Departure

"Hey, big brother, how strong are you? Are you even stronger than the best Forest Ranger in Gandharva Ville?!"

Lin Feng: "..."

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Lin Feng did not know how to answer for a moment.

In the end, considering Tighnari's pride, Lin Feng merely smiled and said somewhat sheepishly:

"Not at all, not at all. How could I possibly compare to Tighnari?"

"With my little bit of strength, I can only handle a few Hilichurls at most. It is barely enough to protect myself."

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Feng say that, a look of complete understanding appeared on Francis's face—just as he thought. Their Gandharva Ville Forest Ranger was so powerful. This big brother in front of him was strong too, but there was no way he could be a match for Lord Tighnari.

"Lin Feng, stop humoring children. Being overly modest is very rude to your audience, you know."

Nasrin shot the boy before her a speechless glance and said with utmost seriousness:

"Though I am not sure who is stronger between you and Senior Tighnari, your strength has earned the unanimous recognition of all our Forest Rangers! If you make yourself sound so weak, does that not make the Forest Rangers of Gandharva Ville seem terribly incompetent?!"

Seeing Nasrin's puffed-up little face, which somehow made him think of a hamster, Lin Feng unusually decided to be honest for once:

"Alright, alright, do not be mad. Since you put it that way, I will secretly tell you my true strength. Just remember not to spread it around."

Nasrin and Francis's eyes brimmed with anticipation—

"—Actually, just two days ago, I became a god like Lord Kusanali!" the boy declared proudly.

Nasrin: "..."

Her brother: "..."

See? No one believed me even when I told the truth.

After that farce, Nasrin insisted on paying for Lin Feng's meal, claiming it was compensation for him bringing her to such a heavenly restaurant. Unable to refuse, Lin Feng could only accept her goodwill.

Thinking of the Adventurers' Guild and its death rate that made it Wangshu Inn's premium customer base...

As repayment for the meal, Lin Feng left an imperceptible trace of power on both siblings.

It was nothing especially useful. It would simply raise a shield lasting half an hour whenever they encountered danger. Generally speaking, that would be enough for them to escape a dangerous place.

After eating, he prepared desserts for Lesser Lord Kusanali, then bought a pile of food suitable for eating on the road.

He called back Xiao Bai, who knew where he had run off to play, and purchased an enormous amount of long-lasting food as snacks for the little fellow.

Though he lamented that money was a little too easy to spend, before setting out for Vanarana, Lin Feng still made every preparation he could to improve his quality of life.

As Lin Feng stood upon the roads of Gandharva Ville for the third time, his state of mind had changed again.

—The first time had been when he followed Farbod through the damp, perilous rainforest and first arrived at Gandharva Ville.

Back then, he had felt the joy and relief of finally escaping death and returning to society.

—The second time had been after staying in Gandharva Ville for several months, when he set out for Vanarana because of Lesser Lord Kusanali's request.

At that time, he had felt the reluctance of parting, along with the freedom and ease of standing beneath the vast heavens.

—The third time was now, after the trembling caution at the beginning and the helplessness he had felt when facing the Withering halfway through.

Now that he finally possessed the power to resolve everything, Lin Feng's heart was filled with the ease and reassurance of knowing that the world was vast and there was nowhere he could not go.

It was like owning a luxury car, which could cure most people's inferiority complex.

Power sufficient to rival a god was naturally an excellent remedy for a lack of security.

Thinking that once he resolved the Withering Manifestation on this trip, he could visit Sumeru City, Lin Feng—who had not yet been to a major city since crossing over—felt a faint, inexplicable sense of anticipation.

During their earlier conversation, Nasrin had mentioned, with lingering fear before parting from him, a strange man she had encountered while on patrol.

—The man wore a bird-beaked mask. Merely passing by him and meeting his gaze had made her feel the same danger as being watched by a wild beast.

The innocent Nasrin had only thought he was a dangerous criminal, warning Lin Feng to stay far away if he encountered him later.

But after asking for specific details about the man's clothing, Lin Feng reluctantly confirmed his identity—Fatui Harbinger, Second Seat, "The Doctor."

Though he had long expected The Doctor's cooperation with the Akademiya in the story...

It was clear that those Sages' God-Making Project had not been a spur-of-the-moment decision. They had been colluding with the Fatui for quite some time.

Sensing that his coming trip to Sumeru City would not be easy, Lin Feng withdrew his thoughts from The Doctor and honestly traveled through the rainforest.

Although he had mastered short-range Ley Line Teleportation, it was like Flash in a MOBA game. It was convenient for crossing obstacles over short distances, but not especially useful for long-distance travel.

Thinking carefully, not all of the Seven Archons in the game had mastered the divine skill of map-wide teleportation.

Some gods and Adepti still had to run on their own, and they were somehow not even as free and unrestrained as Rana's Memory.

Unfortunately, that was related to the Aranara's racial traits, and Lin Feng could not learn it for the time being.

—When he had time, he would ask Xiao and see whether he could learn Wind Wheel Dual Blades.

Having thought of an alternative, Lin Feng promptly set his sights on a certain Three-Eyed Five-Manifestations Adeptus.

Since Lin Feng was not taking the main roads, he had no need to conceal his abnormal speed.

Now that he possessed short-range Ley Line Teleportation as well, the supreme truth Lin Feng had always believed in—"the shortest distance between two points is a straight line"—was put fully into practice.

Lin Feng planned to set off from the marshes northwest of Gandharva Ville, avoid Apam Woods to the east, cross Devantaka Mountain beside Sumeru City, climb mountains when he met mountains and cross waters when he met waters, heading straight for his final destination, Vanarana.

After mastering teleportation, Lin Feng could ignore most obstacles, and he was almost like a bolt of lightning within the forest.

And for someone who possessed Dendro Authority, the rainforest was undoubtedly his home ground.

Even though Lin Feng did not deliberately wield that power, the rainforest's ley lines seemed to possess awareness, actively providing convenience for their master.

Under that inexplicable influence, not only did the forest animals move aside of their own accord, even the wind resistance as he traveled became negligible.

Though he was racing forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye, the gentle breeze meeting him made Lin Feng feel as though he were merely taking a leisurely stroll through the woods.

Noticing this unreasonable sight, Lin Feng could not help but marvel. As expected of Teyvat, with its unique rules. Ley line anomalies truly could produce all kinds of wondrous phenomena.

Something like reduced wind resistance would probably just be an ordinary Anemo Element buff in a game.

And with so many favorable factors layered together, though Lin Feng had chosen a route that was almost impossible—

With enough brute force, he really did manage to carve out a straight path through the rugged mountains as he had wished.

Most creatures in the rainforest could not even notice Lin Feng passing by.

Only a small number of creatures blessed with exceptionally sharp senses could vaguely detect a big black rat flashing past them.

Ignoring the little creatures that became jumpy and suspicious because he had passed by...

Lin Feng estimated that even without using his powers, he would likely need only a few hours to cross nearly half of Sumeru's rainforest.

Growing a little uninhibited as he sped onward, he did not realize in the slightest that his habit of meddling had been correspondingly strengthened along with his power.

He casually plucked a tail feather from a chattering Night-Colored Bird nearby, then kneaded the heads of a passing Slime and Fungi.

Having turned the whole way into utter chaos for birds and beasts alike, Lin Feng had never felt the beauty of power as clearly as he did now.