Nahida 2

Lin Feng casually chatted with Lesser Lord Kusanali in the dream. Having already been fond of Nahida in the story, he naturally would not pass up such a good opportunity to learn more about this world.

"Could you get me a plate of Date Palm Honey Candy?" Lin Feng suddenly asked.

"Huh? You want Date Palm Honey Candy? Here?"

Nahida blinked in surprise, unable to keep up with Lin Feng's unusual train of thought for a moment.

"Ah, it was just a sudden thought. I was curious. Never mind, then." Lin Feng did not insist.

"No, you absolutely must try it!" Nahida's tone suddenly rose, and her cute little face rarely turned serious.

"Ah? Then... thank you?"

Lin Feng was startled by her sudden enthusiasm. Nahida had looked so proper just moments ago, but the instant she heard the name Date Palm Honey Candy, her pale green eyes lit up.

"Although Date Palm Honey Candy in dreams can't make your brain crackle and spin at high speed, it's still a rare delicacy."

Upon receiving his affirmative answer, Nahida happily waved her little hand, creating a table in the dream. She eagerly summoned a plate of Date Palm Honey Candy along with tea to go with it.

Looking at the expectant Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lin Feng reached into the green-and-white plate, picked up an amber-colored piece of Date Palm Honey Candy, and put the snack, which resembled a block of rice cake, into his mouth.

Luckily, this was a dream. Otherwise, eating like this every day would definitely make someone gain weight.

Feeling the solid weight in his hand, Lin Feng deeply admired Nahida for being able to eat an entire plate at once.

"—Crunch."

With a crisp crack, Lin Feng bit off a small piece of candy.

The high-quality honey candy melted the moment it entered his mouth. Lin Feng had intended to politely compliment the taste, but an overwhelmingly intense sweetness immediately burst across his taste buds—it was like refined sugar had been concentrated several times over, then mixed thoroughly with premium honey.

Though the sweetness was refined and layered, Lin Feng, who preferred savory food, clearly found this style of Cooking hard to accept.

"To be honest, I think it's a little too... too delicious!"

Lin Feng had frowned from the sweetness and originally planned to state his honest opinion, but when he glanced up at Nahida's little face, full of expectation and unease, the candy cake before him suddenly seemed rather endearing.

"Really?!" The nervous Lesser Lord Kusanali let out a sigh of relief, her lovely eyes curving into crescents.

"Whew, the Aranara aren't used to eating it. Since you like it, have some more!" Nahida generously pushed the plate toward Lin Feng, raising her head slightly as she watched him eat with a blissful expression.

Lin Feng: "..."

Suffering and enjoying himself at the same time, Lin Feng ate Snacks while telling Nahida, who normally had no one to talk to, about some of his experiences. Occasionally, he mixed in a few "stories" he had learned from the game in his previous life.

Nahida, who was extremely fascinated by knowledge, was clearly very interested. Throughout the conversation, she stared at him with her adorable emerald-green eyes, nodding curiously from time to time. Her tied side ponytail bobbed along with her small head, giving her a rare hint of childish innocence.

"It's about time. I should leave."

After chatting all night, Lin Feng said goodbye to Nahida.

"Mm, let me send you back."

Though reluctant, Nahida still nodded and prepared to send Lin Feng back to reality.

"Wait." Just as he was about to return to reality, Lin Feng suddenly asked Nahida to wait.

"That's fine, but is there something else?" Nahida looked at Lin Feng in confusion.

"There's a question I hope you can answer honestly." Lin Feng stood and gazed at Nahida, who was not even as tall as his chest.

"What question is it?" Nahida was clearly curious.

Lin Feng walked closer to Nahida, slowly crouched down, looked at the puzzled girl before him, and seriously asked:

"Do you want to leave the Sanctuary of Surasthana? Do you want to leave that cage?"

"..."

"..."

The pleasant atmosphere suddenly fell silent, and the Lesser Lord Kusanali's mood clearly dropped.

"May I ask why?" Nahida raised her head.

"Why would you want a god like me, one without presence or achievements, to leave?"

Nahida tilted her face up slightly and looked at the young man before her, who had been a stranger until today.

"Probably because I want to do it myself. Compared to the Sages, I find cute you much more pleasing to look at."

Lin Feng spoke frankly.

"And I'm certain that before long, I'll have enough power to do all of this."

After clearing the Withering "alone," Lin Feng had already reached level 43 and was full of confidence.

Nahida gazed at Lin Feng somewhat absentmindedly. After thinking seriously, she gave her answer:

"If... one day in the future, you have that confidence, then please come to the Sanctuary of Surasthana and awaken the sleeping me from that cage."

"But not now. If Sumeru lost the Sages now, it would fall into serious chaos. A god without achievements cannot gain the recognition of Sumeru's people."

That was right. Before the Akademiya Sages' scandal was exposed, even if Lesser Lord Kusanali left her cage, she would still be unable to take over Sumeru as perfectly as she had in the story.

Therefore, for the stability of Sumeru's situation, Lesser Lord Kusanali decided to remain in that lonely cage.

"I see. Understood."

Lin Feng nodded without committing one way or the other.

"Then there's one last thing." Lin Feng looked at Lesser Lord Kusanali.

"What is it?" After the previous question, Nahida was clearly curious what other heavy question Lin Feng might ask.

But as Nahida watched Lin Feng curiously, he slowly raised both hands under her increasingly puzzled gaze.

—and pinched her small, adorable elf-like Ears.

"Eh—"

"Isn't she still just a child?"

After being kicked out of the dream, Lin Feng felt that this exchange had been worth it. He had always wanted to do this in the game—those Ears were so conspicuous. Could no one else see them?

They felt pretty good. He would dare to do it again next time. Lin Feng felt that this level of rejection did not hurt at all.

Putting aside the little joke, Lin Feng admitted that Lesser Lord Kusanali did have a point. Even if he released her at this stage, it would not significantly change Sumeru's situation.

—After all, the Sages had not yet fallen from grace and were still symbols of wisdom in the eyes of Sumeru's people.

However, Lin Feng had no intention of changing his plan to free Lesser Lord Kusanali. At worst, he would do it quietly. Even if she could not accomplish much outside, at least he could let this Shut-in sample food all around Sumeru.

Not knowing how many years remained before the Traveler would wander into Sumeru, Lin Feng had no intention of placing his hopes on that Traveler, whose mental resistance was zero and stun resistance was negative.

After waking up, Lin Feng looked at his panel. Following a night of pleasant conversation, he had risen another two levels and was already level 45. He knew this was Lesser Lord Kusanali's friendly sponsorship, silently remembered the favor in his heart, and decided to make the Grand Sage die a little more miserably.

With nothing to do for the moment, Lin Feng opened Lesser Lord Kusanali's panel:

Individual Information: Adeptus—God of Wisdom—Buer

Level: 100 (An Adeptus standing at the pinnacle of mortals. As a wielder of Authority, level cannot measure a god's divine might.)

Attribute: Dendro

Traits: Lord of Flora, Lord of Wisdom, Lord of Dreams, Elemental Mastery: Dendro, Event Control: Dream, World Branch, Divine Dream max, Flora Affinity max, Flora Creation max, Consciousness Imbuement 9, Cooking 5.

Emotion: Embarrassment

Favorability: 50 (You are full of unknown mysteries. As the God of Wisdom, she is filled with curiosity about everything concerning you.)

Seeing the Favorability of 50, Lin Feng felt reassured—her Favorability had not dropped. He could touch them again next time.

This panel was also within Lin Feng's expectations. He guessed that every Adeptus was level 100, but that was only because level 100 was the limit. Even among those at level 100, there were vast differences between Adepti—such as a certain pathetic Great Serpent who had been severely wounded by Zhongli, then frightened by the Raiden Shogun in Inazuma and fled to Enkanomiya.

Still, Lesser Lord Kusanali's luxurious panel made Lin Feng drool a little. Even the lowest-level trait was Cooking at level 5, while the long string of Authorities before it had no levels at all. Beneath Adepti, everyone truly was an ant.

Lin Feng was not interested in most of the skills, since he could not copy them anyway. But thinking of some of Lesser Lord Kusanali's performances in the story, Lin Feng could not help coming up with an interesting idea.