Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 316: The Spring Fairy Is Crying
When Diona was very young, she once did something that many children do, she whispered secrets to things that didn't exist.
The object of her whispers was the moon reflected in the water.
It was a feeling worthy of being answered—sincere, innocent, and beautiful.
At least, that was how the spring fairy beneath the water saw it.
And so, Diona gained a new friend, someone she could talk to, confide in, and share her worries with.
As for this "friend," her father Draff would always just smile when he heard about it, never taking it too seriously.
There was nothing strange about kids having imaginary friends that others couldn't see.
That was, until Diona turned seven, when she received a special gift.
A gift from the spring fairy.
"I will bless you, daughter of hunters, for your days ahead, and as a farewell. May your cup always run over with the sweet wine of celebration. May it always be refreshing as springs of ever-melting snow."
Gentle whispers accompanied by moonlight echoed in Diona's ears.
It was also the last time her friend ever spoke to her.
From that day on, she could no longer see the spring fairy.
But ever since then, no matter what terrifying ingredients were put into her small, adorable shaker, the result was always an unimaginably delicious brew.
That's right, just as the Sunsettias Bai Luo touched would always turn sour, Diona possessed a similar blessing.
Only hers was far better than Bai Luo's.
After cleaning her shaker, Diona originally planned to say goodbye to her father before heading to The Cat's Tail.
But as she passed by her father's room, she felt a bit puzzled.
Ever since that "Cavalry Captain" arrived, the room had never been quiet, laughter and conversation constantly spilled out.
Yet ever since she delivered the Sunset Over Canggu Valley, the room had fallen into an eerie silence.
"Dad, I'm heading to the city now."
Pushing open the door to her father's room, Diona quietly poked her head inside.
What she saw made her freeze.
Both her father and the Cavalry Captain—who usually drank cup after cup without pause—were completely passed out on the bed.
There were even blissful, yearning smiles on their faces.
"That's strange… I clearly didn't add that much alcohol this time?"
Sunset Over Canggu Valley was a Mondstadt drink similar to fruit juice, only with some decorative fruit pulp and added sugar.
To give it pain-relieving effects, she had deliberately added a bit of low-proof dandelion wine.
Given her father's tolerance—and that Cavalry Captain's—it shouldn't have knocked them out so quickly.
"Honestly… they don't even put their cups away."
Diona didn't think too deeply about it, assuming it was just her strange constitution acting up again. With a little effort, she moved to her father's side, helped him lie down properly, then glanced at Kaeya beside him.
Adults who reeked of alcohol were the worst!
She shoved Kaeya a little to the side so the "passed-out" man wouldn't end up pressing against Draff, then picked up the cups they had been drinking from and left the room.
After explaining the situation to the Knights of Favonius who were investigating outside, Diona headed off toward Mondstadt alone.
"Th-the spring… the spring has dried up!"
Before she even left Springvale, a startled cry caught Diona's attention.
Cats were naturally curious creatures, and Diona—who carried that bloodline—was no exception.
Securing the shaker at her side, she walked toward the source of the shout.
"Grandpa Finch?"
Old Finch was one of Springvale's residents.
He was also the only person—aside from the children—who believed in the existence of the spring fairy.
According to him, when he was young, he often chatted with the spring fairy here and had built a deep friendship with her.
But one day, the spring fairy suddenly vanished. No matter how he prayed afterward, she refused to ever appear before him again.
But he still came to the spring every single day, hoping only to see the spring fairy once more.
And such days had already lasted for decades.
When Diona saw the old man throw himself toward the spring, she was so startled that her tail stood straight up.
She wanted to rush over and pull this obsessed old man back, but then she realized that the clear spring that had always existed in the town was gone!
Only a few plump fish remained in the muddy basin, flopping helplessly in the sludge, waiting for a kind passerby to release them.
"The spring is gone?!"
Seeing this scene, Diona even forgot to grab hold of Old Finch.
She could only watch as he desperately dug at the mud at the bottom of the dried-up spring with his bare hands.
In the end, it was the Knights of Favonius—who were preparing to escort the drunken Kaeya back to Mondstadt—who rescued the obsessed old man.
"What happened? The spring was fine, how could it dry up?"
"Yeah, when I passed by this morning, it was still full."
"It must be because that Hopkins guy has been swindling people under the name of the God of Springs. The deity got angry and brought down divine punishment!"
"W-what nonsense are you talking about? How can a businessman's dealings be called a scam? That's mutual consent!"
The commotion by the spring gradually drew the attention of the Springvale residents.
They were indeed surprised by the dried-up spring, but none of them reacted as frantically as Old Finch.
The town had been built around this spring, yes, but after so many years, the townsfolk no longer really cared about the legend of the spring fairy.
What they relied on for survival was hunting.
As for whether the spring existed or not… it simply wasn't important to them anymore.
After all, these days, the only one who could make money off the spring fairy's name was that "miraculous" Hopkins.
"Everyone, calm down. This is a normal phenomenon."
Just as the discussion was growing louder, the village chief arrived with the support of the Knights of Favonius.
Though his eyes were full of shock as he looked at the dried spring, his outward demeanor remained remarkably calm.
"Previously, scholars from Sumeru investigated the legend of the spring fairy. According to them, these springs didn't appear because of a spring fairy at all, but due to the convergence of ley lines. This drying up is only temporary. Before long, the spring will be full again."
This village chief was quite a character.
To make the villagers believe him, he even brought up scholars from Sumeru and the so-called ley lines.
Much like how any bad thing was immediately blamed on the Fatui, ley lines in Teyvat were practically professional scapegoats.
When in doubt, blame quantum mechanics.
No matter the trouble, let the ley lines take the fall.
The village chief had this strategy down to a science.
"Then why didn't you tell us earlier, Chief?"
Some people believed him, but others began to question him.
Especially Hopkins—he relied on the spring fairy legend to scam—ahem, to make money.
"Wasn't it for the town's revenue? During the hunting off-season, no one can go hunting, so we can only rely on the spring fairy legend to attract visitors. If this hadn't happened so suddenly, I wouldn't have revealed the truth either."
He let out a deep sigh, wearing an expression that suggested he was thinking for the good of the entire town.
Even Hopkins no longer dared to question him and could only close his mouth silently.
Only Diona remained, leaning against the wooden fence by the spring, staring blankly at the dried-up basin.
Because she could hear it—
The spring fairy was crying.
And the reason she was crying was…
Sour?
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Note: The name of the Spring Fairy is Callirhoe.
Callirhoe: https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Callirhoe
. . . . .
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