Chapter 417: Ch 417 : Mondstadt Where You Can’t Buy Wine
In the end, Hopkins never did receive the so-called blessing of the Springwater Deity.
Instead, he was completely consumed by the overwhelming Eerie power within the spring and died from his body bursting apart...
Su Yuan didn’t even know what to say anymore.
Even Dottore understood that this external Eerie power couldn’t be recklessly infused into others—too much of it, and the body simply couldn’t withstand it.
This Hopkins... really had gone mad...
Besides, even if some Springwater Deity truly existed, it was likely already corrupted by the Eerie, and had turned utterly wicked...
That said, the spring in Springvale did originally house a Oceanid named Callirhoe, who had fled here from Fontaine long ago.
But she likely wasn’t here anymore...
As for Old Finch of Springvale, his current situation was unknown...
Still, Su Yuan and Aether were relieved that this half-deranged Hopkins hadn’t actually caused them any trouble or obstacles...
"What’s the deal with the Knights of Favonius these days? Even if they evacuated the people of Springvale because of the spring’s pollution, they can’t just leave the contamination source unattended like this!"
While speaking, Aether manipulated his Geo power to construct a thick wall around the spring.
"It’s better to seal this place off..."
"If someone intelligent came by, they’d likely know not to drink from a corrupted spring. But the little animals around here? Who knows..."
"Even a single sip could be enough for them to fall under the influence of this incomplete external Eerie power... and that could lead to a whole string of disasters..."
After taking care of things, Su Yuan, Aether, and Paimon continued their journey northward, heading in the direction of Mondstadt.
Before long, they could see the walls of Mondstadt faintly appearing in the distance.
"We’re finally about to reach Mondstadt..."
Paimon took a deep breath and said,
"This is the very first main city of a nation we came to. I wonder how everyone in Mondstadt is doing now?"
"Judging by the current situation, things in Mondstadt don’t seem too optimistic either..."
Aether replied,
"But I still hope everyone’s okay..."
As Su Yuan and Aether walked toward Mondstadt, they suddenly noticed two people sitting on a picnic mat in the grass nearby.
Beside them was a small grill, sizzling with roasted meat, and they were enjoying some wine...
One of them looked young—probably in his early twenties—with long brown hair tied into a braid.
The other appeared to be a middle-aged man, sporting a bit of facial hair.
Most notably, he had two cat-like ears sticking out from his head...
Aether instantly recognized them.
Wasn’t this the hunter leader Draff, father of Diona, the Cat’s Tail tavern’s genius bartender?
And the younger one was his prized student—the hunter Alan!
"Huh? If it isn’t the Traveler and little Paimon! It’s been ages!"
Draff, with the keen instincts of a seasoned hunter, had already sensed their arrival and greeted them with a smile:
"And this young man—I don’t know who you are, but if you’re traveling with the Traveler, then you must be a good friend of his too! Come, join us for some grilled meat and wine!"
"Mr. Draff, Alan, hello!"
"My name is Su Yuan—Su, as in Tiramisu, and Yuan, as in ruins and rubble. I’m indeed a good friend of the Traveler."
Su Yuan gave a brief introduction and then sat down on the picnic mat alongside Aether.
It was a good chance for both Su Yuan and Aether to learn what had really happened in Springvale...
"Mr. Draff, did all of you originally from Springvale relocate elsewhere?"
Su Yuan asked.
"That’s right." Draff nodded and replied,
"Not long ago, the spring in Springvale suddenly turned strange—weirdly red and foul-smelling. One look and you could tell it was undrinkable..."
"A clean water source is vital for survival. Without it, life becomes very difficult..."
"Fortunately, the waters of Cider Lake outside Mondstadt weren’t contaminated, and the supply is more than enough..."
"So, all of Springvale decided to relocate to Mondstadt. The Knights of Favonius welcomed us with open arms."
"Everyone except for Hopkins, that is. For some reason, he insisted on staying behind in Springvale. No matter how much we tried to persuade him, he just wouldn’t budge..."
After listening to Draff’s story, Su Yuan nodded.
It seemed that Mondstadt hadn’t encountered any major problems...
As for Hopkins—well, he had committed suicide.
"But Uncle Draff, since you’ve moved into Mondstadt,"
Aether suddenly asked with a puzzled look,
"Why don’t you enjoy the comforts of the city?"
"Whether it’s Angel’s Share or The Cat’s Tail, there’s fine wine to enjoy, and the roasted dishes at Good Hunter are amazing. Why come all the way outside the city to eat and drink?"
"Could it be that... you’re so used to living like this out in the wild that you can’t get used to life in the city?"
"Well... that’s a long story..."
Draff let out a long sigh and slowly began,
"Actually, we came out here this time just to secretly drink some wine..."
"Secretly drink wine?"
Su Yuan and Aether both looked puzzled.
"Why do you need to sneak around to drink?"
"Isn’t it obvious? It’s all because of Miss Diona."
Just then, Alan added from the side:
"Miss Diona works at The Cat’s Tail in Mondstadt, and Mr. Draff doesn’t really want to go into the city because he’s afraid of running into her..."
"If Diona finds out he’s been drinking again, she’s definitely going to blow up."
"But... if Diona doesn’t let you drink at The Cat’s Tail, why not just go to Angel’s Share instead?"
Paimon asked, still confused.
"That way, you wouldn’t run into her at all, right?"
"That’s exactly the worst part..."
Draff suddenly turned serious and said:
"For some reason, the entire city of Mondstadt, known far and wide for its wine, now has not a single drop to drink!"
"The Cat’s Tail, Angel’s Share—both are closed down!"
"You can’t even buy wine in the shops anymore!"
"What I’m drinking now is just some I secretly stashed away in the past..."
Hearing this, Su Yuan and Aether became even more confused.
Mondstadt has no wine for sale now? What on earth is going on?
And what about that wandering bard Venti, the wine-loving Barbatos himself—wouldn’t he be unable to drink too?
No, wait—knowing him, he probably stockpiled a huge stash of wine just like Draff...
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