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Victor Wang was truly a bit exhausted—so exhausted that he didn't even need to continue today's mental-energy consumption training; he could just go back and fall straight into bed.
He teleported back to a quieter teleport waypoint in Sumeru City, and after hesitating for a moment, he decided to stop by the Zubayr Theater first.
Although the notion of "since you're in Sumeru, you absolutely can't miss a performance by Nilou" was something nearly everyone in Sumeru agreed on, at this hour the show should already be nearing its end. So, this time he really was only going to check on the preparation progress for the Sabzeruz Festival—it was official business.
The situation was exactly as he expected. Not only was it nearing its end; it was about to conclude at any moment.
He slowly scanned the new stage of the Zubayr Theater. Aside from the fountain and pool at the front remaining unchanged, the lamps along the sides of the stage and on the overhead rigging had been replaced with flower-shaped lanterns. Greenery and decorations had been refreshed, and the carpets and curtains on the stage all bore new floral patterns. Even the performers on stage seemed a bit more festive.
The only one with a bitter expression, Sheikh Zubayr, had been supervising Kourosh's juggling act. Noticing Victor Wang's arrival, he quietly slipped off the stage from the side.
"You're here. I thought you really wouldn't be coming today."
"Something held me up."
Sheikh Zubayr looked slightly hesitant, but still handed him a script. "This script for [The Merchant of Ormos] is a new one I adapted after getting inspired from reading [The Merchant of Fontaine]. Take a look and see if anything can be improved, and also… it shouldn't count as plagiarism, right?"
Hearing the title [The Merchant of Ormos], Victor Wang froze for a moment and began flipping through it carefully.
Sheikh Zubayr explained further, "Actually, I had the rough outline of this story in my mind a long time ago. When I read [The Merchant of Fontaine], I suddenly had this epiphany—that felt like the story I wanted to write. Really… it was as if this story lived in the shadow of [The Merchant of Fontaine]. Afraid people would accuse me of copying; I spent a long time revising it before finalizing it. I figured it would be good to show it to you."
"…I think it's pretty good. I don't see many noticeable similarities."
"That's good, that's good. Then I can safely schedule [The Merchant of Ormos] into the theater's repertoire."
Sheikh Zubayr clearly let out a breath of relief, then handed him a new program sheet. "Also, there are only twenty days left until the Sabzeruz Festival. We've made some adjustments to our usual shows. During this period, we will consistently include [The Legend of the Flower Goddess], and there will be three days of rehearsal performances for the Sabzeruz Festival. That should be useful for your research."
Victor Wang glanced at it: [The Legend of the Flower Goddess], starring/Nilou; [Dance of Sabzeruz], starring/Nilou.
"Very useful."
"That's good, that's good. You've invested so much funding for this Sabzeruz Festival—we certainly won't let you down."
"Is that money enough?"
"Uh… right, Nilou and Miss Dunyarzad, who also contributed a large amount of funding for the Sabzeruz Festival, are both waiting for you. Especially Miss Dunyarzad—she's been waiting since the beginning of the show. I'll call them over so you can talk."
Sheikh Zubayr had barely left when Nilou and Dunyarzad hurried over.
"I heard you're a great writer from a foreign land, and because you're interested in the Lesser Lord Kusanali, you'd only been in Sumeru for a short time before entrusting a huge amount of funding to Nilou?"
"You could say that."
Victor Wang nodded slightly as he studied this young lady of the Homayani family.
A long pale-blue dress, a purple top, brown hair in an elegant updo. Her complexion looked no different than that of any ordinary person. Gold ornaments and blue gemstones adorned her hair, ears, neck, and waist, giving her an elegant beauty.
Yet this very same person could have hideous gray-black scales appear on her snow-white skin at any moment—leaving her unable to move, unconscious, trapped in a limbo between life and death until the moment of her actual passing.
Dunyarzad herself showed no awareness of this fragility. She was even so enthusiastic that Nilou couldn't get a word in. "It seems you really are interested in the Lesser Lord Kusanali. In that case, I have many stories I can share with you!"
Nilou shook her head slightly in helplessness.
Dunyarzad noticed and immediately apologized. "Ah—sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Dunyarzad, a devoted admirer of the Lesser Lord Kusanali!"
"My name is Victor."
"If you're willing, may I take some of your time to tell you about the Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
"Of course."
To maintain his researcher persona, Victor Wang listened attentively for half an hour as Dunyarzad spoke about Nahida—some things he already knew, some things he didn't.
Naturally, Nilou was forced to sit beside them for the entire half hour.
By the time she finished speaking, the Zubayr Theater had already ended its show. While Victor Wang didn't find anything unpleasant about their conversation, Dunyarzad's final words truly troubled him.
"During the difficult days when the Lesser Lord Kusanali stayed with me through an Eleazar attack, even though she disappeared afterward, I think… if she could notice someone like me—someone who never goes out and has no friends—then her choosing to leave must mean she went somewhere else to save people like me."
"My health isn't very good nowadays… so I hope—hope I can see the book you're writing before I 'leave.' I hope the Lesser Lord Kusanali can be recognized by everyone. She really is a wonderful Archon!"
No wonder her voice slowly weakened even though her words never stopped for half an hour…
She's pinning her hope of defending the Lesser Lord Kusanali on me just because I'm supposedly a "famous author"…
But I'm only pretending to be here for research. If I really have to write a book about Sumeru and Nahida, that might be beyond my capabilities…
Facing Dunyarzad's hopeful gaze, Victor Wang didn't know how to respond at first.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then let's make a promise. I will show you that book before you 'leave.' But in return, if I haven't finished writing it, you're not allowed to 'leave.'"
Both Dunyarzad and Nilou, who had been quietly listening, froze. This sounded as if he were saying: As long as you don't die, I'll finish the book.
It was the complete opposite of Dunyarzad's original intention.
But Victor Wang said seriously, "Writing a book isn't easy. It takes a very, very long time. It requires my effort—and yours. As long as you can do your part, I can do mine."
Realizing he wasn't joking but encouraging her, Dunyarzad made a little cheering gesture. "Okay! I'll do my best to stay alive!"
Victor Wang nodded. With this, the deadline for the book could be extended by at least several decades. After traveling across Teyvat, he could even turn it into a travelogue—wouldn't that work?
Only now did Nilou have room to speak. "Those twenty million Mora were a great help, but we still have some extra. I'll return it to you."
"Use it freely. Anything left can go toward next year's Sabzeruz Festival."
Hearing that, Nilou couldn't refuse. After thanking him again, she escorted Dunyarzad as they left the Grand Bazaar.
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