Sleeping (Please Keep Reading)

Setting Nahida's matter aside for the time being, Lin Feng could finally begin carrying out his own plan.

Back in Apam Woods, after absorbing a large amount of elemental energy, Lin Feng had gone several days without feeling hungry. That was when he realized that, compared with an ordinary human, his existence was closer to an elemental lifeform that fed on energy.

As one of Teyvat's peculiar traits, the higher-ranking an elemental lifeform was, the more it tended to take on a physical form. That happened to align perfectly with his own condition.

It was precisely because of this, coupled with the extraordinary command over the elements he had displayed before, that Lin Feng decided after careful consideration to use the Statue of the Seven, so closely connected to the ley lines, to reach deep underground and attempt to draw elemental energy from a broader area.

After all, you could not keep fleecing the same sheep for all it was worth. With such an enormous energy demand, distributing the draw evenly across different regions would have less impact on the ecosystem than draining it directly from the area around him.

Aside from ecological concerns, drawing elements from across all of Sumeru would obviously be more efficient. Using his ability to compress and store elemental energy, Lin Feng would refine the vast amount of gathered elements into divine power and temporarily activate his Authority of Dendro.

Taking on the complete form of an Adeptus and crushing the Withering Manifestation head-on—this was the backup plan to Lin Feng's backup plan.

After telling Xiao Bai not to wander too far, to take shelter if it rained, and to eat the Elemental Crystals in the bundle if he got hungry, Lin Feng linked his consciousness to the Statue of the Seven beside him.

Closing his eyes and discarding the interference of sight, the fully focused Lin Feng found his perception of drifting elements entering an incomparably clear state.

Just as before, he attempted to resonate with the nearby Statue of the Seven. The familiar wide-ranging perspective appeared once more, but unlike the previous bird's-eye view, Lin Feng used his will to direct this extra perception underground.

With no concern whatsoever that the disturbance here might draw a god's displeasure, Lin Feng made much freer use of the statue than he had last time.

Thus, with the help of the Dendro Authority and the statue, Lin Feng quickly sensed the layered, tangled network of elemental veins beneath the ground.

—Countless thick and thin elemental conduits spread throughout the world like the roots of trees. Their complexity and density reminded Lin Feng of the balls of yarn he used to tangle together as a child.

Feeling the countless powers and memories contained within the ley lines, Lin Feng was shocked to discover that the elemental energy surging across Teyvat's surface did not even amount to a fraction of what lay hidden in the ley lines.

Given this near-heaven-and-earth difference in energy, the ley lines buried deep within the rock strata and ignored by most people might be the true core of Teyvat.

Astonished by this rushing river of energy, Lin Feng used his Authority to protect his consciousness from being scattered by the torrential flood of information, then tentatively drew out a wisp of energy from the ley lines.

—Just as expected, it could not be used.

Ley line energy that had not been processed or transformed was extremely violent. Its form differed significantly from the elements, and the memories contained within it further prevented living beings from directly absorbing and converting that power.

Regretfully abandoning the fantasy of becoming a god in a single step, Lin Feng obediently merged his consciousness into the ley lines for the time being. Under the wash of countless memories, the Dendro Authority, fully activated through his contact with the statue, proved remarkably reliable.

Feeling somewhat reassured, Lin Feng began playing Gold Miner in the ley lines—grabbing portions of Dendro Element from elemental-rich locations throughout Sumeru and using the ley lines to gather them into his body.

Sensing the vast expanse of Sumeru's land in reality, Lin Feng sighed at the long road ahead and immersed himself in the task.

Gandharva Ville, five days after Lin Feng fell asleep.

"Bang, bang, bang."

A young man with a pair of green fox ears swung his arms back and forth, driving wooden fences into the ground one after another.

"Thud!"

As the final fence post was set around the statue, Tighnari let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and hung a "Danger Ahead" warning sign on the barrier.

"Whew, it's finally done. My ears are practically dropping from exhaustion. Lin Feng, you really know how to make trouble for me." Tighnari's resentment was plainly visible.

Remembering how Lin Feng had caused such a huge mess last time just by touching the statue, Tighnari decided that, although this time the effects appeared positive, he should temporarily keep nearby passersby and Forest Walkers from entering the area where Lin Feng slept.

Although this place had always been quite remote, Tighnari was still shocked by Lin Feng's talent for stirring things up when he sensed the overflowing vitality around the statue.

Suppressing his body's instinctive urge to remain here, Tighnari set off on the road back.

Following the narrow paths through the rainforest, Tighnari moved through the woods with practiced ease. His nimble figure inevitably called to mind a cunning forest fox.

Unlike before, when he had to stay constantly alert for hidden dangers along the way, Tighnari was thoroughly relaxed as he traveled.

—Ever since Lin Feng had found him and said he wanted to dig a hole beneath the Statue of the Seven and sleep for a while, the rainforest around Gandharva Ville had become safer than ever before.

All monsters and wild beasts had vanished without a trace. The rainforest was as tranquil as a private backyard, and even people who collapsed in the woods from food poisoning would mysteriously wake up on their own. Not only did they suffer no aftereffects, but they even seemed considerably healthier afterward.

And these were not the only abnormalities in the rainforest. Through the work logs of other Forest Rangers, Tighnari had compiled the following changes as well:

—First, many high-quality plants had recently appeared in the rainforest, including giant Dundun Peaches that were both huge and sweet, red Spice Fruits with an incredibly rich fragrance, and all sorts of enormous, delicious, precious mushrooms.

—Second, travelers who recently got lost in the rainforest often somehow found themselves beside settlements. Yet when asked exactly how they made it out, they were usually unable to explain, as though they had simply wandered out in a daze.

—Lastly, and most surprisingly to Tighnari, were the changes among the Scholars cultivating in the rainforest.

Recently, those Scholars in the Forest-Dweller's Babbling Phase who sought to perceive a god's consciousness had all reported making progress. Haypasia in particular claimed that she was only a hair's breadth away from connecting with the god's will.

Thinking of how all these abnormalities had gradually emerged only after Lin Feng's arrival, Tighnari grew increasingly curious about Lin Feng's identity.

No matter how he imagined it, such vast effects that could only be called miracles were far beyond any realm a mortal could reach.

—Perhaps Lin Feng really was descended from an Adepti bloodline that had wandered from Liyue.

Tighnari kept that overly absurd guess to himself, already giving Lin Feng's origins the most generous possible estimate.

"Ah..."

Tighnari let out a long sigh. Although recent forest patrol work had been simplified to an absurd degree thanks to someone's arrival, so easy that Tighnari had even given most of the Forest Rangers a long vacation,

the other effects Lin Feng had brought left the overwhelmed Tighnari unable to feel the slightest gratitude.