"And where exactly is that proverb from?"
["Liyue, of course! It means: to remove a blessing, you need to find the one who gave it. As long as you tell that Pure Water Sprite that you don't want the blessing anymore, she'll naturally have a way to remove it."]
"But I haven't seen her since I was seven… I don't even know if she's still around."
["Hah! If that Pure Water Sprite's been in Springvale since some so-called 'ancient legend', and still spoke to you when you were seven, she's probably still there. To a long-lived elemental being like that, the years since you grew up are nothing." ]
"Let's hope so… Could you guys come with me? I'm scared I won't be able to find her alone…"
Victor Wang, silent until now, spoke up. "I was thinking the same. But I've been busy all day at the signing and haven't eaten yet. How about you head home first? I'll come find you after I've had dinner."
He needed time to think—how to persuade Diona to keep the blessing. And to align with Little Wen on what story to tell.
"I haven't had dinner either! Why don't you two come back to Springvale with me? We've got cooks just as good as the ones at Good Hunter. It's on me… although, I'm not sure what this sword eats."
["Swords don't eat. Don't worry about it."]
Victor Wang stuffed the grumbling Little Wen back into its sheath. "Alright, we'll go with you."
Once they left Mondstadt, the two raced ahead—though Victor Wang quickly fell behind.
"How is she so fast?"
["Hah! She's a cat-person—agile and nimble. How can you compare?"]
Originally, Diona had planned to hail a carriage, but Victor remembered seeing her run to and from work when farming artifact domains, so he told her not to worry about him—they could just run.
Diona had just scoffed, clearly offended that her effort wasn't being appreciated.
And now, this was the result.
It took Victor Wang half an hour of full-speed sprinting to catch up to her at Springvale's entrance—nearly twenty kilometers from Mondstadt.
"Hmph, follow me. Don't fall behind this time."
Springvale was easily a hundred times larger than in the game—nearly one-sixth the size of Mondstadt City.
Last time he came here delivering food, he'd gotten lucky: the Morrow household was near the entrance, and Hopkins had given clear directions. He hadn't needed to explore the town.
Though Diona's words were harsh, she was also afraid he might get lost in the maze of streets. She ran at a moderate pace ahead, occasionally twitching her cat ears to make sure he was still following.
Soon, they passed a small lake. On its southern edge stood a massive windmill, turning slowly in the night breeze. On the western bank were pavilions and benches for visitors.
It was dinnertime, so only a few people were around.
Victor Wang noticed an old man hunched by the lake, not sitting or using the pavilion—just staring blankly at the water.
Then, they passed a wooden sign. The words 'Spring of the Sprite' were written in bold characters. That's when he realized—this small lake was the same spring from the game's Springvale.
He asked the figure ahead, "This is the spring where the Pure Water Sprite lives?"
"That's right. But weren't we going to eat first? And there are still people around—better to come back later tonight." Her voice drifted to his ears with the wind.
"This spring… seems way too big, doesn't it?"
If the legend was true, wouldn't that mother and son have drowned?
"Oh, it wasn't always this big. The town expanded it to promote tourism. They even renamed it from 'Springvale Spring' to 'Spring of the Sprite' for some flair.
"But when I was little, it already looked like this. If I could still encounter the Pure Water Sprite back then, I doubt she got mad about the changes."
As they chatted, Diona slowed down. After a few turns and climbing a three-meter-high hill via stairs, they arrived at her home.
Draff stood at the hill's railing, watching for his daughter—it was already an hour past her usual return time.
"Dad, I brought a friend from the city. We're going to try Aunt Brooke's food tonight. You go ahead and eat without me."
"Friend?"
Draff's seasoned hunter instincts told him: anyone who could delay his daughter's return and keep her from coming home for dinner had to be suspicious.
When he looked past her—sure enough. The guy wore a strange cloak, mysterious from head to toe.
He called Diona over and whispered, "Nana, are you sure you're not being tricked?"
"Dad! You know how smart I am. How could I get tricked?"
"Eh, some things aren't about smarts. For example…"
"For examplewhat?"
If it's money, I'm not worried… but what if he's after her heart?
Draff didn't answer. Instead, he stepped toward the cloaked man to check him out himself.
"Good evening, sir." Seeing Draff approach, Victor Wang quickly greeted him.
"Ah, just a young man. Why the unusual outfit?"
Ever since learning his cloak didn't fool those with Visions, Victor had wondered—what about non-Vision experts? Today, Draff confirmed it.
So, it wasn't about Visions. Probably something to do with spiritual strength… and as Springvale's lead hunter, Draff's martial prowess likely reached the level of sword intent.
Could martial training refine the spirit too? Probably—but not as quickly as using elemental energy.
The sun was already gone from the sky. If he claimed to be sun-sensitive now, it'd be a ridiculous excuse.
Victor Wang removed his hood and switched explanations. "I was injured in the face, disfigured, so I wore a mask to cover it up. But the mask drew more attention than I wanted, so I added the cloak. Otherwise, friends would keep teasing me about it."
"I see." Draff nodded. Then he asked, "How long have you known my daughter?"
"Just today."
"That fast?! You meet her once and already she's bringing you home?"
"Dad, what are you talking about?" Diona cut in, drawn by Draff's exclamation.
She'd planned to brush it off and take Victor straight to dinner—but now her dad was whispering secrets to him!
"Nothing, nothing. I just want to talk with this young man a little more." Draff waved it off, then turned to Victor. "How about we chat behind the house?"
"Sure. I actually have something to discuss with you about Diona."
You!
Draff nearly choked from rage. He wants to talk to me about my daughter?!
Still, he dragged Victor behind the house.
"My name's Victor Wang. I'm the Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius. Please don't misunderstand."
"Honorary Knight? So what? Even if the Grand Master himself came, I wouldn't hand over my daughter!"
"I really think you're misunderstanding. Actually, it was Diona who came to me—"
"What?! You think I don't know my own daughter? There's no way she would—okay, maybe she's going through puberty and all that, but that doesn't mean you should be entertaining it!"
"I get that you're worried, but please, calm down and hear me out!"
"You! I—fine! Let's hear this excuse of yours."
"It's like this…"
Victor Wang explained everything: how Little Wen accidentally discovered Diona's blessing from the Pure Water Sprite, how she asked for a way to remove it, and how he ended up following her to Springvale.
"I see… So that's why her drinks always taste so amazing. I'm sorry—I was just overreacting. I had no idea Nana had been so troubled about this."
Seeing Draff return to reason, Victor added, "Diona doesn't yet understand how precious this blessing is. If she loses it, she'll no longer be able to make exceptional drinks—and people will attack her for it. That's why I think we should not let her give it up."
Victor believed Draff, who once said "how tragic" to Hopkins' fate, was someone with good judgment.
And indeed, after some thought, Draff agreed. "Then what should I do? I don't really understand this stuff."
"You just need to work with me."
Victor leaned in and whispered a plan into Draff's ear.
"…I need to quit drinking?! Giving up alcohol so Nana can keep making fine drinks—but then I can't drink them?! Isn't that torture?!"
"You can drink—in moderation. Studies show moderate alcohol is good for your health. Just don't get drunk. Use that excuse, and Diona won't be able to stop you. Her whole reason for trying to make bad-tasting drinks is to get you to quit, so this step is crucial."
"…Alright. For Nana's sake."
Finally, Victor added, "About the blessing and the Pure Water Sprite…"
"Don't worry. My lips are sealed. If word gets out, Springvale might lose everything it has."
"You really make things easy, sir."
Victor gave the Wentian Sword a pat. "Little Wen, you clear on the plan now?"
["Hmph! You're making me lie to such a cute girl…"]
"Weren't you the one who ran your mouth in the first place?!"
["Hmph!"]