As if sensing Arkz's surprise, the maid Hailey, who was responsible for guiding him, proactively explained:
"Respected guest, you seem very curious about these ancient structures at Dawn Winery. Would you like me to tell you some stories about them?"
Arkz looked at Hailey, his face showing unconcealed shock.
"Is that something you're allowed to say?"
According to Arkz's observation, just the surface trenches at Dawn Winery were enough to support the people of Dawn Winery in a large-scale war, let alone the hidden traps and secret sentries inside.
Although it appeared to be just an ordinary winery on the surface, upon careful observation, one could discover that everyone inside Dawn Winery was well-trained, and the architectural design was exquisite, making the terrain easy to defend and hard to attack.
Once an external enemy appeared, Dawn Winery could instantly transform into a solid fortress, repelling any invading foe.
Hailey wore an elegant and proper smile as she explained to Arkz:
"Of course. Many guests are curious about our architecture when they first arrive at Dawn Winery. Explaining it to our guests at such times is part of our duty."
Arkz looked thoughtfully at Hailey and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to give me an introduction."
Hailey nodded and skillfully introduced the ancient, historic architecture to Arkz. Her composure and fluency showed she was a veteran who had repeated this task countless times.
Under Hailey's introduction, Arkz finally understood why Dawn Winery's attitude was so subtle—they openly displayed military architecture without worrying about someone reporting them to the Knights of Favonius.
"Ancient historical architecture?" Arkz murmured while looking at Hailey.
Hailey smiled and nodded, "That's right. These trenches and cheval de frise are registered cultural relics with the Knights of Favonius, completely legal and compliant. Guests need not worry at all; these 'relics' are only for ornamental purposes."
Arkz looked at the iron cheval de frise gleaming coldly and the trenches showing obvious signs of repair, his mouth twitching slightly.
"These structures, which are clearly new cucumbers painted with old lacquer, aren't relics too, are they?"
"Hmm, no need to say it. I know what you're going to say—it's for the protection and restoration of cultural relics, right?"
Hailey nodded, her gaze toward Arkz filled with admiration, her eyes clearly conveying the excitement of, "You've even learned to jump in with the answer, Guest!"
As Hailey narrated the history of Dawn Winery, Arkz also grasped the origins of these structures and why the Knights of Favonius tacitly allowed Dawn Winery to exist.
Dawn Winery was situated on the essential route between Mondstadt and Liyue. To travel from Mondstadt to Liyue, there were mainly two paths: one was through Dragonspine to Liyue, and the other was through Stone Gate to Liyue.
And Dawn Winery controlled the crucial pass along that Stone Gate route.
In other words, if Mondstadt encountered an invading enemy coming from the direction of Liyue, Dawn Winery would be the first barrier to meet the enemy.
The successive rulers of Dawn Winery, the Ragnvindr Family—one of the three great noble families of Mondstadt City—had contributions to Mondstadt's history that could not be ignored. With this in mind, the subtle relationship between the Knights of Favonius and Dawn Winery became understandable.
Under Hailey's guidance, Arkz smoothly arrived at the reception hall of Dawn Winery.
The decoration here was also very elegant and luxurious. Although there were no precious gems or gold ornaments, the placement of various items and objects within the architecture always gave people a comfortable feeling.
However, among these decorations, there was a strange vase. This vase was completely out of place with the atmosphere of the entire mansion. Arkz instantly realized this must be the vase Kaeya had gifted to Diluc.
Just as Arkz was admiring the decorations in the hall, Diluc walked out from inside the room.
Seeing the green leaves on Diluc's clothes, Arkz guessed that he had probably just been clearing out Hilichurls in the wilderness and rushed over immediately after hearing the news of his visit upon returning to the winery.
As for why Diluc could walk out from inside Dawn Winery, in such a large winery, wasn't it reasonable for there to be several secret passages?
"Apologies, I was resting just now and delayed a bit."
Diluc wore a face that looked like a disgruntled kitten. If Arkz hadn't become so familiar with him, he might have thought Diluc did not welcome him as a guest.
Arkz pointed to the collar of Diluc's clothes and reminded him:
"There's a green leaf on your collar. Is that the new fashion trend in Mondstadt this year? A pastoral style?"
Diluc calmly picked the green leaf off his collar, casually tucked it into his pocket, and then explained:
"It might be someone's prank."
"Prank?" Just as Arkz was feeling puzzled, he suddenly heard a round of applause coming from the room behind Diluc.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
"How rare. We actually have a guest showing up."
"Diluc, you actually made a friend? That's truly strange. Someone can actually tolerate your sour face?!!"
Familiar actions, familiar tone—as expected of you, Kaeya!
If he hadn't played the game Genshin Impact, he might have truly believed Kaeya was the villain.
"Prank? No, no, no. This is clearly a gift from me, your sworn brother, to my elder brother!"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kaeya, the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius."
Although Arkz was already very familiar with Kaeya, he still pretended not to know him and greeted him:
"Mr. Kaeya, hello."
"I am Arkz from Springvale Farm."
Kaeya raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Arkz, right? I know you."
"The magical crops produced by Springvale Farm are very popular in Mondstadt."
"Thanks to Mr. Arkz's magical crops, the business at The Good Hunter Restaurant has been booming. Even I, the Cavalry Captain, have to queue for two hours just to get a plate of piping hot specialty dishes from Springvale Farm!"
"As far as I know, these magical crops from Springvale Farm seem to possess some inexplicable magic that makes those who consume them linger and become unable to tear themselves away."
Kaeya had always been sufficiently vigilant toward Arkz, this troublesome person who had stirred up the situation in Mondstadt in less than a month since arriving.
And today, at the moment he was visiting his sworn brother Diluc, Arkz 'coincidentally' appeared at Dawn Winery, which made the alarm bells ring loudly in Kaeya's mind.
He instinctively played the role of the white-faced villain, wanting to test Arkz's reaction to judge whether this person posed a threat to Mondstadt.
For Kaeya, when his adoptive father died on that rainy day and he chose to honestly confess everything to Diluc, he had already made his choice between Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt.
"Kaeya!!!"
In response to Kaeya's questioning, Diluc's usually expressionless face showed a rare look of anger.
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