Tighnari

Lin Feng, who truly needed a safe place to rest and recover, accepted Tighnari's proposal.

After once again declining Farbod's invitation to eat mushrooms together, Lin Feng took Xiao Bai to a nearby market and ordered a Meat Roll and Curry Shrimp. Looking at the complimentary crispy green balls that gave off a peculiar smell, Lin Feng hesitated for a moment before ultimately not daring to try them.

Setting that little episode aside, both Lin Feng and Xiao Bai were visibly in better spirits after eating a hot meal.

It was worth mentioning that Lin Feng had looted over three thousand Mora from the unconscious Mushroom Brothers earlier. After actually spending some, he discovered that Mora, as the flesh and blood of the Geo Archon, had quite respectable purchasing power—roughly equivalent to RMB in his previous life.

Lin Feng, who had initially complained that the Mushroom Brothers had so little money that it would not even cover a meal at Wangshu Inn, silently apologized to the three brothers.

Lin Feng did not plan to touch the Mora and Elemental Shards Xiao Bai had stolen from the Fatui. Aside from worrying that they might be traceable, he had also realized that those things were genuinely filling. Since eating his fill last time, Xiao Bai had barely used any power and still showed no sign of hunger.

At one point, Lin Feng suddenly wondered whether Xiao Bai could eat Mora. But after tasting one, Xiao Bai said its purity was too low and it was not much different from eating rocks, so they could only give up on the idea.

After eating, Lin Feng picked out two sets of spare clothes from a stall. They were the light-gray robes commonly worn by residents of Sumeru's rainforest region, though these came in separate upper and lower pieces, somewhat resembling shirts and shorts from his previous life.

The clothes and lunch had cost around three hundred Mora in total. If he only needed to cover daily living expenses, those three thousand Mora could last him for a while.

After bathing and changing into clean clothes, Lin Feng felt thoroughly clean and refreshed.

After running around all morning, Lin Feng returned to the temporary residence Tighnari had arranged for him.

The house had a simple appearance, triangular in shape, with a wooden frame covered in specially treated hay and fresh leaves.

Once inside, Lin Feng discovered that this simply constructed hut was unexpectedly comfortable. The furnishings were sparse—a bed, a desk, a specimen board, and a storage rack. Those were the only major pieces of furniture, and the place did not seem to have much of a lived-in feel.

Could it be that Tighnari often lends this place out to others? The Traveler also stayed here for a while in the game while recovering from illness. Seeing that the hut contained almost no personal belongings, Lin Feng could not help but speculate inwardly.

Feeling genuinely tired, Lin Feng lay down on the bed while holding Xiao Bai, who had also just taken a bath and was soft and fragrant. He opened Tighnari's personal panel:

Individual Information: Human - Tighnarian - Tighnari

Level: 51 (Able to skillfully wield Elemental Power, possesses Combat Power far beyond that of ordinary people, and can match certain boss-level monsters)

Attribute: Dendro

Traits: Herbalism 6, Enhanced Hearing 5, Vision · Dendro Elemental Affinity 5, Archery 5, Enhanced Smell 3, Cooking 3, Pathfinding 2

Mood: Calm

Favorability: 30 (He is grateful for your help to the residents of Gandharva Ville, but still harbors some suspicion regarding your identity)

Compared with his own panel, aside from the enormous gap in level and the fact that Tighnari could probably fight ten of him, the most obvious difference was Elemental Affinity.

His own Elemental Affinity was not only of a higher level, but it was not limited to a specific element and did not have the Vision prefix.

Furthermore, he had Elemental Resistance at level 7, a trait he had never seen on any ordinary person's panel.

Only that Slime from before had Hydro Elemental Resistance 9. Rounding that up, he was probably a youth-version all-element Slime. He could not achieve immunity, but he was tough enough already.

Though he was still curious about the garbled text on Xiao Bai and himself, Lin Feng, who had traveled through the night, was truly exhausted. The moment he closed his eyes, sleepiness surged over him like a tide.

Afternoon.

After a brief nap, the refreshed Lin Feng looked outside through the latticed window.

What surprised Lin Feng was that although he felt as though he had slept for a long time, the sun outside had not even fully set yet.

The reddening sunset fell upon passing pedestrians and merchants gradually packing up their stalls. Workers who had finished for the day slowly returned home. Perhaps it was mealtime, for the air was filled with the scent of cooking fires and spices.

The real Gandharva Ville was far more prosperous than the tiny game outpost with only a few ramshackle houses.

Traveling merchants coming and going, Forest Walkers who had made their living in the woods for generations, Akademiya Scholars here for ecological research, and mercenaries tasked with protecting caravans or students.

All kinds of people filled this small town on the edge of the rainforest with life, while the ones maintaining it all were the countless Forest Rangers working busily behind the scenes.

Looking at it this way, Forest Rangers held quite an important position. They were probably a combination of forest wardens and peacekeepers, which fit the game's description of them as "civil servants."

Lin Feng felt a little hungry and planned to grab another meal before the vendors closed their stalls.

Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the window.

"Awake?"

Lin Feng looked toward the source of the voice and saw only two upright ears.

"I made some mushroom soup. Want to come have some?"

Tighnari, carrying a pot, knocked on the door and walked in.

"Thanks. I was just getting hungry and was about to look for something to eat." Lin Feng could not think of a reason to refuse.

"Still, I did not expect that, as a Forest Ranger, you would be such a good cook."

Smelling the aroma that filled the air, Lin Feng gave the system's Cooking 3 trait his approval.

"By the way, are the mushrooms in that pot edible? Honestly, I have a bit of trauma from those things." Lin Feng eyed the colorful mushrooms in the pot with some apprehension.

"Haha, don't worry. The mushrooms I pick generally don't cause problems. And just in case, I brought some special medicine."

Tighnari laughed cheerfully and shook the glass bottle in his hand.

"Actually, most fungi can be found in the Gandharva Ville Edible Mushroom Guide. As long as you do not touch species you have never seen before, nothing should go wrong."

Tighnari explained thoughtfully.

"Thank you. Then I will gladly accept."

Already somewhat tempted by the food, Lin Feng promptly sat down and started eating.

During the meal, Lin Feng made up a story for Tighnari: his parents had lived in seclusion and died in a natural disaster, leaving him to wander everywhere at a young age.

"I see."

Tighnari expressed his understanding. After all, Lin Feng looked only thirteen to fifteen years old. Strictly speaking, he was still a child, and Tighnari had indeed been curious about his past.

"Try this. It is a mushroom I only discovered recently. You might be the first person to eat it."

Tighnari placed some green mushrooms into Lin Feng's bowl.

"Thanks." Lin Feng hesitantly put the mushrooms into his mouth.

"Mmm, delicious!" Lin Feng, who had still been hesitant just moments ago, instantly became a wholehearted convert.

Lin Feng could actually sense Tighnari's goodwill toward him. After all, merely dealing with three insignificant Treasure Hoarders did not warrant this much effort. Yet it did not seem like simple sympathy either.