Su Yuan was a little puzzled—how come something so serious had happened, yet there was no sign of Gaming?
Given how warm-hearted he was, it didn’t make sense for him to just ignore it...
Later, after asking the maids at Dawn Winery, he found out that the group from the Sword Box Escort Agency had already departed for Liyue at the break of dawn.
Su Yuan discussed with Aether and decided that staying at Dawn Winery wasn’t going to accomplish anything—they should set off as soon as possible and head to Mondstadt City to see how Acting Grand Master Jean and the Knights of Favonius were doing.
Su Yuan and Aether began making their way northeast toward Mondstadt.
On the road, Su Yuan kept thinking—even though he had accepted Aji’s challenge, searching the whole of Mondstadt for clues was still like looking for a needle in a haystack...
There were no hints at all.
It seemed that everything would have to be left up to fate...
After traveling for a while, Su Yuan and Aether arrived at Springvale.
However, something felt off—Springvale, which was usually lively and bustling, was now completely deserted...
"Traveler... Su Yuan... Wh-What’s going on here?"
Paimon seemed a little scared, speaking in a trembling voice:
"Springvale is always such a busy place, isn’t it? Why is it completely silent now, like a ghost town?"
"And also... do you guys smell something weird in the air?"
Hearing this, Su Yuan and Aether sniffed the air—and sure enough, there was a pungent, foul stench...
They followed the source of the smell, making their way deeper into Springvale, until they finally arrived at the spring in the center of town.
And then—an utterly shocking and horrifying scene unfolded before them.
The spring water, once crystal clear and refreshingly sweet, had now turned blood-red—foul, putrid, and exuding a sickening stench...
"This is... the spring water of Springvale. Has it been corrupted by the Eerie power, just like the teleport anchors?"
Su Yuan stared at the scene, murmuring thoughtfully:
"In that case, with the life-sustaining water source now polluted, it makes sense that the people of Springvale chose to leave..."
"That would explain why there’s no one left in Springvale now."
Hearing Su Yuan’s analysis, Paimon nodded, and some of the fear in her heart eased:
"I thought... everyone in Springvale had been killed..."
"Wait—there’s someone walking this way!"
Just then, Aether spoke up, pointing into the distance—someone appeared to be walking toward them...
As the figure drew closer, Su Yuan saw that it was a middle-aged man dressed in brown clothes and a matching hat, his face covered with golden stubble...
"Huh? Traveler, doesn’t this guy look kind of familiar to you?"
"Isn’t that the same guy we met in Springvale before? The one who called himself ’Miraculous Hopkins’?"
"He said he was someone blessed with a divine mission by the Springwater Deity, bringing miracles to people..."
"He claimed the ’holy water’ he sold wasn’t ordinary—it was blessed by the gods, with miraculous effects..."
"He even said that drinking it could grant you a Vision—just that the effect takes some time to show..."
"And the price was super reasonable too—just 300 Mora..."
"We bought a bottle back then, thinking we’d give it a shot... but it turned out to be a scam. It was just normal spring water!"
"And one night, we even saw Hopkins sneaking around when no one was watching, bottling spring water by himself..."
"This scammer actually dares show up in front of us again?!"
As Paimon was ranting, Hopkins finally arrived before the group, looking at them with confusion as he spoke:
"Who are you people? Why are you here?"
"Oh, I get it now. Everyone else in Springvale has already moved out long ago. I’m the only one who stayed behind..."
"Since you’ve come all the way here, you must be looking for me to buy some of my ’holy water,’ right?"
Hopkins spoke as he pulled out a bottle of foul, crimson liquid from the bag he carried and said:
"Here, how many bottles do you want? 1,000,000 Mora each!"
"1,000,000? Why don’t you just go rob someone instead?!" Paimon couldn’t help but complain.
"I remember very clearly—it used to be just 300 Mora!"
"No, wait—that’s not the point!"
"Springvale’s spring water is already polluted! How can you still bottle it and sell it?!"
"Do you have any idea what could happen to someone who drinks this contaminated water?"
"Polluted? What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Hopkins’s expression suddenly twisted into a grimace, and he roared angrily:
"This isn’t pollution! It’s a blessing from the Springwater Deity!!!"
"As for what happens when you drink this holy water? Naturally, you’ll gain brand-new and immense power, the kind that lets you do whatever your heart desires!"
Seeing Hopkins , Su Yuan and Aether were momentarily speechless...
This guy... he’s completely insane.
Anyone who drinks this corrupted water would almost certainly fall under the control of the Eerie force, becoming partially transformed on the outside—not stronger at all.
Hopkins’s face suddenly turned ice cold, and he growled viciously:
"I see... You’re not here to buy my holy water at all, are you?"
"You’re just jealous of how much money I’m making!!!"
"You want to sabotage the bond and connection I have with the Springwater Deity?! Don’t even think about it!!!"
As Hopkins spoke, he attempted to open the bottle in his hand and drink the crimson, foul-smelling liquid in one gulp...
But Aether seemed prepared.
He manipulated a small burst of elemental power and struck Hopkins’s wrist, knocking the so-called holy water straight out of his hand and onto the ground.
"Ahhh! My holy water... You... how dare you?! You actually dared to spill the Springwater Deity’s blessing?!"
Hopkins fell to his knees, clutching his head in agony, looking completely deranged...
Su Yuan and Aether exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing—Hopkins was clearly insane. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚫𝙣𝙚𝙩
But in the next moment, Hopkins did something that neither of them expected—he suddenly lunged forward, throwing himself straight into the spring filled with the Eerie-tainted water!
"Hey! Are you trying to die?!" Su Yuan shouted.
"Drinking one bottle of polluted water is bad enough—how do you think your body will handle an entire spring full of that Eerie power?!"
To Su Yuan and Aether, Hopkins’s action was no different from a suicide attempt...
After all, this kind of external Eerie power always had a limit to what the human body could endure...
Inside the crimson, foul-smelling spring, Hopkins thrashed, screamed, and cried out—
"Springwater Deity, please... let me offer everything to you!!!"
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