Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Untroubled Thicket

Although he had been delayed slightly by clearing a Withering Zone, Lin Feng reached his destination—the Avidya Forest—within two days.

Gazing at the countless towering mushrooms radiating a faint, eerie blue glow, Lin Feng was once again struck with wonder by the unique ecology of the Teyvat continent.

On the soft, dark earth, countless mushrooms rose up like giant trees. Their stalks were fully lignified, feeling like the ancient trees of a rainforest to the touch, and their massive, thick caps were sturdy enough to support the weight of several adults. Under the moonlight, the caps emitted a beautiful blue fluorescence, creating a fantastical, dreamlike atmosphere.

While he was mesmerized by the exotic scenery, Lin Feng did not lose sight of his goal: to open the path to the Vimara Village and clear the massive tumor of Withering that had accumulated there.

Exuding his dream energy, Lin Feng began to sense the presence of the three little ones—Aranaga, Aragaru, and Aranakin—lingering in the vicinity.

"Found you!"

It did not take long for Lin Feng to detect an Aranara responding to his presence. With a quick movement, he dashed toward the source of the signal.

Looking at the Aranara before him with its brownish-yellow hat and pink limbs, Lin Feng knew this had to be Aranakin, one of the trio. The little creature’s pink flower atop its head spun incessantly, acting like a bamboo-copter to keep it hovering in mid-air.

Aranakin remained quietly in place, showing no sign of surprise at Lin Feng’s sudden appearance—it was, unexpectedly, an Aranara that was not afraid of humans.

"Hello, little one. I am Lin Feng, and this is Xiaobai beside me. I have been entrusted by the Lesser Lord Kusanali to help you heal the Vimara Village," Lin Feng said, introducing himself as he looked at Aranakin.

"Aranakin is not a little one; Aranakin is Aranakin!" The little creature looked at Lin Feng, hopped in the air, and protested.

"Let’s set that aside for now. I will do everything in my power to help you clear the Withering. Tell me about your original plan, Aranakin." Lin Feng cut straight to the point.

Aranakin seemed unexpectedly mature for an Aranara. It looked at Lin Feng and explained clearly:

"First, we must find the 'Zohrah Mushroom.' The 'Zohrah Mushroom' is the little glow—just like my song!"

"But to find the 'Zohrah Mushroom,' we need the 'Kusava.'"

"'Kusava' is the temporary dwelling place for the memories of the Aranara; it gives the Aranara strength..."

"Stop!" Lin Feng listened to the endless explanation, feeling as if he were trapped in a cycle of repetitive game quests. "If I’m not mistaken, you have two other companions named Araragaru and Aranaga, and they will also ask me to find special spirit herbs, right?"

"Eh... Nara Lin Feng is so smart! It’s the fresh—juice—" Aranakin looked astonished, its small eyes turning into two circles.

"If we follow your method, it’s too much trouble. Can you help me call Araragaru and Aranaga over first? I want to see if I can wake up the 'Ashvattha' on my own and enter the 'Vimara Village'." Lin Feng, eager to skip the grind, intended to go straight to the final step.

"But without the power of the medicine, the 'Arama' ritual cannot be performed. Without the power of the 'Tree' and the 'Grass,' the 'Ashvattha' will not want to wake from its beautiful dream." Aranakin seemed confused.

"Don't worry, I have my ways. If you don't believe me, look at this."

Lin Feng channeled his mastery of the Dendro element, infusing his will and aura into the gathered elemental power, condensing it into a drop of liquid that shimmered with green light. Seeing this green drop, Aranakin jumped up with excitement.

"Great! It is the power of 'Grass'! The memories of the 'Zohrah Mushroom' won't have to be consumed!"

"I will go and call Araragaru and Aranaga back immediately! We shall perform the 'Arama' ritual when the 'moon is at its zenith'!" With that, Aranakin vanished.

Lin Feng watched the excited little creature, understanding why it was so happy. The original "Arama" ritual required the memories of three Aranara to be blended with three different medicines to create the "Arama" elixir. Upon completing the ritual, the Aranara would slowly lose their memories. This was incredibly cruel, as memories were the most precious things to them; forgetting their friends would bring sorrow to the innocent creatures.

A short while later, besides Aranakin, a yellow mushroom-like Aranara and a green cabbage-like one appeared—Aranaga and Araragaru. Lin Feng looked at the trio, lamenting that if his memory hadn't been enhanced after his transmigration, just remembering these names would have been a struggle.

"Aranaga, Araragaru, hello. I am Lin Feng, and this is Xiaobai. This is what I intend to use as a substitute for the 'Arama' elixir. Please, feel it and see if it works."

Lin Feng introduced himself again and handed the drop of "divine power" to the Aranara.

"So amazing! It is the power of 'Grass'! The 'Vashara' flower is saved!" the green Araragaru hopped in the air, exclaiming.

"The tall Nara is so amazing! Now we don't need to go find the 'Yenara Grass'!" the yellow mushroom-like Aranaga added happily.

"That’s wonderful. Since it works, and it’s almost midnight, can we begin preparing for the ritual?" Lin Feng asked, relieved that his plan to skip the quest steps had succeeded.

"Yes, we can start right away! This time, there is no need to make medicine; we only need to wait for the 'moon to be at its zenith' to wake the 'Ashvattha'!" the three Aranara said in unison. As a token of gratitude for not having to lose their memories, they each offered a flower as a gift.

"Nara Lin Feng, cleaning the 'Marana'—you are a friend. A gift for a friend. Please accept."

"Thank you, I will treasure them." Lin Feng understood the special significance of flowers to the Aranara and gratefully accepted the gifts from the innocent little creatures.

...

After a brief rest, the time reached midnight. The three Aranara began to sing in the clear moonlight.

Reflecting on this "Aranyaka" speedrun completed in a single night, Lin Feng once again felt the beauty of power.

Puzzles? Why solve puzzles when you can just smash through them?

He looked up at the giant mushroom "Ashvattha" stimulated by the divine power, and the entrance to the "Vimara Village" exposed beneath it. Lin Feng took a deep breath, preparing to face the final challenge of this mission—the giant Withering tumor.