My Next Life in Teyvat: I Just Wanted Friends, Not Every Girl's Love!-Chapter 224 - 223: Thoma’s Loyalty

"Eh! So Thoma, you’re a Mondstadter, not an Inazuman!"

"Yes, my father is Inazuman, and my mother is a Mondstadter. I grew up in Mondstadt, so that’s my hometown."

On the way to the Kamisato Estate, Thoma openly told his story to everyone. Hearing that he was from Mondstadt, Lumine, Paimon, and Durandal were immediately captivated.

"Originally, I should have lived in Mondstadt, but when my dad returned to Inazuma, I worried he wouldn’t be able to drink Mondstadt wine here, so I took a boat by myself, preparing to come to Inazuma. But... haha~ On the way, the boat was capsized by a giant wave, and I almost died at sea."

At that time, he was truly one step away from death. Perhaps it was the Anemo Archon’s favor, but although he fell into the water, he drifted along with the sea currents until he reached the beaches of Inazuma.

All the things he brought were gone, and even the dandelion wine he prepared for his father had probably sunk to the cold seabed.

"So that’s when you met the Egret Princess of the Shuumatsuban, were taken in by her, and became a member of the Shuumatsuban?"

"No, that was still a long time before I met Miss Kamisato. Thinking back, that period was really tough. My luggage was all gone, and I had no relatives here in Inazuma. I almost starved to death."

"That... was it that serious? Isn’t your father in Inazuma? Since you’ve come to Inazuma, couldn’t you just go find him? Relying on him could at least make your life a little easier."

Even if Thoma’s father was just a very ordinary family in Inazuma, he could at least have a stable home in Inazuma and make his life a little more stable, couldn’t he?

Thinking of this, Paimon initially thought Thoma’s father must be related to the Shuumatsuban, otherwise Thoma wouldn’t have entered the Shuumatsuban so easily, but she was wrong again.

"No, despite all my efforts, I still haven’t found my father. He should be in Inazuma, but I just can’t find any trace of him."

Thoma couldn’t understand. Back then, he had no abilities and no way to search for his father’s whereabouts across Inazuma. It was understandable that he couldn’t find him.

But after becoming a member of the Shuumatsuban, Thoma’s search expanded, almost covering all of Inazuma, yet he still couldn’t find any trace of him.

Where on earth did he go? Thoma couldn’t understand. Did the ship he took back to Inazuma meet the same fate as him and capsize? Only, he wasn’t as lucky as Thoma and sank into the cold seabed.

"Ah, that... that, ahaha~ You haven’t been back to Mondstadt in a while, have you? Do you ever think about things in Mondstadt?"

Paimon flew over to Durandal, wanting to ask her for something from Mondstadt, even a dandelion would be fine.

Durandal casually pulled something out of her storage space. Paimon was stunned; what Durandal took out was actually wine, and from the smell, it seemed to be dandelion wine.

Paimon knew Durandal didn’t like dandelion wine; she preferred sweet wine. But she still kept the dandelion wine by her side. Her purpose was self-evident, wasn’t it?

Never mind, Paimon held the dandelion wine with both hands and came before Thoma, offering him the cup: "How about it? This is authentic dandelion wine from Mondstadt. Want to try it? This taste must bring back memories, right?"

"This taste... there’s no mistake. Although many years have passed, this is definitely Mondstadt’s dandelion wine."

Thoma took the wine glass, sniffed it, and asked, "May I have a taste?"

"Of course, it’s for you anyway. If you don’t mind, just drink it all."

"Thank you all. If I could, I’d really like to save it and savor it slowly sometime. But I can’t wait now. My first sip of dandelion wine, back then, was secretly drunk from my dad and mom."

Mondstadt, this city-state of freedom, was a place rich in fine wines. When Thoma lived in Mondstadt, he had seen many drunkards, and his father also loved Mondstadt’s wine.

Children are just so curious. Driven by curiosity, he took his first sip of wine in his life. It wasn’t delicious, but he didn’t dislike it either.

He wasn’t a drunkard, and he didn’t drink often, because drinking would leave a strong smell on him, and if he had that smell, those little ones wouldn’t want to get close to him.

The reason he was so eager to taste it this time was not for the taste of the wine, but for the taste of home.

After about half a glass, Thoma stopped. He looked at the wine in the cup with a smile, reminiscing about the free winds of Mondstadt and the people and events he missed.

He wondered how his friends in Mondstadt were doing now. So many years had passed; they must be as old as he was now. Some might have even started families, and some might have become truly remarkable people.

"You really miss Mondstadt, Thoma. If that’s the case, why don’t you ask for leave and go back to visit?"

Before the sakoku decree was implemented, Thoma should have had time to go back and visit, right? Surely the Shuumatsuban wouldn’t deny him leave.

If that’s the case, why not take the opportunity to give himself a break and return to his long-departed homeland?

"...For a while, I did think about going back to visit. But I ultimately gave up, because... the head of the family and Miss Kamisato still need me. They took me in during my most difficult time and, against all odds, allowed me to stay in the Shuumatsuban. I must repay such kindness."

"My father once asked me to be a loyal and righteous person. The path that the future head of the family and Miss Kamisato must walk will require many helpers. I am not a remarkable person, nor do I possess great abilities. But I hope to contribute my meager strength to them and alleviate their worries."

To uphold his loyalty, no matter how much he wanted to return to his homeland, he could not leave. This decision had been made ten years ago and would never change.

Paimon couldn’t help but sigh. She deeply felt Thoma’s conviction and couldn’t help but applaud.

"That’s truly wonderful, Thoma. Your conviction is truly wonderful. I believe the Anemo Archon, upon learning of your thoughts, will surely support you."

"Ahaha~ That would be wonderful. I was worried she might blame me."

Through this conversation, everyone gained a little more insight into Thoma. The loyalty of this young man from Mondstadt was admirable.

It’s just... "Could the reason you’re unwilling to leave be because the Egret Princess is too beautiful, and you’re reluctant to part with her?"

Having gotten a little familiar with Thoma’s personality, Lumine couldn’t help but joke, asking in a teasing tone.

"Please don’t say such things. Miss Kamisato is indeed very beautiful, but she is the person I am sworn to serve. What you’re thinking will absolutely not happen."

Thoma admitted that he had indeed been moved once, but after all these years of interaction, those thoughts had long vanished from his heart. Now, all he thought about was how to repay their kindness.

"Oh~ I see. That’s true. After all, she is the person you are sworn to serve. Acts of insubordination cannot be done, right?"

Thoma shook his head with a bitter smile. He suddenly felt Lumine had become so difficult to deal with. She was a silent beauty not long ago, so why was she suddenly saying such things?

Durandal and Shenhe had long anticipated Lumine’s reaction and silently followed behind, ignoring her.

Fortunately, Thoma had dealt with many people. After the initial panic, he quickly found a way to counter Lumine’s offensive, dismantling all of her attacks.

"Speaking of which, will the Vision Hunt Decree issued by Ei affect the people in the Shogunate? If even high-ranking officials possess Visions, will Ei make them hand over their Visions?"

"Hmm~ Probably not. The head of the family and Miss Kamisato both possess Visions, but Ei has never asked them to hand over their Visions."

Perhaps because the Shuumatsuban were her subjects, Ei felt they were helping her maintain eternity and were "her people."

Since they were her people, it didn’t matter if they didn’t hand over their Visions. But some guards weren’t so lucky.

To prove their loyalty, they voluntarily handed over their Visions, which had a significant impact.

"What about you? You also have a Vision, don’t you? Although it’s well-hidden, people can still tell. You’re just a subordinate of the Shuumatsuban. If you’re discovered to possess a Vision, will it be forcibly confiscated?"

"Don’t worry, I hide it very well, and it has never been discovered. I think it definitely won’t be noticed later either."

Thoma was quite confident in his abilities. Since the Vision Hunt Decree began, his Vision had never been discovered. He believed his Vision could definitely remain hidden... probably.

"Well, I hope you don’t mess up at a critical moment."

Paimon joked, completely unaware that her joke would come true in the future.

"No problem. If you think I’m doing something wrong, you can supervise me, you know."

"I don’t want to do such troublesome things."

"Then I’ll give you a Reward, how about it? Are you interested in Inazuman food? If you want, I can cook Inazuman delicacies for you."

"Really?!"

Upon hearing about food, Paimon’s eyes lit up, fully displaying her gluttonous side, making Lumine somewhat unable to look directly and want to tell people she didn’t know her.

As they spoke, they arrived outside a large mansion.

Thoma ran a few steps forward, turned around, smiled at everyone, raised his hands, and said,

"Then, allow me to introduce you. This is our destination, the Kamisato Estate."

"Miss Kamisato has been waiting inside for a long time. Please come in, everyone."

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