Vimara Village

Lin Feng strolled into Vimara Village. The huge pack on his back naturally drew the attention of quite a few residents, and elderly people and children out for walks alike cast curious looks his way. Once they noticed the Vision at his waist, however, their expressions turned understanding.

From afar, Lin Feng noticed three children running toward him together. Leading them was a black-haired boy, followed by a slightly shorter girl and a little blond boy.

"Kaus, Udan, Sudabeh!"

"Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"

A blond young man with Fontaine features called worriedly after them.

The somewhat relaxed Lin Feng suddenly looked up at the blond young man.

Memories from the game abruptly surged into his mind.

With a thought, Lin Feng opened the blond man's panel:

Individual Information: Human—Trofim Schneitzewich/Alphonso

Level: 43 (Through harsh training and a forbidden Delusion, he has gained partial elemental power. If he stands behind his enemy, he is confident he can defeat them even if they are Vision holders.)

Element: Pyro

Traits: Assassination 4, Sewing 4, Delusion: Pyro Element Affinity 3, Stealth 3, Cooking 3

Emotion: Vigilant

Favorability: -10 (A strange Vision holder may affect the plan. He is somewhat wary of you.)

Seeing the information on the panel, Lin Feng finally remembered the identities of these four people—the Fatui agents sent by the Fatui Harbinger "The Doctor" to investigate the Withering and the Aranara, as well as the three children saved by Rana in Aranyaka.

Certain that his face had revealed nothing unusual, Lin Feng watched the three little ones slowly approach.

"Mister, is that thing on your waist the Vision Alphonso mentioned before? It's my first time seeing one!"

Kaus, the boy in front, looked at the ornament at Lin Feng's waist and spoke excitedly.

"I heard that Vision holders are super—awesome. They can even beat giant bears in the mountains. Is that true?"

The blond little boy, Udan, spoke just as excitedly from the side.

"You two, don't block a passing guest! You'll cause trouble for others!"

Sudabeh, who wore her hair in two low pigtails, was embarrassed by her two reckless friends.

Looking at Lin Feng, the little girl said somewhat awkwardly, "Sorry, mister. We didn't mean to bother you. I'll drag these two idiots away right now!" As she spoke, she tried to pull away the two curious boys.

Lin Feng had originally been troubled over how to deal with the Fatui, but seeing the adorable trio before him improved his mood considerably. With a thought, he reached out and plucked a bunch of wildflowers from the roadside. With a flick of his hand, the flower buds turned into a cluster of bright, blooming flowers.

Lin Feng handed the flowers to the little girl and smiled. "It's fine. Even with a Vision, I can't actually do anything too special. These are for you, little one. You have good manners."

"Eh, really? Thank you, mister!"

The little girl's eyes lit up. After accepting the flowers, she ran off, chased by the two boys beside her who were fighting to get a look.

Alphonso's pupils contracted at Lin Feng's display, but he immediately smiled and said, "Sorry about that. The children caused you trouble. I hope you won't mind, sir."

"I need to go after them. I hope you enjoy your time in Vimara Village."

After saying that, Alphonso ran after the children like an ordinary big brother next door, leaving only Lin Feng standing there in deep thought.

After making a few adjustments to his original plan, Lin Feng found a small inn and decided to stay there for the night.

The inn was unexpectedly clean and tidy. Although his room was on the first floor, there was no trace of dampness or mildew. Satisfied, Lin Feng set down his luggage, lay on the comfortable bed, and rolled around twice.

Night fell.

Alphonso casually walked past the inn. However, when he passed Lin Feng's room, he seemed to trip by accident, dropping some of the mushrooms he had gathered. As he bent down to pick them up, Alphonso took the opportunity to toss a small stone from his person beside Lin Feng's lodging.

Inside the room, Lin Feng opened his eyes and sighed. Pretending not to know anything, he continued sleeping.

The next day.

Lin Feng found the village chief and rented a boat, planning to follow the river to Vanarana.

Lying in the small boat, which was only wide enough for two people, Lin Feng watched Xiao Bai dart through the water like a torpedo and felt rather helpless—why did a Treasure-Hunting Weasel like water so much?

Before leaving, Lin Feng conducted an investigation of the tranquil little village.

Feeling the unusually active Withering near Vimara Village, he noticed Alphonso and a group of Fatui clearly reporting to someone in the images conveyed to him by the elements. Silently, he gathered the nearby Dendro Element.

Inside an underground cave unique to the rainforest region, a group of ordinary Fatui members in uniform bustled among mechanical devices.

"Move it! You useless freeloading trash!"

"You still haven't finished installing a device to induce the Withering after three days! If you can't finish it today, I'll use you garbage in place of the captured children and send you to Lord The Doctor as test subjects!"

In the pitch-black cave, a Fatui member wearing specially made purple equipment barked orders viciously at the ordinary members working before him.

"Lieutenant Morris, that's enough." From the trembling crowd, a blond young man stepped forward to stop the furious Morris.

"I have no intention of interfering with how you manage your subordinates, but these devices were personally made by Lord The Doctor. If they are damaged because of excessive haste, no one will escape the punishment that follows."

"Hmph! Don't tell me what to do, Trofim!" Morris glared fiercely at Alphonso, who had stepped forward.

"The children you brought back last time have all been 'discarded.' If you don't quickly get some new ones, don't blame me for laying hands on the children in this village."

"..."

Alphonso had wanted to say something, but suddenly his limbs felt weak and his mind grew heavy and muddled. Watching the Fatui collapse one after another, as beautiful flowers silently bloomed in a corner at some unknown time, he instantly realized that his group had been attacked. The face of a young man inexplicably flashed through his mind, and Alphonso fell helplessly onto the damp, slippery moss in the cave.

After confirming that all the Withering seeds nearby had been cleared away, Lin Feng felt the life force within the cave disappear, and his mood inexplicably grew heavy.

There was no way he could change Alphonso's mind, unless he charged into Snezhnaya right now and wiped out all of The Doctor's segments. Having seen Alphonso's hidden side, Lin Feng was completely certain of that.

As he drifted along with the current, recalling how he had initially wanted to talk to Alphonso, he could not help sighing at his own naivety. Even if they loved those children dearly, loyalty was the first principle of House of the Hearth members.

Yet the trace of hesitation in Lin Feng's heart had still given Alphonso a few more chances. However, yesterday's surveillance and today's Fatui gathering had undoubtedly shattered his illusions. In the end, he could only solve the problem in the most brutal way.

Although he had eliminated a hidden danger for the children, Lin Feng could not bring himself to feel happy.

No matter what the Fatui's purpose was, their crimes of kidnapping children, conducting human experiments, and inciting riots throughout the continent were indisputable.

Lin Feng had no favorable impression of such an organization, but personally erasing a life that yearned for freedom brought him no sense of accomplishment either.

Thinking of the research facilities shown in the elemental feedback, facilities that would clearly worsen the Withering, Lin Feng added another mark against the already detestable "The Doctor."

Putting those troubling matters aside, Lin Feng drifted downstream and observed the scenery on both banks. Having never ridden a boat in his previous life, he found it rather novel for a while.

Watching Xiao Bai frolic in the water, Lin Feng's mood gradually improved considerably.

As the broad waterway gradually narrowed, Lin Feng drew closer and closer to his destination.

Beside a lush rainforest, the little boat that had drifted all the way there came to a stop.

Stepping out of the boat, Lin Feng secured it and set out on the final stretch of his journey to Vanarana.

Surveying the forest, Lin Feng could only say that the Aranara's domed houses were far too conspicuous. He had no idea how those Scholars conducted their research when they could not even notice such obvious anomalies.

Walking and stopping along the way, Lin Feng casually wiped out more than a dozen groups of Fungi before finally reaching his destination without much trouble.

Staring at the round stone before him, Lin Feng tried to communicate with the power related to dreams within his body, then slowly placed his hand upon it.

The ordinary stone suddenly began to glow. Faced with this power that shared the same origin as the God of Dreams, Lin Feng entered the endpoint of his journey without any obstruction—the Aranara's homeland, the Vanarana of dreams.

Gazing at the magnificent purple sky and breathing in the air filled with dream energy, Lin Feng let out a long breath—I'm finally here.