God's Visage

Tighnari's troubles were, of course, unknown to the sleeping Lin Feng.

As he kept his authority activated for an extended period, he suddenly realized that his mind was undergoing some kind of transformation.

During this process, Lin Feng gradually discovered that the consciousness connected to the statue had, without his noticing, formed a profound connection with a small area of nature—the rainforest seemed to have become an extension of his will.

Unsure of what specific changes this might bring, Lin Feng focused his attention on the ground and gave it a simple sweep.

He found that there seemed to be no negative effects. The changes were basically all positive.

Once he was sure he would not cause trouble for the rainforest's inhabitants, Lin Feng relaxed and turned his attention inward.

Sensing that he possessed only about half his divine power, Lin Feng could not help sighing at how long the road ahead was before continuing to immerse himself in gathering the elements.

Gandharva Ville, twelve days after Lin Feng fell asleep.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Tighnari stood before a plain wooden house and knocked rhythmically on its door.

After repeating this several times, there was still no response from inside.

Knowing the house's owner was not here,

Tighnari turned and left Haypasia's cabin, intending to make a trip to the nearby rainforest.

After many busy days, Tighnari had finally completed the interview reports for everyone else.

Even Tighnari himself found the fabricated explanations in the reports somewhat far-fetched, such as "spores released by mushrooms, combined with the shadows of trees, had hypnotized lost travelers," or "a temporary shift in the ley lines had caused passing travelers to experience hallucinations."

Still, they were explanations with at least some degree of plausibility. As long as he did not say the effects had been caused by that guy Lin Feng, no one would guess that someone was buried beneath the Statue of the Seven.

Now, only the final step remained—explaining the "god" Haypasia had sensed. Thinking of that made Tighnari's head ache.

To come up with all those elaborate excuses, the overly anxious Tighnari had even shed quite a bit of fur from his ears.

"Sigh." He did not know how many times he had sighed over the past few days.

Returning silently to his home, Tighnari skillfully picked up a serving of nutritious food, intending to bring it to Haypasia, who had most likely already fainted from hunger in the rainforest.

After making sure he had forgotten nothing, Tighnari, who knew Gandharva Ville's terrain like the back of his hand, quickly arrived near the cave where Haypasia cultivated.

The moment he reached the entrance, Tighnari caught the scent of Spirit-Sniffing Incense. Surprised that Haypasia had not fainted from hunger this time, he softened his footsteps and slowly entered the cave.

Since Haypasia was still meditating, Tighnari did not disturb her. He merely continued polishing and revising his investigation report in silence.

After a long while.

"Thud."

The dull sound of a body hitting the ground pulled Tighnari's attention away from his report.

—Haypasia, who had just been meditating, had unsurprisingly starved herself unconscious while sitting in meditation.

Looking at the young Scholar lying face-first on the ground before him, Tighnari, already accustomed to this, instead felt a strange sense of relief—at least when it came to starving herself unconscious, Haypasia was still normal.

Rising from the rock, Tighnari hurried over and helped Haypasia, who had rammed her head into the ground, upright. He opened the juice he had prepared, adjusted the angle, and, after making sure she would not choke, slowly poured the specially made drink into her mouth from the corner of her lips.

Before long, Haypasia, already experienced at being hungry, woke from her faint. Feeling around beside herself, she skillfully found the nutritional meal. Controlling her appetite, she took small bites of the precious food.

"Phew, I'm alive again."

"I knew you wouldn't let me starve to death, Tighnari."

After finishing every last bite, Haypasia looked gratefully at the helpless-looking Tighnari beside her.

"I'd prefer it if you and Farbod gave me less to worry about. One of you keeps starving herself unconscious out in the wild every few days, while the other keeps eating those dangerous mushrooms as edible fungi no matter how often he's lectured. If you two keep this up, I'll put you both in the Rainforest Survival Guide as negative examples."

Tighnari mercilessly criticized Haypasia before him.

"And weren't plenty of wild fruits growing around you? How did you still manage to starve yourself unconscious?"

Pointing at the Dundun Peaches and raspberries that had appeared in the cave at some unknown time, all bearing enormous fruits, Tighnari spoke to Haypasia with a speechless expression.

"Ah, these fruits must be the god's reward for my devotion. How could I possibly eat them?"

Haypasia's face was filled with fervor.

Ever since Haypasia discovered that, whenever she grew hungry, edible wild fruits would appear around her as long as she persisted in meditating, she had believed she had gained the god's attention.

So not only did she refuse to eat those fruits, she continued cultivating on an empty stomach, until she finally starved herself unconscious in the cave.

Tighnari: "..."

At a loss for words, Tighnari fell into a long-unfamiliar silence.

Haypasia skillfully ignored Tighnari's speechlessness and said excitedly:

"Never mind that, Tighnari."

"Hehe. Let me tell you, I've already caught a glimpse of the god's visage within my consciousness."

"Just give me a little more time, and I will surely achieve the supreme attainment of connecting my consciousness with the god's!"

"...Hm? Really? Congratulations, congratulations!"

Though he was highly doubtful of Haypasia's claim, Tighnari still offered his congratulations politely.

"I came here precisely to learn about the god you mentioned, Haypasia. Could you describe that god's appearance for me?"

Tighnari took out the notebook he carried with him, preparing to make relevant notes.

"Of course! That was unquestionably a true god. The moment I glimpsed Their appearance, it was an unparalleled, supreme experience..." Haypasia's body trembled slightly, clearly recalling how she had felt then.

"That god bore the appearance of a young man. His heart possessed a tolerance as vast as the world itself, while his body contained might as immense as heaven and earth. Even merely glimpsing one corner of His visage bestowed upon me boundless wisdom!"

"He loves all things in this world equally. The forest is His eyes, the earth His body, and even this great power, enough to make mortal things worship Him, is merely the Tip of the Iceberg."

"Wait, so aside from knowing that the god is a young man, you don't know anything else?"

Ignoring Haypasia's fervor, Tighnari interrupted.

"Eh, that's true for now, but just give me a little more time—just a little time—and I'll definitely be able to connect my consciousness with the god's. Believe me!"

"Alright, alright, I believe you," Tighnari said aloud.

—Severe hallucinations caused by excessive hunger and the influence of Spirit-Sniffing Incense. Determined to be invalid information.

"Snap."

Tighnari closed his notebook, ending this investigation.