Chapter 23: Parting

Even though he had prepared himself in advance, parting ways with the Forest Rangers still left Lin Feng feeling a bit melancholy.

After the farewell banquet, having said goodbye to colleagues like Nasrin, Lin Feng once again declined Farbod’s invitation to go mushroom hunting. He then accepted the graduation gift Tighnari had promised him back when he first joined the team.

"Open it and see. I hope you like it." Tighnari handed the rectangular box to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng reached out to take it. Upon opening the box, he found a longbow made of verdant wood inside.

"Although I promised you a graduation gift, there wasn't much time, and this is all the tribe's bowyer could manage in such a short period. I hope you don't mind." Because of Lin Feng’s lightning-fast graduation, Tighnari was clearly not entirely satisfied with his own gift.

"No, this is already quite excellent. You know that I don't rely on weapons." Lin Feng took the longbow but did not pull it to test it.

—To the current him, the vast majority of equipment was merely a toy. Weapons that could truly enhance his abilities were mostly lost to history.

It could at least be used to avoid accidentally killing an opponent... Looking at the bow, which felt exceptionally light in his hands, Lin Feng thought to himself.

"Also, if it's convenient, could you reveal what level your current strength has actually reached?"

"What happened in the rainforest today was your doing, wasn't it? You made Nasrin and the others think the Dendro Archon had manifested." Having not sparred with Lin Feng in a long time, Tighnari was very curious about his strength.

Lacking any point of comparison, Lin Feng felt a bit troubled by this sudden request.

He scanned the Gandharva Ville before him, noticing the suspension bridges that had been damaged by wind and rain, and suddenly had a good idea.

Thinking that he wanted to do as much as possible for this settlement before he left, Lin Feng closed his eyes.

Tighnari took note of this.

—Following a single thought from Lin Feng, countless Dendro elements gathered from the sky and the earth, as if scrambling to pay homage to their sovereign.

Throughout the entire Gandharva Ville, in all the old facilities damaged for various reasons, countless long-rotted and dried-out wooden planks suddenly seemed to gain new life.

—Broken bridges were reconnected, collapsed signposts stood tall once more, and withered fences became neat and sturdy again, covered in blooming flowers.

Not only Tighnari, but the passing merchants and residents were also shocked by this "miracle" with such a vast range of influence. Some forest rangers even knelt on the spot, calling out for the Dendro Archon’s blessing.

"This... it's unimaginable."

"In your presence, perhaps no one can truly be called a genius."

Watching Lin Feng grow to such heights in less than half a year, Tighnari felt more gratification than shock.

...

Bidding farewell to Tighnari once more, Lin Feng left with Xiao Bai, departing from the place that had first taken him in.

Finally embarking on his journey as he had wished, Lin Feng savored the freedom and comfort washing over him. Listening to the chirping of insects and birds, Lin Feng—who had never had such an opportunity in his past life—unexpectedly felt that being a traveler wasn't bad at all.

When he grew old, he would find a small village like Qingce Village to settle down in, and spend his golden years taking walks and visiting friends with Xiao Bai.

—Even after half a year, Lin Feng still possessed the appearance of a youth as he began to daydream about his retirement on the road.

Putting his scattered thoughts aside, Lin Feng began to ponder the specific steps to resolve the Withering Avatar.

To fulfill his promise to the Lesser Lord Kusanali, Lin Feng decided his first stop would be Vimara Village, not far from Gandharva Ville.

It is worth mentioning that Lin Feng did not need to search everywhere for the Aranara scattered outside like in the game. As a reliable employer, the Lesser Lord Kusanali would call the wandering Aranara back to Vanarana for him.

Lin Feng was only going to Vimara Village to take a boat along the waterway to Vanarana.

Possessing a level 7 Dream Protection, entering Vanarana for Lin Feng was merely a matter of a single thought. Combined with the Lesser Lord Kusanali acting as a bridge, he felt that his "speedrun" version of the Aranyaka quest shouldn't take much time—at least, that was what Lin Feng thought.

Lin Feng did not intentionally hurry along the way, but with his outstanding physical stamina, he still moved very quickly even while carrying his luggage.

Along the road, he occasionally saw merchants traveling with horse-drawn carriages from various nations; Lin Feng even spotted two merchants dressed in the style of Fontaine.

It was no surprise that this happened; as a vital node in Sumeru's waterways, Vimara Village was a necessary stop on the way to Port Ormos, so merchants often rested there. However, because it was very convenient to travel from Vimara Village to Port Ormos, merchants rarely stayed there for long.

Lin Feng, who had gradually transcended the scope of an ordinary person, did not feel fatigued even after continuous travel. However, seeing that it was getting dark, he chose to pitch a tent and rest by the side of the road for the night.

It was another night camping in the rainforest, but as he curled up in the tent holding Xiao Bai, Lin Feng’s mood was completely different from when he first arrived.

Listening to the gentle whispers of the forest, the rainforest felt more relaxing to him now than ever before.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, as he prepared to set off, Lin Feng encountered a merchant caravan from Liyue led by a chubby, middle-aged man.

Seeing Lin Feng traveling alone with his luggage and still moving with such agility, the man, who also had the features of a Liyue local, felt curious and took the initiative to strike up a conversation:

"Little brother, your stamina is impressive! You've been walking for two hours, and even with such a large pack, you can still outpace the carriage. Would you like to come up and rest for a bit?"

Lin Feng looked at the heavily laden caravan and thought for a moment before replying, "No need, thank you for your kindness. I'm not really tired, and Vimara Village is just ahead, so I won't trouble you."

The man looked at Lin Feng, who was breathing normally and hadn't even broken a sweat, and said with some envy, "Looking at the accessory on your waist, you must be a Vision holder. I've long heard that Vision holders are far beyond ordinary people, and today I've finally seen it for myself."

"Not at all, it's just that my stamina is a bit better than average, nothing worth mentioning. As for you, sir, looking at the scale of this caravan, you must be a top-tier merchant in Liyue," Lin Feng praised, looking at the dozens of people in the caravan.

"Hehe, it's just a bit of good luck, you're too kind, little brother."

Habitually humble, the man found the young man in front of him to be sincere. Having nothing better to do, he started chatting with Lin Feng. It was then that Lin Feng learned the man was originally from Qiaoying Village and had come this time to deliver goods to Port Ormos, which was why he was transiting through Vimara Village.

Chatting while walking, Lin Feng arrived at Vimara Village by noon.

Bidding farewell to the man who invited him to visit Qiaoying Village whenever he had the chance, Lin Feng entered the small village nestled by the river alone.

Watching the elderly people taking walks in the good weather and the children playing, and breathing in the slightly humid air, Lin Feng felt as though his weary self had come back to life.