While you are in a town, you suggest having breakfast at a local eatery for a hot meal. You remember being offered as much at Shui-Ti's inn before, and with your party's agreement, you exit the ship's cabin together.

On the way there, you try summoning Tsu-Ko by calling her name, and she immediately appears by your side as though she had never left. You greet her good morning, which earns you a flat stare.

Tsu-Ko: "It's not morning yet."

Curious, you ask the pedantic sprite what greeting you should be using instead. Somehow, you find that good night doesn't sound quite right.

Tsu-Ko: "That's because it's not. During the night, you simply say hello."

Honourshine: "... Why is that, I wonder?"

Tsu-Ko: "Because the concept of language predates the first nychthemeron by eons. There was no sun back then, so you could argue that only night existed at the time."

Moonflower: "Ooh, kinda like how it's always night in the Unknown?"

Tsu-Ko: "Right. And as you can imagine, salutations like good morning and good evening, and valedictions like good night only came about after days were created. That's why they revolve around the sun, and why we use timeless language at night."

Honourshine: "Insightful. Though I suppose you'll have to forgive him; where we come from, both the sun and moon circle around the northern horizon, so we consider mornings to begin where evenings end at midnight."

Tsu-Ko: "Is that how it is? (sigh) Fine, then. Good morning."

You grin at Tsu-Ko, and thank her for being patient with you. Still, you assure her that her lessons are much appreciated, and that you will take them to heart.

Soon, you arrive at the inn, where you are greeted by a different innkeeper: this time, a young kirin stallion bearing a striking resemblance to the previous mare.

Innkeeper: "Hello. How may I help you?"

You greet the innkeeper in kind — now well-aware of the nuance —, and ask him about breakfast. He invites you to sit over at a table in an adjacent room, and following your sprite's guidance, you offer him a grateful bow before complying.

You and your friends take a seat at one of the few vacant tables, and a short while later, the stallion returns. He sets the table using his unicorn magic, levitating a cup of tea and a wooden steamer in front of each of you before opening the latter.

Innkeeper: "Enjoy your meal."

You thank the innkeeper again before digging in. Each steamer contains three bean paste-filled steamed buns, soft and fluffy on the outside, and creamy and flavourful on the inside. Accompanied with a generous cup of rich, spiced tea, the meal makes for a tasty and energizing breakfast.

As you chat between sips and bites, you begin to plan the day ahead. You summarize that in order to reach the demon hermit Lexicon Anathema, you first need to either prove yourselves as warriors, or hire some to escort you. As you recall, however, those are quite expensive.

Tsu-Ko: "And don't forget: you need one per ward."

Honourshine: "Hm. Even with all of my zen, we could only afford their protection for a day or two. Would that be enough?"

You figure that meeting the hermit may not necessarily mark the end of your journey here in the Kirin Empire, and that such a short time constraint may work against you. With that in mind, you ask Tsu-Ko about earning the title for yourselves.

Tsu-Ko: "I don't know about Glasses over here, but you two? Who knows; with your magic, you might get lucky. And technically, if I tag along, then you only really need one of you to succeed...

What, did I not mention that sprites count as warriors? Well, I guess I didn't think you were serious about leaving the trigon. Anyway... if you want to undertake the trials, there's a training hall on the southern side of town, just up the mountain."