretly’ protected me.”

"Besides... I have many trustworthy 'guardian knights' around me, don't I?"

Upon hearing "Guardian Knight," Yingmei immediately perked up and gave Dina Zede a standard knightly salute from the Knights of Favonius, extending her hand to Dina Zede: "At your service, my lady."

Dina Zede smiled and took Ying's hand: "Then I'll leave it to you, my knight."

There are many people who, like Dina Zede, are looking forward to the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival".

Although it was not yet seven o'clock in the morning, the vendors in the Grand Bazaar had already set up their stalls and begun preparing for today's celebration.

According to tradition, the festival stalls at the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" are open to visitors free of charge.

Visitors attending the festival can simply say auspicious phrases like "Happy Birthday, Grass God!" or "May the Grass King bless you and me!" to the stall owners if they see anything delicious or fun that catches their eye.

Of course, these goods were all purchased in advance by the festival's organizer, the Zubair Theater.

However, the vendors who came to participate in the festival were not there for the organizer's subsidies. A large number of them refused the theater troupe's subsidies and gave away their own goods for free, just for the festive atmosphere.

They value faith more than money, and holding a grand ceremony for their god is far more important to them than Mora.

Thanks to the help of these vendors, the streets, which usually look a bit old and narrow, have been transformed. Every shop is filled with blooming patissani, making it look like the legendary goddess of flowers has walked by and left behind a "flower street," creating a special atmosphere of the "flower goddess's birthday festival."

Dina Zedai led Han Fulai and his group to the first shop on "Flower Street".

This used to be a fruit and vegetable stall, filled with fresh seasonal produce. The stall owner was named Amar, and his trademarks were his small mustache and loud voice.

Amar is a regular at the Zubair Theater. He was also watching the "hearing" a few days ago. After Han Fulai won the debate, Amar would give him some fresh fruit as a thank you every time he and Yingmei passed by the stall. Over time, they became quite familiar with each other.

As soon as you step into this street, you'll hear Amar's shouts promoting his products, such as, "These fruits were just picked from the forest yesterday!" and "Absolutely fresh, with heart!"

Today, the owner of Amar was unusually quiet. He not only dressed up for the holiday but also trimmed his beard, making him appear much more "gentle." The fruits and vegetables on his stall were also much less abundant than usual.

“Mushrooms, flowers, and fruits…” Little Paimon counted and found that there were seven kinds of fruits and vegetables on the stall. The seven kinds of fruits and vegetables were arranged in a heart shape around the flower basket in the center, which seemed to be some kind of ritual.

Dina Zede smiled and explained to Paimon, "These are all the ingredients for the 'Seven Delicacies Table'."

Upon hearing this, Amar chuckled and gave a thumbs up: "Wow, this young lady recognized it at a glance! I thought not many people knew this anymore."

"These distinguished guests are from abroad. Have they not yet seen our local specialty, the 'Seven Delicacies Table'? This is a custom passed down from the 'Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival.' Five hundred years ago in Sumeru, people would set seven dishes on their dining table during the 'Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival'..."

"Generally speaking, the most common ones are these seven: Tree King Mushroom, Moon Lotus, Rose, Sunset Fruit, Calamity Lotus, Spicy Fruit, and Dun Dun Peach..."

He introduced the "Seven Delicacies" one by one, picking out one from the shelf and putting it into the fruit basket after each one he mentioned. Then he enthusiastically handed the basket to Paimon: "Here you go, these are all the freshest ingredients! If you need more, you can come back to me!"

Paimon struggled to carry the fruit basket, which was almost half her size, and complained to Yingmei in a low voice, "So the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival is a vegetarian day... I'm a little disappointed..."

Dina Zede covered her mouth and laughed: "Hehe... It doesn't mean that we can only eat vegetarian food. These seven dishes are just to symbolize the seven virtues of the gods."

"The 'Tree King Sacred Body Mushroom' is a creation of the Tree King, symbolizing the 'wisdom' of the gods."

"The moon lotus blooms only in the still of the night, facing the moonlight, symbolizing the 'humility' of the gods."

"The Sumeru Rose is actually a rose, with its thorns protecting its beautiful flower, symbolizing the 'courage' of the gods."

"Sunset fruit is the most widely distributed and readily available fruit across the continent, symbolizing the 'generosity' of the gods;"

"The 'Lotus of Calamity' grows on sheer cliffs, symbolizing the 'tenacity' of the gods."

"Spices are the most important spices in Mount Sumeru. They blend a variety of flavors into one, harmonizing all kinds of tastes, and symbolizing the 'tolerance' of the gods;"

"The Dun Dun peach is rich in juice, sweet and delicious, and can quench thirst and satisfy hunger. It can be used for ornamental purposes and medicinal purposes. It is known as the 'gift of abundance' and symbolizes the 'mercy' of the gods..."

"Wow, Dina Zede, you know so much!" Paimon couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Dina Zede turned her head away shyly: "Although I can't compare to the scholars of the Order of the Church, I have also studied the folk customs of Sumeru very diligently... especially those about Lord Little Lucky Grass..."

Ying took out a few plump peaches from the fruit basket to lighten Meng's burden. While eating, she said, "So, the reason why the gods of Sumeru use various vegetarian dishes as symbols is because this is the Land of Grass...?"

Paimon immediately drew inferences: "Then the festivals in the Land of Fire must be all about roasted poultry, meatballs, and steaks, right? Ying, let's move our trip to Nata forward!"

Han Fulai couldn't help but complain, "This has nothing to do with elements, right? Mondstadt people don't live on air, and Liyue people don't eat stones..."

Dina Zede couldn't help but chuckle: "Haha... I hope you get what you want, Paimon."

As the group strolled along the "flower street," their hands were soon covered with various festival souvenirs.

Just then, a shout caught their attention: "Gentlemen, would you like to try 'alchemy divination'?"

The stall owner was guarding an alchemy table, wearing a green flat cap of the Order of the Church, the emblem on which indicated that he was a student of the "Minglun School".

The stall owner introduced himself: "My name is Zimia, and I'm a student of the 'Pulbiluni School.' My teacher sent me to participate in the 'Flora Festival,' and also to test my progress in astrology..."

Sending disciples from their own school to participate in the "Flora Festival" was naturally at the behest of Mr. Sedafi, and could be seen as the "Pulbiruni School" supporting the "Flora Festival".

Out of respect for this Lord Habantha, the people of the Order of the Church would probably have some reservations even if they wanted to interfere with the festival, right?

"Alchemy and divination, that's quite an unusual combination." Han Fulai stopped in front of the stall and recommended it to Xiang Ying and Dina Zedai with great interest: "Would you like to try a divination?"

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Omen of the Moon

Ying and Paimon have always been very interested in divination.

Of course, they couldn't learn it by studying. Star charts and such made them sleepy just looking at them, let alone memorizing the formulas for calculating the trajectories of stars. Even Teacher Mona couldn't get them started... But watching others do divination was a different story.

Just like in a play, actors have to memorize lines, remember their positions, and do actions, which is very tiring. However, the audience can just sit back, eat sunflower seeds, and watch the performance, which is much more relaxing!

When readers of "Yae-do" clamor for the author to "add another eighty chapters," their mentality is the same, isn't it?

Hearing that there was a divination game to play, Ying and Paimeng rushed to Han Fulai.

What is 'alchemy divination'?

"Sounds interesting?"

Zimia scratched his head, looking rather unsure: "This...this 'alchemy divination,' it's said to be a divination method invented by the Little Lucky Grass King, and its principles are very mysterious...I'm a beginner, and I haven't quite grasped it yet..."

"The Little Lucky Grass King invented divination? How exactly do you do it?" Dina Zede's eyes immediately lit up.

She was considered the most senior "Little Lucky Grass King Chef" in the entire Sumeru, but even she was hearing about this "alchemy divination" for the first time.

Zimia pointed to the alchemy table: "The divination process is quite simple. Please just take two items from your person that can be used as alchemy materials, and then I will perform an alchemy..."

Paimon immediately retorted, "Hey! If you're this casual, won't the alchemy definitely fail?"

Zimia actually nodded: "Yes, failure is good. This method of divination is based on the appearance of the ashes left after a failed alchemy attempt."

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance—the credibility of this divination is practically zero!

Dina Zede thoughtfully agreed with Zimia's statement: "In the legends I've heard, and in the stories that the Little Lucky Grass King told me, everything is connected, and everything can point to 'fate'... Hmm, isn't that the 'wisdom' of the Grass God?"

Ying and Paimon exchanged another glance—why did Dina Zede's words make the divination seem more reliable?

Even Zimia couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: "Wow, so there's such a profound meaning in 'alchemy divination'! This young lady knows so much!"

Ying and Paimon both glanced sideways at Zimia—this student from the Order of the Church didn't even know as much about divination as Dina Zede; was she really any good?!

Han Fulai casually took out a Mora and handed it to Zimia: "If it's a personal item, is Mora okay?"

“Of course, no problem!” Zimia took Mora and then looked at Yingmei and the others: “Oh, right, ‘alchemy divination’ can be done by multiple people at the same time. If you are traveling together, you can do divination together.”

Ying rolled her eyes and took out a half-eaten peach: "Can this be considered a personal item?"

Zimia nodded.

Seeing this, Paimon took out a spice from the fruit basket: "This should work too, right?"

Zimia nodded again.

Encouraged by Ying and Paimon, Dina Zede also picked out a Sumeru Rose from the basket and gave it to Zimia. Zimia accepted it all and poured them all onto the alchemy table.

"Alright, let's see everyone's fortune for today..."

A flash of light accompanied by thick smoke, and Mora, Dun Dun Peach, Spice Fruit, and Sumeru Rose all turned to ashes on the alchemy table.

Zimia dispersed the smoke and looked down at the alchemy table carefully: "Let me see, this is... um, 'the moon'."

"'The moon'?" Paimon frowned as he looked at the alchemy table. "It looks like a pancake that's been bitten into..."

As is well known, the moon in Teyvat is always full; only in ancient records is there any mention of "lunar phases." However, it's not surprising that Chimia, being a student of the "Ming Theory" school of the Church, knew these ancient astronomical facts.

But being able to see the shape of ash doesn't mean you can interpret it.

“‘The moon’ generally means… well, it means…” Zimia hesitated for a long time before finally managing to stammer out, “…wait a minute.”

"What does 'wait a minute' mean?" Paimon looked at Yingmei and the others blankly.

"It might mean the literal meaning..."

Han Fulai gestured to her with his eyes. Zimia had already squatted under the alchemy table, and the "whoosh" sound could be heard coming from under the alchemy table.

Yingmei grinned: "It looks like he's secretly flipping through reference books..."

While they were complaining, Zimia finally turned to the relevant interpretation section, stood up and announced loudly: "I remember now! 'Moon' means 'illusion' and 'lie'."