The Scarlet King Technology Expo

The morning mist over Port Ormos hadn't yet lifted as Kazuha stood before the makeshift stage of the blind box shop, watching workers arrange Scarlet King artifacts and Xel'Naga probe replicas. At the center, encased in glass, a bronze device resembling a sandworm skull hummed softly—a *Dune*-style spice distiller repurposed as the core of Scarlet King technology. Dark gold spice particles flowed through its tubes, emitting an intoxicating aroma. 

"Is this thing really safe?" Lumine adjusted the dust barrier around the stage, her elemental vision catching the spice molecules swirling like miniature galaxies. "The Akademiya's sensors show its energy output is thirty times that of a Vision." 

Kazuha patted the distiller's casing. "Candace tested it herself. As long as you don't inhale the vapor directly, it'll just give you weird dreams…" Before he could finish, the jingling of Golden Sands' caravan bells interrupted. A group of bandaged desert warriors carried Scarlet King relics, their leader's chest adorned with the Tanit tribe's emblem. 

"As per the contract, we've brought three carts of Scarlet King pottery shards," the leader rasped like sandpaper on stone. "But the spice mines—those belong to the Golden Sands." 

By noon, the scorching sun baked the stage, dividing the crowd into stark factions: Akademiya scholars in white robes and Golden Sands mercenaries in turbans. Spantamad Sage Afratus scanned the distiller with an Akasha Terminal, greed glinting behind his lenses. "Under the *Ancient Technology Recovery Act*, all Scarlet King relics must be studied exclusively by the Akademiya." 

"The Scarlet King's legacy belongs to the desert people!" The Tanit leader slammed his scimitar on the stage. "You rainforest leeches would even squeeze papers out of a sandfox's piss!" 

Lumine nudged Kazuha. "Where did you find such explosive exhibits?" 

"A 'grand opening gift' from the Scarlet King's auto-repair system." Kazuha pointed to a probe in the corner, its laser etching "Pleasure Doing Business" in Xel'Naga script on the beams. 

Suddenly, the distiller's pressure gauge screamed. Afratus' underling had tampered with the regulator, pushing it past safe limits. Purple spice vapor erupted like a serpent, filling the air. Scholars inhaled it, their eyes glowing gold as they chanted Scarlet King hymns in ancient Sumeru; the Golden Sands warriors' veins bulged, their skin etched with Scarlet King runes. 

"The spice's mental amplification effect!" Lumine tried dispersing the vapor with Anemo but was knocked back by a frenzied warrior. Kazuha lunged for the control panel, only to find the regulator replaced with an Akademiya Forbidden Knowledge module. 

When Cyno's cape appeared at the entrance, the room seemed to freeze. The General Mahamatra's gaze swept the chaos, and he pulled out a metal block resembling a paperweight—a *JOJO* pose lock Kazuha had pawned to him last week. 

"By the authority of the Akasha Terminal," Cyno's voice thundered, "all of you—freeze!" 

The block hit the ground, releasing an invisible wave. Afratus' thesis draft hung mid-air, the Tanit leader's fist stopped inches from Kazuha's nose, even the spice vapor crystallized into glass-like shards. Only Cyno moved, strolling through the frozen crowd like a curator in a bizarre wax museum. 

"Akademiya illegally modified exhibits—research privileges revoked." He yanked Afratus' access card. "Golden Sands disrupted public order—30% of mining profits forfeited." Finally, he approached the distiller, poking the faulty valve with his spear. "As for you…" 

"Wait!" Kazuha's frantic eye movements caught Cyno's attention. The Mahamatra released him, and Kazuha scrambled to open a hidden compartment, slotting in a copy of *Dune*. The distiller began playing the movie's soundtrack, a holographic Paul Atreides reciting desert survival tips as the spice particles calmed. 

By sunset, bruised scholars and limping mercenaries lined up under Cyno's watch to sign a new mining agreement. The distiller spat out a crystallized spice rose, landing in Nahida's palm. 

"The Scarlet King's true legacy isn't power," she pinned the rose on Kazuha's chest, "but the ability to share the same moonlight." 

In a corner, Candace skewered spice-roasted sunsettias for children. A Golden Sands warrior bit into one, tears streaming: "This taste… it's like my mother's soup." 

As the two factions finally reconciled, Kazuha poked Cyno's armor. "About that pose lock… can I have it back?" 

"Under the *Hazardous Item Management Act*," Cyno tossed the block and caught it, "it's temporarily confiscated." As he walked away, his cape revealed an Akasha Terminal playing *JOJO* clips. 

Lumine whispered, "He asked me for the whole series last night." 

Night winds carried the spice's scent through the port as the expo's neon sign lit up, depicting sandworms dancing with Padisarahs under the moon.