"Ahem… Where am I?" Olaf looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.
He shifted back a little and looked at Ryou and the others. "Wh-Who are you people?"
"Don't panic. My friend saved you. I noticed your body was full of cold energy."
"I'm guessing you were trapped somewhere for a very long time. Try to remember what happened before that," Ryou said to Olaf.
Olaf wiped his forehead. When he lowered his hand, he found it covered in frost. "I… I remember chasing a boar. I chased it into a domain."
"That domain was freezing cold. After that, I used something heavy to seal the entrance."
"Cousin, let me explain." Chongyun walked over from behind them. "An adventurer and I found him. He was sealed inside a huge block of ice."
"It took us a lot of effort to get him out. There was also a Cryo Regisvine inside. It was terrifying."
"Oh, right. I also found a boar in there."
"A boar…" Olaf suddenly understood. "So that's what happened. I see… I-I need to go home. My family is still waiting for me."
"Where is your home?" Chongyun asked.
"My… my home is in Springvale," Olaf said.
"Tabibito, don't you think he looks a lot like Diona?"
"They both have those two ears on their heads. Do you think they might be related?" Xiangling leaned over to Lumine and asked.
Lumine glanced at Xiangling, then studied Olaf for a while. "He does look like her. Why don't we make a trip to Springvale?"
Ryou looked up at the sky. "If we go to Springvale now, the timing will be tight. At this rate, we might not get back to Liyue Harbor until around dawn."
"Ryou," Keqing called.
"Ryou-san, why not stay at Dawn Winery tonight? I'll have the maids arrange rooms for you," Diluc said.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with you. We can talk once you return."
"All right," Ryou agreed.
After that, he brought Lumine's group to Springvale.
On the way, Chongyun and Hu Tao asked quite a few questions, but no one knew much. Everyone was left confused, so they did not get many answers.
"You seem to know something," Keqing said.
"Why not ask Mona about this?" Ryou said.
"Me? Do you want me to do a divination?" Mona asked when she heard Ryou mention her.
Ryou looked toward Springvale. "Springvale is just ahead. This place used to be a very prosperous town."
"That's true," Mona said with a nod.
Keqing stepped forward and hugged Ryou's arm. "do you know something?"
"You want me to tell you?" Ryou glanced at Keqing and raised an eyebrow.
Then he said, "Wear that nun outfit tonight."
"You… Fine. Just once!" Keqing's face burned as she agreed in a small voice.
"Good." Ryou nodded.
He glanced at Keqing and said, "I don't know the full story behind Springvale, but I've looked into some of Mondstadt's old clothing styles."
"That man's clothes don't quite look like something Mondstadters wear now. Or rather, they don't look like they belong to this era."
"Could he be from the future?" Keqing asked in surprise.
Ryou tapped her on the forehead and said irritably, "We haven't seen the future, and we haven't seen the past either."
"The Cryo Regisvine and the domain both make it clear that he was trapped inside for a very long time."
"Chongyun only happened to enter that place by chance. Otherwise, Olaf never would have been found."
"My guess is that he's from some era in the past."
"When Lumine mentioned Diona earlier, I realized he might be one of Diona's ancestors."
Keqing fell silent when she heard that. Then she asked, "Does that mean he really has a connection to the current Diona?"
"It's possible," Mona said.
Keqing looked at Mona. "It really is?"
"This situation should be a special case, but I think Ryou's guess is very likely correct."
"He should be someone who lived in a different era. We'll know soon. Springvale is here." Mona pointed ahead.
With Lumine leading the way, the group arrived at Springvale.
"Olaf? Please wait a moment. I need to check the family records!" Draff was startled and hurried inside.
"So he really is Draff's ancestor?" Keqing asked quietly.
Ryou nodded.
Shenhe looked at Olaf and said, "He feels very lonely. Standing here, he looks out of place, as if he doesn't know what he should do."
"When I first came to Liyue Harbor, I also felt like that."
"I wasn't used to living in Liyue Harbor. I preferred the mountains. I wanted to stay beside my master, but I understood that my master sent me down the mountain for my own good."
"Shenhe." Xiangling stepped forward and hugged her.
Shenhe glanced at Xiangling. "The murderous aura in me hasn't disappeared completely, but I'm much better than before."
"I'm grateful to all of you, especially Ryou and Keqing. At the very least, I look like a normal person now."
"I hope he can walk out of that loneliness too."
Ryou looked at the women and said nothing.
Before long, Ryou saw Draff run back out excitedly. "I found it! You… you're my great-great-great-great-great… grandfather!"
"You…" Olaf looked at Draff with a complicated expression.
"Ancestor," Draff called.
"Yes." Olaf answered, though he seemed at a complete loss.
Seeing the two of them stare awkwardly at each other, Ryou said, "Blood runs thicker than water. I believe you'll slowly get along. Just let it happen naturally."
"Ehe, y-yeah." Draff rubbed his head and said, "Ancestor, I also have a daughter. Her name is Diona. She'll be back soon."
"All right." Olaf looked at Draff and simply nodded.
Ryou led Keqing and the others outside. Once they stepped away, the air felt a little easier to breathe.
"Paimon!" Lumine glared at Paimon. "Who could have known one accident would turn into something this serious?"
"Let's wait until Diona comes back before asking more. After all, she suddenly has an ancestor now, and he looks about the same age as her father."
Ryou saw a girl running toward them. She had two ears on her head, exactly like Olaf.
[Ding! Eyes entering Darkened Mode!]
[Ding! While your eyes are in Darkened Mode, you may look at a person or object and grant them one item, such as a tail. You may also attach a time limit to it!]
Ryou glanced at Draff and thought, Did I get this little trick just because I saw Diona?
Then he looked at Keqing and imagined her wearing a nun outfit with a fluffy tail behind her.
Just thinking about it made him excited.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Keqing pinched Ryou. She kept feeling that the way he looked at her was strange.
And Ryou seemed to have a special fondness for these unusual outfits. When she thought about tonight, Keqing's head began to ache.
She thought, Tonight is going to be rough.
But once they returned to Liyue Harbor, she absolutely had to hurry up and win Ganyu over for him.
With Ganyu helping, Keqing would have a much easier time.
"Keqing, of course I was thinking about you." Ryou wrapped an arm around her and smiled. Then he looked up at the sky. "Let's head back to Dawn Winery."
"Mm." Keqing nodded.
They did not keep disturbing Draff's family and quietly returned to Dawn Winery.
After returning, Ryou saw a familiar face. It was the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya.
"Kaeya!" Ryou called.
"Ryou-san." Kaeya stepped forward.
"I heard from Diluc that you would be spending the night at Dawn Winery, so I also wanted to come and meet you."
"As for before… that was all official business. I hope you don't mind," Kaeya said with a smile.
"Of course not. My lottery shop still needs to operate in Mondstadt, so I'll inevitably need your help in the future," Ryou said.
"You're too polite, Ryou-san. Your lottery shop follows every rule, and you even set purchase limits. There's really nothing you need my help with." Kaeya smiled and led them inside.
"Can we pick the grapes here ourselves?" Hu Tao asked.
"Hu Tao!" Xiangling quickly tugged her back.
"It's fine. Go ahead," Kaeya said.
"Can you really decide that?" Xiangling asked, curious.
"Young Master Kaeya is also one of Dawn Winery's young masters, so of course there's no problem," the head maid said as she walked over.
Xiangling nodded, then left with Hu Tao and Mona.
"Our guests, the master of the winery is waiting inside," the head maid said.
"Mm." Ryou nodded.
Following the head maid into Dawn Winery, Ryou soon saw Diluc in a study.
"Ryou-san," Diluc said as he stood.
Once the servants had withdrawn, Diluc got straight to the point. "Ryou-san, some time ago, someone brought back a few bottles of Dandelion Wine for me. More precisely, they were bottles of Soft Jade Dandelion Wine."
"The quality was excellent. To be honest, I'd like to cooperate with you to develop Dandelion Wine infused with spiritual energy. In return, I can give you forty percent of the profits."
"Forty percent?" Ryou was rather surprised.
Dawn Winery might not be world-famous, but Dandelion Wine had a considerable reputation across Teyvat.
Outside Mondstadt, it was also well known in places like Sumeru and Liyue. Even in Inazuma, it counted as a precious fine wine.
The core product was still Dandelion Wine, yet Diluc was willing to offer that much profit. That alone showed a great deal of sincerity.
"You're quite generous. Forty percent is no small amount," Ryou said with a light smile.
"No, I don't think it's high at all. I know spiritual energy Dandelion Wine can surpass ordinary Dandelion Wine."
"Please take a look at this." Diluc placed a document in Ryou's hand.
Ryou glanced through it and found that these bottles of Dandelion Wine were all positioned as high-end products. Their sale price was almost five times higher than ordinary Dandelion Wine.
On top of that, Diluc had prepared plenty of design details and had considered nearly every aspect.
Diluc truly had skill. He was bold in business and had a sharp eye.
If spiritual energy Dandelion Wine was released, it would absolutely become a hit.
And in terms of taste and every other aspect, it would be far superior to ordinary wine.
Ryou could even add all sorts of buffs to it. If they wanted it to explode in popularity, it was only a matter of time.
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]