The Chasm

The Chasm

Yun Shan, feeling somewhat reassured, began introducing another reward. He produced a waist token from his hand. Its design was ancient and simple; aside from its golden trim, there was only a single red character for "Yun" on it.

"This waist token is a token of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. I see that you're from Liyue as well, young man. If you wish to return home someday, you can use this token to pass through the nearby The Chasm directly, saving yourself the rough journey by sea."

"Once you reach Liyue, please be sure to visit the Feiyun Trading House. That way, Uncle Yun can do his part as a host."

Lin Feng, who had originally been curious about the token's purpose, was overjoyed.

Although Gandharva Ville bordered Liyue, ordinary travelers were not permitted to pass between them. The Chasm was an important region of Liyue, and everyone entering or leaving had to undergo strict inspection. Ordinary merchants simply did not qualify.

The token before him was clearly the Feiyun Commerce Guild using its reputation to pave the way for Lin Feng. To Lin Feng, who had wanted to visit Liyue ever since crossing over, it was truly priceless.

"Uncle Yun, words cannot express my gratitude. This token is exactly what I needed. If I head to Liyue someday, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with a visit."

Lin Feng frankly expressed his thanks. To a wanderer living away from home, this token was undoubtedly a guarantee of identity, and it held extraordinary significance for Lin Feng's journey to Liyue.

Seeing that Lin Feng liked his gift of thanks, Yun Shan beamed with delight.

Ever since learning from his daughter that Lin Feng had charged alone toward the monster and protected her from the explosion that had come from nowhere afterward, Yun Shan, who knew his daughter best, could naturally hear the deep admiration in every word she spoke.

Seeing that Lin Feng was only fourteen or fifteen years old, Yun Shan was naturally extremely pleased with this promising young fellow townsman from Liyue. That was why he had not hesitated to give Lin Feng his token. As long as he informed the General Affairs Department in advance, Lin Feng's road home would surely be much smoother.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lin Feng took Yun Shan and Yun Lu to a nearby inn. After such repeated highs and lows, both father and daughter were mentally exhausted. After agreeing with Yun Shan that he would see them off tomorrow, Lin Feng returned to his own lodging.

Back in his little nest, Lin Feng felt a rare sense of relaxation.

Remembering the bag Yun Shan had given him, Lin Feng grew curious about how much Mora was inside. Though he did not hold out much hope, he still got up from the bed and took out the small dark green pouch.

The moment he opened it, Lin Feng was Shocked by Yun Shan's extravagance.

—There truly was not much Mora in the bag, but every coin was of an enormous denomination. This tiny pouch contained a full five hundred thousand Mora.

Lin Feng: "..."

Was this what being rich meant? He had said he did not have much money left and hoped Lin Feng would not mind?

Looking at Yun Shan, who had casually given away five hundred thousand Mora, Lin Feng gained a new understanding of the Feiyun Commerce Guild's wealth.

Hugging the tiny pouch, Lin Feng felt utterly blissful.

Remembering his instructions to Aranana, Lin Feng, who was preparing to sleep, lowered part of his resistance to dreams and waited for a certain little green girl to arrive.

Within the green dreamscape.

Lin Feng looked around this place he was visiting for the first time and approved of the Lesser Lord Kusanali's taste.

"Pleased to meet you. Please allow me to offer my greetings, honored God of Wisdom."

Although Lin Feng knew something of Nahida's personality, he still maintained the most basic respect for a god.

"Thank you for your help earlier. As for the damage to the forest, I'll do my best to help repair it."

Lin Feng expressed his gratitude for Nahida's assistance.

That was right. After Lin Feng had caused such a huge disturbance, the pits in the forest that still retained traces of destructive power were clearly quite conspicuous.

So, after recalling the connection between the Aranara and the Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lin Feng had asked Aranana to see whether she could have the Lesser Lord Kusanali help conceal the traces at the scene. Only after receiving an affirmative answer did Lin Feng leave with peace of mind.

Although a deep pit still remained in the forest, the Lesser Lord Kusanali had helped clear away some of Xiao Bai's lingering power, while the Aranara had encouraged plants to grow there. After a round of concealment, the scene no longer appeared to have been purely destroyed by an external force, but instead looked like a collapse caused by ley line shifts after the Withering had been cleared.

Though it still could not fool a god, it could at least spare Lin Feng from being pestered by the Sages of the Akademiya.

Nahida looked at the young man before her, who had clearly never met her yet seemed strangely familiar with her. Doubts arose in her heart, but setting aside those unnecessary thoughts, she replied in a clear voice:

"You were clearing the Withering and helping people trapped in danger. Though you caused some damage to the forest, you were like a woodpecker removing pests. You need not burden yourself with it. The forest will still be grateful to you."

Seeing that Nahida was as understanding and skilled at comforting others as she had been in the game, the tension in Lin Feng's heart eased slightly. He decided to take this opportunity to clarify some of the doubts surrounding his crossing over.

"Then, honored Lesser Lord Kusanali, do you know anything about my origins?"

Lin Feng first asked about the origin of this body.

"Um... you don't need to be so formal. Just call me Nahida." Having never experienced anything like this before, the Lesser Lord Kusanali seemed a little uneasy at Lin Feng's respectful manner.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about your situation. Your existence is like a blank space. Even within the 'world,' there are no records of you whatsoever." The Lesser Lord Kusanali shook her head. Seeing Lin Feng's somewhat disappointed expression, Nahida continued explaining:

"If I'm not mistaken, you should be a being from beyond this world."

"Given your power, I think the title 'one who rivals the world' from the Akasha may be quite fitting for you."

Chatting with the Lesser Lord Kusanali was clearly very efficient. As the God of Wisdom, she possessed an instinctive desire to answer others' questions—just like the teachers from Lin Feng's previous life.

"Me? A Descender?"

—One who rivaled the world was another way of referring to the Descenders familiar to players.

Lin Feng clearly had doubts about being a Descender. Strictly speaking, those were all people capable of confronting the world through their own strength, and Lin Feng felt he was obviously not qualified. Xiao Bai might be, though.

"That's right. There is no need to doubt your power. Though it lasted only an instant, the pressure brought by that power was something even ancient Adepti could not remotely compare to." Recalling what she had felt at the time, Nahida gave an affirmative answer.

Lin Feng looked at Xiao Bai, who had entered the dreamscape with him in his arms. He grabbed Xiao Bai by the Scruff of the Neck and said to Nahida, "If I told you that power belonged to him, would you believe me?"

"Is this some new kind of bad joke?"

The Lesser Lord Kusanali looked at Xiao Bai, who was flailing his limbs in midair after being picked up by Lin Feng, her face full of disbelief.

Lin Feng: "..."